Game program and game apparatus

• US 20070279396A1
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kira, Satoshi, Miyagawa, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,851,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a first LCD and a second LCD. The first LCD and the second LCD are arranged in either side of a predetermined axis. A computer of the game apparatus respectively displays a first character image and a second character image on the first LCD and the second LCD, and further respectively displays a first message image and a second message image on the first LCD and the second LCD. Then, in response to a predetermined operation performed via a touch panel, etc., at least one of the first message image and the second message image respectively displayed on the first LCD and the second LCD is updated.

Claims

1. A recording medium recording a game program, wherein

said game program causes a computer of a game apparatus having a first display and a second display which are adjacent with each other, a memory storing first character image data and second character image data, and first message data and second message data respectively associated with the first character image data and the second character image data, and an operating means to execute

a first character image displaying step for displaying a first character image based on said first character image data on said first display,

a second character image displaying step for displaying a second character image based on said second character image data on said second display,

a first message image displaying step for further displaying a first message image based on said first message data on said first display while said first character image is displayed,

a second message image displaying step for further displaying a second message image based on said second message data on said second display while said second character image is displayed, and

a message updating step for updating at least any one of the first message image which is being displayed on said first display and the second message image which is being displayed on said second display when a predetermined operation is performed by said operating means.

2. A recording medium recording a game program according to claim 1, wherein

said first display and said second display are arranged in either side of a predetermined axis,

each of said first character image data and said second character image data has display directivity of a first direction along said axis,

said memory further stores font image data having display directivity of a second direction different from said first direction by a predetermined angle,

said game program causes said computer to further execute a first reading step for reading said font image data from said memory in accordance with said first message data, a first rotation processing step for performing rotation processing by said predetermined angle on the font image data read by said first reading step, a second reading step for reading said font image data from said memory in accordance with said second message data, and a second rotation processing step for performing rotation processing by said predetermined angle on the font image data read by said second reading step, and

the display processing by said first message image displaying step is executed on the basis of the font image data on which said rotating processing has been performed, and the display processing by said second message image display step is executed on the basis of the font image data on which said rotating processing has been performed.

3. A recording medium recording a game program according to claim 2, wherein

a display surface of each of said first display and said second display has a rectangular shape,

said predetermined angle is 90 degrees, and

said first display and said second display are arranged in such a position that a longitudinal direction of each of the display surfaces is coincident with said first direction, and a straight line passing through a central point of each of the display surfaces is vertical to said axis.

4. A recording medium recording a game program according to claim 1, wherein said first message displaying step and said second message displaying step respectively displays said first message image and said second message image at the same height.

5. A recording medium recording a game program according to claim 1, wherein

said game apparatus further has a first housing and a second housing connected to be rotated about said axis, and

said first display and said second display are respectively provided to said first housing and said second housing.

6. A recording medium recording a game program according to claim 1, wherein

said operating means includes a touch panel to be set on the display surface of said first display,

said game program causes said computer to further execute an icon image displaying step for further displaying an icon image on said first display in association with the display processing by said first message image displaying step and said second message image displaying step, and

said message updating step executes updating processing when a touch operation to said icon image is detected by said touch panel.

7. A recording medium recording a game program according to claim 5, wherein

said game apparatus further has a detecting means for detecting an opened and closed state of said first housing and said second housing, and

said message updating step executes updating processing in association with a detection result by said detecting means.

8. A recording medium recording a game program according to claim 7, wherein

first message data and second message data stored in said memory are associated with any of a plurality of game scenes,

said memory further stores scene identifying data for identifying with which of said plurality of game scenes the first message data and the second message data stored in said memory is associated,

said positional relationship is an angle formed by said first housing and said second housing,

said game program causes said computer to further execute a first determining step for determining whether or not a detection result by said detecting means is below a first threshold value, a second determining step for determining whether or not said scene identifying data indicates a specific game scene when a determination result by said first determining step is affirmative, and a third determining step for determining whether or not a detection result by said detecting means is above a second threshold value when a determination result by said second determining step is affirmative, and

said message updating step executes updating process when a determination result by said third determining step is affirmative.

9. A game apparatus, comprising:

a first display and a second display which are adjacent with each other;

a memory storing first character image data and second character image data, and first message data and second message data respectively associated with the first character image data and the second character image data;

an operating means;

a first character image displaying means for displaying a first character image based on said first character image data on said first display;

a second character image displaying means for displaying a second character image based on said second character image data on said second display;

a first message image displaying means for further displaying a first message image based on said first message data on said first display while said first character image is displayed;

a second message image displaying means for further displaying a second message image based on said second message data on said second display while said second character image is displayed; and

a message updating means for updating at least any one of the first message image which is being displayed on said first display and the second message image which is being displayed on said second display when a predetermined operation is performed by said operating means.

10. A controlling method of a game apparatus having a first display and a second display which are adjacent with each other, a memory storing first character image data and second character image data, and first message data and second message data respectively associated with the first character image data and the second character image data, and an operating means, comprising:

a first character image displaying step for displaying a first character image based on said first character image data on said first display;

a second character image displaying step for displaying a second character image based on said second character image data on said second display;

a first message image displaying step for further displaying a first message image based on said first message data on said first display while said first character image is displayed;

a second message image displaying step for further displaying a second message image based on said second message data on said second display while said second character image is displayed; and

a message updating step for updating at least any one of the first message image which is being displayed on said first display and the second message image which is being displayed on said second display when a predetermined operation is performed by said operating means.