JPH11259687A - Image generating device and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the image generating device and information storage medium which can reduce difference in skillfulness between a beginner and an expert in shooting. SOLUTION: Objects including a target object are arranged in an object space and it is checked whether or not a shot hits the object. Then a shooting direction is deviated from the aimed direction of shooting and a shot is made in the deviated shooting direction; while the hit rate of shots made by the beginner is increased, the hit rate of shots made by the expert is decreased. The shooting direction is changed at random within the direction range specified by the aimed direction of shooting. The farther away the position of the hit object is, the narrower the direction range is and the larger the hit object is, the wider the direction range is. The aimed object is arranged at a position specified by the aimed direction of shooting within the object space. When a shot is made, a display of the aimed object is turned off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image generating apparatus and an information storage medium for generating an image for shooting a target object in an object space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image generation for arranging a plurality of objects in an object space which is a virtual three-dimensional space and generating an image viewed from a given viewpoint in the object space. Equipment developed,
It has been put to practical use and is very popular as a virtual reality experience. And with an image generation device that allows you to enjoy a shooting game, the player operates a shooting device that imitates a machine gun, gun, tank cannon, etc., and shoots by aiming at the target object and shooting Enjoy.

[0003] However, in conventional shooting games, the shooting direction of the shot is always made to coincide with the aiming direction of the shooting. Therefore,
Advanced users can easily hit a target object with a shot, but beginners have difficulty hitting a target object with a shot. For this reason,
Advanced players felt unsatisfied with the difficulty of the game, and beginners had a problem of refusing to lose and avoiding game play.

[0004] As one method of increasing the hit rate of a beginner's shooting, a method in which a plurality of shots are fired at once and the shooting direction range of the shot is widened like a shotgun shot can be considered. However, according to this method, the hitting rate of the beginner shooting can be increased, but the hitting rate of the advanced shooting also increases. Therefore, it is not possible to bridge the gap between advanced and beginner game skills.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image generating apparatus and an information storage medium capable of filling a skill gap between a beginner and an advanced player in shooting. Is to provide.

[0006]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image generating apparatus for generating an image for shooting a target object in an object space, comprising a plurality of objects including the target object. Means for arranging the object in the object space, means for checking whether or not the shot by the shooting hits the object, and shifting the shooting direction from the aiming direction of the shooting, and shifting the shot in the shifted shooting direction. It is characterized by including means for shooting and means for generating an image at a given viewpoint in object space.

According to the present invention, a plurality of objects including a target object are arranged in an object space,
It is checked whether a shot by shooting hits the object. Then, the shot is shot in a shooting direction deviated from the aiming direction. As a result, it is possible to increase the hit rate of a beginner's shot and at the same time, lower the hit rate of an advanced player, thereby closing the skill gap between a beginner and an advanced player. Beginner's shots that can not accurately determine the aiming direction will have a wider hit range because the shooting direction is blurred, and advanced shots that can accurately determine the aiming direction are difficult to hit because the shooting direction is blurred Because it becomes.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the shooting direction is randomly changed within a given direction range specified by the shooting target direction. By doing so, it is possible to shift the shooting direction from the target direction with simple processing.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the width of the direction range is variably controlled. By doing this,
The shooting direction can be blurred in the optimum direction range according to the situation.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the directional range is narrowed as an object hit by a shot is located farther away. By doing so, it is possible to prevent a situation where the hit rate is extremely lowered when the object is at a distant position.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the larger the object hit by the shot, the wider the direction range is. This makes it possible to solve the problem that it is difficult to control the hit rate when the object is large.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the aiming object for setting the aim of the shooting is arranged at a position in the object space and specified by the aiming direction of the shooting. In this way, the player can aim accurately at the target object. Conversely, if such accurate aiming becomes possible, there arises a problem that a skill difference between a beginner and an advanced player is directly reflected in the game result. However, according to the present invention, such a problem can be solved by shifting the shooting direction.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that when a shot is shot, the display of the aiming object is turned off. By doing so, it becomes possible to eliminate the unnatural feeling felt by the player due to the fact that a shot that should have been hit does not hit.

