Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a game requiring an element of a participants physical...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-15
2004-05-04
O'Neill, Michael (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a game requiring an element of a participants physical...
C463S001000, C463S008000, C434S011000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06729954
ABSTRACT:
This application is based upon and claims the priority (under 35 USC §119, under the Paris Convention) of a Japanese patent application, serial number 2000-258392, entitled “Character Group Battle Method, Recording Medium, and Game Device”, of Atsumi et al., filed on Aug. 29, 2000, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a character group battle method, as well as to a recording medium and a game device, and more particularly to a character group battle method in which a plurality of characters, that are displayed in a 3-dimensional virtual space form groups of friends and enemies that battle against one another, as well as to a computer readable recording medium on which the method has been recorded and a game device in which a game program for executing the method is loaded.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Recently, there are various kinds of game software sold by various companies that are recorded on a recording medium such as CD-ROM. This kind of recording medium is used by inserting it into a game device. The most typical kind of home-use game device comprises an input device, such as a controller pad, and a TV monitor which are connected to a main game unit. When a player or a user inserts a recording medium into the main game unit, a game program that has been recorded on the recording medium is loaded to a RAM of the main game unit automatically, and a game starts by pressing a certain button on the input device. Then, it is possible to play the game by operating buttons on the input device.
Conventionally, battle games in which characters are mainly divided up into friend and enemy using 2-dimensional coordinates have been sold. For example, there is a game, ‘Bokosuka Wars’, sold by Ascii Co. in 1985 for a family computer (Nintendo Co.), where a player's rank rises each time a friend soldier wins a battle, or a game, ‘Napoleon's Journal’, sold by Irem Co. in 1988, in which a player selects a direction for each unit to move in, then when a friend unit encounters an enemy, the player selects an army formation from among some selectable army formations. Also, there are games such as a game, ‘Silver Ghost’, that was sold by Kure Software Co. in 1988 for a computer (for NEC, PC-88X1), in which a player controls characters and helps a character directly when caught in a pinch.
For game software like these, the game does not wait for a command input by the player during a battle, but the game continues on and battles are repeated in real-time even when a command is being input. These kinds of games are called ‘Real-time Simulation Games’. Real-time simulation games belong to the genre of games in which the enemy army is attacked and defeated while considering tactics. They differ from ‘Turn-format’ game in which a command input from the player is received after a predetermined time elapsed, and in which the enemy does not attack during a command input. In real-time simulation games, the enemy constantly attacks, so it is possible to experience the tension and tactics of a real battle.
On the other hand, as a conventional game regarding a group movement, one where a plurality of (5 or so) characters move on coordinates represented in 2-dimenional manner while forming a group line has been sold. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-63613 (JP-A), a technique where moving speed and timing/probability of a change of direction is set for each character in advance, and an aspect where the character follows a main character which is a leader of the group line is represented with an individual change has been disclosed. Also, in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-233595 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/623,745) of the present applicant, an invention regarding a group character moving method where a plurality of characters, that are displayed in a 3-dimensional virtual space, having a leader form a group to move to a target point which is set in advance has been described. According to this invention, since the positions and accelerations of the plurality of characters belonging to the group are computed for each character and an acceleration for separating from another friend character by a predetermined distance, an acceleration for matching with a moving speed or a moving direction of another friend character or the like are computed so that the respective characters change the speeds or directions according to the moving states of the friend characters, action of each character can be expressed realistically in imitation of a group movement of animals or the like.
Further, as a technique regarding the group battle, in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-339176 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/721,886) of the present applicant, an invention regarding a group character battle method in which a plurality of characters that are displayed in a 3-dimensional virtual space forms groups of friends and enemies that battle against one another has been described. According to this invention, each character belonging to the group finds (searches for) an enemy character within its own range of vision and approaches the enemy character to start a battle, it is possible to realistically express a battle aspect where each character battles an enemy character according to its own judgement.
However, in conventional real-time simulation games, since the game is mainly a 2-dimenisional battle, it is not possible to express the power of an actual battle, and there was a need for better visibility. Also, with the rapid advance of current computer technology, it is possible to display images on the screen of the TV monitor that are equal to that of movies, however, with the conventional technology there was the problem that games did not have the realistic feeling that players desire.
Moreover, in the real-time simulation games described above or the technique of the JP-A 08-63613, there are described only thinking-type games in which strategy is enjoyed, such as games in which, when a player moves a leader on step forward, other characters follow by one step, and when a friend character comes in contact with an obstacle on the way, it becomes impossible for that character to advance, or games in which characters do not search out an enemy automatically, but when a character comes in contact with an enemy along the way, a battle begins. Also, there are games of such a type that a player determines an advancing direction of each group; when a friend unit or group encounters an enemy unit, a screen is switched to a formation selection screen; and when the player selects one formation from among a plurality of predetermined formations, the screen is switched to a battle screen in which characters of a friend unit battle with characters of an enemy unit. However, these games are only thinking-type ones like the above, because the characters are not processed internally and specifically for each character. Accordingly, there is a problem in which there is no feeling of an actual battle in which each character would move while keeping a constant distance from friends about him/her, each character would search out an enemy on his/her own, or the state of enemy search movement would change depending on conditions.
Regarding this point, in the inventions of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 11-233595 and 11-339176, since characters are internally processed specially for each character, movement action or battle action of each character in the unit or group can be expressed more realistically, but no attention is paid to an offensive (attack) power of a group, a defense strength thereof, or the like.
Generally, it is said that in case of a foot soldier, a break-through power is increased according to increase in the number of foot soldiers overlapping before and behind and a defense strength is enhanced according to decrease in space between adjacent soldiers, and in case of a bow soldier, an attack power is increased according to the degree of transverse development of bow sol
Atsumi Takashi
Takeda Tomokazu
Koei Co., Ltd.
Marks Christina
O'Neill Michael
Wean Khing Wong
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