Video game device and video game method

• US 6,283,861 B1
• Filed: 03/23/1999
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Hiroshi, Niwa, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Neill, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Scott E.
• Application Number:
  US09/274,926
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30-34, 463/37, 463/43, 463/53-54, 463/1-2, 463/48-52, 463/55-57, 345/419, 345/421-427, 345/440-443, 345/113-116, 345/118, 345/126-127, 345/133, 345/135, 434/16-20, 446/23, 446/397-405, 446/473, 473/578
• US Class Current: 463/43
• 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 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• 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 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

In a scene of a role-playing game in which the player character, whose actions are controlled by a player, fights with an enemy with one of a variety of items such as weapons, a video game device selects one item in accordance with a player'"'"'s operation. The video game device obtains an effective range such as a shooting range which has been predetermined for the selected item, and displays this effective range as a hemispherical wire frame model or the like, positioning the center of the effective range at the position of the player character. The player judges the effectiveness of an attack from the displayed wire frame model. A hitting probability, the effect attained when the player attacks the enemy, such as a damage imparted on the enemy, differs depending on whether the enemy is located within the wire frame or not.

Claims

1. A video game device, which executes a game wherein a first character, whose actions are controlled by input instructions from a player, fights with a second character with an item, said device comprising:

effective range setting means for setting a three-dimensional effective range which has its center at a predetermined reference point and where the item to be used by said first character for fighting with said second character is effective;

three-dimensional image processing means for causing a display device to display a three-dimensional reference range corresponding to the effective range set by said effective range setting means;

attack instruction means for giving attack instructions to said first character; and

attack result control means for causing the said first character to attack said second character with the item in accordance with the instructions from said attack instruction means.

2. The video game device according to claim 1, wherein said three-dimensional image processing means causes the display device to display the three-dimensional reference range, corresponding to the effective range set by said effective range setting means, in a form of a polyhedron defined by a wire frame in a virtual space.

3. The video game device according to claim 2, wherein, of polygons defining the wire frame, said three-dimensional image processing means draws sides of a foreground polygon in order that said sides will not overlap with sides of adjacent polygons, and draws a ground based side of a background polygon.

4. The video game device according to claim 1, wherein said three-dimensional image processing means causes the display device to display said three-dimensional reference range, corresponding to the effective range set by said effective range setting means, in a substantially spherical form.

5. The video game device according to claim 1, wherein said three-dimensional image processing means causes the display device to display said three-dimensional reference range while gradually expanding said reference range.

6. The video game device according to claim 1, wherein said reference point is a position of said first character.

7. The video game device according to claim 1, wherein:

said item is a weapon to hit an enemy; and

said attack result control means control a result of the attack so that a chance of hitting said second character in a case where said second character is located in said reference range will be higher than in a case where said second character is out of said reference range.

8. The video game device according to claim 1, wherein:

said item is a weapon to hit an enemy; and

said attack result control means control a result of the attack so that the attack on said second character inside the reference range will damage said second character more seriously than an attack on said second character outside of the reference range.

9. The video game device according to claim 1, wherein:

said video game device further comprises selection means for selecting an arbitrary item from a plurality of items; and

said effective range setting means sets the effective range of the item selected by said selection means.

10. The video game device according to claim 9, wherein:

said video game device further comprises storage means for storing effective ranges which have been predetermined one for each of said plurality of items; and

said effective range setting means sets an effective range of a size according to the effective range of the item selected by said selection means.

11. A video game device comprising:

an input device for inputting instructions; and

a processing circuit for executing a game program for a game in which items are prepared, in accordance with the instructions input from said input device, and for executing the game in accordance with the instructions input from said input device and outputting an image signal representing images used in the game;

wherein the item is designated in accordance with the input instruction from said input device, and

said processing circuit sets a three-dimensional reference range corresponding to an effective range of the designated item and outputs, to a display device, an image signal representing the set three-dimensional reference range to be displayed on the display device.

12. The video game device according to claim 11, wherein said processing circuit displays the set three-dimensional reference range in a form of a polyhedron defined by a wire frame.

13. The video game device according to claim 12, wherein, of polygons defining the wire frame, said processing circuit draws sides of a foreground polygon in order that said sides will not overlap with sides of adjacent polygons, and draws a ground based side of a background polygon.

14. The video game device according to claim 11 wherein said processing circuit causes the display device to display the set three-dimensional reference range in a substantially spherical form.

15. The video game device according to claim 11, wherein said processing circuit causes the display device to display an image represen ting said three-dimensional reference range while gradually expanding the image.

16. A video game method for advancing a video game using a plurality of items, comprising:

a setting step of setting an effective range of each of said plurality of items;

an attaining step of attaining a three-dimensional reference range corresponding to the effective range set by said setting step, the attained reference range having its center at a reference point; and

a display step of displaying the attained three-dimensional reference range in a virtual space.

17. The video game method according to claim 16, wherein said display step displays the attained three-dimensional reference range in a form of a polyhedron defined by a wire frame.

18. The video game method according to claim 17, wherein said display step displays the attained three-dimensional reference range in a substantially spherical form.

19. A computer program product including a computer usable recording medium having a computer readable program recorded for causing a computer to execute a video game in which a plurality of items are prepared, said program executing:

a setting step of setting an effective range of each of said plurality of items;

an attaining step of attaining a three-dimensional reference range corresponding to the effective range set by said setting step, the attained reference range having its center at a reference point; and

a display step of displaying the attained three-dimensional reference range in a virtual space.

20. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for causing a computer to serve as a video game device that executes a video game in which a plurality of items are prepared, said computer data signal comprising:

a setting program for setting an effective range of each of said plurality of items;

an attaining program for attaining a three-dimensional reference range corresponding to the effective range set by said setting program, the attained reference range having its center at a reference point; and

a display program for causing a display device to display the attained three-dimensional reference range.