Storage medium having game program stored thereon and game apparatus

• US 20070265085A1
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Takeshi, Yamashita, Yoshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,568,232 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 13/573 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 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

Acceleration data which is output from an acceleration sensor included in an input device is obtained, and a support position coordinate set, in a virtual game space, of a support provided on an object is calculated based on the obtained acceleration data. An inclination of the input device in the real space is calculated based on the obtained acceleration data. A parameter representing an object inclination at which the object is inclined in the virtual game space is calculated in accordance with the calculated inclination of the input device. Using the support position coordinate set and the parameter representing the object inclination, the object is located in the virtual game space and displayed on a display device.

Claims

1. A storage medium having stored thereon a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus for moving an object located in a virtual game space and displaying the object on a display device, using an acceleration detected by an input device including an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration in at least one axial direction, the game program causing the computer to execute:

an acceleration obtaining step of obtaining acceleration data which is output from the acceleration sensor;

a support position calculation step of calculating a support position coordinate set which represents a position, in the virtual game space, of a support provided on the object, based on the acceleration data obtained in the acceleration obtaining step;

an input device inclination calculation step of calculating an inclination of the input device in a real space, based on the acceleration data obtained in the acceleration obtaining step;

an object inclination calculation step of calculating a parameter representing an object inclination at which the object is inclined in the virtual game space, in accordance with the inclination of the input device calculated in the input device inclination calculation step; and

a display control step of locating the object in the virtual game space and displaying the object on the display device, using the support position coordinate set calculated in the support position calculation step and the parameter representing the object inclination calculated in the object inclination calculation step.

2. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute an inclination target setting step of setting an inclination target for the object in the virtual game space, in accordance with the inclination of the input device;

in the object inclination calculation step, an inclination obtained by inclining the object from the current object inclination toward the inclination target by a predetermined ratio in the virtual game space is calculated, as the parameter representing the object inclination.

3. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

the parameter representing the object inclination is a directional vector representing a direction of the object inclination in the virtual game space; and

in the display control step, the object is located in the virtual game space and displayed on the display device, using the support position coordinate set and the directional vector.

4. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

the parameter representing the object inclination is a position coordinate set representing a position, in the virtual game space, of a point on the object which is different from the support; and

in the display control step, the object is located in the virtual game space and displayed on the display device, using the support position coordinate set and the position coordinate set of the point on the object which is different from the support.

5. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute a movable range setting step of setting a movable range in which the support of the object is movable in the virtual game space.

6. A storage medium according to claim 5, wherein in the support position calculation step, the support position coordinate set is calculated by scaling the acceleration represented by the acceleration data, obtained in the acceleration obtaining step, to the movable range, in the state where a maximum acceleration detectable by the acceleration sensor is associated with starting and termination ends of the movable range.

7. A storage medium according to claim 6, wherein:

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration in each of three axial directions perpendicular to one another which are defined for the input device;

in the movable range setting step, the movable range is set as a plane in the virtual game space; and

in the support position calculation step, the support position coordinate set is calculated by scaling an acceleration in a first axial direction included in the three axial directions to a first direction in the movable range, and scaling an acceleration in a second axial direction included in the three axial directions to a second direction in the movable range perpendicular to the first direction.

8. A storage medium according to claim 2, wherein:

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration in each of three axial directions perpendicular to one another which are defined for the input device; and

in the inclination target setting step, the inclination target is set by converting an inclination of a longer axis direction of the input device with respect to a vertical direction in the real space into an inclination of a longer axis direction of the object with respect to a vertical direction in the virtual game space.

9. A game apparatus for moving an object located in a virtual game space and displaying the object on a display device, using an acceleration detected by an input device including an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration in at least one axial direction, the game apparatus comprising:

acceleration obtaining means for obtaining acceleration data which is output from the acceleration sensor;

support position calculation means for calculating a support position coordinate set which represents a position, in the virtual game space, of a support provided on the object, based on the acceleration data obtained by the acceleration obtaining means;

input device inclination calculation means for calculating an inclination of the input device in a real space, based on the acceleration data obtained by the acceleration obtaining means;

object inclination calculation means for calculating a parameter representing an object inclination at which the object is inclined in the virtual game space, in accordance with the inclination of the input device calculated by the input device inclination calculation means; and

display control means for locating the object in the virtual game space and displaying the object on the display device, using the support position coordinate set calculated by the support position calculation means and the parameter representing the object inclination calculated by the object inclination calculation means.

10. A game apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising inclination target setting means for setting an inclination target for the object in the virtual game space, in accordance with the inclination of the input device;

wherein the object inclination calculation means calculates an inclination obtained by inclining the object from the current object inclination toward the inclination target by a predetermined ratio in the virtual game space as the parameter representing the object inclination.

11. A game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the parameter representing the object inclination is a directional vector representing a direction of the object inclination in the virtual game space; and

the display control means locates the object in the virtual game space and displays the object on the display device, using the support position coordinate set and the directional vector.

12. A game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the parameter representing the object inclination is a position coordinate set representing a position, in the virtual game space, of a point on the object which is different from the support; and

the display control means locates the object in the virtual game space and displays the object on the display device, using the support position coordinate set and the position coordinate set of the point on the object which is different from the support.

13. A game apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising movable range setting means for setting a movable range in which the support of the object is movable in the virtual game space.

14. A game apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the support position calculation means calculates the support position coordinate set by scaling the acceleration represented by the acceleration data, obtained by the acceleration obtaining means, to the movable range, in the state where a maximum acceleration detectable by the acceleration sensor is associated with starting and termination ends of the movable range.

15. A game apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration in each of three axial directions perpendicular to one another which are defined for the input device;

the movable range setting means sets the movable range as a plane in the virtual game space; and

the support position calculation means calculates the support position coordinate set by scaling an acceleration in a first axial direction included in the three axial directions to a first direction in the movable range, and scaling an acceleration in a second axial direction included in the three axial directions to a second direction in the movable range perpendicular to the first direction.

16. A game apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration in each of three axial directions perpendicular to one another which are defined for the input device; and

the inclination target setting means sets the inclination target by converting an inclination of a longer axis direction of the input device with respect to a vertical direction in the real space into an inclination of a longer axis direction of the object with respect to a vertical direction in the virtual game space.