JP2007282861A - Game apparatus, method of displaying character, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display an image, which is not displayed in an unnatural state while the specific section of a character is directed to an angle to be easily visualized by a player, in a display device. <P>SOLUTION: In the game apparatus, the view point 303 of a virtual camera 301 is moved around with the center point 201 of the character 200 as a reference point. A view point right/left angle θ formed by a body direction which sections excepting for the face of the character 200 face and a direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward a point 303d just under the view point is ≤76°. When the character 200 is not moved on a field 400, the face upper/lower angle α of the character 200 is displaced. The face upper/lower angle α is determined with a face direction coefficiennt (a maximum value 0.75) determined according to the view point right/left angle θ and a view point upper/lower angle β showing the elevation angle of a direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the position of the view point 303 of the virtual camera 301. The face upper/lower angle α of the face of the character 200 is displaced by only the portion of 75% of the view point upper/lower angle β at maximum. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention displays a two-dimensional image obtained by perspective-transforming a virtual three-dimensional space in a game in which a character including a specific part whose direction can be displaced with respect to the direction of another part exists. Related to technology.

  For the screen display of a two-dimensional video game, an overview in which the viewpoint is directly above the character and a side view in which the viewpoint is on a horizontal plane were initially used. Later, quarter views were used to create more realistic images. In the quarter view, an image looked down from the viewpoint set above the horizontal plane is displayed on the display screen (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, in recent three-dimensional video game screen display using polygons, a character view having a viewpoint at the character's line of sight is often used in order to display a more realistic image. In the character view in the three-dimensional video game, the traveling direction of the character can be seen, but there is a problem that the surroundings of the character cannot be looked at evenly 360 degrees. For this reason, the quota view is often used particularly in a game such as a role playing game where it is necessary to look around the situation around the character.

  However, in the quarter view in the three-dimensional video game, there is a problem that the face of the character is not clearly displayed when the viewpoint is located on the front side of the character. For a player who is always watching a character while playing a game, if the face of a precisely designed character is not clearly displayed, the interest of the game is reduced.

  On the other hand, there is a game in which a character's face is directed to a target of attention according to the necessity on the game (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In order to solve the problem that the character's face is not clearly displayed, the attention object of Patent Document 2 is set to the viewpoint of the virtual camera, so that the character's face is directed toward the viewpoint of the virtual camera (viewpoint direction), It is conceivable to display on the screen the face of the character viewed from the front.

JP 7-182532 A (paragraph 0002) JP 2002-200340 A (paragraph 0098)

  However, there are cases where the direction of the character itself is in a direction different from the viewpoint direction, and it may be inconvenient to point the character's face in the viewpoint direction. Further, even if the character itself is in the viewpoint direction, if the character's face is pointed in the viewpoint direction as it is, the character's line of sight becomes the camera's line of sight. Depending on the state of the character in the game, when an image of the camera line of sight is displayed, the movement of the character's face becomes very unnatural and the realism is lost.

  The present invention is directed to a game device or the like capable of displaying an image on which a specific part of a character is not displayed in an unnatural state on a display device while keeping in mind that the specific part of the character is displayed at an angle that is easily visible to the player. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the game device according to the first aspect of the present invention provides a virtual three-dimensional space in which a character including a specific part that can be displaced in the direction with respect to the direction of another part exists. A game device that displays on a display device a game screen obtained by performing perspective transformation from a camera onto a virtual screen, while maintaining that the position of the character is within the field of view of the virtual camera, Viewpoint moving means for moving the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera at a height different from the position of the specific part in the virtual three-dimensional space; a direction in which the character is facing in the virtual three-dimensional space; and a position of the character Specific angle calculation means for calculating a specific angle formed by the direction from the virtual camera to the viewpoint position, and the specific angle calculated by the specific angle calculation means Is determined to be smaller than a critical angle determined in a predetermined angle range smaller than 90 degrees, and when the specific angle is determined to be smaller than the critical angle by the specific angle determination means In addition, the specific part displacement means for displacing the direction of the specific part relative to the direction of the part other than the specific part of the character, and the virtual three-dimensional space from the virtual camera at the position of the viewpoint moved by the viewpoint moving means. Perspective transformation means for performing perspective transformation on the virtual screen and generating a two-dimensional image for display on the display device; and display control means for causing the display device to display the two-dimensional image generated by the perspective transformation means on the screen. The specific part displacement means adjusts the vertical angle of the specific part according to a height difference between the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera and the position of the specific part. Characterized in that it comprises a vertical angular displacement means for position.

  In the game device according to the first aspect, when it is determined that the specific angle formed by the direction in which the character is facing and the direction from the character position toward the viewpoint position of the virtual camera is smaller than the critical angle. By displacing the vertical angle of the specific part with respect to the direction of the part other than the specific part of the character, an image in a state where the player can easily see the specific part can be displayed on the display device. Also, when the specific part is not facing the virtual camera by displacing the vertical angle of the specific part only when the direction the character is facing is within the critical angle range with respect to the direction of the viewpoint of the virtual camera It is not necessary to displace it unnecessarily.

  The game device according to the first aspect may further include viewpoint movement operation means for instructing the viewpoint movement means to move the viewpoint position of the virtual camera by a player's operation.

  Here, even if the viewpoint of the virtual camera is moved based on the operation of the player, if the specific angle formed by the direction in which the character is facing and the direction from the position of the character toward the viewpoint of the virtual camera is smaller than the critical angle, The vertical angle of the part changes, and the specific part of the character can be easily viewed on the display device.

  In the game device according to the first aspect, the viewpoint moving means maintains the distance between the character and the height in the virtual three-dimensional space constant, while using the position of the character as a reference point. The position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera can be moved around.

  Here, when the viewpoint of the virtual camera is moved while maintaining a certain distance from the reference point of the character, the size of the character displayed on the display device is maintained when the field of view is maintained constant. Without changing, it can be displayed on the display device from various angles.

  In the game device according to the first aspect, the vertical angle displacing means may displace the vertical angle of the specific part by an angle corresponding to the size of the specific angle.

  The vertical angle displacing means may displace the vertical angle of the specific part by an angle smaller than an elevation angle in a direction from the character position or the specific part position toward the viewpoint position. . Note that the vertical angle of the specific part can be displaced only upward, downward, or both.

  In this case, the vertical angle of the specific part is displaced by an angle corresponding to the size of the specific angle formed by the direction in which the character is facing and the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera from the character position. Since the vertical angle of the specific part changes depending on whether the viewpoint of the camera is high or low, the direction of the specific part can be naturally displaced. Further, if the vertical angle of the specific part of the character is displaced by an angle smaller than the elevation angle from the position of the specific part toward the direction of the virtual camera viewpoint, the direction in which the character is facing is the direction toward the virtual camera viewpoint. Even within the critical angle range, the vertical angle displacement of the specific portion does not become too large, and the displacement in the direction of the specific portion does not become unnaturally large.

  The vertical angle displacing means displaces the vertical angle of the specific part according to the size of the specific angle so that the angle displaced when the specific angle is 0 degree is a maximum angle. It can be.

  In this case, even when the viewpoint position of the virtual camera continues to move, the vertical angle of the specific part can be displaced in a natural flow.

  Here, the maximum angle may be an angle determined in a range in which a specific symbol included in the specific part is not hidden by a part other than the specific part of the character.

