Game system and information storage medium

• US 6,471,586 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1999
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Namco Limited (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Ouchi, Satoru, Aiki, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Neill, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROCKETTI, JULIE K
• Application Number:
  US09/442,008
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/6, 463/7, 463/23, 463/36, 463/39, 434/29, 434/61, 434/1, 472/59, 472/60, 472/95, 472/96, 472/97
• US Class Current: 463/6
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/428 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 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

A game system for providing players with a higher sense of presence, a virtual reality environment and real-life simulations. A forward lean position of a player is detected by a forward lean position detector to carry out game computation to control a moving object on a screen according to operation information supplied by the player, including information indicative of the detected forward lean position. A force to rotate the moving object, a speed of the moving object and a motion of a cartoon character on the screen are controlled according to the forward lean position information. An information storage medium applicable to such a game system is also provided.

Claims

1. A game system, comprising:

a mounting member which a player mounts and maneuvers to perform a game operation;

a detector detecting a forward lean position of the player based at least on the player'"'"'s maneuvering of the mounting member;

a processor carrying out game computation according to operation information supplied by the player, the operation information including information indicative of the forward lean position of the player; and

means for carrying out game processing to create at least one of a game image and a game sound according to a computation result.

2. A game system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a controller which controls a moving object traveling in an object space according to the forward lean position information in response to the operation information supplied by the player.

3. A game system as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of a force to rotate the moving object, a speed of the moving object and a motion of the moving object is controlled by said controller according to the forward lean position information.

4. A game system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the speed of the moving object is controlled by changing information indicative of an air resistance coefficient of the moving object according to the forward lean position information.

5. A game system as claimed in claim 2, wherein a force to accelerate a moving object is controlled according to a force in the forward lean position information obtained at the beginning of movement of a moving object.

6. A game system as claimed in claim 5, wherein a force component contributing to a rotation of a moving object is separated from a force component contributing to a translation motion of the same moving object.

7. A game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detector detecting the forward lean position of the player senses a distance between the player and the detector which is disposed in front of the player.

8. A game system, comprising:

a mounting member which a player mounts and maneuvers to perform a game operation;

a detector detecting a distance from the player based at least on the player'"'"'s maneuvering of the mounting member;

a processor carrying out game computation according to operation information supplied by the player, the operation information including information indicative of the distance from the player; and

means for carrying out game processing to create at least one of a game image and a game sound according to a computation result.

9. A storage medium storing information readable by a computer, the storage medium, comprising:

information for use in game computation according to operation information supplied by a player mounting on a mounting member and maneuvering the mounting member, the operation information including information indicative of a forward lean position of the player detected by a detector detecting the forward lean position of the player based at least on the player'"'"'s maneuvering of the mounting member; and

information for use in carrying out game processing to create at least one of a game image and a game sound according to a computation result.

10. A storage medium storing information readable by a computer, the storage medium, comprising:

information for use in game computation according to operation information supplied by a player mounting on a mounting member and maneuvering the mounting member, the operation information including information indicative of a distance from the player detected by a detector detecting the distance from the player based at least on the player'"'"'s maneuvering of the mounting member; and

information for use in carrying out game processing to create at least one of a game image and a game sound according to a computation result.

11. A game system, comprising:

a control device operated by a player;

a mounting member which the player mounts and maneuvers to perform a game operation;

a detector adapted to detect a forward lean position of the player to produce data indicative of the forward lean position of the player as position data based at least on the player'"'"'s maneuvering of the mounting member; and

a processor connected to said control device and said detector, said processor being configured to carry out game computation to provide at least one of game scenery graphics and sounds in response to data supplied by the player through said control device and the position data supplied from said detector.

12. A game system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said detector is disposed away from said mounting member.

13. A game system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said detector comprises a light transmitter and a light receiver, said transmitter being disposed on one side of the mounting member, said receiver being disposed the other side of the mounting member.

14. A game system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said detector is disposed on said mounting member at a position in front of the player.

15. A game system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a display disposed in a field of view of the player to display the game scenery graphics thereon, the game scenery graphics including an object space having a moving object therein and a motion of the moving object being associated with a motion of the player.

16. A game system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

17. A game system as claimed in claim 15, wherein a force to rotate the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

18. A game system as claimed in claim 15, wherein a speed of the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

19. A game system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the speed of the moving object is controlled by changing an air resistance coefficient for the moving object.

20. A game system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the motion of the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

21. A game system as claimed in claim 15, wherein an accelerating force on the moving object is controlled according to the position data that is obtained at the beginning of a movement of the moving object.

22. A game system as claimed in claim 15, wherein a force acting on the moving object is divided into a force component contributing to a rotation of the moving object and a force component contributing to a translation motion thereof.

23. A game system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said processor comprises:

rotation force controlling means for controlling a force to rotate a moving object;

speed controlling means for controlling a speed of the moving object;

motion controlling means for controlling a motion of the moving object; and

accelerating force controlling means for controlling an accelerating force on the moving object.

24. A game system, comprising:

a control device operated by a player;

a mounting member which the player mounts and maneuvers to perform a game operation;

a detector adapted to detect a forward lean position of the player to produce data indicative of the forward lean position of the player as a position data based at least on the player'"'"'s maneuvering of the mounting member;

a processor connected to said control device and said detector, said processor being configured to carry out game computation to provide at least one of game scenery graphics and sounds in response to data supplied by the player through said control device and the data supplied from said detector; and

a display disposed in a field of view of the player to display the game scenery graphics thereon, the game scenery graphics including an object space having a moving object therein and a motion of the moving object being associated with a motion of the player, and

wherein said processor comprises;

rotation force controlling means for controlling a force to rotate the moving object;

speed controlling means for controlling a speed of the moving object;

motion controlling means for controlling a motion of the moving object; and

accelerating force controlling means for controlling an accelerating force on the moving object.

25. A game system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the force to rotate the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

26. A game system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the speed of the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

27. A game system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the motion of the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

28. A game system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the speed of the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

29. A game system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the accelerating force on the moving object is controlled according to the position data.

30. A game system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the accelerating force on the moving object is controlled according to the position data.