Transparent user interface game control processing method, apparatus, and medium

• US 9,517,411 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Inventors: Ando, Takehiro, Aoyagi, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Amy M
• Application Number:
  US13/093,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 715705-711, 715/714, 715/716, 715719-722, 715/726, 715754-755, 715/757, 715/768, 715/771, 715/773, 715/850, 715/851, 715856-858, 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• 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 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6027 using adaptive systems learning from user actions, e.g. for skill level adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface processing apparatus is provided. A user interface element such as a virtual controller is displayed on a display screen. When an operation to the displayed user interface element is received from a player, the application is controlled in accordance with the received operation. A learning level of the player is determined in accordance with a control state of the application, such as utilization time of the application and the number of executions of a predetermined function in the application. The transparency is increased in accordance with the determined learning level. In a case where it is detected that an operation state of the user interface element continues for a certain period of time, transparency of the user interface element to increase is determined. The user interface element is displayed with the determined transparency.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a progress of a video game, the apparatus comprising:

a touch panel display that displays a user interface element on a display screen, the user interface element being displayed after the display screen is touched for at least a predetermined period of time; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by an application controller, cause the application controller to perform operations including;

controlling the video game in accordance with an operation to the user interface element displayed on the display screen;

determining a learning level of a player in accordance with a total play time of the video game by the player; and

determining transparency of the user interface element,

wherein the transparency of the user interface element increases incrementally in accordance with increases in the learning level,

the touch panel display displays the user interface element with the transparency determined by the application controller, and

the application controller increases the transparency of the user interface element as a distance of a same operation to the touch panel display increases, the distance being between an initial touched position and a current touched position on the display screen, the application controller further increasing a movement speed of an object which is an operation target in the video game in accordance with the distance.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application controller further determines the learning level in accordance with a number of executions of a predetermined function in the video game.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel display receives a touch by means of a touch operation by the player, detects a touched position when the touch is received, and determines, after the touch is received, whether a touched state is terminated,

the touch panel display displays the user interface element at a predetermined position according to the touched position detected by the touch panel display when the touch is received by the touch panel display, and

the touch panel display terminates the display of the user interface element when the touch panel display determines that the touched state is terminated.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the touch panel display continuously detects the touched position until the touched state is terminated after the touch is received,

the touch panel display detects a moving direction instruction operation specified based upon a direction from the initial touched position to the current touched position, the initial touched position being a position detected by the touch panel display when the touch is first received, the current touched position being a position on the touch panel display currently detected by the touch panel display after the initial touched position is detected, and

the application controller moves the object which is the operational target in the video game in the direction from the initial touched position to the current touched position in accordance with the moving direction instruction operation.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the user interface element is a virtual controller that includes a controller body formed in a substantially circular shape and an operating section capable of moving in an arbitrary direction from a center position of the controller body, and

the touch panel display fixedly displays the controller body at the predetermined position corresponding to the initial touched position, and displays the operating section movably in the direction from the initial touched position to the current touched position using a center position of the controller body as a base point.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the receiver receives a movement speed instruction operation specified based upon the distance between the initial touched position and the current touched position, and

the movement speed corresponds to the distance between the initial touched position and the current touched position in accordance with the movement speed instruction operation.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the user interface element is a virtual controller that includes a controller body formed in a substantially circular shape and an operating section capable of moving in an arbitrary direction from a center position of the controller body, and

the touch panel display fixedly displays the controller body at the predetermined position corresponding to the initial touched position, and displays the operating section so as to move away from the initial touched position in a stepwise manner in accordance with the distance between the initial touched position and the current touched position in the direction from the initial touched position to the current touched position using a center position of the controller body as a base point.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the touch panel display displays the user interface element when the touched state on the touch panel display continues for the predetermined period of time after the touch panel display receives the touch.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface element is a virtual controller.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application controller further determines the learning level in accordance with a number of cleared stages by the player in the video game.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application controller further determines the learning level in accordance with a number of mistakes by the player in the video game.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the application controller further determines the learning level in accordance with a number of repetitive actions due to the mistakes by the player in the video game.

13. A method of controlling a progress of a video game, the method comprising:

displaying a user interface element on a display screen after the display screen is touched for at least a predetermined period of time;

receiving an operation to the user interface element displayed on the display screen;

controlling the video game in accordance with the operation received in the receiving the operation;

determining a learning level of a player in accordance with a total play time of the video game by the player; and

determining transparency of the user interface element,

wherein, in the determining the transparency, the transparency is determined to increase incrementally in accordance with increases in the learning level,

in the displaying the user interface element, the user interface element is displayed with the transparency determined in the determining the transparency, and

in the displaying the user interface element, the transparency of the user interface element increases as a distance of a same operation to the touch panel display increases, the distance being between an initial touched position and a current touched position on the display screen, a movement speed of an object which is an operation target in the video game being increased in accordance with the distance.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the user interface element is a virtual controller.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the learning level is further determined in accordance with a number of mistakes by the player in the video game.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a computer program for controlling a progress of a video game, the computer program causing a computer to execute:

displaying a user interface element on a display screen after the display screen is touched for at least a predetermined period of time;

receiving an operation to the user interface element displayed on the display screen;

controlling the video game in accordance with the operation received to the user interface element;

determining a learning level of a player in accordance with a total play time of the video game by the player; and

determining transparency of the user interface element,

wherein, in the determining the transparency, the transparency is determined to increase incrementally in accordance with increases in the learning level,

in the displaying the user interface element, the user interface element is displayed with the transparency determined in the determining the transparency, and

in the displaying the user interface element, the transparency of the user interface element increases as a distance of a same operation to the touch panel display increases, the distance being between an initial touched position and a current touched position on the display screen, a movement speed of an object which is an operation target in the video game being increased in accordance with the distance.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the user interface element is a virtual controller.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the learning level is further determined in accordance with a number of mistakes by the player in the video game.