Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Player-actuated control structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-02
2001-03-27
Sager, Mark (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Player-actuated control structure
C273S14800B
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206783
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Industrial Application
The present invention relates to a control input device and a game system and particularly to a control input device usable for inputting a manipulated variable into a simulation apparatus or the like and a game system for playing a game by moving a character within a game space through the input operation of a player.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Popular games are known to include a shooting game for shooting targets by the use of a shooting input section such as a mimic gun or the like, a fighting game for fighting enemies by the use of mimic guns and so on. During the game play, a player aims and triggers its own mimic gun at an enemy in an image on the screen. When the facing direction of the gun aligns with the position of the enemy, the enemy will be damaged.
Depending on the game, an enemy may shoot a player at the same time as the player shoots that enemy. At this time, the enemy is bullet comes out from the depth of the image toward the player. It is judged that the player is hit by the bullet as the bullet has moved to a position spaced apart from the player by a predetermined distance.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Application Hei 8-257240 discloses a game machine using a mimic gun swivelable about a fulcrum on a control panel. Such a gun is also movable in the lateral directions.
In such a game machine, however, the movement of the mimic gun for avoiding bullets from the enemy on the screen is limited since the gun is only movable in the lateral directions Thus, the game lacks in reality relating to that the player attacks the enemy while avoiding the attack from the enemy. In addition, the input operation through the mimic gun has less flexibility, so that much more time will be required to smash the enemy.
There is also a shooting game system in which a player character is moved within a game space by a player manipulating a character moving control section with one hand, the other hand being used to manipulate a mimic gun to aim at and shoot a target.
In such a shooting game system, it is very difficult that the player moves the character with one hand and manipulates the mimic gun with the other hand. Therefore, this shooting game system raised a problem in that the manipulation was too difficult for players and that any player could not concentrate on and enjoy the shooting game.
Particularly, any beginner cannot successfully manipulate the separate actions on both hands respectively Thus, the game is often over without enjoying it. As a result, the shooting game system will less be challenged by the beginner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a control input device using a shooting input section in the form of a mimic gun or the like, which can simulate a real shooting action and which can increase the flexibility to the input operation through the shooting input section.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a game system in which any player can enjoy a game by easily and simply moving a character within a game space.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a game system in which any player can move a character within a game space while manipulating a shooting device without any difficulty, whereby all the players widely ranging from beginners to advanced players can enjoy the shooting game.
To this end, the present invention provide a control input device comprising:
a shooting input section disposed opposite to an image display section;
a moving section for moving the shooting input section in a two-dimensional direction relative to the image display section; and
a detecting section for detecting the amount of movement of the shooting input section.
In such an arrangement, the image display section may be in the form of a CRT display. The shooting input section is one that is formed for directing a bullet to the desired direction and that can simulate a shooting action. For example, the shooting input section may be a mimic gun which is provided with a trigger or trigger lever.
The detecting section may be formed by a volume element or potentiometer having its variable resistance depending on the movement of the shooting input section. It is of course that the detecting section may be formed by any of the other different detecting elements.
Since the aforementioned control input device includes the shooting input section movable to any two-dimensional direction, the shooting action can be more realistically simulated with the increased flexibility in the input operation of the shooting input section, in comparison with the prior art device in which the shooting input section is only movable in the lateral directions.
It is desirable in the present invention that the shooting input section is mounted on the moving section so that the shooting input section can be rotated about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the two-dimensional direction.
The shooting input section of the present invention preferably includes a rotational angle detecting section for detecting a rotational angle of the axial rotation of the shooting input section.
In such an arrangement, the shooting input section can be swiveled to direct its muzzle to any desired direction in addition to the two-dimensional movement of the shooting input section, thereby further increase the flexibility in the input operation. As a result, the game can further be improved in reality when the player attacks the enemy while avoiding the enemy's attack.
It is further preferable that the moving section comprises:
a first slide table supporting the shooting input section;
a second slide table supporting the first slide table for a movement in one direction; and
a frame supporting the second slide table for a movement in a direction perpendicular to the one direction.
In such an arrangement, the parallel movement of the shooting input section on the two-dimensional plane can be accomplished by a simple and reliable structure.
It is further preferable that a stopper member is fixedly mounted on the first slide table, and one end of an elastic member is connected to the stopper member, and the other end of the elastic member is connected to the frame.
Thus, the player can feel the elastic restoring force from the elastic member as an appropriate feel of operation when the shooting input section is being operated by the player. When the player releases the control input device, secondly, the first slide table can be returned into its original position, whereby the output signal from the detecting section can be initialized to zero.
The elastic member is a member generating an elastic restoring force when deformed and may be formed by a spring or rubber.
The present invention also provides a game system comprising:
input means for moving a character, the input means being movable in at least both of a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction; and
processor means for computing and displaying a game image in which at least one of a character and virtual camera is movable within a game space in the combined direction of the first and second directions, based on an input signal from the input means.
When a player moves the input means in the desired direction in which the character is to be moved, the player's character can agreeably be moved within the game space in the same direction as the input means is physically moved. Thus, the player can enjoy the game while moving the character within the game space in an easy and smooth manner.
It is preferable that the processor means computes the game space as a three-dimensional object space and to set the character as a player's character object movable within the object space.
Furthermore, the processor means may comprise:
character computation control means responsive to an input signal from the input means for controlling the character within the game space; and
virtual camera computation control means responsive to the input si
Uchida Masaki
Yamamoto Takeyasu
Namco Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Sager Mark
LandOfFree
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