GAME APPARATUS AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING GAME PROGRAM STORED THEREIN

• US 20100099494A1
• Filed: 12/11/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: SHIMAMURA, Takayuki, DOHTA, Takuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,651,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/38
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

Operation data acquisition means acquires operation data at least including motion data, which is data representing a motion of a predetermined input device, from the input device. Amount-of-change calculation means calculates an amount of change of the input device in a predetermined period of time, based on the motion data. Position orientation calculation means calculates a position and an orientation of a player object in a virtual game space. Degree-of-contact calculation means calculates a degree of contact, which represents a degree of the player object and a field object contacting each other in the virtual game space. Orientation change means changes the orientation of the player object, based on the amount of change and the degree of contact.

Claims

1. A game apparatus for causing a player object and a field object that are present in a virtual game space to be displayed in a display device, comprising:

operation data acquisition means for acquiring operation data at least including motion data, which is data representing a motion of a predetermined input device, from the input device;

amount-of-change calculation means for calculating an amount of change of the input device in a predetermined period of time, based on the motion data;

position orientation calculation means for calculating a position and an orientation of the player object in the virtual game space;

degree-of-contact calculation means for calculating a degree of contact, which represents a degree of the player object and the field object contacting each other in the virtual game space; and

orientation change means for changing the orientation of the player object, based on the amount of change and the degree of contact.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the input device includes a gyro sensor,

wherein the operation data acquisition means acquires angular velocity data, outputted from the gyro sensor, as the motion data, and

wherein the amount-of-change calculation means calculates the amount of change, based on the angular velocity data.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the input device includes an acceleration sensor,

wherein the operation data acquisition means acquires acceleration data, outputted from the acceleration sensor, as the motion data, and

wherein the amount-of-change calculation means calculates the amount of change, based on the acceleration data.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the amount-of-change calculation means calculates a velocity of movement of the motion of the input device in the predetermined period of time by integrating accelerations represented by the acceleration data, and

wherein the orientation change means changes the orientation of the player object, based on the velocity of movement and the degree of contact.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the orientation change means changes the orientation of the player object, based on the amount of changer only when the degree of contact between the player object and the field object is smaller than a predetermined value.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the orientation change means changes the orientation of the player object such that the smaller the degree of contact between the player object and the field object, the larger the proportion of reflecting in the change of the orientation of the player object the amount of change.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the field object is a liquid object,

wherein the game apparatus further comprises water-immersed volume calculation means for calculating a volume of a portion, immersed in the field object, of the player object, and

wherein the degree-of-contact calculation means calculates the degree of contact, based on the volume.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the field object is an object representing the ground,

wherein the game apparatus further comprises ground-contacting area calculation means for calculating an area of a portion, contacting the field object, of the player object, and

wherein the degree-of-contact calculation means calculates the degree of contact, based on the area.

9. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the field object is an object representing the ground,

wherein the game apparatus further comprises intra-ground-surface-space volume calculation means for calculating a volume of a portion, included in a space from a surface of the ground of the field object to a certain height in a normal direction, of the player object, and

wherein the degree-of-contact calculation means calculates the degree of contact, based on the volume.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a computer of a game apparatus for causing a player object and a field object that are present in a virtual game space to be displayed in a display device,

the game program causing the computer to function as:

operation data acquisition means for acquiring operation data at least including motion data, which is data representing a motion of a predetermined input device, from the input device;

amount-of-change calculation means for calculating an amount of change of the input device in a predetermined period of time, based on the motion data;

position orientation calculation means for calculating a position and an orientation of the player object in the virtual game space;

degree-of-contact calculation means for calculating a degree of contact, which represents a degree of the player object and the field object contacting each other in the virtual game space; and

orientation change means for changing the orientation of the player object, based on the amount of change and the degree of contact.

11. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10,

wherein the input device includes a gyro sensor,

wherein the operation data acquisition means acquires angular velocity data, outputted from the gyro sensor, as the motion data, and

wherein the amount-of-change calculation means calculates the amount of change, based on the angular velocity data.

12. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10,

wherein the input device includes an acceleration sensor,

wherein the operation data acquisition means acquires acceleration data, outputted from the acceleration sensor, as the motion data, and

wherein the amount-of-change calculation means calculates the amount of change, based on the acceleration data.

13. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12,

wherein the amount-of-change calculation means calculates a velocity of movement of the motion of the input device in the predetermined period of time by integrating accelerations represented by the acceleration data, and

wherein the orientation change means changes the orientation of the player object, based on the velocity of movement and the degree of contact.

14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10,

wherein the orientation change means changes the orientation of the player object, based on the amount of change, only when the degree of contact between the player object and the field object is smaller than a predetermined value.

15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10,

wherein the orientation change means changes the orientation of the player object such that the smaller the degree of contact between the player object and the field object, the larger the proportion of reflecting in the change of the orientation of the player object the amount of change.

16. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10,

wherein the field object is a liquid object,

wherein the game program further causes the computer to function as water-immersed volume calculation means for calculating a volume of a portion, immersed in the field object, of the player object, and

wherein the degree-of-contact calculation means calculates the degree of contact, based on the volume.

17. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10,

wherein the field object is an object representing the ground,

wherein the game program further causes the computer to function as ground-contacting area calculation means for calculating an area of a portion, contacting the field object, of the player object, and

wherein the degree-of-contact calculation means calculates the degree of contact, based on the area.

18. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10,

wherein the field object is an object representing the ground,

wherein the game program further causes the computer to function as intra-ground-surface-space volume calculation means for calculating a volume of a portion, included in a space from a surface of the ground of the field object to a certain height in a normal direction, of the player object, and

wherein the degree-of-contact calculation means calculates the degree of contact, based on the volume.