Storage medium having game program stored thereon and game apparatus

• US 20060217196A1
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kazuyuki, Kikkawa, Hitoshi, Sakoda, Katsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,684,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands

Abstract

A storage medium having stored thereon a game program executable by a computer 21 of a game apparatus 1 including touch coordinate pair input means for outputting coordinate information based on a predetermined coordinate system in accordance with a touch operation performed by a player. A first object P1 and a second object P2 are displayed on a display screen based on first object position data DC3 and second object position data DC5. While input coordinate pairs are being detected, the first object position data DC3 is updated based on the input coordinate pairs. The second object position data DC5 is updated based on the first object position data DC3.

Claims

1. A storage medium having stored thereon a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus for displaying, on a display screen, a game image representing at least a part of a virtual space in which a first object and a second object are present, the game apparatus including touch coordinate pair input means for outputting coordinate information based on a predetermined coordinate system in accordance with a touch operation performed by a player, the game program causing the computer to execute:

a position data storage step of storing, on a memory, first object position data representing a position of the first object in the virtual space and second object position data representing a position of the second object in the virtual space;

a display control step of displaying the first object and the second object on the display screen based on the first object position data and the second object position data stored on the memory;

a detection step of detecting an input coordinate pair which is input by the touch coordinate pair input means;

a first object position update step of, while input coordinate pairs are being detected by the detection step, updating the first object position data stored on the memory based on the input coordinate pairs; and

a second object position update step of updating the second object position data, based on the first object position data stored on the memory.

2. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 1, wherein the game program further causes the computer to execute a first object position automatic update step of further automatically updating the first object position data stored on the memory, based on a predetermined rule.

3. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 2, wherein:

the game apparatus displays the game image representing a part of the virtual space on the display screen;

the game program further causes the computer to execute;

a display area setting data storage step of storing, on the memory, display area setting data for setting a display area of the virtual space to be displayed on the display screen; and

a display area update step of automatically updating the display area setting data stored on the memory, in accordance with the update of the first object position data by the first object position automatic update step; and

the display control step executed by the computer displays a part of the virtual space on the display screen based on the display area setting data stored on the memory.

4. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 1, wherein:

the game program further causes the computer to execute a locus data storage step of storing, on the memory, locus data of the first object in the virtual space based on the first object position data stored on the memory; and

the second object position update step executed by the computer updates the second object position data based on the locus data stored on the memory by the locus data storage step.

5. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 4, wherein the second object position update step executed by the computer updates the second object position data, such that the second object moves on a locus based on the locus data stored on the memory by the locus data storage step.

6. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 1, wherein:

the game program further causes the computer to execute a target position data storage step of storing position data in the virtual space corresponding to the input coordinate pair detected by the detection step, the position data being stored on the memory as target position data, and when a new input coordinate pair is later detected by the detection step, updating the target position data into position data in the virtual space corresponding to the new input coordinate pair; and

the first object position update step executed by the computer gradually updates the first object position data such that the first object position data gradually approaches the target position data.

7. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 6, wherein the display control step executed by the computer displays a third object on the display screen based on the target position data stored on the memory.

8. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 1, wherein:

the game program further causes the computer to execute an area determination step of determining whether or not the input coordinate pair detected by the detection step is within a predetermined first area of the display screen; and

the first object position update step executed by the computer updates the first object position data stored on the memory based on the input coordinate pair when the input coordinate pair is determined to be within the predetermined first area by the area determination step.

9. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 8, wherein, while the detection of input coordinate pairs by the detection step is continued after the input coordinate pair at the start of input is determined to be within the predetermined first area by the area determination step, the first object position update step executed by the computer updates the first object position data stored on the memory based on the input coordinate pairs.

10. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 8, wherein the first predetermined area is an area expanding to a predetermined degree around a position at which the first object is displayed on the display screen based on the first object position data.

11. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 8, wherein:

the game program further causes the computer to execute a fourth object position data storage step of storing, on the memory, fourth object position data representing a position of a fourth object in the virtual space;

the display control step executed by the computer displays the fourth object on the display screen based on the fourth object position data stored on the memory;

the game program further causes the computer to execute;

a determination step of, when the input coordinate pair is determined to be outside the predetermined first area by the area determination step, determining whether or not the input coordinate pair matches a display position of the fourth object; and

a fourth object-related processing step of executing predetermined processing related to the fourth object when the input coordinate pair is determined to match the display position of the fourth object by the determination step.

12. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 2, wherein:

the first object position automatic update step executed by the computer updates the first object position data, such that the position of the first object on the display screen based on the first object position data stored on the memory moves in a specified direction;

the game program further causes the computer to execute a restriction step of restricting a post-update value of the first object position data, such that a display position of the first object on the display screen based on the first object position data after the update by the first object position update step and the first object position automatic update step is restricted within a second predetermined area of the display screen;

the second predetermined area does not include a position on the display screen corresponding to an initial value of the second object position data and is set in the specified direction with respect to the position corresponding to the initial value; and

the second object position update step executed by the computer controls the second object position data, such that a position on the display screen corresponding to the second object position data is outside the second predetermined area.

13. A storage medium having stored thereon a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus for displaying, on a display screen, a game image representing at least a part of a virtual space in which a first object is present, the game apparatus including touch coordinate pair input means for outputting coordinate information based on a predetermined coordinate system in accordance with a touch operation performed by a player, the game program causing the computer to execute:

a first object position data storage step of storing first object position data for determining a display position of the first object on the display screen;

a first object display step of displaying the first object on the display screen based on the first object position data stored on the memory;

an indication position data storage step of storing indication position data representing an indication position on the display screen;

a detection step of detecting an input coordinate pair which is input by the touch coordinate pair input means;

an indication position data update step of, when an input coordinate pair is detected by the detection step, updating the indication position data stored on the memory based on the input coordinate pair; and

a first object position update step of updating the first object position data based on the indication position data stored on the memory, regardless of whether input coordinate pairs are being detected by the detection step or not.

14. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 13, wherein the game program further causes the computer to execute a second object display step of displaying a second object at the indication position based on the indication position data stored on the memory.

15. A storage medium having stored thereon the game program according to claim 13, wherein the game program further causes the computer to execute an indication mark display step of displaying an indication mark at a coordinate pair position on the display screen corresponding to the indication position based on the indication position data stored on the memory.

16. A game apparatus for displaying, on a display screen, a game image representing at least a part of a virtual space in which a first object and a second object are present, the game apparatus being operable by touch coordinate pair input means for outputting coordinate information based on a predetermined coordinate system in accordance with a touch operation performed by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

storage means;

position data storage control means for storing, on the storage means, first object position data representing a position of the first object in the virtual space and second object position data representing a position of the second object in the virtual space;

display control means for displaying the first object and the second object on the display screen based on the first object position data and the second object position data stored on the storage means;

detection means for detecting an input coordinate pair which is input by the touch coordinate pair input means and storing the input coordinate pair on the storage means;

first object position update means for updating the first object position data stored on the storage means, based on the input coordinate pair stored on the storage means, regardless of whether input coordinate pairs are being detected by the detection means or not; and

second object position update means for updating the second object position data based on the first object position data stored on the storage means.

17. A game apparatus for displaying, on a display screen, a game image representing at least a part of a virtual space in which a first object is present, the game apparatus being operable by touch coordinate pair input means for outputting coordinate information based on a predetermined coordinate system in accordance with a touch operation performed by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

storage means;

first object position data storage control means for storing, on the storage means, first object position data for determining a display position of the first object on the display screen;

first object display control means for displaying the first object on the display screen based on the first object position data stored on the storage means;

indication position data storage control means for storing indication position data representing an indication position on the display screen;

detection means for detecting an input coordinate pair which is input by the touch coordinate pair input means;

indication position data update means for, when an input coordinate pair is detected by the detection means, updating the indication position data stored on the storage means based on the input coordinate pair; and

first object position update means for updating the first object position data based on the indication position data stored on the storage means, regardless of whether input coordinate pairs are being detected by the detection means or not.