[0014]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, a case where the present invention is applied to a battle-type machine gun game will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an external view when the image generating apparatus of the present embodiment is applied to an arcade game device.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, pseudo machine guns 14-1 to 14-4 corresponding to each player.
(Shooting device) is provided so that up to four players can enjoy the game. On the display units 12-1 to 12-4, the own character (a character operated by the player itself; a virtual player), an enemy character, an ally character, a map, a background, and the like are displayed. Player is a machine gun 14-1 to 1
When 4-4 is moved back and forth and left and right, the own character moves forward and backward and left and right in the object space. Meanwhile, machine gun 14
When -1 to 14-4 are rotated, the aiming object moves right and left in the object space. And the player
Triggers 15-1 provided on machine guns 14-1 to 14-4
Pull 15-4 to fire a simulated ammunition (shot) and enjoy a shooting battle with the enemy character.

In the present embodiment, images such as the face of each player can be photographed by the photographing units 16-1 to 16-4 including a CCD camera or the like. The captured image is used as an identification image of each player.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the image generating apparatus of the present embodiment.

The operation unit 10 is used by a player to input operation data by operating the machine gun or the like shown in FIG. 1. The operation data obtained by the operation unit 10 is input to the processing unit 100. Is done.

The processing unit 100 performs a process of arranging objects in an object space and a process of generating an image from a given viewpoint in the object space based on the operation data and a given program. is there. The function of the processing unit 100 is a CPU (CISC type, RISC
ASIC, DSP, ASIC (gate array, etc.), memory, etc.

The information storage medium 190 stores programs and data. The functions of the information storage medium 190 are as follows: CD-ROM, game cassette, IC card, M
It can be realized by hardware such as O, FD, DVD, hard disk, and memory. The processing unit 100 performs various processes based on the program and data from the information storage medium 190.

The processing section 100 includes a game calculation section 110 and an image generation section 150.

Here, the game calculation unit 110 performs a game mode setting process, a game progress process, a process of determining the position and direction of a moving object, a process of determining a viewpoint position and a line of sight, a process of arranging objects in an object space, and the like. I do.

The image generation unit 150 includes a game calculation unit 110
Is performed to generate an image at a given viewpoint in the object space set by. The image generated by the image generation unit 150 is displayed on the display unit 12.

The game calculation section 110 includes an object space setting section 111 and a hit check section 114.

Here, the object space setting section 111
A process for arranging various objects such as a self-character object, a target object (such as an enemy character object), a map object, and a background object in the object space is performed. More specifically,
Arrangement of a map object or a background object is determined according to the game stage, and calculation for moving a moving object (such as a self-character object, a target object, or a shot (bullet) object) in the object space is performed.

In the present embodiment, the object space setting unit 111 performs a process of arranging the aiming object for setting the aim of the shooting in the object space.

The object space setting section 111 includes a moving body calculation section 112 and a shooting processing section 113.

Here, the moving body operation unit 112 operates the operation unit 10
Based on operation data and a given program input from the PC, an operation for moving a moving body operated by a player or a moving body whose movement is controlled by a given control program (computer) in the object space is performed. . More specifically, a calculation is performed to determine the position and direction of the moving object, for example, every frame (1/60 second).

For example, the position of the moving body in the (k-1) frame is PMk-1, the speed is VMk-1, the acceleration is AMk-1, and the time of one frame is Δt. Then, the position PMk and the speed VMk of the moving body in the k frame are, for example, the following expressions (1) and (2).
Is required. PMk = PMk-1 + VMk-1 × Δt (1) VMk = VMk-1 + AMk-1 × Δt (2)

The shooting processing section 113 determines a shooting position and a shooting direction of a shot, and performs processing for shooting a shot from the shooting position in the shooting direction. In the present embodiment, the shooting direction of the shot is shifted from the aiming direction of the shooting determined by the direction of the machine gun in FIG. 1, and the shot is shot in the shifted shooting direction. More specifically, the shooting direction is randomly changed within a given direction range specified by the shooting target direction.

