JP3165768B2 - Video game equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video game apparatus for playing a game in which a predetermined moving object moves in a game course set in a virtual game space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a three-dimensional video game apparatus for playing a game by moving a moving body controlled by a player on a game course set in a virtual three-dimensional game space is known. A typical example of such a three-dimensional video game device is a device that plays a driving game.

[0003] In this driving game apparatus, a driver drives his or her own driving car on a game course set in a three-dimensional game space while watching a game screen displayed on a display. It is configured to compete for rankings and times between and. The player can play the game while virtually experiencing the situation of running on a famous racing course, for example, becoming a F1 driver. For this reason,
This type of game is popular with people of all ages.

[0004]

However, in the conventional video game apparatus, it is difficult for a player to pass through a corner portion of a game course at a high speed without spinning the car. There was a problem that the car easily spind or crashed at the corner, making it difficult to achieve good results.

In particular, the conventional video game apparatus has a problem that it is not possible to perform a control such as a four-wheel drift running of a racing car at a corner portion, and thus it is not possible to play a powerful game that is almost real. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and has as its object to move a moving body controlled by a player while tail-sliding a corner of a game course. Particularly, in a driving game, it is an object of the present invention to provide a video game device capable of performing a game by drifting a moving body controlled by a player while passing through a corner portion.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a course information storage means for storing a sequence of reference points for a moving path for specifying a reference moving path of a moving object along a game course. And reads out each reference point information from the course information storage means, calculates a virtual game space in which a moving body controlled by a player moves along the reference movement path, and displays an image of the virtual game space on a display. Video game device, comprising: a direction control unit that controls a moving body in a tail slide direction at a corner of a game course, wherein the direction control unit performs a first direction control for a direction based on a position of the moving body during the tail slide. And a second reference point located earlier than the first reference point, and a predetermined condition based on the relative position between the moving object and the selected first and second reference points. Under Calculating a control angle for specifying a moving direction for tail slide control of the moving body so as to approach the target position based on the moving direction of the moving body and the target position, and controlling the moving direction of the moving body. The tail slide direction control is repeatedly performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a predetermined game course is set in the virtual three-dimensional game space as a sequence of a plurality of course setting reference points set along the course. A game course information storage unit in which the position information of the setting reference point is stored as game course information is read. Game course information of each course setting reference point is read out from the game course information storage unit, and a predetermined course on the course is read. A game apparatus for calculating a virtual three-dimensional game space in which a moving object moves and displaying an image of the virtual three-dimensional game space on a display, wherein a direction control for tail-sliding the moving object at a corner of a game course. The game course information storage means stores a reference movement path of a moving body at a corner of the game course. It is set as a sequence of reference points for a plurality of travel routes set along the road, and at least position information and travel environment information of the reference points for each travel route are stored as a part of game course information, and the direction The control unit is
A first reference point for direction control based on the position of the moving body in the tail slide and a second reference point located earlier than the first reference point are selected from the reference points for the plurality of movement paths. Selecting the next target position under predetermined conditions based on the relative position between the moving object and the selected first and second reference points,
Based on the moving direction of the moving body and the target position, calculate a control angle that specifies a moving direction for tail slide control of the moving body so as to approach the target position, and perform a tail slide direction control that controls the moving direction of the moving body. It is characterized in that it is performed repeatedly.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first and second aspects, the direction control section includes first and second directions.
The distance L2 between the second reference point and the target position is determined based on the distance L1 between the straight line connecting the reference points and the moving body, and the distance L2 between the second reference point and the target position is determined on an intersection line intersecting the second reference point under predetermined conditions. , A position separated from the second reference point by the distance L2 is obtained as the target position.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the direction control section determines that when an angle difference between the direction of the moving body and the moving direction exceeds a predetermined reference value. A tail slide direction control of the moving body is performed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the direction control unit uses the moving direction θ ′ of the moving body and the direction θpm of the target position based on the following equation. The control angle θ ″ is calculated to control the tail slide direction of the moving body.

Θ ″ = θ ′ + (θpm−θ ′) / n where n is an integer other than 0. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the direction control unit is The reference points for a plurality of movement routes at the corners of the game course are set so as to match the reference points for setting the course.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the game space calculation means includes a direction control unit for controlling the tail sliding direction of the moving body at the corner of the game course.

The direction control unit selects a first reference point for direction control and a second reference point ahead of the reference point based on the position of the moving body.

Then, based on the relative positions of the moving object and the selected first and second reference points, the next target position is obtained under predetermined conditions.

Based on the determined target position and the moving direction of the moving body, a control angle for specifying the moving direction for tail slide control of the moving body is calculated to control the moving direction of the moving body.

Such tail slide direction control is repeatedly performed. Thereby, the direction can be controlled and passed while tail-slid the moving body at the corner of the game course. Therefore, for example, in a driving game or the like, the player can pass at high speed while drifting the moving body at the corners while performing four-wheel drift, and can dramatically increase the power and fun of the game.

In particular, the direction control unit is constituted by using a computer or the like and is built in the game apparatus, so that even a player who is inferior in the operation technique can tail slide the moving body at the corner under the support of the computer. Since it is possible to pass, for example, a high-speed four-wheel drift running like an F1 driver can be experienced in the game space, and the game power and the fun for the game can be drastically increased.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, such a tail slide run can be performed on a game course set in a virtual three-dimensional game space, so that a more powerful and interesting video game is provided. A device can be obtained.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, in a three-dimensional space, the game course is provided as a sequence of a plurality of course setting reference points set along the course, and the position of the reference point is determined. The information is configured to be stored in the course information storage means as game course information.
As described above, by independently setting the game course information in association with the course setting reference point, it is easy to create and change a three-dimensional game course, and it is suitable for automatic generation by CAD or the like. .

