Driving game machine and a storage medium for storing a driving game program

• US 6,117,007 A
• Filed: 08/07/1997
• Issued: 09/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Corporation
• Inventors: Shimizu, Akihiro, Mizumoto, Toru, Matsuyama, Shigenobu, Fukunaga, Shozo
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOTALING, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US08/908,618
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 463/6, 463/7, 463/151, 463/32-34, 463/36, 463/38, 463/43, 434/62-66, 434/68-71
• US Class Current: 463/6
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video 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 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/04 for teaching control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

A driving game machine provided with a road data memory for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space, a player'"'"'s car controller for controlling the running of a player'"'"'s car on the road according to a player'"'"'s operation, and a display processor for displaying an image within a field of view set in advance. The road has a start point and a goal point, a running course from the start point to the goal point has a plurality of branched roads in its intermediate positions. The player'"'"'s car controller causes the player'"'"'s car to run in a direction selected at each branching point in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation. This makes it possible for a player to freely choose the course while competing with his rivals.

Claims

1. A driving game machine comprising:

operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation;

road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space;

player'"'"'s car control means for controlling the running of a player'"'"'s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means;

display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance; and

general car control means for controlling the running of general cars on the roads;

wherein the road has a start point and a goal point, a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with branched roads in its intermediate positions;

the player'"'"'s car control means causes the player'"'"'s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means; and

the general car control means causes the general cars to run on a predetermined course including branched roads and enables the running course of the general cars to be changed at the branching points when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

2. A driving game machine comprising:

operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation;

road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space;

player'"'"'s car control means for controlling the running of a player'"'"'s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means;

display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance; and

general car control means for controlling the running of general cars on the roads;

wherein the road has a start point and a goal point, a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with branched roads in its intermediate positions;

the player'"'"'s car control means causes the player'"'"'s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means; and

the general car control means successively controls the running of the respective general cars as a control object, and includes car distance discrimination means for discriminating a distance from the general car being controlled to the player'"'"'s car, and controls the speed and running direction of the general car being controlled according to the discriminated distance to the player'"'"'s car.

3. A driving game machine comprising:

operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation;

road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space;

player'"'"'s car control means for controlling the running of a player'"'"'s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means;

display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance; and

general car control means for controlling the running of general cars on the roads

wherein the road has a start point and a goal point, a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with branched roads in its intermediate positions;

the player'"'"'s car control means causes the player'"'"'s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means;

the general car control means successively controls the running of the respective general cars as a control object, and includes general car discrimination means for discriminating whether there is an other general car at a branching point located ahead of the general car being controlled, branching point distance discrimination means for discriminating a distance from the general car being controlled to the branching point located ahead of the general car being controlled, and speed control means for controlling the speed of the general car being controlled based on a discrimination result of the general car discrimination means and a discrimination result of the branching point distance discrimination means.

4. A driving game machine according to claim 3, further comprising distance storage means for storing a predetermined first distance and a predetermined second distance longer than the first distance, wherein:

the speed control means stops the general car which is being controlled by the general car control means when it is discriminated that there is another general car at the branching point and the discriminated distance to the branching point is shorter than the first distance; and

the speed control means decelerates the general car which is being controlled by the general car control means when it is discriminated that there is another car at the branching point and the discriminated distance to the branching point is equal to or longer than the first distance and shorter than the second distance.

5. A driving game machine capable of affording a competition between a player'"'"'s car and a rival car, the driving game machine comprising:

operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation;

road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space;

player'"'"'s car control means for controlling the running of a player'"'"'s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means;

rival car control means for controlling the running of a rival car on the road; and

display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance; and

wherein the road has a start point and a goal point, a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with branched roads in its intermediate positions;

the player'"'"'s car control means causes the player'"'"'s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means; and

general car control means for controlling the running of general cars on the roads, the general car control means successively controls the running of the respective general cars as a control object, and including rival car distance discrimination means for discriminating a distance from the general car being controlled to the rival car to control the speed and running direction of the general car being controlled based on the discriminated distance to the rival car;

wherein the road has a start point and a goal point, a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with branched roads in its intermediate positions; and

the player'"'"'s car control means causes the player'"'"'s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means.

