Video game apparatus and method with enhanced virtual camera control

• US 6,612,930 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2001
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Yoichi, Ogawa, Masatoshi, Umemiya, Hiroshi, Kawagoe, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sager, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASHBURN, STEVEN L
• Application Number:
  US10/042,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20030104864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 463/3, 463/4, 463/7, 463/31-33, 343/427
• US Class Current: 463/33
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• 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 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6669 using a plurality of virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character change rooms
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

A video game apparatus includes a CPU. The CPU detects a camera code of a land object at a foot of a player object. According to the camera code, any one is selected of a first virtual camera, a second virtual camera, . . . , a fifth virtual camera. A selected virtual camera is controlled according to a corresponding camera control program. That is, the plurality of virtual cameras provided in a virtual three dimensional space are to be selected by the camera codes contained in the land objects.

Claims

1. A video game apparatus for generating, and supplying to a display, an image signal to display a player object existing on a land object in a virtual three dimensional space by processing image data for the player object and land object, said video game apparatus comprising:

a player object image data generating means for generating player object image data to display a player object;

land object image data generating means for generating land object image data to display a land object, wherein

said land object image data includes a camera code;

a plurality of virtual cameras previously set up in order to shoot said player object existing in said virtual three dimensional space;

a camera code detecting means for detecting said camera code in relation to a position of said player object;

a camera selecting means for selecting one of said plurality of virtual cameras in accordance with said camera code; and

an image signal generating means for generating an image signal due to shooting said player object by a virtual camera selected by said camera selecting means.

2. A video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of virtual cameras is a movable camera which follows a movement of said player object, and

said image signal generating means including a movable camera control means to control said movable camera.

3. A video game apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of said plurality of virtual cameras is a zoom camera, and

said image signal generating means including a zoom camera control means to control said zoom camera.

4. A video game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said land object includes a partition wall to partition a part of said virtual three dimensional space, said player object being allowed to move passing through said partition wall from one to another side of said partition wall,

said zoom camera being provided on said other side of said partition wall, and

said zoom camera control means controlling said zoom camera such that said zoom camera shoots in different forms said player object having moved to said other side.

5. A video game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said zoom camera control means controls said zoom camera such that said zoom camera shoots over a comparatively wide range including said player object immediately after said player object have moved to said other side and thereafter shoots a comparatively narrow range including said player object.

6. A storage medium to be applied to a video game apparatus for generating, and supplying to a display, an image signal to display a player object existing on a land object in a virtual three dimensional space by processing image data for the player object and land object, and stored with a program to be processed by an information processing means included in said video game apparatus, said memory medium comprising:

a player object image data generating program for generating player object image data to display a player object;

a land object image data generating program for generating land object image data to display a land object, wherein

said land object image data includes a camera code;

a plurality of virtual cameras previously set up in order to shoot said player object existing in said virtual three dimensional space;

a camera code detecting program for detecting said camera code in relation to a position of said player object;

a camera selecting program for selecting one of said plurality of virtual cameras in accordance with said camera code; and

an image signal generating program for generating an image signal due to shooting said player object by a virtual camera selected by said camera selecting program.

7. A video game apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one of said plurality of virtual cameras is a movable camera which can follow a movement of said player object, and

said image signal generating program including a movable camera control program to control said movable camera.

8. A video game apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of virtual cameras is a zoom camera, and

said image signal generating program including a zoom camera control program to control said zoom camera.

9. A video game apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said land object includes a partition wall to partition a part of said virtual three dimensional space, said player object being allowed to move passing through said partition wall from one to another side of said partition wall;

said zoom camera being provided on said other side of said partition wall, and

said zoom camera control program controlling said zoom camera such that said zoom camera shoots in different forms said player object having moved to said other side.

10. A video game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said zoom camera control program controls said zoom camera such that said zoom camera shoots over a comparatively wide range including said player object immediately after said player object have moved to said other side and thereafter shoots a comparatively narrow range including said player object.