JP2002049936A - Game device and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game device in which a player character can accurately decide to be screened with a simple processing and an information storage medium. SOLUTION: A timing deciding part 128 decides timing at which a viewpoint is changed on the basis of the distance between the player character and other objects existing around the player character, the respective heights of the player character and the other objects and the moving direction of the player character. When a viewpoint position setting part 122 is notified of the purport that the timing for changing viewpoint positions arrives from the part 128, the part 122 performs processing that changes the viewpoint position so as to go around the other objects existing between the present viewpoint position and the play character as an obstacle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game apparatus and an information storage medium for displaying a two-dimensional image obtained by performing perspective projection transformation by viewing a three-dimensional virtual space from a predetermined viewpoint position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a character operated by a player (referred to as a "player character") moves in a game space, which is a three-dimensional virtual space, and performs an adventure while clearing various events that occur during that time. The game is known. This type of game is generally called a role playing game, in which a player character solves a task given at a specific place or the like, and the game proceeds while defeating an enemy character that appears during the game. In particular, recently, with the advancement of high-performance processors and image processing techniques, a technique of expressing a player character, an enemy character, a background, or the like using a three-dimensional object using polygons or the like has been widely used.

When displaying an image of such a game space on a screen, a perspective projection conversion process is performed by setting a viewpoint position at a predetermined position in the game space, and a two-dimensional image obtained by this process is obtained. Is displayed.

[0004]

In a conventional game device in which a player character or the like is represented by a three-dimensional object, a two-dimensional image obtained by observing a game space from a viewpoint set at a predetermined position is displayed. If a shield exists between the viewpoint position and the player character, the player character becomes invisible,
There is a problem that the operability by the player is poor.

As a countermeasure against this problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
Various techniques disclosed in JP-A-85312, JP-A-9-50541, and JP-A-2902352 are known. In the three-dimensional moving image creation device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-85312, the camera position (viewpoint position) is automatically moved to a position where a subject corresponding to a player character can be seen. Also, a virtual image generation device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-50541 and Japanese Patent No.
In the video game device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 52, the transmission processing is performed on the shield.

However, using the techniques disclosed in each of these publications has a problem that it is not easy to determine when the player character is hidden behind a shield such as a wall. From the viewpoint of determination accuracy, it is preferable to check the presence / absence of occlusion of the player character using the vertex coordinates of the player character and the shielding object, but the amount of calculation is large. Therefore, when a complicated shape is represented using polygons, the amount of calculation is particularly large. Further, when examining whether or not the edge of a shield such as a wall is closer than a predetermined distance, the mutual relationship between the shapes and arrangements of the player character and the shield is not sufficiently considered. Therefore, even if the player character is not actually shielded and the transmission processing is unnecessary, the transmission processing may be executed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a game apparatus and an information storage capable of accurately and simply determining a shielded state of a player character by simple processing. To provide a medium.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a game device according to the present invention includes a movement instructing unit, a space setting unit, an image generating unit, a timing determining unit, and a viewpoint position setting unit. The movement instruction means instructs the movement of the player character in the three-dimensional virtual space.
The space setting means sets the respective shapes and arrangements of the player character and the objects around the player character in the virtual space. The image generating means generates an image obtained when viewing the virtual space from a virtual viewpoint position. The timing determining means includes: a distance between the player character and the object;
The change timing of the viewpoint position is determined based on the respective heights of the player character and the object and the moving direction of the player character. The viewpoint position setting means moves the viewpoint position in conjunction with the movement of the player character so that the player character is included in the visual field range, and when the timing determination means determines that the change timing has come, the player character is almost changed. The viewpoint position is changed within a predetermined range around the center.

Further, the game device of the present invention includes a movement instructing unit, a space setting unit, an image generating unit, a timing determining unit, a viewpoint position setting unit, and a transmission processing unit. The movement instruction means instructs the movement of the player character in the three-dimensional virtual space. The space setting means sets the respective shapes and arrangements of the player character and the objects around the player character in the virtual space. The image generating means generates an image obtained when viewing the virtual space from a virtual viewpoint position. The timing determining means determines a change timing of the degree of transmission of the object based on a distance between the player character and the object, respective heights of the player character and the object, and a moving direction of the player character. The viewpoint position setting means moves the viewpoint position in conjunction with the movement of the player character such that the player character is included in the visual field range. The transmission processing unit performs a process of transmitting an object disposed between the player character and the viewpoint position when the timing determination unit determines that the change timing has come.

When determining the timing at which the player character is shielded, the distance between the player character and the object, the respective heights of the player character and the object, and the moving direction of the player character are taken into consideration. The accuracy of the determination can be greatly improved as compared with the case where it is used. Further, these distances, heights, and moving directions can be obtained by simple calculations and the like, so that the load required for the entire determination processing can be reduced.

In addition, the apparatus further comprises speed detecting means for detecting the moving speed of the player character, and the speed at which the viewpoint position is changed by the viewpoint position setting means is proportional to the moving speed of the player character detected by the speed detecting means. It is desirable to set it to a value. Alternatively, the apparatus further comprises speed detecting means for detecting the moving speed of the player character, and the speed of changing the degree of transmission of the object by the transmission processing means is a value proportional to the moving speed of the player character detected by the speed detecting means. It is desirable to set to.

