GAME DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD FOR A GAME DEVICE, AND A NON-TRANSITORY INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20120108334A1
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: TARAMA, Naoki, YAMAMOTO, Naohiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,414,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/36
• 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 13/428 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 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• 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 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• 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 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

Provided is a game device which executes a game configured such that a position of a body part of a player is detected, including: a first determination unit for determining whether or not a reference position and a player position information acquired at a first determination time point, which is earlier than a reference time point, satisfy a first criterion; a second determination unit for determining whether or not the reference position and the player position information acquired at a second determination time point, which is later than the first determination time point, satisfy a second criterion; a first processing execution unit for performing processing relating to effects on the game based on a determination result from the first determination unit; and a second processing execution unit for performing processing relating to evaluation of the player based on a determination result from the second determination unit.

Claims

1. A game device, which executes a game configured such that a position of a body part of a player at a given time point is determined, comprising:

player position information acquiring means for acquiring player position information relating to the position of the body part of the player;

reference data acquiring means for acquiring reference data from means for storing the reference data, the reference data being obtained by associating information relating to a reference time point with information relating to a reference position in which the body part is to be placed at the reference time point;

guide showing means for showing the player the reference time point and the reference position based on the reference data;

first determination means for determining whether or not the reference position and the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at a first determination time point, which is a time point set based on the reference time point and which is earlier than the reference time point, satisfy a first criterion relating to a positional displacement between the position of the body part and the reference position;

second determination means for determining whether or not the reference position and the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at a second determination time point, which is a time point set based on the reference time point and which is later than the first determination time point, satisfy a second criterion which is a criterion relating to the positional displacement between the position of the body part and the reference position and which indicates a smaller positional displacement than the positional displacement indicated by the first criterion;

first processing execution means for performing processing relating to effects on the game based on a determination result from the first determination means; and

second processing execution means for performing processing relating to evaluation of the player based on a determination result from the second determination means.

2. The game device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first determination means determines whether or not the first criterion is satisfied by determining whether or not the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at the first determination time point is included in a first determination area set based on the reference position; and

the second determination means determines whether or not the second criterion is satisfied by determining whether or not the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at the second determination time point is included in a second determination area which is an area set based on the reference position and which is covered by the first determination area.

3. The game device according to claim 2, wherein:

the game comprises a game configured such that the player aims to perform the same action as a character displayed on display means; and

the game device further comprises;

means for acquiring information relating to a change direction of the body part of the character within a period set based on the reference time point; and

means for changing the first determination area and the second determination area based on the acquired change direction.

4. The game device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first determination means determines whether or not the first criterion is satisfied based on whether or not a number of body parts, whose positional displacement amount between the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at the first determination time point and the reference position is within a reference range, is within a first reference range; and

the second determination means determines whether or not the second criterion is satisfied based on whether or not a number of body parts, whose positional displacement amount between the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at the second determination time point and the reference position is within the reference range, is within a second reference range whose lower limit value is larger than a lower limit value of the first reference range.

5. A control method for a game device which executes a game configured such that a position of a body part of a player at a given time point is determined, comprising:

a player position information acquiring step of acquiring player position information relating to the position of the body part of the player;

a reference data acquiring step of acquiring reference data from means for storing the reference data, the reference data being obtained by associating information relating to a reference time point with information relating to a reference position in which the body part is to be placed at the reference time point;

a guide showing step of showing the player the reference time point and the reference position based on the reference data;

a first determination step of determining whether or not the reference position and the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at a first determination time point, which is a time point set based on the reference time point and which is earlier than the reference time point, satisfy a first criterion relating to a positional displacement between the position of the body part and the reference position;

a second determination step of determining whether or not the reference position and the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at a second determination time point, which is a time point set based on the reference time point and which is later than the first determination time point, satisfy a second criterion which is a criterion relating to the positional displacement between the position of the body part and the reference position and which indicates a smaller positional displacement than the positional displacement indicated by the first criterion;

a first processing execution step of performing processing relating to effects on the game based on a determination result obtained in the first determination step; and

a second processing execution step of performing processing relating to evaluation of the player based on a determination result obtained in the second determination step.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable information storage medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to function as a game device which executes a game configured such that a position of a body part of a player at a given time point is determined,

the game device comprising:

player position information acquiring means for acquiring player position information relating to the position of the body part of the player;

reference data acquiring means for acquiring reference data from means for storing the reference data, the reference data being obtained by associating information relating to a reference time point with information relating to a reference position in which the body part is to be placed at the reference time point;

guide showing means for showing the player the reference time point and the reference position based on the reference data;

first determination means for determining whether or not the reference position and the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at a first determination time point, which is a time point set based on the reference time point and which is earlier than the reference time point, satisfy a first criterion relating to a positional displacement between the position of the body part and the reference position;

second determination means for determining whether or not the reference position and the position of the body part of the player indicated by the player position information acquired at a second determination time point, which is a time point set based on the reference time point and which is later than the first determination time point, satisfy a second criterion which is a criterion relating to the positional displacement between the position of the body part and the reference position and which indicates a smaller positional displacement than the positional displacement indicated by the first criterion;

first processing execution means for performing processing relating to effects on the game based on a determination result from the first determination means; and

second processing execution means for performing processing relating to evaluation of the player based on a determination result from the second determination means.