Video game apparatus, method of computing amount of take-up of string in video game, and computer-readable storage medium storing program for computing amount of take-up of string in video game

• US 6,354,948 B1
• Filed: 09/21/1999
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nagayama, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BINH AN DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/401,358
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/43, 463/38, 463/7, 463/36, 463/37, 463/42, 434/247, 273/148.B, 273/140, 273/139, 273/460, 273/461, 273/148.R, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/159, 345/160, 345/161, 345/162, 345/184
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• 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 13/816 Athletics, e.g. track-and-field sports
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/818 Fishing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• 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 2300/8005 Athletics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8035 Virtual fishing

Abstract

A video game implementing a fishing game employs a fishing line operated by a fisher character under the control of a game player. A take-up amount computing unit performs a cumulative processing to add a predetermined amount of take-up of the fishing line, each time an operation determining unit determines that the state of a take-up button has been changed from off to on state or that the state of tilt of a stick controller has been changed. Therefore, the fishing line is taken up at a high speed when the take-up button is struck at a high frequency or when the stick controller is rotationally operated at a high speed.

Claims

1. A video game apparatus in which a character and a string are simulated and displayed on a game display screen, and an instruction is given to cause said character to perform an action to take-up the string, said video game apparatus comprising:

operating mechanism coupled to said video game apparatus, including an operation mechanism, said operation mechanism being inclinable by an external force applied thereto so as to output an operation signal corresponding to a state of operation;

operation determining means for determining whether an inclination state of operation of said operation mechanism is changed;

take-up amount computing means for performing, each time the inclination state of said operation mechanism is changed, a cumulative processing to add a predetermined amount of take-up of said string; and

an on-off switch, in said operating mechanism, that turns on when pressed from a neutral position by an external pressing force and returns to the neutral position so as to turn off when relieved from the pressing force, wherein said operation determining means determines whether the state of said on-off switch is changed, whereby said take-up amount computing means performs the cumulative processing each time the state of said on-off switch is changed.

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

said operation mechanism is a stick-type controller which has an operating stick tiltable in all directions and operable to output information concerning a state of tilt of said operating stick, said information serving as said operation signal,

said operation determining means determines also whether a direction of tilt of said operating stick is changed, and

said take-up amount computing means regards a predetermined change in the direction of tilt as a change in the state of said on-off switch, so as to perform said cumulative processing also in response to each predetermined change in the direction of tilt.

3. A video game apparatus in which a character and a string are simulated and displayed on a game display screen, and an instruction is given to cause said character to perform an action to take-up the string, said video game apparatus comprising:

an operating mechanism including;

an ON-OFF switch that turns on when pressed from a neutral position by an external force and turns off to return to the neutral position when application of the external force is released; and

an operation stick that is tiltable in all directions and outputs an operation signal indicating a state of tilt of the operation stick so as to output an operation signal;

operation determining means for determining whether a state of said ON-OFF switch is changed and for determining whether the direction of tilt of the operation stick is changed; and

take-up amount computing means for performing, each time the state of one of the ON-OFF switch and the tilting direction of the operation stick is changed, a cumulative processing to add a predetermined take up amount of said string.

4. A video game apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

game procedure controlling means causing the game display screen to display a simulated fishing site and causing said character to perform fishing by using said string as a fishing line,

said game procedure controlling means including;

fish hook-on processing means for performing a processing which simulates a state in which a fish is hooked on said fishing line;

hook-on determining means for determining whether said fish is hooked on said fishing line; and

a fish landing determining means which determines that the fish is landed when the result of said cumulating processing under the hook-on state has reached a predetermined value.

5. A video game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said game procedure controlling means includes a fish controlling means for controlling the direction of movement of the fish hooked on the fishing line, and said take-up amount computing means changes the predetermined take-up amount in accordance with the direction of movement of said fish.

6. A method of computing amount of take-up of a string in a video game in which a character and the string are simulated and displayed on a game display screen, and an instruction is given to said character to cause said character to perform an action to take-up said string, said method comprising:

determining whether a state of operation on an operation mechanism, which is externally inclinable, is changed based on an operation signal produced in accordance with a state of the inclination, and whether a state of an ON-OFF switch is changed; and

performing a cumulative processing to add a predetermined take-up amount of said string upon each change of the state of inclination and the state of the ON-OFF switch.