Game apparatus, game progressing method, program, and recording medium

• US 7,628,697 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Inventors: Tanaka, Motoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US11/627,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20070191096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1- 5, 463 7- 8, 463/23, 463 30- 34, 463 40- 43, 463 36- 39, 463 49- 57, 345/156, 345/419, 345 11- 13, 345 21- 23, 345 31- 34, 345/24, 345467-469, 345/539, 345543-544, 345/625, 345/636, 345/638, 345653-656, 345664-666, 345682-683, 345/686, 345949-950, 345/FOR.139, 345/FOR.153, 273/108.1, 273/127.R, 273/148.R, 273/148.B, 273/309, 273/317.1, 273/340, 273/348, 273361-367, 717168-178, 348/14.15, 348/39, 348/42, 348 47- 52, 348/121, 348136-137, 348/211.14, 348/576, 348588-589, 348/719, 348/721, 348/E13.004, 348E13064-E13067, 434/38, 434 43- 44, 434/69, 434/118, 434256-257, 37524015-24016, 375/240.25
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• 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 2300/10 characterized by input arrangements for converting player-generated signals into game device control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/30 characterized by output arrangements for receiving control signals generated by the game device

Abstract

A game apparatus executes a game in which a player character is moved between different fields through a given traveling route according to an instruction input from a player. When the player character moves to a first area close to a door, a symbol “!” is displayed. When the character moves to a second area, a symbol set “!!” is displayed. In the second area, if unlocking conditions for the door are satisfied, a method of manipulation for opening the door is displayed. If the conditions are not satisfied, a method of manipulation for displaying a hint for opening the door is displayed. If the conditions for unlocking the door are satisfied, when the player performs the manipulation for opening the door, an action of the player character to open the door is displayed. Map data of the destination room is loaded into a temporary storage from a recording medium and then the player character moves to the opposite room through the door.

Claims

1. A game apparatus for executing a game that is advanced by moving a player character in a virtual space, including a first field and a second field, the second field opening into the first field via a predetermined traveling route, and for displaying an image representing a status of the game being executed on a display, the game apparatus comprising:

a normal movement inputter operable to input an instruction to move the player character in the virtual space, including the first and second fields, in accordance with a player operation;

a cross-field movement inputter operable to input an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field through the traveling route in accordance with a player operation;

a normal mover operable to move the player character in any one of the first and second fields in which the player character is present in accordance with the instruction input from the normal movement inputter, the normal mover including a direction changer to change a direction of the player character in accordance with the instruction input from the normal movement inputter;

a movement restriction switcher operable to switch a status of the game between a cross-field movement disabled state, in which the player character is not allowed to move from the first field to the second field, and a cross-field movement enabled state, in which the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field, in accordance with conditions established during progress of the game;

a cross-field movement enable/disable determiner operable to determine whether the status of the game has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state by the movement restriction switcher when the player character is moved by the normal mover to a specific region set based on a position of the traveling route within the first field;

a direction determiner that determines whether the direction that the player character faces is a given direction relative to the position of the traveling route between the first and second fields when the player character has been moved into the specific region by the normal mover;

a cross-field movement enable/disable displayer operable to display cross-field movement enable/disable information, indicating whether the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field on the display based upon the determination made by the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner, when the player character is determined to face in the given direction by the direction determiner;

a cross-field movement enablement displayer operable to display information indicating conditions to be established for switching the status from the cross-field movement disabled state to the cross-field movement enabled state by the movement restriction switcher when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement disabled state and when an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter;

a cross-field mover operable to move the player character from the first field to the second field when an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter and the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status of the game is the cross-field movement enabled state; and

a cross-field movement prohibiter operable to keep the player character within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter and the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status of the game is the cross-field movement disabled state.

2. The game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cross-field movement enable/disable displayer comprises a cross-field movement permission displayer operable to display cross-field movement permission information indicating that the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field as the cross-field movement enable/disable information when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state.

3. The game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cross-field movement enable/disable displayer comprises a cross-field movement disability displayer operable to display cross-field movement disability information indicating that the player character is not allowed to move from the first field to the second field on the display as the cross-field movement enable/disable information when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement disabled state.

