Driving game machine

• US 5,772,504 A
• Filed: 09/10/1996
• Issued: 06/30/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Machiguchi, Hiroyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): MANUEL, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US08/711,824
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 463/6, 463/7, 463/23, 463/30, 463/32, 463/33, 463/34, 463/36, 463/38, 434/62, 434/69, 434/71
• US Class Current: 463/6
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• 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 13/90 Constructional details or arrangements of video game devices not provided for in groups A63F13/20 or A63F13/25, e.g. housing, wiring, connections or cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/643 by determining the impact between objects, e.g. collision detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

A course coordinate system processor has a general automobile control unit, a movement decision unit, and a position decision unit. The general automobile control unit controls the running of a plurality of general automobiles on a straight road in a course coordinate system. The movement decision unit determines whether or not another automobile exists in front of an automobile which is under consideration for a movement decision. The position decision unit determines the positional relation between a player'"'"'s automobile and general automobiles in the course coordinate system, and also determines general automobiles that are positioned in a predetermined visible range of the player'"'"'s automobile. Positional coordinate data of the player'"'"'s automobile have been transformed from a world coordinate system into the course coordinate system by a course coordinate system transformation unit.

Claims

1. A driving game machine comprising:

three-dimensional data memory means for storing coordinate data of a three-dimensional road established in a game space in a three-dimensional coordinate system;

two-dimensional data memory means for storing coordinate data of a straight road established in a two-dimensional coordinate system in association with said three-dimensional road;

player'"'"'s automobile control means for controlling a player'"'"'s automobile on said three-dimensional road as instructed by a player;

general automobile control means for controlling general automobiles on said straight road;

two-dimensional coordinate transforming means for transforming coordinate data of said player'"'"'s automobile on said three-dimensional road into coordinate data on said straight road in said two-dimensional coordinate system; and

position deciding means for determining the positional relation between said player'"'"'s automobile and said general automobiles based on the coordinate data on said straight road in said two-dimensional coordinate system.

2. A driving game machine according to claim 1, wherein said position deciding means comprises means for determining general automobiles which are positioned in a predetermined visible range of said player'"'"'s automobile, further comprising:

three-dimensional coordinate transforming means for transforming coordinate data of said general automobiles which are determined as being positioned in said predetermined visible range into coordinate data on said three-dimensional road in said three-dimensional coordinate system; and

image display processing means for displaying said player'"'"'s automobile and said general automobiles whose coordinate data have been transformed into the coordinate data on said three-dimensional road in said three-dimensional coordinate system, on a display monitor according to three-dimensional image processing.

3. A driving game machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising rival automobile control means for controlling a rival automobile on said three-dimensional road as instructed by a competing player, wherein said two-dimensional coordinate transforming means further comprises means for transforming coordinate data of said rival automobile on said three-dimensional road into coordinate data on said straight road in said two-dimensional coordinate system, and said position deciding means comprises means for determining the positional relation between said player'"'"'s automobile and said rival automobile based on the coordinate data on said straight road in said two-dimensional coordinate system.

4. A driving game machine comprising:

player'"'"'s automobile control means for controlling a player'"'"'s automobile on a three-dimensional road in a game space in a three-dimensional coordinate system as instructed by a player;

general automobile control means for controlling general automobiles on a straight road in a two-dimensional coordinate system, which is converted from said three-dimensional road;

two-dimensional coordinate transforming means for transforming coordinate data of said player'"'"'s automobile on said three-dimensional road into coordinate data on said straight road in said two-dimensional coordinate system;

position deciding means for determining the positional relation between said player'"'"'s automobile and said general automobiles based on the coordinate data on said straight road in said two-dimensional coordinate system, and determining general automobiles which are positioned in a predetermined visible range of said player'"'"'s automobile;

three-dimensional coordinate transforming means for transforming coordinate data of said general automobiles which are determined as being positioned in said predetermined visible range into coordinate data on said three-dimensional road in said three-dimensional coordinate system; and

image display processing means for displaying said player'"'"'s automobile and said general automobiles whose coordinate data have been transformed into the coordinate data on said three-dimensional road in said image space in said three-dimensional coordinate system.

5. A driving game machine according to claim 4, further comprising rival automobile control means for controlling a rival automobile on said three-dimensional road as instructed by a competing player, wherein said two-dimensional coordinate transforming means further comprises means for transforming coordinate data of said rival automobile on said three-dimensional road into coordinate data on said straight road in said two-dimensional coordinate system, and said position deciding means comprises means for determining the positional relation between said player'"'"'s automobile and said rival automobile based on the coordinate data on said straight road in said two-dimensional coordinate system.