  In this case, when the direction in which the character is facing is within the critical angle range from the direction toward the viewpoint of the virtual camera, the specific symbol included in the specific part is always displayed on the display device so as to be recognized by the player. Can be. For example, when the character's face is a specific part, the eyes can be used as a specific symbol, and the movement of the character's face can be controlled so that the character's eyes are not hidden by hair or the like.

  In the game device according to the first aspect, when the specific angle determining unit determines that the specific angle is smaller than the critical angle, the specific part displacing unit responds to a size of the specific angle. It may further include left and right angle displacement means for displacing the left and right angles of the specific part by an angle.

  The left-right angle displacement means can displace the left-right angle of the specific part by an angle smaller than the specific angle.

  The left / right angle displacement means may not displace the left / right angle of the specific part when the specific angle is smaller than a predetermined angle defined in an angle range smaller than the critical angle.

  In this case, it is easier to visually recognize the specific part by displacing the specific part left and right. Further, the left and right angles of the specific part of the character can be displaced by an angle smaller than the specific angle, or the right and left angles of the specific part are displaced when the specific angle is within a predetermined angle range smaller than the critical angle. As a result, even if the specific angle is within the critical angle range, the displacement of the right and left corners of the specific part does not become too large, and the direction of displacement of the specific part increases depending on the direction of the character. It won't be too much.

  The game device according to the first aspect may further include character moving means for moving the position of the character in the virtual three-dimensional space.

  Here, the specific part displacement means displaces the direction of the specific part on the condition that a speed at which the character is moved in the virtual three-dimensional space by the character moving means is smaller than a predetermined speed. be able to. For example, the direction of a specific part may be displaced when the character is walking, but not when the character is running.

  In this case, the specific part displacing means is adapted to increase the angle at which the character is moved according to the speed at which the character is moved in the virtual three-dimensional space by the character moving means. The direction of the part can be changed.

  In this case, when the character is moving at a predetermined speed or more, the displacement of the specific part is not performed, so that the displacement of the specific part of the character is unnatural compared to the movement of the part other than the specific part. There is no. Furthermore, the specific part of the character is specified while noting that the direction of the specific part is displaced according to the moving speed of the character, thereby displaying an image in a state in which the player can easily see the specific part on the display device. There is no unnatural displacement compared to the movement of a part other than the part.

  The specific part displacing means displaces the direction of the specific part on the condition that the position of the character is stationary in the virtual three-dimensional space without being moved by the character moving means. can do.

  In this case, if the displacement of the specific part is performed only when the character is stationary, the specific part of the character is not unnaturally displaced compared to the movement of the part other than the specific part.

  In the game device according to the first aspect, the character may be a biological character including a face as a constituent part, and the specific part may be the face of the biological character. Since the character's face is a point of interest for the player, the game's interest is reduced by displaying on the display device an image in which the player can easily see the face by changing the direction of the face. There is no.

  In the game device according to the first aspect, each of the characters is configured by a plurality of characters each including a specific part, and the specific part displacing means is located between the position of each character from the viewpoint position of the virtual camera. The direction of the specific part of each character can be displaced according to the distance.

  In this case, in the plurality of characters displayed on the display device, the specific portion of the plurality of characters is displaced by the player by displacing the specific portion according to the distance from the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera to the position of each character. Can be displayed on the display device. It should be noted that it is not possible to displace a specific part in a character far away from the viewpoint of the virtual camera.

  In order to achieve the above object, a character display method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a virtual three-dimensional space in which a character including a specific part whose direction can be displaced with respect to the direction of another part exists. A character display method executed on a computer device that displays on a display device a game screen obtained by perspective-transforming a virtual camera from a virtual camera onto a virtual screen, the position and direction of the character in the virtual three-dimensional space Is stored in a storage unit included in the computer device, and the position of the character stored in the storage unit is maintained within the range of the field of view of the virtual camera, while the specific part in the virtual three-dimensional space is stored. The viewpoint position of the virtual camera is moved at a height different from the position, and the viewpoint position is stored in the storage means. A specific angle formed by the direction of the character stored in the storage unit and the direction from the character position stored in the storage unit toward the viewpoint is calculated, and the calculated specific angle is stored in the storage unit Determining whether the specific angle stored in the storage means is smaller than a critical angle determined in a predetermined angle range smaller than 90 degrees, and determining that the specific angle is smaller than the critical angle Further, the vertical angle of the specific part is displaced according to the height difference between the position of the specific part determined according to the position of the character stored in the storage means and the position of the viewpoint stored in the storage means, The direction of the specific part whose vertical angle is displaced is stored in the storage unit, and the vertical axis of at least the specific part of the virtual three-dimensional space is displaced at the viewpoint position stored in the storage unit. A two-dimensional image for generating a perspective view on the virtual screen for display on the virtual screen and generating the two-dimensional image to be displayed on the display device is developed in the frame memory. A three-dimensional image is displayed on the screen of the display device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a program according to a third aspect of the present invention provides a virtual camera in a virtual three-dimensional space in which a character including a specific part that can be displaced in the direction of another part exists. Is a program executed on a computer device that displays on a display device a game screen obtained by performing perspective transformation on a virtual screen, wherein the program position is determined so that the position of the character is within the field of view of the virtual camera. Viewpoint moving means for moving the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera at a height different from the position of the specific part in the virtual three-dimensional space, while the character is facing in the virtual three-dimensional space A specific angle formed by the direction and the direction from the character position to the viewpoint position of the virtual camera is calculated. Constant angle calculation means, specific angle determination means for determining whether the specific angle calculated by the specific angle calculation means is smaller than a critical angle determined in a predetermined angle range smaller than 90 degrees, and the specific angle determination means Specific part displacement means for displacing the vertical angle of the specific part according to at least a difference in height between the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera and the position of the specific part when it is determined that the specific angle is smaller than the critical angle Perspective conversion means for perspective-transforming the virtual three-dimensional space from the virtual camera onto the virtual screen at the position of the viewpoint moved by the viewpoint movement means and generating a two-dimensional image for display on the display device And causing the computer apparatus to function as display control means for displaying the two-dimensional image generated by the perspective conversion means on the display device. And butterflies.

  In order to achieve the above object, a computer-readable recording medium according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a virtual 3 in which there is a character including a specific part whose direction can be displaced with respect to the direction of another part. A recording medium that records a program executed on a computer device that displays a game screen obtained by perspective-transforming a dimensional space from a virtual camera onto a virtual screen, the program including a position of the character , The viewpoint moving means for moving the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera at a height different from the position of the specific part in the virtual three-dimensional space, while maintaining within the range of view of the virtual camera The viewpoint of the virtual camera from the direction in which the character is facing in the three-dimensional space and the position of the character A specific angle calculating means for calculating a specific angle formed by a direction toward the position, and determining whether or not the specific angle calculated by the specific angle calculating means is smaller than a critical angle determined in a predetermined angle range smaller than 90 degrees. When the specific angle is determined to be smaller than the critical angle by the specific angle determination unit and the specific angle determination unit, at least according to the height difference between the viewpoint position of the virtual camera and the position of the specific part Specific part displacement means for displacing the vertical angle of the specific part, the virtual three-dimensional space is perspective-transformed from the virtual camera onto the virtual screen at the position of the viewpoint moved by the viewpoint moving means, and displayed on the display device Perspective conversion means for generating a two-dimensional image to be displayed, and display control means for causing the display device to display the two-dimensional image generated by the perspective conversion means on a screen. And characterized by causing the computer to function device Te.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view showing a configuration of a game apparatus 1 applied to this embodiment. Here, a portable game device is shown as an example of the game device 1. In FIG. 1, the game apparatus 1 is configured by housing two liquid crystal displays (LCDs) 11 and 12 in a housing 18 so as to be in a predetermined arrangement position.

