JP2000116953A - Game device, motion correction method of game character and information recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a character to be moved to the next instructed motion from the way of execution of one motion by changing a motion display in the way of display to a motion corresponding newly instructed motion and correcting the changed motion based on the motion display before the change. SOLUTION: A display control means of CPU 31 instruct any one of motions executable for a character by a controller 6 and controls a motion display of the character corresponding the instructed motion. When an instruction detecting means of CPU 31 detected the existence of a motion instruction newly instructed by a controller during the character motion displaying, the motion display in the way of display is changed to a motion display corresponding to a newly instructed motion to a newly instructed motion by a display change means of CPU 31 and when the changed motion display is executed by the display control means, the motion display is corrected based on the motion display before change.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game device in which game contents are displayed on display means such as a television or a monitor and a player plays, a method of correcting the motion of a game character, and an information recording medium on which a game is recorded. More specifically, the present invention relates to a character motion control function capable of smoothly transitioning to the next instructed motion during the execution of one motion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At the beginning of the spread of video game devices such as video games, so-called 2D (2-D) displays characters appearing in the game and background objects (for example, buildings, mountains, and rivers) two-dimensionally. Dimentional) Most games. However, recently, with the rapid improvement in performance of image processing processors and the progress of image processing technology, 3D (3-Dimentional) games for displaying the above-mentioned characters and background objects in three-dimensional images have become mainstream. The reason is that the image displayed by the 3D game is the same three-dimensional image as the real space, and it is possible to more faithfully convey the virtual world feeling provided by the game to the player, thereby increasing the sense of realism. Because you can do it.

There are various types of 3D games, such as shooting games, fighting games, adventure games, racing games, role playing games, and the like.

[0004] Among them, fighting games are popular because they can simulate various fighting techniques that can hardly be experienced in reality. This fighting game is a game in which a battle between a character operated by a player and a character operated by another player or a computer is performed in accordance with a predetermined rule, that is, an offense and defense is performed, and a win or loss is determined.

[0005] In the fighting method, for example, in addition to a method of basically fighting with bare hands, such as martial arts such as karate, judo, and professional wrestling, a method of fighting using weapons such as swords, spears, and shurikens is also available. is there. There are also fighting games in which one-to-many or many-to-many battles are possible.

[0006]

2. Description of the Related Art A home or arcade video game apparatus capable of performing such a fighting game has an operation unit or a controller provided with a directional key or a directional lever and a small number of input buttons. Play the game by operating the units and controllers.

The number of input buttons provided on the operation unit and the controller is naturally limited to a certain number from the viewpoint of operability and the like.
~ 5, about 10 for home video game machines.
In addition, a total of 1
Although about 0 input buttons are arranged, the number of main input buttons used during the game is also about 4 to 6 from the viewpoint of operability and the like.

In a fighting game performed in such a home or arcade video game device, when a character performs a basic attack operation such as punching or kicking, an instruction input of each operation is input by a predetermined input. Assigned to one button press operation. That is, the character can perform one action by pressing one input button once.

[0009] In recent fighting games, a number of special fighting techniques, such as a special technique or a continuous technique, can be advanced. Here, the number of techniques that the character can advance can exceed the number of input buttons provided on the operation unit or the controller, so that the techniques and the input buttons cannot be associated one-to-one. For this reason, a special technique, such as a deathblow technique or a continuous technique, can be designated and advanced from the character by performing a combination operation of continuously operating a direction key (direction lever) and an input button in a predetermined order within a predetermined time. It has become. Such a deathblow technique or a continuous technique is significantly different from basic actions such as punching and kicking, but one action is performed by one combination operation.

[0010] That is, in the case of a continuous technique or the like, the first operation, which is different from the continuous technique, is started by operating the first direction key (direction lever) or input button, but the next operation is continuously performed at an extremely short timing. Are sequentially input, it is determined whether or not a series of these operation inputs is a predetermined combination operation previously associated with a continuous technique or the like. Judge as an operation instruction and start the technique.

