Image processor, game machine, image display method, and recording medium

• US 6,259,431 B1
• Filed: 03/03/1998
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Inventors: Maekawa, Shiro, Ogawa, Yojiro, Futatsugi, Yukio, Yamajiri, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US09/029,771
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 345/457, 345/156, 345/139, 345/145, 463/30, 463/31, 463/32, 463/33, 273/148.B
• US Class Current: 345/157
• 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 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• 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: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

Image processing technology is provided that makes it possible to easily judge whether or not lock-on is necessary in games that are deployed in virtual space defined in three dimensions, such as is suitable for interactive games. This device comprises an image processing system 200A for subjecting image data defined in three dimensions to prescribed processing and obtaining a train of display image data. The decision object that is to be locked onto is determined by judging whether or not there is two-dimensional superimposition on the display screen between a cursor for locking on and a display object (202). Then, a judgment is made as to whether or not the decision object should be locked onto (203), and, when this is affirmative, the player selects an action which the model he or she is manipulating can take (205).

Claims

1. An image processing device that image-displays segments positioned in virtual space, comprising:

display position determining means for determining a display position of a marker displayed on a display screen, wherein the marker is positioned on the display screen based on manipulation signals that correspond to manipulations of a player;

positional relationship determining means using data from the display position determining means to determine whether a condition that a marker determined by said display position determination means to be in a prescribed positional relationship relative to a targeted segment has been satisfied;

situation judging means for judging whether in addition thereto, said targeted segment is an object type which can converse with a character segment controlled by the player; and

image displaying means for displaying said marker and for displaying an image indicating the fact that capture has been effected in cases where it has been judged by said situation judging means that said targeted segment is an object type which can converse with the character segment.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein, in said virtual space, segments that are manipulated based on said manipulation signals are displayed, and said image displaying means, in cases where it has been judged that said targeted segment satisfies conditions making capture possible, displays images that indicate the interrelationship between segments manipulated on the basis of said manipulation signals and said targeted segment.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the conditions determined by said positional relationship determining means are that said marker and said targeted segment are overlapped on the display screen.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the conditions making capture possible, as judged by said situation judging means, are whether or not said targeted segment is a processing object of said image displaying means.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an action selection means that, in cases where said targeted segment is capturable, displays a plurality of selection branches which indicate actions to be taken next, and wherein said image displaying means displays images based on a manipulation signal input corresponding to the selection branches displayed by said action selection means.

6. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein said image displaying means changes the display form for said marker in accordance with the type of said targeted segment.

7. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein said image displaying means changes the content of the image display according to the distance between said marker and said targeted segment.

8. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein said positional relationship determining means computes distances between the visual point for image displaying and each segment that is overlapped in a decision range set in the vicinity of said marker, and determines the segment for which the computed distance is the shortest as a targeted segment that satisfies said conditions.

17. The game machine comprising an image processing device according to any one of claims 1 through 14.

18. The image processing device of claim 1, wherein said positional relationship determining means, using data from the display position determining means:

determines whether the marker overlaps a plurality of segments;

selects a segment, which is closest when viewed from a character segment viewpoint, from the plurality of segments as a first segment when it has been determined that the marker overlaps the plurality of segments;

determines whether a second segment obstructs the first segment when viewed from the character segment viewpoint;

selects the second segment as a targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment obstructs the first segment; and

selects the first segment as the targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment does not obstruct the first segment.

19. The image processing device of claim 1, wherein said positional relationship determining means calculates the degree of superposition of the marker onto the first segment to determine whether the marker overlaps the first segment.

20. The image processing device of claim 1, wherein said image displaying means further comprises means for enlarging said targeted segment for communication when capture has been effected.

21. The image processing device of claim 1, wherein said image displaying means further comprises means for said targeted segment to move, after capture has been effected, in response to conversing by said character segment and said targeted segment.

22. The image processing device of claim 1, wherein the positional relationship determining means determines whether the marker overlaps a first segment, when it has been determined that the marker overlaps the first segment, determine whether a second segment obstructs the first segment when viewed from a character segment viewpoint, select the second segment as a targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment obstructs the first segment, and select the first segment as the targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment does not obstruct the first segment.

9. An image processing device that image-displays segments positioned in virtual space, comprising:

an input device that outputs manipulation signals that correspond to manipulations of a player;

a processing circuit that computes positions for one or more segments positioned in virtual space and a display position for a marker based on said manipulation signals, and that, based on the results of those computations, outputs image data containing segments to be displayed and an image of said marker; and

an image display circuit that displays images based on image data output by said processing circuit;

wherein

said processing circuit determines the display position of the marker displayed on the display screen, wherein the marker is positioned on the display screen based on said manipulation signals, determines whether or not the conditions have been satisfied that a marker for which the display position has been determined is in the prescribed positional relationship relative to the targeted segment, judges also, in cases where said marker has been determined to be in the prescribed positional relationship relative to said targeted segment, whether or not the targeted segment is an object type which can converse with a character segment controlled by the player, and, in cases where it has been judged that said targeted segment is an object type which can converse with the character segment, outputs image data indicating that a capture has been made.

10. The image processing device according to claim 9, wherein said processing circuit outputs image data for a segment manipulated based on said manipulation signals, and, in cases where said targeted segment is judged to satisfy conditions making capture possible, outputs image data indicating interrelationship between the segment manipulated based on said manipulation signals and said targeted segment.

11. The image processing device according to claim 9, wherein the conditions for being in the prescribed positional relationship determined by said processing circuit are that said marker and said targeted segment are overlapped.

