Game apparatus and storage medium storing game program

• US 7,803,049 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Hosokawa, Takehiko, Momose, Hiroshi, Nakada, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Masud
• Application Number:
  US11/288,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20060116203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 463/36, 463/37, 463/6, 463/38, 345/173, 345/169, 345/163, 345/156, 708/141, 382/182
• US Class Current: 463/36
• 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 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• 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 2300/8005 Athletics

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a display and a touch panel provided thereon. A CPU core displays a game screen on the display. A user draw a circular arc path on the touch panel by continuously touching the touch panel with a stick or the like. In either case of continuous inputs so as to draw a clockwise circular arc path in a right-hander mode or continuous inputs so as to draw a counterclockwise circular arc path in a left-hander mode, it is concluded that the same input operations have been carried out. Accordingly, a user character is moved to the right in proportion to a predetermined angle in the right-hander mode, and the user character is moved to the left in proportion to the predetermined angle in the left-hander mode.

Claims

1. A game apparatus for playing a game program equipped with a display for displaying a game screen and having a pointing device associated therewith for drawing a path by continuously designating different positions in said game screen, comprising:

select screen displaying programmed logic circuitry that displays on said display a select screen for selecting one input mode from either a first input mode or a second input mode of the game program;

first determining programmed logic circuitry for, when said first input mode is selected, determining whether or not a path extending in a first direction is drawn by said pointing device;

second determining programmed logic circuitry for, when said second input mode is selected, determining whether or not a path extending in a second direction different from said first direction is drawn by said pointing device; and

game process programmed logic circuitry for executing a common game process in accordance with a result of determination by said first determining programmed logic circuitry or a result of determination by said second determining programmed logic circuitry.

2. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising game screen displaying programmed logic circuitry for displaying a first game screen on the display when said first input mode is selected and displaying a second game screen on the display when said second input mode is selected.

3. A game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first input mode is a right-handed input mode and said second input mode is a left-handed input mode.

4. A game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the path extending in said first direction is a right-handed circular arc path and the path extending in said second direction is a left-handed circular arc path.

5. A game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pointing device includes a touch panel provided to said display.

6. A non-transitory storage medium storing a game program for a game apparatus equipped with a display for displaying a game screen and having a pointing device associated therewith for drawing a path by continuously designating different positions in said game screen, wherein said program allows a game processor to:

display on said display a select screen for selecting one input mode from either a first input mode or a second input mode of the game program;

determine, when said first input mode is selected, whether or not a path extending in a first direction is drawn by said pointing device;

determine, when said second input mode is selected, whether or not a path extending in a second direction different from said first direction is drawn by said pointing device; and

execute a common game process in accordance with a result of the determinations.

7. A storage medium according to claim 6, wherein said program further allows the game processor to display a first game screen on the display when said first input mode is selected and to display a second game screen on the display when said second input mode is selected.

8. A storage medium according to claim 6, wherein said first input mode is a right-handed input mode and said second input mode is a left-handed input mode.

9. A storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the path extending in said first direction is a right-handed circular arc path and the path extending in said second direction is left-handed circular arc path.

10. In a game apparatus equipped with a display for displaying a game screen and having a pointing device associated therewith for drawing a path by continuously designating different positions in said game screen, a method of playing a game program, said method comprising:

displaying on said display a select screen for selecting one input mode from a first input mode or a second input mode of the game program;

determining, when said first input mode is selected, whether or not a path extending in a first direction is drawn by said pointing device via at least one processor of the game apparatus;

determining, when said second input mode is selected, whether or not a path extending in a second direction different from said first direction is drawn by said pointing device via the at least one processor; and

executing a common game process using the at least one processor in accordance with a result of the determinations.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising displaying a first game screen on the display when said first input mode is selected and displaying a second game screen on the display when said second input mode is selected.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein said first input mode is a right-handed input mode and said second input mode is a left-handed input mode.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the path extending in said first direction is a right-handed circular arc path and the path extending in said second direction is a left-handed circular arc path.

14. A game apparatus equipped with a display for displaying a game screen and using a pointing device for drawing a path by continuously designating different positions in said game screen, comprising:

a select screen displaying means for displaying on said display a select screen to select a one input mode from either a right-handed input mode or a left-handed input mode;

a detecting means for detecting coordinates input by said pointing device;

a determining means for determining whether or not a predetermined path is input on the basis of the coordinates continuously detected by said detecting means; and

a game processing means for executing predetermined game processing when said determining means determines that said predetermined path is input, wherein

said determining means determines whether or not a diagonally right upward path is input as said predetermined path when said right-handed input mode is selected, and determines whether or not a diagonally left upward path is input as said predetermined path when said left-handed input mode is selected.

15. A game apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a game screen displaying means for displaying a first game screen on said display when said right-handed input mode is selected and a second game screen on said display when said left-handed input mode is selected, wherein

said first game screen and said second game screen are images horizontally flipped from side to side.

16. A game apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said determining means performs said determination by calculating an angle formed by the coordinates currently detected by said detecting means and coordinates previously detected by said detecting means by taking predetermined coordinates as a base point.

17. A game apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said determining means performs said determination on the basis of a precondition that a distance between the coordinates detected by said detecting means and said predetermined coordinates falls within a preset range.

18. A game apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said game apparatus further causes a processor to execute a game screen displaying step for displaying a first game screen on said display when said right-handed input mode is selected and displaying a second game screen on said display when said left-handed input mode is selected, and said first game screen and said second game screen are images horizontally flipped from side to side, and

said game processing means executes moving processing of a user character to thereby move, in response to said determining means determining means that said predetermined path is input by, said user character to a right direction on said display in a case that said right-handed input mode is selected and moves said user character to a left direction on said display in a case that said left-handed input mode is selected.

19. A game apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said game processing means increases an amount of movement of said user character as an input speed of said path calculated on the basis of the coordinates continuously detected by said detecting means increases.

20. A controlling method in a game apparatus equipped with a display for displaying a game screen and using a pointing device for drawing a path by continuously designating different positions in said game screen, including:

a select screen displaying step for displaying on said display a select screen to select one input mode from either a right-handed input mode and a left-handed input mode;

a detecting step for detecting coordinates input by said pointing device;

a determining means for determining whether or not a predetermined path is input on the basis of the coordinates continuously detected by said detecting step; and

a game processing step for executing predetermined game processing when said determining step determines that said predetermined path is input, wherein

said determining step determines whether or not a clockwise path is input as said predetermined path when said right-handed input mode is selected, and determines whether or not a counterclockwise path is input as said predetermined path when said left-handed input mode is selected.

21. A controlling method of a game apparatus equipped with a display for displaying a game screen and using a pointing device for drawing a path by continuously designating different positions in said game screen, the method comprising:

displaying on said display a select screen to select one input mode from either a right-handed input mode or a left-handed input mode;

detecting coordinates input by said pointing device;

determining whether or not a predetermined path is input on the basis of the coordinates continuously detected by said detecting; and

executing predetermined game processing when said determining determines that said predetermined path is input, wherein

said determining determines whether or not a diagonally right upward path is input as said predetermined path when said right-handed input mode is selected, and determines whether or not a diagonally left upward path is input as said predetermined path when said left-handed input mode is selected.