6. A driving game machine capable of affording a competition between a player'"'"'s car and a rival car, the driving game machine comprising:

operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation;

road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space;

player'"'"'s car control means for controlling the running of a player'"'"'s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means;

rival car control means for controlling the running of a rival car on the road; and

display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance;

wherein the road has a start point and a goal point, a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with branched roads in its intermediate positions; and

the player'"'"'s car control means causes the player'"'"'s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means;

wherein the rival car control means selects one of a plurality of predetermined running courses of the road, and causes the rival car to run along the selected course, and includes distance calculation means for calculating a distance between the running course on which the rival car is running and the player'"'"'s car, and course changing means for changing the running course of the rival car to such a running course of the plurality of predetermined running courses that has a portion closer to the player'"'"'s car when the calculated distance is shorter than a predetermined value.

7. A driving game machine, comprising:

operation means including a steering wheel for changing the orientation of a car, an accelerator pedal for accelerating the car, a brake pedal for decelerating the car, and a side brake for locking the rear wheels of the car to generate an operation signal in accordance with player'"'"'s operation of them;

player'"'"'s car control means for controlling the running of a player'"'"'s car on a road set in a game space in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means, the player'"'"'s car control means including;

steering wheel operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the steering wheel;

accelerator pedal operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the accelerator pedal;

brake pedal operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the brake pedal;

side brake operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the side brake;

car speed calculation means for calculating the car speed based on the detected operated amounts of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal; and

lock condition determination means for determining whether the lock condition is satisfied using the calculated car speed and the detected operated amount of the side brake;

lock condition storage means for storing a predetermined lock condition under which the rear wheels are locked according to a car speed and an operated amount of the side brake; and

display processing means for displaying an image corresponding to the running of the player'"'"'s car by applying an image processing.

8. A driving game machine according to claim 7, further comprising:

first slip condition storage means for storing a slip condition predetermined in correspondence with the car speed and the operated amount of the steering wheel under which the car slips when the rear wheels are not locked; and

second slip condition storage means for storing a slip condition predetermined in correspondence with the car speed and the operated amount of the steering wheel under which the car slips when the rear wheels are locked;

wherein the player'"'"'s car control means further includes slip condition determination means for determining whether each slip condition is satisfied using the calculated car speed, the detected operated amount of the steering wheel and the determination result of the lock condition determination means.

9. A driving game machine for displaying an image which is changeable with simulative driving of a car on a road set within a game space on a display monitor in real time, comprising:

operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation;

road data storage means for storing coordinate data of the road;

player'"'"'s car control means for controlling the running of a player'"'"'s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means;

rival car control means for controlling the running of a rival car on the road;

display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view on the display monitor;

contact determination means for determining whether the player'"'"'s car and the rival car have contacted; and

target display control means for displaying on the display monitor a target representation indicating that either one of the player'"'"'s car and the rival car is target, the target display control means switching the target representation from one of the player'"'"'s car and the rival car to the other when there is discriminated to be a contact between the player'"'"'s car and the rival car.

10. A driving game machine according to claim 9, wherein the target display control means includes icon display control means for displaying a specified icon in proximity to either one of the player'"'"'s car and the rival car on the display monitor, the icon display control means switching the icon displayed in proximity from one of the player'"'"'s car and the rival car to the other when there is discriminated to be a contact between the player'"'"'s car and the rival car.

11. A driving game machine for displaying an image which is changeable with simulative driving of a car on a road set within a game space on a display monitor in real time, comprising:

operation units respectively provided for a plurality of players, each operation unit for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation;

road data storage means for storing coordinate data of the road;

player'"'"'s car control means for controlling the running of player'"'"'s cars corresponding to the plurality of players on the road in accordance with operation signals from the operation units, respectively;

display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view on the display monitor;

contact determination means for determining whether player'"'"'s cars have contacted to one another; and

target display control means for displaying on the display monitor a target representation indicating that one of the player'"'"'s cars is target, the target display control means switching the target representation from one of player'"'"'s cars to another when there is discriminated to be a contact between player'"'"'s cars.

12. A driving game machine according to claim 11, wherein the target display control means includes icon display control means for displaying a specified icon in proximity to one of the player'"'"'s cars on the display monitor, the icon display control means switching the icon displayed in proximity from one of the player'"'"'s cars to another when there is discriminated to be a contact between player'"'"'s cars.