GAME APPARATUS, STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING GAME PROGRAM STORED THEREIN, GAME SYSTEM, AND GAME PROCESS METHOD

• US 20110287842A1
• Filed: 08/09/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Yoichi, Fujibayashi, Hidemaro
• Granted Patent: US 8,827,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• 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 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting

Abstract

A game apparatus acquires operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope. The game apparatus sets a predetermined reference position in a predetermined plane when a player inputs a predetermined instruction, and then calculates a coordinate point based on the angular rate data, wherein the coordinate point represents a position in the predetermined plane relative to the reference position. A game process is performed based on the coordinate point.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed in a computer of a game apparatus, the program causing the computer to function as:

an operation data acquisition portion for acquiring operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope;

a reference setting portion for setting a predetermined reference position in a predetermined plane when a player inputs a predetermined instruction;

a coordinate calculation portion for calculating a coordinate point based on the angular rate data, wherein the coordinate point represents the position in the predetermined plane relative to the reference position; and

a game process portion for performing a game process based on the coordinate point.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game process portion performs as the game process either a process for causing a predetermined object to perform a predetermined action toward a position within a virtual space that corresponds to the coordinate point or a predetermined process on an object in the position within the virtual space that corresponds to the coordinate point.

3. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the game process portion displays a predetermined image specifying the position within the virtual space that corresponds to the coordinate point and performs the game process in response to a first predetermined operation performed on the input device.

4. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the reference setting portion updates the reference position when a second predetermined operation is performed on the input device.

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

the second predetermined operation is intended to determine an item to be used by a predetermined object, and

the game process portion performs as the game process a process for causing the predetermined object to perform an action using the determined item.

6. The storage medium according to claim 5, wherein the game program further causes the computer to function as an item selection portion for selecting an item from among choices for items to be used by the predetermined object in accordance with the orientation of the input device or the coordinate point calculated based on the angular rate data, and determining an item being selected at the time of the second predetermined operation as the item to be used by the predetermined object.

7. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein,

the game program further causes the computer to function as a camera control portion for controlling a position and/or a direction of a virtual camera based on the coordinate point, and

the camera control portion at least stops the virtual camera from moving when the coordinate point represents the reference position.

8. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the camera control portion moves the virtual camera in accordance with a degree of distance from the coordinate point to the reference position.

9. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein,

the game program further causes the computer to function as a camera control portion for controlling a position and/or a direction of a virtual camera such that the virtual camera is directed toward a predetermined target within a virtual space when a third predetermined operation is performed on the input device, and

the reference setting portion updates the reference position when the third predetermined operation is performed.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the game process portion performs as the game process a process for controlling an action of an object to be operated by the player so that the direction of the object is changed in accordance with the coordinate point.

11. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the game process portion starts controlling the action of the obj ect to be operated by the player in response to an input of the predetermined instruction.

12. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate calculation portion calculates the coordinate point so as to change in accordance with an angular rate indicated by the angular rate data.

13. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein,

the game program further causes the computer to function as an orientation calculation portion for calculating the orientation of the input device based on the angular rate data, and

the coordinate calculation portion calculates the coordinate point based on the orientation of the input device.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the coordinate calculation portion calculates a coordinate point representing a position at an intersection between a point in the predetermined plane and a line segment continuing from the predetermined reference point to a direction of a vector indicating the orientation of the input device.

15. The storage medium according to claim 14, wherein,

the input device further includes an acceleration sensor, and

the orientation calculation portion calculates the orientation of the input device based on the angular rate data and corrects the orientation based on an acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor.

16. The storage medium according to claim 14, wherein,

the input device further includes an image pickup portion, and

the orientation calculation portion calculates the orientation of the input device based on the angular rate data and corrects the orientation at least for rotation about a direction of gravity based on a position of a predetermined target within an image taken by the image pickup portion.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed in a computer of a game apparatus, the program causing the computer to function as:

an operation data acquisition portion for acquiring operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope;

a reference calculation portion for calculating a reference orientation of the input device based on angular rate data acquired upon input of a predetermined instruction by a player;

an orientation calculation portion for calculating an orientation of the input device based on angular rate data acquired after the input of the instruction; and

a game process portion for performing a game process based on a tilt of the orientation calculated by the orientation calculation portion with respect to the reference orientation.

18. A game apparatus comprising:

an operation data acquisition portion for acquiring operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope;

a reference setting portion for setting a predetermined reference position in a predetermined plane when a player inputs a predetermined instruction;

a coordinate calculation portion for calculating a coordinate point based on the angular rate data, wherein the coordinate point represents a position in the predetermined plane relative to the reference position; and

a game process portion for performing a game process based on the coordinate point.

19. A game apparatus comprising:

an operation data acquisition portion for acquiring operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope;

a reference calculation portion for calculating a reference orientation of the input device based on angular rate data acquired upon input of a predetermined instruction by a player;

an orientation calculation portion for calculating an orientation of the input device based on angular rate data acquired after the input of the instruction; and

a game process portion for performing a game process based on a tilt of the orientation calculated by the orientation calculation portion with respect to the reference orientation.

20. A game system provided with one or more intercommunicable information processing apparatuses, the system comprising:

an operation data acquisition portion for acquiring operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope;

a reference setting portion for setting a predetermined reference position in a predetermined plane when a player inputs a predetermined instruction;

a coordinate calculation portion for calculating a coordinate point based on the angular rate data, wherein the coordinate point represents a position in the predetermined plane relative to the reference position; and

a game process portion for performing a game process based on the coordinate point.

21. A game system provided with one or more intercommunicable information processing apparatuses, the system comprising:

an operation data acquisition portion for acquiring operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope;

a reference calculation portion for calculating a reference orientation of the input device based on angular rate data acquired upon input of a predetermined instruction by a player;

an orientation calculation portion for calculating an orientation of the input device based on angular rate data acquired after the input of the instruction; and

a game process portion for performing a game process based on a tilt of the orientation calculated by the orientation calculation portion with respect to the reference orientation.

22. A game process method to be executed by one or more intercommunicable information processing apparatuses, the method comprising:

an operation data acquisition step of acquiring operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope;

a reference setting step of setting a predetermined reference position in a predetermined plane when a player inputs a predetermined instruction;

a coordinate calculation step of calculating a coordinate point based on the angular rate data, wherein the coordinate point represents a position in the predetermined plane relative to the reference position; and

a game process step for performing a game process based on the coordinate point.

23. A game process method to be executed by one or more intercommunicable information processing apparatuses, the method comprising:

an operation data acquisition step of acquiring operation data from an input device at least including a gyroscope, wherein the operation data at least contains angular rate data from the gyroscope;

a reference calculation step of calculating a reference orientation of the input device based on angular rate data acquired upon input of a predetermined instruction by a player;

an orientation calculation step of calculating an orientation of the input device based on angular rate data acquired after the input of the instruction; and

a game process step of performing a game process based on a tilt of the orientation calculated by the orientation calculation portion with respect to the reference orientation.