Competitive video game system and method of displaying images in competitive video game system

• US 6,126,547 A
• Filed: 09/10/1997
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ishimoto, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Clayton, Sheila
• Application Number:
  US08/926,716
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 463/3, 463/4, 463/30, 463/31, 463/40-43, 273/317.01-317.06, 434/118
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• 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 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• 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 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6669 using a plurality of virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character change rooms
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

A competitive video game system has a plurality of display units and a plurality of manual controllers for a plurality of game players to play a competitive video game such as a soccer game. The game players select respective viewpoints, and image data representative of images to be displayed on the display units is generated on the basis of control signals supplied from the manual controllers and the viewpoints selected by the game players. The generated image data is supplied to the display units to display images based thereon. Each of the game players to select two different viewpoints for a field, such as a soccer field, of the competitive video game. The field comprises an elongate field, and the two different viewpoints comprise a viewpoint for viewing the soccer field in a transverse direction thereof and a viewpoint for viewing the soccer field in a longitudinal direction thereof.

Claims

1. A video game system for playing a video game, comprising:

at least first and second game machine units each having manual input controls and a display unit;

a control system including;

initiation determination means for determining a first initiated machine of said first and second game machine units that is first initiated by a player;

view selection reading means for reading viewpoint selections of players at each of said first and second game machine units, made via respective ones of said manual input controls, of one of at least two viewpoints of a field of play of the video game without affecting of a status of play of the video game;

an image information generating means for generating image coordinate and structure data of said field of play, representative of images to be displayed on said display units, based on control signals supplied from said manual input controls and a predetermined game routine;

a primary image buffer memory and a secondary image buffer memory;

primary image data generation means for converting said image coordinate and structure data into primary image data based on the viewpoint selection of the player at one of said first and second game machine units that is said first initiated machine and storing said primary image data in said primary image data buffer memory;

secondary image data generation means for converting said image coordinate and structure data into secondary image data based on the viewpoint selection of the player at another one of said first and second game machine units and storing said secondary image data in said secondary image data buffer memory; and

display generation means for driving said display units to display images thereon including;

a first display buffer and driver circuit for driving said display of said first game machine unit;

a second display buffer and driver circuit for driving said display of said second game machine unit; and

data transfer means for transferring primary image data from said primary image buffer memory into one of said first and second display buffers which is for said one of said first and second game machine units that is said first initiated machine and for transferring secondary image data from said secondary image buffer memory into another one of said first and second display buffers.

2. A video game system according to claim 1, wherein:

said field of play is a field having a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction; and

said at least two viewpoints include a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction thereof and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field alone the longitudinal direction thereof.

4. A video game system according to claim 1, wherein said field of play is an elongated field.

5. A video game system according to claim 1, wherein said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said first game machine unit are mutually exclusive of said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said second game machine unit.

6. The video game system according to claim 2, wherein said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said first game machine unit are mutually exclusive of said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said second game machine unit.

7. The video game system according to claim 2, wherein said field is an elongated field elongated in said longitudinal direction.

9. A video game system according to claim 1, wherein:

said field of play is a field having first and second ends, with a longitudinal direction extending between said first and second ends, and first and second sides with a transverse direction extending between said first and second sides;

said at least two viewpoints provided for selection at said first game machine unit include a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction from a position adjacent said first side and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field along the longitudinal direction from a position adjacent said first end; and

said at least two viewpoints provided for selection at said second game machine unit include a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction from a position adjacent said second side and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field along the longitudinal direction from a position adjacent said second end.

10. The video game system according to claim 9, wherein said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said first game machine unit are mutually exclusive of said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said second game machine unit.

11. The video game system according to claim 9, wherein said field is an elongated field elongated in said longitudinal direction.

3. A method of displaying images in a video game system having at least first and second game machine units, each having a display unit and manual input controls for player input, and a field of play which is a field having first and second ends with a longitudinal direction extending between said first and second ends and first and second sides with a transverse direction extending between said first and second sides, comprising the steps of:

accepting input from a player at said first game machine unit selecting one of two viewpoints including a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction from a position adjacent said first side and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field along the longitudinal direction from a position adjacent said first end;

accepting input from a player at said second game machine unit selecting one of two viewpoints including a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction from a position adjacent said second side and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field along the longitudinal direction from a position adjacent said second end;

generating image data representative of images to be displayed on said display units, based on control signals supplied from said manual input controls and the selected viewpoints selected by said game players;

supplying the generated image data of the selected viewpoint of the player at the first game machine unit to said display unit of said first game machine unit; and

supplying the generated image data of the selected viewpoint of the player at the second game machine unit to said display unit of said second game machine unit.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said first game machine unit are mutually exclusive of said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said second game machine unit.