The hit check unit 114 performs processing for checking whether or not a shot by shooting hits an object such as a target object. In this case, the hit check may be always performed regardless of whether the shot is being shot (whether or not the machine gun is triggered). Also, a hit check between the shot and the object may be performed only when the shot is shot.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A,
5B, 5A and 5B show examples of images generated according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 3A, the player operates his / her character 20 (soldier) by moving the machine gun of FIG. In FIG. 3A, the player has triggered the machine gun and is attacking the enemy character 22. Marker object 23 of enemy character 22
Is mapped to an identification image of a player who operates the enemy character 22 (an image captured by the imaging unit 16). Also, the marker object 2 of the enemy character 24
5, an identification image of a player operating the enemy character 24 is mapped. In this manner, by mapping the player identification image to the marker object, the player can grasp at a glance which other player is operating which character. In addition, it is possible to obtain a feeling that the player is actually competing with the player, thereby improving the virtual reality of the player.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the enemy character 2
When you defeat 2, the medal 26 held by the enemy character 22
27 and 28 are released. The player is own character 2
Operating these zeroed medals 26, 27, 28
The player character 20 is brought into contact with the user to capture these medals. In this game, the game result is determined by the number of medals finally held. Therefore, it is strategically important to defeat the enemy character holding more medals and capture the medal.

It should be noted that the enemy character 22 is revived after a given period even if it is defeated once, and can participate in the game again. Also released medal 26, 27, 28,
It is also possible for another character, for example, an ally character 30 to take over. The marker object 31 on which the player identification image is mapped also follows the ally character 30, and as a result, the player
You can easily identify it as a friend.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show the character 20 in FIG.
Is a game image showing a scene being attacked by the enemy character 22. Then, these FIG. 4 (A),
As shown in (B), in the present embodiment, the shooting direction of the shot (shot object) 32 changes randomly. That is, the shot 32 is flying toward the right side of the own character 20 in FIG. 4A, and is flying toward the left side of the own character 20 in FIG. By randomly changing the shooting direction in this way, it is possible to bridge the skill gap between advanced and beginner players.

As shown in FIG. 5A, in this embodiment, the aiming object 40 for setting the aim of shooting is arranged in the object space. In this case, in the present embodiment, the aiming object 40 is arranged at a position specified by the shooting direction.
More specifically, assuming that the shot is being shot in the direction of the machine gun even if the player has not triggered the machine gun, the hit check between the line segment specified by the shooting direction and the object is performed. Do. Then, the aiming object 40 is arranged near the hit position specified by the hit check. In FIG. 5A, the hit position is a position on the surface 43 of the object 42, and the aiming object 40 is arranged near the hit position.

On the other hand, in FIG. 5B, the player rotates the machine gun shown in FIG. 1, and the aiming object 40 has moved to the right. Then, the hit position in this case is a position on the surface 45 of the object 44, and the aiming object 40 is arranged at this hit position. Since the object 44 is at a position farther than the object 42, the aiming object 40 in FIG. 5B appears smaller than that in FIG.

The aiming object 40 is constituted by, for example, one or a plurality of primitive surfaces (polygons, curved surfaces, etc.).

As described above, the first feature of the present embodiment is that the shooting direction is shifted from the aiming direction of shooting and the shot is shot in the shifted shooting direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the shooting direction 64 of the shot (bullet) 62 is shifted from the shooting target direction 60 determined by the direction of the machine gun in FIG. In this way, the expert shot that can accurately determine the aiming direction 60 with respect to the target object is shot in the shooting direction 64.
Blurring makes it harder to hit. On the other hand, a beginner's shot that cannot accurately determine the aiming direction 60 with respect to the target object has a wider hit range due to the blurring of the shooting direction 64, and is easier to hit. This makes it possible to bridge the skill gap between advanced and beginners.