4. The game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a traveling route displayer operable to display, on the display, traveling route information indicating a presence of a traveling route leading from the first field to the second field when the player character has been moved by the normal mover from the specific region to a second specific region within the first field, the second specific region being larger than the specific region, based on the position of the traveling route between the first and second fields.

5. The game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a movement information storage operable to store field movement information indicating whether the player character has been moved to the second field by the normal mover;

a movement information determiner operable to determine whether the field movement information stored in the movement information storage indicates that the character has been moved to the second field when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state; and

a movement history displayer operable to display movement history information indicating whether the player character has been moved to the second field on the display based upon the determination made by the movement information determiner.

6. The game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the virtual space includes a movement restriction object provided in the traveling route between the first and second fields in a virtual space, the movement restriction object comprising two states, including, an open state, in which the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field, and a closed state, in which the player character is not allowed to move from the first field to the second field, in the cross-field movement enabled state, the movement restriction object further having only a closed state in the cross-field movement disabled state, and

the game apparatus further comprises an object state switcher operable to switch the cross-field movement restriction object from the closed state to the open state prior to the cross-field mover moving the player character from the first field to the second field, the object state switcher being further operable to switch the cross-field movement restriction object back to the closed state after the player character has moved to the second field.

7. The game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a map data fixed storage operable to store first map data made up of graphics data of the first field, including the traveling route, and second map data made up of graphics data of the second field, including the traveling route, respectively;

a high-speed storage having a data readout rate higher than the data readout rate of the map data fixed storage, and having a character data area that stores character data made up of graphics data of the player character and a map data area that stores map data for any one data set of the first and second map data corresponding to the field including the position in which the player character has moved; and

a map data loader operable to, retrieve map data corresponding to the field to which the player character has moved from the map data fixed storage, and to store the retrieved map data as a substitute for the map data, which has been stored so far, corresponding to the field from which the player character has moved into the map data area when the player character moves between the first and second fields.

8. The game apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

three or more fields, including the first and second fields, are provided in the virtual space, the fields neighboring with an other one or more fields via a predetermined traveling route, and

the cross-field movement inputter is further operable to input an instruction that moves the player character from an arbitrary one of the fields, other than the first field, to another one of the fields adjacent to the arbitrary field via the traveling route in which the movement restriction object is provided, in accordance with the same player operation as the operation that inputs the instruction that moves the player character from the first field to the second field.

9. A game progressing method for executing a game on a computer system, the game being advanced by moving a player character in a virtual space, including a first field and a second field, the second field opening into the first field via a predetermined traveling route, the computer system comprising:

a storage including a character position storage area operable to store positions and directions of the player character in the virtual space;

a normal movement inputter operable to input an instruction to move the player character in the virtual space, including the first and second fields, in accordance with a player operation;

a cross-field movement inputter operable to input an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field through the traveling route in accordance with a player operation; and

a displayer operable to generate and display game images representing a status of the game being executed,

the game progressing method comprising;

moving the player character in any one of the first and second fields, in which the player character is present, in accordance with an instruction input from the normal movement inputter, changing the direction of the player character in accordance with the instruction input from the normal moment inputter, and storing the position and direction of the moved player character in the character position storage area;

switching the status between a cross-field movement disabled state, in which the player character cannot move from the first field to the second field, and a cross-field movement enabled state, in which the player character can move from the first field to the second field, according to conditions established during progress of the game, and storing information indicating to which of the cross-field movement disabled state and cross-field movement enabled state has the status been switched in a cross-field enable/disable storage area contained in the storage;

determining to which of the cross-field movement disabled state and cross-field movement enabled state has the status been switched by referring to the cross-field movement enable/disable storage area when the player character moves into a specific region set based on a position of the traveling route within the first field;

determining whether the direction that the player character faces is in a given direction relative to the position of the traveling route between the first and second fields when the player character has moved into the specific region;

displaying cross-field movement enable/disable information, indicating whether the player character can be moved from the first field to the second field depending on a determination to which of the cross-field movement enabled state and cross-field movement disabled state has the status been switched on the displayer, together with the game images, when the player character is determined to face in the given direction;

displaying information indicating the conditions to be established for switching the status from the cross-field movement disabled state to the cross-field movement enabled state when the status has been switched to the cross-field movement disabled state and when an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter;

moving the player character from the first field to the second field when it is determined that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state and, when the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter, and storing the position of the moved player character in the character position storage area; and

causing the position stored in the character position storage area to be retained within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when it is determined that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement disabled state, and when the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter.

10. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program executable on a computer system is recorded, the computer system being connected with a displayer for displaying an image representing a status of a game being executed, the game being advanced by moving a player character in a virtual space, including a first field and a second field, the second field opening into the first field via a predetermined traveling route, the recording medium comprising:

a normal movement inputter executable to input an instruction to move the player character in the virtual space, including the first and second fields, in accordance with a player operation;

a cross-field movement inputter executable to input an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field through the traveling route in accordance with a player operation;

a normal mover executable to move the player character in any one of the first and second fields in which the player character is present in accordance with the instruction input from the normal movement inputter the normal mover including a direction changer that changes a direction of the player character in accordance with the instruction input from the normal movement inputter;

a movement restriction switcher executable to switch a status of the game between a cross-field movement disabled state, in which the player character is not allowed to move from the first field to the second field, and a cross-field movement enabled state, in which the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field, in accordance with conditions established during progress of the game;

a cross-field movement enable/disable determiner executable to determine whether the status has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state by the movement restriction switcher when the player character is moved by the normal mover to a specific region set based on a position of the traveling route within the first field;

a direction determiner that determines whether the direction that the player character faces is in a given direction relative to the position of the traveling route between the first and second fields when the player character has been moved into the specific region by the normal mover;

a cross-field movement enable/disable displayer executable to display cross-field movement enable/disable information indicating whether the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field on the display based upon the determination made by the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner when the player character is determined to face in the given direction by the direction determiner

a cross-field movement enablement displayer executable to display information indicating conditions to be established for switching the status from the cross-field movement disabled state to the cross-field movement enabled state by the movement restriction switcher when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement disabled state and when an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter;

a cross-field mover executable to move the player character from the first field to the second field when an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter and when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state; and

a cross-field movement prohibiter executable to keep the player character within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter and when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement disabled state.

11. A game apparatus for executing a game that is advanced by moving a player character in a virtual space, including a first field and a second field, the second field opening into the first field via a predetermined traveling route, and for displaying an image representing a status of the game being executed on a display, the game apparatus comprising:

a normal movement inputter operable to input an instruction to move the player character in the virtual space, including the first and second fields, in accordance with a player operation;

a cross-field movement inputter operable to input an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field through the traveling route in accordance with a player operation;

a normal mover operable to move the player character in any one of the first and second fields in which the player character is present in accordance with the instruction input from the normal movement inputter, the normal mover including a direction changer to change a direction of the player character in accordance with the instruction input from the normal movement inputter;

a movement restriction switcher operable to switch a status of the game between a cross-field movement disabled state, in which the player character is not allowed to move from the first field to the second field, and a cross-field movement enabled state, in which the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field, in accordance with conditions established during progress of the game;

a cross-field movement enable/disable determiner operable to determine whether the status of the game has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state by the movement restriction switcher when the player character is moved by the normal mover to a specific region set based on a position of the traveling route within the first field;

a direction determiner that determines whether the direction that the player character faces is a given direction relative to the position of the traveling route between the first and second fields when the player character has been moved into the specific region by the normal mover;

a cross-field movement enable/disable displayer operable to display cross-field movement enable/disable information, indicating whether the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field on the display based upon the determination made by the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner, when the player character is determined to face in the given direction by the direction determiner;

a cross-field mover operable to move the player character from the first field to the second field when the direction determiner determines that the player character faces in the given direction, the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter, and the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status of the game is the cross-field movement enabled state; and

a cross-field movement prohibiter operable to keep the player character within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement in putter and the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status of the game is the cross-field movement disabled state,

wherein the cross-field movement prohibiter is operable to keep the player character within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when the direction determiner determines that the direction the player character faces is not the given direction, even when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status of the game has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state and the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter.

