GAME SYSTEM, GAME DEVICE, STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING GAME PROGRAM STORED THEREON, AND GAME PROCESS METHOD

• US 20130109473A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: YAMASHITA, Yoshikazu, SHIMAMURA, Takayuki, NAKAJIMA, Souichi, OKAMURA, Yuichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,814,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• 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 13/2145 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 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• 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 13/5258 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 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• 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 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball

Abstract

An example game system has a terminal device and a plurality of controller devices. The game system moves a first object, which is arranged in a predetermined game space, in accordance with an operation performed on the terminal device; and moves a plurality of second objects in accordance with operations performed on the controller devices. A first virtual camera is set based on a position of the first object in the game space. A second virtual camera is set so that a plurality of the second objects are included in a visual field range. A first game image representing the game space as seen from the first virtual camera is displayed on a display unit of the terminal device. A second game image representing the game space as seen from the second virtual camera is displayed on a predetermined display device separate from the terminal device.

Claims

1. A game system having a terminal device including an operation unit and a first display unit, and a plurality of controller devices, the game system comprising:

a first control unit for moving a first object, which is arranged in a predetermined game space, in accordance with an operation performed on the terminal device;

a second control unit for moving second objects in the game space in accordance with operations performed on the controller devices, wherein the number of second objects arranged in the game space is determined based on the number of controller devices and each second object is associated with one of the controller devices;

a first camera setting unit for setting a first virtual camera based on a position of the first object in the game space;

a second camera setting unit for setting a second virtual camera based on positions of the second objects so that a plurality of the second objects in the game space are included in a visual field range;

a first display control unit for displaying, on the first display unit, a first game image representing the game space as seen from the first virtual camera; and

a second display control unit for displaying, on a predetermined display device separate from the terminal device, a second game image representing the game space as seen from the second virtual camera.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the second camera setting unit sets the second virtual camera based on positions of the first object and the plurality of second objects so that the first object and the plurality of second objects in the game space are included in the visual field range.

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

the second camera setting unit sets the second virtual camera, wherein a predetermined size is defined as an upper limit of the visual field range of the second virtual camera;

the second control unit controls the second objects so as not to move out of the visual field range when the visual field range of the second virtual camera is equal to the upper limit; and

the first control unit moves the first object in accordance with an operation performed on the terminal device, independently of the visual field range of the second virtual camera.

4. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the second camera setting unit sets an orientation of the second virtual camera so that an angle of depression thereof with respect to a predetermined plane, on which the second objects can be moved in the game space, is greater than that of the first virtual camera.

5. The game system according to claim 4, wherein the first camera setting unit changes an orientation of the first virtual camera about an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane in accordance with an operation performed on the terminal device.

6. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the game image representing the game space is not displayed on the controller device.

7. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the controller device includes a second display unit for displaying a sub-game image used as a supplement to the second game image.

8. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first control unit is capable of making the first object execute a predetermined action that imparts an effect across a predetermined range around the first object; and

the second control unit is capable of making the second object execute an action that imparts an effect of the same kind as the predetermined action across a range around the second object that is smaller than the predetermined range.

9. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the terminal device further includes a touch panel provided on a screen of the first display unit;

the first control unit controls the first object based on an input made on the touch panel; and

the second control unit controls the second object based on an input made on an operation button provided on the controller device.

10. The game system according to claim 8, wherein

the terminal device further includes a touch panel provided on a screen of the first display unit;

the first control unit controls the first object based on an input made on the touch panel; and

the second control unit controls the second object based on an input made on an operation button provided on the controller device.

11. A game device capable of communicating with a terminal device including an operation unit and a display unit, and a plurality of controller devices, the game device comprising:

a first control unit for moving a first object, which is arranged in a predetermined game space, in accordance with an operation performed on the terminal device;

a second control unit for moving second objects in the game space in accordance with operations performed on the controller devices, wherein the number of second objects arranged in the game space is determined based on the number of controller devices and each second object is associated with one of the controller devices;

a first camera setting unit for setting a first virtual camera based on a position of the first object in the game space;

a second camera setting unit for setting a second virtual camera based on positions of the second objects so that a plurality of the second objects in the game space are included in a visual field range;

a first image output unit for outputting, to the terminal device, a first game image representing the game space as seen from the first virtual camera; and

a second image output unit for outputting, a predetermined display device separate from the display unit, a second game image representing the game space as seen from the second virtual camera.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a game program to be executed by a computer of a game device, which is capable of communicating with a terminal device including an operation unit and a display unit, and a plurality of controller devices,

the game program causing the computer to execute:

moving a first object, which is arranged in a predetermined game space, in accordance with an operation performed on the terminal device;

moving second objects in the game space in accordance with operations performed on the controller devices, wherein the number of second objects arranged in the game space is determined based on the number of controller devices and each second object is associated with one of the controller devices;

setting a first virtual camera based on a position of the first object in the game space;

setting a second virtual camera based on positions of the second objects so that a plurality of the second objects in the game space are included in a visual field range;

generating a first game image which is a game image displayed on the terminal device and which represents the game space as seen from the first virtual camera; and

generating a second game image which is a game image displayed on a predetermined display device separate from the display unit and which represents the game space as seen from the second virtual camera.

13. A game process method to be executed in a game system having a terminal device including an operation unit and a first display unit, and a plurality of controller devices, comprising:

moving a first object, which is arranged in a predetermined game space, in accordance with an operation performed on the terminal device;

moving second objects in the game space in accordance with operations performed on the controller devices, wherein the number of second objects arranged in the game space is determined based on the number of controller devices and each second object is associated with one of the controller devices;

setting a first virtual camera based on a position of the first object in the game space;

setting a second virtual camera based on positions of the second objects so that a plurality of the second objects in the game space are included in a visual field range;

displaying, on the first display unit, a first game image representing the game space as seen from the first virtual camera; and

displaying, on a predetermined display device separate from the terminal device, a second game image representing the game space as seen from the second virtual camera.