Game apparatus and computer-readable storage medium

• US 8,469,814 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimamura, Takayuki, Miyamoto, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US13/668,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20130059659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 463 31- 38
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/422 automatically for the purpose of assisting the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• 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 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6027 using adaptive systems learning from user actions, e.g. for skill level adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6054 by generating automatically game commands to assist the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

A twist amount is calculated based on an angular velocity around a Z-axis of an input device when a player performs a shoot operation. Based on a value of a difficulty level stored in an external main memory, a minimum successful twist amount and a maximum successful twist amount are determined. As a result, the higher the difficulty level is, the narrower a successful range of the twist amount becomes. Further, the twist amount of the input device, which is obtained when the player performs the shoot operation for a first to a fourth shots, is stored in the external main memory. When the player performs the shoot operation for a fifth shot or thereafter, the twist amount of the input device at the time of the shoot operation for the fifth shot and thereafter is corrected with the use of the twist amount of the first to fourth shots.

Claims

1. A game apparatus executing, multiple times, a game for causing a player to perform a predetermined game operation using a controller provided with an angular velocity sensor, and performing a game process based on operation data including angular velocity data, which is obtained from the angular velocity sensor each time the predetermined game operation is performed, the game apparatus comprising:

a parameter value determination unit for determining a value of a predetermined parameter in accordance with the angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor each time the predetermined game operation is performed;

a deviation tendency value calculation unit for calculating a deviation tendency value, which indicates a degree of deviation tendency of a value of the parameter with respect to a target value of the parameter, the target value being required in the game, in accordance with the value of the parameter determined based on the predetermined game operation performed once or more in the past; and

a game process unit for correcting the value of the parameter determined by the parameter value determination unit with the use of the deviation tendency value calculated by the deviation tendency value calculation unit, and for performing the game process with the use of the corrected value of the parameter.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deviation tendency value calculation unit calculates the deviation tendency value based on the value of the parameter determined by the parameter value determination unit in accordance with the predetermined game operation performed multiple times in the past.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the deviation tendency value calculation unit calculates, as the deviation tendency value, a representative value of a difference between the value of the parameter, which is determined by the parameter value determination unit in accordance with the predetermined game operation performed multiple times in the past, and the target value.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the representative value is an average value.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the deviation tendency value calculation unit corrects the value of the parameter by subtracting the deviation tendency value calculated by the deviation tendency value calculation unit from the value of the parameter determined by the parameter value determination unit.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game process unit performs the game process with the use of the value of the parameter determined by the parameter value determination unit, without correcting the value of the parameter with the deviation tendency value, when the deviation tendency value is yet to be calculated by the deviation tendency value calculation unit.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game process unit includes judging unit which judges that the game operation is successful when the difference between the value of the parameter and the target value is in a predetermined range.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the parameter value determination unit determines that the predetermined game operation has been performed when the angular velocity data satisfies a predetermined condition, and determines the value of the parameter in accordance with the angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor.

9. The game apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined condition is that the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data reaches a local maximum, and that a local maximum value of the angular velocity is greater than a predetermined threshold.

10. The game apparatus according to 9, further comprising

angular velocity storage unit for sequentially storing the angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor,

wherein, when the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data reaches a local maximum, and when a local maximum value of the angular velocity is greater than the predetermined threshold, the parameter value determination unit reads, from the angular velocity storage unit, a piece of angular velocity data obtained for a predetermined period before the angular velocity reaches the local maximum, and detects an angular velocity around a predetermined axis of the controller in accordance with the piece of angular velocity data, and determines the detected angular velocity around the predetermined axis of the controller, as the value of the parameter, and

the game process unit changes a moving direction of a predetermined object in a virtual game space, in accordance with the angular velocity around the predetermined axis of the controller, the angular velocity having been subjected to correction with the use of the deviation tendency value.

11. The game apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein, when the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data reaches a local maximum, and when a local maximum value of the angular velocity is greater than the predetermined threshold, the parameter value determination means determines the value of the local maximum as the value of the parameter, and

the game process unit changes a moving velocity and/or a reached distance of a predetermined object in a virtual game space in accordance with the local maximum value having been subjected to correction with the use of the deviation tendency value.