As described above, in the conventional fighting game, in order to determine whether or not the instruction is an operation instruction such as a continuous technique, even if one basic operation corresponding to the operation input is being performed, the operation is performed for a predetermined period. Acceptance of input is enabled, and it is determined whether or not an operation instruction such as a continuous technique by a predetermined combination operation has been issued. However, when there is no operation input during a predetermined period from the start of execution of one basic operation, when the operation input is not a predetermined combination operation, or when the timing is shifted, furthermore, the operation input is used for a continuous technique or the like. After it is determined that the instruction is an operation instruction and the operation is started, the next operation instruction is not accepted until the operation is completed.

Specifically, when there is no operation input during the above-mentioned predetermined period, when the operation input is not a predetermined combination operation, or when the timing is shifted, the operation from the point in time to the end of the operation is performed. During this time, all operation inputs are canceled. In addition, any operation input after the start of the operation such as the deathblow technique or the continuous technique is all canceled until the operation ends.

[0013]

As described above, in the conventional fighting game, when at least a predetermined period has passed since the start of one operation, an operation input is not received during the execution of the operation, and the next operation is not performed. Because we were unable to migrate,
Problems such as the inability to give the next action instruction until the action is completed, such as when the user makes a mistake in the instruction action, or to issue an instruction to immediately change the action according to the state or situation of the opponent character. There is.

The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to shift the movement of a character capable of shifting to the next instruction operation with a natural movement during the execution of one operation. It is to provide a game for controlling.

[0015]

According to the game apparatus of the present invention, a motion instructing means for instructing any of the actions that can be executed by the character, and a display for performing a motion display control of the character in accordance with the instructing action by the motion instructing means. Control means, instruction detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instruction means during display of the character's operation by the display control means, and display by the display control means when the new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detection means. Display change means for changing the operation display on the way to an operation display according to a new instruction operation,
Display correction means for correcting the operation display changed by the display change means based on the operation display before the change.

According to this game device, the display control means, when one of the actions executable by the character is instructed by the action instructing means, performs the action display control of the character in accordance with the instructing action, and the instruction detecting means. Detects the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instructing unit during the operation display of the character by the display control unit. When a new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detection means, the display change means changes the operation display being displayed by the display control means to an operation display corresponding to the new instruction operation, and the display correction means changes the display change. When the display control means performs the operation display changed by the means, the operation display is corrected based on the operation display before the change. For this reason, the character in the game can shift to the next operation during the execution of one operation. In addition, since the character performs the next motion by taking into account the motion before the change by the motion correcting means, the motion becomes natural.

In the game device of another invention, for each action that can be executed by the character, data storage means for storing action transition information indicating the progress of the action, and instructs one of the actions that can be executed by the character. An operation instructing unit; an image display unit configured to read operation transition information corresponding to an operation instructed by the operation instruction unit from the data storage unit and generate and display an operation image of the character based on the operation transition information; An instruction detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instruction means while displaying an operation image of the character by the display means, and an operation transition corresponding to the new instruction operation when a new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detection means The information is read out from the data storage unit, and a motion image of the character is generated by the image display unit based on the motion transition information. When displaying Te, and an image correcting means for correcting, based an operation image of the character previous operation transition information.

According to this game device, when any one of the actions that can be executed by the character is instructed by the action instructing means, the image display means reads out the action transition information corresponding to the instructed action from the data storage means. To generate and display a motion image of the character. The instruction detecting means detects the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instruction means while the image display means displays the motion image of the character. Then, when a new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detection unit, the image correction unit changes the operation image being displayed to an operation image corresponding to the new instruction operation. that time,
When generating and displaying a motion image based on motion transition information corresponding to a new instruction motion, the motion image of the character is corrected based on previous motion transition information. Therefore, the transition from the middle of the execution of one operation to the next operation becomes natural.

Further, in the game device according to another aspect of the invention, for each of the actions that can be performed by the character, a data storage unit that stores action transition information indicating the progress of the action, and one of the actions that can be executed by the character. An operation instructing means for instructing, and an image display means for reading operation transition information corresponding to the operation instructed by the operation instruction means from the data storage means, and generating and displaying an operation image of the character based on the operation transition information. An instruction detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instruction means during the display of an operation image of the character by the image display means, and a new instruction operation is performed when a new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detection means. The operation transition information is read from the data storage means, and the image display means is read based on the operation transition information and the previous operation transition information. Therefore and a complementary display means for complementing generates and displays connecting operation image until the transition to new operating image from operation image in the middle display character.

