Storage medium having game program stored thereon and game apparatus

• US 20070111803A1
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawai, Toshinori, Moro, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 7,922,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• 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 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

Designated coordinates, on the display screen, designated by the pointing device are acquired, and target coordinates, in the virtual game space, corresponding to the designated coordinates are calculated. A distance from reference coordinates set on the display screen to the designated coordinates is calculated and speed information based on the distance is calculated. A predetermined object is moved toward the target coordinates in the virtual game space at a movement speed represented by the speed information.

Claims

1. A storage medium having stored thereon a game program to be executed by a computer of a game apparatus which displays on a display screen a game image representing at least a portion of a virtual game space, and which is operated using a pointing device for detecting for a position, on the display screen, designated by a player, the game program causing the computer to execute:

a designated coordinate acquisition step of acquiring designated coordinates, on the display screen, designated by the pointing device, and storing the designated coordinates in a memory;

a target coordinate calculation step of calculating target coordinates, in the virtual game space, corresponding to the designated coordinates, and storing the target coordinates in the memory;

a distance calculation step of calculating a distance from reference coordinates set on the display screen to the designated coordinates;

a speed information calculation step of calculating speed information using the distance; and

an object movement step of moving a predetermined object toward the target coordinates in the virtual game space at a movement speed represented by the speed information.

2. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute a reference coordinate setting step of setting, as the reference coordinates, a position, on the display screen, which is superimposed on a position at which an object to be operated by the player is displayed, and storing the reference coordinates in the memory.

3. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein a position of the reference coordinates is fixed as a center position of the display screen.

4. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the target coordinate calculation step calculates, as the target coordinates, a position which is on a game field set in the virtual game space and on which the designated coordinates on the display screen are superimposed.

5. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the speed information calculation step calculates a target speed of the object, using a predetermined function, as the speed information calculated from the distance.

6. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 5, wherein the speed information calculation step sets the target speed corresponding to the distance having a value greater than a first threshold value, so as to have a constant value of a maximum target speed.

7. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 5, wherein the speed information calculation step sets, when the distance has a value smaller than a second threshold value, the target speed to zero.

8. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the pointing device is a touch panel attached to the display screen.

9. A game apparatus which displays on a display screen a game image representing at least a portion of a virtual game space, and which is operated using a pointing device for detecting for a position, on the display screen, designated by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

storage means;

designated coordinate acquisition means for acquiring designated coordinates, on the display screen, designated by the pointing device, and storing the designated coordinates in the storage means;

target coordinate calculation means for calculating target coordinates, in the virtual game space, corresponding to the designated coordinates, and storing the target coordinates in the storage means;

distance calculation means for calculating a distance from reference coordinates set on the display screen to the designated coordinates;

speed information calculation means for calculating speed information using the distance; and

object movement means for moving a predetermined object toward the target coordinates in the virtual game space at a movement speed represented by the speed information.

10. The game apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising reference coordinate setting means for setting, as the reference coordinates, a position, on the display screen, which is superimposed on a position at which an object to be operated by the player is displayed, and storing the reference coordinates in the storage means.

11. The game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a position of the reference coordinates is fixed as a center position of the display screen.

12. The game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the target coordinate calculation means calculates, as the target coordinates, a position which is on a game field set in the virtual game space and on which the designated coordinates on the display screen are superimposed.

13. The game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the speed information calculation means calculates a target speed of the object, using a predetermined function, as the speed information calculated from the distance.

14. The game apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the speed information calculation means sets the target speed corresponding to the distance having a value greater than a first threshold value, so as to have a constant value of a maximum target speed.

15. The game apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the speed information calculation means sets, when the distance has a value smaller than a second threshold value, the target speed to zero.

16. The game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the pointing device is a touch panel attached to the display screen.