JP2004329531A - Game program, information storing medium, and game device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To naturally control the motion of a character regarding a game development such as a soccer game in such a manner as to be based on the motion of an actual game player. <P>SOLUTION: A visual field 300 of a visibility angle α is set in the direction (the direction shown by arrow 122) of the body of a ball keeper character 120 who keeps a ball 500. Then, when the ball keeper character 120 is an NPC, one character from among player characters 100a belonging to the same team as the ball keeper character 120 is selected as a pass receiver character. Then, the ball keeper character 120 is controlled in a manner to pass the ball to the selected pass receiver character. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to game information, an information storage medium, and a game device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a game device that arranges and moves a character in a game space, and generates and displays a game image as viewed from a given viewpoint, a game image with a more realistic feeling is generated. Various processes have been performed. For example, in the case of a sports game, the realism and realism of the game are improved by simulating the movement of a character imitating a sports athlete as that of an actual athlete.
[0003]
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that when a physical distance between a character and a target that is related to the character through the game and a relationship regarding the game content are in a predetermined state that matches a predetermined condition, the character's line of sight (face The technology for directing the orientation of the target body toward the target body is disclosed. According to this, for example, in the case of a soccer game, a dribbling character is timed to kick the ball, or looks around as if looking for a pass zone or a friend character (look around) ) Since the action can be performed, the action of the actual soccer player can be simulated more realistically.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-290886
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is control that is limited to the visual effect and is not related to the game development itself, which is performed in order to give the game a sense of realism and realism. In other words, depending on the predetermined condition, the character's line of sight (face orientation) is directed in various directions. By directing the line of sight, the timing at which the dribbling character kicks the ball, It does not determine the character.
[0006]
In a conventional soccer game or the like, the action of the character related to the game development is determined based on the position (representative position) of the character, and the direction of the face (line of sight) is not considered. For this reason, for example, even though the character's line of sight is directed to the right front, and a movement to search for a pass zone or a friend character is being performed, a pass is suddenly given to the character at the left rear. An unusual situation occurred.
[0007]
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to naturally control the movement of a character related to game development in a soccer game or the like in accordance with the movement of an actual player.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1
A plurality of characters that can move on a field including a PC (player character) and an NPC (non-player character) that operate in response to an operation input by a player are divided into a plurality of teams and fight against a computer-like device. Game information for running a game that puts the game in the goal area,
Determination means (for example, the ball management unit 53 in FIG. 9) for determining a ball keep character (for example, the ball keep character 120 in FIG. 3) that keeps the ball (for example, the ball 500 in FIG. 3);
Field setting means (for example, pass destination candidate character extraction unit 54a in FIG. 9) for setting the field of view of the ball keep character (for example, field of view 300 in FIG. 9) on the field,
A selection means (for example, a pass destination character determination unit 54b in FIG. 9) that selects one of the characters belonging to the same team as the ball keep character and located within the field of view set by the field of view setting means;
When the ball keep character is an NPC, motion control means for controlling the motion of the ball keep character so as to pass the one character (for example, the pass motion control unit 54c in FIG. 9),
Game information for causing the device to function.
[0009]
The game information means information according to a program provided for processing by an electronic computer (computer) such as a game device.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 16
A game in which a plurality of characters that can move on a field including a PC (player character) and an NPC (non-player character) that operate in response to a player's operation input are divided into a plurality of teams, and a ball is placed in a goal area A game device for executing
Determination means (for example, the ball management unit 53 in FIG. 9) for determining a ball keep character (for example, the ball keep character 120 in FIG. 3) that keeps the ball (for example, the ball 500 in FIG. 3);
A field setting unit (for example, a pass destination candidate character extraction unit 54a in FIG. 9) for setting a field of view of the ball keep character (for example, field of view 300 in FIG. 3) on the field;
A selection means (for example, a pass destination character determination unit 54b in FIG. 9) that selects one of the characters belonging to the same team as the ball keep character and located within the visual field set by the visual field setting means; ,
Action control means (for example, a pass action control unit 54c in FIG. 9) for controlling the action of the ball keep character so as to pass the one character when the ball keep character is an NPC;
It is a game device provided with.
[0011]
According to the invention described in claim 1 or 16, the field of view of the ball keep character that keeps the ball is set on the field, and the character that belongs to the same team as the ball keep character and is located within the field of view. One of the characters is selected. When the ball keep character is an NPC (non-player character), the operation (behavior) of the ball keep character is controlled so as to pass the selected character. That is, when the ball keep character makes a pass, natural control according to the action of the actual player, such as making a pass to a character located within the field of view, that is, a character that the ball keep character will be able to see, is performed. realizable.
[0012]
In this case, as in the invention according to claim 2, the game information according to claim 1,
The visual field setting means may be game information for causing the device to function so as to set the visual field based on the direction of the body or face of the ball keep character.
[0013]
According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained, and the field of view is set based on the direction of the body or face of the ball keep character. Therefore, for example, by setting the direction of the body or face of the ball keep character, the field of view of the ball keep character can be more appropriately set as a range that will be actually seen.
[0014]
Further, as in the invention according to claim 3, the game information according to claim 1 or 2,
A viewing angle is preset for each of the plurality of characters,
The visual field setting means may be game information for causing the device to function so as to set the visual field according to the visual field angle set for the character determined as the ball-keep character by the determination means.
[0015]
According to the third aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the first or second aspect of the invention can be achieved, and the field of view of the ball keep character is preset to the character determined as the ball keep character. It is set according to the viewing angle. Accordingly, when the ball keep character changes, the field of view set in accordance with the change is changed. Therefore, a more appropriate field of view can be set in accordance with the actual situation that the field of view (viewing range) differs for each character.
[0016]
Further, as in the invention according to claim 4, the game information according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Game information for causing the apparatus to function as viewing angle variable means (for example, pass destination candidate character extracting means 54a in FIG. 9) that changes the viewing angle of the field of view set by the field setting means may be used.
[0017]
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of any one of the first to third aspects of the invention can be achieved, and the viewing angle of the visual field set on the field can be varied. Therefore, for example, in bad weather such as wind and rain, it can be changed to reduce the viewing angle, to reproduce the appearance of poor visibility, or to change the viewing angle to become smaller as the appearance time in the current game becomes longer, By changing the viewing angle according to conditions such as the weather and the physical condition of the character, such as reproducing a state in which the concentration is reduced due to fatigue, a more appropriate setting of the visual field can be realized.
[0018]
Further, as in the invention according to claim 5, the game information according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The apparatus functions as storage means (for example, storage unit 70 for storing in-view character history information in FIG. 20) for updating and storing a character positioned in the field of view of the ball keep character from a predetermined time to the present. As well as
The selection means may be game information for causing the apparatus to function so as to select one of the characters belonging to the same team as the ball keep character and stored by the storage means.
[0019]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the same effect as that of any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention is achieved, and the ball keep character is positioned within a visual field from a predetermined time to the present. The character is updated and stored, and the movement of the ball keep character is controlled so as to pass one character selected from the stored characters. Therefore, it is possible to pass not only the character that is currently visible, but also the character that was seen a while ago, so that the character that was seen a while ago but is not currently visible can be passed to the current position. It is possible to realize an expression such as making a pass with a register of.
[0020]
In this case, as in the invention according to claim 6, the game information according to claim 5,
The storage means may be game information for causing the device to function so as to have time variable means (for example, the pass destination candidate character extraction unit 54a in FIG. 9) for changing the predetermined time.
[0021]
According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the fifth aspect of the invention can be obtained, and a predetermined time which is a past time range for storing the character located in the field of view of the ball keep character. Is variable. Therefore, by varying this predetermined time for each character, there is a character that can pass a character that is not in the current visual field (not visible), while a character that is in the current visual field (visible). Thus, it is possible to realize control in accordance with the actual action of the player such that there is a character that can pass only the character, and the position determination ability of other characters is different for each character.
[0022]
Further, as in the invention according to claim 7, the game information according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Point setting means (for example, the game calculation unit 51 and the region information 75 in FIG. 9) for setting a plurality of sample points (for example, the region AR and the representative point Q in FIG. 5) on the field,
For each character, inertia calculation means (for example, the dominance calculation unit 55 in FIG. 8) that calculates a position (for example, the virtual movement point P in FIG. 5) after a predetermined time when the character maintains the current movement state. ),
An arrival time calculation means (for example, the dominance calculation unit 55 in FIG. 5) that calculates the time until the character reaches the set sample point, starting from the calculated position.
An area recognition unit (for example, the dominance calculation unit 55 in FIG. 8) that recognizes an area related to the power of each team based on the calculated arrival time of the character to each sample point;
As the device further functions as
The selection means may further serve as game information for causing the device to function so as to select one character with reference to the area related to the power of the team of the ball keep character authorized by the area authorization means. .