In particular, running information can be set as a part of the game course information, whereby, for example, road surface unevenness information, slip information, speed reduction information, weather information, and terrain information can be set in the game course information. Settings can be easily reflected.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when a tail slide occurs in the moving body and the angle difference between the direction of the moving body and the moving direction exceeds a predetermined reference value, the tail slide control of the moving body is performed. Is formed.

Thus, the tail slide traveling in the corner portion can be performed with a more realistic feeling.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the angle difference between the moving direction of the moving body and the target position is large, the moving body is not suddenly controlled in the tail slide direction. The movement is smooth, and the tail slide travel can be performed with a feeling close to nature.

Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 6, a course setting reference point for setting a game course in the three-dimensional game space and a movement path reference point for specifying a reference movement path of the moving object are defined. By making them match, the data amount can be reduced and the memory can be effectively used.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to an example of a professional video game machine which races in a racing course set in a three-dimensional game space.

In the three-dimensional game realized by the three-dimensional video game apparatus of the embodiment, a moving object such as a player racing car runs on a game course of a predetermined width and competes with an opponent racing car or a computer car for a ranking. It is a car game.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an external view of the three-dimensional video game device of the embodiment. This game device is formed similarly to the driver's seat of an actual racing car. The player sits on the seat 18 and looks at the pseudo three-dimensional image (game screen) displayed on the display 10 while operating the handle 14, the accelerator 15, the shift lever 16, the brake 17 and the like provided on the operation unit 12. Operate a fictitious racing car to play a game.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the game device.

The arcade video game device according to the embodiment includes an operation unit 12, a game calculation unit 100, and an image synthesis unit 200.
And the display 10.

The operation unit 12 includes a handle 14 shown in FIG.
A member operated by the player, such as the shift lever 16 and other pedals.

The game operation section 100 includes a player operation section 1
Various game calculations are performed based on the input signal from the CPU 2 and a predetermined game program, and a game screen for a driving game is displayed on the display 10 using the image synthesizing unit 200. Here, the game calculation unit 100 stores the racing course 20 set as shown in FIG. 4 in a predetermined three-dimensional game space.
Is calculated so that the racing car moves by the control of the player. The three-dimensional game space is perspectively transformed to a projection plane in a predetermined viewpoint coordinate system using the image synthesizing unit 200 to form a game screen, and the game screen is displayed on the display 10.

FIG. 3 shows a principle diagram of such an image synthesizing method.

In the game device of the embodiment, information on the three-dimensional game space 500 and the three-dimensional object 510 appearing in the three-dimensional game space 500 is stored in advance. Image information about the three-dimensional object 510 includes a plurality of polygons 512-1, 512-2,
, And is stored in a memory in advance.

Taking the driving game as an example, the three-dimensional object 510 is a racing car that appears in the three-dimensional game space 500. In the three-dimensional game space 500, in addition to this, for example, as shown in FIG. Racing course 20, building 30, tunnel 32, mountain 34, cliff 3
6, various three-dimensional objects representing the background such as the wall 38 are arranged.

The racing course 20 has a plurality of corners 22 and is provided with ups and downs or banks depending on the location, and also has a grade separation 24.

When the player 600 performs an operation such as rotation or translation by operating a handle or the like of the operation unit 12, the game calculation unit 100 performs a three-dimensional operation as a racing car based on the operation signal and the game program. Calculations such as rotation and translation of the object 510 are performed in real time.
Then, the three-dimensional object 510 and the other three
The dimensional object is perspectively transformed on the perspective projection plane 120 in the viewpoint coordinate system, and displayed on the display 10 as a pseudo three-dimensional image 522.

Therefore, the player 600 operates the operation unit 1
By operating 2 and driving the racing car, 3
It is possible to virtually simulate a state of participating in a race while driving a racing car in the circuit course 20 set in the three-dimensional game space 500.

When the computer graphics technique is used, the shape model of the three-dimensional object 510 is created using an independent body coordinate system. That is, each polygon constituting the three-dimensional object 510 is arranged on the body coordinate system, and its shape model is specified.

Further, the three-dimensional game space 500 is configured using a world coordinate system (XW, YW, ZW), and a three-dimensional object 510 represented using a body coordinate system.
Are located in the world coordinate system according to the motion model.

Then, using the position of the viewpoint 610 as the origin,
The data is converted to a viewpoint coordinate system in which the direction of the line of sight is set in the positive direction of the Z axis, and the respective coordinates are perspectively projected and transformed to a screen coordinate system which is the projection plane 520. In this way, an image within the visual field of the three-dimensional game space 500 that can be viewed from the viewpoint 610 can be displayed on the display 10.

In particular, the game calculation section 100 of the embodiment is formed so that the position of the viewpoint 610 can be arbitrarily changed in the three-dimensional game space 500 constituted by the world coordinate system. For example, in FIG.
By setting behind the three-dimensional object 510 as shown in -A, an image of the three-dimensional game space 500 viewed from behind the racing car can be displayed as shown in FIG. Also, in FIG.
By setting the three-dimensional object 510 above the sky as shown in B, it is possible to display a game screen in which the running racing car is looked down from above as shown in FIG. In the embodiment, during the game, the viewpoint position is set to 610-A behind the racing car.