  When the first liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “LCD”) 11 and the second LCD 12 are accommodated while being arranged one above the other, the housing 18 includes a lower housing 18a and an upper housing 18b, and the upper housing 18b is the lower housing 18a. It is supported rotatably at a part of the upper side. The upper housing 18b has a planar shape slightly larger than the planar shape of the first LCD 11, and an opening is formed so as to expose the display screen of the first LCD 11 from one main surface. The lower housing 18a has a planar shape that is longer than that of the upper housing 18b, and an opening that exposes the display screen of the second LCD 12 is formed in a substantially central portion in the horizontal direction. The sound switch hole 14 is formed, and the operation switch unit 14 is mounted on the left and right sides of the second LCD 12.

  The operation switch unit 14 includes an operation switch (hereinafter referred to as A button) 14a and an operation switch (hereinafter referred to as B button) 14b mounted on one main surface of the lower housing 18a on the right side of the second LCD 12, and a left side of the second LCD 12. It includes a direction indicating switch (cross key) 14c mounted on one main surface of the lower housing 18a on the side, a start switch 14d, a select switch 14e, and side switches 14f and 14g.

  The A button 14a and the B button 14b are used for inputting a predetermined instruction. The direction indicating switch 14c is used to input a moving direction of a player object (a character in this embodiment) or a cursor that can be operated by the player using the operation switch unit 14. The direction indicating switch 14c is configured by a cross key, and can input in a total of four directions, up, down, left, and right. The side switch (hereinafter referred to as L button) 14f and the side switch (hereinafter referred to as R button) 14g are provided on the left and right of the upper surface (upper side surface) of the lower housing 18a.

  In the three-dimensional video game applied in this embodiment, the L button 14f and the R button 14g are used for inputting an instruction to move the viewpoint of a virtual camera described later together with the B button 14b. When the player operates only the L button 14f, the viewpoint of the virtual camera, which will be described later, rotates around the character around the left, and when the player operates only the R button 14g, the viewpoint of the virtual camera, described later, moves around the right. To do. Further, when the player operates the B button 14b simultaneously with the L button 14f, the viewpoint of a virtual camera described later moves upward (polar coordinate direction). When the player operates the B button 14b simultaneously with the R button 14g, the viewpoint of a virtual camera described later moves downward.

  On the upper surface of the second LCD 12, a touch panel 13 (broken line area in FIG. 1) is attached. The touch panel 13 may be, for example, any of a resistive film type, an optical type (infrared type), and a capacitive coupling type, and an operation of pressing, moving, or stroking the upper surface with a stick 16 (or a finger). In this case, the coordinate position of the stick 16 is detected and output. The touch panel 13 is used for inputting a predetermined instruction.

  In the vicinity of the side surface of the upper housing 18b, a storage hole (a two-dot broken line region in FIG. 1) for storing the stick 16 for operating the touch panel 13 as necessary is formed. The stick 16 is stored in the storage hole. In a part of the side surface of the lower housing 18a, a cartridge insertion portion (for inserting a game cartridge 17 (hereinafter simply referred to as a cartridge 17) having a built-in memory (for example, ROM) storing a game program in a detachable manner. A one-dot broken line region in FIG. 1) is formed. The cartridge 17 is an information storage medium for storing a game program, and for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a flash memory is used. A connector (see FIG. 2) for electrical connection with the cartridge 17 is built in the cartridge insertion portion. Furthermore, an electronic circuit board on which various electronic components such as a CPU are mounted is accommodated in the lower housing 18a (or the upper housing 18b).

  Next, the circuit configuration of the game apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the game apparatus 1. In FIG. 2, a CPU core 21 is mounted on the electronic circuit board housed in the housing 18. A connector 28 for connecting to the cartridge 17 is connected to the CPU core 21 via a predetermined bus, an input / output interface (I / F) circuit 27, and a first graphic processing unit (first GPU) 24. A second graphics processing unit (second GPU) 26, a working RAM (WRAM) 22, and a communication port 29 are connected.

  The cartridge 17 is detachably connected to the connector 28. The cartridge 17 is a storage medium for storing the game program as described above. Specifically, the cartridge 17 includes a ROM 171 for storing the game program and a RAM 172 for storing backup data in a rewritable manner. The game program stored in the ROM 171 of the cartridge 17 is loaded into the WRAM 22, and the game program loaded into the WRAM 22 is executed by the CPU core 21. Temporary data obtained by the CPU core 21 executing the game program and data for generating an image are stored in the WRAM 22. The ROM 171 stores a game program that is a group of instructions and a group of data that can be executed by the computer of the game apparatus 1, particularly the CPU core 21. The game program is read into the WRAM 22 as appropriate and executed.

  A first video RAM (hereinafter “VRAM”) 23 is connected to the first GPU 24, and a second video RAM (hereinafter “VRAM”) 25 is connected to the second GPU 26. In response to an instruction from the CPU core 21, the first GPU 24 generates a first game image based on data for generating an image stored in the WRAM 22 and draws it in the first VRAM 23. In response to an instruction from the CPU core 21, the second GPU 26 generates a second game image based on data for generating an image stored in the WRAM 22 and draws it in the second VRAM 25. Each of the first VRAM 23 and the second VRAM 25 is prepared for two frames, and image data expansion and image data reading are alternately switched every frame period.

  The first GPU 24 is connected to the first LCD 11, and the second GPU 26 is connected to the second LCD 12. The first GPU 24 outputs the first game image drawn in the first VRAM 23 in response to an instruction from the CPU core 21 to the first LCD 11. Then, the first LCD 11 displays the first game image output from the first GPU 24. The second GPU 26 outputs the second game image drawn in the second VRAM 25 in response to an instruction from the CPU core 21 to the second LCD 12. Then, the second LCD 12 displays the second game image output from the second GPU 26.

  The touch panel 13, the operation switch unit 14, and the speaker 15 are connected to the I / F circuit 27. The I / F circuit 27 is a circuit that transfers data between the CPU core 21 and an external input / output device such as the touch panel 13, the operation switch unit 14, and the speaker 15. The speaker 15 is disposed at an inner position of the above-described sound release hole, and outputs a sound generated according to the game being executed.

  The touch panel 13 (including a device driver for the touch panel) has a coordinate system corresponding to the coordinate system of the second VRAM 25, and coordinate data corresponding to a position input (instructed) by the stick 16 or the like is provided in the WRAM 22 It is output to the register. For example, the resolution of the display screen of the second LCD 12 is 256 dots × 192 dots, and the detection accuracy of the touch panel 13 is also 256 dots × 192 dots corresponding to the display screen. The detection accuracy of the touch panel 13 may be lower or higher than the resolution of the display screen of the second LCD 12.

  The communication port 29 transmits / receives information to / from an external device such as another game device, a stationary game machine, or a server device. Note that the game device 1 can be connected to other game devices in a predetermined area from the communication port 29 by peer-to-peer, and can transmit and receive information. That is, communication can be performed between a plurality of game devices in a predetermined area without going through a server.

  Hereinafter, in this embodiment, a three-dimensional video game executed by the game apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In the three-dimensional video game according to this embodiment, a character (player character) that a player operates by operating the operation switch unit 14 moves on a field provided in a virtual three-dimensional space. Progress.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of characters used in this three-dimensional video game. The virtual three-dimensional space in which the character 200 exists is indicated by the world coordinate system (X, Y, Z). As shown in FIG. 3, the character 200 is composed of a plurality of polygons that indicate the coordinates of each vertex in the coordinates of the local coordinate system (x, y, z). A center point 201 is provided at substantially the center position of the character 200, and the position of the character 200 in the virtual three-dimensional space is indicated by coordinates of the center point 201 in the world coordinate system.

