Method and device for controlling a motion-sequence within a simulated game or sports event

• US 7,988,555 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2007
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Of Sports Developments Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Empire Of Sports Developments Ltd.
• Inventors: Mueller, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rustemeyer; Malina K
• Application Number:
  US11/829,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20090042647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 463/31
• 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 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/646 for calculating the trajectory of an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the control of the movement course of an object (23) represented on a display device (12), which within the framework of a ball game or sport event simulated by a computation unit (11) is to move from a starting point (16) into another region of the environment indicated on the display device (12).

The control is improved in that for determining the target, in a first step, a predefined target area (18) of a certain scope and shape is made available by the computation unit, and is represented on the display device, that in a second step the prepared target area is positioned by a playing person by way of an input unit (15), in the environment of the starting point (16) displayed on the display device (12), and that in a third step the object (23) is moved by the computation unit (11) on a movement path (20) from the starting point (16) to an end point lying in the target area (18), wherein the position of the end point within the target area (18) is determined according to a random principle.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing system to control movement of a simulated object in a game environment, the method comprising:

displaying a representation of a game environment on a display of the computing system, the game environment including a plurality of game figures that play with or against each other in a simulated ball game or sport event involving a movable object;

receiving, via an input device of the computing system, user input that causes a visual representation of a target area to be moved to a user-selected position in the game environment, said target area representing a desired region to which the movable object is to be moved by action of a game figure that strikes or throws the movable object, said target area having a shape and size;

receiving user input that causes the game figure to be moved to a starting location from which the movable object is to be stricken or thrown;

selecting an end point in said target area as positioned by the user, said end point being an end of a path to be followed by the movable object when the game figure strikes or throws the movable object, wherein the computing system selects said end point by using a random function to select from possible end points falling within the positioned target area; and

after the end point is selected in the positioned target area, determining said path to be followed by the movable object from the starting location to the end point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the computing system selecting the size of the target area based on one or more parameters, such that the size is not directly specified by the user, said size affecting a degree to which the user can accurately control movement of the movable object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters include a hit intensity selected by the user for hitting the movable object.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters include a hit type selected by the user for hitting the movable object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method comprises receiving input from the user, via said input device, that simultaneously specifies both the hit type and the position of the target area.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters include an object movement speed specified by the user for movement of the object to the end point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computing system selects the size of the target area such that the size is directly proportional to the object movement speed.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more physical characteristics of the player figure.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more physical characteristics include a fatigue level of the player figure.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising varying the one or more physical characteristics of the player figure over time, such that a degree of object-movement accuracy associated with the player figure changes over time via adjustments in the size of the target area.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters include at least a speed with which the player figure is moved to the movable object to strike the movable object.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters include a location of the starting point.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the computing system selecting a size of the target area based on one or more parameters, such that the size is not directly specified by the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the random function uses a probability distribution to select the end point from possible locations in the positioned target area.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the movable object is a ball.

16. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium that stores executable instructions that direct a computing system to perform a method that comprises:

displaying a representation of a game environment on a display of the computing system, the game environment including a plurality of game figures that play with or against each other in a simulated ball game or sport event involving a movable object;

receiving, via an input device of the computing system, user input that causes a visual representation of a target area to be moved to a user-selected position in the game environment, said target area representing a desired region to which the movable object is to be moved by action of a game figure that strikes or throws the movable object, said target area having a shape and size;

receiving user input that causes the game figure to be moved to a starting location from which the movable object is to be stricken or thrown;

selecting an end point in said target area as positioned by the user, said end point being an end of a path to be followed by the movable object when the game figure strikes or throws the movable object, wherein the computing system selects said end point by using a random function to select from possible end points falling within the positioned target area; and

after the end point is selected in the positioned target area, determining said path to be followed by the movable object from the starting location to the end point.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the computing system selecting the size of the target area based on one or more parameters, such that the size is not directly specified by the user, said size affecting a degree to which the user can accurately control movement of the movable object.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more parameters include a hit intensity selected by the user for hitting the movable object.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more parameters include a hit type selected by the user for hitting the movable object.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more physical characteristics of the player figure, and the method further comprises varying the one or more physical characteristics of the player figure over time, such that a degree of object-movement accuracy associated with the player figure changes over time via adjustments in the size of the target area.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, in combination with said computing system.