Three-dimensional games machine

• US 5,616,079 A
• Filed: 02/15/1995
• Issued: 04/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
• Original Assignee: Namco Limited (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Takashi, Goto, Takashi, Iwase, Takashi, Matsuura, Norimasa, Aoshima, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US08/381,992
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 395/128, 395/130, 395/152, 463/33, 463/32, 463/31, 273/437, 273/433
• US Class Current: 463/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to provide a 3D games machine that can form a high-quality pseudo-3D image in real time. Segmented map information relating to a map that configures a game space is stored in a map information storage unit (110). This segmented map information contains map position information and an object number. A game space setting unit (104) reads out image information on the map from an object image information storage unit (120) on the basis of this object number, to set the games space. In this case, a plurality of types of segmented map information, of different numbers of segments, is stored in the map information storage unit (110). The game space setting unit (104) sets the game space by reading out segmented map information with a smaller number of segments as the distance between the vehicle operated by the player and the segmented map increases.

Claims

1. A 3D games machine which forms a game space such that a player is enabled to move in a predetermined vehicle within a virtual 3D space by operating an operating means, wherein said 3D games machine comprises:

a map information storage means in which at least position information and an object number of a segmented map formed by dividing a map of the game space into a predetermined number of segments are stored as segmented map information;

an object image information storage means in which object image information specified by said object number is stored; and

a game space setting means for reading said segmented map information from said map information storage means and for setting a game space by reading out said object image information from said object image information storage means on the basis of the thus read-out segmented map information; and

wherein;

said map information storage means stores a plurality of types of said segmented map information, of different numbers of segments, and said game space setting means reads out segmented map information with a smaller number of segments as the distance between said vehicle operated by said player and said segmented map increases.

3. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said game space setting means selects said object image information according to said object number in such a manner that an object that is placed in the segmented map is rendered in a simplified form as the distance between the vehicle operated by the player and said segmented map increases.

5. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

means for previously storing a plurality of map segment patterns corresponding to a positional range of said vehicle operated by said player and the player'"'"'s line-of-sight directional range;

wherein;

said game space setting means sets said game space by selecting one of said plurality of map segment patterns on the basis of the position of said vehicle and the player'"'"'s line-of-sight direction, while the game is in progress.

7. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said game space setting means generates a map segment pattern while the game is in progress, based on the position of said vehicle and the player'"'"'s line-of-sight direction, and sets a game space on the basis of said map segment pattern.

9. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 5, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means omits clipping processing during the synthesizing of said pseudo-3D image, for regions which are always within the player'"'"'s field-of-view range at any position within the positional range of said vehicle.

11. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means omits clipping processing during the synthesizing of said pseudo-3D image, for regions which are always within the player'"'"'s field-of-view range at any position within a positional range of said vehicle.

13. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means synthesizes said image by giving priority to image information close to the position of said vehicle operated by said player.

15. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means synthesizes said image by giving priority to image information close to the position of said vehicle operated by said player.

17. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 5, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means synthesizes said image by giving priority to image information close to the position of said vehicle operated by said player.

19. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means synthesizes said image by giving priority to image information close to the position of said vehicle operated by said player.

2. A 3D games machine which forms a game space such that a player is enabled to move in a predetermined vehicle within a virtual 3D space by operating an operating means, wherein said 3D games machine comprises:

a map information storage means in which at least position information and an object number of a segmented map formed by dividing a map of the game space into a predetermined number of segments are stored as segmented map information;

an object image information storage means in which object image information specified by said object number is stored; and

a game space setting means for reading said segmented map information from said map information storage means and for setting a game space by reading out said object image information from said object image information storage means on the basis of the thus read-out segmented map information;

and wherein;

said object image information; and

whereinsaid game space setting means reads out segmented map information with a smaller number of segments as the distance between said vehicle operated by said player storage means stores a plurality of types of object image information for an object to be displayed, including object image information from which detailed portions are omitted and object image information which has said detailed portions;

said map information and said segment map increases storage means stores, for the same map, a plurality of types of segmented map information including segmented map information that specifies object image information from which said detailed portions are omitted and segmented map information that specifies object image information which has said detailed portions; and

said game space setting means reads a plurality of types of segmented map information including segmented map information that specifies object image information from which said detailed portions are omitted and segmented map information that specifies object image information which has said detailed portions, for portions within a map for which detailed rendering is necessary, or segmented map information that specifies object image information from which said detailed portions are omitted, for portions within a map for which detailed rendering is not necessary, and sets a game space by superimposing object images that are read out in accordance with this segmented map information.

4. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 2, wherein:

said game space setting means selects said object image information according to said object number in such a manner that an object that is placed in the segmented map is rendered in a simplified form as the distance between the vehicle operated by the player and said segmented map increases.

6. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

means for previously storing a plurality of map segment patterns corresponding to a positional range of said vehicle operated by said player and the player'"'"'s line-of-sight directional range;

wherein;

said game space setting means sets said game space by selecting one of said plurality of map segment patterns on the basis of the position of said vehicle and the player'"'"'s line-of-sight direction, while the game is in progress.

8. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 2, wherein:

said game space setting means generates a map segment pattern while the game is in progress, based on the position of said vehicle and the player'"'"'s line-of-sight direction, and sets a game space on the basis of said map segment pattern.

10. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means omits clipping processing during the synthesizing of said pseudo-3D image, for regions which are always within the player'"'"'s field-of-view range at any position within the positional range of said vehicle.

12. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means omits clipping processing during the synthesizing of said pseudo-3D image, for regions which are always within the player'"'"'s field-of-view range at any position within a positional range of said vehicle.

14. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means synthesizes said image by giving priority to image information close to the position of said vehicle operated by said player.

16. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 4, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means synthesizes said image by giving priority to image information close to the position of said vehicle operated by said player.

18. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the bas i s of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means synthesizes said image by giving priority to image information close to the position of said vehicle operated by said player.

20. A 3D games machine as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

an image synthesizing means for calculating the player'"'"'s field-of-view image in said virtual 3D space and synthesizing a pseudo-3D image on the basis of game space setting information from said game space setting means;

wherein;

said image synthesizing means synthesizes said image by giving priority to image information close to the position of said vehicle operated by said player.