Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a race game
Reexamination Certificate
1997-02-20
2001-04-17
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a race game
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217445
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving game machine which is played by the player to simulate the driving of an automobile and which displays on a display monitor a real-time three-dimensional image that varies depending on the manner in which the simulated automobile is driven by the player, and a computer-readable medium which stores a driving game program for operating such a driving game machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been in widespread use driving game machines that are played by the player who is seated in a cockpit equipped with a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, etc., similar to the driver's seat of an actual automobile. While seeing a three-dimensional image displayed on a display monitor, the player operates the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, etc. to drive a simulated automobile on the display monitor. The display monitor displays, on a displayed road, the automobile driven by the player, a rival automobile or automobiles competing for a driving game, and general automobiles existing as obstacles. The automobile driven by the player will be referred to as the player's automobile, and the rival and general automobiles as other automobiles. The player enjoys the driving game by driving the player's automobile at high speeds and passing other automobiles on a three-dimensional road that has bends and uphill and down-hill grades.
With the conventional driving game machines, the displayed three-dimensional road has no oncoming lanes, and the player maneuvers the player's automobile to pass other automobiles running on one or more lanes in the same direction as the player's automobile.
Heretofore, there have been in use driving game machines which two-dimensionally display on a display monitor player's and other automobiles which are running on a displayed road. Even if the displayed road has oncoming lanes, general automobiles running on such oncoming lanes simply appear from an end of the screen of the display monitor, and do not make the driving games played on the driving game machines attractive and interesting to the player.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a driving game machine for playing a driving game to control a player's automobile running on a displayed three-dimensional road that includes oncoming lanes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable medium which stores a driving game program for operating a driving game machine to play a driving game to control a player's automobile running on a displayed three-dimensional road that includes oncoming lanes.
According to the present invention, there is provided a driving game machine comprising image display processing means for displaying a real-time three-dimensional image including a simulated player's automobile, general automobiles, and a three-dimensional road established in a game space in a three-dimensional coordinate system on a display monitor, the three-dimensional road having a running lane and an oncoming lane for the player's and general automobiles to run therealong, driving control means operable by a player for instructing the player's automobile to run on the three-dimensional road, and player's automobile control means for controlling the player's automobile to run on the three-dimensional road in response to instructions from the driving control means, the image display processing means comprising means for displaying general automobiles on the running lane and the oncoming lane within a visible range of the player's automobile.
In the above driving game machine, general automobiles run on the running and oncoming lanes of the three-dimensional road established in the game space in the three-dimensional coordinate system, and the player's automobile runs on the running lane or the oncoming lane in response to instructions from the driving control means. The image display processing means displays general automobiles on the running lane and the oncoming lane within the visible range of the player's automobile. The player of the driving game machine tries to maneuver the player's automobile to run on the running lane or the oncoming lane in order to avoid a collision with the general automobiles. Therefore, the player finds it interesting and much fun to drive the player's automobile on the display monitor.
The image display processing means displays general automobiles to run in the running lane in the same direction as the player's automobile and general automobiles to run in the oncoming lane in a direction opposite to the player's automobile. The player drives the player's automobile to pass general automobiles on the running lane while avoiding colliding with general automobiles on the oncoming lane. The driving game thus gives a lot of fun to the player.
The driving game machine further includes three-dimensional data memory means for storing coordinate data of the three-dimensional road, two-dimensional data memory means for storing coordinate data of a straight road established in a two-dimensional coordinate system in association with the three-dimensional road, the straight road having a running lane and an oncoming lane for the player's and general automobiles to run therealong, general automobile control means for controlling general automobiles on the running and oncoming lanes of the straight road, two-dimensional coordinate transforming means for transforming coordinate data of the player's automobile on the three-dimensional road into coordinate data on the straight road in the two-dimensional coordinate system, position deciding means for determining general automobiles positioned in the visible range of the player's automobile based on the coordinate data on the straight road in the two-dimensional coordinate system, and three-dimensional coordinate transforming means for transforming coordinate data of the general automobiles which are determined as being positioned in the visible range into coordinate data on the three-dimensional road in the three-dimensional coordinate system.
With the above arrangement, the player's automobile runs on the running and oncoming lanes of the three-dimensional road established in the game space in the three-dimensional coordinate system in response to instructions from the driving control means. Coordinate data of the player's automobile on the three-dimensional road are transformed into coordinate data on the straight road in the two-dimensional coordinate system. Using the coordinate data on the straight road in the two-dimensional coordinate system, those general automobiles which are positioned in the visible range of the player's automobile are determined among the general automobiles running on the running and oncoming lanes of the straight road. The coordinate data of the determined general automobiles are converted into coordinate data on the three-dimensional road in the three-dimensional coordinate system, and displayed on the display monitor. The positional relationship between the player's and general automobiles can quickly and easily be determined using the coordinate data on the straight road in the two-dimensional coordinate system.
The driving game machine also includes lane selecting means for selecting a left-side lane or a right-side lane for use as the three-dimensional road, and coordinate switching means for switching between coordinate data of the running and oncoming lanes transversely across the straight road, which are stored in the two-dimensional data memory means, depending on the selected left-side or right-side lane.
When the left-side or right-side lane is selected for use as the three-dimensional road, coordinate data of the running and oncoming lanes transversely across the straight road, which are stored in the two-dimensional data memory means, are switched de
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
Martin-Wallace Valencia
Paradiso John
LandOfFree
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