[0023]
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of any one of the first to sixth aspects is achieved, and each character reaches a plurality of sample points set on the field. Based on the time, areas related to the power of each team are identified. Then, the character at the position is selected with reference to the area related to the power of the team of the ball keep character. As an area related to the power to be recognized, there is, for example, an area where the team is dominant / inferior.
[0024]
In calculating the arrival time, a virtual movement position after a predetermined time when the current movement state of the character is maintained is calculated, and the arrival time from the movement position to the sample point is calculated. Thus, it is possible to calculate the arrival time in consideration of the movement of the character with a small calculation load without performing a strict kinematic simulation for each character.
[0025]
In this case, as in the invention according to claim 8, the game information according to claim 7,
Referring to the arrival time calculated by the arrival time calculation means, a dominance calculation that calculates the dominance degree so that the arrival time of the character that can be reached earliest becomes shorter for each set sample point While further causing the device to function as means (for example, the dominance calculation unit 55 in FIG. 8),
The area recognition means may be game information for causing the apparatus to function so as to recognize an area related to the power of each team based on the calculated dominance of each sample point.
[0026]
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the seventh aspect of the invention can be obtained, and the region related to the power is determined based on the length (large or small) of the arrival time of the character at the sample point. For example, when considering the influence at a certain sample point for a plurality of teams, the arrival time of a character belonging to one team is compared with the arrival time of a character belonging to the other team. It can be determined that the character can reach the point faster than the opponent. That is, it can be determined that the sample point is a sample point where the team to which the character having the shortest arrival time belongs is dominant.
[0027]
The invention according to claim 9 is:
A device similar to a computer controls the movement of a control target character (for example, the defensive character 130 in FIG. 22) among a plurality of characters that can move in the game space, and generates an image of the game space. Game information for running a given game,
Focus position setting means (for example, target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for setting a focus position (for example, the position of the ball 500 in FIG. 22) in the game space;
A selection means (for example, the target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for selecting one attention character (for example, the mark character 140 in FIG. 22) among the plurality of characters excluding the control target character;
Centering on the position of the control target character, target position means (for example, FIG. 22) sets a position where the position of the target character and the position of interest are within a predetermined angle as a target position (for example, target position D in FIG. 22). 23 target position calculation unit 63a),
A movement control means for controlling the movement of the control target character so as to go to the target position (for example, the movement motion control unit 63b in FIG. 23);
Game information for causing the device to function.
[0028]
The invention according to claim 17
Among a plurality of characters that can move in the game space, a given game is executed by controlling the movement of a control target character (for example, the defensive character 130 in FIG. 22) and generating an image of the game space. A game device,
Focus position setting means (for example, target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for setting a focus position (for example, the position of the ball 500 in FIG. 22) in the game space;
A selection means (for example, the target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for selecting one attention character (for example, the mark character 140 in FIG. 22) among the plurality of characters excluding the control target character;
Target position means for setting, as a target position (for example, target position D in FIG. 22), a position where the position of the target character and the target position are within a predetermined angle with the position of the control target character as the center;
Movement control means (for example, movement motion control unit 63b in FIG. 23) for controlling movement of the control target character so as to go to the target position;
It is a game device provided with.
[0029]
According to the ninth or seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the position of interest is set in the game space, and one attention character is selected from a plurality of characters excluding the control target character. A position where the target position and the position of the target character fall within a predetermined angle with respect to the position of the control target character is set as a target position, and the movement of the control target character is controlled so as to go to the target position. .
[0030]
In this case, as in the invention according to claim 10, the game information according to claim 9,
The predetermined angle may be game information characterized by a viewing angle preset for the control target character.
[0031]
According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the ninth aspect of the invention can be obtained, and the predetermined angle is set to a viewing angle preset for the control target character. That is, a position where both the attention position and the position of the attention character are within the field of view is set as the target position. For this reason, for example, in a soccer game, when the control target character is a character of the defensive team, the focus position is set as the ball position, and the target character is set as the character marked by the opponent team. Thus, it is possible to realize a motion control that is performed in actual soccer such that both of the characters to be moved move toward a position within the field of view.
[0032]
Further, as in the invention according to claim 11, the game information according to claim 9,
It is good also as game information for functioning the said apparatus as an angle variable means (for example, the target position calculation part 63a of FIG. 23) which varies the said predetermined angle.
[0033]
According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the ninth aspect of the invention can be achieved, and the predetermined angle can be varied. Therefore, for example, if the predetermined angle is varied for each character to be controlled, the target position set in accordance with this varies, so that it is possible to realize more appropriate movement control based on the actual situation that the range that can be seen for each character is different.
[0034]
The invention according to claim 12
A device similar to a computer controls the movement of a control target character (for example, the defensive character 130 in FIG. 22) among a plurality of characters that can move in the game space, and generates an image of the game space. Game information for running a given game,
Defense position setting means (for example, target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for setting a defense position (for example, the center position G of the goal line in FIG. 22) in the game space;
A selection means (for example, the target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for selecting one attention character (for example, the mark character 140 in FIG. 22) among the plurality of characters excluding the control target character;
Target position setting means (for example, target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for setting a target position (for example, target position D in FIG. 22) on a line segment connecting the position of the target character and the defense position;
A movement control means for controlling the movement of the control target character so as to go to the target position (for example, the movement motion control unit 63b in FIG. 23);
Game information for causing the device to function.
[0035]
The invention according to claim 18
Among a plurality of characters that can move in the game space, a given game is executed by controlling the movement of a control target character (for example, the defensive character 130 in FIG. 22) and generating an image of the game space. A game device,
Defense position setting means (for example, target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for setting a defense position (for example, the center position G of the goal line in FIG. 22) in the game space;
A selection means (for example, the target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for selecting one attention character (for example, the mark character 140 in FIG. 22) among the plurality of characters excluding the control target character;
Target position setting means (for example, target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for setting a target position (for example, target position D in FIG. 22) on a line segment connecting the position of the target character and the defense position;
Movement control means (for example, movement motion control unit 63b in FIG. 23) for controlling movement of the control target character so as to go to the target position;
It is a game device provided with.
[0036]
According to the invention described in claim 12 or 18, a defensive position is set in the game space, and one attention character is selected from a plurality of characters excluding the control character. Then, a target position is set on a line segment connecting the defense position and the position of the target character, and the movement of the control target character is controlled so as to go to the target position. Therefore, for example, in a soccer game, when the control target character is the character of the defensive team, the defensive position is set as the goal position, and the target character is set as the character marked by the opponent team, thereby blocking the shooting course. It is possible to realize an action that is performed in actual soccer, such as moving toward such a position.
[0037]
Further, as in the invention according to claim 13, the game information according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
The apparatus functions as defense position setting means (for example, target position calculation unit 63a in FIG. 23) for setting a defense position (for example, the center position G of the goal line in FIG. 22) in the game space,
The target position setting means: (1) the position of the focused character and the focused position are within a predetermined angle with the control target character as the center, and (2) the position of the focused character and the defense position It may be game information for causing the apparatus to function so as to set a target position on a line segment connecting the two.
[0038]
According to the thirteenth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of any of the ninth to eleventh aspects is achieved, and a defense position is set in the game space. With the position of the character as the center, the target position and the position of the target character are within a predetermined angle, and (2) the target position is set on a line segment connecting the position of the target character and the defense position.
[0039]
In this case, as in the invention according to claim 14, the game information according to claim 13,
A plurality of player characters that can move on a field including a PC (player character) and an NPC (non-player character) that operate in response to a player's operation input are divided into a plurality of teams, and a ball is placed in the goal area. Causing the device to execute the game,
The target position setting means causes the apparatus to function so as to set the position of the ball to the target position,
The defense position setting means may be game information for causing the device to function so as to set a given position in the goal area as a defense position.
[0040]
According to the fourteenth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the thirteenth aspect of the invention can be achieved, the position of the ball is set as the focus position, and the given position in the goal area is the defensive position. Set to Therefore, for example, in a soccer game, when the control target character is a character of the defensive team, by setting the target character as the character marked by the opponent team, both the ball and the character to be marked fall within the field of view, and It is possible to realize an action that is performed in actual soccer, such as moving toward a position that blocks the shooting course.
[0041]
Further, the invention described in claim 15 is an information storage medium readable by a device similar to a computer storing the game information described in any one of claims 1-14.
[0042]
Information storage media include various IC memories, CD-ROMs, DVDs, MOs, memory cards, memory cassettes, and hard disks. According to the invention described in claim 15, an apparatus similar to a computer reads out game information and the like from the information storage medium and performs arithmetic processing, thereby obtaining any one of claims 1 to 14. Effects similar to those of the described invention can be realized.