According to this game device, when any one of the actions executable by the character is instructed by the action instructing means, the image display means reads out the action transition information corresponding to the instructed action from the data storage means. To generate and display a motion image of the character. The instruction detecting means detects the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instruction means while the image display means displays the motion image of the character. Then, when a new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detection unit, the complementary display unit changes the operation image being displayed to an operation image corresponding to the new instruction operation. that time,
The motion transition information corresponding to the new instruction motion is read from the data storage means, and the motion transition information is connected to the new motion image based on the previous motion transition information. A motion image for connection until transition is generated and complemented and displayed.
As described above, when a new operation instruction is detected, a connection operation image between the two operations is generated and displayed based on the operation transition information corresponding to the instruction operation and the previous instruction operation. It is executed with

Further, in the method of correcting a motion of a game character according to the present invention, when any of the motions executable by the character is instructed, a step of performing a motion display control of the character in accordance with the instructed motion; A step of detecting the presence or absence of a new operation instruction during the operation, and when a new operation instruction is detected, information on the operation display during the display is stored in the memory, and the operation display during the display is performed according to the new instruction operation. The operation display is changed to the changed operation display, and when performing the changed operation display, correcting the operation display based on the information on the operation display before the change stored in the memory.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of correcting a motion of a game character, wherein, for each of the motions that can be performed by the character, motion transition information indicating the progress of the motion is stored in a memory, and the motion corresponding to the designated motion is performed. Reading the transition information from the memory and generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information; detecting the presence or absence of a new motion instruction while displaying the motion image of the character; Is detected, when the motion transition information corresponding to the new instruction motion is read from the memory, and the motion image of the character is generated and displayed based on the motion transition information, the motion image of the character is changed to the previous motion transition. Correcting based on the information.

Further, in the game character motion correcting method according to another aspect of the present invention, for each of the motions that can be performed by the character, motion transition information indicating the progress of the motion is stored in a memory, and the motion corresponding to the designated motion is performed. Reading the transition information from the memory and generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information; detecting the presence or absence of a new motion instruction while displaying the motion image of the character; Is detected, the operation transition information corresponding to the new instruction operation is read out from the memory, and based on the operation transition information and the previous operation transition information, the operation image of the character being displayed is shifted to the new operation image. And generating a supplementary display of the connected motion image up to and including the connected motion image.

By causing a computer to execute the procedures described in claims 4 to 6, it is possible to easily obtain the same effects as the inventions described in claims 1 to 3.
Therefore, by executing the processing procedure described using hardware such as a general-purpose computer and a general-purpose game device, the game technology of the present invention can be easily implemented with these hardware.

In the information storage medium of the present invention, when any one of the actions that can be executed by the character is instructed, a step of controlling the display of the action of the character in accordance with the instructed action is performed; The step of detecting the presence or absence of an instruction, and when a new operation instruction is detected, information on the operation display during the display is stored in the memory, and the operation display during the display is changed to an operation display corresponding to the new instruction operation. And a step of correcting the operation display based on the information on the operation display before the change stored in the memory when performing the changed operation display.

In the information storage medium according to another aspect of the invention, for each action that can be performed by the character, action transition information indicating the progress of the action is stored in the memory, and the action transition information corresponding to the instructed action is stored in the memory. Reading and generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, detecting the presence or absence of a new motion instruction during the display of the motion image of the character, and detecting a new motion instruction. When reading out the motion transition information corresponding to the new instruction motion from the memory and generating and displaying the motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, the motion image of the character is corrected based on the previous motion transition information. And recording the program.

Further, in the information recording medium according to another aspect of the invention, for each action that the character can execute, the action transition information indicating the progress of the action is stored in the memory, and the action transition information corresponding to the instructed action is stored. A step of generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information read from the memory; a step of detecting the presence or absence of a new motion instruction during the display of the motion image of the character; and detecting a new motion instruction. In this case, the operation transition information corresponding to the new instruction operation is read from the memory, and the transition from the operation image of the character being displayed to the new operation image is performed based on the operation transition information and the previous operation transition information. Generating a motion image and complementarily displaying the motion image.

