Game apparatus

• US 6,589,120 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2000
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Namco Limited (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US09/693,371
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/2, 463/5, 463/23, 463/30, 463/31-32, 463/43, 463/47-- 4, 463/49-57, 463/38, 463/37, 345/952, 273/127.R, 273/461, 273/108.1, 273/237, 273/108
• US Class Current: 463/51
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/643 by determining the impact between objects, e.g. collision detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0291 with a simulated projectile, e.g. an image on a screen

Abstract

A game apparatus, a method of preparing a game image and information storage medium are disclosed wherein, in the case of a player character moving in a three-dimensional game space, a plurality of viewpoint positions including the player characters in a view range are set, and wherein a plurality of two-dimensional images with different details are produced corresponding to each viewpoint position.

Claims

1. A game apparatus comprising:

display unit for displaying a game image including a character on a screen;

position specifying unit for specifying an arbitrary position on said screen by a predetermined operation;

character movement setting unit for making said character to perform a prescribed movement when said arbitrary position specified by said position specifying unit approaches a display position of said character displayed on said screen;

arrival time prediction unit for predicting time which it takes said arbitrary position to arrive at a third area including the display position of said character, based on a moving speed and a moving direction of said arbitrary position specified by said position specifying unit,

wherein said character movement setting unit makes said character to perform the prescribed movement when the time predicted by the arrival time prediction unit is within a predetermined time.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position specifying unit includes a gun-type controller, and

wherein an arbitrary position on said screen specified by said position specifying unit is an aiming position of said gun-type controller.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said gun type-controller comprises a light emitting section for emitting light toward said aiming position, said game apparatus comprising:

a screen made of translucent material arranged so as to cover said display unit;

a camera for photographing an irradiation position of the light emitted from said light emitting section on said screen;

aiming position calculating unit for calculating said aiming position based on said irradiation position on said screen photographed by said camera.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said light emitting section emits light with infrared wavelengths.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position specifying unit comprises a dedicated controller including a movement operating section provided with a cross cursor key or a joystick, and

wherein an arbitrary position on said screen specified by said position specifying unit is a display position of an indication moving on said screen according to operation of said movement operating section.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said character movement setting unit makes said character to perform the prescribed movement when the display position of said character is included in a first area including said arbitrary position specified by said position specifying unit.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said character movement setting unit makes said character to perform the prescribed movement when said arbitrary position specified by said position specifying unit is included in a second area including the display position of said character.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said character movement setting unit variably set said prescribed movement to be performed afterwards depending upon the movement of said character performed before said prescribed movement.

9. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising distance calculating unit for calculating a distance between said arbitrary position specified by said position specifying unit and the display position of said character,

wherein said character movement setting unit variably set said prescribed movement of said character depending upon the distance calculated by said distance calculating unit.

10. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising speed calculating unit for calculating moving speed of said arbitrary position specified by said position specifying unit,

wherein said character movement setting unit variably set said prescribed movement of said character depending upon the moving speed calculated by said speed calculating unit.