Three-dimensional image processing apparatus with enhanced automatic and user point of view control

• US 6,139,434 A
• Filed: 12/10/1999
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Koizumi, Yoshiaki, Miyamoto, Shigeru, Nishida, Yasunari, Kawagoe, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARADISO, JOHN ROGER
• Application Number:
  US09/457,726
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 345/302, 345/419, 463/5, 463/32
• US Class Current: 463/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• 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 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• 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 2300/6653 for altering the visibility of an object, e.g. preventing the occlusion of an object, partially hiding an object
• 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 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/0474 characterised by means converting mechanical movement into electric signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04759 Light-sensitive detector, e.g. photoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 : Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 : Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/10 : Geometric effects

Abstract

A video game system includes a game cartridge which is pluggably attached to a main console having a main processor, a coprocessor, expandable main memory and player controllers. A multifunctional peripheral processing subsystem external to the game microprocessor and coprocessor is described which executes commands for handling player controller input/output to thereby lessen the processing burden on the graphics processing subsystem. The video game methodology features camera perspective or point of view control features. The system changes the "camera" angle (i.e., the displayed point of view in the three-dimensional world) automatically based upon various conditions and in response to actuation of a plurality of distinct controller keys/buttons/switches, e.g., four "C" buttons in the exemplary embodiment. The control keys allow the user at any time to move in for a close up or pull back for a wide view or pan the camera to the right and left to change the apparent camera angle. Such user initiated camera manipulation permits a player to better judge jumps or determine more precisely where an object is located in relation to the player controlled character.

Claims

1. A video game system comprising:

a detachably connectable external memory for storing a video game program;

a game program executing processing system, including a connector for receiving said connectable external memory, and for executing said video game program to generate a three-dimensional world display, said game program executing processing system being operable to vary said three-dimensional display in accordance with which one of a plurality of camera modes has been initiated;

at least one player controller operable by a player including a plurality of camera perspective control keys for generating video game control signals for modifying the displayed three-dimensional world point of view;

said external memory including instructions for initiating one of a plurality of camera modes and instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to respond to the player'"'"'s actuation of each of said plurality of camera perspective control keys by modifying the displayed three-dimensional world point of view in accordance with the actuation of one of said plurality of camera perspective control keys and which of said modes has been initiated.

2. A video game system according to claim 1, wherein said external memory further includes instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to detect whether a player controlled character has been controlled to be in a predetermined display state, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said predetermined display state is detected.

3. A video game system according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined display state is the state of a player controlled character being in one of a swimming and a flying state.

4. A video game system according to claim 1, wherein said external memory further includes instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to detect whether a player controlled character has been controlled to be in a predetermined display area, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said character is in a predetermined display area.

5. A video game system according to claim 4, wherein said predetermined display area is defined by the character'"'"'s coordinate position in the current display frame.

6. A video game system according to claim 1, wherein said external memory further includes instructions defining a plurality of camera modes and for causing said game program executing processing system to detect whether a player controlled character has been controlled to be in a predetermined display terrain, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said character is in said predetermined display terrain.

7. A video game system according to claim 6, wherein said predetermined terrain is defined by a code indicative of a topographical characteristic of the terrain at the character'"'"'s current display screen location.

8. A video game system according to claim 1, wherein the modified point of view results in the display of the three-dimensional world from the subjective point of view of the player controlled character from substantially directly behind the head of the character.

9. For use in a video game system having an external memory for storing a video game program, a game program executing processing system for executing said video game program, at least one player controller operable by a player for generating player controller related data, said player controller having a plurality of point of view control switches, a method of operating of said video game system comprising the steps of:

initiating one of a plurality of camera modes

generating a first three-dimensional world display from a first point of view in which a player-controlled character is depicted in the three-dimensional world;

detecting if any one of a plurality of point of view control switches on said player controller have been depressed by a player, and

generating a second three-dimensional world display from a second point of view in response to the detection of the depression of one of said point of view control switches, said second point of view being different depending upon which point of view control switch was depressed by the player and which camera mode has been initiated.

10. A method according to claim 9, further including the step of detecting whether a player controlled character is controlled to be in a predetermined display state, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said predetermined display state is detected.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined display state is the state of the character being in one of a swimming state and a flying state.

12. A method according to claim 9, further including the step of detecting whether a player controlled character is controlled to be in a predetermined display area, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said character is in a predetermined display area.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said predetermined display area is defined by the character'"'"'s coordinate position in the current display frame.

