Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Perceptible output or display
Patent
1997-10-17
2000-11-14
Harrison, Jessica J.
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Perceptible output or display
463 1, 463 32, 345131, 345132, 345133, A63F 1300, A63F 924, G06F 1700, G06F 1900
Patent
active
061462756
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus in which guidance is displayed when the processing capability of the main processing unit is different than the operating environment expected by the application program. The present invention also relates to an image processing apparatus in which guidance is referenced to allow the operating environment of the application program to be set.
BACKGROUND ART
In the case of game machines, all users can play games with the same game quality in the same game program because it is assumed that users have hardware with the same processing capability.
However, when a game program is read into a general-purpose computer system for use, the image processing speed is often controlled by the capability of the computer system, and the same game program cannot be played with the same game quality.
As a result, in the past, when the capability of the computer system did not have the operating environment expected by the game program, the game was continued, for example, while the image quality was preserved and the character operating speed or the speed at which the game advanced fell off, or conversely there was a drop in image quality, with emphasis placed on preserving the game qualities. Here, "game qualities" usually means the sense of game speed as well as the quality, characteristics, and the like involved in executing the game, such as the corresponding level of difficulty.
In the past, however, when the main processing unit of a computer system could not sustain the operating environment expected by the game program, the game was executed with the game qualities in a special state determined by the manufacturer. As a result, the user had to play the game based on these determined game qualities, and the game qualities could not be set to one's satisfaction.
In the case of conventional units, the user could know that the main processing unit lacked the capabilities because of the special game qualities that resulted when the main processing unit could not provide the operating environment expected by the game program. However, in the past it was not possible to objectively determine the extent of the insufficiency in capability between the operating environment required by the program and the current operating environment, and the game qualities had to be set to a standard special level.
An object of the present invention is to resolve the drawbacks of the prior art described above so as to provide an image processing apparatus capable of displaying guidance when the capability of a computer system is different from the operating environment expected by the application program.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of setting the operating environment of the application program.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the objectives described above, the image processing apparatus is equipped with means for allowing an application program to be adapted, a main processing unit for forming graphic signals by executing the application program, and display means for displaying the graphic signals from the main processing unit, wherein the main processing unit comprises: determining means, for determining whether or not the main processing unit has provided the operating environment expected by an application program; and display control means for displaying guidance on the display means based on the results of determination by said determining means.
Accordingly, in the invention described in the determining means determines whether or not the main processing unit has provided the operating environment expected by the application program. When the determining means determines that the main processing unit has not provided the operating environment expected by the application program, the display control means displays guidance on the display means according to the results of the determination.
The invention is also characterized
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Asai Toshinori
Suzuki Toshinori
Harrison Jessica J.
Nguyen Binh-An
Sega Enterprises Ltd.
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