When the moving speed of the player character is high, the speed of changing the viewpoint position and the speed of changing the degree of transparency of the object are also high. Conversely, when the moving speed of the player character is low, the changing speed of the viewpoint position and the object are low. Since the speed of changing the degree of transmission of the game becomes slow, it is possible to obtain a realistic game image.

Further, the above-mentioned timing determining means detects distance that the distance between the player character and the object is closer than a predetermined value, and detects that the height of the object is higher than that of the player character. Height detecting means, a direction detecting means for detecting that the player character is moving toward the object, and a relative position detecting means for detecting that the object is closer to the viewpoint than the player character. It is desirable to determine the change timing when a corresponding item is detected in each of these detecting means. By judging the change timing based on the detection result of each of these detecting means, it is possible to reliably extract the surrounding objects that block the player character.

The above-mentioned timing determining means first performs a detecting operation by the distance detecting means, and after detecting a relevant item, performs a detecting operation by the height detecting means, the direction detecting means, and the relative position detecting means. It is desirable. By first performing the detection operation by the distance detection means, the number of objects for which the change timing is to be determined can be significantly reduced, and the processing load required for the determination processing can be reduced.

Further, the information storage medium of the present invention provides a viewpoint position based on a distance between a player character and an object existing therearound, a height of the player character and each of the objects, and a moving direction of the player character. Is changed, the viewpoint position is moved in conjunction with the movement of the player character so that the player character is included in the visual field range, and when it is determined that the viewpoint position is to be changed, the player character is almost moved. It includes a program for changing the viewpoint position within a predetermined range centered.

Further, the information storage medium of the present invention provides an information storage medium for an object based on the distance between the player character and an object present around the player character, the height of the player character and the object, and the moving direction of the player character. The change timing of the degree of transparency is determined, and the viewpoint position is moved in conjunction with the movement of the player character so that the player character is included in the visual field range. The program includes a program for performing a process of transmitting an object disposed between the character and the viewpoint position.

By executing the programs stored in these information storage media, when determining the timing at which the player character is shielded, the distance between the player character and the object, the height of each of the player character and the object, and the like are determined. Since the moving direction of the player character is taken into consideration, the accuracy of the determination can be greatly improved as compared with the case where only the distance is used.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a game device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection state between the game device of the present embodiment and peripheral devices. In the present embodiment, for example, a home-use game device will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the game apparatus according to the present embodiment has a CD-ROM 1 as an information storage medium.
A game device main unit 10 that executes a game program stored in the game device 90 and performs a predetermined game calculation to output a video signal of a game screen and an audio signal such as various sound effects.
0, a television monitor device 200 connected to the game device main body 100, and a controller 300 operated by a player at hand.

The television monitor 200 has a display section 210 for displaying a game screen on a display screen based on a video signal input from the game apparatus main body 100, and converts an audio signal input from the game apparatus main body 100 into sound. And a speaker 220 to be used. The display unit 210
For example, it is composed of a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display device), liquid crystal projector and the like. Further, the controller 300 includes a cross key 310 that can arbitrarily indicate eight directions, a plurality of push button switches 320 selectively pressed as necessary, a left key 322, and a right key 324.

The game device main body 100 includes a game operation unit 1
10, an image generation unit 180, a video output unit 182, an audio output unit 184, and a disk reading unit 188. The game calculation section 110 performs various game calculations, and is realized by executing a game program using a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, for example. Details of the game calculation unit 110 will be described later.

The image generation unit 180 includes a game operation unit 110
Each object in the three-dimensional game space is projected onto a projection plane in a predetermined viewpoint coordinate system based on data related to the position of each object in the three-dimensional game space obtained by the calculation according to and the viewpoint position set at that time. Convert and generate a two-dimensional game image. The image data corresponding to the generated two-dimensional game image is stored in a VRAM incorporated in the image generation unit 180.

The video output unit 182 reads out the image data generated by the image generation unit 180 and stored in the VRAM in the scanning order, and converts the data into an NTSC signal.
The video signal is output to the display unit 210 of the television monitor device 200. The audio output unit 184 converts various types of audio data output from the game calculation unit 110 into analog audio signals, and outputs the analog audio signals to the speaker 220 in the television monitor device 200.

The disk reading section 188 is for reading various data stored in the loaded CD-ROM 190. The CD-ROM 190 stores a game program including image data necessary for performing high-definition graphics display. The disk reading unit 188 sends the game program read from the CD-ROM 190 to the game calculation unit 110. .

The game calculation section 110 includes a game processing section 120, a viewpoint position setting section 122, a game space setting section 1
24, polygon information storage unit 126, timing determination unit 1
28, and includes a speed detection unit 130. The game processing unit 120 performs a process of moving a player character arranged in a three-dimensional game space in accordance with an operation instruction signal output from the controller 300, performs various game processes, and processes a process result. Output to the game space setting unit 124. For example, various game processes corresponding to the role-playing game include an event under a predetermined condition, a battle process performed between the player character and the enemy character when an enemy character is encountered, and the like. .

