Storage medium having game program stored thereon and game apparatus

• US 7,695,367 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2006
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Miyake, Hiromichi, Kawai, Toshinori, Moro, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US11/327,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20060258443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1- 5, 463 7- 9, 463 30- 34, 463 36- 39, 463 40- 43, 463 49- 57, 273/148.R, 273/148.B, 273/309, 273/317.1, 273/340, 273/348, 273361-367, 273/108.1, 273/127.R, 273/461, 348/115, 348/117, 348/211.14, 348/14.15, 348/39, 348/42, 348 47- 52, 348/121, 348135-137, 348/141, 348/576, 348588-589, 348/719, 348/721, 348/E13.004, 348E13064-E13067, 717168-178, 345 11- 34, 345 21- 23, 345/24, 345/419, 345467-469, 345/539, 345543-544, 345/625, 345/636, 345/638, 345653-656, 345664-666, 345682-683, 345/686, 345949-950, 345/FOR.139, 345/FOR.153, 434 37- 38, 434 43- 44, 434/69, 434/118, 434/240, 434256-257, 37524015-24016, 375/240.25
• US Class Current: 463/37
• 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 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 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images

Abstract

A predetermined action is performed between a player object and another object positioned in a first determination range when a player designates said another object by controlling a pointing device. On the other hand, when the player performs an operation so as to designate said another object positioned outside the first determination range, a position of the player object is updated based on the designated position.

Claims

1. A storage medium having stored thereon a game program to be executed by a computer of a game apparatus which displays on a display screen a game image representing at least a portion of a virtual space in which a player object and at least another object appear, and which is operated using a pointing device that outputs input coordinates of a coordinate system on the display screen according to an operation performed by a player, wherein

the game program causes the computer to execute:

first determination range setting that sets, in the virtual space, a first determination range based on virtually positioned coordinates and a facing direction of the player object, wherein

the first determination range is set in the virtual space as a range having a predetermined angle between a facing direction of the player object and a direction offset to a left side of the facing direction and the predetermined angle between the facing direction of the player object and a direction offset to a right side of the facing direction, based on the virtually positioned coordinates of the player object;

detecting input coordinates outputted by the pointing device in response to selection of the input coordinates on the display screen using the pointing device;

first action process that executes, when the input coordinates indicate that said another object is in the first determination range, a predetermined action between said another object and the player object; and

player object position update that updates, when the input coordinates indicate a position outside the first determination range, the virtually positioned coordinates of the player object stored in a memory such that the player object is moved toward the indicated position outside the first determination range.

2. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the first action process includes determining an action to be performed between the player object and said another object according to a combination of an item held by the player object and a type of said another object.

3. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the first determination range setting includes changing a size of the first determination range according to an item held by the player object.

4. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further execute:

second determination range setting that sets, in the virtual space, a second determination range which is different from the first determination range, based on the position of the player object; and

a second action process that executes, when the input coordinates indicate a specific object positioned in the second determination range outside the first determination range, an action between the specific object and the player object, the action being different from the action performed in the first action process between the specific object and the player object.

5. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further execute a player action process that performs, when the input coordinates indicate the player object, a predetermined action between the player object and said another object positioned in the first determination range based on the virtually positioned coordinates of said another object.

6. A storage medium having stored thereon a game program to be executed by a computer of a game apparatus which displays on a display screen a game image representing at least a portion of a virtual space in which a player object and at least another object appear, and which is operated using a pointing device that outputs input coordinates of a coordinate system on the display screen according to an operation performed by a player, wherein

the game program causes the computer to execute:

first determination range setting that sets, in the virtual space, a first determination range based on virtually positioned coordinates and a facing direction of the player object, wherein

the first determination range is set in the virtual space as a range having a predetermined angle between a facing direction of the player object and a direction offset to a left side of the facing direction and the predetermined angle between the facing direction of the player object and a direction offset to a right side of the facing direction, based on the virtually positioned coordinates of the player object;

virtual input coordinate calculation that calculates, when the input coordinates are outputted, virtual input coordinates which are in the virtual space and overlap with the input coordinates on the display screen;

first action process that executes, when the virtual input coordinates indicate that said another object is in the first determination range, a predetermined action between said another object and the player object; and

player object position update that updates, when the virtual input coordinates indicate a position outside the first determination range, the virtually positioned coordinates of the player object stored in a memory such that the player object is moved toward the indicated position outside the first determination range.

7. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 6, wherein

the first action process includes determining an action to be performed between the player object and said another object according to a combination of an item held by the player object and a type of said another object.

8. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 6, wherein

the first determination range setting includes changing a size of the first determination range according to an item held by the player object.

9. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 6, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further execute:

second determination range setting that sets, in the virtual space, a second determination range which is different from the first determination range, based on the position of the player object; and

a second action process that executes, when the virtual input coordinates indicate a specific object positioned in the second determination range outside the first determination range, an action between the specific object and the player object, the action being different from the action performed in the first action process between the specific object and the player object.

10. The storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 6, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further execute a player action process that performs, when the virtual input coordinates indicate the player object, a predetermined action between the player object and said another object positioned in the first determination range based on the virtually positioned coordinates of said another object.

11. A game apparatus which displays on a display screen a game image representing at least a portion of a virtual space in which a player object and at least another object appear, and which is operated using a pointing device that outputs input coordinates of a coordinate system on the display screen according to an operation performed by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

storage locations;

first determination range setting programmed logic circuitry that sets, in the virtual space, a first determination range based on virtually positioned coordinates and a facing direction of the player object, wherein

the first determination range is set in the virtual space as a range having a predetermined angle between a facing direction of the player object and a direction offset to a left side of the facing direction and the predetermined angle between the facing direction of the player object and a direction offset to a right side of the facing direction, based on the virtually positioned coordinates of the player object;

detection programmed logic circuitry that detects input coordinates outputted by the pointing device in response to selection of the input coordinates on the display screen using the pointing device;

first action process programmed logic circuitry that executes, when the input coordinates indicate that said another object is in the first determination range, a predetermined action between the designated object and the player object;

player object position update programmed logic circuitry that updates, when the input coordinates indicate a position outside the first determination range, the virtually positioned coordinates of the player object stored in the storage locations such that the player object is moved toward the indicated position.

12. A game apparatus which displays on a display screen a game image representing at least a portion of a virtual space in which a player object and at least another object appear, and which is operated using a pointing device that outputs input coordinates of a coordinate system on the display screen according to an operation performed by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

storage locations;

first determination range setting programmed logic circuitry that sets, in the virtual space, a first determination range based on virtually positioned coordinates and a facing direction of the player object, wherein

the first determination range is set in the virtual space as a range having a predetermined angle between a facing direction of the player object and a direction offset to a left side of the facing direction and the predetermined angle between the facing direction of the player object and a direction offset to a right side of the facing direction, based on the virtually positioned coordinates of the player object;

virtual input coordinate calculation programmed logic circuitry that calculates, when the input coordinates are outputted, virtual input coordinates which are in the virtual space and overlap with the input coordinates on the display screen;

first action process programmed logic circuitry that executes, when the virtual input coordinates indicate that said another object is in the first determination range, a predetermined action between said another object and the player object;

player object position update programmed logic circuitry that updates, when the virtual input coordinates indicate a position outside the first determination range, the virtually positioned coordinates of the player object stored in the storage locations such that the player object is moved toward the indicated position.