Storage medium having game program stored thereon and game apparatus

• US 20070270218A1
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Taira, Masayuki, Yoshida, Misuzu, Kando, Yuuji
• Granted Patent: US 8,308,564 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 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

Game data variable in accordance with the state of an input device and usable for game processing is sequentially obtained. Next, it is determined whether or not a predetermined condition for the game processing has been fulfilled based on the game data. Information on an indicated position on a game image, which is calculated from the game data when the predetermined condition has been fulfilled, is obtained. A moving speed of the input device which is calculated from the game data is also obtained. When the obtained moving speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, an object which appears in a virtual game space and is related to the indicated position is processed.

Claims

1. A storage medium having stored thereon a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus for executing game processing based on a state of an input device, which is at least one of a position and a moving speed of the input device, the game program causing the computer to execute:

a game data obtaining step of sequentially obtaining game data variable in accordance with the state of the input device and usable for the game processing;

a determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined condition for the game processing has been fulfilled based on the game data;

an indicated position establishment step of obtaining information on an indicated position on a game image, which is calculated from the game data when the predetermined condition has been fulfilled;

a speed establishment step of obtaining the moving speed of the input device which is calculated from the game data after the information on the indicated position is obtained; and

a processing step of, when the moving speed obtained in the speed establishment step is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, processing an object which appears in a virtual game space and is related to the indicated position.

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

the input device includes imaging means for taking an image of a predetermined imaging target;

the game program causes the computer to further execute a coordinate set calculation step of calculating a coordinate set of a position of the imaging target in an image taken by the imaging means; and

the game data obtaining step obtains, as the game data, data representing the coordinate set, or data corresponding the position of the input device which is calculated from the data representing the coordinate set.

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

the input device includes an acceleration sensor; and

the game data obtaining step obtains, as the game data, data representing an output from the acceleration sensor, or data corresponding to the moving speed of the input device which is calculated from the data representing the output from the acceleration sensor.

4. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the processing step includes:

a moving parameter determination step of determining a moving start position and a moving direction of the object in the virtual game space based on the indicated position and the moving speed; and

a moving starting step of starting processing for moving the object based on the moving start position and the moving direction.

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

the processing step includes a target object selection step of, when the object is present within a predetermined distance from the indicated position obtained in the indicated position establishment step, selecting the object as a target of motion control; and

the processing step controls a motion of only the object selected in the target object selection step.

6. A storage medium according to claim 5, wherein:

the target object selection step includes a stay time determination step of determining whether or not a state in which the indicated position and the object are present within the predetermined distance continued for a predetermined time duration or longer; and

when the state in which the indicated position and the object are present within the predetermined distance continued for the predetermined time duration or longer, the target object selection step selects the object present within the predetermined distance as a motion control target.

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

the game program causes the computer to further execute a moving pattern calculation step of, when the stay time determination step determines that the state in which the indicated position and the object are present within the predetermined distance continued for the predetermined time duration or longer, calculating, from the game data, information on a change in the moving direction or the moving speed of the input device during the time duration; and

when the change in the moving direction or the moving speed shows a predetermined pattern, the target object selection step selects the object present within the predetermined distance as a motion control target.

8. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the processing step causes the object to start performing a first motion when the moving speed obtained in the speed establishment step is within a first range, and causes the object to start performing a second motion, which is different from the first motion, when the moving speed obtained in the speed establishment step is within a second range which is different from the first range.

9. A game apparatus for executing game processing based on a state of an input device, which is at least one of a position and a moving speed of the input device, the game apparatus comprising:

a game data obtaining section for sequentially obtaining game data variable in accordance with the state of the input device and usable for the game processing;

a determination section for determining whether or not a predetermined condition for the game processing has been fulfilled based on the game data;

an indicated position establishment section for obtaining information on an indicated position on a game image, which is calculated from the game data when the predetermined condition has been fulfilled;

a speed establishment section for obtaining the moving speed of the input device which is calculated from the game data after the information on the indicated position is obtained; and

a processing section for, when the moving speed obtained by the speed establishment section is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, processing an object which appears in a virtual game space and is related to the indicated position.

10. A storage medium having stored thereon a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus for executing game processing based on a motion of an input device including an acceleration sensor, the game program causing the computer to execute:

an acceleration data obtaining step of obtaining data representing an output from the acceleration sensor, or data corresponding to an acceleration of the input device which is calculated from the data representing the output from the acceleration sensor, at an interval of a unit time;

a storage step of storing the acceleration data obtained in the acceleration data obtaining step;

a ratio determination step of detecting, from the data stored in the storage step, a ratio of accelerations having a value close to a value of a gravitational acceleration with respect to accelerations for a predetermined time duration counted backward from the time when the data was obtained in the acceleration data obtaining step;

a conversion parameter calculation step of, when the ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, calculating a conversion parameter for allowing a direction of each of the accelerations, having a value close to the value of the gravitational acceleration in a coordinate system for the input device, to be detected as a direction of the gravitational acceleration; and

a control step of executing the game processing based on the motion of the input device, which is obtained as a result of the conversion performed using the conversion parameter.

11. A storage medium according to claim 10, wherein:

the game program causes the computer to further execute an average direction calculation step of obtaining an average of the directions of the accelerations having a value close to the value of the gravitational acceleration; and

the conversion parameter calculation step calculates a conversion parameter for allowing the average of the directions obtained in the average direction calculation step to be detected as the direction of the gravitational acceleration.

12. A game apparatus for executing game processing based on a motion of an input device including an acceleration sensor, the game apparatus comprising:

an acceleration data obtaining section for obtaining data representing an output from the acceleration sensor, or data corresponding to an acceleration of the input device which is calculated from the data representing the output from the acceleration sensor, at an interval of a unit time;

a storage section for storing the acceleration data obtained by the acceleration data obtaining section;

a ratio determination section for detecting, from the data stored by the storage section, a ratio of accelerations having a value close to a value of a gravitational acceleration with respect to accelerations for a predetermined time duration counted backward from the time when the data was obtained by the acceleration data obtaining section;

a conversion parameter calculation section for, when the ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, calculating a conversion parameter for allowing a direction of each of the accelerations, having a value close to the value of the gravitational acceleration in a coordinate system for the input device, to be detected as a direction of the gravitational acceleration; and

a control section for executing the game processing based on the motion of the input device, which is obtained as a result of the conversion performed using the conversion parameter.