  Inside the character 200, virtual skeletons 202a, 202b... 202n are set. The skeletons 202a to 202n set inside the character 200 are sequentially connected via joints 203a to 203m, and their positions are determined by active movements such as the character 200 running, walking and changing directions. In addition, in the case of moving the viewpoint of a virtual camera described later, the skeleton 202a set on the head of the character 200 is also displaced by the movement of the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera described later.

  When the character 200 is stopped on the field, the Y coordinate in the world coordinate system always matches the y coordinate in the local coordinate system, and the face 202 of the skeleton 202a set on the head is displaced. Since it is not performed, it is parallel to the y coordinate of the local coordinate system.

  Each part constituting the body of the character 200 is moved by tilting or rotating the skeleton 202 set inside to the front, back, left and right with the joint 203 connected to the skeleton 202 as a fulcrum. For example, the face of the character 200 is directed upward by 45 degrees when the skeleton 202a set on the head is tilted 45 degrees backward with the joint 203a as a fulcrum, and is downward 45 degrees by tilting 45 degrees forward. Turn to. In addition, the face of the character 200 turns right by 45 degrees when the skeleton 202a set at the head rotates 45 degrees to the right, and turns left by 45 degrees by turning 45 degrees to the left. It should be noted that an operable range of movable angles is set for each skeleton 202 set inside the body of the character 200. In the three-dimensional video game applied in this embodiment, the face of the character 200 can be displaced in the direction of the part other than the face.

  When the position of the skeleton 202 in the local coordinate system is determined, the position of each polygon constituting the character 200 is uniquely determined. The positions of the skeleton 203 and the polygon in the virtual three-dimensional space are determined by converting the coordinates of the local coordinate system into the coordinates of the world coordinate system according to the direction in which the character 200 is facing.

  The direction in which the character 200 faces is represented by an angle formed by each coordinate axis in the local coordinate system with respect to each coordinate axis in the world coordinate system. When performing the display process, the coordinates of the local coordinate system of the vertices of the polygons constituting the character 200 are converted into the coordinates of the world coordinate system according to the angle formed by the two coordinate axes. The traveling direction of the character 200 is determined based on the positional relationship between the character 200 in the current frame period and the character 200 in the previous frame period.

  The manner in which the character 200 moves in the field in the virtual three-dimensional space is projected on the display screen of the first LCD 11 by perspective-transforming the virtual three-dimensional space with the virtual camera, and recognized by the player. A two-dimensional map showing the position of the character 200 on the field is displayed on the display screen of the second LCD 12, but the description is omitted because it is not directly related to the present invention.

  FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the perspective transformation. A virtual camera 301 is placed in the virtual three-dimensional space, and an image projected on the virtual screen 302 becomes an image displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11.

  The virtual camera 301 is positioned at the viewpoint 303, the virtual camera 301 is oriented along the visual axis 304, and an area formed by four straight lines connecting the viewpoint 303 and the four corners of the virtual screen 302 is the visual field 305. The size of the virtual screen 302 is fixed, and the position of the virtual screen 302 is determined when the size of the field of view 305 is determined, and the width of the field of view 305 is determined when the position of the virtual screen 302 is determined. Here, it is assumed that the field of view 305 is kept constant. Note that a rear clip surface may be provided at a certain distance from the viewpoint 303.

  Thus, the coordinate system used for projecting an image on the virtual screen 302 is the viewpoint coordinate system (X ′, Y ′, Z ′), and the direction of the visual axis 304 is the Z ′ axis of the viewpoint coordinate system. Become. The coordinates of the world coordinate system (including the coordinates converted from the coordinates of the local coordinater) are converted to the coordinates of the viewpoint coordinate system, and the perspective transformation process including the hidden surface removal process described below is performed.

  When an image projected on the virtual screen 302 is generated by perspective transformation, it is necessary to perform hidden surface removal that erases a surface that is hidden by another object on the front surface. Here, the Z buffer method is used as the hidden surface erasing method. When converting the coordinates of the world coordinate system to the coordinates of the viewpoint coordinate system, the CPU core 21 sends the coordinates of each feature point to the first GPU 24 and outputs a drawing command. Based on this drawing command, the first GPU 24 updates the value of the Z buffer so that the data (Z ′ value) of the point (small point of the Z ′ coordinate) in front of each feature point remains. The image data for each point is developed in the first VRAM 23.

  As a premise for performing perspective transformation, the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301, the direction of the visual axis 304, and the size of the viewing angle 305 (the distance from the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera to the virtual screen 302) must be determined. (The position of the virtual screen 302 is inevitably determined once these are determined). The position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is kept at a certain distance from the character 200, and moves in the indicated direction by the operation of the L button 14f, the R button 14g, and the B button 14b from the player. The direction of the visual axis 304 is set so as to always face the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 as a reference point.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing movement of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 used in this three-dimensional video game. As shown in FIG. 5, the character 200 is arranged on the field 400. The viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is on a virtual hemisphere 303S with the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 as a reference point. In FIG. 5, the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 can be moved in the indicated direction on the hemisphere 303S by operating the L button 14f, the R button 14g, and the B button 14b from the player.

  Compared to the distance between the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 and the position of the center point 201 of the character 200, the distance between the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 and the position of the face of the character 200 is negligibly short. . Here, the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 to the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 can be equated with the direction from the position of the face of the character 200 to the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera 301. In the world coordinate system, if the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 is (Xc, Yc, Zc) and the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is (Xv, Yv, Zv), the Y of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is Y. The position of the point 303d immediately below the viewpoint where the coordinates are lowered to the Y coordinate of the center point 201 of the character 200 is (Xv, Yc, Zv).

  In FIG. 5, the body direction in which the part other than the face of the character 200 faces is indicated by a body direction vector 401. The body direction of the character 200 is the x-axis direction of the local coordinate system. A body direction vector 401 indicating a body direction in which a part other than the face of the character 200 faces in the virtual three-dimensional space is assumed to match the Y-axis direction of the world coordinate system and the y-axis direction of the local coordinate system. If the angle formed by the X-axis direction of the coordinate system and the x-axis direction of the local coordinate system is γ, it can be expressed as (cos γ, 0, sin γ). Here, when the X axis of the world coordinate system coincides with the x axis of the local coordinate system, the body direction vector 401 can be expressed as (1, 0, 0).

  A direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 to the position of the point 303d immediately below the viewpoint is indicated by a viewpoint directing direction vector 402. The direction vector 402 just below the viewpoint can be expressed as (Xv−Xc, 0, Zv−Zc). A direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 to the position of the viewpoint 303 is indicated by a viewpoint direction vector 403. The viewpoint direction vector 403 can be expressed as (Xv−Xc, Yv−Yc, Zv−Zc).

  The viewpoint left-right angle θ formed by the body direction of the character 200 and the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the point directly below the viewpoint 303d is obtained by calculation using the body direction vector 401 and the viewpoint direct direction vector 402. Can do. The viewpoint vertical angle β formed by the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the point 303d immediately below the viewpoint and the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is It can be obtained by calculation using the vector 402 and the viewpoint direction vector 403. The viewpoint vertical angle β is an elevation angle in a direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 to the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301.

