Storage medium storing object control program and information processing apparatus

• US 20070024597A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Hirofumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,207,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes, for example, a touch panel placed over a display screen. For example, when a start of a touch input is detected, the first-touch-input coordinates are determined as object generation coordinates and an object is displayed in the coordinates. When an input direction based on coordinates continuously detected after the object generation coordinates until, for example, a touch-off is determined to be a predetermined direction, the object is moved in a specific direction. Alternatively, an input direction is determined based on coordinates continuously detected after the object generation coordinates until a touch-off, and then, based on the input direction, the direction opposite to the input direction, for example, is determined to be a moving direction and the object is moved in the moving direction.

Claims

1. A storage medium having an object control program of an information processing apparatus that displays on a display means an object to be generated and moved according to an input from an input means, wherein

said object control program causes a processor of the information processing apparatus to perform steps of:

a detection step of detecting coordinates inputted from the input means;

a first determination step of determining whether a first condition is satisfied, based on a detection result obtained in said detection step;

a generation coordinate determination step of determining, as object generation coordinates, coordinates detected in said detection step when said first condition is determined to be satisfied in said first determination step;

an object generation step of generating the object in said object generation coordinates determined in said generation coordinate determination step; and

an object control step of controlling a movement of the object based on continuous detection results obtained in said detection step after said object generation coordinates.

2. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 1, wherein

said object control program causes the processor to further perform a second determination step of determining whether a second condition is satisfied, based on at least one set of coordinates which are continuously detected in said detection step after said first condition is determined to be satisfied in said first determination step, and

in said object control step, when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step, the movement of the object generated in said object generation step starts.

3. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 2, wherein in said object control step, when detection in said detection step is over after the continuous detection, the movement of the object generated in said object generation step starts.

4. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 1, wherein in said object control step, a parameter for the movement of the object is determined based on at least one set of the coordinates which are continuously detected in said detection step.

5. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 2, wherein

said object control program causes the processor to further perform a third condition determination step of determining whether the coordinates detected while continuous detection is performed in said detection step after said object generation coordinates satisfy a third condition, and

in said object control step, the movement of the object is controlled on condition that said third condition is determined to be satisfied in said third condition determination step.

6. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 5, wherein in said third condition determination step, it is determined whether the coordinates detected while continuous detection is performed in said detection step after said object generation coordinates are distanced by a predetermined distance from said object generation coordinates.

7. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 2, wherein in said object control step, when the continuous detection results obtained in said detection step after said object generation coordinates satisfy said second condition, the object generated in said object generation step is moved in a certain direction.

8. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 7, wherein in said second determination step, it is determined whether coordinates which satisfy said second condition and are detected while continuous detection is performed in said detection step succeeding to said object generation coordinates after said first condition is determined to be satisfied in said first determination step are present in a direction of a predetermined range having, as a center, the same direction as or a direction opposite to the certain direction from said object generation coordinates.

9. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 1, wherein

said object control program causes the processor to further perform steps of:

a fourth condition determination step of determining whether the coordinates detected in said detection step while continuous detection is performed in said detection step after said object generation coordinates satisfy a fourth condition; and

an object elimination step of eliminating the object generated in said object generation step when said fourth condition is determined to be satisfied in said fourth condition determination step.

10. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 9, wherein in said fourth condition determination step, as said fourth condition, a fact is determined that before the coordinates go outside of a second region which is provided with respect to said object generation coordinates, detection in said detection step is over, the coordinates being detected in said detection step while continuous detection is performed in said detection step after said object generation coordinates.

11. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 9, wherein in said fourth condition determination step, as said fourth condition, a fact is determined that the coordinates go outside of a third region which is provided with respect to said object generation coordinates, the coordinates being detected in said detection step while continuous detection is performed in said detection step after said object generation coordinates.

12. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 11, wherein in said object control step, in a case that detection in said detection step is over after the continuous detection, when the coordinates detected, in said detection step, immediately before the detection is over are within a fourth region which is provided with respect to the object generation coordinates different from the object generation coordinates for said third region, the movement of the object generated in said object generation step starts.

13. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 12, wherein said third region is present in all directions of said object generation coordinates, and said fourth region is present only in a predetermined direction of said object generation coordinates.

14. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 2, wherein

said second condition includes that an input direction is a predetermined direction, said input direction being based on said object generation coordinates and at least one set of coordinates which are continuously detected in said detection step after said object generation coordinates, and

in said object control step, the object is moved when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step.

15. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 14, wherein

the input means is for detecting coordinates on the display means, and

said predetermined direction in said second condition is the same direction as or a direction opposite to a moving direction of the object in said object control step.

16. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 15, wherein

said predetermined direction is a direction having a positive component of a first direction, and

the moving direction of the object is a direction opposite to said first direction.

17. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 15, wherein said predetermined direction falls within a range of less than 90 degrees centering a first direction, and the moving direction of the object is a direction opposite to said first direction.

18. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 2, wherein

said object control step further includes steps of:

an input direction determination step of determining an input direction by the input means, based on said object generation coordinates and at least one set of coordinates which are continuously detected in said detection step after said object generation coordinates; and

a moving direction determination step of determining a moving direction of the object based on said input direction determined in said input direction determination step, and

when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step, the object is moved in the moving direction determined in said moving direction determination step.

19. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 18, wherein in said input direction determination step, a direction that connects said object generation coordinates with coordinates detected in said detection step when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step is determined to be said input direction.

20. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 18, wherein in the moving direction determination step, a reversed direction from said input direction is determined to be the moving direction of the object.

21. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 18, wherein

in said input direction determination step, based on coordinates detected in said detection step during a time period from when said first condition is determined to be satisfied in said first determination step until when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step, said input direction for each time period is determined,

in said moving direction determination step, based on said input direction for each time period, a moving direction of the object for each time period is determined,

in said object generation step, the objects different from each other for each time period are generated for each object generation coordinates, and

in said object control step, each object is moved in each moving direction determined for each time periods.

22. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 1, wherein in said object generation step, different objects are generated for different determinations in said generation coordinate determination step.

23. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 2, wherein in said object generation step, the object is generated when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step.

24. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 2, wherein in said object generation step, when, during a time period from when said first condition is determined to be satisfied in said first determination step until when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step, it is further determined in said first determination step that said first condition is satisfied, a first object is generated in said object generation coordinates which are determined when said first condition which is a first one is determined to be satisfied, and a second object is generated in said object generation coordinates which are determined when said first condition which is a second one is determined to be satisfied, the second object being different from the first object.

25. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 1, wherein

said object control program causes the processor to further perform a time measurement step of measuring a time during which coordinates detected in said detection step are continuously present within a predetermined region from said object generation coordinates, after said first condition is determined to be satisfied in said first determination step, and

said object control step includes a first characteristic setting step of setting at least one of type data on the object and a movement parameter of the object, according to said time measured in said time measurement step.

26. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 2, wherein

said object control program causes the processor to further perform a distance calculation step of calculating a distance between said object generation coordinates and coordinates detected in said detection step when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step, and

said object control step includes a second characteristic setting step of setting at least one of type data on the object and a movement parameter of the object, according to said distance calculated in said distance calculation step.

27. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 1, wherein said object control step includes a third characteristic setting step of setting at least one of type data on the object and a movement parameter of the object, according to said object generation coordinates determined in said generation coordinate determination step.

28. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 1, wherein

said object control program causes the processor to further perform steps of:

a shooting target control step of controlling generation and movement of a shooting target object;

a collision determination step of determining whether there is a collision between the object and the shooting target object; and

a collision step of eliminating the shooting target object when it is determined in said collision determination step that the object has collided with the shooting target object.

29. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 28, wherein

said shooting target control step includes an endurance setting step of setting endurance data for each shooting target object, and

said collision step includes a subtraction step of subtracting, when it is determined in said collision determination step that the object has collided with the shooting target object, endurance indicated by the endurance data on the shooting target object, and the shooting target object is eliminated when the endurance after the subtraction in said subtraction step becomes lower than or equal to a predetermined threshold value.

30. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 29, wherein

said object control program causes the processor to further perform a time measurement step of measuring, for each object, a time during which, after said first condition is determined to be satisfied in said first determination step, coordinates detected in said detection step are continuously present within a predetermined region from said object generation coordinates, and

in said collision step, the longer the time measured in said time measurement step for the object having collided with the shooting target object, the larger a value to be subtracted from the endurance data on the shooting target object.

31. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 29, wherein

said object control program causes the processor to further perform a distance calculation step of calculating, for each object, a distance between said object generation coordinates and coordinates detected in said detection step when said second condition is determined to be satisfied in said second determination step, and

in said collision step, the longer said distance calculated in said distance calculation step for the object having collided with the shooting target object, the larger a value to be subtracted from the endurance data on the shooting target object.

32. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 29, wherein in said collision step, according to said object generation coordinates of the object having collided with the shooting target object, a value to be subtracted from the endurance data on the shooting target object is changed.

33. A storage medium storing an object control program according to claim 1, wherein the input means includes a touch panel placed over a display screen of the display means.

34. A storage medium storing an object control program of an information processing apparatus that displays on a display means an object to be generated and moved according to an input from an input means, wherein

said object control program causes a processor of the information processing apparatus to perform steps of:

a detection step of detecting coordinates inputted from the input means;

a first determination step of determining whether a first condition is satisfied, based on a detection result obtained in said detection step;

a generation coordinate determination step of determining, as object generation coordinates, coordinates detected in said detection step when said first condition is determined to be satisfied in said first determination step;

an object generation step of generating the object in said object generation coordinates determined in said generation coordinate determination step;

an outside-of-region determination step of determining whether the coordinates detected in said detection step while continuous detection is performed in said detection step after said object generation coordinates are outside of a first region which is provided with respect to said object generation coordinates;

an object control step of starting a movement of the object generated in said object generation step, when detection in said detection step is over after the coordinates detected during the continuous detection are determined to be outside of said first region in said outside-of-region determination step; and

an object elimination step of eliminating the object generated in said object generation step, when detection in said detection step is over before the coordinates detected during the continuous detection are determined to be outside of said first region in said outside-of-region determination step.

35. An information processing apparatus that displays on a display means an object to be generated and moved according to an input from an input means, comprising;

detection means for detecting coordinates inputted from said input means;

first determination means for determining whether a first condition is satisfied, based on a detection result obtained by said detection means;

generation coordinate determination means for determining, as object generation coordinates, coordinates detected by said detection means when said first condition is determined to be satisfied by said first determination means;

object generation means for generating the object in said object generation coordinates determined by said generation coordinate determination means; and

object control means for controlling a movement of the object based on continuous detection results obtained by said detection means after said object generation coordinates.

36. An information processing apparatus that displays on a display means an object to be generated and moved according to an input from an input means, comprising;

detection means for detecting coordinates inputted from said input means;

first determination means for determining whether a first condition is satisfied, based on a detection result obtained by said detection means;

generation coordinate determination means for determining, as object generation coordinates, coordinates detected by said detection means when said first condition is determined to be satisfied by said first determination means;

object generation means for generating the object in said object generation coordinates determined by said generation coordinate determination means;

outside-of-region determination means for determining whether the coordinates detected by said detection means while continuous detection is performed by said detection means after said object generation coordinates are outside of a first region which is provided with respect to said object generation coordinates;

object control means for starting a movement of the object generated by said object generation means, when detection by said detection means is over after the coordinates detected during the continuous detection are determined to be outside of said first region by said outside-of-region determination means; and

object elimination means for eliminating the object generated by said object generation means, when detection by said detection means is over before the coordinates detected during the continuous detection are determined to be outside of said first region by said outside-of-region determination means.