17. The method according to claim 3, wherein said field is an elongated field elongated in said longitudinal direction.

12. A video game system for playing a video game, comprising:

at least first and second game machine units each having manual input controls and a display unit; and

a control system including;

an image information generating means for generating, based on control signals supplied from said manual input controls and a predetermined game routine, image coordinate and structure data of a field of play which is a field having first and second ends with a longitudinal direction extending between said first and second ends and first and second sides with a transverse direction extending between said first and second sides;

view selection reading means for reading viewpoint selections of players at each of said first and second game machine units, made via respective ones said manual input controls, of one of at least two viewpoints of a field of play of the video game without affecting of a status of play of the video game;

said at least two viewpoints provided for selection at said first game machine unit including a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction from a position adjacent said first side and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field along the longitudinal direction from a position adjacent said first end;

said at least two viewpoints provided for selection at said second game machine unit including a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction from a position adjacent said second side and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field along the longitudinal direction from a position adjacent said second end;

a primary image buffer memory and a secondary image buffer memory;

primary image data generation means for converting said image coordinate and structure data into primary image data based on the viewpoint selection of the player at one of said first and second game machine units and storing said primary image data in said primary image buffer memory;

secondary image data generation means for converting said image coordinate and structure data into secondary image data based on the viewpoint selection of the player at another one of said first and second game machine units and storing said secondary image data in said secondary image buffer memory; and

display generation means for driving said display unit of said first game machine unit to produce images based on one of siad primary image data and said secondary image data and for driving said display unit of said second game machine unit to produce images based on another one of siad primary image data and said secondary image data.

13. The video game system according to claim 12 further comprising:

said control system having an initiation determination means for determining a first initiated machine of said first and second game machine units that is first initiated by a player;

said primary image determination means including discrimination means for using the viewpoint selection of the player at one of said first and second game machine units that is said first initiated machine;

said secondary image determination means including discrimination means for using the viewpoint selection of the player at another one of said first and second game machine units that is not said first initiated machine;

p1 said display generation means including;

a first display buffer and driver circuit for driving said display of said first game machine unit;

a second display buffer and driver circuit for driving said display of said second game machine unit; and

data transfer means for transferring primary image data from said primary image buffer memory into one of said first and second display buffers which is for said one of said first and second game machine units that is said first initiated machine and for transferring secondary image data from said secondary image buffer memory into another one of said first and second display buffers.

14. The video game system according to claim 13, wherein said field is an elongated field elongated in said longitudinal direction.

15. The video game system according to claim 12, wherein said field is an elongated field elongated in said longitudinal direction.

16. The video game system according to claim 12, wherein said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said first game machine unit are mutually exclusive of said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said second game machine unit.

18. A video game system for playing a video game, comprising:

at least first and second game machine units each having manual input controls and a display unit;

a control system including;

view selection reading means for reading viewpoint selections of players at each of said first and second game machine units, made via respective ones of said manual input controls, of one of at least two viewpoints of a field of play of the video game without affecting of a status of play of the video game;

an image information generating means for generating image coordinate and structure data of said field of play, representative of images to be displayed on said display units, based on control signals supplied from said manual input controls and a predetermined game routine;

a primary image buffer memory and a secondary image buffer memory;

primary image data generation means for converting said image coordinate and structure data into primary image data based on the viewpoint selection of the player at one of said first and second game machine units and storing said primary image data in said primary image data buffer memory;

secondary image data generation means for converting said image coordinate and structure data into secondary image data based on the viewpoint selection of the player at another one of said first and second game machine units and storing said secondary image data in said secondary image data buffer memory; and

display generation means for driving said display units to display images thereon using said primary image data and said secondary data in accordance with said viewpoint selections.

19. A video game system according to claim 18, wherein:

said field of play is a field having first and second ends, with a longitudinal direction extending between said first and second ends, and first and second sides with a transverse direction extending between said first and second sides;

said at least two viewpoints provided for selection at said first game machine unit include a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction from a position adjacent said first side and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field along the longitudinal direction from a position adjacent said first end; and

said at least two viewpoints provided for selection at said second game machine unit include a transverse viewpoint for viewing said field along the transverse direction from a position adjacent said second side and a longitudinal viewpoint for viewing said field along the longitudinal direction from a position adjacent said second end.

20. The video game system according to claim 19, wherein said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said first game machine unit are mutually exclusive of said at least two viewpoints of a field of play selectable at said second game machine unit.

21. The video game system according to claim 19, wherein said field is an elongated field elongated in said longitudinal direction.