STORAGE MEDIUM STORING INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20100315352A1
• Filed: 10/02/2009
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masanobu, Takahashi, Kazunori, Hamamura, Takashi, Hayashi, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,264,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6623 for animating a group of characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computer readable storage medium storing an information processing program causes a computer to function as display control means, coordinate detecting means, and object selecting means. The display control means displays on a display device at least a portion of a virtual world in which a plurality of objects are provided. The coordinate detecting means detects input coordinates input by the pointing device. The object selecting means, when the input coordinates indicate any of the plurality of objects, selects the indicated object as a target to be operated, and when the input coordinates indicate none of the plurality of objects, selects at least one object satisfying a predetermined condition of the plurality of objects as a target to be operated.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium storing an information processing program executable by a computer of an apparatus for selecting at least one object, depending on an output from a pointing device, the information processing program causes the computer to function as:

display control means for displaying on a display device at least a portion of a virtual world in which a plurality of objects are provided;

coordinate detecting means for detecting input coordinates input by the pointing device; and

object selecting means for, when the input coordinates indicate any of the plurality of objects, selecting the indicated object as a target to be operated, and when the input coordinates indicate none of the plurality of objects, selecting at least one object satisfying a predetermined condition of the plurality of objects as a target to be operated.

2. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the object selecting means selects the object satisfying the predetermined condition as a target to be operated when the input coordinates indicate a position in the virtual world displayed on the display device and the input coordinates indicate none of the plurality of objects.

3. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein

the plurality of objects are each movable object which can be moved in the virtual world, and

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

object motion control means for causing the object which the object selecting means has selected as a target to be operated to perform a predetermined motion.

4. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein

the movable object can be moved in the virtual world, depending on an output from the pointing device;

and

the object motion, control means moves the object which the object selecting means has selected as a target to be operated in the virtual world, depending on an output from the pointing device.

5. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 4, wherein

the object motion control means includes:

first movement means for, when the object indicated by the input coordinates is selected as a target to be operated by the object selecting means, moving the object in a direction depending on a change in the input coordinates; and

second movement means for, when the object satisfying the predetermined condition is selected as a target to be operated by the object selecting means, moving the object toward a position which is based on the input coordinates.

6. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

time measuring means for measuring a time period from the start to the end of inputting using the pointing device, and

the first movement means, when the time period measured by the time measuring means is within a first time period, moves the object which the object selecting means has selected as a target to be operated.

7. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

parameter calculating means for calculating a parameter relating to a change in input coordinates using any of the input coordinates detected between the start and the end of inputting using the pointing device, and

the first movement means, when the parameter satisfies a predetermined condition, moves the object which the object selecting means has selected as a target to be operated.

8. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein

the parameter calculating means calculates as the parameter a distance between a position indicated by the input coordinates detected during the start of inputting using the pointing device and a position indicated by the input coordinates detected during the end of inputting using the pointing device, and

the first movement means, when the distance is larger than or equal to a predetermined value, moves the object which the object selecting means has selected as a target to be operated.

9. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

parameter calculating means for calculating a parameter relating to a change in input coordinates using any of the input coordinates detected between the start and the end of inputting using the pointing device; and

movement speed deciding means for deciding a movement speed of the object which the object selecting means has selected as a target to be operated, based on the parameter, and

the first movement means moves the object which the object selecting means has selected as a target to be operated, based on the movement speed decided by the movement speed deciding means.

10. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein

the parameter calculating means includes:

change amount calculating means for repeatedly calculating a change amount between input coordinates detected in a current process by the coordinate detecting means and input coordinates detected in a previous process by the coordinate detecting means; and

average value calculating means for calculating as the parameter an average value of the change amounts repeatedly calculated by the change amount calculating means from the start to the end of inputting using the pointing device, and

the movement speed deciding means decides a movement speed of the object which the object selecting means has selected as a target to be operated, based on the average value.

11. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

time measuring means for measuring a time period during which inputting using the pointing device has been continued since the start thereof, and

the second movement means, when the time period measured by the time measuring means is larger than or equal to a second time period, moves the object satisfying the predetermined condition toward the position which is based on the input coordinates.

12. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

input determining means for determining whether or not inputting using the pointing device is ended within a third time period after the object selecting means selects the object satisfying the predetermined condition as a target to be operated, and inputting using the pointing device is intermittently performed at least once within a fourth time period, and

the second movement means, when the time period measured by the time measuring means is larger than or equal to the second time period, moves the object satisfying the predetermined condition toward the position which is based on the input coordinates, at a first movement speed, and

the second movement means, when the determination by the input determining means is positive, moves the object satisfying the predetermined condition toward the position which is based on the input coordinates, at a second movement speed different from the first movement speed.

13. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

input determining means for determining whether or not inputting using the pointing device is ended within a third time period after the object selecting means selects the object satisfying the predetermined condition as a target to be operated, and inputting using the pointing device is intermittently performed at least once within a fourth time period, and

the second movement means, when the determination by the input determining means is positive, moves the object satisfying the predetermined condition toward the position based on the input coordinates only within a fifth time period.

14. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the object selecting means, when the input coordinates indicate none of the plurality of objects, selects all objects provided in the virtual world as a target to be operated.

15. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the object selecting means, when the input coordinates indicate none of the plurality of objects, selects at least one object displayed on the display device as a target to be operated.

16. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the object selecting means, when the input coordinates indicate none of the plurality of objects, selects as a target to be operated at least one object located within a predetermined range which is based on a position in the virtual world indicated by the input coordinates.

17. An information processing apparatus for selecting at least one object, depending on an output from a pointing device, comprising:

display control means for displaying on a display device at least a portion of a virtual world in which a plurality of objects are provided;

coordinate detecting means for detecting input coordinates input by the pointing device; and

object selecting means for, when the input coordinates indicate any of the plurality of objects, selecting the indicated object as a target to be operated, and when the input coordinates indicate none of the plurality of objects, selecting at least one object satisfying a predetermined condition of the plurality of objects as a target to be operated.