Game system displaying a game world on a common display and an individual display

• US 7,115,031 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2002
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawase, Tomohiro, Araki, Tsutomu, Sawano, Takao, Miyamoto, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US10/135,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20020165028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/30, 463/31, 463/32, 463/40, 463/43, 463/37, 343/733, 343/737, 343/747, 343/750, 343/751, 343/759, 343/761, 343/778, 343/866, 343/4, 343/964, 273/148.B, 273/148.R
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• 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 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/307 for displaying an additional window with a view from the top of the game field, e.g. radar screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console

Abstract

A game system includes a plurality of game machines each of which has an LCD. A game world in which a plurality of characters individually operated by the plurality of game machines appear is displayed on a CRT as a common display and on the LCD as an individual display of each of players. Specifically, a game world having a fixed viewpoint capable of viewing the plurality of characters is displayed on the CRT, and a three-dimensional game world having a viewpoint with reference to one'"'"'s character is displayed on the LCD. One of the CRT or one'"'"'s LCD is changeably selected as an operation screen. When a direction instructing key is operated, a moving direction of one'"'"'s character is determined with reference to the operation screen, and one'"'"'s character is moved to the determined moving direction.

Claims

1. A game system displaying a game world in which a plurality of characters including a player character operated by a direction instructing key appear on a common display device and an individual display device assigned to a player, comprising:

a first display processing mechanism for displaying on said individual display device the game world from a first viewpoint with reference to the player character;

a second display processing mechanism for displaying on said common display device the game world from a second viewpoint capable of viewing a plurality of the characters;

a selection key for selecting one of said common display device and said individual display device as an operation display device;

a switching mechanism for switching said operation display device between the common display device and the individual display device in response to an operation of said selection key; and

a character moving processing mechanism for moving the player character on said operation display device to a direction coincident with an operating direction of said direction instructing key, and moving the player character on a display device other than said operation display device in accordance with a moving of the player character on said operation display device.

2. A game system according to claim 1, wherein said character moving processing mechanism includes a first determination mechanism for determining a direction of player character movement based on the first viewpoint and the direction indicated by the direction instructing key when said individual display is switched as said operation display, and a second determination mechanism for determining a direction of player character movement on the basis of the second viewpoint and a direction indicated by said direction instructing key when said common display device is switched as said operation display device.

3. A game system according to claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing position information of the player character, wherein said first display processing mechanism displays the game world with reference to a position according to the position information, said second display processing mechanism displays the game world so that the player character exists at a position according to the position information, and said character moving processing mechanism includes a renewal mechanism for renewing the position information on the basis of a direction of player character movement.

4. A game system according to claim 1, further comprising a third display device processing mechanism for displaying on said individual display device a map of the game world capable of viewing at least a position of the player character at the second viewpoint.

5. A game system according to claim 4, further comprising a first control mechanism for controlling display/non-display of the map in accordance with a switching state of said operation display device.

6. A game system according to claim 4, further comprising a control mechanism for controlling emphasis/non-emphasis of the map in accordance with a switching state of said operation display device.

7. A game system according to claim 6, wherein said control mechanism enlarges the map when said common display device is switched as said operation display device and reduces the map when said individual display device is switched as said operation display device.

8. A game system according to claim 6, wherein said control mechanism colors the map more than it colors the game world when said common display device is switched as said operation display device, and colors the game world more than it colors the map when said individual display device is switched as said operation display device.

9. A game system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the individual display devices, a plurality of the direction instructing keys and a plurality of the selection keys respectively assigned to a plurality of the player characters, wherein said first display processing mechanism displays the game world from the first viewpoint with reference to each of the player characters on each of the individual display device, said switching mechanism switches a switching state of each of the operation display devices in response to the operation of each of the selection keys, and said character moving processing mechanism moves each of the player characters to a direction based on the viewpoint of the game world displayed on each of the operation displays and a direction indicated by each of the direction instructing keys when each of the direction instructing keys is operated.

34. A game system according to claim 1, wherein the individual display device simultaneously displays on a same screen both the game world from the first viewpoint and a view of the game world at least resembling the view of the game world from the second viewpoint.

