Game apparatus and recording medium recording game program

• US 20070265084A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimamura, Takayuki, Sato, Kenta, Yamashita, Yoshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,833,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/646 for calculating the trajectory of an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6623 for animating a group of characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

Operation information which is output, depending on a motion of an input device is successively obtained, and based on the operation information, the motion of the input device is determined, i.e., a direction in which the input device is moved and a movement velocity of the input device are determined. Next, it is determined whether or not the movement velocity is larger than or equal to a first threshold value, and when the movement velocity is larger than or equal to the first threshold value, a path along which an object is moved in a virtual game world is determined based on predetermined information about the movement path, and when the movement velocity is smaller than the first threshold value, a path in which the object is moved in the virtual game world is determined based on the determined movement velocity. Based on the determined movement path, it is displayed how the object is moved through positions in the virtual game world.

Claims

1. A game apparatus for performing a game process, depending on a motion of an input device itself, comprising:

an output data obtaining means for obtaining first output data and second output data which change, depending on the motion of the input device itself;

a movement coordinate determining means for determining whether or not the first output data is larger than or equal to a first threshold value, and when the first output data is larger than or equal to the first threshold value, determining a coordinate point to which an object is next moved in a predetermined change amount along a predetermined path in a virtual game space, and when the first output data is smaller than the first threshold value, determining a coordinate point to which the object is next moved along the predetermined path in the virtual game space, using the first output data and the second output data;

an object moving means for moving the object to the determined movement coordinate point in the virtual game space; and

a display control means for displaying the virtual game space on a display device, depending on a result of the object moving means.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the first output data is smaller than the first threshold value, the movement coordinate determining means determines a coordinate point to which the object is moved in a direction along the predetermined path in the virtual game space corresponding to a direction in which the input device itself is moved based on the second output data.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a tilt calculating means for calculating a tilt of the input device itself using the first output data and the second output data,

wherein, when the first output data is smaller than the first threshold value, the movement coordinate determining means determines a coordinate point to which the object is moved in a direction along the predetermined path in the virtual game space based on the tilt calculated by the tilt calculating means.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the case where the first output data is larger than or equal to the first threshold value, when the second output data is larger than or equal to the second threshold value, the movement coordinate determining means determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved in the predetermined change amount along the predetermined path in the virtual game space, and when the second output data is smaller than the second threshold value, the movement coordinate determining means determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved along predetermined path in the virtual game space using the first output data and the second output data.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an output data accumulating means for accumulating a value of the second output data per unit time,

wherein the movement coordinate determining means determines per the unit time whether or not the accumulated value of the second output data is larger than or equal to a third threshold value, and when the accumulated value of the second output data is larger than or equal to the third threshold value, determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved in the predetermined change amount along the predetermined path in the virtual game space, and when the accumulated value of the second output data is smaller than the third threshold value, the movement coordinate determining means determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved along predetermined path in the virtual game space using the first output data and the second output data.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the output data accumulating means starts accumulating the value of the second output data only when a value of the first output data continues to be larger than or equal to the first threshold value for a predetermined time or more.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

an accumulated value initializing means for initializing the accumulated value of the second output data when the first output data becomes smaller than or equal to the first threshold value after the output data accumulating means starts accumulating the value of the second output data.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a dominant arm information storing means for setting and storing dominant arm information which is information about a player'"'"'s dominant arm, into a memory,

wherein the output data accumulating means starts accumulating the value of the second output data separately in directions of the input device itself, depending on the dominant arm information.

9. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement coordinate determining means determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved along predetermined path in the virtual game space no matter whether or not the first output data is larger or equal to the first threshold value, until a predetermined time passes after the coordinate point to which the object is next moved along predetermined path in the virtual game space is determined.

10. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input device comprises an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration occurring in the input device, and

the first output data and the second output data are acceleration data which is output from the acceleration sensor, depending on the motion of the input device itself.

11. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game process is a process of executing a game in which a player character swings an item possessed by the player character to hit a ball to cause the ball to fly in a virtual game world,

the object is an item object possessed by the player character, and

the predetermined path is a path for displaying a series of motions of the player character swinging the item.

12. A recording medium recording a game program which is executed by a computer of a game apparatus for performing a game process, depending on a motion of an input device itself, the game program causing the computer to execute:

an output data obtaining step of obtaining first output data and second output data which change, depending on the motion of the input device itself;

a movement coordinate determining step of determining whether or not the first output data is larger than or equal to a first threshold value, and when the first output data is larger than or equal to the first threshold value, determining a coordinate point to which an object is next moved in a predetermined change amount along a predetermined path in a virtual game space, and when the first output data is smaller than the first threshold value, determining a coordinate point to which the object is next moved along the predetermined path in the virtual game space, using the first output data and the second output data;

an object moving step of moving the object to the determined movement coordinate point in the virtual game space; and

a display control step of displaying the virtual game space on a display device, depending on a result of the object moving step.

13. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein, when the first output data is smaller than the first threshold value, the movement coordinate determining step determines a coordinate point to which the object is moved in a direction along the predetermined path in the virtual game space corresponding to a direction in which the input device itself is moved based on the second output data.

14. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute:

a tilt calculating step of calculating a tilt of the input device itself using the first output data and the second output data,

wherein, when the first output data is smaller than the first threshold value, the movement coordinate determining step determines a coordinate point to which the object is moved in a direction along the predetermined path in the virtual game space based on the tilt calculated by the tilt calculating step.

15. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein, in the case where the first output data is larger than or equal to the first threshold value, when the second output data is larger than or equal to the second threshold value, the movement coordinate determining step determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved in the predetermined change amount along the predetermined path in the virtual game space, and when the second output data is smaller than the second threshold value, the movement coordinate determining step determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved along predetermined path in the virtual game space using the first output data and the second output data.

16. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute:

an output data accumulating step of accumulating a value of the second output data per unit time,

wherein the movement coordinate determining step determines per the unit time whether or not the accumulated value of the second output data is larger than or equal to a third threshold value, and when the accumulated value of the second output data is larger than or equal to the third threshold value, determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved in the predetermined change amount along the predetermined path in the virtual game space, and when the accumulated value of the second output data is smaller than the third threshold value, the movement coordinate determining step determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved along predetermined path in the virtual game space using the first output data and the second output data.

17. The recording medium according to claim 16, wherein the output data accumulating step starts accumulating the value of the second output data only when a value of the first output data continues to be larger than or equal to the first threshold value for a predetermined time or more.

18. The recording medium according to claim 17, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute:

an accumulated value initializing step of initializing the accumulated value of the second output data when the first output data becomes smaller than or equal to the first threshold value after the output data accumulating step starts accumulating the value of the second output data.

19. The recording medium according to claim 16, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute:

a dominant arm information storing step of setting and storing dominant arm information which is information about a player'"'"'s dominant arm, into a memory,

wherein the output data accumulating step starts accumulating the value of the second output data separately in directions of the input device itself, depending on the dominant arm information.

20. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the movement coordinate determining step determines a coordinate point to which the object is next moved along predetermined path in the virtual game space no matter whether or not the first output data is larger or equal to the first threshold value, until a predetermined time passes after the coordinate point to which the object is next moved along predetermined path in the virtual game space is determined.

21. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the input device comprises an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration occurring in the input device, and

the first output data and the second output data are acceleration data which is output from the acceleration sensor, depending on the motion of the input device itself.

22. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the game process is a process of executing a game in which a player character swings an item possessed by the player character to hit a ball to cause the ball to fly in a virtual game world,

the object is an item object possessed by the player character, and

the predetermined path is a path for displaying a series of motions of the player character swinging the item.