Entertainment apparatus, storage medium and operation method of manipulating object

• US 6,762,746 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2001
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Izumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jennifer T.
• Application Number:
  US09/765,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20010020934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/159, 345/161, 345/170, 273/148.R, 463/37, 463/38, 463/47
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• 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 2300/6684 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 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

Disclosed is an entertainment apparatus in which even an unskilled player can enjoy a flight simulation, a drive simulation or the like satisfactorily. Based on a signal depending on coordinate values on X-Y coordinate decided by a manipulation applied to manipulation sticks 31a and 32a, the signal being outputted from the controller 20, a moving direction of a controlled object 601 is determined. When the coordinate value is within specified ranges, the moving direction of the object 601 is determined so that the object 601 is allowed to make a sharp turn flight.

Claims

1. An entertainment apparatus which displays an object moving in a virtual field depending on manipulation contents, which are received via a controller having a manipulation stick constituted so as to be pivotally tilted using a specified fulcrum relative to a specified axis passing through the specified fulcrum,

the entertainment apparatus comprising:

manipulation content reception means which determines a moving direction of said object based on a signal depending on coordinate values on X-Y coordinate decided by a tilt direction of said manipulation stick and an angle thereof relative to said specified axis of said manipulation stick, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines said moving direction of said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate values are within specified ranges instead of performing motions according to said coordinate values;

wherein said manipulation content reception means determines a bank of an airplane represented by said object and a rise and drop of a nose thereof based on the signal depending on the coordinate values on the X-Y coordinate, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines the bank of the airplane and the rise and drop of the nose of the airplane represented by said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges.

2. An entertainment apparatus which displays an object moving in a virtual field depending on manipulation contents, which are received via a controller having a manipulation stick constituted so as to be pivotally tilted using a specified fulcrum relative to a specified axis passing through the specified fulcrum,

the entertainment apparatus comprising:

manipulation content reception means which determines a moving direction of said object based on a signal depending on coordinate values on X-Y coordinate decided by a tilt direction of said manipulation stick and an angle thereof relative to said specified axis of said manipulation stick, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines said moving direction of said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate values are Within specified ranges;

wherein,

the entertainment apparatus is the one which displays, on a display screen of said display device, a moving picture obtained by photographing the object moving in a virtual three dimensional field, according to manipulation contents of a player which are received via said controller, by the use of a virtual camera,

said object is the one which is displayed on the display screen of said display device as an airplane moving in said three dimensional field, and

said manipulation content reception means determines a bank of the airplane represented by said object and a rise and drop of a nose thereof based on the signal depending on the coordinate values on the X-Y coordinate, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines the bank of the airplane and the rise and drop of the nose of the airplane represented by said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges.

3. The entertainment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

said specified motion is a circular flight motion.

4. A storage medium storing a program which is read out and executed by a computer, wherein,

said program, by being read out and executed by said computer, is the one which, on said computer, realizes means for receiving manipulation contents of a player via a controller having a manipulation stick constituted so as to be pivotally tilted using a specified fulcrum relative to a specified axis, which passes through the specified fulcrum, the controller being connected to said computer, and for displaying an object on a display device, the object moving in a virtual field according to the manipulation contents, and

said means includes manipulation content reception means for determining a moving direction of said object based on a signal depending on coordinate values on X-Y coordinate decided by a tilt direction of said manipulation stick and an angle thereof relative to the specified axis of said manipulation stick, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines the moving direction of said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges instead of performing motions according to said coordinate values;

wherein said manipulation content reception means determines a bank of an airplane represented by said object and a rise and drop of a nose thereof based on the signal depending on the coordinate values on the X-Y coordinate, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines the bank of the airplane and the rise and drop of the nose of the airplane represented by said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges.

5. A storage medium storing a program which is read out and executed by a computer, wherein,

said program, by being read out and executed by said computer, is the one which, on said computer, realizes means for receiving manipulation contents of a player via a controller having a manipulation stick constituted so as to be pivotally tilted using a specified fulcrum relative to a specified axis, which passes through the specified fulcrum, the controller being connected to said computer, and for displaying an object on a display device, the object moving in a virtual field according to the manipulation contents, and

said means includes manipulation content reception means for determining a moving direction of said object based on a signal depending on coordinate values on X-Y coordinate decided by a tilt direction of said manipulation stick and an angle thereof relative to the specified axis of said manipulation stick, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines the moving direction of said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges;

wherein,

said means is the one which displays, on a display screen of said display device, a moving picture obtained by photographing an object, moving in a virtual three dimensional field, according to manipulation contents of a player which are received via said controller, by the use of a virtual camera,

said object is the one which is displayed on the display screen of said display device as an airplane moving in said three dimensional field, and

said manipulation content reception means determines a bank of the airplane represented by said object and a rise and drop of a nose thereof based on the signal depending on the coordinate values on the X-Y coordinate, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines the bank of the airplane and the rise and drop of the nose of the airplane represented by said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges.

6. The storage medium saving the program according to claim 5, wherein,

said specified motion is a circular flight motion.

7. A program product which is read out and executed by a computer,

wherein said program product being executed by said computer, realizes means, on said computer, for receiving manipulation contents of a player via a controller having a manipulation stick constituted so as to be pivotally tilted using a specified fulcrum relative to a specified axis, which passes through the specified fulcrum, the controller being connected to said computer, and for displaying an object on a display device, the object moving in a virtual field according to the manipulation contents, and

said means includes manipulation content reception means for determining a moving direction of said object based on a signal depending on coordinate values on X-Y coordinate decided by a tilt direction of said manipulation stick and an angle thereof relative to the specified axis of said manipulation stick, said signal being outputted from said controller, and for determining the moving direction of said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges instead of performing motions according to said coordinate values;

wherein said manipulation content reception means determines a bank of an airplane represented by said object and a rise and drop of a nose thereof based on the signal depending on the coordinate values on the X-Y coordinate, said signal being outputted from said controller, and determines the bank of the airplane and the rise and drop of the nose of the airplane represented by said object so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges.

8. A method of controlling a display object which controls a movement of an object in a virtual field displayed on a display device, according to manipulation contents of a manipulator received via a controller having a manipulation stick constituted so as to be pivotally tilted using a specified fulcrum relative to a specified axis passing through the specified fulcrum, wherein,

a moving direction of said object is determined, based on a signal depending on coordinate values on X-Y coordinate decided by a tilt direction of said manipulation stick and an angle thereof relative to the specified axis of said manipulation stick, said signal being outputted from said controller, and the moving direction of said object is determined so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges instead of performing motions according to said coordinate values;

wherein a bank of an airplane represented by said object and a rise and drop of a nose thereof is determined based on the signal depending on the coordinate values on the X-Y coordinate, said signal being outputted from said controller, and the bank of the airplane and the rise and drop of the nose of the airplane represented by said object is determined so that said object is allowed to make a specified motion when the coordinate value is within specified ranges.