In the professional video game apparatus of the embodiment, when the game is started, the racing car driven by the player starts from the start point 40.
Then, when the player makes one round of the game course 20 and passes the check point 42 within the time limit, the time is extended, and it is possible to make another round of the game course. Then, when the player goes around the game course a predetermined number of times, the goal is reached, and the order of the players is determined.

When playing such a racing car game, an important driving technique for increasing the rank and reducing the time is to pass through each corner 22 of the game course 20 at high speed without crashing.

A feature of the present embodiment is to provide a video game apparatus which can play a game by passing each corner portion 22 of a game course 20 while drifting a racing car operated by a player. .

For this reason, the game calculation section 100 includes a course information storage means 116 for storing a reference point sequence for a movement path for specifying a reference movement path of a racing car along the game course 20, And a direction control unit 118 for controlling the tail sliding direction of the racing car at the corner portion 22 of the vehicle.

In the embodiment, a row of course setting reference points is set in the game course 20 along a center line. Then, the game course information storage means 1
16 stores the position information of the course setting reference point and other information as game course information.

In each case, information on the game course 20 shown in FIG. 4 is stored in the game course information storage section 116 as follows.

That is, on the game course 20, course setting reference points Gn are set at predetermined intervals near the center line of the course 20, as shown in FIG. The game course information storage unit 116 stores, as described later,
Address n of each reference point Gn, two-dimensional position information (Xn, Z
n), height information (hn), travel area setting information (αn,
LDn, RDn) and environment information are stored as game course information. That is, the above-described course setting reference points G are set at predetermined intervals over the entire circumference of the game course 20 shown in FIG. 4, and game course information corresponding to each reference point G is stored in the game course information storage unit 10. It is.

The above-mentioned reference point sequence for the movement route for specifying the reference movement route and the reference point sequence for the course setting can be set independently of each other. In the embodiment, both are used as common data. I have. That is, in the present embodiment, the course setting reference point sequence is also used as a movement route reference point sequence for specifying the reference movement route. Therefore, the reference movement route of the embodiment matches the center line 700.

The tail slide direction control unit 11
8 is a first part for controlling the direction based on the position of the racing car in the tail slide at the corner part 22 of the game course 20.
And a second reference point located earlier than the first reference point are selected from the plurality of reference points. And
The next target position is obtained under predetermined conditions based on the relative position between the racing car and the selected first and second reference points. Then, based on the moving direction of the racing car and the target position, a control angle for specifying a moving direction for tail sliding control of the racing car is calculated, and a tail sliding direction control for controlling the moving direction of the racing car is performed.

Hereinafter, the direction control unit 118 will be described in detail.

As described above, the game course 20 used in the game apparatus of the embodiment has a plurality of corners 22.

As shown in FIG. 8, the direction control unit 118 of the moving body
Is controlled so as to perform four-wheel drift travel by passing through the corner portion 22 at high speed by tail slide control.

FIG. 9 shows a state of the racing car 50 during the four-wheel drift running shown in FIG. In the drift running, the direction θ of the racing car 50 is
In the course direction after passing through, the vehicle body direction θ and the traveling direction θ ′ are often quite different from each other.

At this time, the direction control unit 118 searches for the reference point G1 closest to the current position Pm1 of the racing car 50 as the first reference point, and then searches for the first reference point G1.
The earlier reference point G2 is selected as the second reference point. Then, the next target point Pm2 is determined from the current position Pm1 of the racing car 50 and the first and second reference points G1, G2. Then, based on the angle difference α between the direction toward the target point Pm2 and the traveling direction θ ′ of the vehicle, an optimal control angle θ ″ that can control the direction of the racing car 50 to the target point Pm2 without difficulty is calculated. The tail slide direction control is performed so as to move the car 50 in the θ ″ direction. Such tail slide direction control is repeatedly performed for each frame scan of the display 10, thereby enabling the four-wheel drift running of the racing car 50 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a specific block diagram of the direction control unit 118 according to the embodiment.
Is configured to include a slide angle calculation unit 120, a determination unit 122, and a tail slide travel control unit 124.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the direction control unit 118.

First, when the racing car 50 starts tail-sliding after losing grip on the road surface, the slide angle calculating section 120 determines the direction θ of the racing car 50.
Is calculated as a tail slide angle and output to the determination unit 122.

The determination unit 122 determines in step S 1 of FIG.
As shown in S2, when the tail slide angle is 30 ° or more, 90
A determination is made as to whether the angle is less than °, and the determination result is output to the tail slide travel control unit 124.

If the tail slide angle is less than 30 °, the tail slide travel control section 124 determines that tail slide direction control is not necessary, and does not perform the control. Therefore, in this case, the operation of the racing car 50 is performed only by the player.

When the tail slide angle is 90 ° or more, it is determined that control is impossible, and similarly, the tail slide direction control is not performed.

The tail slide travel control section 124 controls the tail slide direction of the racing car 50 when the tail slide angle is 30 ° or more and less than 90 °.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the tail slide direction control operation, and FIG. 13 is a principle diagram thereof.

As described above, on the game course 20, the reference points Gn are set at predetermined intervals along the vicinity of the center line. Here, the reference points Gn set in the corners 22 are G1, G2, G3,... For convenience.

