METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING A COMMON POINTING INPUT TO CONTROL 3D VIEWPOINT AND OBJECT TARGETING

• US 20120329558A1
• Filed: 08/27/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: HAIGH-HUTCHINSON, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,339,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• 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 13/5255 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 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• 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 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

A computer graphics display system such as a video game system provides virtual camera 3-D viewpoint panning control based on a pointer. When the pointer is displayed within a virtual camera panning control region, the system automatically pans the virtual camera toward the pointer. When the pointer is displayed within a different region, panning is deactivated and the user can freely move the cursor (e.g., to control the direction a weapon is pointed) without panning the virtual camera viewpoint. Flexible viewpoint control and other animated features are provided based on a pointing device such as a handheld video game optical pointing control. Useful applications include but are not limited to first person shooter type video games.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method of allowing a video game user to both (a) target a location in a three-dimensional (3D) virtual world and (b) pan a view presented from a virtual camera in a desired direction to reveal additional portions of the 3D virtual world with a three-dimensional video game computer graphics display system that includes at least one processor, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display in a display area, an image of the 3D virtual world viewed through the virtual camera that has a viewing orientation;

setting the display area into at least a first region and a second region, the first region being an inner region of the display area and the second region being an outer region of the display area;

controlling a targeting position on said display that is at least in part responsive to a user input, said targeting position indicating a location within the 3D virtual world;

targeting different locations within the 3D virtual world without panning the virtual camera when the targeting position is located within the inner region; and

panning, via the at least one processor, the virtual camera to a new viewing orientation to reveal additional portions of the 3D virtual world for display on the display area in accordance with the controlled targeting position being located within the outer region.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling a rate that the virtual camera is panned based on a distance between a center point of the display and the controlled targeting position.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling a rate that the virtual camera is panned based on how long the controlled targeting position remains within the outer region.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

subdividing the outer region into a plurality of control regions; and

controlling a panning rate based at least in part on which of said plurality of control regions the controlled targeting position is within.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising

display a weapon targeting marker in accordance with the controlled targeting position;

displaying a weapon targeting reticle image, wherein said weapon targeting reticle image at least in part comprises said inner region and includes the weapon targeting marker.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling a direction that the virtual camera is panned based at least in part on the controlled targeting position relative to a reference point.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the user input is provided via a touch screen display device.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions for targeting positions within a three dimensional virtual world and adjusting a virtual camera, the stored instructions comprising instructions that are configured to:

output, to a display area on a display device, an image of a presented scene of the three dimensional virtual world viewed through the virtual camera that is positioned within the a three dimensional virtual world and oriented in a viewing direction;

set the display area into a first display area and a second display area that is different from the first display area;

accept a first user input operation that is performed by a user via an input device within the first region, the first user input operation indicating at least a first position and a second position that is different from the first position within the display area on the display device, the first and second positions both corresponding to at least one respective location within the three dimensional virtual world;

maintain the presented scene of the three dimensional virtual world as viewed through the virtual camera in accordance with the first user input operation performed by the user, maintenance of the presented scene including maintaining the position and the viewing direction of the virtual camera;

receive a second user input operation that is performed in the second region by the user via the input device, the second user input operation indicating at least a third position that corresponds to at least one location within the three dimensional virtual world;

adjust the virtual camera from the presented scene of the three dimensional virtual world as viewed through the virtual camera to a newly presented scene in accordance with the second user input operation, the adjustment to reveal additional portions of the three dimensional virtual world; and

output, to the display area on the display device, an image of the newly presented scene.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein the first and second regions are dynamically resizable and re-locatable in relation to a currently indicated position on the position of the targeting reticle on the display.

22. The medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further configured to control a rate that the virtual camera is adjusted based on a distance between a center point of the display and/or display area and a current position indicated by the user.

23. The medium of claim 20, wherein second region is an outer region that is associated with the display area that surrounds the first region that is an inner region that is associated with the display area.

24. The medium of claim 20, wherein the adjustment of the viewing direction to the new viewing direction is based at least in part on a reference position relative to the at least a portion of the second movement operation.

25. The medium of claim 20, wherein the input device is a touch screen device that accepts input from a digit of a user and/or an instrument operated by the user.

26. The medium of claim 20, wherein the adjusted virtual camera includes changing the viewing direction of the virtual camera.

27. A computing system for providing a user with panning and targeting control, the system comprising:

a display device that is configured to display images to a user;

a user input device that is configured to receive input from a user indicating a position on the display device; and

a processing system that includes at least one processor, the processing system configured to;

output, to a display area on the display device, an image that is based at least in part on a view provided from a camera that is oriented in a viewing direction;

segment the display area of the display device into an inner region of the display area and an outer region of the display area;

accept a first user input operation that is performed by a user via the input device within the inner region, the first user input operation indicating at least a first position and a second position that is different from the first position within the display area on the display device, the first and second positions both corresponding to at least one respective location within the view provided by the camera that is oriented in the viewing direction;

maintain the viewing direction of the camera in accordance with the first user input operation performed by the user;

receive a second user input operation that is performed in the outer region by the user via the input device, the second user input operation indicating at least a third position that corresponds to at least one indicated location within the view presented by the camera; and

pan the viewing direction of the camera to a new viewing direction in accordance with the second user input operation.

28. The computing system of claim 27, wherein the computing system is a mobile computing system that is designed for mobile use by the user.

29. The computing system of claim 27, wherein the camera is a virtual camera and the view is of a virtual three-dimensional world.

30. The computing system of claim 27, wherein the processing system is further configured to control a rate that the camera is panned based on a distance between a center point of the display and/or display area and a position indicated by the user.

31. The computing system of claim 27, wherein the processing system is further configured to control the camera in a view-lock mode causes the viewing direction to remain stationary regardless of the position of the marker.

32. The computing system of claim 27, wherein the processing system is further configured to dynamically resize and/or relocate the inner region and/or the outer region in response to user input.

33. A method of targeting a location in a three-dimensional (3D) virtual world and panning a view presented from a virtual camera using a computer graphics display system that includes at least one processor, the method comprising:

using the processor, displaying, on a display area, a 3D virtual world as viewed through the virtual camera;

controlling a targeting position on said display that is responsive to a user pointing input, said targeting position capable of indicating targeted objects within the 3D virtual world;

targeting different objects within the 3D virtual world without panning the virtual camera in response to the user pointing input when the targeting position is positioned within a first region on the display; and

targeting different objects within the 3D virtual world while also panning the virtual camera in response to the user pointing input when the targeting position is positioned within a second region on the display that is different from the first region, to thereby pan the virtual camera to reveal additional portions of the 3D virtual world for display on the display area in accordance with the controlled targeting position being located within the second region.