METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR A VIDEO GAME MAGIC SYSTEM

• US 20090191968A1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: JOHNSON, Ian, HANIF, Nouman, JACKSON, Dominic
• Granted Patent: US 9,545,571 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 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands

Abstract

A system for allowing a player to invoke magic or other special powers in a video game is provided. To activate the magic, the player moves a motion detecting controller in accordance with one or more provided instructions. The outcome of the activation of the magic can be determinate on, for example, speed, accuracy, etc. Controllers in one or both hands may be used, and the instructions can be as simple as single direction gestures and as complex as multi-directional symbols which must be traced in the air. A sequence of any type of instructions may also be provided to instruct the activation of the magic.

Claims

1. A method of casting simulated magic spells using at least one input device for a computer-based system that can detect spatial controller motion in plural directions, comprising:

displaying at least one input device motion instruction, the displayed instruction defining a pattern in which at least one input device is to be moved;

detecting spatial input device motion in response to said displayed instruction;

determining a correspondence between the displayed instruction and the detected input; and

conditioning generation of a simulated magic effect based at least in part on the determined correspondence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein two input devices are spatially moved to provide input, each input device being held in a different hand.

3. The method of claim 1, further including providing feedback to a user based on the determined correspondence.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining further includes determining whether at least one input device has been spatially moved in one or more directions substantially corresponding to the defined pattern;

and

the providing feedback includes providing a first feedback if the determining determines the at least one input device was spatially moved in one or more directions substantially corresponding to the defined pattern and providing a second feedback if the determining determines the at least one input device was spatially moved in one or more directions not substantially corresponding to the defined pattern.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said displayed instructions are graphical movement patterns.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying further includes displaying a first input device motion instruction defining a pattern in which at least one input device is to be spatially moved, wherein

the first motion instruction and at least a second motion instruction comprise an ordered sequence to be displayed, and

the steps of displaying, detecting and determining are repeated for the at least a second motion instruction and further motion instructions, if any, until all motion instructions in the ordered sequence have been displayed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the generated magic effect includes an associated power characteristic that is affected based at least in part on the results of the determining for each of the displayed motion instructions.

8. A method of instructing player input to a video game controller capable of detecting spatial controller motion along a plurality of axes, comprising:

displaying a sequential series of instructions on a display, the instructions each defining a pattern in which a player is to spatially move at least one controller;

detecting the spatial motion of at least one controller;

determining, for each of the instructions in the series, whether or not the detected spatial motion successfully substantially corresponds to the defined pattern for each instruction;

providing, for each of the instructions in the series, indicia of a success or a failure, based on the results of the determining step; and

producing a magic effect in the video game once the entire sequence has been completed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the displaying further includes displaying a sequential series of instructions on a display, the instructions each defining two patterns in which the player is to simultaneously spatially move two controllers held in separate hands.

10. The method of claim 8, further including displaying, in conjunction with the displayed defined patterns, at least one visual indicia that indicates in which direction at least one controller is to be moved.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the visual indicia include moving light points that move along the displayed pattern.

12. An apparatus operable to provide a video game having at least an associated magic system, comprising:

at least one controller;

controller motion detection programmed logic circuitry operable to detect the spatial motion of the at least one controller;

a magic instruction routine operable to display one or more instruction patterns on a display, the instruction patterns providing guidance to instruct the direction in which the at least one controller is to be spatially moved;

a success determination routine operable to determine whether or not the at least one controller was successfully spatially moved in a pattern substantially corresponding to the pattern displayed by the magic instruction routine; and

a magic generation routine for generating a magic effect dependant at least in part on the successful spatial movement determined by the success determination routine.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one controller includes two controllers held in different hands of a player.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the magic instruction routine is further operable to display a plurality of instruction patterns on a display, and the magic generation routine is further operable to generate a magic effect having an associated power characteristic affected based at least in part on the success of the spatial movement based on a determination made by the success determination routine.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further including a success indication routine operable to provide an indicia of success or failure based on a determination made by the success determination routine.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the magic generation routine only operates to generate a magic effect if all of the one or more instruction patterns were successfully input based on a determination made by the success determination routine.

17. A method for interacting with an interactive media system to simulate performing a superhuman task, comprising:

graphically displaying at least one choreographic pattern in order to prompt a user to attempt to perform a motion suggested by said displayed choreographic pattern;

monitoring the motion in 3D space of a portion of a user'"'"'s body;

detecting whether said user has successfully performed the motion choreographed by said displayed choreographic pattern; and

conditioning at least one characteristics of at least one simulated superhuman task based at least in part on said detection.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said superhuman task comprises performing magic.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said displaying comprises displaying a sequence of graphical patterns with the expectation that the user will move at least one arm to perform each displayed graphical pattern in said sequence.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said monitoring includes monitoring the free space motion of at least one handheld input device that can detect its own orientation.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein said monitoring comprises simultaneously monitoring the instantaneous positions of a left-handed handheld input device and a right-hand handheld input device.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein said choreographic pattern comprises a gesture.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the gesture corresponds to one or more displayed symbols.

24. A system for playing a game, wherein a game player can perform a superhuman task, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium storing a game program;

a game device operable to execute the game program; and

at least one controller, capable of detecting its own free space motion and orientation and in communication with the game device, wherein

execution of the game program by the game device causes at least one instruction to be displayed on a display connected to the game device, wherein the at least one instruction instructs a player to move the controller in free space, wherein if the player moves the controller in the instructed manner, the game program causes a game character controlled by the player to perform the superhuman task.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein a plurality of instructions are displayed, the instructions comprising displayed symbols, wherein the player must mirror the symbol in free space to have moved the controller in the instructed manner.