Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Animation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-05
2001-03-27
Nguyen, Phu K. (Department: 2772)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Animation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06208358
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device, an image processing method and a medium, and more particularly to an image processing device, image processing method and medium, whereby scenes displaying movements or actions of a character are generated on the basis of output signals from a control pad comprising a plurality of keys.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the progress of computer technology, video game devices (image processing devices) using computer graphics technology have become widely used. Of these, video game devices wherein the players' characters are operated and the game is developed according to key input from control pads are especially popular, and a large number of these video game devices have been proposed. A video game device of this kind is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication 2502473, for example.
However, in the aforementioned conventional video game devices, movement of the players' characters is mainly operated by means of cross-shaped keys. Therefore, in order to carry out a prescribed action (for example, an attack on an enemy character) after moving the player's character, it is necessary for the player to move his or her character by operating the cross-shaped keys, and then subsequently to make an attack on the enemy character operating a button key (for example, ABC keys, XYZ keys, or the like). Furthermore, as the burden of key operation on the player increases, this is liable to cause operational errors, or the like, due to the complexity of key operation. The amount of information to be processed by the game device also rises, thereby increasing the processing load on the CPU.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was devised in view of the aforementioned problems, an object thereof being to provide an image processing device, image processing method and storage medium, whereby game programs can be executed by simple key inputs.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing device, image processing method and storage medium, whereby characters are moved to prescribed positions according to previously determined correlations, on the basis of key inputs from the control pads, whereupon the characters implement prescribed actions.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, the image processing device according to the present invention comprises: control pads provided with a plurality of keys for specifying movement positions of characters displayed on a screen; image generating means for generating images whereby the characters are moved to prescribed positions previously determined in relation to the configuration of the plurality of keys, on the basis of key inputs from the control pads; and image outputting means for displaying the output from the image generating means on the screen. Here, “keys” refers to ABC keys and XYZ keys, as well as the respective right/left/up/down keys of a cross-shaped key.
The image generating means generates images whereby the characters are moved to prescribed positions on the basis of the key input from the control pads, and then generates images whereby the characters implement prescribed actions.
Furthermore, prior to generating images whereby the characters are moved to prescribed positions on the basis of the key input from the control pads, the image generating means may also receive a plurality of key inputs and generate images whereby the characters are moved to prescribed positions corresponding to these respective key inputs.
When the plurality of key inputs from the control pad are input within a predetermined period of time and in a predetermined order, the image generating means may also generate latent images of the characters when generating images whereby the characters are moved to prescribed positions.
The image generating means may also generate images whereby there is a one-to-one correspondence between the configuration of each key provided on the control pad and the movement positions of the characters.
The image generating means may also generate images whereby there is a one-to-one correspondence between combinations of a plurality of key inputs provided on the control pad and the movement positions of the characters.
Moreover, this image processing device may further comprise control means for judging, in cases where there is key input requesting the same processing content with respect to a plurality of characters operated by a plurality of players, whether these key inputs are in a first time period or a second time period corresponding to the image renewal cycle of the image display means, and determining the order of priority relating to the key inputs by the plurality of players in accordance with these judgement results.
By means of this composition, it is possible to determine an order of priority for processing impartially, in cases where two or more players implement key operations requesting the same processing content simultaneously, whilst the same frame is being displayed on the game screen.
The control means may make the first time period correspond to the even-numbered field display time, and the second time period, to the odd-numbered field display time, of the image renewal cycle. The image display means may adjust the frequency of appearance of other game characters displayed by the image display means in accordance with the time interval between key inputs from the control pads. By means of this composition, it is possible to adjust the frequency of appearance of characters in accordance with the movement of players' characters.
The image processing method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: generating operating signals on the basis of key inputs from control pads provided with a plurality of keys for specifying the movement of characters displayed on a screen; and generating images whereby the characters are moved to positions previously correlated to the input keys, on the basis of the operating signals.
In addition to the aforementioned steps, the image generating step may also comprise the steps of: judging whether key inputs are within a first time period or second time period corresponding to periods within the image renewal cycle of image display means, in cases where there are key inputs requesting the same processing content with respect to a plurality of characters operated by a plurality of players; and determining an order of priority for the key inputs of the plurality of players in accordance with these judgement results.
Furthermore, the judging step may make the first time period and second time period correspond respectively to the even-numbered field display time period and the odd-numbered field display time period in the image renewal cycle.
The image generating step may also generate images whereby there is a one-to-one correspondence between the configuration of each key provided on the control pad and the movement positions of the characters.
The image generating step may also generate images whereby there is a one-to-one correspondence between combinations of a plurality of key inputs provided on the control pad and the movement positions of the characters.
The storage medium according to the present invention records programs for causing the image processing device to function as: means (first means) for generating operating signals on the basis of key inputs from control pads provided with a plurality of keys for specifying the movement of characters displayed on the screen of the image processing device; and means (second means) for generating images whereby the characters are moved to positions previously correlated to the input keys, on the basis of the operating signals.
This storage medium may also record programs for causing the image processing device to function as: means (third means) for judging whether key inputs are within a first time period or second time period corresponding to periods within the image renewal cycle of image display means, in ca
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
Nguyen Phu K.
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