METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED VIRTUAL CAMERA CONTROL WITHIN 3D VIDEO GAMES OR OTHER COMPUTER GRAPHICS PRESENTATIONS PROVIDING INTELLIGENT AUTOMATIC 3D-ASSIST FOR THIRD PERSON VIEWPOINTS

• US 20070270215A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Aonuma, Eiji, Miyamoto, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 9,327,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• 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 13/426 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• 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 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6669 using a plurality of virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character change rooms
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• 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 2300/8076 : Shooting

Abstract

A pivoting camera viewpoint is provided so that when an animated game character uses a bow and arrow or other weapon, the camera adopts a third person 3D view based on the relative position of the game character and the target that game character is aiming his bow at. The user positions a target cursor on the desired target. This causes an imaginary line segment or plane to be drawn in 3D space between the desired target and the game character (or possibly the game character'"'"'s bow). The imaginary line segment or plane continues through and past the game character, and the character keeps the weapon, if it is a missile weapon, pointed along this line segment. Additionally, the player can lock onto a target, and freely move a character around. While in lock-on mode, the camera automatically repositions itself to keep both the character and the target visible to a player.

Claims

1. A method of specifying virtual camera position in a virtual 3-D space comprising:

displaying a view of a 3-D space including at least a game character;

displaying at least one pointing object that is controllable by a player;

detecting an input from a game controller indicating initiation of a free targeting mode;

controlling said game character to assume an aiming position;

determining which side of the game character the pointing object is positioned; and

in response to said determined side, automatically selecting between said first perspective and a second perspective different from said first perspective for viewing said game character in said aiming position.

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

displaying, if the pointing object is determined to be positioned to the left of the game character, a first perspective of the 3-D space, wherein the character is fixedly positioned in a first aiming position; and

displaying, if the pointing object is determined to be positioned to the right of the game character, a second perspective of the 3-D space different from said first perspective, wherein the character is fixedly positioned in a second aiming position different from the first aiming position.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first aiming position is the substantially lower right corner of the screen and the second aiming position is the substantially lower left corner of the screen.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the player can continue to freely control the pointing object while the second and third perspectives are displayed, and wherein the displaying a first and displaying a second perspective includes displaying a character-held object following the pointing object.

5. The method of claim 4, including:

determining, while the first perspective is displayed, if a cursor is moved past a predetermined right-wards position in the 3-D space; and

if the cursor is determined to have moved past the predetermined right-wards position, displaying the second perspective of the 3-D space.

6. The method of claim 4, including:

determining, while the second perspective is displayed, if a cursor is moved past a predetermined left-wards position in the 3-D space; and

if the cursor is determined to have moved past the predetermined left-wards position, displaying the first perspective of the 3-D space.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined left-wards position is a plane running down a vertical center of the character.

8. A method of determining virtual camera position in a virtual 3-D space comprising:

displaying a first perspective of the 3-D space including at least a game character and a target object;

detecting an input from a controller, indicating initiation of a lock on targeting mode;

displaying a second perspective of the 3-D space, wherein the game character can move freely around the target object but is always facing the target object; and

adjusting a virtual camera position such that the target object and game character are both displayed simultaneously and the target object is displayed further to the right than the game character while the second perspective is displayed.

9. The method of claim 8, further including:

determining whether the game character is positioned to the left or to the right of the target object in the first perspective;

displaying, if the game character is positioned to the right of the target object in the first perspective, a third perspective of the 3-D space, wherein the game character can move freely around the target object but is always facing the target object, wherein

if the game character is positioned to the left of the target object in the first perspective, the displaying a second perspective occurs.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein

the second perspective is shown from a first virtual camera position over the game character'"'"'s right shoulder, and

the third perspective is shown from a second virtual camera position over the game character'"'"'s left shoulder.

11. The method of claim 10, further including:

determining if the game character is about to pass behind the target object, wherein the adjusting further includes rotating the first or second virtual camera position, based on which perspective is being displayed, around the target in a moving direction of the game character.

12. The method of claim 10, further including:

determining if the game character has passed behind the target object, wherein the adjusting further includes switching from one of the second or third displayed perspective, based on which perspective is being displayed, to the other of the second or third perspective.

13. The method of claim 10, further including:

determining if the game character has passed in front of the target object, wherein the adjusting further includes switching from one of the second or third perspective, based on which perspective is being displayed, to the other of the second or third perspective.

14. The method of claim 10, further including:

determining whether a movement instruction for the game character has ceased while the game character is in a first predetermined area of the 3-D space, wherein the adjusting further includes moving the first or second virtual camera position, based on which perspective is being displayed, towards a first static position.

15. The method of claim 14, further including:

determining whether a movement instruction for the game character has ceased while the game character is in a second predetermined area of the 3-D space, wherein the adjusting further includes moving the first or second virtual camera position, based on which perspective is being displayed, towards a second static position.