Volleyball video game system

• US 6,371,849 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Togami, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T.
• Application Number:
  US09/650,986
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/2, 463/3, 463/4, 463/7, 463/29-33, 463/40, 463/49, 463/50, 273/317.1, 273/317.3, 273/108.1
• US Class Current: 463/4
• 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 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• 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 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• 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 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• 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 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• 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 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

A CPU determines the position of a ball in a virtual game space, and moves a viewpoint based on viewpoint data and the position of the ball. The CPU displays on a monitor TV a portion of a volleyball court in a visible range based on the viewpoint and the direction of an axis thereof. The CPU determines a landing position of the ball, displays a first cursor at the landing position, and displays a player character as it receives the ball when the distance between the player character and the first cursor becomes a predetermined distance before the ball reaches the landing position. When a served ball is received by a player character, the CPU selects a player character to make an attacking action. The CPU assigns a button to the selected player character. When the ball is set by a player character as a setter, the CPU assigns an attack button, and controls the selected player character to perform the attacking action in response to an input signal from the attack button.

Claims

1. A video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising:

a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having player characters controllable by a game player;

control means operable by the game player for controlling the player characters;

selecting means for selecting at least two of said player characters to take part in an attacking action when any one of the player characters receives a ball;

receiving means for receiving input signals from said control means for respective ones of said at least two of said player characters when another one of said player characters as a setter sets the ball; and

action control means including means for controlling a one of said at least two of said player characters selected to take part in the attacking action to make the attacking action in response to a respective one of the input signals received from the control means and means for controlling a remainder of said at least two of said players to fake the attacking action in response to a remainder of said input signals.

2. A video game machine according to claim 1, wherein said action control means comprises means for controlling said one of said at least two of said player characters corresponding to one of the input signals which is finally received by said receiving means to make the attacking action, and for controlling said remainder of said at least two of said player characters to fake the attacking action in response to other input signals.

3. A video game machine according to claim 1, wherein said action control means comprises means for controlling said one of said at least two of said player characters to make the attacking action to return the ball to an opposing one of said two volleyball teams as an easily receivable ball.

4. A video game machine according to claim 1, wherein said action control means comprises means for controlling said one of said at least two of said player characters to make the attacking action to return the ball to an opposing one of said two volleyball teams with a strong strength of power.

5. A video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising:

a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having player characters controllable by a game player;

control means operable by the game player for controlling the player characters;

selecting means for selecting at least two of said player characters to take part in an attacking action when any one of the player characters receives a ball;

receiving means for receiving input signals from said control means for respective ones of said at least two of said player characters when another one of said player characters as a setter sets the ball; and

action control means including means for controlling a one of said at least two of said player characters selected to take part in the attacking action to make the attacking action in response to a respective one of the input signals received from the control means and means for controlling a remainder of said at least two of said players to fake the attacking action in response to a remainder of said input signals, wherein;

said control means comprises a plurality of buttons, said selecting means comprises means for assigning selected player characters respectively to said buttons, and said receiving means comprises means for receiving input signals from said buttons to which said player characters are assigned.

6. A video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising:

a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having player characters controllable by a game player;

control means operable by the game player for controlling the player characters;

selecting means for selecting at least two of said player characters to make an attacking action when any one of the player characters receives a ball;

color changing means for changing the ball in color for a predetermined time when the ball is set by said another one of the player characters as a setter;

receiving means for receiving an input signal from said control means for a respective ones of said at least two of said player characters when another one of said player characters as a setter sets the ball, said receiving means comprising means for receiving the input signal while the ball is being changed in color by said color changing means; and

action control means for controlling said at least one of said player characters selected to make the attacking action in response to the input signal received from the control means.

7. A video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising:

a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having player characters controllable by a game player;

control means operable by the game player for controlling the player characters;

selecting means for selecting at least two of said player characters to take part in an attacking action when any one of the player characters receives a ball;

receiving means for receiving input signals from said control means for respective ones of said at least two of said player characters when another one of said player characters as a setter sets the ball; and

action control means for controlling any one of the at least two of said player characters to fake the attacking action and controlling any remaining one of said at least two of said player characters to make the attacking action in response to the input signals.

8. A video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising:

a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having player characters controllable by a game player;

control means operable by the game player for controlling the player characters;

selecting means for selecting at least two of said player characters to make a blocking action when one of opposing player characters as a setter of an opposing one of the volleyball team sets a ball;

color changing means for changing the ball in color for a predetermined time when the ball is set by said one of the opposing player characters as the setter;

receiving means for receiving an input signal from said control means for said at least two of said player characters selected, said receiving means comprising means for receiving the input signal while the ball is being changed in color by said color changing means; and

action control means for controlling the at least two player characters to make the blocking action in response to the input signal.

9. A method of processing video game images for a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having player characters controllable by a game player, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least two of said player characters to take part in an attacking action when any one of the player characters receives a ball;

receiving input signals for respective ones of said at least two of said player characters when another one of said player characters as a setter sets the ball; and

controlling any one the at least two of said player characters to fake the attacking action and controlling any remaining one of said at least two of said player characters to make the attacking action in response to the input signals.

10. A method of processing video game images for a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having of player characters controllable by a game player, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least two of said player characters to make a blocking action when one of opposing player characters as a setter of an opposing one of the volleyball team sets a ball;

changing the ball in color for a predetermined time when the ball is set by said one of the opposing player characters as the setter;

receiving an input signal for said at least two of said player characters while the ball is being changed in color by said color changing means; and

controlling said at least two player characters to make the blocking action in response to the input signal.

11. A recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having player characters controllable by a game player, said computer program comprising the steps of:

selecting at least two of said player characters to take part in an attacking action when any one of the player characters receives a ball;

receiving input signals for respective ones of said at least two of said player characters when another one of said player characters as a setter sets the ball; and

controlling any one the at least two of said player characters to fake the attacking action and controlling any remaining one of said at least two of said player characters to make the attacking action in response to the input signals.

12. A recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having player characters controllable by a game player, said computer program comprising the steps of:

selecting at least two of said player characters to make a blocking action when one of opposing player characters as a setter of an opposing one of the volleyball team sets a ball;

changing the ball in color for a predetermined time when the ball is set by said one of the opposing player characters as the setter;

receiving an input signal for said at least two of said player characters while the ball is being changed in color by said color changing means; and

controlling said at least two of said player characters to make the blocking action in response to the input signal.