It is also assumed that the current position of the racing car 50 at the corner 22 is Pm1. At this time, if the tail slide direction control is being performed, a search is made in S10 shown in FIG. 12 with the reference point Gn closest to the current position Pm1 as the first reference point. Here, the reference point G1 is searched as the first reference point.

When the first reference point G1 is obtained, the next reference point G2 after the first reference point G1 is selected as the second reference point. Then, a perpendicular line is drawn from the current position Pm1 to a straight line connecting G1 and G2, and the length of the perpendicular line is determined as the distance L1 of the vehicle to the reference movement path (center line in the embodiment) 700 (step S11). ). The distance L1 represents the actual traveling lane position of the own vehicle with respect to the reference movement path 700 specified by the reference points G1, G2, G3,.

In the embodiment, the distance L1 is specifically determined as follows. That is, the current position P
The distance l1 from m1 to the first reference point G1 is defined as X,
It is obtained from the difference dx1 and dz1 of the Y coordinate based on the following equation.

[0069] and ^{l1 = (dx1 2 + dz1 2} ) 1/2 perpendicular dropped from the current position Pm1 to a straight line connecting the G1 and G2, When θ1 an angle between a straight line connecting the Pm1 and G1, the distance L1 Is represented by the following equation.

L1 = 11cos θ1 That is, since the positions of Pm1 and the first reference point G1 are already known, dx1, dz1, and θ1 are obtained from these coordinate positions. Therefore, the distance L1 can be obtained by substituting these equations into the above-mentioned arithmetic expressions.

When L1 is obtained in this manner, a target point Pm2 is next obtained as shown in step S12. This target point Pm2 is obtained as follows.

First, the second reference point G2 and the next reference point G3
A perpendicular line is drawn from the second reference point G2 to a line segment connecting On this perpendicular line, the distance L from the second reference point G2
The point at position 2 is determined as the target point Pm2. In the embodiment, it is set so that L2 = L1.

Next, the angle θ2 between the straight line connecting the target point Pm2 and the second reference point G2 with the Z-axis direction is used to calculate Pm2 and G2.
Are obtained in the X and Z directions by the following equation.

Dx2 = L2 sin θ2 dz2 = L2 cosθ2 As a result, the position of the target point Pm2 is Pm2 = (xG2 + dx2, zG2 + dz2). The control angle θ ″ for controlling the tail slide direction 50 is obtained.

FIG. 14 shows the vehicle orientation θ and the current traveling direction θ based on the current position Pm1 of the racing car 50.
', The direction θpm1 of the target point Pm2 is shown. In this state, if the traveling control is performed such that the traveling direction θ ′ of the racing car 50 suddenly coincides with the direction θpm1 of the target point, the movement of the racing car itself becomes unnatural, which is not preferable. For this reason, in the embodiment, the corrected traveling direction θ ″ for making the current traveling direction θ ′ closer to the direction θpm1 of the target point is calculated as the control angle based on the following equation.

Θ ″ = θ ′ + (θpm1−θ ′) / n where n is an integer other than 0.

In this way, when the control angle θ ″ is obtained,
Next, in step S14, an operation of controlling the racing car 50 in the θ ″ direction is performed. Here, the coordinates at which the racing car 50 is located next are obtained using the control angle θ ″.

In this manner, a series of tail slide direction controls shown in FIG. 12 are repeatedly performed for each frame scan. For example, racing car 50 in the next frame
Assuming that the vehicle has moved from the current position to Pm ', a target point Pm''for this Pm' is similarly obtained, and the direction control of the racing car is performed.

By repeating such an operation, the racing car 50 changes its coordinate position one after another as shown in FIG.

When the tail slide angle of the racing car 50 falls below 30 °, such a series of tail slide direction control is stopped, and the racing car 50 rises from the corner portion 22 to the next straight course and travels. Will go on.

By providing the direction control unit 118 in this manner, in the game device of the embodiment, when the racing car 50 driven by the player loses the tire grip force at the corner unit 22 and starts the tail slide, the game is stopped. The above-mentioned tail slide control is performed on the racing car until the racing car 50 passes through the corner. As a result, the player is given a racing technique of passing through each corner 22 at high speed while drifting the racing car by four wheels, so that the driving technique of the driver in the three-dimensional game space is given to each stage. It can improve and develop a powerful battle similar to the actual F1 driver.

Although the above description has been made with reference to a game using one or two players, the present invention is not limited to this and can be naturally applied to a multi-player game having three or more players.

FIGS. 16A to 16C and FIGS. 17A to
(C) shows a state in which the player makes the racing car 50 drift by four wheels, and
The game screen when passing through is shown.

FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 16C are game screens obtained when the viewpoint coordinate system is set directly above the player racing car 50 in the three-dimensional game space. (A) to (C) are game screens obtained when the viewpoint coordinate system is set at the viewpoint position of the driver's seat of the player racing car 50.

As shown in FIGS. 16A and 17A,
When the vehicle enters the corner at high speed and turns the steering wheel, the tail of the player racing car 50 starts to slide, and the tail slide control described above is started.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 16 (B) and 17 (B), the player racing car 50 passes through the corner portion at a high speed while performing four-wheel drift by tail slide control.

As shown in FIGS. 16C and 17C, when the vehicle approaches the end of the corner section 20, the tail slide control is released and the player racing car 5
The grip force of the zero tire is recovered, and the player racing car 50 runs in the traveling direction.

