Game program

• US 7,628,698 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2005
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ebisawa, Yasushi, Ajioka, Yoshitaka, Mizuki, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling; John M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US11/253,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20060094503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30- 33, 463 36- 37, 700 56- 57, 700 61- 62, 700 64- 66
• US Class Current: 463/33
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• 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 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera

Abstract

A CPU core determines whether a stick is in contact with a touch panel based on an output signal from the touch panel; if not in contact, a gazing point of a virtual camera is moved to a collective center of masses for objects; on the other hand, if the stick is in contact with the touch panel, setting values for the camera are fixed, an operation target object is caused to appear at a position, in a game space, corresponding to touch coordinates, and, then, the operation target object is moved in accordance with a dragging operation from a player; the setting values for the camera are fixed until the stick detaches from the touch panel; and, accordingly, when the player moves an arbitrary object in the three dimensional game space by operating the touch panel, the player can accurately move the object to an intended point.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing a game program for displaying, on a display device provided with a touch panel, an object placed in a three dimensional game space based on a virtual camera provided in the game space, wherein the game program causes a computer to execute:

a camera control step of changing a setting value for the camera, the value indicative of a position and a gazing point of the virtual camera;

a game image generation step of generating a game image to be displayed on the display device by drawing the object based on the setting value for the camera;

a touch coordinates detection step of detecting touch coordinates indicative of a touched position on the touch panel based on an output signal from the touch panel;

a camera fixing step of fixing, when the touch coordinates are detected while the setting value for the camera is changing, the position and the gazing point of the virtual camera at least until the detection for the touch coordinates stops, such that the object placed in the three dimensional game space is movable within the three dimensional game space and an orientation of the three dimensional game space is fixed during the camera fixing step; and

,

a designation coordinates calculation step of sequentially calculating, when the touch coordinates are changed, in a state where the setting value for the camera is fixed, three dimensional coordinates, in the game space, corresponding to the changed touch coordinates, and accepting the outcome as designation coordinates designated by a player.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute:

an operation target object placement step of placing, when the touch coordinates are detected while the setting value for the camera is changing, an operation target object on the three dimensional coordinates, in the game space, corresponding to the touch coordinates; and

an operation target object movement step of moving the operation target object in accordance with a change in the designation coordinates sequentially calculated in the designation coordinates calculation step.

3. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the designation coordinates calculation step calculates the designation coordinates corresponding to the touch coordinates detected in the touch coordinates detection step by mapping each point on the touch panel to a predetermined plane set in a view volume in the game space.

4. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the camera control step changes the setting value for the camera per unit time, based on a predetermined computational expression.

8. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the game image generated in the game image generation step includes an image of the object within the three dimensional game space, and the image of the object moves within the three dimensional game space during at least during a portion of the camera fixing step.

19. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

the setting value set in the camera control step also is indicative of an angle of view of the virtual camera, and

the camera fixing step also fixes, when the touch coordinates are detected while the setting value for the camera is changing, the angle of view of the virtual camera at least until the detection for the touch coordinates stops, such that the object placed in the three dimensional game space is movable within the three dimensional game space and the orientation of the three dimensional game space is fixed during the camera fixing step.

5. A storage medium storing a game program for displaying, on a display device provided with a touch panel, an object placed in a three dimensional game space based on a virtual camera provided in the game space, wherein the game program causes a computer to execute:

a first camera control step of changing a setting value for the camera, the value indicative of a position and a gazing point of the virtual camera;

a game image generation step of generating a game image to be displayed on the display device by drawing the object based on the virtual camera;

a touch coordinates detection step of detecting touch coordinates indicative of a touched position on the touch panel based on an output signal from the touch panel;

an object determination step of determining whether, on a screen of the display device, an operation target object corresponding to the touch coordinates is displayed based on the touch coordinates detected in the touch coordinates detection step;

a camera fixing step of fixing, when the operation target object is determined, in the object determination step, as being displayed at a position, on a screen of the display device, corresponding to the touch coordinates while the setting value for the camera is changing, the gazing point of the virtual camera at least until the detection for the touch coordinates stops, such that the object placed in the three dimensional game space is movable within the three dimensional game space and an orientation of the three dimensional game space is fixed during the camera fixing step;

a designation coordinates calculation step of sequentially calculating, when the touch coordinates are changed, in a state where the setting value for the camera is fixed, three dimensional coordinates, in the game space, corresponding to the changed touch coordinates, and accepting the outcome as designation coordinates designated by a player; and

an operation target object movement step of updating a position of the operation target object in the game space in accordance with a change in the designation coordinates sequentially calculated in the designation coordinates calculation step.

6. The storage medium according to claim 5, wherein, the game program causes the computer to further execute a second camera control step of changing, when the operation target object is determined, in the object determination step, as not being displayed at the position, on the screen of the display device, corresponding to the touch coordinates while the setting value for the camera is changing, the setting value for the camera in accordance with the touch coordinates.