10. A game system including a video game machine connected to a common display device and a portable game machine having an individual display device and a direction instructing key, said game system displaying a game world in which a plurality of characters including a player character operated by said portable game machine appear on said common display device and said individual display device, wherein

said portable game machine comprises:

a first display processing mechanism for displaying on said individual display device the game world from a first viewpoint with reference to the player character;

a selection key for selecting one of said common display device and said individual display device as an operation display device; and

a first character moving mechanism for moving the player character in a first moving direction based on a viewpoint of a game world displayed on said operation display device and a direction instructed by said direction instructing key when said direction instructing key is operated,

said video game machine comprises;

a second display processing mechanism for displaying on said common display device the game world from a second viewpoint capable of viewing a plurality of the characters;

a switching mechanism for switching said operation display device between the common display device and the individual display device in response to an operation of said selection key; and

a second character moving mechanism for moving the player character to a second moving direction based on a viewpoint of the game world displayed on said operation display device and a direction instructed by said direction instructing key when said direction instructing key is operated.

11. A game system according to claim 10, wherein

said portable game machine comprises:

a direction data transmitting mechanism for transmitting direction data to said video game machine in response to an operation of said direction instructing key; and

a first memory for storing position information of the player character, and

said video game machine comprises;

a second memory for storing the position information of the player character; and

a position information transmitting mechanism for transmitting position information stored in said second memory to said portable game machine when the position information is renewed, wherein said first character moving mechanism renews the position information stored in said first memory by the position information transmitted from said video game machine, and said second character moving mechanism renews the position information stored in said second memory on the basis of the direction data transmitted form said portable game machine.

12. A game system according to claim 11, wherein said first display processing mechanism displays the game world with reference to a position according to the position information stored in said first memory, and said second display processing mechanism displays the game world such that the player character exists at a position according to the position information stored in said second memory.

13. A game system according to claim 10, wherein said portable game machine further comprises a third display processing mechanism for displaying from the second viewpoint a map of the game world capable of viewing at least a position of the player character on said individual display device.

14. A game system according to claim 13, wherein said portable game machine further comprises a first control mechanism for controlling display/non-display of the map in accordance with a switching state of said operation display device.

15. A game system according to claim 13, wherein said portable game machine further comprises a control mechanism for controlling emphasis/non-emphasis of the map in accordance with a switching state of said operation display device.

16. A game system according to claim 15, wherein said control mechanism enlarges the map when said common display device is switched as said operation display device and reduces the map when said individual display device is switched as said operation display device.

35. A game system according to claim 10, wherein the portable game device simultaneously displays on a same screen both the game world from the first viewpoint and a view of the game world at least resembling the view of the game world from the second viewpoint.

17. A game system including a video game machine connected to a common display device and a portable game machine provided with an individual display device, and said game system displaying a game world in which a plurality of characters including a player character operated by said portable game machine appear on said common display device and said individual display device, wherein

said portable game machine comprises:

a first memory for storing position information of the player character;

a first display processing mechanism for displaying the game world on said individual display device from a first viewpoint with reference to the player character on the basis of the position information stored in said first memory;

a switching instructing key for instructing a switch of an operation display device between said common display device and said individual display device;

a direction instructing key for instructing a moving of the player character in a selected direction;

a switching instructing information transmitting mechanism for transmitting switching instructing information to said video game machine when said switching instructing key is operated;

a direction instructing information transmitting mechanism for transmitting direction instructing information to said video game machine when said direction instructing key is operated;

a position information receiving mechanism for receiving position information of the player character from said video game machine; and

a rewriting mechanism for rewriting the position information held in said first memory by the received position information, and

said video game machine comprises;

a second memory for storing position information of the player character;

a second display processing mechanism for displaying the game world on said common display device from a second viewpoint capable of viewing a plurality of the characters including the player character on the basis of the position information stored in said second memory;

a switching instructing information receiving mechanism for receiving the switching instructing information from said portable game machine;

a direction instructing information receiving mechanism for receiving the direction instructing information from said portable game machine;

a switching mechanism for switching said operation display device between the common display device and the individual display device according to the received switching instructing information;

a renewal mechanism for renewing the position information of the player character held in said second memory on the basis of the received direction instructing information and a switching state of said operation display device, and

a position information transmitting mechanism for transmitting the renewed position information to said portable game machine.

18. A game system according to claim 17, wherein said renewal mechanism renews the position information such that the player character moves to a moving direction based on a viewpoint of the game world displayed on said operation display device and a direction indicated by the direction instructing information.

19. A game system according to claim 17, comprising a plurality of the portable game machines which respectively operates a plurality of the player characters, wherein the first memory of each of the portable game machines is stored with position information of the player characters, the first display processing mechanism of each of the portable game machines displays the game world on one'"'"'s individual display device at the first viewpoint with reference to one'"'"'s player character, the position information receiving mechanism of each of the portable game machines receives the position information of the player characters from the video game machine, the second memory of the video game machine is stored with the position information of the player characters, the second display processing mechanism of the video game machine displays the game world at the second viewpoint capable of viewing the player characters, the switching mechanism of the video game machine switches a state of an operation display device of a transmission source of the received switching instructing information, the renewal mechanism of the video game machine renews, on the basis of the received direction instructing information and a switching state of the operation display device of the transmission source of the direction instructing information, the position information of the player character operated by the transmission source of the direction instructing key, and the position information transmitting mechanism transmits the renewed position information to each of the portable game machines.