[0043]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the case where the present invention is applied to a soccer game will be described, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this.
[0044]
[appearance]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example when the present invention is applied to a consumer game device. According to the figure, the home game device includes a main device 1200 and game controllers 1202 and 1204, and is connected to a display 1300 including a speaker 1302.
[0045]
Game information, which is information necessary for executing a game such as a game program and initial data, is stored in, for example, a CD-ROM 1212, an IC memory 1214, a memory card 1216, and the like, which are information storage media detachable from the main unit 1200. ing. Alternatively, the game information may be acquired from an external device by connecting to the communication line N via the communication device 1206 provided in the main device 1200. The communication line N means a communication path through which data can be exchanged. That is, the communication line N is meant to include a communication network such as a telephone communication network, a cable network, and the Internet in addition to a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection and a LAN using Ethernet (registered trademark). The communication method may be wired / wireless.
[0046]
The main device 1200 includes an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU, and an information storage medium reading device such as an IC memory 1214 and a CD-ROM 1212. Then, various game processes are executed based on the game information read from the CD-ROM 1212 and the like and the operation signals from the game controllers 1202 and 1204 to display the game screen on the display 1300 and the game sound from the speaker 1302. Output.
[0047]
The player enjoys the soccer game by operating buttons provided on the game controllers 1202 and 1204 while viewing the game screen displayed on the display 1300.
[0048]
[Game screen]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a game screen displayed on the display 1300. The game screen is displayed as a three-dimensional CG image as seen from a given viewpoint (virtual camera or the like) in a game space set by placing objects such as characters and backgrounds in the virtual space.
[0049]
This figure shows a game screen in which the A team operated by the player and the B team controlled by the computer are competing, and the player character 100 of the A team (hereinafter referred to as “player character 100a” as appropriate). ), A player character 100 of Team B (hereinafter referred to as “player character 100b” as appropriate), and a ball object (hereinafter simply referred to as “ball”) 500 are displayed.
[0050]
The player character 100a includes one character that operates in response to an operation input from the player (hereinafter, referred to as “player character; PC” as appropriate). A marker M is displayed on the player character, and this marker M allows the player to determine which player character 100a to operate. Note that the player character is arbitrarily switched to a character closest to the ball 500, a character designated by the player, or the like as the game (game) progresses.
[0051]
Of the player characters 100a, all of the characters excluding the player character and the player character 100b are characters whose movement is controlled by a computer (hereinafter referred to as “non-player character; NPC” as appropriate).
[0052]
Two embodiments applied to the home game device configured as described above will be described in order below.
[0053]
[First Embodiment]
First, the first embodiment will be described.
In the first embodiment, when the player character 100 keeping the ball 500 performs a pass action, the player character 100 to which a pass is to be determined is determined in consideration of the field of view of the player character 100. is there.
[0054]
[principle]
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the principle of determining the pass destination character in the first embodiment, and shows an overall overhead view of the field FL. According to the figure, eleven player characters 100a-1 to 100a-11 and player character 100b and one ball 500 are arranged on the field FL, respectively, and the operation is performed by the player or the computer. A soccer game advances by being instructed and controlled.
[0055]
The position of an object such as the player character 100 or the ball 500 (specifically, the position of the representative point of the object) is a local coordinate system (XYZ orthogonal coordinate system) whose origin is one corner (rectangular vertex) of the field FL. ). The local coordinate system is defined so that the XZ plane and the field FL are parallel to each other, the X-axis direction coincides with the goal line (also referred to as end line) of the field FL, and the Z-axis direction is the side line. (Also referred to as touch line).
[0056]
That is, the positions of the objects such as the player character 100 and the ball 500 are represented by three-dimensional coordinates (x, y, z), but in the following, the positions are projected on the XZ plane for the sake of simplicity. It is expressed by two-dimensional coordinates (x, z).
[0057]
On the field FL, the field of view 300 of the ball keep character 120 is set based on the position of the player character 100 currently keeping the ball 500 (hereinafter referred to as “ball keep character 120” as appropriate). Is done. In the figure, the player character 100a-8 is the ball keep character 120, and the visual field 300 for the character is shown.
[0058]
The field of view 300 is an area representing a range (view) in which the ball keep character 120 can be seen, and has a fan shape. In the field of view 300, the fan-shaped vertex coincides with the position of the ball keep character 120, the bisector of the fan-shaped center angle (hereinafter referred to as “view angle” as appropriate) α, and the ball keep character 120. The direction of the body (the direction indicated by the arrow 122 in the figure) is set to coincide. The visual field 300 is a region virtually set on the field FL and is not displayed on the game screen.
[0059]
When the ball keep character 120 is a non-player character, when performing a pass action, a player character 100 as a pass destination (hereinafter referred to as “pass destination character” as appropriate) is determined as follows. . If the ball keep character 120 is a player character, its movement is controlled in accordance with the player's operation input.
[0060]
That is, among the player characters 100 of the same team as the ball keep character 120 (hereinafter referred to as “friendly characters” as appropriate), the player character 100 located within the field of view 300 is a candidate for a pass destination character (hereinafter referred to as “pass” as appropriate). This is referred to as “first candidate character”. In the figure, since the ball keep character 120 is the player character 100a of the A team, the player characters 100a-1 to 100a-7 of the A team located in the field of view 300 are extracted as pass destination candidate characters.
[0061]
Here, the determination of whether or not the player character 100 is located within the visual field 300 is realized as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, an angle β formed by a direction vector 124 indicating the direction of the body of the ball keep character 120 and a target vector 126 from the position of the ball keep character 120 toward the position of the player character 100 to be determined. Is calculated. Then, the angle β and the viewing angle α of the field of view 300 are compared, and if the following expression (1) is satisfied, it is determined that the player character 100 is located in the field of view 300.
β ≦ α / 2 (1)
[0062]
When the pass destination candidate character is extracted, one of the pass destination candidate characters is determined as the pass destination character. Then, a pass action of the ball keep character 120 toward the pass destination character is performed.
[0063]
The pass destination character is determined based on the geographical power distribution in the game space. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a mesh area AR is set in the field FL. That is, the area AR is set in a matrix along the X-axis and Z-axis directions as a whole. The ratio of the specific size of the area AR is, for example, a ratio in which the area AR is approximately 2 m square with respect to the size “105 × 68 m” of the field FL in terms of the actual size. The representative point Q of the area AR is set, for example, at a substantially central position of the area AR, but may be set as appropriate as long as it is a position included in the area AR.
[0064]
In each area AR, the minimum arrival time Ts and the dominance level for each team are set as geographical power information. The degree of dominance is an index indicating how dominant the power of which team is in the area AR, and indicates a relative power difference (a difference in the degree of power) between the teams. The degree of dominance is given as a difference in the minimum arrival time Ts of each team with respect to the area AR.
[0065]
FIG. 6A is a conceptual diagram showing a method for calculating the arrival time T to the area AR for one player character 100. As shown in the figure, a virtual moving point when it is assumed that the player character 100 moves at a constant speed (for example, 0.5 seconds) at a current speed V starting from the current position on the field FL. P is required. Then, an area AR in which the representative point Q is included in the predetermined arrival time calculation range AC (hereinafter simply referred to as “area AR included in the arrival time calculation range AC”) is calculated with the virtual movement point P as the center. The The arrival time calculation range AC is set within a range of a radius of 15 m from the virtual movement point P of the player character 100, for example, in terms of actual size.
[0066]
Then, for each of the areas AR included in the arrival time calculation range AC, the distance L from the virtual movement point P to the representative point Q is an ability speed that is one of the ability parameters set in advance for each player character 100. By dividing by Va (for example, the maximum speed of the player character 100), the arrival time T to the area AR is calculated. More specifically, for example, the difference in the coordinate value from the virtual moving point P to the representative point Q is converted into the actual distance from the size of the real field “105 × 68 m” and the ratio of the XZ coordinate value, The arrival time T is calculated by dividing by the speed Va.
[0067]
Looking at the arrival time T for one player character 100, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the arrival time T changes substantially concentrically around the virtual moving point P (the numbers in the figure are the arrival time T). Is an example of the approximate number of seconds.). A sufficiently large virtual arrival time T (for example, 10 seconds) is set for the area AR that is not included in the arrival time calculation range AC.
[0068]
Similarly, for the other player characters 100, when the arrival time T for each area AR is calculated for all the player characters 100 existing on the field FL, the minimum arrival time of each team for each area AR. Ts and further dominance are required.