The viewpoint position setting unit 122 sets a viewpoint position necessary for the image generation unit 180 to generate a two-dimensional game image so as to interlock with the movement state of the player character arranged in the three-dimensional game space. . For example, when the player operates the cross key 310 of the controller 300 to instruct the movement of the player character, the player character does not move off the display screen.
In addition, the viewpoint position automatically moves so as to maintain the relative positional relationship with the player character. In addition, when the timing determination unit 128 issues an instruction to change the viewpoint position, the viewpoint position setting unit 122 automatically changes the viewpoint position while the movement of the player character is stopped.

The game space setting unit 124 calculates a detailed shape of each object corresponding to a player character, a background, and the like arranged in the three-dimensional game space based on a game processing result output from the game processing unit 120. I do.
In this calculation, the vertex data of one or a plurality of polygons constituting each object is stored in the polygon information storage unit 126.
And the calculation result is output to the image generation unit 180.

The polygon information storage unit 126 stores data relating to each polygon read from the CD-ROM 190 by the disk reading unit 188. For example, the vertex coordinates of each polygon, and the identification information of the texture when a corresponding texture exists, are stored.

The timing determination unit 128 determines the distance between the player character and other objects existing around the player character (objects corresponding to surrounding objects), the heights of the player character and other objects, and the movement of the player character. The timing for changing the viewpoint position is determined based on the direction.
50, a height detection unit 152, a direction detection unit 154, and a relative position detection unit 156.

The distance detecting section 150 detects that the distance between the player character and another object is closer than a predetermined value in the three-dimensional game space. The height detection unit 152 detects that the height of another object is higher than that of the player character. Also, the direction detection unit 1
54 detects that the player character is moving toward another object. Relative position detector 15
6 detects that another object is closer to the viewpoint position than the player character.

The three-dimensional game space is represented by a predetermined three-dimensional coordinate system, and the positions of player characters and other objects arranged in the three-dimensional game space are also represented by three-dimensional coordinate values. . Therefore, by obtaining the coordinate values of the player character and other objects from the game space setting unit 124, the above-described detection of the distance and the height can be performed.

The speed detecting section 130 detects the moving speed of the player character, and outputs the detection result to the viewpoint position setting section 122.
Output to In the present embodiment, the change speed of the viewpoint position is
The value is set to a value proportional to the moving speed of the player character. The controller 300 described above serves as a movement instructing unit, the game space setting unit 124 serves as a space setting unit, and the image generating unit 1 serves as a space setting unit.
Reference numeral 80 corresponds to the image generation unit, the timing determination unit 128 corresponds to the timing determination unit, the viewpoint position setting unit 122 corresponds to the viewpoint position setting unit, and the speed detection unit 130 corresponds to the speed detection unit. Further, the distance detecting unit 150 is used as the distance detecting unit, the height detecting unit 152 is used as the height detecting unit, and the direction detecting unit 1 is used.
54 corresponds to the direction detecting means, and the relative position detecting section 156 corresponds to the relative position detecting means.

The game device of the present embodiment has such a configuration, and its operation will be described next. First, the principle of creating a game image will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the principle of game image creation. Game operation unit 110
Arranges, for example, a three-dimensional object 410 representing an obstacle in the three-dimensional game space 400. CD-ROM
In 190, data of a plurality of polygons constituting the three-dimensional object 410 and data of texture added to these polygons are stored. In the three-dimensional game space 400, not only a three-dimensional object 410 representing an object as an obstacle, but also various other three-dimensional objects are arranged, and a plurality of polygons constituting these three-dimensional objects are arranged. The data and the texture data added to these polygons are also CD-RO
M190.

A corresponding texture is added by the image generation unit 180 to the polygons forming the three-dimensional object described above. The three-dimensional object 410 composed of textured polygons is a player 500 set by the viewpoint position setting unit 122.
Is perspective-transformed onto a perspective projection plane of a viewpoint coordinate system centered at the virtual viewpoint position 510 of the
Is displayed on the display unit 210 of the television monitor device 200.

The controller 300 is operated by the player 500 to move the player character,
When the viewpoint position and the view direction change accordingly, the game calculation unit 110 responds to the new viewpoint position and the view direction by using the three-dimensional object 4 in the three-dimensional game space 400.
An operation for changing the position and orientation of 10 and other three-dimensional objects is performed. Then, for these three-dimensional objects whose positions and orientations have changed, the image generation unit 180 performs perspective projection transformation on the perspective projection plane 420 of the viewpoint coordinate system centered on the viewpoint position 510 of the player 500, A game image with updated contents is generated.