12. The image processing device according to claim 9, wherein the conditions making capture possible as judged by said processing circuit are whether or not said targeted segment is that defined beforehand as the processing object.

13. The image processing device according to claim 9, wherein said processing circuit, in cases where said targeted segment was capturable, outputs image data that display a plurality of selection branches indicating actions to be taken next, and also outputs image data based on the manipulation signals input in correspondence with said selection branches.

14. The image processing device according to claim 9, wherein said processing circuit outputs image data that display markers having different display forms, according to the type of said targeted segment.

15. The image processing device according to claim 9, wherein said processing circuit changes the content of the image data output, according to the distance between said marker and said targeted segment.

16. The image processing device according to claim 9, wherein said processing circuit computes distances between the visual point for image displaying and each segment that is overlapped in a decision range set in the vicinity of said marker, and determines the segment for which the computed distance is the shortest as a targeted segment that satisfies said conditions.

23. The image processing device of claim 9, wherein the processing circuit determines whether the marker overlaps a first segment, when it has been determined that the marker overlaps the first segment, determine whether a second segment obstructs the first segment when viewed from a character segment viewpoint, select the second segment as a targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment obstructs the first segment, and select the first segment as the targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment does not obstruct the first segment.

24. An image processing method for image-displaying segments positioned in virtual space, comprising:

a display position determining process for determining a display position of a marker displayed on a display screen, wherein the marker is positioned on the display screen based on manipulation signals that correspond to manipulations of a player;

a positional relationship determining process using data from the display position determining means to determine whether a condition that a marker determined by said display position determination means to be in a prescribed positional relationship relative to a targeted segment has been satisfied;

a situation judging process for judging whether in addition thereto, said targeted segment is an object type which can converse with a character segment controlled by the player; and

an image displaying process for displaying said marker and for displaying an image indicating the fact that capture has been effected in cases where it has been judged by said situation judging means that said targeted segment is an object type which can converse with the character segment.

25. The image processing method of claim 24 wherein the positional relationship determining process determines whether the marker overlaps a first segment, when it has been determined that the marker overlaps the first segment, determine whether a second segment obstructs the first segment when viewed from a character segment viewpoint, select the second segment as a targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment obstructs the first segment, and select the first segment as the targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment does not obstruct the first segment.

26. A machine-readable recording medium to which program data are written for the purpose of executing:

a display position determining process for determining a display position of a marker displayed on a display screen, wherein the marker is positioned on the display screen based on manipulation signals that correspond to manipulations of a player;

a positional relationship determining process using data from the display position determining means to determine whether a condition that the marker determined by said display position determination means to be in a prescribed positional relationship relative to a targeted segment has been satisfied;

a situation judging process for judging whether in addition thereto, said targeted segment is an object type which can converse with a character segment controlled by the player; and

an image displaying process for displaying said marker and for displaying an image indicating the fact that capture has been effected in cases where it has been judged by said situation judging means that said targeted segment is an object type which can converse with the character segment.

27. The machine-readable recording medium of claim 26, wherein the positional relationship determining process determines whether the marker overlaps a first segment, when it has been determined that the marker overlaps the first segment, determine whether a second segment obstructs the first segment when viewed from a character segment viewpoint, select the second segment as a targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment obstructs the first segment, and select the first segment as the targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment does not obstruct the first segment.

28. An image processing device that image-displays segments positioned in virtual space, comprising:

display position determining means for determining a display position of a marker displayed on a display screen, wherein the marker is positioned on the display screen based on manipulation signals that correspond to manipulations of a player;

positional relationship determining means using data from the display position determining means to determine whether a condition that a marker determined by said display position determination means to be in a prescribed positional relationship relative to a targeted segment has been satisfied; and

situation judging means for judging whether in addition thereto, said targeted segment is an object type which can converse with a character segment controlled by the player.

29. The image processing device according to claim 28, further comprising image displaying means for displaying said marker and for displaying an image indicating the fact that capture has been effected in cases where it has been judged by said situation judging means that said targeted display item satisfies conditions making capture thereof possible.

30. The image processing device of claim 28, wherein the positional relationship determining means determines whether the marker overlaps a first segment, when it has been determined that the marker overlaps the first segment, determine whether a second segment obstructs the first segment when viewed from a character segment viewpoint, select the second segment as a targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment obstructs the first segment, and select the first segment as the targeted segment when it has been determined that the second segment does not obstruct the first segment.

31. An image processing device configured such that an object being displayed in virtual space is capturable based on the manipulations of a player, comprising:

means for moving a capture cursor within a display screen in response to manipulations of the player;

means for deciding whether or not said object is within a range wherein communication is possible as viewed from a visual point of a character segment;

means for deciding, in cases where it has been decided that said object is within a range wherein communication is possible as viewed from said visual point, whether or not said object corresponds to an object type which can converse with a character segment controlled by the player; and

means for changing the display of said cursor, in cases where it has been decided that said object corresponds to an object type which can converse with the character segment, so that the player can recognize that said object is capturable.

32. An image processing device configured such that an object being displayed within a display image and seen from a prescribed visual point in virtual space is capturable based on the manipulations of a player, comprising:

means for displaying a capture cursor within a display screen in response to manipulations of the player;

means for deciding whether said object is visible as viewed from said visual point;

means for deciding, in cases where it has been decided that said object is visible as viewed from said visual point, whether said object corresponds to an object type which can converse with a character segment controlled by the player; and

means for changing the display of said cursor, in cases where it has been decided that said object corresponds to an object type which can converse with the character segment, so that the player can recognize that said object is capturable.