Game apparatus and game program

• US 8,303,412 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Okamura, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US12/491,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20100248833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1- 5, 463 7- 9, 463 30- 34, 463 36- 43, 463 49- 57, 273/108.1, 273/127.R, 273/148.R, 273/148.B, 273/309, 273/317.1, 273/340, 273/348, 273361-367, 345 11- 34, 345/156, 345/157, 345/160, 345/419, 345473-475, 345618-619, 345/629, 345660-671, 715/706, 715/738, 715757-759, 715762-764, 715/766, 715781-783, 715/788, 715794-795, 715/798, 715801-802, 715/807
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• 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 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• 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 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

The game apparatus obtains angular velocity data and acceleration data from an input device equipped with at least an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor, and determines whether or not a ball has been thrown in accordance with the angular velocity data. When it is determined that ball-throwing is fulfilled, the game apparatus calculates the intensity of swinging the input device and a curve amount. The game apparatus applies a force and a curve to a ball in accordance with the calculated intensity of swinging and the curve amount, and performs a process of causing the ball to move and curve in a predetermined direction.

Claims

1. A game apparatus which obtains operation data including angular velocity data and acceleration data from an input device equipped with an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor, and which performs a game process based on the operation data, the game apparatus comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the angular velocity data satisfies a predetermined condition;

a movement control unit configured to control a moving speed of a predetermined object in a game space by applying a force to the predetermined object in accordance with the acceleration data obtained in a predetermined period of time prior to a point of time at which the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition; and

a display control unit configured to display, on a screen, the predetermined object, whose movement is controlled by the movement control unit.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the movement control unit controls the moving speed of the object by applying a force to the object in accordance with the magnitude of an acceleration indicated by the acceleration data.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the movement control unit further controls a moving direction of the object in accordance with the acceleration data.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

acceleration storage locations configured to sequentially store the acceleration data, wherein

the movement control unit controls the moving speed of the object in accordance with acceleration data stored in the acceleration storage locations during a predetermined period of time which elapses between a determination time, at which the determination unit has determined that the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition, and a predetermined length of period before the determination time.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the movement control unit controls the moving speed of the object in accordance with a maximum value of acceleration in the acceleration data during the predetermined period of time.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the movement control unit further controls the moving speed of the object in accordance with an orientation of the input device at the determination time, the orientation being calculated based on the angular velocity data.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the movement control unit further changes the moving speed of the object in accordance with the acceleration data obtained at and after the determination time.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

when the magnitude of an acceleration indicated by the acceleration data obtained at and after the determination time is greater than the maximum value of acceleration during the predetermined period of time, the movement control unit further changes the moving speed of the object in accordance with the magnitude of the acceleration indicated by the acceleration data obtained at and after the determination time.

9. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a position determination unit configured to determine a position of the object, in accordance with the angular velocity data, during a period of time until the determination unit determines that the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition, wherein

the movement control unit causes the object to start moving from a position determined by the position determination unit toward a predetermined direction when the determination unit determines that the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition.

10. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

angular velocity storage locations configured to sequentially store the angular velocity data, wherein

the determination unit determines that the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition in accordance with the angular velocity data stored in the angular velocity storage locations when the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data represents a local maximum value, and the magnitude of the angular velocity is greater than a predetermined threshold.

11. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the movement control unit causes the object in the game space to be ejected in a predetermined direction when the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition, and determines a moving speed of the object immediately after the ejection in accordance with acceleration data obtained at or before the ejection of the object, and corrects the moving speed of the object immediately after the ejection in accordance with acceleration data newly obtained over a predetermined period of time immediately after the ejection of the object.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program executed by a computer of a game apparatus which obtains operation data including angular velocity data and acceleration data from an input device equipped with an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor, and which performs a game process in accordance with the operation data, the computer being caused to function as:

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the angular velocity data satisfies a predetermined condition;

a movement control unit configured to control a moving speed of a predetermined object in a game space by applying a force to the predetermined object in accordance with the acceleration data obtained in a predetermined period of time prior to a point of time at which the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition; and

a display control unit configured to display, on a screen, the predetermined object, whose movement is controlled by the movement control unit.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 12, wherein

the movement control unit controls the moving speed of the object by applying a force to the object in accordance with the magnitude of an acceleration indicated by the acceleration data.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 12, wherein

the movement control unit further controls a moving direction of the object in accordance with the acceleration data.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 12, further causing the computer to function as

acceleration storage locations configured to sequentially store the acceleration data, wherein

the movement control unit controls the moving speed of the object in accordance with acceleration data stored in the acceleration storage locations during a predetermined period of time which elapses between a determination time, at which the determination unit has determined that the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition, and a predetermined length of period before the determination time.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 15, wherein

the movement control unit controls the moving speed of the object in accordance with a maximum value of acceleration in the acceleration data during the predetermined period of time.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 16, wherein

the movement control unit further controls the moving speed of the object in accordance with an orientation of the input device at the determination time, the orientation being calculated based on the angular velocity data.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 16, wherein

the movement control unit further changes the moving speed of the object in accordance with the acceleration data obtained at and after the determination time.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 18, wherein

when the magnitude of an acceleration indicated by the acceleration data obtained at and after the determination time is greater than the maximum value of acceleration during the predetermined period of time, the movement control unit further changes the moving speed of the object in accordance with the magnitude of the acceleration indicated by the acceleration data obtained at and after the determination time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 12, further causing the computer to function as

a position determination unit configured to determine a position of the object, in accordance with the angular velocity data, during a period of time until the determination unit determines that the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition, wherein

the movement control unit causes the object to start moving from a position determined by the position determination unit toward a predetermined direction when the determination unit determines that the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 12, further causing the computer to function as

angular velocity storage locations configured to sequentially store the angular velocity data, wherein

the determination unit determines that the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition in accordance with the angular velocity data stored in the angular velocity storage locations when the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data represents a local maximum value, and the magnitude of the angular velocity is greater than a predetermined threshold.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program, according to claim 12, wherein

the movement control unit causes the object in the game space to be ejected in a predetermined direction when the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition, and determines a moving speed of the object immediately after the ejection in accordance with acceleration data obtained at or before the ejection of the object, and corrects the moving speed of the object immediately after the ejection in accordance with acceleration data newly obtained over a predetermined period of time immediately after the ejection of the object.

23. A method for performing a game process according to a game program executed by a computer of a game apparatus in accordance with operation data including angular velocity data and acceleration data from an input device equipped with an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor, the method comprising:

determining whether or not the angular velocity data satisfies a predetermined condition;

controlling, via one or more computer processing devices, a moving speed of a predetermined object in a game space by applying a force to the predetermined object in accordance with the acceleration data obtained in a predetermined period of time prior to a point of time at which the angular velocity data satisfies the predetermined condition; and

displaying, on a screen, the predetermined object, whose movement is controlled in accordance with said acceleration data.