Computer-Readable Storage Medium Having Program Stored Therein, Apparatus, System, and Method, for Performing Game Processing

• US 20120077582A1
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: NOGE, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,095,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• 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 13/5255 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 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/818 Fishing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/663 for simulating liquid objects, e.g. water, gas, fog, snow, clouds
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8035 Virtual fishing

Abstract

A storage medium has stored therein a game program that in game processing, controls a correlation between a player object and a non-player object through a virtual surface that is set on the basis of a marker for generating a superimposed image by combining a real world image and a virtual world image. The game program causes a computer of an apparatus, which includes a display device for providing the superimposed image to a user and an imaging section for taking an image of the marker, to operate as predetermined means.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus, which is connected to an imaging device and a display device that allows a real space to be viewed on a screen thereof, to operate as:

taken image obtaining means for obtaining a taken image obtained by the imaging device taking an image of the real space;

detection means for detecting a specific object from the taken image obtained by the taken image obtaining means;

calculation means for calculating a relative position of the imaging device and the specific object on the basis of a detection result of the specific object;

virtual camera setting means for setting a virtual camera in a virtual space on the basis of the relative position;

virtual surface setting means for setting, on the basis of the relative position, a virtual surface in the virtual space to define subspaces of the virtual space;

first virtual object control means for providing, on the basis of a position of the virtual camera, a first virtual object in a first subspace of the virtual space that is defined by the virtual surface;

virtual object image generation means for generating a virtual object image by taking, by the virtual camera, the virtual space including the first virtual object;

display control means for displaying the virtual object image on the display device such that the virtual object image is superimposed on the real space on the screen and viewed by a user;

second virtual object control means for providing a second virtual object different from the first virtual object, in the virtual space in accordance with a progress of a game; and

game progress means for controlling the progress of the game in accordance with changing a positional relation of either one of the first virtual object or the second virtual object or both of them with respect to the virtual surface.

2. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game progress means performs a determination of a condition concerning a correlation between the first virtual object and the second virtual object for subsequent game processing.

3. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein when at least a part of the first virtual object that is present in the first subspace is moved through the virtual surface into a second subspace that is farther away from the virtual camera than the virtual surface, the game progress means performs a determination of a condition concerning a correlation between the first virtual object and the second virtual object for subsequent game processing.

4. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the condition concerning the correlation is that a positional relation of the first virtual object and the second virtual object satisfies a predetermined condition.

5. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the condition concerning the correlation is that a moving amount of the first virtual object that is defined on the basis of the relative position obtained by the calculation means reaches a predetermined value.

6. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the condition concerning the correlation is that even when a moving amount of the first virtual object that is defined on the basis of the relative position obtained by the calculation means does not reach a predetermined value, the detection means does not detect the specific object from the taken image.

7. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein a three-dimensional model represented as a virtual object extending from the virtual camera side toward the specific object side is provided to the first virtual object.

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

the display control means displays the virtual surface that is set by the virtual surface setting means, on the basis of a three-dimensional model that is located on the basis of a position of the specific object, and

the three-dimensional model, is defined by a polygon having a surface to which the taken image is mapped.

9. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein when the second virtual object control means locates one or more second virtual objects in the virtual space other than the first subspace, the display control means displays the one or more second virtual objects on the screen by blending a texture representing a shape of each of the one or more second virtual objects, with a texture of the taken image that is mapped to a polygon for representing the virtual surface.

10. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the second virtual object control means has a tendency to locate the second virtual object in a region between the specific object and the virtual camera in the virtual space.

11. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein when the second virtual object control means provides the second virtual object in the virtual space and at least a part of the second virtual object is moved from a space different from the first subspace through the virtual surface into the first subspace and located therein, the game progress means performs a determination of a condition concerning a correlation between the first virtual object and the second virtual object and performs subsequent game processing in accordance with a result of the determination.

12. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the condition concerning the correlation is that in a determination of collision between at least a part of the first virtual object and the second virtual object, it is determined that these virtual objects have collided with each other.

