Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-10
2001-10-16
Luu, Matthew (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
C345S419000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06304267
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image generating system for generating an image as seen from a virtual camera in an object space and an information storage medium used in this image generating system.
2. Prior Art
There is known an image generating system which generates images of objects as seen from a virtual camera when the objects are arranged within a virtual three-dimensional space or an object space. Such a system is very popular because of providing a so-called virtual reality.
With such image generating system used in a soccer simulation game, for example, a player enjoys controlling a game character on a screen who passes a ball or kicks a goal. By using this image generating system, the player feels as if he/she were actually playing soccer.
In the conventional soccer simulation games, a game character which is controllable by a player is not fixed, and may be a game character that keeps a ball, for example. More particularly, when the player controls a first game character and then passes a ball to a second game character, the player's game character is changed from the first game character to the second game character. For such a reason, the virtual camera does not follow one fixed character.
However, such a soccer simulation game according to the prior art has the following problems.
First of all, the player must do a complicated control since a game character controlled by the player is frequently changed from one to another during the game play. Game beginners tend to avoid such a complicated game.
Second, the player cannot easily feel strong affection for his or her game character or enthusiasm about the game. In such a type of simulation games, game characters are often modeled on actual star players. However, if there is a game character modeled on the player's favorite soccer star, the player cannot always control that game character in a conventional soccer simulation game in which the player's controllable game character is frequently changed. Thus it is difficult to feel strong affection for the player's game character and enthusiasm about the game.
Thus, the conventional soccer simulation games are disadvantageous in that the player's game character is frequently changed and that the virtual camera does not follow one fixed player's game character.
Therefore, the inventor has developed a soccer simulation game of such a type that the player's game character is fixed to a particular one and that the virtual camera follows that fixed character.
When the player's game character cannot touch a ball in such a new simulation game, however, the player's game character has to wait and watch the play of other game characters. It is thus required to generate interesting game images to avoid a lack of concentration of the player.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the aforementioned problems in the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image generating system and information storage medium for generating an image preferable for a game in which a virtual camera follows a displayed object.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image generating system for generating an image as seen from a virtual camera in an object space in which at least first and second displayed objects are disposed, the image generating system comprising:
means for causing the virtual camera to follow the first displayed object and for changing the angle of view of the virtual camera based on positional information about the first and second displayed objects; and
means for generating an image as seen from the virtual camera.
In this way, an image as seen from the virtual camera following the first displayed object can be generated. The virtual camera follows the first displayed object with inertia, for example. The angle of view of the virtual camera is changed depending on the positional information (e.g., coordinates) of the first and second displayed objects. Thus, the angle of view of the virtual camera can reflect changing of the positional information of the first and second displayed objects. Accordingly, an image which reflects such a positional relationship can be generated.
The angle of view of the virtual camera may be increased as the distance between the first and second displayed objects decreases, and the angle of view of the virtual camera may be decreased as the distance between the first and second displayed objects increases. When the distance between the first and second displayed objects is relatively short, a generated image represents information about things around the first displayed object in detail, for example. When the distance is relatively long, a generated image can represent information about things around the second displayed object in detail, for example.
The angle of view of the virtual camera may set to a fixed value when the distance between the first and second displayed objects becomes smaller than a given threshold value. A technique by which the angle of view is simply increased as the distance between the first and second displayed objects decreases may produce distortion of image when the distance becomes less than a given value. By fixing the angle of view to a given value when the distance is less than the threshold value, such distortion of image can effectively be avoided,
The virtual camera may be directed in a direction from the first displayed object or the vicinity of the first displayed object toward the second object or the vicinity of the second displayed object. Thus, the second displayed object can always be displayed on the screen at a position near the gazing point of the virtual camera, for example.
The virtual camera may follow the first displayed object with inertia. Even if the position or direction of the first displayed object is rapidly changed, images can be smoothly displayed.
The first displayed object may represent a game character and the second displayed object may represent a ball controllable by the game character in a game which is played by using the image generated by the image generating system. Thus, an image which is very suitable for use in a ball handling sports simulation game or other games can be generated.
The first displayed object may represent a first game character and the second displayed object may represent a second game character who fights against the first game character in a game which is played by using the image generated by the image generating system. Thus, an image which is very suitable for use in a fighting game performed between the first and second game characters or other games can be generated.
The first displayed object may represent a game character and the second displayed object may represent an item to be obtained by the game character in a game which is played by using the image generated by the image generating system. Thus, an image which is very suitable for use in a role-playing game in which a game character travels within a map for items or other games can be generated.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image generating system for generating an image which is used to play a sports simulation game by a player, the image representing a plurality of displayed objects including a game character controlled by the player through a control means and a ball controllable by the game character, the image generating system comprising:
means for computing positional information about the game character and the ball in each frame based on operation information inputted through the control means;
means for causing a virtual camera to follow the game character and for changing the angle of view of the virtual camera based on the positional information about the game character and the ball; and
means for generating an image as seen from the virtual camera in an object space in which a plurality of the objects including the game character and the ball are disposed.
In this
Harrison Chante′
Luu Matthew
Namco Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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