Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a game requiring an element of a participants physical...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-26
2003-08-05
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3714)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a game requiring an element of a participants physical...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06602132
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fishing game system utilizing a computer.
2. Description of Related Art
There is known a fishing game system utilizing a computer, which shows the fishing field on a screen of a display device. The game-player manipulates the input device of the game system to cast the fishing rig with bait or lure in the fishing field, thereby imaginarily experiencing fishing. In such a fishing game, the game-player casts the fishing rig with bait or lure, sets the hook on a fish and lands it, and sees the kind and/or size of the fish thus caught. The game-player repeats those operations to enjoy imaginary fishing on the game.
In the real fishing, sometimes a fish bites bait or lure and hooked, and then another fish bites the hooked fish (Throughout this specification, the second bite by that another fish is called “double-bite”). Therefore, if such an unexpected situation is realized in the computer fishing game, the game-player may feel more pleasure in playing the fishing game. However, if the double-bite happens only incidentally in the fishing game, like the real fishing, the game becomes less amusing and tactic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fishing game system in which the game-player may tactically and deliberately make the double-bite happen by satisfying necessary conditions during the progress of the game.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game system including: a display device for displaying pictures; an input device for receiving input by a game-player and outputting a signal corresponding to the input; and a control device for controlling progress of a fishing game with referring to the signal outputted by the input device and displaying pictures corresponding to the progress of the game on the display device, wherein the control device includes: a first determination unit for determining whether or not an imaginary fish is hooked and for outputting an affirmative result when the fish is hooked; a second determination unit for determining whether or not the hooked fish is a prey-fish and for outputting an affirmative result if the hooked fish is a prey-fish; a third determination unit for determining whether or not one or more predator-creature exists within a range from a position of the hooked fish and for outputting an affirmative result when the predator-creature exists; and a bite control unit for allowing the predator-creature to bite the hooked fish when all of the first, the second and the third determining unit output the affirmative results. In accordance with the game system thus configured, only if the first to third determination unit output affirmative results, the predator-creature comes out and makes double-bite.
The game system may further include a fourth determination unit for determining whether or not presence of predator-creatures which prey on the prey-fishes is notified to the game-player in the progress of the game and for outputting an affirmative result when the presence is notified, wherein the bite control unit allows the predator-creature to bite when all of the first to fourth determining unit output the affirmative results. Thus, the predator-creature comes out only if the game-player knows the presence of the predator-creature, thereby making the story of the game more interesting.
The bite control unit may include: a re-determination unit for allowing the second and the third determination unit to make re-determination by regarding the biting predator-creature as the hooked fish when the biting predator-creature is a prey for another predator-creature; and a unit for allowing the another predator-creature to bite the biting predator-creature when both of the second and the third determination unit output the affirmative results for the re-determination. Thus, a predator-creature may further bite the predator-creature that has bitten the prey-fish.
The bite control unit may include an additional determination unit for executing determination for additional conditions in addition to the determination executed by the first to fourth determination unit, and allows the predator-creature to bite the hooked fish when all of the first to fourth determination unit and the additional determination unit output the affirmative results. Thus, the conditions for causing the double-bite may be changed as needed.
The fourth determination unit may notify the game-player of the presence of the predator-creature by showing presence of a prey-fish which body is partially bit off. By this, presence of the predator-creature may be notified to the game-player naturally and suggestively.
The bite control unit may output a warning before allowing the predator-creature to bite the hooked fish. This enables the game-player to prepare for such an irregular situation that a creature bites a fish biting bait or lure.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium carrying game program for controlling a game system to execute a fishing game with referring to a signal outputted by an input device of the game system and displaying pictures corresponding to the progress of the game on a display device, the program controls the game system to function as: a first determination unit for determining whether or not a fish is hooked and for outputting an affirmative result when the fish is hooked; a second determination unit for determining whether or not the hooked fish is a prey-fish and for outputting an affirmative result if the hooked fish is a prey-fish; a third determination unit for determining whether or not one or more predator-creature exists within a range from a position of the hooked fish and for outputting an affirmative result when the predator-creature exists; and a bite control unit for allowing the predator-creature to bite the hooked fish when all of the first, the second and the third determining unit output the affirmative results.
In accordance with the storage medium, when it is read out and executed by the computer, the computer may function as a control device in the game system of the present invention. It is noted that the storage medium may be a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a semiconductor storage elements and other various storage means.
The nature, utility, and further features of this invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description with respect to preferred embodiment of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings briefly described below.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5542672 (1996-08-01), Meredith
patent: 5713792 (1998-02-01), Ohzono et al.
patent: 6254481 (2001-07-01), Jaffe
patent: 6319128 (2001-11-01), Miyoshi et al.
patent: 0 916 375 (1999-05-01), None
“Fisherman's Bait” ‘ONLINE!, Jan. 31, 2000 (Jan. 31, 2000), XP002167905 Retrieved from the Internet: <URL:psx.fgn.com/reviews/11623.html> ’retrieved on May 21, 2000! * the whole document *.
Hattori K ; Narita Y ; Kashimori Y ; Kambara T : “Self-organized critical behavior of fish school and emergence of group” Proceedings of the International Conference on Neural Information Processing. vol. 2, Nov. 16-20, 1999, pp. 465-470, XP002222435 Perth, WA, Australia *p. 468, right-hand column, paragraph 4.1.1 -paragraph 4.1.2 *.
Akimoto Seiji
Hatakeyama Keiichi
Kawamura Sadaharu
Kozawa Akira
Masuoka Yasuhiro
Coburn Corbett B.
Hughes S. Thomas
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Corporation
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