Game apparatus and game program

• US 8,523,678 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamashita, Yoshikazu, Nakamura, Masahiro, Okamura, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US12/542,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20100323795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

First, operation data is acquired from an input device that is operated by a user. Next, a target is configured, by utilizing the operation data, within a predetermined range which is frontward in a forward direction of a course where a user object should move along and which is defined based on the course. Next, a moving direction of the user object is determined based on a position of the user object and a position of the target. Next, the user object is moved toward the moving direction determined by a moving direction determining means.

Claims

1. A game apparatus that performs a game process of moving a user object within a game space, the game apparatus comprising:

an operation data acquiring unit for acquiring operation data from an input device that is operated by the user;

an input direction calculating unit for calculating an inputted direction within the game space based on the operation data;

a target configuring unit for configuring, by utilizing the operation data, a target within a predetermined range which is frontward in a forward direction of a course where the user object should move along and which is defined based on the course, the target being provided in order to determine a moving direction of the user object;

a moving direction determining unit for determining the moving direction of the user object based on a position of the user object and a position of the target;

a moving unit for moving the user object toward the moving direction determined by the moving direction determining unit,

wherein the target configuring unit configures the target by changing the position of the target configured in the immediately preceding process based on the movement of the user object changing in accordance with the inputted direction input from the input device.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game apparatus further comprises relative position configuring unit for configuring, based on the operation data, a relative position from the center of the course, within the predetermined range defined based on the course, and wherein

the target configuring unit configures the target to a position that corresponds to the relative position within the predetermined range.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target configuring unit changes the position of the target configured in the immediately preceding process by further utilizing an alteration speed that indicates the degree of change of the inputted direction, and configures the target by changing the position of the target such that the position of the target is influenced more by the inputted direction when the alteration speed is larger.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving direction determining unit determines a direction, which is calculated based on the inputted direction and a target direction that is from the user object toward the target, as the moving direction.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a sensor that outputs data which enables calculation of an inclination of the input device, and wherein

the operation data includes data that is outputted from the sensor.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the input device comprises two housings;

the two housings comprise acceleration sensors, one for each housing, as the sensor;

the operation data comprises two acceleration data outputted from each of the acceleration sensors;

the input direction calculating unit calculates an average value of inclinations of the two housings based on the two acceleration data, and calculates the inputted direction based on the average value.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the input device comprises an acceleration sensor that outputs acceleration data which indicates an acceleration of the input device, wherein

the game apparatus further comprises a swing-detecting unit for detecting a swinging motion applied to the input device based on the acceleration data outputted from the acceleration sensor, and wherein

the moving unit increases a motion speed of the user object based on a detection of an applied swinging motion.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target is in the position frontward, when viewed from the user object, on the course in the forward direction.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a game program which is to be executed by a computer in a game apparatus which performs a game process of moving a user object in a game space, and the computer-readable storage medium that stores the game program causes the computer to execute instructions comprising:

acquiring operation data from an input device that is operated by the user;

calculating an inputted direction within the game space based on the operation data;

configuring, by utilizing the acquired operation data, a target within a predetermined range which is frontward in a forward direction of a course where the user object should move along and which is defined based on the course, the target being provided in order to determine a moving direction of the user object;

determining the moving direction of the user object based on a position of the user object and a position of the target;

moving the user object toward the determined moving direction,

wherein the target is configured by changing the position of the target configured in the immediately preceding process based on the movement of the user object changing in accordance with the inputted direction input from the input device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores the game program according to claim 9, wherein the game program causes the computer to further execute instructions comprising:

configuring, based on the operation data, a relative position from the center of the course, within the predetermined range defined based on the course,

wherein the target is configured to a position that corresponds to the relative position within the predetermined range.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores the game program according to claim 9, wherein the position of the target configured in the immediately preceding process is changed by further utilizing an alteration speed that indicates the degree of change of the inputted direction, and the target is configured by changing the position of the target such that the position of the target is influenced more by the inputted direction when the alteration speed is large.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores the game program according to claim 9, wherein a direction, which is calculated based on the inputted direction and a target direction that is from the user object toward the target, is determined as the moving direction.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores the game program according to claim 9, wherein the input device comprises a sensor that outputs data which enables calculation of an inclination of the input device, and wherein

the operation data comprises data that is outputted from the sensor.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores the game program according to claim 13, wherein:

the input device comprises two housings,

the two housings comprise acceleration sensors, one for each housing, as the sensor,

the operation data comprises two acceleration data outputted from each of the acceleration sensors,

an average value of inclinations of the two housings is calculated based on the two acceleration data, and

the inputted direction is calculated based on the average value.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores the game program according to according to claim 9, wherein

the input device comprises an acceleration sensor that outputs acceleration data which indicates an acceleration of the input device,

the game apparatus further comprises a swing-detecting unit for detecting a swinging motion applied to the input device based on the acceleration data outputted from the acceleration sensor, and

a motion speed of the user object is increased based on a detection of an applied swinging motion.

16. A game system, comprising:

a display device configured to display image data; and

a game apparatus that performs a game process of moving a user object within a game space, the game apparatus coupled to the display device and having one or more processors, the game apparatus comprising;

an operation data acquiring unit for acquiring operation data from an input device that is operated by the user,

an input direction calculating unit for calculating an inputted direction within the game space based on the operation data,

a target configuring unit for configuring, by utilizing the operation data, a target within a predetermined range which is frontward in a forward direction of a course where the user object should move along and which is defined based on the course, the target being provided in order to determine a moving direction of the user object,

a moving direction determining unit for determining the moving direction of the user object based on a position of the user object and a position of the target,

a moving unit for moving the user object toward the moving direction determined by the moving direction determining unit,

wherein the target configuring unit configures the target by changing the position of the target configured in the immediately preceding process based on the movement of the user object changing in accordance with the inputted direction input from the input device.

17. A method for performing a game process of moving a user object in a game space, the method implemented using an information processing apparatus having a memory and one or more processors, the method comprising:

acquiring operation data from an input device that is operated by the user;

calculating an inputted direction within the game space based on the operation data;

configuring, by utilizing the acquired operation data, a target within a predetermined range which is frontward in a forward direction of a course where the user object should move along and which is defined based on the course, the target being provided in order to determine a moving direction of the user object;

determining, via the one or more processors, the moving direction of the user object based on a position of the user object and a position of the target;

moving the user object toward the determined moving direction,

wherein the target is configured by changing the position of the target configured in the immediately preceding process based on the movement of the user object changing in accordance with the inputted direction input from the input device.