Storage medium storing game program and game apparatus therefor

• US 20060227139A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Momose, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,558,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/441
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/55 Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

The present invention is a storage medium storing a game program to be executed by a computer in a game apparatus comprising an input device for detecting positions designated by a player on an input surface. The game apparatus calculates an input graphic drawn on the input surface by using the positions detected by the input device. The game apparatus further calculates a degree of similarity between a share of each reference pattern indicated by previously stored shape data and a shape of the input graphic. Also, the game apparatus sets a reference value to each of the reference patterns. The game apparatus identifies the shape of the input graphic from among a plurality of reference patterns by using a result obtained by performing a predetermined calculation for each of the plurality of reference patterns through using the degree of similarity and the reference value set to one process is performed in accordance with the identified shape.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing a game program to be executed by a computer in a game apparatus comprising an input device for detecting positions designated by a player on an input surface, wherein

a storage device of the game apparatus stores shape data indicating, for a plurality of reference patterns, a shape of a reference pattern among the plurality of reference patterns,

the storage medium storing the game program for the computer to function as:

graphic calculation means for calculating an input graphic drawn on the input surface by using the positions detected by the input device;

degree or similarity calculation means or calculating, for each of the plurality of reference patterns, a degree of similarity between a shape of one of the plurality of reference patterns indicated by the shape data stored in the storage device and a shape of the input graphic;

reference value setting means for setting a reference value to each of the plurality of reference patterns;

identification means for identifying the shape of the input graphic from among the plurality of reference patterns by using a result obtained by performing a predetermined calculation for each of the plurality of reference patterns through using the degree of similarity and the reference value set to the reference pattern corresponding to the degree of similarity; and

game processing means for performing a game process in accordance with the shape identified by the identification means.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the graphic calculation means calculates at least one input graphic by using positions detected within a predetermined time limit,

the degree or similarity calculation means calculates the degree of similarity between each of the at least one input graphic and each of the plurality of reference patterns,

the identification means identifies a shape of each of the at least one input graphic from among the plurality of reference patterns by using the degree of similarity and the reference value, and

the game processing means performs a game process in accordance with the shape or the at least one input graphic.

3. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the reference value setting means sets a different value to the reference value to be set for each of the plurality of reference patterns in accordance with an order of input of the input graphic.

4. The storage medium according to claim 3, wherein

the game processing means performs a different game process in accordance with the shape of the input graphic and the magnitude of the reference value set to the reference pattern corresponding to the input graphic.

5. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the reference value setting means sets a different value to the reference value to be set for each of the plurality of reference patterns in accordance with a remained time period from a start of an input of the input graphic until the predetermined time limit is reached.

6. The storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

the game processing means performs a different game process in accordance with the shape of the input graphic and the magnitude of the reference value set to the reference pattern corresponding to the input graphic.

7. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further function as input acceptance means for accepting an input value for the reference value of a predetermined reference pattern, and

the reference value setting means sets the input value accepted by the input acceptance means as the reference value of the predetermined reference pattern.

8. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein

the game processing means performs a different game process in accordance with the shape of the input graphic and the magnitude of the reference value set to the reference pattern corresponding to the input graphic.

9. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the game program causes the computer to further function as history storage control means or storing, in the game apparatus, a history for the degree of similarity calculated by the degree of similarity calculation means for the reference pattern, and

the reference value setting means changes the reference value to be set for the reference pattern in accordance with the history, for the degree of similarity of the reference pattern, stored in the game apparatus.

10. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the graphic calculation means includes:

detection means for detecting a trace drawn on the input surface as coordinate points in chronological order;

coordinate point selection means for selecting coordinate points representing the trace from among a group or coordinate points in which the detected coordinate points are arranged in chronological order;

length calculation means for calculating lengths of line segments obtained by connecting the selected coordinate points in chronological order; and

angle calculation means for calculating, for each line segment, an absolute angle which the line segment forms with a previously determined reference straight line or a relative angle which the line segment forms with a line segment adjacent thereto,

the input graphic is indicated by the length of each line segment calculated by the length calculation means and the absolute angle or otherwise the relative angle calculated by the angle calculation means, and

the degree of similarity calculation means calculates, by comparing a trace graph in an orthogonal coordinate system, whose first axis indicates a distance from a starting point or an ending point of the selected coordinate points to each coordinate point along the line segment and whose second axis indicates an angle of the line segment whose start point is one of the selected coordinate point, with reference pattern graphs each respectively representing a plurality of types of previously prepared reference patterns in the orthogonal coordinate system, a degree of similarity between the trace graph and a reference pattern graph among the reference pattern graphs.

11. A game apparatus comprising an input device for detecting positions designated by a player on an input surface, comprising:

reference pattern storage means for storing shape data indicating, for a plurality of reference patterns, a shape of a reference pattern among the plurality of reference patterns;

graphic calculation means for calculating an input graphic drawn on the input surface by using the positions detected by the input device;

degree of similarity calculation means for calculating for each of the plurality of reference patterns, a degree of similarity between a shape of one of the plurality of reference patterns indicated by the shape data stored in the storage device and a shape of the input graphic;

reference value setting means for setting a reference value to each of the plurality of reference patterns;

identification means for identifying the shape of the input graphic from among the plurality of reference patterns by using a result obtained by performing a predetermined calculation for each of the plurality or reference patterns through using the degree of similarity and the reference value set to the reference pattern corresponding to the degree of similarity; and

game processing means for performing a game process in accordance with the shape identified by the identification means.