For example, when the computer graphics technique is used, the game calculation unit 110 creates a shape model of the three-dimensional object 410 using an independent body coordinate system. In other words, the shape model of the three-dimensional object 410 is specified by arranging the polygons constituting the three-dimensional object 410 using the body coordinate system. Also, the game calculation unit 110 configures the three-dimensional game space 400 using the world coordinate system (Xw, Yw, Zw), and converts the three-dimensional object 410 represented using the body coordinate system into a shape model thereof. Therefore, it is arranged in the world coordinate system. Then, the image generation unit 180 converts the coordinates of each three-dimensional object in the three-dimensional game space 400 into a viewpoint coordinate system in which the direction of the line of sight is set in the positive direction of the Z axis with the viewpoint position 510 as the origin, and the perspective is further changed. Perspective projection transformation is performed by transforming into a screen coordinate system which is a coordinate system of the projection plane 420. In this way, the image of the three-dimensional game space 400 within the range of the field of view from the viewpoint position 510 is displayed on the display unit 210 of the television monitor device 200.

Next, the operation of the game device according to the present embodiment will be described. 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing the operation procedure of the game device of the present embodiment, mainly showing the movement of the player character and the operation procedure when the player character is hidden behind some shield during the movement. It is a flowchart.

When a game start is instructed via the controller 300, the game processing unit 120
Based on the game program read from the game program 90, predetermined game processing such as generating an event under predetermined conditions or performing a battle process when an enemy character is encountered is performed (step 100).

Next, based on the detection result by the distance detection unit 150, the timing determination unit 128 determines whether or not the distance between the player character and another object serving as an obstacle in the game space is closer than a predetermined value. A determination is made (step 101). If the distance is less than the predetermined value, a negative determination is made in step 101, the process returns to step 100, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

If the distance is shorter than the predetermined value, an affirmative determination is made in step 101, and the timing determination unit 128 determines, based on the detection result by the height detection unit 152, that the player character is different from the player character. It is determined whether the height of the object is high (Step 10)
2). If the height of the other object is lower than the player character, a negative determination is made in step 102, the process returns to step 100, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

If the height of the other object is higher than the player character, the above-described step 102 is executed.
Is affirmative, and then the timing determination unit 12
8 determines whether or not the player character is moving toward another object based on the detection result by the direction detection unit 154 (step 103). If the player character has not moved toward another object, a negative determination is made in step 103,
Returning to step 100, the subsequent processing is repeated.

Also, If the player character is moving toward another object, an affirmative determination is made in step 103 described above, and then the timing determination unit 128 determines whether the other object is moving based on the detection result by the relative position detection unit 156. It is determined whether the position is closer to the viewpoint than the player character (step 104). If the position of the other object is not closer to the player character, a negative determination is made in step 104, the process returns to step 100, and the subsequent processing is repeated. The order of the processing contents shown in steps 102 to 104 may be changed, or these three processings may be performed in parallel.

When another object is in front of the player character (when the Z value in the viewpoint coordinate system is small)
In step S104, an affirmative determination is made in step 104, and the timing determination unit 128 notifies the viewpoint position setting unit 122 that it is time to change the viewpoint position.
The viewpoint position setting unit 122 that has been notified performs a process of moving the viewpoint position so as to go around another object as a shield existing between the current viewpoint position and the player character (step 105). It is determined whether or not the entire character has been seen (step 106).
Note that the viewpoint position is moved (changed) in step 105.
Is performed at a speed proportional to the moving speed of the player character detected by the speed detecting unit 130.

While the entire player character is not visible, a negative determination is made in step 106, and the viewpoint position setting unit 122 continues the viewpoint position moving process shown in step 105. The details of the viewpoint position moving process performed by the viewpoint position setting unit 122 will be described later.

When the entire player character is seen, an affirmative determination is made in step 106, and the viewpoint position setting unit 122 stops the movement of the viewpoint position (step 107). Next, the viewpoint position setting unit 122 determines whether or not an instruction has been issued to return the viewpoint position to the original position before the movement (Step 108). Specifically, in the present embodiment, by pressing the left key 322 or the right key 324 provided in the controller 300, the player can give an instruction to return the viewpoint position to the original position. It has become.

When an instruction to return the viewpoint position is issued, an affirmative determination is made in step 108, and the viewpoint position setting unit 122 sets the viewpoint position to the original position before the movement (step 109). Thereafter, the process returns to step 100, and the subsequent processing is continued.

If no instruction to return the viewpoint position (viewpoint return instruction) is made, the above-mentioned step 108 is performed.
Is negative, the game processing unit 120 determines whether the controller 300 has been operated and other instructions have been given (step 110). Unless another instruction is given, the process returns to step 108, and the processing after the determination as to whether or not an instruction to return the viewpoint position has been given is repeated.

When other instructions are given,
An affirmative determination is made in step 108, and the game processing unit 120 returns to step 100 and performs a game process corresponding to the content of the pressed key. Specifically, for example, if any direction of the cross key 310 is pressed, a process of moving the player character in the corresponding direction is performed.