[0069]
Specifically, the shortest arrival time T among the arrival times T of the player characters 100 belonging to the team is adopted as the minimum arrival time Ts of the area AR. The difference between the minimum arrival times Ts of the respective teams, specifically, the difference between the minimum arrival time Ta of the A team and the minimum arrival time Tb of the B team is defined as the superiority in the area AR. Therefore, if the value of dominance is positive (ie, Ta> Tb), it indicates that Team B is dominant, and if it is negative (ie, Ta <Tb), Team A is dominant. It will show that there is.
[0070]
For example, in FIG. 7, the minimum arrival time Ta of Team A by the player character 100a in the area AR is “3.5 seconds”, and the minimum arrival time Tb of Team B by the player character 100b is “2.6 seconds”. is there. Accordingly, the superiority of the area AR is “0.9 (= 3.5−2.6)”, and the B team becomes dominant.
[0071]
In this embodiment, the pass candidate character is determined based on the degree of dominance. Specifically, the superiority of each area AR in which the pass candidate character is located is referred to, and the pass candidate character located in the area AR having the highest “dominance” is determined as the pass character.
[0072]
As described above, the superiority indicates which team is dominant depending on whether the value is positive or negative. For this reason, the criterion for determining that the superiority is “high” varies depending on which team the ball keep character 120 belongs to. Specifically, when the ball keep character 120 belongs to the team A, the area AR having the smallest dominance value (negative value and the largest absolute value) has the dominance degree “high”. On the other hand, when the ball keep character 120 belongs to the B team, the area AR having the highest dominance value (positive value and the largest absolute value) has the “high” dominance degree.
[0073]
For example, FIG. 8 shows player characters 100a-1 to 100a-3 belonging to Team A as pass destination candidate characters for the ball keep character 120 belonging to Team A. The dominance levels of the areas AR-1 to AR-3 in which the player characters 100a-1 to 100a-3 are located are “2.2”, “3.5”, and “1.2”, respectively. Accordingly, here, the player character 100a-2 located in the area "AR-2" having the highest dominance is selected and determined as the pass destination character.
[0074]
[Function configuration]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration according to the first embodiment. According to the figure, in the first embodiment, the consumer game device 1 includes an operation input unit 10, an image display unit 20, a sound output unit 30, a communication unit 40, a processing unit 50, and a storage. Unit 70.
[0075]
The operation input unit 10 is realized by, for example, a button switch, a lever, a dial, a mouse, a keyboard, various sensors, and the like, and outputs an operation input signal corresponding to the operation input by the player to the processing unit 50. In FIG. 1, the game controllers 1202 and 1204 correspond to this.
[0076]
Based on the image signal from the image generation unit 58, the image display unit 20 displays the game screen while redrawing the screen of one frame every 1/60 seconds, for example. The function is realized by hardware such as CRT, LCD, ELD, PDP, and HMD. In FIG. 1, the display 1300 corresponds to this.
[0077]
The sound output unit 30 emits and outputs game sounds such as sound effects and BGM based on the sound signal from the sound generation unit 59. This function is realized by a sound output device such as a speaker, and the speaker 1302 corresponds to this in FIG.
[0078]
The communication unit 40 transmits / receives data to / from an external device by connecting to a communication line. This function is realized by, for example, a module such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or IrDA, a modem, TA, a jack of a wired communication cable, a control circuit, or the like. In FIG. 1, the communication device 1206 corresponds to this.
[0079]
The processing unit 50 performs various arithmetic processes such as control of the entire home game apparatus 1 and game calculations. The function is realized by hardware such as a CPU (CISC type, RISC type), ASIC (gate array, etc.) and a related control program. In FIG. 1, an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU provided in the main body device 1200 corresponds to this.
[0080]
The processing unit 50 also includes a game calculation unit 51 that mainly performs calculation processing related to the game, and image generation that generates an image signal for displaying a game screen from various data obtained by the processing of the game calculation unit 51. And a sound generation unit 59 that generates game sound for outputting game sounds such as sound effects and BGM.
[0081]
The game calculation unit 51 executes various game processes based on operation input signals from the operation input unit 10 and programs and data read from the storage unit 70. As the game process, for example, a viewpoint or object placement in a virtual space, a character motion control based on an operation input signal input from the operation input unit 10, a ball movement calculation or control, a game result calculation, or the like is executed. The game calculation unit 51 includes a PC management unit 52, a ball management unit 53, an NPC control unit 54, and a superiority calculation unit 55.
[0082]
The PC management unit 52 manages player characters. Specifically, it is determined which player character 100 is the player character, the player character information 74 is updated according to the determination result, and the player character 100 according to the operation signal input from the operation input unit 10. To control the operation.
[0083]
The ball management unit 53 manages the ball 500. Specifically, the current position of the ball 500 is detected and the ball position information 75 is updated, and whether or not the ball 500 is kept in the player character 100 (a kept state), and which player character 100 is determined. Is a ball keep character, and the ball keep information 76 is updated according to the judgment result.
[0084]
The NPC control unit 54 controls the actions of the non-player characters, that is, the ten player characters 100a and the eleven player characters 100b excluding the player characters. The NPC control unit 54 includes a pass destination candidate character extraction unit 54a, a pass destination character determination unit 54b, and a pass motion control unit 54c.
[0085]
The pass destination candidate character extraction unit 54a extracts a pass destination candidate character with reference to the character position information 73 and the visual field information 72a when the ball keep character 120 performs a pass action, and passes the candidate character according to the extraction result. Information 77 is updated. Specifically, with reference to the visual field information 72a, the visual field 300 having the visual angle α corresponding to the ball keep character 120 is set on the field FL. And the player character 100 in the set visual field 300 among the player characters 100 (friend characters) belonging to the same team as the ball keep character 120 is extracted as a pass destination candidate character.
[0086]
The pass destination character determination unit 54b determines a pass destination character from the pass destination candidate characters extracted by the pass destination candidate character extraction unit 54a, and updates the pass destination character information 78 according to the determination result. Specifically, with reference to the character position information 73 and the region information 79, the pass destination candidate character located in the region AR having the highest “dominance” is selected and determined as the pass destination character.
[0087]
The pass motion control unit 54c controls the pass motion of the ball keep character 120 with respect to the pass destination character determined by the pass destination character determination unit 54b.
[0088]
The dominance calculation unit 55 calculates a geographical power distribution in the game space. Specifically, for all the player characters 100 on the field FL, the arrival time T until reaching the representative point Q of each area AR included in the arrival time calculation range AC is calculated. Then, the minimum arrival time Ts for each team in each area AR is calculated, the dominance of the area AR is calculated from the difference in the minimum arrival time Ts, and the area information 79 is updated according to the calculation result.
[0089]
The image generation unit 58 is realized, for example, by an arithmetic device such as a CPU or DSP, a control program thereof, a drawing frame IC memory such as a frame buffer, or the like. The image generation unit 58 executes a geometric conversion process and a shading process based on the calculation result by the game calculation unit 51, and generates a game image for displaying a game screen. Then, the image signal of the generated game image is output to the image display unit 20.
[0090]
The sound generator 59 generates a sound signal for outputting a game sound. This function is realized by, for example, an arithmetic device such as a CPU or DSP, or a control program thereof. The sound generation unit 59 generates sound such as sound effects and BGM used during the game at an appropriate timing based on sound data (not shown) stored in the storage unit 70, and generates a sound signal of the generated sound. The sound is output to the sound output unit 30.
[0091]
The storage unit 70 includes game information 71 including a system program for realizing various functions for causing the processing unit 50 to control the consumer game device 1 in an integrated manner, a program and data necessary for executing the game, and the like. Remember. The storage unit 70 is realized by an information storage medium such as various IC memories, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, or an MO. In FIG. 1, the CD-ROM 1212, the IC memory 1214, and the memory card 1216 included in the main body apparatus 1200 correspond to this.
[0092]
The game information 71 includes a program and data for causing the processing unit 50 to function as the game calculation unit 51. Specifically, a pass destination character determination program 91 is included as a program, and as data, character information 72, character position information 73, player character information 74, ball position information 75, ball keep information 76, Pass destination candidate character information 77, pass destination character information 78, and area information 79 are included.
[0093]
The character information 72 is information relating to characters appearing in the soccer game such as the player character 100, for example, in addition to sound data such as modeling data, texture data, motion data, and sound effects, for example, ability parameters such as ability speed Va, visual field, etc. Information 72a is included.
[0094]
The visual field information 72a is information on the visual field 300 of the player character 100, and FIG. 10 shows an example of the data structure thereof.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the visual field information 72a, and shows data about the team A. According to the figure, the visual field information 72a stores, for each player character 100, a player ID (721a) for identifying the player character 100 and a visual field angle α (722a) in association with each other. The visual field information 72a is fixed data that is not changed through the progress of the game.
