Game apparatus and method of replaying game

• US 6,419,581 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2001
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD. (SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD. (SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Asai, Toshinori, Yanagihori, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/753,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20010001091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1-5, 463/6-8, 463/36, 463/30-32, 463/43-44, 434/30, 434/38, 434/43, 434/60-62, 434/69, 434/307.R, 434/308, 345/418-419, 345/607, 345/619, 345/634, 345/649, 345/653, 345/654, 345/655, 345/659, 345/473
• US Class Current: 463/32
• 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 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/634 for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• 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 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6669 using a plurality of virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character change rooms
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

A game apparatus and a method of replaying a game display a moving entity which moves in a given area on a display screen. The game apparatus has a memory for storing, for a predetermined period of time, absolute coordinates in the predetermined area of a moving entity which moves in the predetermined area in response to a control signal entered by an operator while a game is in progress, and a display data generating unit or reading the absolute coordinates from the memory in response to a replay request from the operator and processing the absolute coordinates into display data depending on processing information supplied from an input unit by the operator.

Claims

1. A game apparatus for moving an object in a three dimensional space in response to an operation signal from an operator, and for displaying a video image obtained by projecting the object viewed from a predetermined viewpoint on a two dimensional display, said game apparatus comprising:

a character pattern data storage unit for storing plural character pattern data for plural directions with respect to a movement of the object;

an object data generation unit for generating an object data which includes a direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the character pattern data, in accordance with the operation signal from the operator during a game progressing; and

an image generation unit for generating a video image data on the two dimensional display, according to the character pattern data which corresponds to a direction of the object within the two dimensional display, wherein said direction of the object within the two dimensional display is determined according to the generated direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and a position of the viewpoint during an image generation, wherein the position of the viewpoint is changed within the three dimensional space during the game progressing.

2. A game apparatus for moving an object in a three dimensional space in response to an operation signal from an operator and for displaying a video image obtained by projecting the object viewed from a predetermined viewpoint on a two dimensional display, said game apparatus comprising:

a character pattern data storage unit for storing plural character pattern data for plural directions with respect to a movement of the object;

an object data generation unit for generating an object data which includes a direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the character pattern data, in accordance with the operation signal from the operator during a game progressing; and

an image generation unit for generating a video image data on the two dimensional display, according to the character pattern data which corresponds to a direction of the object within the two dimensional display, wherein, when a position of the viewpoint is changed within the three dimensional space, said direction of the object within the two dimensional display is determined according to the generated direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the changed viewpoints.

3. A game method for moving an object in a three dimensional space in response to an operation signal from an operator, and for displaying a video image obtained by projecting the object viewed from a predetermined viewpoint on a two dimensional display, said game method comprising the steps of:

storing plural character pattern data for plural directions with respect to a movement of the object;

generating an object data which includes a direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the character pattern data, in accordance with the operation signal from the operator during a game progressing; and

generating a video image data on the two dimensional display, according to the character pattern data which corresponds to a direction of the object within the two dimensional display, wherein said direction of the object within the two dimensional display is determined according to the generated direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and a position of the viewpoint during an image generation, wherein the position of the viewpoint is changed within the three dimensional space during the game progressing.

4. A game method for moving an object in a three dimensional space in response to an operation signal from an operator, and for displaying a video image obtained by projecting the object viewed from a predetermined viewpoint on a two dimensional display, said game method comprising the steps of:

storing plural character pattern data for plural directions with respect to a movement of the object;

generating an object data which includes a direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the character pattern data, in accordance with the operation signal from the operator during a game progressing; and

generating a video image data on the two dimensional display, according to the character pattern data which corresponds to a direction of the object within the two dimensional display, wherein, when a position of the viewpoint is changed within the three dimensional space, said direction of the object within the two dimensional display is determined according to the generated direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the changed viewpoint.

5. A computer-readable medium storing a game program for moving an object in a three dimensional space in response to an operation signal from an operator, and for displaying a video image obtained by projecting the object viewed from a predetermined viewpoint on a two dimensional display, said game program having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising;

storing plural character pattern data for plural directions with respect to a movement of the object;

generating an object data which includes a direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the character pattern data, in accordance with the operation signal from the operator during a game progressing; and

generating a video image data on the two dimensional display, according to the character pattern data which corresponds to a direction of the object within the two dimensional display, wherein said direction of the object within the two dimensional display is determined according to the generated direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and a position of the viewpoint during an image generation, wherein the position of the viewpoint is changed within the three dimensional space during the game progressing.

6. A computer-readable medium storing a game program for moving an object in a three dimensional space in response to an operation signal from an operator, and for displaying a video image obtained by projecting the object viewed from a predetermined viewpoint on a two dimensional display, said game program having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

storing plural character pattern data for plural directions with respect to a movement of the object;

generating an object data which includes a direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the character pattern data, in accordance with the operation signal from the operator during a game progressing; and

generating a video image data on the two dimensional display, according to the character pattern data which corresponds to a direction of the object within the two dimensional display, wherein, when a position of the viewpoint is changed within the three dimensional space, said direction of the object within the two dimensional display is determined according to the generated direction data of the object within the three dimensional space and the changed viewpoint.