STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING GAME PROGRAM STORED THEREON AND GAME APPARATUS

• US 20110053687A1
• Filed: 11/08/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Hiramuki, Yutaka, KANDO, Yuuji
• Granted Patent: US 8,690,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6623 for animating a group of characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting

Abstract

In a coordinate detection step, a series of coordinate values each of which indicates a position which is on a display screen and is inputted through a pointing device, are detected at intervals of a unit time. Further, an operation state determination step determines whether or not a player is controlling a first object with the pointing device. When the operation state determination step determines that the player is controlling the first object, the selection determination step determines whether or not an input track of the pointing device forms an enclosed area for enclosing a second object based on the series of coordinate values. When the enclosed area has been formed, the first object and the second object are caused to perform predetermined actions.

Claims

1. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon a game program which causes a computer, in a game apparatus comprising a pointing device for indicating a position on a display screen on which a game image is displayed, to execute:

a coordinate detection step which detects, at regular time intervals and based on output signals from the pointing device, a series of coordinate values each of which values is inputted through the pointing device and indicates a position on the display screen;

a first control step which controls a first object displayed on the display screen based on the output signals from the pointing device;

a selection determination step which determines, based on the series of coordinate values detected at the coordinate detection step and while the first object is being controlled at the first control step, whether or not a second object displayed on the display screen has been selected; and

an action control step which controls the second object to move toward a position of the first object, when the selection determination step determines that the second object has been selected.

2. The non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 1, wherein the game program further causes the computer to execute a movement control step which controls, based on the series of coordinate values detected at the coordinate detection step, the first object and the second object having moved at the action control step to collectively move in a unified manner.

3. The non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 1, wherein the game program further causes the computer to execute:

a second control step which controls, based on the output signals from the pointing device, the first object and the second object;

the selection determination step which determines, based on the series of coordinate values detected at the coordinate detection step and when the first object and the second object are being controlled at the second control step, whether or not a third object displayed on the display screen has been selected, and

the action control step further controls, when the selection determination step determines that the third object has been selected, one of the third object, or the first and second objects, to perform a predetermined action on the other of the third object, and the first or second objects,

4. The non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 1, wherein when the selection determination step determines that the second object has been selected, the action control step adds the second object to an array that includes the first object.

5. A game apparatus including a display screen, a pointing device controlled by a player to indicate positions on the display screen and a computer which executes a game program stored to be accessible by the game apparatus to cause the computer to generate virtual objects to be displayed on the display screen, wherein execution of the game program causes the game apparatus to:

detect a series of coordinate values inputted to the game apparatus by the pointing device, wherein each coordinate value indicates a position on the display screen;

control a first object displayed on the display screen based on the series of coordinate values;

determine whether a second object displayed on the display screen is selected based on the series of coordinate values, wherein the determination of the selection of the second object is made while the first object is being controlled, and

moving the second object towards the first object in response to the determination that the second object has been selected.

6. The game apparatus of claim 5 wherein the game program, when executed by the computer, further causes the game apparatus to move the first object and the second object in unison and based on the series of coordinate values.

7. The game apparatus of claim 5 wherein the game program, when executed by the computer, further causes the game apparatus to:

determine whether a third object displayed on the display screen is selected based on an additional series of coordinate values detected based on inputs by the pointing device and while the first object and the second object are being controlled by the pointing device, and

perform a predetermined action on at least one of the third object, the first object and the second object in response to the determination that the third object is selected.

8. The game apparatus as in claim 5 wherein the game program, when executed by the computer, further causes the game apparatus to add the second object to an array including the first object in response to the determination that the second object has been selected.

9. A game system including a display screen, a pointing device controlled by a player to indicate positions on the display screen, a non-transitory storage medium and a computer executing a game program stored on the non-transitory storage medium, wherein execution of the game program causes the game system to:

detect a series of coordinate values corresponding to positions on the display screen indicated by the pointing device;

controlling a first object displayed on the display screen using the pointing device;

selecting a second object displayed on the display screen based on the series of coordinate values and while the first object is being controlled, and

moving the second object towards the first object in response to the selection of the second object.

10. The game system of claim 9 wherein the game program, when executed by the computer, further causes the game system to move the first object and the second object in unison and based on additional coordinate values indicated by the pointing device pointing to the display screen.

11. The game system of claim 9 wherein the game program, when executed by the computer, further causes the game apparatus to:

determine whether a third object displayed on the display screen is selected based on an additional series of coordinate values detected based on inputs by the pointing device and while the first object and the second object are controlled by the pointing device, and

perform a predetermined action on at least one of the third object, the first object and the second object in response to the determination that the third object is selected.

12. The game system of claim 9 wherein the game program, when executed by the computer, further causes the game apparatus to add the second object to an array including the first object.

13. A method for controlling objects of a game shown on a display screen using a pointing device controlled by a player, the method comprises:

controlling a first object displayed on the display screen using the pointing device;

detecting a series of coordinate values corresponding to positions on the display screen indicated by the pointing device;

selecting a second object displayed on the display screen based on the series of coordinate values and while the first object is being controlled, and

moving the second object towards the first object in response to the determination that the second object has been selected.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising moving the first object with the second object based on additional coordinate values indicated by the pointing device while pointing to the display screen.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

determining whether a third object displayed on the display screen is selected based on an additional series of coordinate values detected based on inputs by the pointing device and while the first object and the second object are both controlled by the pointing device, and

performing a predetermined action on at least one of the third object, the first object and the second object in response to the determination that the third object is selected.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising including the second object in an array having the first object.