14. A method according to claim 9, further including the step of detecting whether a player controlled character is controlled to be in a predetermined display terrain, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said character is in a predetermined display terrain.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said predetermined terrain is defined by a code indicative of a topographical characteristic at the character'"'"'s current display screen location.

16. A method according to claim 9, wherein the modified point of view results in a three-dimensional world display from the subjective point of view of the player controlled character from substantially directly behind the head of the character.

17. For use with a video game system console having a game program executing processing system for executing said video game program to create a display simulating a three-dimensional world, and at least one player controller having a plurality of control keys and operable by a player to generate video game control signals, a portable storage device for controlling the operation of said video game system console comprising:

a memory media for storing video game instructions and graphics data;

said video game instructions including instructions for initiating one of a plurality of camera modes and instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to respond to the actuation of any one of a plurality of control keys of said player controller to execute instructions for changing the displayed point of view perspective in a displayed three-dimensional world in a manner depending upon which of said plurality of control keys was actuated and which camera mode has been initiated set.

18. A portable storage device according to claim 17, wherein said external memory further includes instructions displaying a scene in a plurality of distinct camera modes, and instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to detect whether a player controlled character is controlled to be in a predetermined display state, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said predetermined display state is detected.

19. A portable storage device according to claim 18, wherein said predetermined display state is the state of the character being in one of a swimming state and a flying state.

20. A portable storage device according to claim 17, wherein said external memory further includes instructions displaying a scene in a plurality of distinct camera modes, and instructions, and instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to detect whether a player controlled character has been controlled to be in a predetermined display area, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said character is in said predetermined display area.

21. A portable storage device according to claim 20, wherein said predetermined display area is defined by the character'"'"'s coordinate position in the current display frame.

22. A portable storage device according to claim 17, wherein said external memory further includes instructions displaying a scene in a plurality of distinct camera modes, and instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to detect whether a player controlled character has been controlled to be in a predetermined display terrain, and for automatically modifying the camera mode if said character is in said predetermined display terrain.

23. A portable storage device according to claim 22, wherein said predetermined terrain is defined by a code indicative of a topographical characteristic at the character'"'"'s current display screen location.

24. A portable storage device according to claim 17, wherein the modified point of view results in a three-dimensional world display from the subjective point of view of the player controlled character from substantially directly behind the head of the character.

25. A portable storage device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said video game instructions further include instructions for rotating the three-dimensional display perspective in response to a player actuating a predetermined control member.

26. A portable storage device in accordance with claim 24, wherein said video game instructions further include instructions for rotating the three-dimensional display perspective in response to a player actuating a joystick control member.

27. A portable storage device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said video game instructions further include instructions for detecting whether a special event has occurred and if so for automatically generating a display sequence in which the point of view perspective is changed.

28. For use in a video game system having an external memory for storing a video game program, a game program executing processing system for executing said video game program, at least one player controller operable by a player for generating player controller related data, said player controller having an operation control member and a plurality of point of view control switches, a method of operating said video game system comprising the steps of:

generating a first three-dimensional world display from a first point of view using said game microprocessor and said coprocessor in which a player-controlled character is depicted in the three dimensional world;

generating a second three-dimensional world display from a second point of view in response to the detection of a predetermined condition; and

generating a third point of view display in response to the player actuating said operation control member when said display is depicting said second point of view.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein said predetermined condition is the depression of one of said point of view control switches, said second point of view being a function of which point of view control switch was depressed by the player.

30. A method according to claim 28, wherein said step of generating a second three-dimensional world display includes the step of generating a second point of view display from the perspective of the player-controlled character.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein said step of generating a third point of view display includes the step of changing the point of view to coincide with the apparent turning of the character'"'"'s head by the operation control member.

32. For use with a video game system console having a game program executing processing system for executing said video game program to create a display simulating a three-dimensional world, and at least one player controller operable by a player to generate video game control signals, a portable storage device for controlling the operation of said video game system console comprising:

a memory media for storing video game instructions and graphics and sound data;

said video game instructions including instructions for initiating one of a plurality of camera modes and instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to respond to the detection of a player controlled character being in a predetermined state and for changing the displayed point of view perspective in a displayed three-dimensional world and for changing the camera mode that has been initiated,

wherein said external memory further includes instructions for responding to the actuation of a predetermined control key for changing the displayed point of view perspective.

33. A portable storage device in accordance with claim 32, wherein said predetermined state is one which triggers the occurrence of a special event, and wherein said video game instructions further include instructions for automatically generating a special event display sequence in which the point of view perspective is changed at some point in the sequence.

34. A portable storage device according to claim 32, wherein said predetermined state is the state of the character being in one of a swimming state and a flying state.