GAME SYSTEM, GAME PROCESSING METHOD, GAME APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20130324238A1
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: AKIFUSA, Yusuke, Fujii, Hideki, Kiuchi, Toshikazu, Yamazaki, Atsushi, Sakooka, Yosuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,961,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/428 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 13/46 Computing the game score
• 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 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/307 for displaying an additional window with a view from the top of the game field, e.g. radar screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console

Abstract

When a certain user is playing a game by operating a terminal device while viewing a terminal game image displayed on an LCD of the terminal device, another user can operate a controller while viewing a monitor game image displayed on a monitor, and can acquire, remove, move, or halt an object other than a player object by moving a cursor displayed on a monitor game image.

Claims

1. A game system comprising at least a game apparatus and a first operation device, wherein

the first operation device includes a first operation section and a first display section, and is configured to transmit first operation data based on an operation performed on the first operation section,

the game apparatus includes:

a game processor configured to control a first operation subject in a virtual space and conduct a game process, based on at least the first operation data;

a first image generation section configured to generate a first game image that is to be displayed on the first display section, based on the game process; and

a second image generation section configured to, based on the game process, generate a second game image that is to be displayed on a second display section that is separate from the first operation device,

the game apparatus is operable to additionally acquire second operation data from a second operation device, and

the game processor is further configured to, during the game process and when the second operation data is acquired, control a position of a second operation subject included in the second game image based on the second operation data, and conduct a predetermined process on a predetermined object that is in the virtual space and that is different from the first operation subject, based on the position of the second operation subject.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the second image generation section is configured to generate, as the second game image, a game image that is different from the first game image.

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

the first image generation section is configured to generate, as the first game image, an image that is a view of the virtual space from a first viewpoint; and

the second image generation section is configured to generate, as the second game image, an image that is a view of the virtual space from a second viewpoint that is different from the first viewpoint.

4. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the first image generation section is configured to generate the first game image that includes the first operation subject.

5. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the second operation subject is a cursor.

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

the predetermined object is an item object; and

the game processor is further configured to conduct an item acquiring process of acquiring the item object corresponding to the position of the second operation subject based on the second operation data, and change a predetermined parameter regarding the first operation subject based on the acquired item object.

7. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the game processor is further configured to move or remove the predetermined object corresponding to the position of the second operation subject, based on the second operation data.

8. The game system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined object is an obstacle object that obstructs advance of the first operation subject.

9. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the game processor is configured to halt the predetermined object corresponding to the position of the second operation subject, based on the second operation data.

10. The game system according to claim 1, wherein a user operating the second operation device is able to assist a game played by a user operating the first operation device, by operating the second operation device and causing the game processor to conduct the predetermined process on the predetermined object.

11. The game system according to claim 1, wherein a user operating the second operation device is able to obstruct a game played by a user operating the first operation device, by operating the second operation device and causing the game processor to conduct the predetermined process on the predetermined object.

12. A game processing method of a game system including at least a game apparatus and a first operation device,

the first operation device including a first operation section and a first display section, and being configured to transmit first operation data based on an operation performed on the first operation section,

the game processing method comprising:

controlling a first operation subject in a virtual space and conducting a game process, by a game processor of the game apparatus and based on at least the first operation data;

generating a first game image that is to be displayed on the first display section, by a first image generation section the game apparatus and based on the game process; and

generating, by a second image generation section of the game apparatus and based on the game process, a second game image that is to be displayed on a second display section that is separate from the first operation device, wherein

the game apparatus is operable to additionally acquire second operation data from a second operation device, and

the game processor is further configured to, during the game process and when the second operation data is acquired, control a position of a second operation subject included in the second game image based on the second operation data, and conduct a predetermined process on a predetermined object that is in the virtual space and that is different from the first operation subject, based on the position of second operation subject.

13. A game apparatus used in a game system including at least the game apparatus and a first operation device,

the first operation device including a first operation section and a first display section, and being configured to transmit first operation data based on an operation performed on the first operation section,

the game apparatus comprising:

a game processor configured to control a first operation subject in a virtual space and conduct a game process, based on at least the first operation data;

a first image generation section configured to generate a first game image that is to be displayed on the first display section, based on the game process; and

a second image generation section configured to, based on the game process, generate a second game image that is to be displayed on a second display section that is separate from the first operation device, wherein

the game apparatus is operable to additionally acquire second operation data from a second operation device, and

the game processor is further configured to, during the game process and when the second operation data is acquired, additionally control a position of a second operation subject included in the second game image based on the second operation data, and conduct a predetermined process on a predetermined object that is in the virtual space and that is different from the first operation subject, based on the position of the second operation subject.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a game program executed by a computer of a game apparatus of a game system including at least the game apparatus and a first operation device,

the first operation device including a first operation section and a first display section, and being configured to transmit first operation data based on an operation performed on the first operation section,

the game program causing the computer to function as:

a game processor configured to control a first operation subject in a virtual space and conduct a game process, based on at least the first operation data;

a first image generation section configured to generate a first game image that is to be displayed on the first display section, based on the game process; and

a second image generation section configured to, based on the game process, generate a second game image that is to be displayed on a second display section that is separate from the first operation device, wherein

the game apparatus is operable to additionally acquire second operation data form a second operation device, and

the game processor is further configured to, during the game process and when the second operation data is acquired, control a position of a second operation subject included in the second game image based on the second operation data, and conduct a predetermined process on a predetermined object that is in the virtual space and that is different from the first operation subject, based on the position of the second operation subject.