  In the xy coordinate plane of the local coordinate system, an angle formed by the body direction of the character 200 and the face direction in which the face of the character 200 faces is defined as a face vertical angle α. Here, the face up-down angle α can be said to be an angle at which the face is facing a part other than the face of the character 200. The face direction of the character 200 is displaced by the skeleton 202a set on the head being tilted by the face vertical angle α with respect to the body direction about the joint 203a on the xy coordinate plane of the local coordinate system. . The face of the character 200 is set to face in the same direction as the body direction of the character 200 when the skeleton 202a set on the head is not rotating in parallel with the y-axis of the local coordinate system. The face direction coincides with the direction of the body direction vector 401.

  Next, the movement in the vertical direction of the face of the player 200 will be described using an example in which the viewpoint 301 of the virtual camera 301 moves to the left and right. As shown in FIG. 5, when the character 200 is present on the field 400, the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is determined in a virtual three-dimensional manner by operating the L button 14f or the R button 14g and the B button 14b from the player. Move on the hemisphere 303S in space. In this case, when the viewpoint left-right angle θ becomes smaller than a predetermined angle (for example, 76 degrees), the face direction of the character 200 is displaced according to the face direction adjustment table 500 stored in the ROM 171.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a face direction adjustment table stored in the ROM 171. The face direction adjustment table 500 stores the viewpoint left-right angle θ (degrees) and the face direction coefficient (%) in association with each other.

  The face direction coefficient is set to a larger value as the viewpoint left-right angle θ is smaller. When the viewpoint left-right angle θ is 0 degree, the face direction coefficient has a maximum value of 75%. In the face direction adjustment table 500, face direction coefficients corresponding only to the range in which the viewpoint left-right angle θ is within 76 degrees are registered, and when the viewpoint left-right angle θ is 77 degrees or more, the face direction of the character 200 is Not displaced. The face vertical angle α is calculated by multiplying the viewpoint vertical angle β and the face direction coefficient (%).

  For example, when the viewpoint left-right angle θ is 0 degree (when the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is located directly in front of the body direction of the character 200), the body direction of the character 200 and the face direction are The lower angle α is an angle corresponding to 75% of the viewpoint vertical angle β indicating the elevation angle from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301. Here, the face direction of the character 200 faces the direction in which the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is positioned by 0.75β from the front in the body direction.

  Further, since the face direction coefficient is determined to decrease as the viewpoint left-right angle θ increases, when the viewpoint 303 moves around at the same height, the face left-right angle θ becomes 76 degrees. The displacement amount angle in the face direction increases as the viewpoint left-right angle θ decreases, and when the viewpoint left-right angle reaches 0 degrees, the face direction displacement amount becomes maximum, and the viewpoint left-right angle θ on the opposite side. As the angle increases, the amount of displacement in the face direction decreases, and when the viewpoint left-right angle θ exceeds 76 degrees, the face direction is not displaced.

  As in the case where the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 moves, even when the character 200 moves on the field 400, the relationship between the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 and the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 The face direction of the character 200 is displaced. However, the face direction of the character 200 is not displaced while the character 200 is moving on the field 400.

  Hereinafter, processing in the three-dimensional video game according to this embodiment will be described. Here, in order to simplify the description, it is assumed that only the character 200 exists as an object that moves in the virtual three-dimensional space, and the size of the field of view 305 of the virtual camera 300 is constant. In addition, explanations may be omitted except for processing particularly related to the present invention. In practice, vector calculation is used for positioning of the skeleton 202, and sine, cosine, tangent, etc. are used for determining the angle. However, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, explanation is made using the angle itself. And

  As for the position and orientation of the character 200 on the field 400 and the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301, at least the latest data is stored in a predetermined area of the WRAM 22. At least the position of the character 200 is also stored in the WRAM 22 immediately before the latest data. In addition, angles calculated based on these (face vertical angle α, viewpoint vertical angle β, viewpoint horizontal angle θ) are also temporarily stored in the WRAM 22.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing main processing in the three-dimensional video game according to this embodiment. This main process is a process for generating an image for one frame, and is performed by timer interruption every 1/30 second. In the main process, the CPU core 21 determines whether or not an instruction for moving the character 200 on the field 400 is input from the direction instruction switch 14c by the player (step S101).

  When an instruction for moving the character 200 on the field 400 is input, the CPU core 21 moves the position (world coordinate system) of the character 200 according to the moving direction of the input instruction. Here, when the moving direction of the instruction input from the direction indicating switch 14 c is different from the body direction of the character 200, the CPU core 21 first displaces the body direction of the character 200, , To match the direction of movement of the input instruction. Then, after the body of the character 200 faces the direction of the input instruction, the CPU core 21 moves the position of the character 200 (world coordinate system) in that direction. Here, the CPU core 21 determines the positions in the local coordinate system of the skeletons 202a to 202n set inside the character 200 in accordance with the motion of the character 200 (step S102). Then, the process proceeds to step S105.

  When an instruction for moving the character 200 on the field 400 is not input in step S101, the CPU core 21 causes the player to view the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 from the L button 14f and the R button 14g and the B button 14b. It is determined whether or not an instruction for moving is input (step S103). If an instruction for moving the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 has not been input, the process directly proceeds to step S108.

  When an instruction for moving the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is input, the CPU core 21 moves the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 on the hemisphere 303S according to the moving direction of the input instruction. (Step S104). Then, the process proceeds to step S105. In step S <b> 105, the CPU core 21 moves the direction of the visual axis 304 so as to face the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 from the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301.

  Next, the CPU core 21 compares the position (world coordinate system) of the center point 201 of the character 200 in the previous frame and the current frame, and determines whether or not the character 200 is stopped on the field 400. (Step S106). If the character 200 is stopped, the CPU core 21 performs face direction adjustment processing for adjusting the face direction with respect to the body direction of the character 200 (step S107). Then, after performing the face direction adjustment process, the process proceeds to step S108. Details of the face direction adjustment process will be described later. If the character 200 is not stopped on the field 400, the process directly proceeds to step S108.

  In step S108, the CPU core 21 performs perspective transformation of the virtual three-dimensional space including the character 200 from the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 on the virtual screen 302 determined by the field of view 305, and displays the virtual three-dimensional space on the display screen of the first LCD 11. Display processing for requesting the first GPU 24 to generate a two-dimensional image is performed. When the display process ends, the main process ends, and the main process is executed again at the start timing of the next frame period.

  In this display process, the CPU core 21 is a perspective transformation range among polygons constituting an object existing in the virtual three-dimensional space (that is, a position farther than the virtual screen 302 within the range of the field of view 305). The CPU core 21 specifies the coordinates in the world coordinate system (including those converted from the coordinates in the local coordinate system) of each vertex of the specified polygon. The CPU core 21 sends the coordinates of the viewpoint coordinate system to the first CPU 24 and outputs a drawing command.

  Upon receiving the drawing command, the first GPU 24 retains data (Z ′ value) of points on the front surface (points with small Z ′ coordinates) for each point constituting each surface based on the coordinates of the viewpoint coordinate system. The contents of the Z buffer are updated. When the value of the Z buffer is updated, the first GPU 24 develops the image data for each point in the first VRAM 23 (for developing the image data). The first GPU 24 also performs processing such as shading and texture mapping on the developed image data.

