Game Device, Game Control, Method, Information Recording Medium and Program

• US 20090011831A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Michio
• Granted Patent: US 8,012,020 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 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/49 Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

In a game device (301) for showing a past operation history to a player in comparison with the current operation status, a first moving unit (303) moves a first object in a virtual space based on a moving instruction input received by an input receiving unit (302), an input history storage unit (304) stores the moving instruction input as input history information, a second moving unit (305) moves a second object in the virtual space based on input history information stored in the past, an assessment unit (306) assesses whether or not the first object and the second object are overlapping in the virtual space, and a display unit (307) displays the second object in a case where a non-overlapping state has been identified and stops the display of the second object in a case where an overlapping state has been identified.

Claims

1. A game device (301) comprising:

an input receiving unit (302) that receives a moving instruction input for instructing a first object in a virtual space to move;

a first moving unit (303) that moves the first object in the virtual space by the moving instruction input received by the input receiving unit (302);

an input history storage unit (304) that stores the moving instruction input received by the input receiving unit (302) as input history information;

a second moving unit (305) that moves a second object in the virtual space by a moving instruction input stored in the past in the input history storage unit (304) as input history information;

an assessment unit (306) that assesses whether or not the first object and the second object are overlapping in the virtual space; and

a display unit (307) that displays the second object in a case where it has been assessed that the first object and the second object are not overlapping in the virtual space, and stops the display of the second object in a case where it has been assessed that the first object and the second object are overlapping.

2. The game device (301) according to claim 1, wherein the display unit (307) semi-transparently displays the second object when the second object is to be displayed.

3. The game device (301) according to claim 1, wherein the assessment unit (306) assesses that the first object and the second object are overlapping in a case where any polygon constituting the outline of the first object and any polygon constituting the outline of the second object intersect or are in contact.

4. The game device (301) according to claim 1, wherein the assessment unit (306) assesses that the first object and the second object are overlapping in a case where a sphere or cuboid containing the first object and a sphere or cuboid containing the second object intersect or are in contact.

5. The game device (301) according to claim 1, wherein the display unit (307) uses as a position in which the second object is to be displayed, a position at which the second object is seen from a viewpoint which moves in the virtual space in conjunction with the first object.

6. A game control method that uses an input history storage unit in which input history storage information is stored, comprising:

an input receiving step of receiving a moving instruction input for instructing a first object in a virtual space to move;

a first moving step of moving the first object in the virtual space by the moving instruction input received in the input receiving step;

an input history storage step of storing the moving instruction input received in the input receiving step as input history information;

a second moving step of moving a second object in the virtual space by a moving instruction input stored in the past in the input history storage unit as input history information;

an assessment step of assessing whether or not the first object and the second object are overlapping in the virtual space; and

a display step of displaying the second object in a case where it has been assessed that the first object and the second object are not overlapping in the virtual space, and stopping the display of the second object in a case where it has been assessed that the first object and the second object are overlapping.

7. A computer-readable information recording medium storing a program for controlling a computer to function as:

an input receiving unit (302) that receives a moving instruction input for instructing a first object in a virtual space to move;

a first moving unit (303) that moves the first object in the virtual space by the moving instruction input received by the input receiving unit (302);

an input history storage unit (304) that stores the moving instruction input received by the input receiving unit (302) as input history information;

a second moving unit (305) that moves a second object in the virtual space by a moving instruction input stored in the past in the input history storage unit (304) as input history information;

an assessment unit (306) that assesses whether or not the first object and the second object are overlapping in the virtual space; and

a display unit (307) that displays the second object in a case where it has been assessed that the first object and the second object are not overlapping in the virtual space, and stops the display of the second object in a case where it has been assessed that the first object and the second object are overlapping.

8. A program for controlling a computer to function as:

an input receiving unit (302) that receives a moving instruction input for instructing a first object in a virtual space to move;

a first moving unit (303) that moves the first object in the virtual space by the moving instruction input received by the input receiving unit (302);

an input history storage unit (302) that stores the moving instruction input received by the input receiving unit (302) as input history information;

a second moving unit (305) that moves a second object in the virtual space by a moving instruction input stored in the past in the input history storage unit (304) as input history information;

an assessment unit (306) that assesses whether or not the first object and the second object are overlapping in the virtual space; and

a display unit (307) that displays the second object in a case where it has been assessed that the first object and the second object are not overlapping in the virtual space, and stops the display of the second object in a case where it has been assessed that the first object and the second object are overlapping.