For example, as a method of making it easier for a beginner to hit a shot, a method of shooting a plurality of shots simultaneously in a given direction range, such as a shotgun, can be considered. However, this technique makes it easier to hit not only beginners but also advanced players, and cannot close the skill gap between advanced users and beginners.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since it is considered that the aiming direction 60 of shooting is often the same as the direction in which the target object is located for the advanced player, the shooting direction 64 is shaken when the shooting direction 64 is shifted. Is less likely to hit the target object. On the other hand, for beginners, it is considered that the shooting aiming direction 60 often does not coincide with the direction in which the target object is located. Therefore, if the shooting direction 64 shifts, the shot can easily hit the target object. That is, it is possible to bridge the skill gap between advanced users and beginners.

As shown in FIG. 7, it is desirable that the shooting direction 64 is randomly changed using a random number or the like within the direction range DR specified by the shooting target direction 60. In this way, the shooting direction 60 and the shooting direction 64 can be shifted by a simple process. Further, by adjusting the direction range DR, the hit rate can be controlled.

The second feature of the present embodiment resides in that the width of the direction range for determining the shooting direction is variably controlled.

For example, in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the farther the object 66 to which the shot hits is, the more the position becomes.
The direction range DR is narrowed. That is, when the object 66 is in a close position as shown in FIG. 8A, if the direction range DR is narrow, it is difficult to control the hit rate, and it is difficult to bridge the skill gap between advanced and beginner. On the other hand, FIG.
When the object 66 is at a distant position as in (B), if the direction range DR is wide, the hit rate for both beginners and advanced users will be extremely reduced. By controlling the direction range DR variably according to the distance from the object 66 as in the present embodiment, the above-described problem can be solved.

In FIGS. 8C and 8D, the larger the object 66 to which the shot hits is,
The direction range DR is widened. That is, when the object 66 is small as shown in FIG. 8C, if the directional range DR is wide, the hit rate for both beginners and advanced users is extremely reduced. On the other hand, when the object 66 is large as in FIG. 8D, if the direction range DR is narrow, it is difficult to control the hit rate, and it is difficult to bridge the skill gap between advanced and beginner. By controlling the direction range DR variably according to the size (width, height, volume, etc.) of the object 66 as in the present embodiment, the above problem can be solved.

A third feature of the present embodiment is that the aiming object 40 for setting the aim of shooting is positioned in the object space as shown in FIG. 9 and at the position specified by the aiming direction 52 of shooting. It is in the point of arrangement.

That is, in the conventional image generating apparatus, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0 (A), the aim 300 is arranged on the two-dimensional layer 302 for displaying a score, a rank, and the like. Then, a screen (projection plane) 306 is formed by a perspective transformation with the image 304 of the two-dimensional layer on which the aim and the like are arranged.
By superimposing the image 308 projected on the
An image 310 as shown in FIG. 0 (B) was generated, and this image 310 was displayed to the player. For this reason,
A shift occurs between the position of the aim 300 and the actual hit position 312. The magnitude of the shift varies depending on the depth coordinates of the hit position. For this reason, the player could not aim accurately at the target object.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the aiming object 40 is arranged not in the two-dimensional layer but in the object space. Therefore, the player can accurately aim at the target object without depending on the depth coordinates of the hit position.

In this embodiment, the aiming object 4
0 is located at a position in the object space specified by the shooting aiming direction 52. This allows
Change the aiming object 40 to the shooting direction 5
2 can be moved in the object space. That is, the aiming object 40 can be moved in the object space in conjunction with the aiming direction 52 of the shooting. Then, when the aiming object 40 is arranged at a position far from the viewpoint, the aiming object 40 is displayed small by the perspective method, and is enlarged when arranged at a position close to the viewpoint. As a result, the sense of interlocking between the operation of the machine gun and the movement of the aiming object 40 can be enhanced.

In particular, the third feature of the present embodiment has a specific effect in combination with the above-described first feature of the present embodiment. That is, according to the third feature of the present embodiment, the player can accurately aim at the target object by using the aiming object arranged in the object space. Then, a more skilled advanced player can aim more accurately than a less skilled beginner. Therefore,
When such an aiming object is used, a skill difference between a beginner and an advanced player is more directly reflected in a game result. As a result, the problem that the beginner avoids the game play and the problem that the advanced player feels unsatisfactory in the game difficulty level become more prominent.