  The first GPU 24 also sequentially reads the image data developed in the first VRAM 23 (which is used for reading image data in the current frame period) in the previous frame period, and adds a synchronization signal to generate a video signal. To the first LCD 11. The first LCD 11 displays an image corresponding to the video signal output from the first VRAM 23 on the display screen. By switching the display screen every frame period, the player can see an image in which the character 200 moves in a virtual three-dimensional space.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing in detail the face direction adjustment processing in step S107. In the face direction adjustment process, the CPU core 21 calculates the viewpoint left-right angle θ formed by the body direction of the character 200 in the world coordinate system and the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the point 303d immediately below the viewpoint (step). S201). Then, the CPU core 21 determines whether or not the viewpoint left-right angle θ is 76 degrees or less (step S202). If the viewpoint left-right angle θ is not 76 degrees or less, the face direction adjustment process is terminated as it is, and the process returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  On the other hand, if the viewpoint left-right angle θ is 76 degrees or less, the CPU core 21 refers to the face direction adjustment table 500 stored in the ROM 171 and identifies the face direction coefficient corresponding to the viewpoint left-right angle θ. Then, the CPU core 21 multiplies the identified face direction coefficient by the viewpoint vertical angle β indicating the elevation angle in the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301, and the character 200 The face vertical angle α formed by the body direction and the face direction is calculated (step S203).

  Next, the CPU core 21 calculates the skeleton 202a set on the head with respect to a direction (body direction) in which a part other than the face is directed with the joint 203a as a fulcrum in the xy coordinate plane of the local coordinate system. The face direction of the character 200 is displaced by inclining the face up and down angle α (step S204). Thereafter, the face direction adjustment process is terminated, and the process returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  As described above, in the 3D video game according to this embodiment, the viewpoint left-right angle θ formed by the body direction of the character 200 and the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the point 303d immediately below the viewpoint is 76. If the angle is less than or equal to degrees, the face vertical angle α formed by the face direction is displaced with respect to the direction (body direction) where the part other than the face of the character 200 faces in the xy coordinate plane of the local coordinate system. . In this case, when the face of the character 200 is at an angle at which the face of the character 200 appears on the display screen of the first LCD 11, it can be displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11 in a state where the player can easily see the face of the character 200. The player always looks at the character 200 when playing the game, and the face of the character 200, which is generally closely designed, is clearly displayed, so that the interest of the game is improved.

  Only when the left-right angle θ is 76 degrees or less, it is unnecessary until the face of the character 200 is not reflected on the display screen of the first LCD 11 by displacing the face vertical angle α. Therefore, the face direction of the character 200 is not displaced.

  Even when the viewpoint left-right angle θ is 76 degrees or less, the face vertical angle α is displaced only when the character 200 is stationary, and when the character 200 is moving on the field 400, the face vertical angle α is not displaced. For this reason, when the character 200 is moving, the face does not turn in a direction that does not match the movement mode, and the face direction of the character 200 is unnaturally displaced compared to the movement of a part other than the face. There is no.

  Here, the face vertical angle α is determined by a value obtained by multiplying the face direction coefficient by the viewpoint vertical angle β. Since the face direction coefficient is registered in the face direction adjustment table 500 according to the viewpoint left-right angle θ, the face direction of the character 200 is displaced according to the viewpoint left-right angle θ. Note that the maximum value of the face direction coefficient registered in the face direction adjustment table 500 is 75%. Here, the face direction of the character 200 is displaced by only 75% of the viewpoint vertical angle β indicating the elevation angle in the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 even at the maximum. .

  In this way, the face direction of the character 200 changes only to an angle smaller than the viewpoint vertical angle β indicating the elevation angle in the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301. In the face direction, the displacement of the face vertical angle α does not become excessively large, and the face direction is not strangely displaced compared to the body direction of the character 200. Further, even if the face direction of the character 200 is the maximum, only 0.75β is displaced, so the direction of the virtual camera 301 is not completely directed, and the character 200 is unnatural when the face direction of the character 200 is displaced. There is no point of sight.

  Note that the face direction coefficient has the maximum value when the viewpoint left-right angle θ is 0 degree (when the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is located in front of the character 200 in the body direction). The face direction coefficient decreases as the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 deviates from the front, and the displacement of the face vertical angle α decreases in the face direction of the character 200. In this case, even when the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 continues to move, the face direction of the character 200 is displaced by a natural flow.

  The player operates the L button 14f, the R button 14g, and the B button 14b to keep the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 at a certain distance from the center point 201 of the character 200 and to make the field of view 305 a certain width. The input instruction can be moved in the direction of movement. In this case, the character 200 can be displayed on the display screen from various angles without changing the size of the character 200 displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11.

  As in the case where the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 moves, even when the character 200 moves on the field 400, the relationship between the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 and the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 The face direction of the player 200 is displaced. However, the face direction of the character 200 is not displaced while the character 200 is moving on the field 400. Here, the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is moved while maintaining a certain distance from the center point 201 of the character 200, and the width of the field of view 305 is also kept constant, whereby the character displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11. The face of the character 200 that does not look at the camera from various angles can be displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11 without changing the size of the first LCD 11.

  The viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 moves up and down on the hemisphere 303S when the L button 14f or the R button 14g and the B button 14b are operated at the same time. The lower angle β is also assumed to change as the viewpoint 303 moves. The face vertical angle α of the viewpoint X-Z character changes depending not only on the difference in the face direction coefficient determined according to the viewpoint left-right angle θ but also on the difference in the viewpoint vertical angle β. Even when it is moved, the face direction of the character 200 can be displaced so that the player can easily recognize it.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. Hereinafter, modifications of the above-described embodiment applicable to the present invention will be described.

  In the above embodiment, the face vertical angle α for displacing the face direction of the character 200 is determined according to the viewpoint left-right angle θ, but the condition for determining the face vertical angle α is not limited to this.

  For example, if the face up and down angle α is determined so that a part of the constituent elements of the face to be displaced is displayed, the eyes that will give the player the strongest impression with the external features of the character 200 The upper and lower angles α of the face can be determined so as not to be hidden by hair, items equipped with armor or hats, and the like. Here, since the face of the character 200 is displaced and the eyes of the character 200 are not hidden by items equipped with hair, armor, hats, etc., the player can surely see the eyes of the character 200. This makes it easier to grasp the external features of the character 200.

  Further, if the face up / down angle α is determined by the personality of the character 200, the curious character 200 can increase the face up / down angle α as compared to the cool character 200. Here, a more realistic image can be displayed by changing the displacement of the face of the character 200 in accordance with the characteristics of the character 200.

  In the above embodiment, the face direction of the character 200 is displaced on the condition that the character 200 is stopped on the field 400. However, the operation condition of the character 200 for determining whether to perform the displacement is as follows. This is not a limitation. For example, when the character 200 is moving at a predetermined speed or less, the face direction of the character 200 may be displaceable. Here, according to the moving speed of the character 200, the face direction of the character 200 can be displaced so that the lower the moving speed, the larger the face vertical angle α.

  In this case, since the face direction is not displaced when the character 200 is moving on the field 400 at a predetermined speed or more, the face direction of the character 200 may be unnaturally displaced compared to the movement of the body. Absent. Further, by determining the face vertical angle α according to the moving speed of the character 200, it is easy for the player to visually recognize the face of the character 200, and the face direction of the character 200 is compared with the movement of the body. Can be prevented from being displaced unnaturally.

  In the above embodiment, the face vertical angle α is determined by referring to the face direction adjustment table 500 stored in the ROM 171. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is determined by another method. It may be a thing. For example, some coefficients for calculating the face vertical angle α may be stored in the game program, and the face vertical angle α may be determined based on the calculation result. In this case, a viewpoint in which the calculation result is a direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the point 303d immediately below the viewpoint and a direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 to the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301. It is necessary to set a coefficient and an arithmetic expression so as not to be larger than the vertical angle β.