Such tail slide control is carried out by the support of the game device. The tail slide control is performed by controlling the approach speed of the player racing car 50 at the corner portion 20, the course of the approach route, and the like, and further by operating the steering wheel. Even when the tail slide control is performed,
The player racing car 50 may not be able to turn the corner portion 20 and may spin or collide with a cliff on both sides. For this reason, such tail slide control by the game device can be performed almost without the player noticing. As described above, the driving technique in the player's own corner portion can be improved in each step and the high-speed tanning in the corner portion can be realized without making the player notice by the support of the computer.
The player can control the player racing car 50 and enjoy the race with the same feeling as one driver.

Next, a more specific configuration of the three-dimensional video game device of the embodiment will be described.

FIG. 18 shows a more detailed block diagram of the game device of the embodiment.

The game calculation section 100 includes a program memory 510 stored in a predetermined game program, a game space calculation section 512, and an object information storage section 11.
4 and a game course information storage unit 116.

[0092] In the game course information storage section 116,
As described above, the address n, two-dimensional position information (Xn, Zn), height information (hn), travel area setting information (αn, LDn, RDn) and environment information of each reference point Gn are stored as game course information. Have been. That is, the above-described reference point G is provided over the entire circumference of the game course 20 shown in FIG.
Are set at predetermined intervals, and game course information corresponding to each reference point is stored in the game course information storage unit 10.

Here, n of the reference point Gn represents address information (H1 H2 H3 H4) of the reference point, and for example, from address (0000) to (FFF)
F) An address up to the address can be specified. The most significant bit H1 of the address information specifies the number of the turn of the game course 20, that is, the turn information. The lower 3 bits H2 H3 H of the address information
4 designates the number of the reference point on the game course 20 that the reference point is. Thus, for example, n =
If (A00E), the reference point Gn is designated as the reference point at the 14th address on the tenth cycle.

The two-dimensional position information (Xn, Zn) represents the X coordinate and Z coordinate (coordinate position on the horizontal plane) of the reference point in the absolute coordinate system.

The height information hn is information indicating the height of the position of each reference point Gn. For example, in FIG. 7, Gn-3 to Gn +
3, the height information hn is set so as to gradually increase (hn-3 <hn-2 <hn-1 <hn).
<Hn + 1 <hn + 2 <hn + 3). Thereby, the coordinates Yn of the reference point Gn in the absolute coordinate system are set. When the player racing car 50 belongs to the reference point Gn, it is determined that the Y coordinate of the player racing car 50 is hn.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to set up and down of the racing course 20 and the like. When a three-dimensional intersection is provided in the racing course 20, the above-mentioned address information n
(H1 H2 H3 H4). That is, the address of the reference point Gk located below the grade separation is, for example, k (H1 02
0), it is assumed that the address of the reference point Gl located above the grade separation is 1 (H10A0). The two-dimensional positions (Xk, Zk), (Xl, Z) of these reference points Gk, Gl
l) is at approximately the same position. In this case, the height information hk of the lower reference point Gk is set to be smaller than the height information hl of the upper reference point Gl. Thereby, it is possible to set reference points having different height information while having the same two-dimensional position information, and it is possible to provide a three-dimensional intersection on the game course 20.

The travel area setting information (αn, LDn, RD
n) is information for setting a traveling area in which the racing car can travel. Here, αn is information indicating the direction of the reference point Gn to, for example, the reference point Gn + 1 at the next address. LDn and RDn are information indicating the distance from the reference point Gn to the left end L and the right end R of the game course 20.

In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG.
The hit check is performed on the assumption that a virtual wall 44 whose direction is αn exists at a distance from the reference point Gn to LDn and RDn. Specifically, the player racing car 50
It is assumed that there is a virtual, for example, rectangular frame representing the size of the racing car around the position coordinates P (Xm, k, Zm, k). Then, a hit check is performed between the rectangular frame and the virtual wall 44. And
When it is determined that a rectangular frame has hit the virtual wall 44, for example, an impact is applied to the racing car from the vertical direction of the wall arranged at an angle of αn, or the speed of the racing car is reduced. Is performed.

The environment information is information that gives the running environment of the racing car on the game course 20. Such information includes road surface friction information indicating the gripping force of the racing car on the road surface, road surface unevenness information, speed deceleration information, weather information such as snow, rain, wind, etc., and terrain such as water. .

Also, the object information storage unit 108
Includes, for example, three-dimensional position information, direction information,
The object number of the three-dimensional object whose position is to be displayed is written (hereinafter, the stored three-dimensional position information, direction information, and object number are referred to as object information). In addition, all or part of the written object information is updated by the game space calculation unit 512 for each frame.

Then, based on a predetermined game program stored in the program memory 510 and an operation signal input from the operation unit 12, the game space calculation unit 512 sends data from the game course information storage unit 116 and the object information storage unit 114. Is read, and the calculation of the game space is performed.

That is, the game space calculation section 512 first reads out the object information stored in the object information storage section 114. In this case, the object information stored in the object information storage unit 114 is information one frame before the frame. Then, the game space calculation unit 512 calculates the two-dimensional position information of the racing car according to the two-dimensional position information of the racing car one frame before, the operation signal input from the operation unit 12 and the game program stored in the program memory 510. (X coordinate and Z coordinate in the absolute coordinate system) are calculated. Further, the calculation of the direction θ of the racing car, the traveling direction θ ′, and other traveling conditions is also performed. In this calculation, the game course information read from the game course information storage unit 116 is also used. For example, when the racing car is traveling in a straight section of the circuit course 20, the racing car rarely slips, so that the direction of the vehicle body coincides with the traveling direction. However, racing course 20
In the corner portion 22, the grip force of the tire is lost, the racing car slips or spins, and the direction of the vehicle body and the traveling direction are different. Such calculation is performed according to the traveling environment of the vehicle.