20. A computer readable memory medium encoded with a game program which is executed by a game system including a video game machine connected to a common display device and a portable game machine provided with an individual display device, said game system displaying a game world in which a plurality of characters including a player character operated by said portable game machine appear on said common display device and said individual display device, wherein

steps executed by said portable game machine includes a step for storing position information of the player character in a first memory, a step for displaying the game world on said individual display device from a first viewpoint with reference to the player character on the basis of the position information stored in said first memory, a step for accepting an operation of a switching instructing key for instructing switching of an operation display device between said common display device and said individual display device, a step for accepting an operation of a direction instructing key for instructing moving of the player character in a selected direction, a step for transmitting switching instructing information to said video game machine when said switching instructing key is operated, a step for transmitting direction instructing information to said video game machine when said direction instructing key is operated, a step for receiving position information of the player character from said video game machine, and a step for rewriting the position information held in said first memory by the received position information, and

steps executed by said video game machine includes a step for storing position information of the player character in a second memory, a step for displaying the game world on said common display device from a second viewpoint capable of viewing a plurality of the characters including the player character on the basis of position information stored in the second memory, a step for receiving the switching instructing information from said portable game machine, a step for receiving the direction instructing information from said portable game machine, a step for switching said operation display device between the common display device and the individual display device according to the received switching instructing information, a step for renewing the position information of the player character held in said second memory on the basis of the received direction instructing information and a switching state of said operation display device, and a step for transmitting the renewed position information to said portable game machine.

21. A game system which displays on a first display device and a second display device a three-dimensional game world in which a player character is moved in response to an operation of a direction instructing key, comprising:

a first display processing mechanism for displaying on said first display device the game world in a three-dimensional view which views a moving direction of the player character;

a second display processing mechanism for displaying on said second display device the game world in a two-dimensional view which views the player character from above;

a switching mechanism for switching an operation display device which is referred to for operating said direction instructing key between said first display device and said second display device; and

a changing mechanism for changing in accordance with a switching by said switching mechanism the moving direction of the player character corresponding to the operation of said direction instructing key.

22. A game system according to claim 21, further comprising:

a memory for storing direction information indicating a direction of the player character; and

a renewal mechanism for renewing the direction information stored in said memory in response to the operation of said direction instructing key, wherein said first display processing mechanism determines the view based on the direction information stored in said memory.

23. A game system according to claim 21, further comprising:

a first determining mechanism for determining the moving direction based on a direction of the player character and an operating manner of said direction instructing key when said first display device is the operation display device; and

a second determining mechanism for determining the moving direction based on only the operating manner of said direction instructing key when said second display device is the operation display device.

36. A game system according to claim 21, wherein the first display processing mechanism simultaneously displays on the first display device both the three-dimensional view and a view at least resembling the two-dimensional view.

24. A game method of a game system which displays on a first display device and a second display device a three-dimensional game world in which a player character is moved in response to an operation of a direction instructing key, comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying on said first display device the game world in a three-dimensional view which views a moving direction of the player character;

(b) displaying on said second display device the game world in a two-dimensional view which views the player character from above;

(c) switching an operation display device which is referred to for operating said direction instructing key between said first display device and said second display device; and

(d) changing in accordance with a switching in said step (c) the moving direction of the player character corresponding to the operation of said direction instructing key.

37. A game method according to claim 24, wherein the first display processing mechanism simultaneously displays on the first display device both the three-dimensional view and a view at least resembling the two-dimensional view.

25. A computer readable memory medium encoded with a game program executed by a game system which displays on a first display device and a second display device a three-dimensional game world in which a player character is moved in response to an operation of a direction instructing key, wherein said game program comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying on said first display device the game world in a three-dimensional view which views a moving direction of the player character;

(b) displaying on said second display device the game world in a two-dimensional view which views the player character from above;

(c) switching an operation display device which is referred to for operating said direction instructing key between said first display device and said second display device; and

(d) changing in accordance with a switching in said step (c) the moving direction of the player character corresponding to the operation of said direction instructing key.

