Volleyball video game system

• US 6,394,897 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• 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:
  US09/650,985
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1,2,3,4,7,29-33,40,49,50 273/317.1,317.3,108.1 345/156
• 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;

position determining means for determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space;

indicating means for displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on said monitor;

action control means for controlling any one of at least a portion of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball until said ball reaches said landing position; and

automatic receiving action means for automatically implementing the receiving action when said any one of said at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance.

4. A video game machine according to claim 1, wherein said automatic receiving action means includes control disabling means for disabling control of said any one of at least the portion of the player characters when said at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until said ball reaches said landing position.

5. A video game machine according to claim 4, wherein said automatic receiving action means further includes automatic player character movement means for automatically moving said any one of at least the portion of the player characters to said landing position when said control disabling means disables control.

2. 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;

position determining means for determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space;

indicating means for displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on said monitor;

action control means for controlling any one of at least a portion of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball when said any one of at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until said ball reaches said landing position;

selecting means for selecting said any one of at least the portion of the player characters to make the receiving action based on the determined landing position; and

assigning means for assigning said control means to the selected player character.

3. A video game machine according to claim 2, wherein said indicating means comprises means for displaying a second indicia with respect to said any one of at least the portion of the player characters selected by said selecting means.

6. 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:

determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space;

displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on said monitor;

controlling any one of at least a portion of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball until said ball reaches said landing position; and

automatically implementing the receiving action when said any one of said at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance.

7. A method according to claim 6, farther comprising the step of disabling control of said any one of at least the portion of the player characters when said at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until said ball reaches said landing position.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of automatically moving said any one of at least the portion of the player characters to said landing position when said control is disabled in said step of disabling.

9. 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:

determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space;

displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on said monitor;

controlling any one of at least a portion of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball until said ball reaches said landing position; and

automatically implementing the receiving action when said any one of said at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance.

10. A recording medium according to claim 9, wherein said computer program further comprises the step of disabling control of said any one of at least the portion of the player characters when said at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until said ball reaches said landing position.

11. A recording medium according to claim 10, wherein said computer program further comprises the step of automatically moving said any one of at least the portion of the player characters to said landing position when said control is disabled in said step of disabling.

12. 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:

determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space;

displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on said monitor;

selecting any one of at least a portion of the player characters to make the receiving action based on the determined landing position;

assigning game player control to said any one of at least a portion of the player characters selected in said step of selecting; and

controlling said any one of at least the portion of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball when said any one of at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until said ball reaches said landing position.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of displaying a second indicia with respect to said any one of at least a portion of the player characters selected in said step of selecting.

14. A recording g 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 a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player, said computer program comprising the steps of:

determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space;

displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on said monitor;

selecting any one of at least a portion of the player characters to make the receiving action based on the determined landing position;

assigning game player control to said any one of at least a portion of the player characters selected in said step of selecting; and

controlling said any one of at least the portion of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball when said any one of at least the portion of the player characters and said indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until said ball reaches said landing position.

15. A recording medium according to claim 14, wherein said computer program further comprises the step of displaying a second indicia with respect to said any one of at least a portion of the player characters selected in said step of selecting.