Game program and game apparatus

• US 20070265087A1
• Filed: 05/02/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishimura, Kentaro, Izuno, Toshiharu, Miyata, Shingo, Hotta, Takuji, Akahori, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 9,550,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• 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 13/422 automatically for the purpose of assisting the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/55 Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6054 by generating automatically game commands to assist the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/646 for calculating the trajectory of an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

A forward direction line is set on a course, in a virtual game world, on which a player object is allowed to move. An advancing direction at a current position of the player object is determined based on the forward direction line. The advancing direction is determined as a direction in which the player object advances so as to control a movement of a player character in accordance with an acceleration instruction, and a leftward-rightward movement instruction from a player. Consequently, it is possible to assist the player in controlling a direction in which an object operated by the player moves.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for moving a player object in a virtual game world in accordance with an operation performed by a player, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to function as:

display control means for displaying the player object on a screen of a display device;

advancing direction determination means for determining, by using data used for determining an advancing direction of the player object set in the virtual game world, the advancing direction at a current position of the player object in the virtual game world, the advancing direction representing a direction in which the player object advances;

advance instruction detection means for detecting for an advance instruction inputted by the player using an input device for advancing the player object; and

advancing movement control means for moving or accelerating, in accordance with the advance instruction from the player having been detected by the advance instruction detection means, the player object in the advancing direction having been determined by the advancing direction determination means.

2. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further function as:

leftward-rightward movement direction determination means for determining, by using the data used for determining the advancing direction, a leftward-rightward movement direction at the current position of the player object in the virtual game world, the leftward-rightward movement direction representing one of a left direction and a right direction in which the player object moves;

leftward-rightward movement instruction detection means for detecting for a leftward-rightward movement instruction inputted by the player using the input device for moving the player object in one of the left direction and the right direction; and

leftward-rightward movement control means for moving or accelerating, in accordance with the leftward-rightward movement instruction from the player having been detected by the leftward-rightward movement instruction detection means, the player object in the leftward-rightward movement direction having been determined by the leftward-rightward movement direction determination means.

3. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the data used for determining the advancing direction contains coordinate values of a plurality of control points, in the virtual game world, which are arranged in sequence, and

the advancing direction determination means determines the advancing direction in accordance with at least a first vector from a first control point which is nearest to the current position of the player object among the plurality of control points to a second control point, among the plurality of control points, which immediately precedes or immediately follows, in the sequence, the first control point.

4. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein

a control point which is first in the sequence is nearest, among the plurality of control points, to a point at which the player object is positioned in the virtual game world when a game is started, and

the advancing direction determination means determines the advancing direction by using a vector obtained based on at least two vectors including the first vector from the first control point to the second control point immediately following the first control point in the sequence, and a second vector from the second control point to a third control point immediately following the second control point in the sequence.

5. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein

a course on which the player object is allowed to move is set in the virtual game world, and

the plurality of control points are set on the course.

6. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the display control means generates, by using a virtual camera set in the virtual game world, a game image including the player object, and

the game program causes the computer to further function as virtual camera control means for determining, in accordance with the advancing direction at a point which follows the current position of the player object and is distanced from the current position of the player object by a predetermined distance, a direction in which the virtual camera is oriented so as to pick up an image.

7. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the game apparatus includes a first operation section and a second operation section,

the advance instruction detection means detects that the first operation section and the second operation section are alternately operated, and

the leftward-rightward movement instruction detection means detects that one of the first operation section and the second operation section is solely operated.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for moving a player object in a virtual game world in accordance with an operation performed by a player, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to function as:

display control means for displaying the player object on a screen of a display device;

leftward-rightward movement direction determination means for determining, by using data used for determining a leftward-rightward movement direction of the player object set in the virtual game world, the leftward-rightward movement direction at a current position of the player object in the virtual game world, the leftward-rightward movement direction representing one of a left direction and a right direction in which the player object moves;

leftward-rightward movement instruction detection means for detecting for a leftward-rightward movement instruction inputted by the player using an input device for moving the player object in one of the left direction and the right direction; and

leftward-rightward movement control means for moving or accelerating, in accordance with the leftward-rightward movement instruction from the player having been detected by the leftward-rightward movement instruction detection means, the player object in the leftward-rightward movement direction having been determined by the leftward-rightward movement direction determination means.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for moving a player object in a virtual game world in accordance with an operation performed by a player, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to function as:

display control means for displaying the player object on a screen of a display device;

orthogonal movement direction determination means for determining, by using data used for determining an orthogonal movement direction of the player object set in the virtual game world, the orthogonal movement direction at a current position of the player object in the virtual game world, the orthogonal movement direction representing a direction orthogonal to an advancing direction representing a direction in which the player object advances;

orthogonal movement instruction detection means for detecting for an orthogonal movement instruction inputted by the player using an input device for moving the player object in the orthogonal movement direction; and

orthogonal movement control means for moving or accelerating, in accordance with the orthogonal movement instruction from the player having been detected by the orthogonal movement instruction detection means, the player object in the orthogonal movement direction having been determined by the orthogonal movement direction determination means.

10. A game apparatus for executing a game for moving a player object in a virtual game world in accordance with an operation performed by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

display control means for displaying the player object on a screen of a display device;

advancing direction determination means for determining, by using data used for determining an advancing direction of the player object set in the virtual game world, the advancing direction at a current position of the player object in the virtual game world, the advancing direction representing a direction in which the player object advances;

advance instruction detection means for detecting for an advance instruction inputted by the player using an input device for advancing the player object; and

advancing movement control means for moving or accelerating, in accordance with the advance instruction from the player having been detected by the advance instruction detection means, the player object in the advancing direction having been determined by the advancing direction determination means.

11. A game apparatus for executing a game for moving a player object in a virtual game world in accordance with an operation performed by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

display control means for displaying the player object on a screen of a display device;

leftward-rightward movement direction determination means for determining, by using data used for determining a leftward-rightward movement direction of the player object set in the virtual game world, the leftward-rightward movement direction at a current position of the player object in the virtual game world, the leftward-rightward movement direction representing one of a left direction and a right direction in which the player object moves;

leftward-rightward movement instruction detection means for detecting for a leftward-rightward movement instruction inputted by the player using an input device for moving the player object in one of the left direction and the right direction; and

leftward-rightward movement control means for moving or accelerating, in accordance with the leftward-rightward movement instruction from the player having been detected by the leftward-rightward movement instruction detection means, the player object in the leftward-rightward movement direction having been determined by the leftward-rightward movement direction determination means.

12. A game apparatus for executing a game for moving a player object in a virtual game world in accordance with an operation performed by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

display control means for displaying the player object on a screen of a display device;

orthogonal movement direction determination means for determining, by using data used for determining an orthogonal movement direction of the player object set in the virtual game world, the orthogonal movement direction at a current position of the player object in the virtual game world, the orthogonal movement direction representing a direction orthogonal to an advancing direction representing a direction in which the player object advances;

orthogonal movement instruction detection means for detecting for an orthogonal movement instruction inputted by the player using an input device for moving the player object in the orthogonal movement direction; and

orthogonal movement control means for moving or accelerating, in accordance with the orthogonal movement instruction from the player having been detected by the orthogonal movement instruction detection means, the player object in the orthogonal movement direction having been determined by the orthogonal movement direction determination means.