Computer readable program product storing program for ball-playing type game, said program, and ball-playing type game processing apparatus and method

• US 6,503,144 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rimoto, Shiyu, Yoshinobu, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHERUBIN, YVESTE GILBERTE
• Application Number:
  US09/629,630
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 463/4, 463/1, 463/31, 345/473, 345/427, 345/474, 345/121, 345/126, 345/156, 345/161, 345/162, 345/163, 345/167, 345/418, 345/475, 273/437, 273/88, 273/93, 364/410
• 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 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• 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 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

A computer readable program product stores a program of a ball-playing type game which can smoothly express the continuous action of a player before and after a player obtains a ball when throwing the ball in any direction in accordance with operation of the user in the ball-playing game. An input operation of the user is accepted before the fielder receives the ball, a series of motions up to the fielder catching the ball and throwing it is judged in response to any input operation, and the motion is used to change the display up until the catching and throwing before the fielder catches the ball.

Claims

1. A computer readable program product storing a program for a ball-playing type game which realizes a ball-playing game indirectly controlling movement of a ball in accordance with movement of a player, said program product storing a program for making a computer:

judge a future range of player movement and a future range of ball movement;

calculate a position of the ball after the elapse of a display time of each group of motions assigned to the player in accordance with the judged future range of ball movement, each player being assigned a plurality of groups of motions relating to manipulating the ball, each group of motions being assigned a required display time;

calculate a time required to reach the calculated ball position in accordance with the judged future range of player movement;

select a group of motions having a required time that is greater than the calculated required time from among the groups of motions assigned to the player; and

display movement of the player employing the selected group of motions.

2. The program product of claim 1, in which the player further comprises a plurality of players,

in which the judging further comprises making the computer judge a future range of movement for each of the plurality of players,

in which the calculating further comprises making the computer calculate a time for each of the plurality of players, and

in which the selecting further comprises making the computer select a group of motions for each of the plurality of players.

3. The program product of claim 1, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

4. The program product of claim 2, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

5. The program product of claim 1, further comprising, after calculating, making the computer judge a throw destination of the ball in response to a user operation, and in which the selected group of motions further comprises a group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination.

6. The program product of claim 5, in which the player further comprises a plurality of players,

in which the judging further comprises making the computer judge a future range of movement for each of the plurality of players,

in which the calculating further comprises making the computer calculate a time for each of the plurality of players, and

in which the selecting further comprises making the computer select a group of motions for each of the plurality of players.

7. The program product of claim 6, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

8. The program product of claim 5, wherein said program further makes said computer:

judge the throw destination of the ball in response to a user operation when displaying the movement of the player,

select the group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination from among the groups of motions assigned to the player in response to the state of progress of the game, and

display the movement of the player using the selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

9. The program product of claim 5, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

10. The program product of claim 5, wherein said program further makes said computer:

judge the throw destination of the ball in response to a user when displaying the movement of the player,

select the group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination from among the groups of motions assigned to the player in response to the state of progress of the game, and

display the movement of the player using the selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

11. The program product of claim 10, wherein said program further makes said computer combine motions using said selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

12. The program product of claim 10, wherein said program further makes said computer connect motions using said selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

13. A ball-playing type game processor comprising:

a computer readable program product storing a program for a ball-playing type game which realizes a ball-playing game indirectly controlling movement of a ball in accordance with movement of a player,

a computer for reading and executing at least part of the program from said program product, and

a display for displaying the ball-playing game realized by said program,

said computer reading at least part of the program from said program product and thereby

judge a future range of player movement and a future range of ball movement;

calculate a position of the ball after the elapse of a display time of each group of motions assigned to the player in accordance with the judged future range of ball movement, each player being assigned a plurality of groups of motions relating to manipulating the ball, each group of motions being assigned a required display time;

calculate a time required to reach the calculated ball position in accordance with the judged future range of player movement;

select a group of motions having a required time that is greater than the calculated required time from among the groups of motions assigned to the player; and

display movement of the player employing the selected group of motions.

14. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 13, in which the player further comprises a plurality of players,

in which the judging further comprises making the computer judge a future range of movement for each of the plurality of players,

in which the calculating further comprises making the computer calculate a time for each of the plurality of players, and

in which the selecting further comprises the computer selecting a group of motions for each of the plurality of players.

15. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 13, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

16. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 14, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

17. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 13, further comprising, after calculating, the computer judging a throw destination of the ball in response to a user operation, and

in which the selected group of motions further comprises a group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination.

18. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 17, in which the player further comprises a plurality of players,

in which the judging further comprises the computer judging a future range of movement for each of the plurality of players,

in which the calculating further comprises the computer calculating a time for each of the plurality of players, and

in which the selecting further comprises the computer selecting a group of motions for each of the plurality of players.

19. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 18, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

20. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 18, wherein said computer:

judges the throw destination of the ball in response to a user operation when displaying the movement of the player,

selects the group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination from among the groups of motions assigned to the player in response to the state of progress of the game, and

displays the movement of the player using the selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

21. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 20, wherein said computer connects motions using said selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

22. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 17, in which the selecting, further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

23. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 17, wherein said computer:

judges the throw destination of the ball in response to a user when displaying the movement of the player,

selects the group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination from among the groups of motions assigned to the player in response to the state of progress of the game, and

displays the movement of the player using the selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

24. The ball-playing type game processor of claim 23, wherein said computer combines motions using said selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

25. A ball-playing type game processing method for realizing a ball-playing game indirectly controlling movement of a ball in accordance with movement of a player using a computer, the method comprising:

judging a future range of player movement and a future range of ball movement;

calculating a position of the ball after the elapse of a display time of each group of motions assigned to the player in accordance with the judged future range of ball movement, each player being assigned a plurality of groups of motions relating to manipulating the ball, each group of motions being assigned a required display time;

calculating a time required to reach the calculated ball position in accordance with the judged future range of player movement;

selecting a group of motions having a required time that is greater than the calculated required time from among the groups of motions assigned to the player; and

displaying movement of the player employing the selected group of motions.

26. The ball-playing type game method of claim 25, in which the player further comprises a plurality of players,

in which the judging further comprises judging a future range of movement for each of the plurality of players,

in which the calculating further comprises calculating a time for each of the plurality of players, and

in which the selecting further comprises selecting a group of motions for each of the plurality of players.

27. The ball-playing type game method of claim 26, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

28. The ball-playing type game method of claim 25, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

29. The ball-playing type game method of claim 25, further comprising, after calculating, judging a throw destination of the ball in response to a user operation, and

in which the selected group of motions further comprises a group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination.

30. The ball-playing type game method of claim 29, in which the player further comprises a plurality of players,

in which the judging further comprises judging a future range of movement for each of the plurality of players,

in which the calculating further comprises calculating a time for each of the plurality of players, and

in which the selecting further selecting a group of motions for each of the plurality of players.

31. The ball-playing type game method of claim 30, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

32. The ball-playing type game method of claim 29, in which the selecting further comprises selecting in response to the game progress state.

33. The ball-playing type game method of claim 30, further comprising:

judging the throw destination of the ball in response to a user when displaying the movement of the player,

selecting the group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination from among the groups of motions assigned to the player in response to the state of progress of the game, and

displaying the movement of the player using the selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

34. The ball-playing type game method of claim 33, further comprising combining motions using said selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

35. The ball-playing type game method of claim 33, further comprising connecting motions using said selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.

36. The ball-playing type game method of claim 30, further comprising:

judging the throw destination of the ball in response to a user operation when displaying the movement of the player,

selecting the group of motions for throwing the ball to the judged throw destination from among the groups of motions assigned to the player in response to the state of progress of the game, and

displaying the movement of the player using the selected group of motions and the group of motions already being used.