  In the above embodiment, the face vertical angle α is calculated by multiplying the viewpoint vertical angle β and the face direction coefficient (%), but is not limited to this, and is determined by other calculations. It may be a thing.

  In the above embodiment, the face direction of the character 200 is such that when the viewpoint left-right angle θ is within a range of 76 degrees, the skeleton 202a set on the head is supported by the joint 203a on the xy coordinate plane of the local coordinate system. It is assumed that the face is displaced by being tilted by the calculated face vertical angle α with respect to the direction (body direction) in which the part other than the face is facing. Further, when the viewpoint left-right angle θ is within the range of 76 degrees, the skeleton 202a may be rotated by a predetermined angle in either the left or right direction according to the direction of the viewpoint 303. Here, in the world coordinate system, the rotation angle in the left-right direction corresponds to the viewpoint left-right angle θ formed by the body direction of the character 200 and the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the point 303d immediately below the viewpoint. The angle may be determined to be smaller than the left-right angle θ.

  In this case, the face direction of the character 200 is further visually recognized by displacing the face direction of the character 200 also to the left and right. Further, the left and right angles of the face of the character 200 can be displaced by an angle smaller than the viewpoint left and right angle θ formed by the body direction of the character 200 and the direction from the position of the center point 201 of the character 200 toward the point 303d immediately below the viewpoint. Then, even if the viewpoint left-right angle θ is within the range of 76 degrees, the displacement in the face direction with respect to the direction of the body direction of the character 200 does not become too large.

  Furthermore, the face direction of the character 200 is rotated in the left-right direction by the rotation of the set skeleton 202a at a predetermined angle (for example, 60 degrees) smaller than 76 degrees when the viewpoint left-right angle θ changes the vertical direction. It may be limited at a certain time. Also in this case, the displacement in the face direction with respect to the body direction of the character 200 does not become too large.

  In the above embodiment, the face vertical angle α is displaced in the face direction of the character 200. However, the displaced part is not limited to this, and may be another part constituting the character 200. . For example, if the direction of the shield possessed by the character 200 is displaced, the player can clearly see the precisely designed shield, and the fun of the game is improved.

  In the above embodiment, the face vertical angle α is displaced when the viewpoint left-right angle θ is 76 degrees or less. However, the angle range in which the displacement is performed is not limited to this, and is smaller than 90 degrees. What is necessary is just a predetermined angle. The maximum value of the face direction coefficient is not limited to 75%, and can be determined within a desired range that is larger than 0% and smaller than 100%. Furthermore, the face direction coefficient may be determined not only by the magnitude of the viewpoint left-right angle θ but also by the magnitude of each of the viewpoint upper and lower angles β.

  In the above embodiment, it is assumed that one character 200 exists on the field 400. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to a game in which a plurality of characters 200 are displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11. It is good also as what to do. In this case, the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is set on a virtual hemisphere with the substantially central positions of the plurality of characters 200 displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11 as reference points. In this case, the face vertical angle α can be determined according to the distance between the position of the center point 201 of each character 200 and the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 in the world coordinate system.

  For example, in the plurality of characters 200 displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11, the face vertical angle α is displaced according to the distance from the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 to the position of the center point 201 of each character 200. It may be a thing. For example, when the face direction is greatly displaced as the character 200 is arranged closer to the player, it becomes easier for the player to visually recognize the faces of the plurality of characters 200. It should be noted that in the character 200 arranged at a position far away from the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 (world coordinate system), the face direction displacement may not be performed.

  In the above embodiment, in the face direction adjustment process, the skeleton 202a (set on the head) constituting the character 200 is used as a fulcrum for the joint 203a in a direction (body direction) in which a part other than the face is facing. In contrast, it is assumed that the face direction of the character 200 is displaced by inclining the calculated face up and down angle α, but there may be a plurality of skeletons 202 to be inclined. For example, the face direction may be displaced by the face vertical angle α by tilting the skeleton 202a set on the head and the skeleton 202 set on the neck.

  In the above embodiment, the position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is kept at a certain distance from the character 200, and is moved in the indicated direction by the operation of the L button 14f and R button 14g and the B button 14b from the player. It was supposed to be. In addition, the width of the field of view 305 is also kept constant. However, the control mode of the virtual camera 301 applicable in the present invention is not limited to this.

  The position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 is not necessarily moved following the movement of the character 200. The position of the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 may move according to the progress of the game without depending on the operation of the player. Furthermore, the distance between the character 200 and the viewpoint 303 and the width of the field of view 305 are not necessarily maintained constant, and may be changed according to the situation.

  In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the character 200 moves in the virtual three-dimensional space only in accordance with a movement instruction from the player, and the character 200 can hardly move to a position higher than the viewpoint 303. On the other hand, for example, by moving the character 200 upward by raising and lowering the elevator, an image of looking up at the character 200 from the viewpoint 303 of the virtual camera 301 can be displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11. Become. In this case, the face direction of the character 200 can be displaced downward according to the viewpoint vertical angle β.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the game to which the present invention is applied is executed in the game apparatus 1 including the two display devices of the first LCD 11 and the second LCD 12 and the pointing device of the touch panel 13 has been described as an example. However, a game to which the present invention is applied is executed on a computer device other than the game device 1 as long as it has at least a display device that displays an image of a game and an input device that allows a player to input an instruction. It may be a thing. A computer device that executes a game to which the present invention is applied may be a game-only machine or a general-purpose machine such as a personal computer, regardless of whether it is a portable type or a stationary type. A mobile phone can also be applied as a computer device that executes a game to which the invention is applied.

  In the above embodiment, the program and data of the game apparatus 1 are stored in the ROM 171 of the game cartridge 17 and distributed. However, the recording medium for storing these programs and data is not limited to this, and depending on the form of the computer device as the platform, an optical and / or magnetic disk device (flexible disk, CD-ROM, A DVD-ROM or the like can also be applied. When a computer device having a fixed disk device is used as a platform, these programs and data may be stored and distributed in the fixed disk device in advance.

It is an external view which shows the structure of the game device applied to embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a game device. It is a figure which shows the example of the character used in the three-dimensional video game applied to embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the mode of a perspective transformation. It is a figure which shows typically the movement of the viewpoint of the virtual camera used in the three-dimensional video game applied to embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the face direction adjustment table memorize | stored in ROM. It is a flowchart which shows the main process in the three-dimensional video game applied to embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the face direction adjustment process of FIG. 7 in detail.