The game space calculation unit 512 of the embodiment
Is configured to include the direction control unit 118 described above.

When the racing car starts tail-sliding at the corner 22,
Direction control is performed so that the traveling direction θ ′ of the racing car is corrected so that the racing car can pass through the corner while drifting by four wheels.

Then, based on the results of these calculations, the game calculation section 512 obtains object information (three-dimensional position information, direction information, and other accompanying information) in the frame. Further, a viewpoint position in the three-dimensional game space is set.

Thus, the game space calculation unit 512
Performs the calculation setting of the object information of all the three-dimensional objects constituting the three-dimensional game space in the frame, outputs the set information to the image synthesizing unit 200, and outputs the information in the object information storage unit 114. Rewrite.

The image synthesizing unit 200 synthesizes a pseudo three-dimensional image obtained by viewing the virtual three-dimensional space from an arbitrary viewpoint position in accordance with an instruction from the game space calculation unit 112. Therefore, the image synthesizing unit 200 includes the image supply unit 210 and the image forming unit 22.
0 is included.

The image supply unit 210 performs three-dimensional arithmetic processing such as various coordinate conversion processing, clipping processing, perspective conversion processing, sorting processing, and the like according to the game space setting information calculated and set by the game space calculation unit 512. Will be

For example, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the image information of the three-dimensional objects 510, 333, 334 representing a racing car, a game course, a building, a mountain, etc. , ZW) are arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space. In this case, in which position in the virtual three-dimensional space and in which direction to place the virtual three-dimensional space are determined based on the object information input from the game space calculation unit 512. The image information of the three-dimensional object to be arranged at that position is stored in the object information storage unit 2.
12 is stored. Then, this image information is read by the object number included in the object information.

Next, the image information representing these three-dimensional objects is subjected to coordinate conversion into a viewpoint coordinate system (Xv, Yv, Zv) based on the viewpoint of the player 600. Thereafter, image processing called so-called clipping processing is performed, and is performed outside the field of view of the player 600 (the clipping plane 34).
0, 342, 344, 346, 348, 350) (the image information outside the display area 2 surrounded by 0).
Next, the object in the display area 2 is screen 5
A perspective transformation to a screen coordinate system (XS, YS) of 20 is performed. Finally, a sorting process is performed to determine the order of the processes in the next image forming unit 220.

In the image forming section 220, the image supply section 210
The image information of all the dots in the polygon is calculated from the data such as the vertex coordinates of the polygon subjected to the three-dimensional calculation processing. In this case, as a calculation method, a contour line of the polygon is obtained from the coordinates of the vertices of the polygon, a contour point pair which is an intersection of the contour line and the scanning line is obtained, and a line formed by the contour point pair is determined by a predetermined color. You may use the technique of making it correspond to data etc. In addition, a method is used in which image information of all dots in each polygon is stored in advance in a ROM or the like as texture information, and texture coordinates given to each vertex of the polygon are read as an address and pasted. You may.

Next, the arithmetic processing operation of the game device shown in FIG. 18 will be described in detail.

The object information storage unit 114 stores FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the object numbers OBm, k of the three-dimensional objects constituting the game space in the frame k and the three-dimensional position information (Xm, k, Ym, k, Zm, k)
) And direction information (θm, k, φm, k, ρm, k) are stored. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, the position and direction of the racing car 50 represented by a set of polygons are based on these three-dimensional position information (Xm, k, Ym, k, Zm, k) and direction information (θm, k, φm, k, ρm, k). Here, θm, k is the direction of the racing car, θm, k is the front-back tilt angle, and ρm, k is the left-right tilt angle. The object number OBm, k is used when the actual image information of these three-dimensional objects is read from the object image information storage unit 212.

Now, the three-dimensional position information and direction information of the racing car 50 in the frame k-1 immediately before the frame k of interest are (Xm, k-1, Ym, k-1, Zm, k-1). ), (Θm, k-1
, Φm, k-1 and ρm, k-1). Then, the game space calculation unit 512 determines, among the object information,
The two-dimensional position information (Xm, k-1 and Zm, k-1) is read. Next, a change amount d in the X and Z directions is given by an operation signal input from the handle 14, the accelerator 15 or the like via the operation unit 12.
X and dZ are calculated. At this time, the change amounts dX and dZ may be calculated in consideration of the direction information of the racing car 50. That is, when the racing car 50 is climbing the up road, the direction information φm, k-1 is read from the object information storage unit 114, and the larger the φm, k-1 is, the greater dX,
The arithmetic processing may be performed so that the change amount of dZ becomes small. When the amounts of change dX and dZ are obtained in this manner,
Two-dimensional position information (Xm, k, Zm,
k) is obtained as follows: Xm, k = Xm, k-1 + dXZm, k = Zm, k-1 + dZ

Next, the calculated racing car 50-2
One of a plurality of reference points is selected based on the dimensional position information (Xm, k, Zm, k) and the two-dimensional position information of the reference points. In this case, for example, the two-dimensional position P (Xm, k, Zm, k)
, The reference point Gn (Xn, Zn), etc., which is the closest to. When the reference point is selected, the game course information of this reference point is read from the game course information storage unit 116.

