Storage medium storing a game program, game apparatus and game controlling method

• US 20070111804A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creatures, Inc., HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Creatures, Inc., HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Sekimori, Kazuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,927,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• 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 13/95 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 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6692 using special effects, generally involving post-processing, e.g. blooming
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting

Abstract

A game apparatus includes an LCD, and on the LCD, a touch panel is set. When a player object encounters an enemy object, a battle screen is displayed on the LCD. A player performs a sliding operation on the touch panel with a stick or the like in such a manner as to surround the enemy object and tries to obtain the enemy object. At this time, when the enemy object (affecting object) already obtained is selected, an ability (effect) equipped with the affecting object can be produced. For example, a flame according to a surrounding line is generated. When the flame hits the enemy object, the enemy object is damaged to decrease its moving speed and stop moving.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing a game program of a game apparatus having a display for displaying an object in a virtual space on a screen and a pointing device for designating at least a position on said screen,

said game program causes a processor of said game apparatus to function:

an input coordinate detecting means for detecting an input coordinate indicating the position on said screen designated by said pointing device every predetermined time period;

a line segment calculating means for calculating a line segment connecting a previous input coordinate and a current input coordinate which were detected by said input coordinate detecting means;

a closed region determining means for determining whether or not a closed region is formed by a plurality of line segments calculated by said line segment calculating means;

a surrounding determining means for determining whether or not said object is included in said closed region when it is determined that said closed region is formed by said closed region determining means;

an affecting object storage controlling means for storing obtained information taking said object as an affecting object in a storing means when it is determined that said object is included in said closed region by said surrounding determining means; and

a difficulty level changing means for changing a difficulty level of surrounding of another object on the basis of the affecting object indicated by the obtained information stored in said storing means.

2. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein

said game program further causes said processor to function as

a surrounding count counting means for counting the number of determinations that said object is included in said closed region by said surrounding determining means, and

a surrounding count determining means for determining whether or not the number of times counted by said surrounding count counting means reaches a predetermined number of times, wherein

said affecting object storage controlling means for storing obtained information taking said object as an affecting object in said storing means when it is determined that the number of surroundings reaches said predetermined number of times by said surrounding count determining means.

3. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 2, wherein

said game program causes said processor to function as

a surrounding count resetting means for resetting the number of surroundings counted by said surrounding count counting means when an input coordinate-is not detected by said input coordinate detecting means, or when said object. contacts said line segment.

4. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein

said difficulty level changing means changes said difficulty level of surrounding for only a fixed period of time, or by the fixed number of times, and

said game program causes a processor to function as an erasing means for erasing the obtained information as to said affecting object from said storing means when said fixed period of time elapses, or when said fixed number of times is exceeded.

5. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein said difficulty level changing means changes a moving speed of said object.

6. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein

said difficulty level changing means changes a movable range of said object.

7. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 2, wherein

said difficulty level changing means changes a count value of said surrounding count counting means.

8. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein

a length of a drawable line is constant, and said difficulty level changing means changes said length of the drawable line.

9. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein

said game program causes said processor to function as a line segment displaying means for displaying the line segment calculated by said line segment calculating means in a color based on an attribute of the affecting object corresponding to the obtained information stored in said storing means.

10. A game apparatus having a display for displaying an object in a virtual space on a screen and a pointing device for designating at least a position on said screen, comprising:

an input coordinate detecting means for detecting an input coordinate indicating the position on said screen designated by said pointing device every predetermined time period;

a line segment calculating means for calculating a line segment connecting a previous input coordinate and a current input coordinate which were detected by said input coordinate detecting means;

a closed region determining means for determining whether or not a closed region is formed by a plurality of line segments calculated by said line segment calculating means;

a surrounding determining means for determining whether or not said object is included in said closed region when it is determined that said closed region is formed by said closed region determining means;

an affecting object storage controlling means for storing obtained information taking said object as an affecting object in a storing means when it is determined that said object is included in said closed region by said surrounding determining means; and

a difficulty level changing means for changing a difficulty level of surrounding another object on the basis of the affecting object indicated by the obtained information stored in said storing means.

11. A game controlling method of a game apparatus having a display for displaying an object in a virtual space on a screen and a pointing device for designating at least a position on said screen, including following steps of:

(a) detecting an input coordinate indicating the position on said screen designated by said pointing device every predetermined time period;

(b) calculating a line segment connecting a previous input coordinate and a current input coordinate which were detected by said step (a);

(c) determining whether or not a closed region is formed by a plurality of line segments calculated by said step (b);

(d) determining whether or not said object is included in said closed region when it is determined that said closed region is formed by said step (c);

(e) storing obtained information taking said object as an affecting object in a storing means when it is determined that said object is included in said closed region by said step (d); and

(f) changing a difficulty level of surrounding another object on the basis of the affecting object indicated by the obtained information stored in said storing means.