ELECTRONIC PLAY DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC PLAY DEVICE AND GAME PROGRAM

• US 20100009734A1
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega
• Inventors: Sambongi, Kazutomo, Eguchi, Naotoshi, Takahashi, Kazuya, Yamaya, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US12/445,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20100009734A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/5
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/422 automatically for the purpose of assisting the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6054 by generating automatically game commands to assist the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

A moving operation having much amusement particularly in a simulated shooting game using a simulated gun is implemented in accordance with an input operated by a player character that plays a role as a player. In order to achieve this, as a plurality of objects set in a virtual space, there are a player character (P) that is operated in accordance with an operation of the player, an enemy character (E) that becomes a match-up opponent of the player character (P), and a plurality of shield objects (G) that are disposed in movement areas of the player character (P) and the enemy character (E). When a coordinate transformation process for an image acquired from viewing the objects inside the virtual space from a virtual view point is performed in accordance with an output from an input device operated by the player and the transformed image is displayed in a display device, in a case where there is a movement direction for the player character (P) and/or the enemy character E, the movement destination of one character that receives the movement direction is set based on a position relationship between the other character and the shield object (G).

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A game device that generates an image of a match-up game in which a player character that is operated by player'"'"'s operating operation means and an enemy character that becomes a match-up opponent of the player character fight each other by moving within a virtual space and displays the generated image in a display device,

wherein, in the virtual space, a player character moving area in which the player character can be moved and player character stop-position setting areas corresponding to a plurality of screening objects that are disposed in the player character area are set, and

the game device comprising player character moving control means that determines the nearest screening object in the movement direction of the player character as a shield object that becomes a movement target of the player character based on a position of the player character and a movement direction input from the operation means at a time when an input for moving the player character in a predetermined direction is made by the operation means, sets a movement target point of the player character to a position, located within the player character stop-position setting area, in which the player character is in a shadow of the determined shield object with respect to a position of the player character based on information included in the player character stop-position setting area set for the determined screening object and coordinate information of the position of the enemy character at a time point when the moving operation is input, moves the player character toward the set player character stop-position, and performs a control operation for stopping the movement of the player character in the stop position at a time when the player character arrives at the player character stop-position.

20. The game device according to claim 19, wherein the shield object that is located closest to the one character in the movement direction of the one character that receives the movement direction is set as a movement destination shield object, and the movement destination is set to a position located behind the movement destination shield object.

21. The game device according to claim 20, wherein, in a case where the one character receives the movement direction, the movement destination of the one character that receives the movement direction is set to a point on a virtual straight line that connects the position of the other character at a time point when the movement direction is received and a reference point of the movement destination shield object.

22. The game device according to claim 19,

wherein the electronic play device provides a shooting game using a simulated gun, and

wherein the input device includes a gun-type controller that can perform a simulated operation and left and right independent pedal switches that can be operated to move the player character in one direction and the other direction as movement directing means.

23. The game device according to claim 22, further comprising a gun aiming position detecting unit that detects an aiming position of the gun-type controller, wherein moving speed of the player character changes in accordance with the gun aiming position.

24. The game device according to claim 22, wherein, when the movement direction for a direction that is reverse to a moving direction is received from the pedal switch during a moving operation of the player character in the moving direction, the player character is turned back to be moved in the reverse direction, and a new movement destination is set in a movement direction after the turning-back operation.

25. The game device according to any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein the pedal switches also serve as special command inputting means used for directing a special operation other than the moving operation to the player character in a case where a predetermined operation is input under a predetermined condition.

26. A game control method for controlling a moving operation of any of objects at a time when a coordinate transformation process for an image acquired by viewing the objects inside a virtual space from a virtual view point in accordance with an output from an input device that is operated by a player is performed by using an image processing device and the transformed image is displayed in a display device,

wherein a plurality of the objects set in the virtual space includes a player character that is operated in accordance with an operation of the player, an enemy character that becomes a match-up opponent of the player character, and a plurality of shield objects that are disposed in movement areas of the player character and the enemy character, and

wherein, in a case where there is a movement direction for the player character and/or the enemy character, when a movement destination of one character, which receives the movement direction, between the player character and the enemy character at a time point when the movement direction is received is automatically set based on a position relationship between the other character and the shield objects, the movement destination of the one character that receives the movement direction is set to a position in which at least a part of the one character is hidden behind the shield object, viewed from the view point of the other character.