[0095]
The character position information 73 is information on the position of the player character 100, and FIG.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the character position information 73, and shows data about Team A. According to the figure, for each player character 100, the character position information 73 includes the player ID (73a), the current position (73b) on the field FL, the body orientation (73c), and the speed (73d). Are stored in association with each other. Here, the body direction (73c) is converted into a unit vector by normalizing the direction vector 124 (starting from the corresponding current position (73b)) indicating the body direction of the corresponding player character 100, and is converted into a local vector. It is expressed by the two-dimensional coordinates F (x, z) of the end point when the origin of the coordinate system is the start point.
[0096]
The player character information 74 is information indicating the player character, and stores the player ID of the player character 100 that is the player character, as shown in FIG.
[0097]
The ball position information 75 is information on the position of the ball 500, and stores the current position of the ball 500 as shown in FIG.
[0098]
The ball keep information 76 is information on the keep state of the ball 500. As shown in FIG. 14, the keep state of the ball 500 indicating whether or not the ball 500 is currently in a keep state (keep state / non-keep state). And the player ID of the ball keep character 120 are stored. When the ball 500 is in a non-keep state, the player ID of the immediately previous ball keep character 120 is stored.
[0099]
Pass destination candidate character information 77 is information of a pass destination candidate character, and stores a player ID of the pass destination candidate character as shown in FIG. There may be a plurality of player IDs stored here.
[0100]
The pass destination character information 78 is information of the pass destination character, and stores the player ID of the pass destination character as shown in FIG. The player ID stored here is the player ID of one character selected from the pass destination candidate characters indicated by the pass destination candidate character information 77.
[0101]
The area information 79 is information on the area AR set in the field FL, and FIG. 17 shows an example of the data structure.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of the region information 79. As illustrated in FIG. According to the figure, the area information 79 includes, for each area AR (79a), the coordinates (79b) of the representative point Q, the minimum arrival time Ta (79c) for the A team, and the minimum arrival time Tb (for the B team). 79d) and the superiority (79e) are stored in association with each other.
[0102]
[Process flow]
FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of processing relating to determination of a pass destination character in the first embodiment. This process is realized by the NPC control unit 54 executing a process according to the pass destination character determination program 91 in the storage unit 70. Note that the processing related to the progress of the soccer game can be executed in the same manner as in the conventional soccer game, and thus description thereof is omitted here.
[0103]
According to FIG. 18, the NPC control unit 54 first determines the current keep state of the ball 500 with reference to the ball keep information 76. As a result of the determination, if it is not in the kept state (step S11: NO), the movement of each player character 100, which is a non-player character, is controlled as in the conventional soccer game.
[0104]
On the other hand, if it is in the kept state (step S11: YES), the NPC control unit 54 refers to the ball keep information 76 to determine which player character 100 the ball keep character 120 is (step S12). Next, with reference to the player character information 74, it is determined whether or not the ball keep character 120 is a player character. If it is not a player character (step S13: NO), the next action of the ball keep character 120 is subsequently performed. To decide.
[0105]
When the next action is determined as a pass action (step S14: YES), the pass destination candidate character extraction unit 54a extracts a pass destination candidate character. Specifically, first, one player character 100 is selected as a determination target from among the player characters 100 (friend characters) belonging to the same team as the ball keep character 120 (step S15). Here, it is assumed that the player characters 100 selected here are a total of 10 player characters 100 who are currently participating in the game and excluding the ball keep character 120.
[0106]
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a direction vector 124 indicating the body direction of the ball keep character 120 and a target vector 126 heading from the position of the ball keep character 120 to the position of the player character 100 selected as a determination target. The angle β formed by both vectors is calculated (step S16).
[0107]
Subsequently, the pass candidate character extraction unit 54a compares the calculated angle β with the viewing angle α of the ball keep character 120 and determines whether or not Expression (1) is satisfied. As a result, if it is satisfied, that is, if the angle β is equal to or smaller than ½ of the viewing angle α (β ≦ α / 2) (step S17: YES), the player character 100 to be determined is determined as a pass candidate character. (Step S18).
[0108]
Thereafter, it is determined whether or not all the teammate characters have been selected as judgment targets. If they have not been selected (step S19: NO), the process proceeds to step S15 to select another teammate character as the next judgment target. Then, the same processing is performed. Then, when all of the teammate characters are selected as determination targets and the processes in steps S15 to S18 are performed (step S19: YES), the pass destination character determination unit 54b refers to the area information 79 and extracts these items. A pass destination candidate character located in the area AR having the highest “dominance” in the area AR where the pass destination candidate character is located is selected and determined as a pass destination character (step S20).
[0109]
When the pass destination character is determined, the pass motion control unit 54c controls the motion of the ball keep character 120 to execute the pass motion for the determined pass destination character (step S21).
When the above processing is performed, the NPC control unit 54 ends this processing.
[0110]
[Hardware configuration]
Next, a hardware configuration capable of realizing the home game device 1 will be described.
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration according to the present embodiment. According to the figure, the consumer game device 1 has a CPU 1000, a ROM 1002, a RAM 1004, an information storage medium 1006, a sound generation IC 1008, an image generation IC 1010, and I / O ports 1012, 1014. System buses 1016 are connected to each other so as to be able to input and output data. A control device 1022 is connected to the I / O port 1012, and a communication device 1024 is connected to the I / O port 1014.
[0111]
The CPU 1000 controls the entire home game device 1 according to programs and data stored in the information storage medium 1006, system programs and data stored in the ROM 1002, operation input signals input by the control device 1022, and the like. Perform data processing. The CPU 1000 corresponds to the processing unit 50 in FIG.
[0112]
The ROM 1002, the RAM 1004, and the information storage medium 1006 correspond to the storage unit 70 in FIG. The ROM 1002 stores, in particular, a preset program or data among the system program of the home-use game apparatus 1 and information stored in the storage unit 70 shown in FIG. The RAM 1004 is storage means used as a work area of the CPU 1000, and stores, for example, image data for one frame, given contents of the ROM 1002 and the information storage medium 1006, calculation results of the CPU 1000, and the like. The information storage medium 1006 is realized by an IC memory card, a hard disk unit that can be attached to and detached from the main unit, an MO, and the like.
[0113]
The sound generation IC 1008 is an integrated circuit that generates game sounds such as sound effects and BGM based on information stored in the information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 1002, and the generated game sounds are output by the speaker 1020. The sound generation IC 1008 corresponds to the sound generation unit 59 in FIG. 5, and the speaker 1020 corresponds to the sound output unit 30 in FIG. 5 and the speaker 1302 in FIG.
[0114]
The image generation IC 1010 is an integrated circuit that generates pixel information of a game screen to be displayed on the display device 1018 based on image information from the CPU 1000. The display device 1018 displays a game screen based on the pixel information generated by the image generation IC 1010. The image generation IC 1010 corresponds to the image generation unit 58 in FIG. 5, and the display device 1018 corresponds to the image display unit 20 in FIG. 5 and the display 1300 in FIG.
[0115]
Note that the processing performed by the sound generation IC 1008, the image generation IC 1010, and the like may be executed in software by the CPU 1000 or a general-purpose DSP.
[0116]
The control device 1022 is a device for the player to input various game operations as the game progresses. The control device 1022 corresponds to the operation input unit 10 in FIG. 5 and the game controllers 1202 and 1204 in FIG.
[0117]
The communication device 1024 is a device for exchanging various types of information used inside the home game device 1 with the outside, and is connected to other game devices to transmit / receive given information according to the game program, It is used for transmitting and receiving information such as game programs via a communication line. The communication device 1024 corresponds to the communication unit 40 in FIG. 5 and the communication device 1206 in FIG.
[0118]
Further, the present invention can be similarly applied not only to the home game device 1 shown in FIG. 1 but also to various devices such as an arcade game device, a portable game device, and a large attraction device in which a large number of players participate. .
[0119]
Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a game executed by a stand-alone device, but can be applied to a game called a network game. As a system configuration for realizing a network game, for example, (1) a personal computer or home game system installed in a home is used as a game terminal, and connected to a server through a wired / wireless communication line such as the Internet network or a dedicated line. (2) A configuration in which a plurality of game terminals are connected by a communication line without using a server, (3) A plurality of game terminals are connected by a communication line, one of which is a server function (4) A configuration in which a plurality of game terminals are physically coupled to form a single system (for example, a game system for business use).