As described above, according to the seventh to ninth aspects of the present invention,
By causing a computer to read the program included in the information recording medium, the contents performed by the game device according to the first to third aspects can be realized. Therefore, the information recording medium can be easily distributed and sold as a software product independently of the device. In addition, by using this software using hardware resources such as a general-purpose computer and a general-purpose game device, the game technology of the present invention can be easily implemented with these hardware.

That is, when the computer reads the information recording medium of each invention and executes the program, a predetermined game is executed. At this time, if the next operation instruction is input during one operation of the character, the character starts the next operation based on the operation instruction. Therefore, the player who operates the character can control the movement of the character without waiting for the completion of one operation. Further, the movement of the character can be changed midway, and the movement of the character can be made extremely natural.

As these information recording media, CD-R
Various media such as OM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), digital video disk, mini disk, removable hard disk, floppy disk (including those with high compression), memory cartridge, flash memory, and magnetic tape can be adopted. In addition to a read-only (= read only) type such as a CD-ROM, a readable / writable type such as a hard disk may be used. Further, as the shape of the information recording medium, media of various shapes such as a disk shape, a memory itself such as a flash memory, and a tape shape can be used. Also, if you want to distribute the program over a network,
A storage medium such as a hard disk provided in the host computer or the like as the distribution source is the information recording medium in the present invention.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Note that the embodiment described below is a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
Although various technically preferable limits are given, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified in the following description.

As shown in FIG. 1, the game system 1 drives a television monitor 3 having a display unit 2 and a CD-ROM 4 on which a game program is recorded to control the operation of a fighting game described later. It is composed of an apparatus main body 5 and a controller 6 for controlling operations. here,
The television monitor 3 has some of the functions of an image display unit and a complementary display unit, and the CD-ROM 4 is an information recording medium.
Further, the controller 6 has a part of the function of the operation instruction means.

The game apparatus main body 5 has a controller connection section 7 for connecting a controller 6 on a front surface thereof, and a slot 9 for mounting a memory card 8 for recording game progress data and the like. On the other hand, on the back of the game apparatus main body 5, a connection portion (not shown) for connecting an AV cable 10 for outputting image data and sound data to the television monitor 3 and a connection portion (not shown) for connecting a power cable 11 are provided. (Omitted) etc. are arranged.

The game apparatus main body 5 holds the CD-ROM 4 on its upper surface and also has a disk holder 12 serving as a lid, an open button 13 for opening the disk holder 12, and a power supply for instructing power on / off. A button 14 and a reset button 15 for restarting the game apparatus body 5 are arranged.

The controller 6 has four directional keys 21 for instructing movement of characters and a cursor in the up, down, left and right directions in a fighting game to be described later, a start button 22 for instructing start and pause of the game, and difficulty level. Select button 23 for instructing switching to an environment setting mode for setting a game environment such as a game environment, and four input buttons 2 for instructing basic operations such as punching, kicking and jumping, and instructing selection or cancellation of selected data.
4 are provided. Further, by continuously depressing the direction key 21 and the input button 24 in a predetermined order within a predetermined time, it is possible to designate an operation such as a desired continuous technique or a special technique.

As shown in FIG. 2, the game apparatus main body 5 and its peripheral circuits have a CPU (Central Procedures).
sing unit) 31, a bus 32, a graphics data generation processor 33, a graphics rendering processor 34, a sound reproduction processor 35,
It comprises a D-ROM decoder 36, a communication device 37, a main memory 38, an OS-ROM 39, a data decompression engine 40, a parallel input / output unit 41, a serial input / output unit 42, and a peripheral device 43. I have.

The CPU 31 has a 32-bit RISC C
PU (reduced instruction set CPU: reduced instruction set CPU, capable of executing microcode as program code at high speed)
a game unit 5 based on an OS (Operating System) stored in the OS-ROM 39 or a program stored in the CD-ROM 4.
And controls the execution of the game.