13. A game apparatus connected to an imaging device and a display device that allows a real space to be viewed on a screen thereof, the game apparatus comprising:

taken image obtaining means for obtaining a taken image obtained by the imaging device taking an image of the real space;

detection means for detecting a specific object from the taken image obtained by the taken image obtaining means;

calculation means for calculating a relative position of the imaging device and the specific object on the basis of a detection result of the specific object;

virtual camera setting means for setting a virtual camera in a virtual space on the basis of the relative position;

virtual surface setting means for setting, on the basis of the relative position, a virtual surface in the virtual space to define subspaces of the virtual space;

first virtual object control means for providing, on the basis of a position of the virtual camera, a first virtual object in a first subspace of the virtual space that is defined by the virtual surface;

virtual object image generation means for generating a virtual object image by taking, by the virtual camera, the virtual space including the first virtual object;

display control means for displaying the virtual object image on the display device such that the virtual object image is superimposed on the real space on the screen and viewed by a user;

second virtual object control means for providing a second virtual object different from the first virtual object, in the virtual space in accordance with a progress of a game; and

game progress means for controlling the progress of the game in accordance with changing a positional relation of either one of the first virtual object or the second virtual object or both of them with respect to the virtual surface.

14. A game system connected to an imaging device and a display device that allows a real space to be viewed on a screen thereof, the game system comprising:

taken image obtaining means for obtaining a taken image obtained by the imaging device taking an image of the real space;

detection means for detecting a specific object from the taken image obtained by the taken image obtaining means;

calculation means for calculating a relative position of the imaging device and the specific object on the basis of a detection result of the specific object;

virtual camera setting means for setting a virtual camera in a virtual space on the basis of the relative position;

virtual surface setting means for setting, on the basis of the relative position, a virtual surface in the virtual space to define subspaces of the virtual space;

first virtual object control means for providing, on the basis of a position of the virtual camera, a first virtual object in a first subspace of the virtual space that is defined by the virtual surface;

virtual object image generation means for generating a virtual object image by taking, by the virtual camera, the virtual space including the first virtual object;

display control means for displaying the virtual object image on the display device such that the virtual object image is superimposed on the real space on the screen and viewed by a user;

second virtual object control means for providing a second virtual object different from the first virtual object, in the virtual space in accordance with a progress of a game; and

game progress means for controlling the progress of the game in accordance with changing a positional relation of either one of the first virtual object or the second virtual object or both of them with respect to the virtual surface.

15. A method for performing game processing in a game system, the method comprising:

a taken image obtaining step of obtaining a taken image obtained by taking an image of a real space the imaging device by an imaging device connected to the game system;

a detection step of detecting a specific object from the taken image obtained by the taken image obtaining step;

a calculation step of calculating a relative position of the imaging device and the specific object on the basis of a detection result of the specific object;

a virtual camera setting step of setting a virtual camera in a virtual space on the basis of the relative position;

a virtual surface setting step of setting, on the basis of the relative position, a virtual surface in the virtual space to define subspaces of the virtual space;

a first virtual object control step of providing, on the basis of a position of the virtual camera, a first virtual object in a first subspace of the virtual space that is defined by the virtual surface;

a virtual object image generation step of generating a virtual object image by taking, by the virtual camera, the virtual space including the first virtual object;

a display control step of displaying the virtual object image on a display device connected to the game system, such that the virtual object image is superimposed on the real space on a screen of the display device and viewed by a user;

a second virtual object control step of providing a second virtual object different from the first virtual object, in the virtual space in accordance with a progress of a game; and

a game progress step of controlling the progress of the game in accordance with changing a positional relation of either one of the first virtual object or the second virtual object or both of them with respect to the virtual surface.

16. A game system connected to an imaging device and a display device that allows a real space to be viewed on a screen thereof, the game system comprising:

a marker having a feature of serving as a specific object;

taken image obtaining means for obtaining a taken image obtained by the imaging device taking an image of the real space;

detection means for detecting the specific object from the taken image obtained by the taken image obtaining means;

calculation means for calculating a relative position of the imaging device and the specific object on the basis of a detection result of the specific object;

virtual camera setting means for setting a virtual camera in a virtual space on the basis of the relative position;

virtual surface setting means for setting, on the basis of the relative position, a virtual surface in the virtual space to define subspaces of the virtual space;

first virtual object control means for providing, on the basis of a position of the virtual camera, a first virtual object in a first subspace of the virtual space that is defined by the virtual surface;

virtual object image generation means for generating a virtual object image by taking, by the virtual camera, the virtual space including the first virtual object;

display control means for displaying the virtual object image on the display device such that the virtual object image is superimposed on the real space on the screen and viewed by a user;

second virtual object control means for providing a second virtual object different from the first virtual object, in the virtual space in accordance with a progress of a game; and

game progress means for controlling the progress of the game in accordance with changing a positional relation of either one of the first virtual object or the second virtual object or both of them with respect to the virtual surface.