Next, the viewpoint position moving process performed by the viewpoint position setting section 122 will be described in detail. FIG.
FIG. 10 to FIG. 10 are diagrams schematically illustrating a viewpoint position moving process performed by the viewpoint position setting unit 122.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a case where the distance between the player character 412 and another three-dimensional object 410 is less than a predetermined value. FIG. 6A shows a positional relationship between the three-dimensional object 410 and the player character 412 in the three-dimensional game space 400 and the viewpoint position 510, and FIG. 6B shows an example of a display screen. FIG.
As shown in (a), when the distance L between the player character 412 and the three-dimensional object 410 is larger than the predetermined value Lth, other conditions (height, moving direction, etc.)
Regardless of the viewpoint position 510, as shown in FIG.
Will not be moved.

As shown in FIG. 7A, even when the distance L between the player character 412 and the three-dimensional object 410A is smaller than a predetermined value Lth, the height of the tertiary object is higher than the height T1 of the player character 412. When the height T2 of the original object 410A is low, the viewpoint position 510 is not moved as shown in FIG.

In addition, even when the player character 412 is not moving toward the three-dimensional object 410 (or 410A), or when the position of the three-dimensional object 410 or the like is not nearer than the position of the player character 412, the above-described figure is used. 6, the viewpoint position 510 is not moved as in the case of FIG.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
When the four conditions for performing the viewpoint position moving process are satisfied, that is, (1) the distance L between the player character 412 and the object 410 approaches a predetermined value Lth (L <Lth), and (2) the player character 412 The height T2 of the object 410 is higher than the height T1 of the
1 <T2), (3) when the player character 412 is moving toward the object 410, and (4) when the position of the object 410 is in front of the player character 412 when viewed from the viewpoint position 510, the viewpoint position 5
The view of the player character 412 viewed from the player character 412 is blocked, and the player character image 412 ′ is a three-dimensional object image 410 ′ as shown in the display example of FIG.
As a result, the view point is set off by the viewpoint position setting unit 122.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of the player character 412 and the three-dimensional object 410 shown in FIG. As shown by an arrow in FIG. 9, the viewpoint position setting unit 122 performs a process of moving the viewpoint position 510 so as to go around the three-dimensional object 410 existing between the original viewpoint position and the player character 412, and the above-described processing is performed. Thus, the movement of the viewpoint position 510 is stopped at a position where the entire player character 412 can be seen.

As described above, when the viewpoint position is moved by the viewpoint position setting section 122, the player character 412
In addition, the positional relationship between the three-dimensional object 410 and the viewpoint position 510 is as shown in FIG.
As in the display example shown in (b), the entire player character image 412 'can be seen. Further, when the viewpoint return instruction is issued, the viewpoint position 510 is reset to the original position as indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8B described above, a screen in which the player character image 412 'is occluded by the three-dimensional object image 410' and disappears from the display screen is displayed again.

FIGS. 11 to 15 are views showing display examples of actual game images. Player characters are mountains, rivers,
The player is moving in the game space where the grassland is located. In the game image shown in FIG. 11, a player character image is displayed near the center of the screen, and a mountain image is displayed on the near side (lower side in the drawing), but the player character and the mountain on the near side are displayed. Since the distance is not smaller than the predetermined value (see FIG. 6) and the field of view to the player character is not blocked, the movement processing of the viewpoint position is not performed.

Here, when an operation instruction is given by the player and the player character moves to the near side, the distance between the player character and the mountain in front of the player character becomes closer than a predetermined value, and the distance between the player character and the height of the player character increases. Since the height of the mountain is also higher (see FIG. 8), as shown in FIG. 12, the mountain on the near side becomes a shield that blocks the field of view to the player character, and the image of the player character is displayed on the display screen. Will disappear from.

In such a case, as shown in FIG. 9, the processing for moving the viewpoint position is performed. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show display examples of a game image while the viewpoint position is moving. As the viewpoint position moves, a situation in which the front mountain goes round to the right as shown in FIG. 13 is expressed, and as the viewpoint position further moves, a part of the player character image becomes a mountain as shown in FIG. The appearance that appears on the other side of the image is expressed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15, when the position of the entire player character image is seen, the movement processing of the viewpoint position is completed. Further, when the viewpoint return instruction is issued, the viewpoint position is returned to the original position, so that the game screen is displayed in the order of FIG. 12, FIG. 11, and FIG. Note that in the display of the actual game image, FIG.
It is assumed that game images as shown in FIGS. 1 to 15 are continuously changed and displayed as the viewpoint position moves.

As described above, in the game device of the first embodiment, when determining the timing at which the player character is shielded, the distance between the player character and the object (another object corresponding to the shielded object) and the player Since the respective heights of the character and the object and the moving direction of the player character are taken into consideration, the accuracy of the determination can be greatly improved as compared with the case where only the distance is used. Further, these distances, heights, and moving directions can be obtained by simple calculations and the like, so that the load required for the entire determination processing can be reduced.

In the game device according to the first embodiment,
The speed at which the viewpoint position is changed is set so as to be proportional to the moving speed of the player character. Therefore,
If the moving speed of the player character is high, the speed of changing the viewpoint position is also high. Conversely, if the moving speed of the player character is low, the speed of changing the viewpoint position is low, so that a realistic game image is obtained. be able to.

