Game device

• US 7,044,855 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Inventors: Terada, Takaharu, Hinami, Masahiro, Fujisawa, Yasushi, Kamiko, Toshiyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): COBURN, CORBETT B
• Application Number:
  US10/207,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30- 33, 463/1, 463/4, 463/7, 463/8, 345/419, 345/427, 345/473, 345/428, 345/848, 345850-851, 434 29- 38
• US Class Current: 463/31
• 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• 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 2300/6653 for altering the visibility of an object, e.g. preventing the occlusion of an object, partially hiding an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

A method of expressing, in an easily visible manner, a game proceeded in a plurality of game fields formed hierarchically, in which at least first and second game fields are hierarchically formed in a three-dimensional virtual space. With this method, games proceeding simultaneously and in parallel in upper and lower spaces are displayed in the respective fields as seen from a viewpoint in the space.

Claims

1. A game device for proceeding a game in a game field formed in a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including a ground scenery upon which a cursor is moved and a sky from which a viewpoint observes the cursor on the ground scenery, comprising:

cursor moving means for moving the cursor within the ground scenery in accordance with operation;

viewpoint moving means for moving the viewpoint located in the sky of said three-dimensional virtual space in accordance with said cursor;

coordinate transforming means for transforming a view range of said viewpoint into a screen coordinate system; and

viewpoint position adjusting means for adjusting a position of said viewpoint so that a non-mapping area of the ground scenery will not appear on the screen when said view range extends beyond a mapping area of the ground scenery to the non-mapping area;

wherein

when the non-mapping area is not in said view range, the cursor and the viewpoint are moved together so as to maintain a view angle between the cursor and the viewpoint, and when the non-mapping area is in said view range, the position of the cursor is not moved and the position of the viewpoint is moved so as to change the view angle between the cursor and the viewpoint such that the non-mapping area will not appear on the screen; and

the amount by which the position of the viewpoint is moved (Δ

V) by the viewpoint position adjusting means is defined by the following equation;

Δ

V=V1−

V2=S−

T

 

where V1 represents the position of the viewpoint when the non-mapping area is not in said view range, V2 represents the position of the viewpoint when the non-mapping area is in said view range, S represents a point where a straight line linking the viewpoint V1 with an upper edge of a virtual screen intersects a plane of the ground scenery, and T represents an edge of the mapping area.

2. A game device according to claim 1, wherein said viewpoint position adjusting means adjusts the position of said viewpoint so that said cursor will be located at the center of said view range.

3. A game device according to claim 1, wherein said viewpoint position adjusting means adjusts the position of said viewpoint on condition that said cursor has moved beyond said view range.

4. An information storage medium having computer-executable instructions for proceeding a game in a game field formed in a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including a ground scenery upon which a cursor is moved and a sky from which a viewpoint observes the cursor on the ground scenery, comprising:

moving the cursor within the ground scenery in accordance with an operation;

moving the viewpoint located in the sky of said three-dimensional virtual space in accordance with said cursor;

transforming a view range of said viewpoint into a screen coordinate system; and

adjusting a position of said viewpoint so that a non-mapping area of the ground scenery will not appear on the screen when said view range extends beyond a mapping area of the ground scenery to the non-mapping area;

wherein

when the non-mapping area is not in said view range, the cursor and the viewpoint are moved together so as to maintain a view angle between the cursor and the viewpoint, and when the non-mapping area is in said view range, the position of the cursor is not moved and the position of the viewpoint is moved so as to change the view angle between the cursor and the viewpoint such that the non-mapping area will not appear on the screen; and

the amount by which the position of the viewpoint is moved (Δ

V) is defined by the following equation;

Δ

V=V1−

V2=S−

T

where V1 represents the position of the viewpoint when the non-mapping area is not in said view range, V2 represents the position of the viewpoint when the non-mapping area is in said view range, S represents a point where a straight line linking the viewpoint V1 with an upper edge of a virtual screen intersects a plane of the ground scenery, and T represents an edge of the mapping area.

5. An information storage medium according to claim 4, wherein the position of said viewpoint is adjusted so that said cursor will be located at the center of said view range.

6. An information storage medium according to claim 4, wherein the position of said viewpoint is adjusted on condition that said cursor has moved beyond said view range.

7. A game device for proceeding a game in a game field formed in a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including a ground scenery upon which a cursor is moved and a sky from which a viewpoint observes the cursor on the ground scenery, comprising:

viewpoint moving means for moving a viewpoint in the sky of the three-dimensional virtual space in conformity with a cursor moving within the ground scenery in accordance with operation;

coordinate transforming means for transforming a position of said cursor from a three-dimensional coordinate system to a display coordinate system; and

viewpoint position adjusting means for finding the position of the viewpoint with said cursor being located at a central position of a display range of a screen and for adjusting the position of said viewpoint when the position of said viewpoint is beyond a margin area so that said viewpoint will be located within the margin area;

wherein

when the viewpoint is not beyond the margin area, the cursor and the viewpoint are moved together so as to maintain a view angle between the cursor and the viewpoint, and when the viewpoint is beyond the margin area, the position of the cursor is not moved and the position of the viewpoint is moved so as to change the view angle between the cursor and the viewpoint such that the margin area will not appear on the screen; and

the amount by which the position of the viewpoint is moved (Δ

V) by the viewpoint position adjusting means is defined by the following equation;

Δ

V=V1−

V2=S−

T

 

where V1 represents the position of the viewpoint when the viewpoint is not beyond the margin area, V2 represents the position of the viewpoint when the viewpoint is beyond the margin area, S represents a point where a straight line linking the viewpoint V1 with an upper edge of a virtual screen intersects a plane of the ground scenery, and T represents an edge of the margin area.

8. A game device according to claim 7, wherein said margin area is the area where the viewpoint can be moved without causing a non-mapping area of said game field to appear.

9. An information storage medium having computer-executable instructions for proceeding a game in a game field formed in a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including a ground scenery upon which a cursor is moved and a sky from which a viewpoint observes the cursor on the ground scenery, comprising:

moving a viewpoint in the sky of the three-dimensional virtual space in conformity with a cursor moving within the ground scenery in accordance with operation;

transforming a position of said cursor from a three-dimensional coordinate system to a display coordinate system; and

finding the position of the viewpoint with said cursor being located at a central position of a display range of a screen and for adjusting the position of said viewpoint when the position of said viewpoint is beyond a margin area so that said viewpoint will be located within the margin area;

wherein

when the viewpoint is not beyond the margin area, the cursor and the viewpoint are moved together so as to maintain a view angle between the cursor and the viewpoint, and when the viewpoint is beyond the margin area, the position of the cursor is not moved and the position of the viewpoint is moved so as to change the view angle between the cursor and the viewpoint such that the margin area will not appear on the screen; and

the amount by which the position of the viewpoint is moved (Δ

V) is defined by the following equation;

Δ

V=V1−

V2=S−

T

where V1 represents the position of the viewpoint when the viewpoint is not beyond the margin area, V2 represents the position of the viewpoint when the viewpoint is beyond the margin area, S represents a point where a straight line linking the viewpoint V1 with an upper edae of a virtual screen intersects a plane of the ground scenery, and T reprepsents an edge of the area.

10. An information storage medium according to claim 9, wherein said margin area is the area where the viewpoint can be moved without causing a non-mapping area of said game field to appear.