12. A game progressing method for executing a game on a computer system, the game being advanced by moving a player character in a virtual space, including a first field and a second field, the second field opening into the first field via a predetermined traveling route, the computer system comprising:

a storage including a character position storage area operable to store positions and directions of the player character in the virtual space;

a normal movement inputter operable to input an instruction to move the player character in the virtual space, including the first and second fields, in accordance with a player operation;

a cross-field movement inputter operable to input an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field through the traveling route in accordance with a player operation; and

a displayer operable to generate and display game images representing a status of the game being executed,

the game progressing method comprising;

moving the player character in any one of the first and second fields, in which the player character is present, in accordance with an instruction input from the normal movement inputter, changing the direction of the player character in accordance with the instruction input from the normal moment inputter, and storing the position and direction of the moved player character in the character position storage area;

switching the status between a cross-field movement disabled state, in which the player character cannot move from the first field to the second field, and a cross-field movement enabled state, in which the player character can move from the first field to the second field, according to conditions established during progress of the game, and storing information indicating to which of the cross-field movement disabled state and cross-field movement enabled state has the status been switched in a cross-field enable/disable storage area contained in the storage;

determining to which of the cross-field movement disabled state and cross-field movement enabled state has the status been switched by referring to the cross-field movement enable/disable storage area when the player character moves into a specific region set based on a position of the traveling route within the first field;

determining whether the direction that the player character faces is in a given direction relative to the position of the traveling route between the first and second fields when the player character has moved into the specific region;

displaying cross-field movement enable/disable information, indicating whether the player character can be moved from the first field to the second field depending on a determination to which of the cross-field movement enabled state and cross-field movement disabled state has the status been switched on the displayer, together with the game images, when the player character is determined to face in the given direction;

moving the player character from the first field to the second field when it is determined that the direction the player character faces is the given direction, it is determined that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state, and the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter, and storing the position of the moved player character in the character position storage area;

causing the position stored in the character position storage area to be retained within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when it is determined that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement disabled state and the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter; and

causing the position stored in the character position storage area to be retained within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when it is determined that the direction the player character faces is not the given direction, even when it is determined that the status of the game has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state and the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter.

13. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program executable on a computer system is recorded, the computer system being connected with a displayer for displaying an image representing a status of a game being executed, the game being advanced by moving a player character in a virtual space, including a first field and a second field, the second field opening into the first field via a predetermined traveling route, the recording medium comprising:

a normal movement inputter executable to input an instruction to move the player character in the virtual space, including the first and second fields, in accordance with a player operation;

a cross-field movement inputter executable to input an instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field through the traveling route in accordance with a player operation;

a normal mover executable to move the player character in any one of the first and second fields in which the player character is present in accordance with the instruction input from the normal movement inputter the normal mover including a direction changer that changes a direction of the player character in accordance with the instruction input from the normal movement inputter;

a movement restriction switcher executable to switch a status of the game between a cross-field movement disabled state, in which the player character is not allowed to move from the first field to the second field, and a cross-field movement enabled state, in which the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field, in accordance with conditions established during progress of the game;

a cross-field movement enable/disable determiner executable to determine whether the status has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state by the movement restriction switcher when the player character is moved by the normal mover to a specific region set based on a position of the traveling route within the first field;

a direction determiner that determines whether the direction that the player character faces is in a given direction relative to the position of the traveling route between the first and second fields when the player character has been moved into the specific region by the normal mover;

a cross-field movement enable/disable displayer executable to display cross-field movement enable/disable information indicating whether the player character is allowed to move from the first field to the second field on the display based upon the determination made by the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner when the player character is determined to face in the given direction by the direction determiner;

a cross-field mover executable to move the player character from the first field to the second field when the direction determiner determines that the player character faces in the given direction, the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter, and the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state; and

a cross-field movement prohibiter executable to keep the player character within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter and the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status has been switched to the cross-field movement disabled state,

wherein the cross-field movement prohibiter is executable to keep the player character within the first field without moving the player character to the second field when the direction determiner determines that the direction the player character faces is not the given direction, even when the cross-field movement enable/disable determiner determines that the status of the game has been switched to the cross-field movement enabled state and the instruction to move the player character from the first field to the second field is input from the cross-field movement inputter.