Second Embodiment By the way, in the first embodiment described above, when the field of view of the player character viewed from the viewpoint position is interrupted by an object such as a mountain arranged in the game space,
Although the player character appears on the display screen by moving the viewpoint position to make it easy to grasp the position, the transparency processing may be performed on an object that blocks the view.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the configuration of the game device according to the second embodiment. Note that the game device according to the second embodiment has basically the same configuration as the game device according to the first embodiment described above, except for the internal configuration of the game calculation unit 110A. Detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 16, the game calculation section 110A of the second embodiment includes a game processing section 120, a viewpoint position setting section 122A, a game space setting section 124, a polygon information storage section 126, a timing determination section 128, It includes a speed detection unit 130 and a transparency setting unit 132.
Hereinafter, the differences will be described in detail.

The viewpoint position setting unit 122A sets a viewpoint position necessary for the image generation unit 180 to generate a two-dimensional game image so as to interlock with the movement state of the player character arranged in the three-dimensional game space. . Note that the viewpoint position setting unit 122A of the present embodiment differs from the viewpoint position setting unit 122A in that the viewpoint position change processing is not performed.
And the operation is different.

The timing determination unit 128 determines the distance between the player character and another object corresponding to an object present around the player character, the height of the player character and the other object, and the moving direction of the player character. It determines the timing of performing a transmission process for transmitting an object while leaving only its outline, and includes a distance detection unit 150, a height detection unit 152, a direction detection unit 154, and a relative position detection unit 156. The operation of each component in the timing determination unit 128 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The transparency setting section 132 sets a transparency value of a polygon corresponding to another object as a shield existing between the viewpoint position and the player character. By increasing or decreasing the value of the transparency, the appearance of the texture mapped to this polygon can be changed. For example, in the present embodiment, the transparency has a value of 0 to 100%, and the transparency is 0% and opaque, that is, the object placed behind this polygon is completely invisible, and the transparency is 100%. Is completely transparent, that is, the polygon is transparent except for its outline, and the object placed behind is completely visible.

Therefore, when a notification indicating that it is time to perform the transmission process is output from the timing determination unit 128, the transparency setting unit 132 gradually changes the transparency of the polygon corresponding to the three-dimensional object as a shielding object. And finally set to 100%. In this way 10
The value of the transparency that changes every moment until it reaches 0% is stored in the polygon information storage unit 126 each time. Then, the game image considering the transparency set in this way is generated by the image generation unit 180, so that the player character that passes through the three-dimensional object as a shield and is disposed behind the three-dimensional object is gradually increased. To be visible.

When a predetermined key provided on the controller 300 is pressed, the transparency setting unit 132 sets the transparency of the polygon corresponding to the three-dimensional object as a shielding object to the original value (for example, 0%). Reset. Specifically, in the present embodiment, when the left key 322 or the right key 324 provided in the controller 300 is pressed, the transparency setting unit 132 performs a process of resetting the transparency to the original value. Thereby, the transmission state is released.

The speed detecting section 130 detects the moving speed of the player character, and outputs the detection result to the transparency setting section 132. In the present embodiment, the transparency is set from 0% to 100%.
The speed gradually changed up to is set to a value proportional to the moving speed of the player character.

The controller 300 described above serves as a movement instructing unit, the game space setting unit 124 serves as a space setting unit, the image generating unit 180 serves as an image generating unit,
8 corresponds to a timing determination unit, the viewpoint position setting unit 122A corresponds to a viewpoint position setting unit, the speed detection unit 130 corresponds to a speed detection unit, and the transparency setting unit 132 corresponds to a transmission processing unit. Further, the distance detecting unit 150 is used as a distance detecting unit,
The height detecting unit 152 is used as a height detecting unit, and the direction detecting unit 154 is used.
Corresponds to the direction detecting means, and the relative position detecting section 156 corresponds to the relative position detecting means.

Next, the operation of the game device according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the game device of the second embodiment, and mainly shows a movement of the player character and an operation procedure when the player character is hidden behind some shield during the movement. It is.

When a game start is instructed via the controller 300, the game processing unit 120
Based on the game program read from the game program 90, predetermined game processing such as generating an event under predetermined conditions and performing battle processing when an enemy character is encountered is performed (step 200).

Next, the timing determination unit 128 determines whether or not the distance between the player character and the three-dimensional object is closer than a predetermined value in the game space, based on the detection result of the distance detection unit 150 (step). 2
01). If the distance is less than the specified value,
A negative determination is made in step 201 and step 2
Returning to 00, the subsequent processing is repeated.

If the distance is shorter than the predetermined value, an affirmative determination is made in step 201, and the timing determination unit 128 determines, based on the detection result by the height detection unit 152, that the object of the object is smaller than the player character. It is determined whether the height is high (step 202). If the height of the object is lower than the player character, a negative determination is made in step 202, the process returns to step 200, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

If the height of the object is higher than the player character, an affirmative determination is made in step 102 described above, and then the timing determination unit 128
Determines whether the player character is moving toward the object based on the detection result by the direction detection unit 154 (step 203). If the player character is not moving towards the object,
A negative determination is made in step 203 and step 2
Returning to 00, the subsequent processing is repeated.