[0120]
[effect]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the ball keep character 120 performs the pass action, the field of view 300 of the ball keep character 120 is set on the field FL. Then, the player character 100 (pass destination candidate character) selected from the player characters 100 (pass destination candidate characters) that are located in the visual field 300 and belong to the same team as the ball keep character 120 is passed. The operation of the ball keep character 120 is controlled. Therefore, it is possible to realize a natural control in accordance with the action of the actual soccer player, such as passing a friendly character that is located in the field of view 300 of the ball keep character 120, that is, that will be seen.
[0121]
The viewing angle α of the field of view 300 is determined for each player character 100, and the field of view 300 corresponding to the player character 100 to be the ball keep character 120 is set. For this reason, it is possible to realize the setting of the visual field 300 in accordance with the actual situation such that the range that can be seen for each character is different.
[0122]
[Modification]
In the first embodiment described above, the teammate character currently located in the field of view 300 is extracted as the pass destination candidate character. In addition to this, in the past, the field of view 300 of the ball keep character 120 is used. It is good also as extracting the friend character who was located in the inside as a pass candidate character.
[0123]
In this case, the storage unit 70 further includes in-field character history information 91, which is information on a teammate character that has been located in the field of view 300 in the past, and information on a frame to be extracted when extracting a pass destination candidate character. The target frame information 92 is stored.
[0124]
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the in-view character history information 91, and shows data about Team A. According to the figure, the in-view character history information 91 includes, for each player character 100, the player ID (91a) and the ally located in the view 300 in the current frame, one frame before, and two frames before. The character (91b) is stored in association with each other. The player ID of the corresponding player character 100 is stored in the teammate character (91b).
[0125]
This visual field character history information 91 is updated every frame. That is, for each player character 100, regardless of whether the player character 100 is a player character / non-player character, the field of view 300 of the player character 100 is set on the field FL, and the same team located in the field of view 300 is assigned to the same team. The player character 100 (friend character) to which it belongs is extracted and stored as a friend character in the current frame.
[0126]
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the target frame information 92, which shows data about the team A. According to the figure, the target frame information 92 stores, for each player character 100, a player ID (92a) and a selection target frame (92b) to be selected in association with each other.
[0127]
Then, when extracting the pass candidate character, the pass candidate character extracting unit 54a refers to the target frame information 92 to determine the selection target frame corresponding to the ball keep character 120, and the in-view character history information With reference to 91, a teammate character located (that has been) in the field of view 300 in the determined selection target frame is extracted as a pass candidate character.
[0128]
For example, when the ball keep character 120 is the player character 100a of team A (assuming the player ID is “A-03”), according to the target frame information 92 shown in FIG. The selection target frames are “current frame” and “one frame before”. Further, according to the in-view character history information 91 shown in FIG. 20, the player IDs of the teammate characters located in the view 300 in the “current frame” of the player character 100 are “A-01”, “A-04”. ”,“ A-05 ”, and“ A-08 ”, and the player IDs of the teammate characters that were located in the field of view 300 in“ 1 frame ago ”are“ A-01 ”,“ A-02 ”, and“ A-02 ” A-04 ". Accordingly, the player characters 100 with the player IDs “A-01”, “A-02”, “A-04”, “A-05”, and “A-08” are extracted as pass destination candidate characters.
[0129]
Thus, by extracting the teammate character that was stored in the field-of-view character history information 91 and was located in the field-of-view 300 several frames ago as a candidate character for the pass destination, It is not limited to this, and it is possible to pass a friend character who was seen a while ago. For this reason, it is possible to realize such an expression that a friend character who has been seen a while ago but is not currently visible is given a pass of the current position.
[0130]
Furthermore, since the target frame for extracting the pass candidate character is different depending on which player character 100 the ball keep character 120 is, there is a player character 100 that can pass a teammate character that is not currently visible. On the other hand, it is possible to realize an expression that the position determination ability of other characters is different, for example, there is a player character 100 that can pass only to a teammate character that is currently visible.
[0131]
In the first embodiment described above, the field of view 300 is set so that the bisector of the fan-shaped center angle matches the body orientation of the ball keep character 120. May be set to coincide with the face orientation of the ball keep character 120, and the body or face orientation may not necessarily coincide with the fan-shaped bisector of the field of view 300. .
[0132]
Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the bus destination character is selected and determined from the pass destination candidate characters with reference to the dominance degree. For example, the bus destination character is selected at random regardless of the dominance degree. Alternatively, a character positioned near the front of the ball keep character 120 may be selected.
[0133]
[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same elements as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
In the second embodiment, when the target position where the player character 100 of the defensive team should be positioned is determined, the field of view of the player character 100 is taken into consideration.
[0134]
[principle]
FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the principle of target position determination in the second embodiment, and shows a partial overhead view of the field FL. Each player character 100 arranged on the field FL is associated with visual field information (specifically, a visual field angle α), as in the first embodiment described above.
[0135]
In the second embodiment, the player character 100 of the defensive team (hereinafter referred to as “defensive team” as appropriate) is the player character 100 of the attacking team (hereinafter referred to as “attack team” as appropriate). The movement operation is controlled so as to go to the target position D determined for each.
[0136]
The attack / defense team is determined as follows. In other words, the team to which the player character 100 (ball keep character 120) that keeps the ball 500 belongs becomes the attack team, and the other team becomes the defensive team. When the ball 500 is not in the keep state (non-keep state), the team to which the immediately preceding ball keep character 120 belongs becomes the attack team. In the figure, since the ball keep character 120 is the player character 100b of the B team, the B team becomes the attack team and the A team becomes the defensive team.
[0137]
The target position D of the player character 100 of the defensive team (hereinafter referred to as “defensive character 130” as appropriate) is determined as a position that satisfies the following two conditions. That is, on the line segment L connecting the position of the player character 100 of the attacking team to be marked (1) (hereinafter referred to as “mark character 140” as appropriate) and the center position G of the goal line on the goal side of the defensive team. (2) A position where both the mark character 140 and the ball 500 are within the field of view.
[0138]
Here, the determination as to whether or not the target position D is a position where both the mark character 140 and the ball 500 are within the field of view is specifically realized as follows. That is, a vector (hereinafter referred to as “ball vector 132” as appropriate) from the target position D to the position of the ball 500 and a vector (hereinafter referred to as “defense vector 134” as appropriate) from the target position D to the position of the mark character 140. The angle θ formed by the calculation is calculated. Then, this angle θ is compared with the viewing angle α of the defensive character 130, and if the following expression (2) is satisfied, the target position D is a position where both the mark character 140 and the ball 500 are within the visual field 300. It is judged that there is.
θ ≦ α (2)
[0139]
[Function configuration]
FIG. 23 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration according to the second embodiment. According to the figure, in the second embodiment, the consumer game device 1 includes an operation input unit 10, an image display unit 20, a sound output unit 30, a communication unit 40, a processing unit 60, and a storage. Unit 80. Further, the game calculation unit 61 includes a PC management unit 52, a ball management unit 53, an offense / defense determination unit 62, and a defense character control unit 63.
[0140]
The offense / defense determination unit 62 determines an attack team / defense team. Specifically, referring to the ball keep information 76, the team to which the ball keep character 120 belongs is determined as an attack team, and the other team is determined as a defensive team, and the offense / defense information 85 is updated according to the determination result. . When the ball 500 is not kept by any player character 100 (non-keep state), the team to which the immediately preceding keep character 120 belongs is determined as the attack team.
[0141]
The defensive character control unit 63 controls the player character 100 (the defensive character 130) of the defensive team determined by the offense / defense determining unit 62. The defensive character control unit 63 includes a target position calculation unit 63a and a movement action control unit 63b.
[0142]
The target position calculation unit 63a calculates the target position D of each defense character 130 determined by the offense and defense determination unit 62, and updates the target position information 84 according to the calculation result.
[0143]
The movement action control unit 63b refers to the target position information 84 and controls the movement action so that the defense character 130 moves toward the target position D. However, when the player character is included in the defensive character 130, the movement control of the defensive character 120 as the player character is not performed.
[0144]
The game information 71 stored in the storage unit 80 includes character information 82, character position information 83, target position information 84, player character information 74, ball position information 75, ball keep information 76, Offense and defense information 85 and a defense character control program 92 are included. The character information 82 includes visual field information 72a and mark character information 82a.
[0145]
The mark character information 82a is information of the player character 100 that each player character 100 marks when it becomes a defensive team, and FIG. 24 shows an example of its data configuration.
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the mark character information 82a, and shows data about the team A. According to the figure, the mark character information 82a stores a player ID (821a) and a mark character (822a) in association with each other for each player character 100. In the mark character (822a), the player ID of the character is stored. The mark player information 82a is fixed data that is not changed as the game progresses.
[0146]
The character position information 83 is information on the position of the player character 100, and FIG. 25 shows an example of the data structure.
FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the character position information 83, and shows data about Team A. According to the figure, the character position information 83 stores the player ID (83a) and the current position (83b) on the field FL in association with each other for each player character 100.
[0147]
The target position information 84 is information on the target position D of each player character 100 when it becomes a defensive team, and FIG. 26 shows an example of the data structure thereof.
FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the target position information 84, and shows data about the A team. According to the figure, the target position information 84 stores a player ID (84a) and a target position (84b) in association with each other for each player character 100.
[0148]
The offense / defense information 85 is information indicating an attack / defense team, and stores the team names of the attack team (85a) and the defense team (85b) as shown in FIG.
[0149]
[Process flow]
FIG. 28 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing relating to target position determination in the second embodiment. This process is realized by the defensive character control unit 63 executing a process according to the defensive character control program 92 in the storage unit 80 for each frame. Note that the processing related to the progress of the soccer game can be executed in the same manner as in the conventional soccer game, and thus description thereof is omitted here.
[0150]
According to FIG. 28, first, the movement action control unit 63b refers to the target position information 84 and controls the movement action of the defensive character 130 toward each target position D (step S31). However, when the player character is included in the defensive character 130, the player character is not subjected to the movement control based on the target position D, and is caused to perform an action according to the operation signal input from the operation input unit 10. . Then, a game image in the current frame is generated by the image generation unit 58 and displayed on the image display unit 20.
[0151]
Next, the target position calculation unit 63a calculates the target position D in the next frame for each player character 100 of the defense team, and updates the target position information 84. Specifically, first, one of the defensive characters 130 is selected as the defensive character 130 for which the target position D is set (step S32). Then, with reference to the player character information 74, it is determined whether or not the defensive character 130 to be set is a player character.
[0152]
As a result, if it is not a player character (step S33: NO), the target position calculation unit 63a refers to the target position information 84, and the target position D in the current frame of the defensive character 130 to be set is marked. It is determined whether or not the character 100 (mark character 140) is positioned on a line segment L that connects the position G of the goal line on the ally goal side (step S34).
[0153]
As a result, if it is on the line segment L (step S34: YES), the target position calculation unit 63a then continues to the defensive vector 134 from the target position D to the position of the mark character 140 in the current frame, and the target position. A ball vector 132 from D to the position of the ball 500 is calculated, and an angle θ formed by both vectors is calculated (step S35). Then, the calculated angle θ is compared with the viewing angle α of the defensive character 130 to be set, and it is determined whether or not Expression (2) is satisfied. As a result of the determination, if satisfied, that is, if the angle θ is equal to or smaller than the viewing angle α (θ ≦ α) (step S36: YES), the target position D in the current frame is directly used as the target position D in the next frame. To do.
[0154]
On the other hand, when the target position D in the current frame is not located on the line segment L (step S34: NO), or when the angle θ is larger than the viewing angle α (step S36: NO), the target position calculation unit 63a. Temporarily sets the target position D ′ at the position on the line segment L closest to the position of the defensive character 130 to be set (step S37).
[0155]
Next, a defensive vector 134 ′ from the temporarily set target position D ′ to the position of the mark character 140 and a ball vector 132 ′ from the target position D ′ to the position of the ball 500 are calculated, and an angle formed by both vectors. φ is calculated (step S38). Then, the calculated angle φ and the viewing angle α of the defensive character 130 to be set are compared to determine whether or not Expression (2) is satisfied. As a result of the determination, if satisfied, that is, if the angle φ is less than or equal to the viewing angle α (φ ≦ α) (step S39: YES), the temporarily set target position D ′ is determined as the target position D in the next frame. (Step S40).
[0156]
On the other hand, when the angle φ is larger than the viewing angle α (step S39: NO), at a position on the line segment L that is a predetermined distance l away from the temporarily set target position D ′ toward the goal side of the defensive team, Again, the target position D ′ is provisionally set (step S41). Then, the process proceeds to step S38, and the same processing is repeated until the angle φ becomes equal to or smaller than the viewing angle α.
[0157]
Thus, when the target position D in the next frame is set for the defensive character 130 to be set, it is subsequently determined whether or not all of the defensive characters 130 have been selected as setting targets. As a result of the determination, if it has not been selected (step S42: NO), the process proceeds to step S32, and another defensive character 130 is selected as the next setting target, and the same processing is performed. When the target position D in the next frame is determined for all of the defensive characters 130 (step S42: YES), the defensive character control unit 63 ends this process.
[0158]
[effect]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the player character 100 (defense character 130) of the defensive team is controlled, the player character 100 (mark character 140) marked by the attack team and the goal on the goal side of the defensive team The angle θ formed on the line segment L connecting the center position G of the line and the defensive vector 134 directed from the position toward the mark character 140 and the ball vector 132 directed toward the ball 500 is equal to or smaller than the viewing angle α of the defensive character. The target position D is set at the position. Then, the movement of the defensive character 130 is controlled so as to go to the target position D. In other words, the defensive side action that is performed in actual soccer such that both the mark character 140 and the ball 500 are within the field of view 300 and moves toward a position that obstructs the shooting course of the mark character 140 is realized. it can.
[0159]
[Modification]
In the second embodiment described above, when the position satisfying the above two conditions (1) and (2) is not in the field FL, that is, when the target position D is not set in the field FL. The position in the field FL that satisfies only one of the two conditions (1) and (2) may be set as the target position D.
[0160]
[Modification of Embodiment]
The application of the present invention is not limited to the two embodiments described above, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following modification is mentioned.
[0161]
(1) Variable viewing angle α
In the first and second embodiments described above, the field-of-view 300 having the field-of-view α stored in the field-of-view information 72a is set, but this is done by changing the field-of-view α according to the game situation. The field of view may be set with the viewing angle α ′ after the change.
[0162]
For example, the viewing angle α can be varied according to the weather and the physical condition of the player character 100. More specifically, the viewing angle α can be varied to reduce the viewing angle α during bad weather such as wind and rain, or the viewing angle α can be reduced as the appearance time in the current game becomes longer. Thus, it is possible to realize such a state that the concentration is reduced due to fatigue.
[0163]
Further, the viewing angle α may be varied by the same amount for all the player characters 100 or may be varied by a different amount for each player character 100. Moreover, it is good also as performing not only about all the player characters but only some player characters 100.
[0164]
(2) radius r of field of view 300
In addition to the viewing angle α, a viewing radius r that is a fan-shaped radius may be added as the viewing field 300 information. In this case, the visual field information 72a stores the visual field angle α and the visual field radius r in association with each other for each player character 100.
[0165]
In the first embodiment, when it is determined whether or not the player character 100 is located within the field of view 300, the pass destination candidate character extraction unit 54a further determines the position of the ball keep character 120 and the determination target. A distance L1 between the player character 100 and the position of the player character 100 is calculated, and the distance L1 is compared with the visual field radius r corresponding to the ball keep character 120. If the distance L1 is equal to or smaller than the visual field radius r (L1 ≦ r), it is determined that the player character 100 is located within the visual field 300.
[0166]
In the second embodiment, when the target position D is set, the target position calculation unit 63 a further determines the target position D (or the temporarily set target position D ′) and the position of the mark character 140. The distance L2 is calculated, and the distance L2 is compared with the visual field radius r corresponding to the defensive character 130. If the distance L2 is equal to or smaller than the visual field radius r2 (L2 ≦ r), the condition (2) as the target position D is satisfied, that is, a position where both the mark character 140 and the ball 500 are within the visual field 300. It is judged that.
[0167]
(3) Applicable game
In the two embodiments described above, the case where the present invention is applied to a soccer game has been described. However, the types of games to which the present invention can be applied are not limited thereto. Specifically, a plurality of player characters such as basketball, hockey, and rugby that can move on a field including a player character (PC) and a non-player character (MPC) that operate in response to a player's operation input include a plurality of player characters. A game in which teams are divided into battles and the ball is placed in the goal area is preferable.
[0168]
Further, in the second embodiment, the ball 500 and the mark character 140 are within the field of view 300 on the line segment L connecting the center position G of the goal line on the goal side of the defensive team and the mark character 140. It has been described that the target position D is set as the position, and control is performed so that the defensive character 130 as the control target character moves toward the target position D. However, according to the game rules, if the controlled character is an area / point / object to be protected, it does not have to be the center position G of the goal line, and may be set as a predetermined defense position. Also, the ball 500 need not be the ball 500 as long as the control target character is a region / point / object to be noted in accordance with the game rules, and may be set as a predetermined position of interest.
[0169]
Specifically, for example, when controlling the movement of a soldier character (assumed to be an NPC) that fights against two enemy characters while protecting the castle, the position of the castle (specifically, the position of the gate and the entrance) Etc.) as the defensive position, the movement of the soldier character may be controlled with one enemy character as the attention character and the position of the other enemy character as the attention position.