However, such a problem can be solved by arbitrarily shifting the shooting direction and the shooting direction as in the first feature of the present embodiment. That is, the problem that becomes particularly noticeable in the third feature of the present embodiment can be solved by the first feature of the present embodiment.

The aiming object 40 is desirably arranged so that its main surface is substantially perpendicular to the line of sight.
By doing so, the aiming object 40 is arranged so as to always face the front as viewed from the player. This makes it possible to prevent the aiming object 40 from being deformed and appearing. However, the main surface of the aiming object 40 may be substantially parallel to the surface of the object near the hit position, or may be substantially perpendicular to the shooting direction.

A fourth feature of the present embodiment is that the display of the aiming object is turned off when a shot is shot. For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, when a shot is not shot,
The display of the aiming object 40 is turned on. On the other hand, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1B, when the shot is shot, the display of the aiming object 40 is turned off. As a result, the unnatural feeling felt by the player when the shot 62 that should hit does not hit the target object 70 can be eliminated.

That is, the player sets the target object 70
In order to aim at the target, the machine gun of FIG. 1 is operated such that the aiming object 40 in the aiming direction of the shooting overlaps the target object 70. Then, the moment the aiming object 40 overlaps the target object 70, the machine gun is triggered. In this way, the player can hit the target object 70 with the shot 62.

However, in the present embodiment, the shooting direction and the shooting direction are arbitrarily shifted. Therefore, the shot 62 that the player thought should have hit does not hit the target object 70, which may give the player an unnatural feeling. At this time, if the display of the aiming object 40 remains on, the unnatural feeling felt by the player is further promoted.

However, according to the present embodiment, when the shot 62 is shot (fired),
The display of the aiming object 40 is turned off. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the unnatural feeling of the player caused by the fact that a shot that should hit does not hit.

Next, a detailed processing example of this embodiment will be described.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, it is determined whether or not a shot shooting request has been received (step S1). More specifically,
It is determined whether the machine gun in FIG. 1 has been triggered.

When a shooting request comes, FIG.
As described in 1, the display of the aiming object is turned off (step S2). As a result, it is possible to reduce the unnatural feeling of the player caused by the fact that a shot that should hit does not hit.

Next, the shooting position P of the shot is obtained (step S3). This can be obtained based on the position of the moving object calculated in real time for each frame.

Next, the shooting direction AD is acquired (step S4). This aiming direction AD can be obtained by electrically detecting the rotation angle of the machine gun in FIG.

Next, a maximum blurring angle range BMAX is obtained (step S5). This maximum angle range BMAX
Is for specifying the direction range DR in FIG.
Also, as described in FIGS. 8A to 8D, the BM
AX (corresponding to DR) is desirably controlled variably based on the distance from the object 66 and the size of the object 66. That is, BMAX is reduced as the object 66 is farther away, and BMAX is increased as the object 66 is larger.

Next, the blur angle B is determined using the random number R (step S6). Here, the shake angle B is an angle representing the shake of the shooting direction 64 with respect to the shooting target direction 60 in FIG. Then, the shake angle B is given by-(1/2) × BMAX ≦ B ≦ (1 /
2) The value is in the range of × BMAX. This makes it possible to randomly change the shooting direction 64 within the direction range DR (specified by BMAX), as shown in FIG.

Next, a shooting direction SD is calculated based on the aiming direction AD for shooting obtained in step S4 and the shake angle B obtained in step S6 (step S7). Then, the shot is shot from the shooting position P obtained in step S3 in the shooting direction SD obtained in step S7 (step S8).

In the manner described above, the shooting direction can be randomly shifted with respect to the aiming direction of shooting, and the skill gap between advanced and beginner can be bridged.

Next, an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the device shown in FIG.
AM1004, information storage medium 1006, sound generation IC10
08, image generation IC 1010, I / O port 1012,
1014 are connected via a system bus 1016 so that data can be transmitted and received between them. And the image generation IC
A display 1018 is connected to 1010, a speaker 1020 is connected to the sound generation IC 1008, and an I / O
The control device 1022 is connected to the port 1012, and the communication device 1024 is connected to the I / O port 1014.