Also, If the player character is moving toward the object, step 2
03, an affirmative determination is made, and then the timing determination unit 128 determines whether the position of the object is closer to the player character than the player character based on the detection result by the relative position detector 156 (step 204).
If the position of the object is not closer to the player character, a negative determination is made in step 204, the process returns to step 200, and the subsequent processing is repeated. Note that the processing contents shown in steps 202 to 204 described above may be changed in order, or these three processings may be performed in parallel.

If the position of the object is nearer than the player character, an affirmative determination is made in step 204 described above, and the timing determination unit 128
The transparency setting unit 13 indicates that it is time to perform the transmission processing.
Notify 2. Upon receiving the notification, the transparency setting unit 132 sets the transparency of the polygon corresponding to the three-dimensional object as a shield existing between the current viewpoint position and the player character to 100% (step 205).

Next, the transparency setting section 132 determines whether or not an instruction to cancel the transmission state (transmission cancellation instruction) has been made (step 206). As described above, by pressing the left key 322 or the right key 324 provided in the controller 300, the player can give an instruction to return the viewpoint position to the original position. If an instruction to cancel the transmission state is given, an affirmative determination is made in step 206, and the transparency setting unit 132 resets the transparency of the polygon corresponding to the three-dimensional object as a shielding object to 0%, The transmission state is released (step 207). afterwards,
Returning to step 200, the subsequent processing is continued.

If an instruction to cancel the transmission state (transmission cancellation instruction) is not issued, the above-described step 2 is performed.
In step 06, a negative determination is made, and the game processing unit 120
Determines whether the controller 300 has been operated and other instructions have been given (step 208). Unless another instruction is given, the process returns to step 206, and the processing after determining whether or not an instruction to cancel the transmission state has been given is repeated. If another instruction is given, an affirmative determination is made in step 208, and the game processing unit 120 returns to step 200 and performs a game process corresponding to the content of the pressed key.

FIG. 18 is a diagram schematically illustrating the transmission processing. As shown in FIG. 18A, the player character 412 approaches the three-dimensional object 410,
When the four conditions for performing the transmission processing are satisfied, that is, (1) the distance L between the player character 412 and the object 410 becomes closer than a predetermined value Lth (L <Lt)
h), (2) the height T2 of the object 410 is higher than the height T1 of the player character 412 (T1 <T
2), (3) the player character 412 is moving toward the object 410;
If the position of the player character 10 is in front of the player character toward the viewpoint position 510, the field of view of the player character 412 viewed from the viewpoint position 510 is blocked, and the player character image 412 'is left as it is.
Is shielded by the three-dimensional object image 410 'and disappears from the display screen. However, when the transparency of the polygon corresponding to the three-dimensional object 410 is set to 100% by the transparency setting unit 132, the three-dimensional object image 410 'is displayed as shown in the display example of FIG. Only the outline is left, and the player character image 41 existing behind
2 ', the background image and the like are displayed.

FIGS. 19 to 21 are views showing display examples of actual game images. Player characters are mountains, rivers,
The player is moving in the game space where the grassland is located. In the game image shown in FIG. 19, a player character image is displayed near the center of the screen, and a mountain image is displayed on the near side (lower side in the drawing). Since the distance is less than a predetermined value and the field of view to the player character is not blocked, the transmission processing is not performed.

Here, when an operation instruction is given by the player and the player character moves toward the near side as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 19, the distance between the player character and the mountain in front of the player character becomes closer than a predetermined value. Since the height of the mountain is higher than the height of the player character (see FIG. 18A), as shown in FIG.
The mountain on the near side becomes a shield that blocks the field of view of the player character, and the player character image disappears from the display screen.

In such a case, the above-mentioned FIG.
As shown in (1), a transmission process is performed. FIG. 21 shows a display example of a game image on which the transmission processing has been performed. By performing the transmission processing, as shown in FIG. 21, only the outline of the mountain image is displayed, and the player character image can be seen beyond the mountain image. Also, when a transmission release instruction is given, the transmission processing is released,
The game image shown in FIG. 20 described above is displayed again.

As described above, in the game device of the second embodiment, when determining the timing at which the player character is shielded, the distance between the player character and the object (another object corresponding to the shielded object) and the player's distance are determined. Since the respective heights of the character and the object and the moving direction of the player character are taken into consideration, the accuracy of the determination can be greatly improved as compared with the case where only the distance is used. Further, these distances, heights, and moving directions can be obtained by simple calculations and the like, so that the load required for the entire determination processing can be reduced.

In the game device according to the second embodiment,
The speed at which the transparency of the object is changed is set so as to be proportional to the moving speed of the player character. Therefore, when the moving speed of the player character is high, the speed at which the transparency changes is also high, and conversely, when the moving speed of the player character is low, the speed at which the transparency changes is low, so that a realistic game image is displayed. Can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, a case where a role playing game is performed using a home game device has been described. However, a case where a game other than the role playing game is performed, or a business game The present invention can be applied to an apparatus.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the information storage medium storing the game program is a CD-ROM.
Although 190 is considered, a DVD-ROM or ROM cartridge, a hard disk, a data cartridge using a tape medium, or the like may be used instead. In this case, a data reading unit corresponding to each information storage medium may be provided instead of the disk reading unit 188.

