Game apparatus and method of replaying game

• US 6,231,443 B1
• Filed: 01/27/1998
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD.
• Original Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD.
• Inventors: Asai, Toshinori, Yanagihori, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/013,728
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/30-32, 463/7, 463/29, 463/33, 463/40, 434/43, 434/38, 434/37, 434/30, 434/47, 434/61-62, 434/65, 434/69, 434/307.R, 434/308, 348/451-452, 345/418, 345/419, 345/433, 345/473, 345/474, 345/121, 345/126, 345/129, 345/130, 364/410.1, 700/91-92
• US Class Current: 463/32
• 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 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• 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 2300/634 for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game
• 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 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• 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 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

A game apparatus and a method of replaying a game display a moving entity which moves in a given area on a display screen. The game apparatus has a memory for storing, for a predetermined period of time, absolute coordinates in the predetermined area of a moving entity which moves in the predetermined area in response to a control signal entered by an operator while a game is in progress, and a display data generating unit or reading the absolute coordinates from the memory in response to a replay request from the operator and processing the absolute coordinates into display data depending on processing information supplied from an input unit by the operator.

Claims

1. A game apparatus for moving and displaying a video object in response to an operation of an operator with an input while a game is in progress, comprising:

an update data memory for continuously storing and updating game data generated while a game is in progress for a predetermined time period less than a total time period of game play, the update data memory storing game data of absolute coordinates of polygons in a region of movement during game play;

a backup data memory for receiving and storing the update game data previously stored in the update memory, in response to a backup request generated by the operator at an arbitrary timing, while the game is in progress, the backup request being generated either one time or plural times int eh total game play; and

a processor, connected to said backup data memory for, in response to a replay request generated by the operator which includes a selection of the backup game data, reading the selectd backup game data from the backup data memory and generating image data of the video object based on the selected backup game data.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the update data memory is updated with game data at a predetermined time cycle which is less than a minute.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input unit has control members that when activated within the predetermined time cycle cause current game data to be transferred and saved in the backup data memory.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the input unit includes control members that when activated can vary a perspective camera view of a replay mode of the game data stored in the backup data memory.

5. A method of playing a video game on a game apparatus having a processor, a display, an operator input unit, a first memory and a second memory, comprising the steps of:

determining coordinates and movement data of a first object in a coordinate space displayed in response to a control signal entered by an operator while the game is in progress;

determining coordinates and movement data of a second object in response to the control signal entered and a predetermined algorithm of a game program;

storing game data representative of the display of the first object and the second object, continuously for predetermined time periods less than a total time period of the game play in the first update memory;

transferring current stored game data in the first memory to a second backup memory when a replay storage request is entered during the predetermined time period;

reading the stored game data from the second backup memory in response to a replay command and a replay mode from the operator;

processing the stored game data in accordance with the replay mode; and

displaying the processed stored game data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the replay mode is selected from a group consisting of a slow motion replay, a speed up motion replay, a reverse motion replay, and a changing a perspective view replay.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first memory stores game data of absolute coordinates of polygons in a region of movement during game play.