The order of the course of the racing car 50 is set based on the address information n in the read game course information. As a result, the position of the racing car on the game course 20 and the number of laps are specified.

That is, for example, in FIG. 7, P (Xm, k,
Zm, k), Gn-1 (Xn-1, Zn-1), Gn (Xn,
Zn), Gn + 1 (Xn + 1, Zn + 1) and the like are calculated. When it is determined that the distance from Gn (Xn, Zn) is the shortest, it is determined that the reference point to which the player racing car 50 belongs is Gn. Thus, for example, the course ranking of the player racing car 50 is n (H
1 H2 H3 H4). The course rankings of the opponent racing car 52 and the computer car 54 are similarly specified. In this way, in the present embodiment, it is possible to specify the order of the player racing car 50.

Further, based on the height information hn of the read game course information, Ym,
The k coordinate is determined, for example, as Ym, k = hn. Also,
For example, the reference point Gn + 1 at the address position next to the reference point Gn is also selected, and its game course information is read. Then, based on the height information hn, hn + 1 which is one of the read game course information of the reference points Gn, Gn + 1, the angle of the uphill / downhill of the game course 20 is calculated. Then, for example, angle information φm, k of the racing car 50 is obtained based on the calculated uphill / downhill angles.

Note that the bank angle ρm, k is obtained based on the bank angle setting information set as a part of the game course information.

The rotation angle θm, k (the direction of the racing car) is set in the game space setting section 104 based on steering information of the steering wheel from the operation section 12, information on road friction, and the like.

When the racing car 50 is hit against a wall, the values of dX and dZ are changed according to the hit state, or the rotation angle θm, k
Is also changed and reverse spinning is performed.

In this way, the object information (Xm, k, Ym, k, Zm,
k, θm, k, φm, k, ρm, k) are obtained. The obtained object information is written back to the object information storage unit 114, and the contents of the object information storage unit 114 are updated. This object information is stored in the image synthesizing unit 20 together with the object information of other moving objects and maps.
Output to 0. And the player racing car 50
The object information of, for example, the player 6 in FIG.
00 is used for setting viewpoint information (viewpoint position, line-of-sight angle, etc.). The object information of the opponent racing car 52 and the computer car 54 is stored in the image synthesizing unit 200.
Will be used in the synthesis of the pseudo three-dimensional image performed in step (1).

As described above, in this embodiment, the reference point is provided on the game course, and various game course information is prepared to be attached to the reference point, thereby setting the game course. Therefore, a game course can be set very easily as compared with the conventional device. In addition, the hardware can be reduced in scale and speed.

In this embodiment, the game course information is set independently of each other in association with the reference point.
Changing one type of game course information has very little effect on other types of game course information. Therefore,
The game course can be easily changed, and the design time can be greatly reduced. As an example, if it is desired to change only the bend of the game course without changing the up and down of the game course at all, only the two-dimensional position coordinates (Xn, Zn) of the reference point are not changed without changing the height information hn. Can be changed. Further, when it is desired to change only the width of the game course without changing the up and down and the turn of the game course at all, only the distance information LDn and RDn may be changed.

Further, since the game course information in the present embodiment is formed with reference to the reference point Gn, CA
This is suitable for automatic generation using D or the like.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the reference point for tail slide direction control in the corner section 22 is shared with the reference point for course setting of the game course 20 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The reference point for tail slide direction control may be set separately from the reference point for course setting.

That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the course setting reference points set near the center line 700 of the racing course 20 are G1, G2,..., And the reference points set along the reference moving path 710 of the racing car. Point G
0 ', G1', G2 ', and each of these reference points can be set independently. In this case, Racing Course 2
0, the tail slide direction of the racing car can be controlled along a reference traveling path 710 set arbitrarily and completely independently of the center line 700, so that the four-wheel drift traveling at each corner is possible. Difficulty can be differentiated, and a more powerful game can be developed.

In the above embodiment, the game course 20
Is given as a sequence of a plurality of course setting reference points set along the course, and information on these reference points is stored in the game course information storage unit 116 as game course information. However, the present invention can be applied to a game device without such a game course setting reference point. In this case, the information of the reference point for the traveling route for specifying the reference traveling route of the racing car may be set in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

The setting of the first and second reference points is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, a reference point located before the current position Pm1 may be uniformly selected as the first reference point.
Alternatively, a reference point after the current location Pm1 may be uniformly selected as the first reference point.

In the above embodiment, the case where the reference point following the first reference point is selected as the second reference point has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A reference point two or more ahead of the first reference point may be selected as the second reference point.

In the above embodiment, a racing car game has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to various games as long as a moving body controlled by a player passes through a corner. For example, the present invention can be applied to a game in which a motor boat or the like passes through a corner.

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the three-dimensional game apparatus but also to the two-dimensional
The present invention can be widely applied to three-dimensional game devices and the like, and can be widely applied not only to business game devices but also to home game devices and the like.

[0134]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the moving body controlled by the player passes through the corner of the game course, by controlling the tail sliding direction of the moving body as necessary, the maneuvering technique of the moving body at the corner of the player is improved in each step, There is an effect that it is possible to obtain a video game device in which the fun as a game is dramatically improved.

