STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING STORED THEREIN GAME PROGRAM, GAME APPARATUS, GAME SYSTEM, AND GAME PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20140135117A1
• Filed: 04/22/2013
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: ABE, Goro, Hosokawa, Takehiko
• Application Number:
  US13/867,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135117A1
• 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 13/5252 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 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall

Abstract

Game images are displayed at least on a portable first display device and a second display device different from the first display device, respectively. A first game image of a game space seen form a first-person viewpoint of a player object positioned in the game space and a second game image of the game space seen from a fixed predetermined viewpoint are generated, and the first game image and the second game image are displayed on the first display device and the second display device, respectively.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by a computer included in an apparatus which displays game images at least on a portable first display device and a second display device different from the first display device, respectively, the game program causing the computer to execute:

generating a first game image of a game space seen from a first-person viewpoint of a player object positioned in the game space;

generating a second game image of the game space seen from a fixed predetermined viewpoint in the game space;

displaying the first game image on the first display device; and

displaying the second game image on the second display device.

2. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 1, wherein

the first display device includes a sensor which outputs data in accordance with a movement or an orientation of the first display device, and

when the first game image is generated, at least a view direction in which the game space is seen from the first-person viewpoint is set in accordance with the orientation of the first display device calculated based on the data outputted from the sensor.

3. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 2, wherein

the first display device further includes an operation unit having a direction instruction unit for performing a direction instruction based on an operation by a user, and

when the first game image is generated, the view direction can be set in which the game space is seen from the first-person viewpoint in accordance with a direction instruction operation performed on the direction instruction unit, and

when the first game image is generated, selection is made to perform one of:

setting the view direction in accordance with the orientation of the first display device based on the operation performed on the operation unit; and

setting the view direction in accordance with the direction instruction operation.

4. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 1, wherein

the first display device includes a direction instruction unit for performing a direction instruction based on an operation of a user, and

when the first game image is generated, at least a view direction is set in which the game space is seen from the first-person viewpoint in accordance with a direction instruction operation performed on the direction instruction unit.

5. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 1, wherein

the first display device includes a first speaker, and

the game program further causes the computer to execute:

generating an ambient sound around the player object in the game space based on a position and/or a direction of the player object in the game space; and

controlling so that the generated ambient sound is outputted from the first speaker.

6. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 1, wherein

the second display device is a stationary display device, and

when the second game image is generated, an image of the entire game space seen from the fixed viewpoint is generated as the second game image.

7. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 6, wherein when the second game image is generated, an image of the game space including the player object is generated as the second game image.

8. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 7, wherein

the first display device includes a sensor which outputs data in accordance with a movement or an orientation of the first display device, and

the computer is further caused to execute changing the position or the orientation of the player object in accordance with the movement or the orientation of the first display device calculated based on the data outputted from the sensor, and

when the second game image is generated, an image of the game space including the player object positioned in the game space in accordance with the position or the orientation having been changed is generated as the second game image.

9. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 7, wherein

the first display device includes a direction instruction unit for performing a direction instruction based on an operation of a user, and

the computer is further caused to execute changing the position or the orientation of the player object in accordance with a direction instruction performed using the direction instruction unit, and

when the second game image is generated, an image of the game space including the player object positioned in the game space in accordance with the position or the orientation having been changed is generated as the second game image.

10. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 6, wherein

the second display device includes a second speaker, and

the game program further causes the computer to execute:

generating a whole sound generated in the whole game space; and

controlling so that the generated whole sound is outputted from the second speaker.

11. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the game program according to claim 1, wherein the first-person viewpoint is a viewpoint from which the player object sees.

12. A game apparatus which displays game images at least on a portable first display device and a second display device different from the first display device, respectively, the game apparatus comprising:

a first game image generation unit which generates a first game image of a game space seen from a first-person viewpoint of a player object positioned in the game space;

a second game image generation unit which generates a second game image of the game space seen from a fixed predetermined viewpoint in the game space;

a first display control unit which displays the first game image on the first display device; and

a second display control unit which displays the second game image on the second display device.

13. A game system which includes a plurality of devices communicable with each other, and displays game images at least on a portable first display device and a second display device different from the first display device, respectively, the game system comprising:

a first game image generation unit which generates a first game image of a game space seen from a first-person viewpoint of a player object positioned in the game space;

a second game image generation unit which generates a second game image of the game space seen from a fixed predetermined viewpoint in the game space;

a first display control unit which displays the first game image on the first display device; and

a second display control unit which displays the second display device on the second game image.

14. A game processing method to be executed by a single processor or collaboration of a plurality of processors included in a system which includes at least one information processing apparatus capable of displaying game images at least on a portable first display device and a second display device different from the first display device, respectively, the game processing method comprising:

generating a first game image of a game space seen from a first-person viewpoint of a player object positioned in the game space;

generating a second game image of the game space seen from a fixed predetermined viewpoint in the game space;

displaying the first game image on the first display device; and

displaying the second game image on the second display device.