[0088]

As described above, according to the present invention, the distance between the player character and the object, the respective heights of the player character and the object, the player character, Since the moving direction is considered, the accuracy of the determination can be greatly improved as compared with the case where only the distance is used. Further, these distances, heights, and moving directions can be obtained by simple calculations and the like, so that the load required for the entire determination processing can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a game device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection state between a game device and peripheral devices.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the principle of game image creation.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the game device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the game device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a viewpoint position moving process performed by a viewpoint position setting unit.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a viewpoint position moving process performed by a viewpoint position setting unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a viewpoint position moving process performed by a viewpoint position setting unit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a viewpoint position moving process performed by a viewpoint position setting unit.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a viewpoint position moving process performed by a viewpoint position setting unit.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of an actual game image.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example of an actual game image.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of an actual game image.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a display example of an actual game image.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of an actual game image.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a game device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the game device of the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram schematically illustrating a transmission process.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an actual game image.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an actual game image.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an actual game image.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 game device 110, 110A game calculation unit 120 game processing unit 122, 122A viewpoint position setting unit 124 game space setting unit 126 polygon information storage unit 128 timing determination unit 130 speed detection unit 132 transparency setting unit 150 distance detection unit 152 height detection Unit 154 Direction detection unit 156 Relative position detection unit 180 Image generation unit 182 Video output unit 184 Audio output unit 188 Disk reading unit 190 CD-ROM 200 Monitor device 300 Controller

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A movement instructing unit for instructing a movement of a player character in a three-dimensional virtual space, and a space setting unit for setting respective shapes of the player character and objects existing therearound and an arrangement in the virtual space. Image generation means for generating an image obtained when viewing the virtual space from a virtual viewpoint position; a distance between the player character and the object; and a height of the player character and the object, respectively. Timing determination means for determining a change timing of the viewpoint position based on a moving direction of the player character; and moving the viewpoint position in conjunction with the movement of the player character so that the player character is included in a visual field range. And the change timing is determined by the timing determination means. If it is determined, the game apparatus comprising: a, and the viewpoint position setting means for changing the viewpoint position at a predetermined range with substantially around the player character. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising speed detecting means for detecting a moving speed of the player character, wherein the viewpoint position setting means determines a speed at which the viewpoint position is changed by the speed detecting means. A game device, wherein the value is set to a value proportional to the detected moving speed of the player character. 3. A movement instructing means for instructing a movement of a player character in a three-dimensional virtual space, and a space setting means for setting respective shapes of the player character and objects existing therearound and an arrangement in the virtual space. Image generation means for generating an image obtained when viewing the virtual space from a virtual viewpoint position; a distance between the player character and the object; and a height of the player character and the object, respectively. Timing determining means for determining a change timing of the degree of transmission of the object based on the moving direction of the player character; and interlocking with the movement of the player character so that the player character is included in a visual field range, A viewpoint position setting unit for moving the viewpoint position; and the timing determination unit. When it is determined that the change timing, the game apparatus characterized by and a transmission processing means for performing processing of transmitting the object placed between the viewpoint position and the player character. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising speed detecting means for detecting a moving speed of the player character, wherein the transmission processing means detects a speed at which a degree of transmission of the object is changed. A game device for setting a value proportional to a moving speed of the player character detected by a means. 5. The player character according to claim 1, wherein the timing determination unit detects that the distance between the player character and the object is closer than a predetermined value. Height detecting means for detecting that the object is taller; direction detecting means for detecting that the player character is moving toward the object; and wherein the object is higher than the player character. Relative position detecting means for detecting that it is on the viewpoint position side, and the distance detecting means, the height detecting means, the direction detecting means, and the relative position detecting means have detected respective items. Sometimes, the game device determines the change timing, 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the timing determination unit first performs a detection operation by the distance detection unit to detect a corresponding item.
A game apparatus, wherein a detecting operation is performed by the height detecting means, the direction detecting means, and the relative position detecting means. 7. A change timing of a viewpoint position is determined based on a distance between the player character and an object existing around the player character, a height of each of the player character and the object, and a moving direction of the player character. The viewpoint position is moved in conjunction with the movement of the player character so that the player character is included in the range, and when it is determined that the timing for changing the viewpoint position is determined, the viewpoint position is determined within a predetermined range substantially centered on the player character. An information storage medium characterized by including a program for changing the information. 8. A change timing of a degree of transmission of an object is determined based on a distance between the player character and an object existing therearound, a height of the player character and each of the objects, and a moving direction of the player character. Then, the viewpoint position is moved in conjunction with the movement of the player character so that the player character is included in the visual field range, and when it is determined that the timing of changing the degree of transparency is determined, the position between the player character and the viewpoint position is determined. An information storage medium including a program for performing a process of transmitting a placed object.