Game apparatus, storage medium storing a game program, and game controlling method

• US 20110098111A1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Saito, Shinya, Yokoo, Kenichi, Watanabe, Yasunari
• Granted Patent: US 8,723,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/828 Managing virtual sport teams
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6669 using a plurality of virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character change rooms
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6692 using special effects, generally involving post-processing, e.g. blooming
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a first LCD and a second LCD, and on the first LCD, a two-dimensional game screen including objects positioned in a two-dimensional coordinate is displayed. When a two-dimensional coordinate of a specific object out of the objects positioned in the two-dimensional coordinate satisfies a predetermined condition, a three-dimensional coordinate of each of the objects is calculated on the basis of the two-dimensional coordinate of each of the objects. The object is modeled in the calculated three-dimensional coordinate, moved by a predetermined animation, and then shot by a virtual camera. Accordingly, a game screen of an image (animation) of the three-dimensional virtual space shot by the virtual camera is displayed on the second LCD.

Claims

1. A game apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

at least one input device coupled to said processor;

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory storing instructions that, when executed by said processor, control said processor to;

generate a game image including at least an object image on the basis of a three-dimensional coordinate of the object in the virtual game world;

calculate a two-dimensional coordinate to combine a mark image with said game image on the basis of the three-dimensional coordinate of said object;

combine said mark image with said generated game image in the calculated two-dimensional coordinate;

detect an operation input from a player; and

perform different game processes depending on whether or not the position indicated by the detected operation input is on said mark image.

2. A game apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

at least one input and display device coupled to said processor;

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory storing instructions that, when executed by said processor, control said processor to;

generate a game image including at least an object image by shooting a virtual game world with a virtual camera, and displaying it on said display;

calculate a new three-dimensional coordinate by performing a predetermined arithmetic process on the basis of the three-dimensional coordinate of said object in said virtual game world;

transform said new calculated three-dimensional coordinate to a screen coordinate;

set a region on said display portion taking the transformed screen coordinate as a reference;

combine a mark image corresponding to the set region with said game image, and display it on said display;

make a player input coordinates on said display; and

perform a predetermined game process by comparing the input coordinate and the set region.

3. A game apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

at least one input and display device coupled to said processor;

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory storing instructions that, when executed by said processor, control said processor to;

generate a game image to be displayed on the display by shooting a virtual game world with a virtual camera;

determine a coordinate on said display on the basis of three-dimensional coordinates of a plurality of objects in said virtual game world;

set a region on said display portion by taking the determined coordinate as a reference;

combine a mark image corresponding to the set region with said game image, and display it on said display;

make a player input coordinates on said display; and

perform a predetermined game processing by comparing the input coordinate and the set region.

4. A non-transitory storage medium storing a game program, said game program causes a processor of a game apparatus to perform:

generating a game image including at least an object image on the basis of a three-dimensional coordinate of the object in a virtual game world;

calculating a two-dimensional coordinate to combine a mark image with said game image on the basis of the three-dimensional coordinate of said object;

combining said mark image with said generated game image in the calculated two-dimensional coordinate;

detecting an operation input from a player; and

performing different game processes depending on whether or not the position indicated by the detected operation input is on said mark image.

5. A non-transitory storage medium storing a game program, said game program causes a processor of a game apparatus to perform:

generating a game image including at least an object image by shooting a virtual game world with a virtual camera, and displaying it on a display portion;

calculating a new three-dimensional coordinate by performing a predetermined arithmetic process on the basis of the three-dimensional coordinate of said object in said virtual game world;

transforming said new calculated three-dimensional coordinate to a screen coordinate;

setting a region on said display portion taking the transformed screen coordinate as a reference;

combining a mark image corresponding to the set region with said game image, and displaying it on said display portion;

making a player input coordinates on said display portion; and

performing a predetermined game process by comparing the input coordinate and the set region.

6. A non-transitory storage medium storing a game program, said game program causes a processor of a game apparatus to perform:

generating a game image to be displayed on a display portion by shooting a virtual game world with a virtual camera;

determining a coordinate on said display portion on the basis of three-dimensional coordinates of a plurality of objects in said virtual game world;

setting a region on said display portion by taking the determined coordinate as a reference;

combining a mark image corresponding to the set region with said game image, and displaying it on said display portion;

making a player input coordinates on said display portion; and

performing a predetermined game processing by comparing the input coordinate and the set region.

7. A game controlling method, comprising:

(a) generating a game image including at least an object image on the basis of a three-dimensional coordinate of the object in a virtual game world,

(b) calculating a two-dimensional coordinate to combine a mark image with said game image on the basis of the three-dimensional coordinate of said object,

(c) combining said mark image with said game image generated by (a) in the two-dimensional coordinate calculated by (b),

(d) detecting an operation input from a player, and

(e) performing different game processes depending on whether or not the position indicated by the operation input detected by at least (d) is on said mark image.

8. A game controlling method, comprising:

(a) generating a game image including at least an object image by shooting a virtual game world with a virtual camera, and displaying it on a display portion,

(b) calculating a new three-dimensional coordinate by performing a predetermined arithmetic process on the basis of the three-dimensional coordinate of said object in said virtual game world,

(c) transforming said new three-dimensional coordinate calculated by (b) to a screen coordinate,

(d) setting a region on said display by taking the screen coordinate transformed by (c) as a reference,

(e) combining a mark image corresponding to the region set by (d) with said game image, and displaying it on said display portion,

(f) making a player input coordinates on said display portion, and

(g) performing a predetermined game process by comparing the coordinate input by (f) and the region set by (d).

9. A game controlling method, comprising:

(a) generating a game image to be displayed on a display portion by shooting a virtual game world with a virtual camera,

(b) determining a coordinate on said display portion on the basis of three-dimensional coordinates of a plurality of objects in said virtual game world,

(c) setting a region on said display by taking the coordinate determined by said step (b) as a reference,

(d) combining a mark image corresponding to the region set by (c) with said game image, and displaying it on said display portion,

(e) making a player input coordinates on said display, and

(f) performing a predetermined game processing by comparing the coordinate input by (e) and the region set by (c).