[0170]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the field of view of the ball keep character that keeps the ball is set on the field, and one of the characters belonging to the same team as the ball keep character and located in the field of view is selected. Is done. When the ball keep character is an NPC (non-player character), the operation of the ball keep character is controlled so as to pass the selected character. That is, when the ball keep character makes a pass, natural control according to the action of the actual player, such as making a pass to a character located within the field of view, that is, a character that the ball keep character will be able to see, is performed. realizable.
[0171]
In addition, one attention character is selected from a plurality of characters excluding the control target character, and (1) the position of the attention character centered on the position of the control target character and the attention position set in the game space Falls within a predetermined angle, and (2) the target position is set on a line connecting the position of the target character and the defense position set in the game space. Then, the movement of the control target character is controlled so as to go to this target position. Therefore, for example, in a soccer game, when the control target character is the character of the defensive team, the target character is given to the character marked by the opponent team, the target position is the ball position, and the defense position is given in the goal area. By setting the position, it is possible to realize an action that is performed in actual soccer, such that both the ball and the character to be marked fall within the field of view and move toward a position that blocks the shooting course.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a consumer game device to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen.
FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the principle of determination of a pass destination player in the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method for determining whether or not a player character is located within the field of view.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an area set in a field.
6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method for calculating arrival time T. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method for calculating a degree of dominance.
FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating determination of a pass destination character.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration in the first embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of visual field information.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of character position information.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of player character information.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of ball position information.
FIG. 14 shows a data configuration example of ball keep information.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of pass destination candidate character information.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of pass destination character information.
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of region information.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing relating to pass destination character determination in the first embodiment;
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing a consumer game device to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of in-view character history information.
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of target frame information.
FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the principle of target position determination in the second embodiment.
FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of mark character information.
FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of character position information.
FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of target position information.
FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of offense and defense information.
FIG. 28 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing relating to target position determination in the second embodiment;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Household game device
10 Operation input section
20 Image display
30 sound output section
40 Communication Department
50, 60 processing unit
51, 61 Game calculation unit
52 PC Management Department
53 Ball Management Department
54 NPC controller
54a Pass destination candidate character extraction unit
54b Pass destination character determination unit
54c Path operation control unit
55 Dominance calculator
62 Offense and Defense Judgment Department
63 Defensive Character Control Unit
63a Target position calculation unit
63b Movement control unit
58 Image generator
59 Sound generator
70 storage unit
71, 81 Game information
72, 82 Character information
72a Field of view information
82b Mark character information
73, 83 Character position information
74 Player Character Information
75 Ball position information
76 Ball Keep Information
77 Pass destination candidate character information
78 Pass destination character information
79 Area information
84 Target position information
85 Offense and Defense Information
91 Pass destination character determination program
92 Defensive Character Control Program
FL field
AR area
Q Representative points
100 player characters
100a Team A player character
100b Team B player character
120 Ball Keep Character
130 Defensive Character
140 Mark character
300 fields of view
α Viewing angle
500 Ball object (ball)

Claims (18)

A plurality of characters that can move on the field including a PC (player character) and an NPC (non-player character) that operate in response to a player's operation input are divided into a plurality of teams in a device similar to a computer. Game information for executing a game of putting a ball into the goal area,
Determining means for determining a ball keeping character that is keeping the ball;
Field of view setting means for setting the field of view of the ball keep character on the field,
A selecting means for selecting one character among the characters belonging to the same team as the ball keep character and located in the field of view set by the field of view setting means;
Action control means for controlling the action of the ball keep character so as to pass the one character when the ball keep character is an NPC;
Game information for causing the device to function as The game information according to claim 1,
Game information for causing the device to function so that the visual field setting means sets the visual field based on the direction of the body or face of the ball keep character. The game information according to claim 1 or 2,
A viewing angle is preset for each of the plurality of characters,
Game information for causing the device to function so that the visual field setting means sets the visual field according to the visual field angle set for the character determined as the ball-keep character by the determination means. The game information according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Game information for causing the apparatus to function as viewing angle varying means for varying the viewing angle of the field of view set by the field of view setting means. The game information according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The device functions as a storage means for updating and storing a character positioned in the field of view of the ball keep character from a predetermined time to the present,
Game information for causing the apparatus to function so that the selection means belongs to the same team as the ball keep character and the character stored in the storage means is selected. The game information according to claim 5,
Game information for causing the device to function so that the storage means has time variable means for changing the predetermined time. The game information according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Point setting means for setting a plurality of sample points on the field;
For each character, inertia calculation means for calculating a position after a predetermined time when the character maintains the current movement state;
An arrival time calculation means for calculating a time until the character reaches the set sample point, starting from the calculated position;
Area recognition means for certifying an area related to the power of each team based on the calculated arrival time of the character to each sample point;
As the device further functions as
Game information for causing the device to function so as to select one character with reference to the area relating to the power of the team of the ball keep character that is selected by the area recognition means. The game information according to claim 7,
Referring to the arrival time calculated by the arrival time calculation means, a dominance calculation for calculating the dominance degree so that the arrival time of the character that can be reached earliest becomes shorter at each of the set sample points. As a means to further function the device,
Game information for causing the device to function so that the region recognition means recognizes a region related to the power of each team based on the calculated dominance of each sample point. Game information for causing a device similar to a computer to execute a given game by controlling movement of a character to be controlled among a plurality of characters that can move in the game space and generating an image of the game space Because
Position-of-interest setting means for setting a position of interest in the game space;
A selection means for selecting one attention character among the plurality of characters excluding the control target character;
Target position means for setting, as a target position, a position where the position of the target character and the position of interest fall within a predetermined angle with the position of the control target character as the center;
Movement control means for controlling movement of the control target character so as to be directed to the target position;
Game information for causing the device to function as The game information according to claim 9,
The game information, wherein the predetermined angle is a viewing angle preset for the control target character. The game information according to claim 9,
Game information for causing the device to function as angle varying means for varying the predetermined angle. Game information for causing a device similar to a computer to execute a given game by controlling movement of a character to be controlled among a plurality of characters that can move in the game space and generating an image of the game space Because
Defensive position setting means for setting a defensive position in the game space;
A selection means for selecting one attention character among the plurality of characters excluding the control target character;
Target position setting means for setting a target position on a line segment connecting the position of the target character and the defense position;
Movement control means for controlling movement of the control target character so as to be directed to the target position;
Game information for causing the device to function as The game information according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
While making the device function as a defense position setting means for setting a defense position in the game space,
The target position setting means is: (1) the position of the target character and the target position are within a predetermined angle centering on the control target character; and (2) the position of the target character and the defense position Game information for causing the apparatus to function so as to set a target position on a line segment connecting the two. The game information according to claim 13,
A plurality of player characters that can move on the field including PC (player character) and NPC (non-player character) that operate in response to the player's operation input are divided into a plurality of teams to play a game and goal the ball Causing the device to execute a game to be placed in the area,
The target position setting means causes the apparatus to function so as to set the position of the ball to the target position,
Game information for causing the device to function so that the defense position setting means sets a given position in the goal area as a defense position. An information storage medium readable by a device similar to a computer storing the game information according to claim 1. A plurality of characters that can move on the field including a PC (player character) and a NPC (non-player character) that operate in response to the player's operation input are divided into a plurality of teams to play, and the ball is played in the goal area A game device for executing a game to be put in
Determining means for determining a ball keeping character that is keeping the ball;
Field setting means for setting the field of view of the ball keep character on the field;
A selection means for selecting one character among the characters belonging to the same team as the ball keep character and located in the field of view set by the field of view setting means;
Action control means for controlling the action of the ball keep character so as to pass the one character when the ball keep character is an NPC;
A game device comprising: A game device that controls a movement of a control target character among a plurality of characters that can move in a game space, and executes a given game by generating an image of the game space,
Focus position setting means for setting a focus position in the game space;
A selection means for selecting one of the plurality of characters excluding the control target character;
Target position means for setting, as a target position, a position where the position of the target character and the position of interest fall within a predetermined angle with the position of the control target character as the center;
Movement control means for controlling the movement of the control target character so as to go to the target position;
A game device comprising: A game device that controls a movement of a control target character among a plurality of characters that can move in a game space, and executes a given game by generating an image of the game space,
Defensive position setting means for setting a defensive position in the game space;
A selection means for selecting one of the plurality of characters excluding the control target character;
Target position setting means for setting a target position on a line segment connecting the position of the target character and the defense position;
Movement control means for controlling the movement of the control target character so as to go to the target position;
A game device comprising:

Images