Video game apparatus and information storage medium for video game

• US 6,712,703 B2
• Filed: 11/19/1999
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Yoichi, Koizumi, Yoshiaki, Miyamoto, Shigeru, Iwawaki, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BINH AN DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/443,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20020155889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 463/43, 463/1, 463/2, 463/6, 463/7, 463/8, 463/23, 463/30, 463/31, 463/29, 463/32, 463/33, 463/34, 463/35, 463/36, 463/37, 463/59, 273/317.1, 273/333, 273/108.1, 345/418, 345/419, 345/425, 345/427, 345/440, 345/441, 345/473, 345/474
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/422 automatically for the purpose of assisting the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• 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 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6054 by generating automatically game commands to assist the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving 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 2300/6661 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 2300/6684 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 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A video game apparatus includes a CPU that detects a program control code included in a land object in the vicinity of a player object, and the CPU determines a kind of the land object. If the land object is “hole,” the CPU executes a “hole operation” subroutine. Similarly, if the land object is “wall,” “door” or “ladder,” the CPU performs “wall operation,” “door operation” or “ladder” subroutine, respectively.

Claims

1. For use in a video game apparatus for generating on a display a player object in a virtual three-dimensional space, a method of controlling the player object to automatically perform a predefined action relative to a first object in said three-dimensional space when said player object is moved by a player near a designated location on a second object adjacent said first object in said three dimensional space, said method comprising:

embedding a control code in the second object, wherein said control code includes an action code that indicates the predefined action to be performed by the player object relative to the first object;

detecting when a predetermined positional relationship exists between the player object and the designated location on the second object;

reading the control code embedded in the second object when the predetermined positional relationship exists;

using the action code to determine an action that the player object should take relative to the first object when the control code is read; and

controlling the animation of the player object to display the player object taking the action determined by the action code when interacting with the first object.

2. The method of claim 1, further including using a land object defined in said three-dimensional space as said second object in which said control code is embedded.

3. The method of claim 2, further including defining said designated location on said second object as an area on said second object that is adjacent said first object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first object is an object other than a land object.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said action code indicates that the player object should perform a jumping action when encountering said first object.

6. The method of claim 5, further including determining a moving speed of the player object when said predetermined positional relationship exists, and using said moving speed to determine a jumping distance for said jumping action.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said action code indicates that the player object should perform a climbing action when encountering said first object.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first object is a wall, and further including calculating the height of the wall and controlling the action of the player object based on the action code and the height of the wall.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the control code includes a camera code, and further including controlling a virtual camera within said virtual three-dimensional space in accordance with said camera code when said control code is read.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the control code includes a sound code, and further including controlling a sound output based on the sound code when said control code is read.