7. The storage medium according to claim 5, wherein the camera control step changes the setting value for the camera per unit time, based on a predetermined computational expression.

9. The storage medium according to claim 5, wherein the game image generated in the game image generation step includes an image of the object within the three dimensional game space, and the image of the object moves within the three dimensional game space during at least during a portion of the camera fixing step.

20. The storage medium according to claim 5, wherein:

the setting value set in the camera control step also is indicative of an angle of view of the virtual camera, and

the camera fixing step also fixes, when the touch coordinates are detected while the setting value for the camera is changing, the angle of view of the virtual camera at least until the detection for the touch coordinates stops, such that the object placed in the three dimensional game space is movable within the three dimensional game space and the orientation of the three dimensional game space is fixed during the camera fixing step.

10. A method of displaying, on a display device provided with a touch panel, an object placed in a three dimensional game space based on a virtual camera provided in the game space, the method comprising:

changing a setting value for the camera, the value indicative of a position and a gazing point of the virtual camera;

generating a game image to be displayed on the display device by drawing the object based on the setting value for the camera;

detecting touch coordinates indicative of a touched position on the touch panel based on an output signal from the touch panel;

fixing, when the touch coordinates are detected while the setting value for the camera is changing, the position and the gazing point of the virtual camera at least until the detection for the touch coordinates stops, such that the object placed in the three dimensional game space is movable within the three dimensional game space and an orientation of the three dimensional game space is fixed during the camera fixing step; and

sequentially calculating, when the touch coordinates are changed, in a state where the setting value for the camera is fixed, three dimensional coordinates, in the game space, corresponding to the changed touch coordinates, and accepting the outcome as designation coordinates designated by a player.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

placing, when the touch coordinates are detected while the setting value for the camera is changing, an operation target object on the three dimensional coordinates, in the game space, corresponding to the touch coordinates; and

moving the operation target object in accordance with a change in the sequentially calculated coordinates.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein said calculating the designation coordinates comprises calculating the designation coordinates corresponding to the detected touch coordinates by mapping each point on the touch panel to a predetermined plane set in a view volume in the game space.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein said changing the setting value comprises changing the setting value for the camera per unit time, based on a predetermined computational expression.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the generated game image includes an image of the object within the three dimensional game space, and the image of the object moves within the three dimensional game space during at least during a portion of when the setting value for the camera, and hence the game image orientation, are fixed.

21. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

the setting value set also is indicative of an angle of view of the virtual camera, and

the fixing also fixes, when the touch coordinates are detected while the setting value for the camera is changing, the angle of view of the virtual camera at least until the detection for the touch coordinates stops, such that the object placed in the three dimensional game space is movable within the three dimensional game space and the orientation of the three dimensional game space is fixed during the camera fixing step.

15. A method of displaying, on a display device provided with a touch panel, an object placed in a three dimensional game space based on a virtual camera provided in the game space, the method comprising:

changing a setting value for the camera, the value indicative of at least one of a position and a gazing point of the virtual camera;

generating a game image to be displayed on the display device by drawing the object based on the virtual camera;

detecting touch coordinates indicative of a touched position on the touch panel based on an output signal from the touch panel;

determining whether, on a screen of the display device, an operation target object corresponding to the touch coordinates is displayed based on the touch coordinates detected in the touch coordinates detection step;

fixing, when the operation target object is determined, in the object determination step, as being displayed at a position, on a screen of the display device, corresponding to the touch coordinates while the setting value for the camera is changing, the position and the gazing point of the virtual camera at least until the detection for the touch coordinates stops, such that the object placed in the three dimensional game space is movable within the three dimensional game space and an orientation of the three dimensional game space is fixed during the camera fixing step;

sequentially calculating, when the touch coordinates are changed, in a state where the setting value for the camera is fixed, three dimensional coordinates, in the game space, corresponding to the changed touch coordinates, and accepting the outcome as designation coordinates designated by a player; and

updating a position of the operation target object in the game space in accordance with a change in the sequentially calculated designation coordinates.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising a second camera control step of changing, when the operation target object is determined, in said determining, as not being displayed at the position, on the screen of the display device, corresponding to the touch coordinates while the setting value for the camera is changing, the setting value for the camera in accordance with the touch coordinates.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein said changing the setting value comprises changing the setting value for the camera per unit time, based on a predetermined computational expression.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the generated game image includes an image of the object within the three dimensional game space, and the image of the object moves within the three dimensional game space during at least during a portion of when the setting value for the camera, and hence the game image orientation, are fixed.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein:

the setting value set also is indicative of an angle of view of the virtual camera, and

the fixing also fixes, when the touch coordinates are detected while the setting value for the camera is changing, the angle of view of the virtual camera at least until the detection for the touch coordinates stops, such that the object placed in the three dimensional game space is movable within the three dimensional game space and the orientation of the three dimensional game space is fixed during the camera fixing step.