The bus 32 is a signal path for transmitting data, and includes a data bus for exchanging data in two directions, an address bus for transmitting data only in one direction from the CPU 31 to a memory or the like, and a CPU 31. It consists of a local bus that exchanges data directly without going through.

It should be noted that the CPU 31
Graphic data generator (GeomeTric Engi
ne, hereinafter referred to as “GTE” 33, a graphics processing processor (hereinafter referred to as “GPU”) 34, a sound reproduction processing processor (Sound Processing Unit, hereinafter referred to as “SPU”) 35), a CD-ROM decoder 36,
Communication device 37, main memory 38, OS-ROM
(Operating System Read Only Memory) 39, Data Decompression Engine (Motion DECoder)
C) 40, parallel input / output unit (Parallel Input
The output unit is connected to a serial input / output unit (hereinafter, referred to as “SIO”) 42 and a peripheral device 43, and controls these devices.

Here, the processor and the device connected to the CPU 31 will be described. First, GTE
A coprocessor 33 is connected to the CPU 31 via a local bus, and performs high-speed coordinate conversion and brightness calculation for image processing by a parallel processing mechanism. GPU3
Reference numeral 4 denotes a processor that draws an image on the frame buffer 44 in accordance with a polygon drawing command from the CPU 31. Here, a polygon refers to a unit obtained by decomposing a predetermined figure into a plurality of triangular planes or square planes in 3D (3-Dimentional) graphics.

The GPU 34 is connected via a local bus to a frame buffer 44 in which image data to be output to the television monitor 3 is expanded. Frame buffer 44
Constitutes a two-dimensional address space, and this memory space is managed by the GPU 34.

The three-dimensional image is sent to the CPU 31 and the GTE3
3, the GPU 34, and the frame buffer 44,
It is displayed on the display unit 2 of the television monitor 3 by the following processing. That is, the GPU 34 transfers the modeling data and the color look-up table read from the CD-ROM 4 by the CPU 31 and stored in the main memory 38 to the frame buffer 44, and these data and the coordinate data and luminance calculated by the GTE 33 are transferred. An image is drawn in the frame buffer 44 based on data or the like. Then, a video signal is generated by adding a synchronization signal to the image data drawn in the frame buffer 44, transmitted to the television monitor 3, and displayed on the display unit 2 of the television monitor 3.

The SPU 35 is connected via a local bus to a sound buffer 45 for storing audio data to be output to a speaker 47 or the like. In addition, the SPU 35
Also connected to the D-ROM decoder 36, the CD-R
The audio signal reproduced by the OM decoder 36 is once captured, mixed with the output of the SPU 35, and transmitted to the sound output of the speaker 47 of the television monitor 3 or the like.

The CD-ROM decoder 36 is a CD-RO decoder.
It controls the driver that drives M4 and performs CD-RO
Decode the encoded data stored in M4. CPU
The output unit 31 outputs a program, image data, sound data, and the like read by the CD-ROM decoder 36 to a CD-ROM buffer 46. The CD-ROM buffer 46 is connected to the CD-ROM decoder 36 via a local bus, and temporarily stores data read from the CD-ROM 4.

The communication device 37 is a device connected to the controller 6 and sends various operation signals output from the controller 6 to the CPU 31 via the bus 32. The communication device 37 is also connected to a memory card 8 as a recording medium. When the memory card 8 is inserted into the slot 9 of the game apparatus body 5, the communication device 37
A memory card 8 is connected to the communication device 37. Through the communication device 37, data such as game progress data can be written to the memory card 8 and data can be read from the memory card 8.

The main memory 38 is a memory which can be directly accessed by the CPU 31 and which can be written and read in which various data such as an OS and programs are developed. The main memory 38 serves as a data storage unit and a memory for storing motion transition information, which will be described later, and information regarding a motion being performed by the character.

The OS-ROM 39 is a read-only memory for storing a program (OS) for performing basic control of each part of the game apparatus main body 5, for example, a processor, a memory, and input / output. This OS-ROM 39 contains
An OS kernel, a boot loader, and the like are stored. The MDEC 40 is an MPEG (Moving Picture Experer).
ts Group) and JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert
s Group) image data compressed by inverse DCT (Dis
crete Cosine Transform).