The information storage medium 1006 mainly stores programs, image data for expressing a display object, sound data, and the like. For example, in a home game device, a CD-R is used as an information storage medium for storing a game program and the like.
OMs, game cassettes, DVDs and the like are used. In the arcade game machine, a memory such as a ROM is used. In this case, the information storage medium 1006 is the ROM 1002.

The control device 1022 is equivalent to a game controller, an operation panel, and the like, and is a device for inputting a result of a determination made by a player in accordance with the progress of a game to the device main body.

The program stored in the information storage medium 1006, the system program (initialization information of the apparatus main body) stored in the ROM 1002, the control apparatus 102
CPU 1000 according to a signal input by
Controls the entire apparatus and performs various data processing. RAM10
Reference numeral 04 denotes storage means used as a work area or the like of the CPU 1000. The information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 10
02, or the calculation result of the CPU 1000 or the like is stored. A data structure having a logical configuration for realizing the present embodiment is constructed on the RAM or the information storage medium.

Further, this type of apparatus includes a sound generation IC 100
8 and an image generating IC 1010 are provided so that a suitable output of game sounds and game images can be performed.
The sound generation IC 1008 includes the information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 1
This is an integrated circuit that generates game sounds such as sound effects and background music based on the information stored in 002, and the generated game sounds are output by the speaker 1020. The image generation IC 1010 includes a RAM 1004,
An integrated circuit that generates pixel information to be output to the display 1018 based on image information sent from the ROM 1002, the information storage medium 1006, and the like. Note that a so-called head-mounted display (HMD) can also be used as the display 1018.

The communication device 1024 exchanges various types of information used inside the game device with the outside. The communication device 1024 is connected to another game device to transmit and receive given information according to the game program. It is used for transmitting and receiving information such as a game program via a communication line.

The various processes described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 include an information storage medium 1006 storing a program for performing the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12, a CPU 1000 operating according to the program, and an image generation IC 10.
10, the sound generation IC 1008 and the like. Note that the processing performed by the image generation IC 1010, the sound generation IC 1008, and the like may be performed by software using the CPU 1000, a general-purpose DSP, or the like.

FIG. 1 described above shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to an arcade game device. In this case, the system board 1106 built in the apparatus includes C
A PU, an image generation IC, a sound generation IC, and the like are mounted.
Then, information for performing a process for arranging a plurality of objects including the target object in the object space, information for checking whether a shot by shooting hits the object, and a shooting direction for a shooting direction. Information for shooting a shot in the shifted shooting direction, information for generating an image at a given viewpoint in object space, within a given direction range specified by a shooting target direction. Information for randomly changing the shooting direction is stored in a memory 1108 which is an information storage medium on the system board 1106. Hereinafter, such information is referred to as stored information. The stored information includes at least one of a program code, image information, sound information, shape information of a display object, table data, list data, player information, and the like for performing the various processes described above.

FIG. 14A shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a home game machine. The player looks at the game image displayed on the display 1200,
The game controller 1202 and 1204 are operated to enjoy the game. In this case, the stored information is stored in the CD-ROM 1206, which is an information storage medium detachable from the main unit.
It is stored in C cards 1208, 1209 and the like.

FIG. 14B shows a host device 1300,
An example in which the present embodiment is applied to a game device including this host device 1300 and terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n connected via a communication line 1302 will be described. in this case,
The storage information is stored in an information storage medium 1306 such as a magnetic disk device, a magnetic tape device, or a memory that can be controlled by the host device 1300. Terminal 1304-1 ~
If the CPU 1304-n has a CPU, an image generation IC, and a sound generation IC and can generate a game image and a game sound in a stand-alone manner, the host device 1300 can generate a game image and a game sound. Are delivered to the terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n. on the other hand,
If it cannot be generated standalone, the host device 1
300 generates a game image and a game sound, and
The data is transmitted to 304-1 to 1304-n and output at the terminal.