Explanation of symbols

1 game device 11 first LCD
12 Second LCD
13 Touch Panel 14 Operation Switch Unit 14b B Button 14c Direction Indicator Switch 14f L Button 14g R Button 21 CPU Core 22 WRAM
171 ROM
200 Character 201 Central Point 202 Skeleton 203 Joint 301 Virtual Camera 303 Viewpoint 304 Visual Axis 401 Body Direction Vector 401
402 Viewpoint direction vector 403 Viewpoint direction vector 500 Face direction adjustment table

Claims (19)

A game screen obtained by performing perspective transformation from a virtual camera onto a virtual screen of a virtual three-dimensional space in which a character including a specific part whose direction can be displaced with respect to the direction of another part is displayed on the display device. A game device to be displayed,
Viewpoint movement that moves the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera at a height different from the position of the specific part in the virtual three-dimensional space while maintaining the position of the character within the range of the field of view of the virtual camera Means,
Specific angle calculation means for calculating a specific angle formed by a direction in which the character is facing in the virtual three-dimensional space and a direction from the character position toward the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera;
Specific angle determination means for determining whether the specific angle calculated by the specific angle calculation means is smaller than a critical angle determined in a predetermined angle range smaller than 90 degrees;
Specific part displacement means for displacing the direction of the specific part relative to the direction of the part other than the specific part of the character when the specific angle is determined to be smaller than the critical angle by the specific angle determination means;
Perspective conversion means for perspective-transforming the virtual three-dimensional space from the virtual camera onto the virtual screen at the position of the viewpoint moved by the viewpoint movement means, and generating a two-dimensional image for display on the display device; ,
Display control means for causing the display device to display a screen of the two-dimensional image generated by the perspective conversion means,
The game device characterized in that the specific part displacing means includes vertical angle displacing means for displacing the vertical angle of the specific part in accordance with a height difference between the viewpoint position of the virtual camera and the position of the specific part. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a viewpoint moving operation unit that instructs the viewpoint moving unit to move the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera by an operation of a player. The viewpoint moving means orbitally moves the viewpoint position of the virtual camera with the position of the character as a reference point while maintaining a constant distance to the character and a height in the virtual three-dimensional space. The game device according to claim 1, wherein: The game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vertical angle displacing means displaces the vertical angle of the specific part by an angle corresponding to a size of the specific angle. The vertical angle displacing unit displaces the vertical angle of the specific part by an angle smaller than an elevation angle in a direction from the position of the character or the position of the specific part toward the position of the viewpoint. The game device described in 1. The vertical angle displacing means displaces the vertical angle of the specific part according to the size of the specific angle so that the angle displaced when the specific angle is 0 degree is a maximum angle. The game device according to claim 4 or 5. The game apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the maximum angle is an angle determined in a range in which a specific symbol included in the specific part is not hidden by a part other than the specific part of the character. The specific part displacing means displaces the right and left angles of the specific part by an angle corresponding to the size of the specific angle when the specific angle determining means determines that the specific angle is smaller than the critical angle. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a left-right angle displacement unit. The game apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the left-right angle displacement means displaces the left-right angle of the specific part by an angle smaller than the specific angle. The left-right angle displacement means does not displace the left-right angle of the specific part when the specific angle is smaller than a predetermined angle determined in an angle range smaller than the critical angle. Game device. The game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising character moving means for moving the position of the character in the virtual three-dimensional space. The specific part displacing unit displaces the direction of the specific part on the condition that a speed at which the character is moved in the virtual three-dimensional space by the character moving unit is smaller than a predetermined speed. Item 12. A game device according to Item 11. The specific part displacement means changes the direction of the specific part according to the speed at which the character is moved in the virtual three-dimensional space by the character moving means so that the angle at which the character is displaced increases as the speed decreases. The game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: The specific part displacing means displaces the direction of the specific part on the condition that the position of the character is stationary in the virtual three-dimensional space without being moved by the character moving means. The game device according to claim 11. The character is a biological character including a face as a constituent part,
The game device according to claim 1, wherein the specific part is a face of the biological character. The character is composed of a plurality of characters each including a specific part,
The specific part displacing means displaces the direction of the specific part of each character according to the distance between the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera and the position of each character. The game device according to claim 1. A game screen obtained by performing perspective transformation from a virtual camera onto a virtual screen of a virtual three-dimensional space in which a character including a specific part whose direction can be displaced with respect to the direction of another part is displayed on the display device. A character display method executed in a computer device to be displayed,
Storing the position and direction of the character in the virtual three-dimensional space in a storage means included in the computer device;
While maintaining the position of the character stored in the storage means within the field of view of the virtual camera, the viewpoint of the virtual camera is at a height different from the position of the specific part in the virtual three-dimensional space. Moving the position, storing the position of the viewpoint in the storage means,
A specific angle formed by the direction of the character stored in the storage unit and the direction from the character position stored in the storage unit toward the viewpoint position is calculated, and the calculated specific angle is stored in the storage unit And
Determining whether the specific angle stored in the storage means is smaller than a critical angle determined in a predetermined angle range smaller than 90 degrees;
When it is determined that the specific angle is smaller than the critical angle, the height of the position of the specific part determined according to the position of the character stored in the storage unit and the position of the viewpoint stored in the storage unit Displace the vertical angle of the specific part according to the difference, store the direction of the specific part displaced in the vertical angle in the storage means,
A range including a character in which the vertical angle of at least the specific part of the virtual three-dimensional space is displaced at the viewpoint position stored in the storage unit is perspective-transformed on the virtual screen and displayed on the display device. Generating a two-dimensional image for development, expanding the generated two-dimensional image in a frame memory,
A method for displaying a character, characterized in that the two-dimensional image developed in the frame memory is displayed on the screen of the display device. A game screen obtained by performing perspective transformation from a virtual camera onto a virtual screen of a virtual three-dimensional space in which a character including a specific part whose direction can be displaced with respect to the direction of another part is displayed on the display device. A program executed in a computer device to be displayed, wherein the program is
Viewpoint movement that moves the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera at a height different from the position of the specific part in the virtual three-dimensional space while maintaining the position of the character within the range of the field of view of the virtual camera means,
Specific angle calculation means for calculating a specific angle formed by the direction in which the character is facing in the virtual three-dimensional space and the direction from the character position toward the viewpoint position of the virtual camera;
Specific angle determination means for determining whether the specific angle calculated by the specific angle calculation means is smaller than a critical angle determined in a predetermined angle range smaller than 90 degrees;
When the specific angle is determined to be smaller than the critical angle by the specific angle determination means, at least the vertical angle of the specific part according to the height difference between the viewpoint position of the virtual camera and the position of the specific part Specific part displacement means for displacing
Perspective conversion means for perspectively converting the virtual three-dimensional space from the virtual camera onto the virtual screen at the position of the viewpoint moved by the viewpoint moving means, and generating a two-dimensional image for display on the display device; as well as,
A program for causing the computer device to function as display control means for causing the display device to display a screen of the two-dimensional image generated by the perspective conversion means. A game screen obtained by performing perspective transformation from a virtual camera onto a virtual screen of a virtual three-dimensional space in which a character including a specific part whose direction can be displaced with respect to the direction of another part is displayed on the display device. A recording medium recording a program executed in a computer device to be displayed, wherein the program is
Viewpoint movement that moves the position of the viewpoint of the virtual camera at a height different from the position of the specific part in the virtual three-dimensional space while maintaining the position of the character within the range of the field of view of the virtual camera means,
Specific angle calculation means for calculating a specific angle formed by the direction in which the character is facing in the virtual three-dimensional space and the direction from the character position toward the viewpoint position of the virtual camera;
Specific angle determination means for determining whether the specific angle calculated by the specific angle calculation means is smaller than a critical angle determined in a predetermined angle range smaller than 90 degrees;
When the specific angle is determined to be smaller than the critical angle by the specific angle determination means, at least the vertical angle of the specific part according to the height difference between the viewpoint position of the virtual camera and the position of the specific part Specific part displacement means for displacing
Perspective conversion means for perspectively converting the virtual three-dimensional space from the virtual camera onto the virtual screen at the position of the viewpoint moved by the viewpoint moving means, and generating a two-dimensional image for display on the display device; as well as,
A computer-readable recording medium that causes the computer apparatus to function as display control means for displaying the two-dimensional image generated by the perspective conversion means on the screen of the display device.

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