The PIO 41 and SIO 42 are parallel and serial expansion ports, respectively. The peripheral device 43 is configured by an interrupt controller or the like.

The CPU 31 also functions as display control means, instruction detection means, display change means, display correction means, and image correction means, which will be described later. Also, C
The PU 31, the GTE 33, and the GPU 34 have a part of each function of the image display unit and the complementary display unit, respectively.

Next, the operation of the fighting game executed in the game system 1 will be described. This fighting game is a fighting fighting game in which a character operated by a player basically fights with a character operated by another player or a computer using bare hands to determine a victory or defeat. In this fighting fighting game, the player operates the directional keys 21 and the input buttons 24 provided on the controller 6 to give a motion instruction to the character. At this time, the player can instruct the character to perform one basic operation such as punching, kicking, jumping, etc. associated with the pressed input button 24 by performing a single pressing operation of the desired input button 24. Further, by continuously depressing the direction key 21 and the input button in a predetermined order within a predetermined time, it is possible to give an operation instruction such as a continuous technique or a special technique associated with the combination operation in advance.

Next, image processing and a specific image displacement during one normal operation will be described by taking a punch operation as a basic operation in the game as an example.

The character 51 operated by the player is initially in a basic posture (leftmost end in the figure) as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the right arm 52 has reference points A1, A2, and A3, each represented by three-dimensional coordinate data.
The position is managed by the CPU 31 with the coordinate value of 3.

The coordinate value A1a of the reference point A1 at the base of the shoulder in the basic posture has three-dimensional coordinates of X1a, Y1a, Z1a, and the coordinate value A2a of the reference point A2 at the base of the elbow is X2a, The reference point A3a having three-dimensional coordinate values of Y2a and Z2a and being located on a fist is represented by X3a, Y3a, Z
It has three-dimensional coordinates 3a. CPU 31 is a GTE
33, the GPU 34, etc., the reference points A1a, A1
A polygon image of the right arm 52 is generated by image calculation / drawing processing based on the coordinate data of 2a and A3a, and displayed on the television monitor 3. This state is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

When a punching operation instruction is input from the controller 6, the character 51 shifts from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the state shown in FIG. The transition from this point is performed by using the three-dimensional coordinate values A1b, A2b, A3b (see FIG. 4) of the transition destinations of the reference points A1, A2, A3 and the preceding coordinate values A1a, A2a, A3a. Do. That is, the transition from to is performed by calculating the coordinates of the moving reference points A1, A2, and A3 in accordance with the elapsed time at predetermined time intervals, for example, every 1/30 second by the CPU 31. Right arm 5 depending on drawing timing
This is performed by generating and displaying a second polygon image.

Similarly, the transition from the state to
From the three-dimensional coordinate values A1c, A2c, A3c in the state and the coordinate values A1b, A2b, A3b in the state, a polygon image therebetween is generated and displayed on the display unit 2. In addition, the transition from the state to the state is performed by the three-dimensional coordinate values A1d, A2d, and A3d of the state and the coordinate value A1 of the state.
c, A2c, and A3c.

The character 51 and the right arm 52 in the state shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. In one normal operation, the state with the state of
The images are the same, and both are the same.
Therefore, when the right arm 52 is returned, the three-dimensional coordinate values A1a, A2a, A3a, A1b,
A2b, A3b, A1c, A2c, A3c, A1d, A
Drawing processing is performed using 2d and A3d again.

In this embodiment, the input of the next operation instruction can be accepted from the time when the punch operation instruction is issued until the end of the punch operation, that is, until the state returns to the state from the state. I have. However, as will be described later, the timing of switching to the next operation is predetermined, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the timing is made coincident with each state shown in FIGS. ing. Further, the drawing timing is set at a quarter interval compared to the switching timing, but the two may be set at the same interval or may have another relationship.

