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

• US 20100144433A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: AONUMA, Eiji, FUJIBAYASHI, Hidemaro, HIRAMUKI, Yutaka, YAMADA, Yoichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,430,751 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 13/422 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 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• 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 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

Action information for controlling a series of at least one action performed by a first object is stored. Then the at least one action of the first object is controlled in accordance with the action information. At this time, an action of a second object is controlled in accordance with an operation signal from a predetermined input device operated by a player. Furthermore, while the action of the second object is being controlled, the information about the at least one action of the first object is displayed on a screen.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, the game program being executed by a computer of a game apparatus for controlling an action of a first object and an action of a second object arranged in a virtual game space,

the game program causing the computer to function as

action information storage means for storing, in a memory, action information for controlling a series of at least one action performed by the first object,

first object action reproduction means for controlling the at least one action of the first object in accordance with the action information stored in the action information storage means,

operation reception means for receiving an operation signal from a predetermined input device operated by a player while the at least one action of the first object is being controlled by the first object action reproduction means,

second object control means for controlling an action of the second object in accordance with the operation signal received by the operation reception means, and

action information display means for displaying, on a screen, information about the at least one action of the first object being controlled by the first object action reproduction means while the action of the second object is being controlled by the second object control means.

2. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the action information display means displays information indicating a timing at which the first object performs a predetermined action.

3. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the action information display means displays information indicating a time period from a current time to a time when the first object, the at least one action of which is being controlled by the first object action reproduction means, performs a predetermined action.

4. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the action information display means displays, as the information about the at least one action of the first object,

a current time image indicating a status of progress of the series of the at least one action of the first object indicated by the action information, and

a timing information image indicating, on a screen, at a position which corresponds to a time when the first object performs a predetermined action, that the predetermined action is to be performed.

5. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the action information display means displays, as the information about the at least one action of the first object,

a total time information image, displayed in a form of a graph, indicating a time period taken for the series of the at least one action of the first object indicated by the action information,

a current time image indicating a status of progress of the series of the at least one action of the first object indicated by the action information, and

a timing information image indicating, on the total time information image, at a position which corresponds to a time when the first object performs a predetermined action, that the predetermined action is to be performed.

6. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 5, wherein

the action information display means displays, as the current time image, a two-dimensional image indicating a posture of the first object the at least one action of which is being controlled by the first object action reproduction means.

7. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 6, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to function as

first object imaging means for taking an image of the first object by using a second virtual camera different from a first virtual camera for taking an image of the virtual game space, and

two-dimensional image generation means for generating the two-dimensional image in accordance with image data obtained from the image taken by the first object imaging means.

8. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to function as

first object control means for controlling the at least one action of the first object in accordance with the operation signal from the predetermined input device operated by the player, and

action information generation means for causing the action information storage means to store, as the action information, data representing the at least one action of the first object controlled by the first object control means.

9. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 8, wherein

the first object control means controls, in accordance with the operation signal from the predetermined input device operated by the player, the at least one action of the first object such that the first object performs at least a predetermined action.

10. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 8, wherein

the action information generation means causes the action information storage means to store, as the action information, operation data representing the operation signal from the predetermined input device during the time when the first object is being controlled by the first object control means.

11. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to function as game processing means for executing predetermined game processing in a case where a timing at which the first object being controlled by the first object action reproduction means has performed a predetermined action and a timing at which the second object being controlled by the second object control means has performed a predetermined action have satisfied a predetermined condition.

12. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to function as

cancel means for causing the first object action reproduction means to cancel controlling the at least one action of the first object when the at least one action of the first object is being controlled by the first object action reproduction means.

13. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 4, wherein

the predetermined action includes a plurality of kinds of actions, and

the timing information image varies depending on the plurality of kinds of actions.

14. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to function as moving path display means for displaying on the screen a moving path of the first object in accordance with the action information stored in the action information storage means.

15. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to function as first object action reproduction start means for causing the first object action reproduction means to start controlling again the at least one action of the first object when the first object action reproduction means has ended controlling the at least one action of the first object.

16. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 1, wherein

the game program further causes the computer to function as

timing determination means for determining whether or not a timing at which the first object being controlled by the first object action reproduction means has performed a predetermined action and a timing at which the second object being controlled by the second object control means has performed a predetermined action have satisfied a predetermined condition,

first object action reproduction start means for causing the first object action reproduction means to start controlling again the at least one action of the first object when the first object action reproduction means has ended controlling the at least one action of the first object, in a case where the timing determination means has determined that the predetermined condition is not satisfied while the at least one action of the first object is being controlled by the first object action reproduction means, and

game processing means for executing predetermined game processing in a case where the timing determination means has determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied while the at least one action of the first object is being controlled by the first object action reproduction means.

17. The computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, according to claim 8, wherein

the action information generation means causes the action information storage means to start storing, as the action information, data representing the at least one action of the first object controlled by the first object control means in a case where the operation signal from the predetermined input device operated by the player represents a predetermined operation.

18. A game apparatus for controlling an action of a first object and an action of a second object arranged in a virtual game space comprising:

action information storage means for storing action information for controlling a series of at least one action performed by the first object;

first object action reproduction means for controlling the at least one action of the first object in accordance with the action information stored in the action information storage means;

operation reception means for receiving an operation signal from a predetermined input device operated by a player while the at least one action of the first object is being controlled by the first object action reproduction means;

second object control means for controlling an action of the second object in accordance with the operation signal received by the operation reception means; and

action information display means for displaying, on a screen, information about the at least one action of the first object being controlled by the first object action reproduction means while the second object is being controlled by the second object control means.