Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-03
2001-05-01
Vo, Cliff N. (Department: 2772)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226008
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to image or sound processing devices, and particularly to game devices, specifically to commercial or home TV game machines for such games as action games, shooting games, or role playing games. More specifically, the present invention relates to a game machine for shooting games, or role playing games with fighting scenes in which a player-manipulated character (player character) and an enemy character attack each other.
RELATED ART
Recently, a so-called 3D game has become known which establishes a virtual space by a computer and enables game play within this virtual space. Among the various types of software used with this 3D game machine, there exists a so-called 3D action game in which the player moves a character within a 3D space, and during this movement, combat is realized between the player-manipulated character and an opponent enemy character. One example of this type of game is “Tomb Raiders” (Virgin).
The “Tomb Raiders” game software functions as follows: The player manipulates a control pad of the game device body and moves the player character within a virtual space towards a desired direction. At this time, a virtual camera is placed above or in back of the character, or in any other position, and the game device body displays an image viewed from this camera onto a monitor.
When the player character meets an enemy character or obstacle during his course of movement, an action scene develops into, for example, a shooting scene between the enemy character and the player character. During this action scene, the game machine body conducts processing based on the priority or hitting of the shooting, such as damaging the player character or enemy character, or destroying the obstacle.
The player manipulates the action of the player character by using the control pad. The player character can be manipulated so as to avoid attacks from the enemy character and prevent too much damage from arising to the player character. As result of this processing, a picture reflecting the processing contents is displayed on the monitor.
With the 3D action game described above, the game machine sets the viewpoint mainly on the manipulated character, thereby being unable to show the virtual space to the player broadly as a whole. Therefore, it is difficult for a player with little experience in game manipulation to grasp the situation surrounding the character, thereby making the game somewhat difficult to play.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to solve the aims above and provide a 3D game machine with which the player can easily grasp the situation in which the manipulated character is placed within the virtual space, and specifically, to improve the movements of the virtual viewpoint compared to a conventional game machine. In other words, it aims to provide viewpoint movements which can express the surroundings of the character broadly and in an adequate manner, and also to facilitate the manipulation of the viewpoint movements for realizing this aim.
Another object of the present invention is to effectively select and/or reproduce the line more suitable for the situation when the line spoken by the character when it reaches a certain point in a course along which the character moves concurs with the line spoken by the character corresponding to the character status or game situation. The present invention further aims at reflecting the manner of conduct of the character in the line reproduction.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a game machine enabling a player with little experience in the manipulation of the game machine to enjoy the game longer. It also aims at providing movement repetitions of the game character's movements for recovery.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the objects above, one aspect of the present invention is an image processing device which displays on display means the image of a character moving within a virtual space projected from a virtual viewpoint at a predetermined position, characterized in that said image processing device comprises viewpoint position setting means for setting the area within which said virtual viewpoint can move along the face of a three-dimensional shape at a predetermined distance from said virtual object, wherein said viewpoint position setting means receives a manipulation signal corresponding to the amount of movement of said virtual viewpoint from input means, and thereby allows said virtual viewpoint to move continuously inside said area.
The three-dimensional shape above may be, for example, a sphere. It may also be any other polygonal shape. Furthermore, when the virtual object changes from a moving state to a standstill state, the viewpoint position setting means may perform movement of the virtual viewpoint. Also, the input means may comprise a crosskey for controlling the movement direction of the virtual object, and the virtual viewpoint may be structured so as to be able to move around the virtual object by the crosskey. Moreover, the crosskey may be provided with switching means for switching between the direction control of the virtual object and movement control of the virtual viewpoint. Also, the device may further comprise judging means for Judging the overlapping of the virtual viewpoint with an obstacle within the virtual space. wherein, when overlapping occurs, the viewpoint position setting means moves the viewpoint so as to avoid the vicinity of the obstacle near the virtual object.
Another aspect of the present invention is a sound processing device for game use wherein a predetermined line of speech is generated from sound replay means during the movement of a character within a virtual space, characterized in comprising first line generation controlling means for generating a first line of speech when the virtual object reaches a predetermined point within the virtual space: second line generation controlling means for generating a second line of speech regardless of the first line of speech when the game situation becomes a predetermined situation; line priority judging means for judging the priority between the first line and the second line; and line replay means for replaying a line of speech corresponding to the priority.
A further aspect of the present invention is a game machine wherein a predetermined line of speech is generated from sound replay means during the movement of a character within a virtual space, the game machine comprising line generation controlling means for generating a predetermined line of speech when the character reaches a predetermined point within the virtual space, wherein the line generation controlling means judges the conduct mode of the character at the point, selects a line suiting each of the conduct modes of the character, and causing the selected line to be replayed from the sound replay means.
In one embodiment of the preceding aspect of the present invention, the conduct mode of the character is at least one of the direction, passage frequency and passage time of the character at the point.
A still further aspect of the present invention is a game device for performing predetermined obstructive processing for a character while moving the character within a virtual space, and when this image processing is performed for the character more than as predetermined, the end of the game is directed, the game device comprising image processing means for providing a predetermined extension even when the image processing is performed for the character, and, unless the image processing is performed for the character during the extension, the obstructive processing is prevented from affecting the character.
In one embodiment of the preceding aspect of the present invention, the obstructive processing is a virtual attack processing for a player character, and wherein the image processing means comprises attack judging means for judging that the virtual attack processing has been performed for the player character reattack judging means for judging that
Matsumoto Takuya
Miyoshi Takao
Setsumasa Akio
Watanabe Yasuhiro
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
Vo Cliff N.
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