Method and device for controlling a motion-sequence within a simulated game or sports event

• US 20090042647A1
• Filed: 07/27/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Of Sports Developments Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Phenomenon Holdings, Ltd.
• Inventors: Muller, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,988,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• 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 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/646 for calculating the trajectory of an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the control of the movement course of an object (23) represented on a display device (12), which within the framework of a ball game or sport event simulated by a computation unit (11) is to move from a starting point (16) into another region of the environment indicated on the display device (12).

The control is improved in that for determining the target, in a first step, a predefined target area (18) of a certain scope and shape is made available by the computation unit, and is represented on the display device, that in a second step the prepared target area is positioned by a playing person by way of an input unit (15), in the environment of the starting point (16) displayed on the display device (12), and that in a third step the object (23) is moved by the computation unit (11) on a movement path (20) from the starting point (16) to an end point lying in the target area (18), wherein the position of the end point within the target area (18) is determined according to a random principle.

Claims

1. A method for the improved control of a course of movement of an object which is displayed on a display device and which in the course of a ball game or sport event which is simulated by a computation unit and in particular comprises a plurality of game figures playing with or against one another, is to move from a starting point into another region of an environment displayed on the display device, the method comprising the steps of:

for determining an arrival point, a predefined target area of a certain scope and shape is provided by the computation unit and displayed on the display device in a first step, that in a second step, the provided target area is positioned by a playing person by way of an input unit, in the environment of a starting point displayed on the display device, and that in a third step, the object is moved by the computation unit on a movement path from the starting point to an end-point lying in the target area, wherein the position of the end point within the target area is fixed by the computation unit according to a random principle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scope and/or the shape of the target area and/or the movement path is changeable, and depends on one or more parameters.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the scope and/or the shape of the positioned target area changes before the end point lying in the target area is fixed.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the starting point is changed between the second and the third step by the playing person by way of the input unit, and that the computation unit changes the scope and/or the shape of the positioned target area in accordance with the change of the starting point as a parameter.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the playing person sets a hit intensity for the movement of the object from the starting pint to the end point lying in the target area before the third step by way of the input unit, and that the computation unit changes the scope and/or the shape of the target area and/or the movement path in accordance with a set hit intensity as a parameter.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the scope of the target area increases with the set hit intensity.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the playing person by way of the input unit sets a hit type for the movement of the object from the starting point to the end point lying in the target area, and that the scope and/or the shape of the target area and/or the movement path changes in accordance with the set hit type as a parameter.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein within the second step, firstly in a part step, the target area is moved into the desired position, and that in a second part step, the position of the target area is confirmed by the playing person and thus fixed.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a mouse is used as the input unit, that the target area is positioned with the movement of the mouse, and that subsequently the positioned target area is fixed in the reached position by way of pressing a mouse button.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the starting point of the movement path is determined by a moving figure which may be moved by the playing person in the environment displayed on the display device by the playing person, by way of the input unit.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the moving figure is designed as an avatar, to which changing characteristics and/or attributes are assigned, and that parameters for influencing the scope and/or the shape of the target area are derived from the changing characteristics and/or attributes of the avatar.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the simulated ball game or sport event takes its course on a plane playing field, and that the target area is a two-dimensional surface.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the target area is a spatial region.

18. The method according to claim 7, wherein within the second step, firstly in a part step, the target area is moved into the desired position, and that in a second part step, the position of the target area is confirmed by the playing person and thus fixed.

14. A device for improving control of a course of movement of an object which is displayed on a display device, the device comprising:

a computation unit, a display device connected to the computation unit as well as at least one input device for positioning an object displayed on the display device, wherein the computation unit is designed for the computation of a target area which is changeable in its scope and/or shape and is dependent on one or more parameters and for representing the target area on the display device, that the position of the represented target area may be changed by way of the input device, and that the computation unit may fix a point within the target area according to a random principle and turn it into an end point of an object movement represented on the display device.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein some of the parameters on which the scope and/or shape of the target area depend, may be controlled by the input device.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein a parameter device which may be connected to the computation unit is provided, in which parameters on which the scope and/or the shape of the target area depend, or data for the computation of such parameters, are stored.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the parameter device is equipped with a display for representing the target area dependent on the stored parameters or data, and/or operating keys for the independent operation of the parameter device.

19. The device according to claim 15, wherein a parameter device which may be connected to the computation unit is provided, in which parameters on which the scope and/or the shape of the target area depend, or data for the computation of such parameters, are stored.