Game system, game process method, game device, and storage medium having game program stored thereon

• US 9,308,441 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Akifusa, Yusuke, Kiuchi, Toshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US13/598,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20130252736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 463 36- 39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• 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 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer

Abstract

An example game system accepts, as a first input, a predetermined game operation performed before the game control process. The attitude of the controller device when the first input was made is set as the tentative reference attitude. After the first input, the game system further accepts, as an additional input, a predetermined game operation performed in a state where the attitude of the controller device is within a predetermined range defined by the tentative reference attitude. In response to a predetermined number of additional inputs, the reference attitude is determined using at least one of the tentative reference attitude and attitudes of the controller device when the predetermined number of additional inputs were made. The game control process is executed based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude.

Claims

1. A game system for executing a game control process based on an attitude of a controller device in response to a predetermined game operation performed on the controller device, the game system comprising a computer processor, the game system being configured to at least perform:

a first input acceptance for accepting, as a first input, the predetermined game operation performed before the game control process;

a tentative reference setting for setting, as a tentative reference attitude, the attitude of the controller device when the first input was made;

an additional input acceptance for further accepting, as one or more additional inputs, the predetermined game operation performed after the first input in a state where the attitude of the controller device is within a predetermined range defined by the tentative reference attitude;

a reference attitude determination for determining, in response to a predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs, a reference attitude using at least one of the tentative reference attitude and attitudes of the controller device when the predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs were made; and

a control process for executing the game control process based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the control process unit-executes, as the game control process, a control of an action of an object based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude; and

the game system is further configured to perform an action control for executing a control of the same kind as the control of the action of the object executed in the game control process, in response to at least one of the first input and the predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs.

3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

the control process executes, as the game control process, a control of moving a first object in a direction determined based on the attitude of the controller device;

and

the action control executes a control of moving a second object, which is the same as or different from the first object, in a direction determined based on at least one of the first input and the predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs.

4. The game system according to claim 1, wherein in response to said one or more additional inputs having being made, the reference attitude determination updates the tentative reference attitude using the attitude of the controller device when the one or more additional inputs was made.

5. The game system according to claim 1, wherein when the predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs are made, the reference attitude determination determines the tentative reference attitude as the reference attitude.

6. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the game system is further configured to perform a cancellation for canceling the setting of the tentative reference attitude if the predetermined game operation is performed in a state where the attitude of the controller device is out of the predetermined range after the first input and before completion of the predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs,

wherein when the setting of the tentative reference attitude is canceled, the tentative reference setting re-sets, as the tentative reference attitude, the attitude of the controller device when the predetermined game operation was performed after the cancellation of the setting.

7. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the game system is further configured to perform a display control for generating an image representing a virtual space including a predetermined object therein, and displaying the image on a display device separate from the controller device when the first input and the one or more additional inputs have been accepted,

wherein the control process executes the game control process of calculating an action direction of an object in the virtual space based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude, and calculates, as the action direction, a direction corresponding to a display position of the predetermined object when the attitude of the controller device when the predetermined game operation is performed is equal to the reference attitude.

8. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the control process executes the game control process of determining an action direction of an object in a virtual space based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude;

the game system is further configured to perform an amount of change determination for determining an amount of change in the action direction with respect to an amount of change in the attitude based on a difference between at least two of the tentative reference attitude and attitudes associated with a plurality of said one or more additional inputs; and

the control process unit-executes the game control process based on the amount of change in the action direction.

9. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the game system is further configured to perform a display control for generating an image representing a virtual space including a plurality of predetermined objects therein, and displaying the image on a display device different from the controller device when the first input and the one or more additional inputs have been accepted;

the control process executes the game control process of calculating an action direction of an object in a virtual space based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude;

the game system is further configured to perform an amount of change determination for executing, for each input, a process of associating each of the first input and the one or more additional inputs with one of the plurality of objects, and determining an amount of change in the action direction with respect to an amount of change in the attitude of the controller device based on an amount of change between two attitudes associated with any two of the inputs and a distance between two objects associated with the two inputs; and

the control process executes the game control process based on the amount of change in the action direction.

10. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller device further comprises a position detector for detecting a position at which an input has been made on a predetermined input surface; and

the predetermined game operation is an operation of specifying a position on the input surface.

11. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller device comprises a sensor device including a gyrosensor and/or an acceleration sensor; and

the game system is further configured to perform an attitude calculation for calculating the attitude of the controller device based on an output from the sensor.

12. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the additional input acceptance does not accept, as an additional input, a predetermined game operation performed in a state where the attitude of the controller device is outside the predetermined range.

13. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the reference attitude determination is configured to determine the reference attitude in response to a plurality of the additional inputs.

14. A game process method to be carried out in a game system for executing a game control process based on an attitude of a controller device in response to a predetermined game operation made on the controller device, comprising:

accepting, as a first input, the predetermined game operation performed before the game control process;

setting, as a tentative reference attitude, the attitude of the controller device when the first input was made;

further accepting, as one or more additional inputs, the predetermined game operation performed after the first input in a state where the attitude of the controller device is within a predetermined range defined by the tentative reference attitude;

determining, in response to a predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs, a reference attitude using at least one of the tentative reference attitude and attitudes of the controller device when the predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs were made; and

executing, using a computer processor, the game control process based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude.

15. The game process method according to claim 14, further comprising:

not accepting, as an additional input, a predetermined game operation performed in a state where the attitude of the controller device is outside the predetermined range.

16. The game process method according to claim 14, wherein:

the reference attitude is determined in response to a plurality of the additional inputs.

17. The game process method according to claim 14, wherein:

the controller device further comprises a position detector for detecting a position at which an input has been made on a predetermined input surface; and

the predetermined game operation is an operation of specifying a position on the input surface.

18. The game process method according to claim 14, wherein:

the controller device comprises a sensor device including a gyrosensor and/or an acceleration sensor; and

the method further comprises performing an attitude calculation for calculating the attitude of the controller device based on an output from the sensor.

19. A game device for executing a game control process based on an attitude of a controller device in response to a predetermined game operation made on the controller device, comprising:

a computer system, comprising a computer processor, the computer system being configured at least to;

accept, as a first input, the predetermined game operation performed before the game control process;

set, as a tentative reference attitude, the attitude of the controller device when the first input was made;

further accept, as one or more additional inputs, the predetermined game operation performed after the first input in a state where the attitude of the controller device is within a predetermined range defined by the tentative reference attitude;

determine, in response to a predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs, a reference attitude using at least one of the tentative reference attitude and attitudes of the controller device when the predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs were made; and

execute the game control process based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude.

20. The game device according to claim 19, wherein:

the controller device further comprises a position detector for detecting a position at which an input has been made on a predetermined input surface; and

the predetermined game operation is an operation of specifying a position on the input surface.

21. The game device according to claim 19, wherein:

the controller device comprises a sensor device including a gyrosensor and/or an acceleration sensor; and

wherein the computer system is further configured to perform an attitude calculation for calculating the attitude of the controller device based on an output from the sensor.

22. The game device according to claim 19, wherein the computer system is configured to not accept, as an additional input, a predetermined game operation performed in a state where the attitude of the controller device is outside the predetermined range.

23. The game device according to claim 19, wherein the computer system is configured to determine the reference attitude in response to a plurality of the additional inputs.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a game program to be executed by a computer of a game device for executing a game control process based on an attitude of a controller device in response to a predetermined game operation made on the controller device, the game program causing the computer to provide execution comprising:

accepting, as a first input, the predetermined game operation performed before the game control process;

setting, as a tentative reference attitude, the attitude of the controller device when the first input was made;

further accepting, as one or more additional inputs, the predetermined game operation performed after the first input in a state where the attitude of the controller device is within a predetermined range defined by the tentative reference attitude;

determining, in response to a predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs, a reference attitude using at least one of the tentative reference attitude and attitudes of the controller device when the predetermined number of said one or more additional inputs were made; and

executing the game control process based on the attitude of the controller device and the reference attitude.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the execution comprises not accepting, as an additional input, a predetermined game operation performed in a state where the attitude of the controller device is outside the predetermined range.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the execution comprises determining the reference attitude in response to a plurality of the additional inputs.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein:

the controller device further comprises a position detector for detecting a position at which an input has been made on a predetermined input surface; and

the predetermined game operation is an operation of specifying a position on the input surface.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein:

the controller device comprises a sensor device including a gyrosensor and/or an acceleration sensor; and

the execution further comprises performing an attitude calculation for calculating the attitude of the controller device based on an output from the sensor.