Similarly to the above-described punching operation, the right foot 5
In the case where the kicking operation using the No. 3 is also normal, as shown in FIG. 6, from the state of the basic posture (1), (2) → (3) →
(4) → (5) → (6), and return to the original basic posture (7). At this time, image processing, drawing timing,
Switching to the next operation is performed in the same manner as in the previous punching operation. Reference point three-dimensional coordinate data (motion transition information) of each part of the character 51 shown in FIGS.
The program is stored in the CD-ROM 4 together with the game program and the like, read out by the CD-ROM decoder 36 when the game is executed, and expanded in the main memory 38.

In the game device of this embodiment, even if one operation based on an operation instruction is being executed, control for receiving an operation instruction input for performing the next operation is always enabled.
Also, a plurality of operation shift timings, that is, switching timings are provided during execution of one operation. If the next operation instruction is issued during the execution of one operation, the operation shifts to the next operation specified according to the operation shift timing. At this time, the body part being executed is compared with the initial body posture of the next instruction operation, and a body part (= body part) having a significantly different state is determined. The correction process is performed from the start of execution.

In this correction processing, positional deviation information, balance information, and the like for the determined body part are calculated.
The coordinate values of each reference point of the body part are corrected based on the calculation result. Then, a polygon image of the body part is generated and displayed based on the corrected coordinate values of each reference point of the body part. As a result, it is possible to naturally transition to the next operation without causing a problem such as sudden interruption of the previous operation when transitioning to the next operation. In addition, one operation includes a deadly technique and a continuous technique used in a conventional game. In other words, it is possible to shift to a different operation even during execution of a special technique or a continuous technique.

In the correction processing, not only the comparison of the body parts but also the comparison of the overall posture is performed. That is, when shifting to the next instruction operation, if the difference between the body posture of the operation being performed and the initial body posture of the next operation specified is too great, the body posture of the operation being performed is By comparing the coordinate value of the reference point of each body part with the initial body posture of the movement of the next movement, a new connection movement image to the initial body posture of the next movement is newly inserted and displayed, and the next movement specified by the next movement Move to

The operation control of the fighting game in the present embodiment as described above will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and the illustrations of the character movement control shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. . In the following description, C
In actuality, the processing executed by the PU 31 includes a coprocessor or a sub-processor other than the CPU 31 (GTE 33,
The processing executed by the GPU 34 and the SPU 35) is also included. In addition, various data stored in the CD-ROM 4 are actually read from the CD-ROM 4 sequentially under the control of the CPU 31 according to the progress of processing, and subjected to decompression processing and the like by the MDEC 40 as necessary. After that, it is transferred to the main memory 38. However, in the following description, C
A more detailed description of a process of reading various data from the D-ROM 4, a process of expanding the data, a process of transferring the data to the main memory 38, and the like will be omitted.

When playing the game, the player operates the open button 13 to open the disc holder 12 and
The ROM 4 is set on the game apparatus main body 5 and the disc holder 12 is closed. In this state, the player presses the power button 1
4 or, if the power is on, pressing the reset button 15 causes the CPU 31 to perform a predetermined start-up process to initialize the game apparatus body 5 and then start the main process shown in FIG. I do.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the main processing.

First, the CPU 31 executes a program for opening processing, causes the GPU 34 and the SPU 35 to perform predetermined image display processing and sound output processing, and outputs an opening video and its sound from the television monitor 3 (step S101). . The CPU 31 determines whether the start button 22 provided on the controller 6 has been pressed in this state (step S102).

If it is determined that the start button 22 has not been pressed (step S102; No), the CPU 31
Performs the processing of steps S101 and S102 repeatedly, and displays the opening video and its sound on the TV monitor 6.
From the start button 22
Monitor the press of.

If it is determined that the start button 22 has been pressed (step S102; Yes), the CPU 31
For example, after reading out save data from the memory card 8 and performing initial processing necessary for starting the game, such as setting a game environment and displaying a game image based on the read out save data (step S103), the game is started. (Step S104).

Next, the CPU 31 performs image display processing and sound output processing according to the game situation as a display control means, monitors operation inputs of the controller (operation instruction means) 6, and uses the direction keys 21 and input buttons. It is determined whether any one of the buttons 24 has been pressed and an operation instruction for the character has been input (step S105). At this time, the CPU 31 functions as an instruction detecting unit.