The present invention is not limited to those described in the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in this embodiment, a method using random numbers is used as a method for shifting the shooting direction from the shooting direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a table for determining the shooting direction (shake angle) may be prepared, and the shooting direction may be shifted using this table.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, the case where the aiming direction 60 and the shooting direction 64 are shifted in a two-dimensional plane has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the aiming direction 60 and the shooting direction 64 may be shifted in a three-dimensional space.
In this case, for example, the direction range D specified by the aiming direction 60
The shooting direction 64 will be randomly changed within R, that is, within the cone.

Further, in this embodiment, the case where the trajectory of the shot by the shooting is a straight line has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the trajectory can be curved, such as a homing missile.

FIG. 8 shows a method for variably controlling the direction range.
The present invention is not limited to those described in (A) to (D), and various modifications can be made.

In the present invention, it is particularly desirable to use the aiming object 40 as shown in FIG. 9, but it may not be used.

In the present embodiment, an example of application to a game in which shooting is performed by operating a machine gun as shown in FIG. 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to various shooting games such as a game in which the shooting is performed by operating the levers 200 and 202 as shown in FIG. 16 and a game in which the shooting is performed by operating the guns 204 and 206 as shown in FIG.

The present invention is not limited to home and business game machines, but also includes a simulator, a large attraction device in which a large number of players participate, a personal computer,
The present invention can also be applied to various image generating apparatuses such as a multimedia terminal and a system board for generating a game image.

[0085]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of an external view of an image generating apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image generation device of the present embodiment.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of an image generated according to the embodiment; FIGS.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples of an image generated according to the present embodiment.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating examples of an image generated according to the embodiment; FIGS.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of shifting a shooting target direction and a shooting direction.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing a method of randomly changing a shooting direction within a direction range specified by a target direction.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D are diagrams for explaining a method of variably controlling a direction range.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing a method of arranging an aiming object in an object space.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a method of arranging an aim on a two-dimensional layer.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a method of turning off the display of an aiming object when a shot is shot;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed processing example according to the embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the present embodiment.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating examples of various types of apparatuses to which the present embodiment is applied. FIGS.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a method of randomly changing a shooting direction within a cone.

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining another form of a shooting game to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining another type of shooting game to which the present invention can be applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 operation unit 12-1 to 12-4 display unit 14-1 to 14-4 machine gun 15-1 to 15-4 trigger 16-1 to 16-4 shooting unit (CCD camera) 20 own character 22 enemy character 23 marker object 24 Enemy character 25 Marker object 26, 27, 28 Medal 30 Friendly character 31 Marker object 40 Aiming object 42 Object 43 Surface 44 Object 45 Surface 52 Shooting direction 60 Shooting direction 62 Shot (bullet) 64 Shooting direction 66 Object 70 Target object 100 Processing unit 110 Game operation unit 111 Object space setting unit 112 Moving object operation unit 113 Shooting processing unit 114 Hit check unit 150 Image generation unit 190 Information storage medium

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI G06T 15/00 G06F 15/62 360

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An image generating apparatus for generating an image for shooting a target object in an object space, comprising: means for performing processing for arranging a plurality of objects including the target object in the object space; Means for checking whether or not a shot by an object hits an object, means for shifting a shooting direction from a target direction of shooting and shooting for a shot in the shifted shooting direction, and an image at a given viewpoint in object space. Generating means for generating an image. 2. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shooting direction is randomly changed within a given direction range specified by a shooting target direction. 3. The image generation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the width of the direction range is variably controlled. 4. The image generation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the directional range is narrowed as an object hit by a shot is located farther away. 5. The image generation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the direction range is widened as an object hit by a shot is large. 6. The shooting object according to claim 1, wherein the aiming object for setting a shooting aim is arranged at a position in the object space and specified by the shooting direction. Image generation device. 7. The image generating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display of the aiming object is turned off when a shot is shot. 8. An information storage medium for generating an image for shooting a target object in an object space, wherein the information storage medium is for performing processing for arranging a plurality of objects including the target object in the object space. Information for checking whether or not the shot by the shooting hits the object; information for shifting the shooting direction from the aiming direction of the shooting and shooting the shot in the shifted shooting direction; And information for generating an image at a given viewpoint.