In particular, when the present invention is applied to, for example, a racing car game or the like, a four-wheel drift running that cannot be performed by a conventional game machine can be performed in a game corner portion, and the same as an actual F1 racer or the like The driving feeling can be enjoyed in the game space, and a more powerful and interesting game can be played.

In addition, according to the second aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that a video game apparatus capable of performing the above-described tail slide direction control in a three-dimensional game space can be obtained. In particular, according to the invention of claim 2,
Since the game course information in the three-dimensional game space is set independently of each other in association with the reference point, even if one type of game course information is changed, the effect on other types of game course information is very small. Less. Therefore, the game course can be easily changed, and the design time can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, since the game course information is formed with reference to the reference point Gn, it can be easily corrected and is suitable for automatic generation using CAD or the like.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the tail slide direction control described above is not performed unless the tail slide amount exceeds a certain value. For example, the racing car is mounted on a course other than the corner. For example, when the vehicle is running while making a small slip, an unnatural operation in which an unnecessary tail slide direction control function is activated can be eliminated.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly control the tail sliding direction of the moving body without abrupt directional control of the moving body.

Further, according to the invention of claim 6, since the reference point for setting the game course can be used as the reference point for tail slide direction control, the amount of data used can be reduced and the memory can be saved. In addition to this, there is the effect that the load of calculation can be reduced and a less expensive video game device can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video game device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an external explanatory view of the video game device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a synthesis principle of a pseudo three-dimensional game image according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a game course according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a game screen in which images are synthesized by the video game device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a game screen in which images are synthesized by the video game device of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory diagram for describing reference points set on the game course and game course information set in association with the reference points.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a moving body that advances while being controlled in a tail slide direction in a corner portion of a game course.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a moving body during tail slide direction control.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of a direction control unit of a moving object.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the direction control unit shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation of tail slide direction control in the flowchart shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the principle of tail slide direction control.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a body direction, a traveling direction, a direction of a target point, a control direction, and the like based on a current position of a moving body during tail slide direction control.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of tail slide direction control.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a game screen during tail slide direction control in which images are combined by the video game apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a game screen during tail slide direction control in which images are synthesized by the video game device of the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a detailed block diagram of the device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a schematic explanatory diagram for describing object information stored in an object information storage unit.

FIG. 20 is a schematic explanatory diagram for describing object information of a moving object.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display 12 Operation part 20 Game course 22 Corner part 50 Player racing car 100 Game calculation part 112 Game space calculation part 116 Game course information storage part 118 Driving control part

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A reading and course information storage means for rows of reference points for the movement path specifying the reference movement path of the moving body along the game course is stored, the group reference point information from the course information storage unit, Means for calculating a virtual game space in which the moving object controlled by the player moves along the reference moving path, and displaying an image of the virtual game space on a display; A direction control unit for controlling, the direction control unit comprising: a first reference point for direction control based on a position of the moving body during the tail slide; and a second reference point located ahead of the first reference point. Of the moving object and the selected first and second reference points.
The next target position is obtained under predetermined conditions based on the relative position with respect to the reference point, and based on the moving direction of the moving body and the target position, the moving direction for tail slide control of the moving body so as to approach the target position. A video game device comprising: calculating a control angle for identifying a moving object; and repeatedly performing a tail slide direction control for controlling a moving direction of the moving body. 2. A predetermined game course in a virtual three-dimensional game space is set as a sequence of a plurality of course setting reference points set along the course, and at least position information of each of the course setting reference points is set. A game course information storage means for storing game course information, and game course information of reference points for setting respective courses read from the game course information storage means, and a virtual three-dimensional object in which a predetermined moving body moves on the course. Means for calculating a game space and displaying an image of the virtual three-dimensional game space on a display; and a direction control unit for controlling a tail sliding direction of a moving object at a corner of the game course , and storing the game course information storage. In the means, a plurality of movements set along the reference movement path of the moving body at the corner portion of the game course are set. The direction control unit is set as a series of road reference points, and at least the position information and the traveling environment information of the reference points for each of the moving paths are stored as a part of the game course information. A first reference point for direction control and a second reference point located earlier than the first reference point are selected from the reference points for the plurality of travel paths based on the position of Obtaining a next target position under predetermined conditions based on the relative positions with the selected first and second reference points,
Based on the moving direction of the moving body and the target position, calculate a control angle that specifies a moving direction for tail slide control of the moving body so as to approach the target position, and perform a tail slide direction control that controls the moving direction of the moving body. A video game device which is repeatedly performed. 3. The moving object according to claim 1, wherein the direction control unit includes a distance L between a straight line connecting the first and second reference points and the moving body.
1, a distance L2 between the second reference point and the target position
And determining a position on an intersection line intersecting the second reference point under a predetermined condition and being separated from the second reference point by the distance L2 as the target position. 4. The tail sliding direction of the moving body according to claim 1, wherein the direction control unit is configured to: when an angle difference between the direction of the moving body and the moving direction exceeds a predetermined reference value. A video game device for performing control. 5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the direction control unit calculates a control angle θ ″ based on the following equation using a moving direction θ ′ of the moving body and a direction θpm of the target position. And controlling the tail sliding direction of the moving object. θ ″ = θ ′ + (θpm−θ ′) / n where n is an integer other than 0 6. The direction control section according to claim 2, wherein the direction control section is set such that reference points for a plurality of movement paths in a corner section of the game course match the reference points for setting the course. A video game device.