27. A game program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the game program comprising:

computer readable code configured to allow the computer of a game device, which sets a player character that is operated in accordance with an operation of a player, an enemy character that becomes a match-up opponent of the player character, and a plurality of shield objects that are disposed in movement areas of the player character and the enemy character in a virtual space as a plurality of objects, performs a coordinate transformation process for an image acquired by viewing the objects inside the virtual space from a virtual view point in accordance with an output from an input device that is operated by the player by using an image processing device, and displays the transformed image in a display device, to perform, in a case where there is a movement direction for the player character and/or the enemy character, when a movement destination of one character, which receives the movement direction, between the player character and the enemy character at a time point when the movement direction is received is automatically set based on a position relationship between the other character and the shield objects, a sequence for setting the movement destination of the one character that receives the movement direction to a position in which at least a part of the one character is hidden behind the shield object, viewed from the view point of the other character.

28. A game device comprising:

an image processing device that disposes a plurality of objects in a virtual space, changes the position of a virtual view point in accordance with an output from an operation device operated by a player, performs a coordinate transformation process for an image acquired from viewing the objects within the virtual space from the virtual view point, and displays the transformed image in display means,

wherein the image processing device includes;

first means that disposes a first object in the virtual space;

second means that disposes a second object near the first object;

third means that disposes the virtual view point in a first position near the second object;

fourth means that disposes the virtual view point in a second position departed from the second object;

fifth means that calculates the degree of influence of objects other than the first object and the second object on the first object; and

sixth means that places the virtual view point in the first position before the result of calculation exceeds a threshold value, moves the virtual view point located in the first position from the first position to the second position when the result of calculation exceeds the threshold value to be fixed to the second position, and releases fixing of the virtual view point to the second position after a limited time elapses.

29. The game device according to claim 28, wherein the image processing device further includes means for generating a warning mark in the display means in a case where the degree of influence exceeds the threshold value.

30. The game device according to claim 28, wherein the limited time is a time period until the influenced first object exceeds the threshold value to be exploded.

31. The game device according to claim 28, wherein the sixth means moves the virtual view point located in the second position to a position that is determined based on an output from the input device.

32. The game device according to claim 28, wherein the sixth means moves the virtual view point located in the second position to the first position.

33. An image processing method in which a game device including an image processing device that disposes a plurality of objects in a virtual space, changes the position of a virtual view point in accordance with an output from an operation device operated by a player, performs a coordinate transformation process for an image acquired from viewing the objects within the virtual space from the virtual view point, and displays the transformed image in display means is implemented,

wherein the image processing device, based on a game program, includes:

a first process that disposes a first object in the virtual space;

a second process that disposes a second object near the first object;

a third process that disposes the virtual view point in a first position near the second object;

a fourth process that disposes the virtual view point in a second position departed from the second object;

a fifth process that calculates the degree of influence of objects other than the first object and the second object on the first object; and

a sixth process that places the virtual view point in the first position before the result of calculation exceeds a threshold value, moves the virtual view point located in the first position from the first position to the second position when the result of calculation exceeds the threshold value to be fixed to the second position, and releases fixing of the virtual view point to the second position after a limited time elapses.

34. A game program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the game program comprising computer readable code configured to allow a game device including an image processing device that disposes a plurality of objects in a virtual space, changes the position of a virtual view point in accordance with an output from an operation device operated by a player, performs a coordinate transformation process for an image acquired from viewing the objects within the virtual space from the virtual view point, and displays the transformed image in display means is implemented to perform:

a first process that disposes a first object in the virtual space;

a second process that disposes a second object near the first object;

a third process that disposes the virtual view point in a first position near the second object;

a fourth process that disposes the virtual view point in a second position departed from the second object;

a fifth process that calculates the degree of influence of objects other than the first object and the second object on the first object; and

a sixth process that places the virtual view point in the first position before the result of calculation exceeds a threshold value, moves the virtual view point located in the first position from the first position to the second position when the result of calculation exceeds the threshold value to be fixed to the second position, and releases fixing of the virtual view point to the second position after a limited time elapses.

35. A recording medium having the game program recorded thereon that can be readable by the computer of the image processing device.