12. The game apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein, when the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data reaches a local maximum, and when a local maximum value of the angular velocity is greater than the predetermined threshold, the parameter value determination unit determines, as the value of the parameter, an orientation of the controller detected based on the angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor, and

the game process unit changes a moving direction of a predetermined object in a virtual game space, in accordance with the orientation of the controller after being subjected to correction with the use of the deviation tendency value.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for causing a computer of a game apparatus, which executes, multiple times, a game for causing a player to perform a predetermined game operation using a controller provided with an angular velocity sensor, and which performs a game process based on operation data including angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor each time the predetermined game operation is performed, to provide functionality comprising as:

a parameter value determination for determining a value of a predetermined parameter in accordance with the angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor each time the predetermined game operation is performed;

a deviation tendency value calculation for calculating a deviation tendency value, which indicates a degree of deviation tendency of a value of the parameter, which is determined by the parameter value determination in accordance with the predetermined game operation, with respect to a target value of the parameter, the target value being required in the game, in accordance with the value of the parameter determined, by the parameter value determination in accordance with the predetermined game operation performed once or more in the past; and

a game process for correcting the value of the parameter determined by the parameter value determination with the use of the deviation tendency value calculated by the deviation tendency value calculation, and for performing the game process with the use of the corrected value of the parameter.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the deviation tendency value calculation calculates the deviation tendency value based on the value of the parameter determined by the parameter value determination in accordance with the predetermined game operation performed multiple times in the past.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the deviation tendency value calculation calculates, as the deviation tendency value, a representative value of a difference between the value of the parameter, which is determined by the parameter value determination in accordance with the predetermined game operation performed multiple times in the past, and the target value.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the representative value is an average value.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the deviation tendency value calculation corrects the value of the parameter by subtracting the deviation tendency value calculated by the deviation tendency value calculation from the value of the parameter determined by the parameter value determination.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the game process performs the game process with the use of the value of the parameter determined by the parameter value determination, without correcting the value of the parameter with the deviation tendency value, when the deviation tendency value is yet to be calculated by the deviation tendency value calculation.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the game process includes judging which judges that the game operation is successful when the difference between the value of the parameter and the target value is in a predetermined range.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the parameter value determination determines that the predetermined game operation has been performed when the angular velocity data satisfies a predetermined condition, and determines the value of the parameter in accordance with the angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined condition is that the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data reaches a local maximum, and that a local maximum value of the angular velocity is greater than a predetermined threshold.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further causing the computer to provide functionality comprising:

an angular velocity storage for sequentially storing the angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor in an angular velocity storage area,

wherein, when the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data reaches a local maximum, and when a local maximum value of the angular velocity is greater than the predetermined threshold, the parameter value determination reads, from the angular velocity storage, a piece of angular velocity data obtained for a predetermined period before the angular velocity reaches the local maximum, and detects an angular velocity around a predetermined axis of the controller in accordance with the piece of angular velocity data, and determines the detected angular velocity around the predetermined axis of the controller, as the value of the parameter, and

the game process changes a moving direction of a predetermined object in a virtual game space, in accordance with the angular velocity around the predetermined axis of the controller, the angular velocity having been subjected to correction with the use of the deviation tendency value.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21,

wherein, when the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data reaches a local maximum, and when a local maximum value of the angular velocity is greater than the predetermined threshold, the parameter value determination determines the value of the local maximum as the value of the parameter, and

the game process changes a moving velocity and/or a reached distance of a predetermined object in a virtual game space in accordance with the local maximum value having been subjected to correction with the use of the deviation tendency value.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21,

wherein, when the magnitude of an angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity data reaches a local maximum, and when a local maximum value of the angular velocity is greater than the predetermined threshold, the parameter value determination determines, as the value of the parameter, an orientation of the controller detected based on the angular velocity data obtained from the angular velocity sensor, and

the game process changes a moving direction of a predetermined object in a virtual game space, in accordance with the orientation of the controller after being subjected to correction with the use of the deviation tendency value.