26. A game system which displays on a first display device and a second display device a three-dimensional game world in which a player character is moved in response to an operation of a direction instructing key, comprising:

a first display processing mechanism for displaying on said first display device the game world in a dynamic view which changes in response to a moving of the player character;

a second display processing mechanism for displaying on said second display device the game world in a static view without regard to the moving of the player character;

a switching mechanism for switching an operation display device which is referred to for operating said direction instructing key between said first display device and said second display device; and

a changing mechanism for changing in accordance with a switching by said switching mechanism the moving direction of the player character corresponding to the operation of said direction instructing key.

27. A game system according to claim 26, further comprising:

a memory for storing direction information indicating a direction of the player character; and

a renewal mechanism for renewing the direction information stored in said memory in response to the operation of said direction instructing key, wherein said first display processing mechanism determines the view based on the direction information stored in said memory.

28. A game system according to claim 26, further comprising:

a first determining mechanism for determining the moving direction based on a direction of the player character and an operating manner of said direction instructing key when said first display device is the operation display device; and

a second determining mechanism for determining the moving direction based on only the operating manner of said direction instructing key when said second display device is the operation display device.

29. A game method of a game system which displays on a first display device and a second display device a three-dimensional game world in which a player character is moved in response to an operation of a direction instructing key, comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying on said first display device the game world in a dynamic view which changes in response to a moving of the player character;

(b) displaying on said second display device the game world in a static view without regard to the moving of the player character;

(c) switching an operation display device which is referred to for operating said direction instructing key between said first display device and said second display device; and

(d) changing in accordance with a switching in said step (c) the moving direction of the player character corresponding to the operation of said direction instructing key.

30. A computer readable memory medium encoded with a game program executed by a game system which displays on a first display device and a second display device a three-dimensional game world in which a player character is moved in response to an operation of a direction instructing key, wherein said game program comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying on said first display device the game world in a dynamic view which changes in response to a moving of the player character;

(b) displaying on said second display device the game world in a static view without regard to the moving of the player character;

(c) switching an operation display device which is referred to for operating said direction instructing key between said first display device and said second display device; and

(d) changing in accordance with a switching in said step (c) the moving direction of the player character corresponding to the operation of said direction instructing key.

31. A game system displaying a game world in which a plurality of characters including a player character operated by a direction instructing key appear on a common display device and an individual display device assigned to a player, comprising:

a first display processing mechanism for displaying on said individual display device the game world from a first viewpoint with reference to the player character;

a second display processing mechanism for displaying on said common display device the game world from a second viewpoint capable of viewing a plurality of the characters;

a selection key for selecting one of said common display device and said individual display device as an operation display device;

a switching mechanism for switching said operation display device between the common display device and the individual display device in response to an operation of said selection key; and

a character moving processing mechanism for moving the player character on said operation display device to a direction coincident with an operating direction of said direction instructing key, and moving the player character on a display device other than said operation display device in accordance with a moving of the player character on said operation display device, wherein the direction coincident with the operating direction of the direction instructing key changes when the selection of the operation display device via the selection key changes.

32. A game system displaying a game world in which a plurality of characters including a player character operated by a direction instructing key appear on a common display device and an individual display device assigned to a player, comprising:

a first display processing mechanism for displaying on said individual display device the game world from a first viewpoint with reference to the player character;

a second display processing mechanism for displaying on said common display device the game world from a second viewpoint capable of viewing a plurality of the characters;

a selection key for selecting one of said common display device and said individual display device as an operation display device;

a switching mechanism for switching said operation display device between the common display device and the individual display device in response to an operation of said selection key; and

a character moving processing mechanism for moving the player character on said operation display device to a direction coincident with an operating direction of said direction instructing key, and moving the player character on a display device other than said operation display device in accordance with a moving of the player character on said operation display device so that moving the player character between two points in the game world require different operation on the direction instructing key when the common display device is selected as the operation display device and when the individual display device is selected as the operation display device.

33. A game method of a game system which displays on a common display device and an individual display device a game world in which a player character is moved in response to an operation of a direction instructing key, the method comprising:

(a) displaying on said individual display device the game world in a view which views a moving direction of the player character;

(b) displaying on said common display device the game world in a view which views the player character and which is capable of viewing at least another character;

(c) switching an operation display device which is referred to for operating said direction instructing key between said individual display device and said common display device; and

(d) moving the player character on said operation display device to a direction coincident with an operating direction of said direction instructing key, and moving the player character on a display device other than said operation display device in accordance with a moving of the player character on said operation display device so that moving the player character between two points in the game world require different operation on the direction instructing key when the common display device is selected as the operation display device and when the individual display device is selected as the operation display device.