If it is determined that the operation instruction has not been input (step S105; No), the CPU 31 determines whether or not the previously instructed operation is being performed (step S106). Only when the operation is being executed (Step S106; Yes), the generation and display processing of the operation image for the operation is continuously performed (Step S107), and the process returns to Step S105. If the previously instructed operation is not being executed (step S106;
No), and the process returns to step S105.

On the other hand, when it is determined that an operation instruction has been input (step S105; Yes), the CPU 31 determines whether or not the previously instructed operation is being executed (step S108). If it is determined that the operation is not being executed (step S108; No), generation of a motion image based on the input new operation instruction content,
After the display process is started (step S109), the process returns to step S105.

If the CPU 31 determines that the previously instructed operation is being executed (step S108;
(Yes) Then, it is determined whether or not it is the switching timing for shifting the operation (step S110). If it is not the switching timing (step S110; No), the monitoring of whether or not it is the switching timing is continuously performed. .

If it is determined that it is the switching timing (step S110; Yes), the CPU 31 firstly sets the coordinates of the motion posture being executed at the present stage and the initial posture of the next motion specified for each body part. The data values are compared (step S111), and a body part having significantly different coordinate data values is specified as a correction processing target part (step S112).

Next, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the number of body parts specified as a target of the correction processing is equal to or less than a predetermined number (step S113). When it is determined that the number of the body parts specified as the target of the correction processing is not less than the predetermined number (step S113; Yes), the CPU 31
Judgment that the correction process cannot be performed, and based on the coordinate data values of each body part regarding the operating posture during execution and the initial posture of the next instructed operation, the initial posture of the next instruction operation from the operating posture during execution. (Step S114). At this time, the CPU 31 functions as a part of the complementary display means. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S109, where the process of generating and displaying the next motion image is started based on the input operation instruction (step S109).
Return to 105. In this display process, the CPU 31
It functions as a part of the image display means.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of body parts specified as the object of the correction processing is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number (step S113; No), the CPU 31 executes the correction processing for the specified body parts and , The process of generating and displaying the next instructed motion image is started (step S115), and the process returns to step S105.
In this correction process, based on the three-dimensional coordinate data of the body part, the position of the body part is corrected in consideration of a position shift, a twist state, a balance state with the related body part, and the like. When changing the operation display,
The CPU 31 functions as a display change unit, a display correction unit, and an image correction unit.

When an instruction to end the game is input from the controller 6 during the game, or when the power button 14 or the reset button 15 is pressed during the game,
The CPU 31 forcibly ends the main processing by the interrupt processing.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are explanatory diagrams of the movement transition control of the character. With reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the operation transition control when the kick operation is instructed during the execution of the punch operation will be described in detail below.

When a punch operation is instructed by pressing the input button 24 (step S105), the CPU 31 starts the punch operation (step S109). Then, when the state shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is passed,
When a kick operation instruction is input by pressing the input button 24 (step S105), the CPU 31 determines the basic posture of the punching operation at the next switching timing, that is, the switching timing of 'in FIG. 9 (see FIG. 3).
And the initial posture (1) of the kicking motion (see FIG. 6), the coordinate data values are compared for each body part (step S111), and the right arm 52 is specified as the body part to be corrected (step S111). S112).

Then, the CPU 31 shifts the movement of the character from the punching operation to the kicking operation. At this time, the body parts other than the right arm 52 specified as the target of the correction processing are shifted to the normal operation after the timing of '. What is necessary is just to shift to kick operation (1), (2), (3) (see FIG. 6).

However, the position of the right arm 52 is significantly different from that in the initial posture (1) of the kick operation due to the punch operation at the switching timing of '. Therefore, as for the right arm 52, as a correction process (step S115), an operation of basically retracting the punch that was about to be advanced is performed, and the basic postures (1), (2), and (3) of the kick operation are performed. Taking into account the twisting state of the body seen in FIG. 6 (see FIG. 6), the movement of the entire body is balanced with the movement of the right arm 52 during the kick operation.

FIG. 10 specifically shows such a transition state of the operation. As can be seen from FIG.
It is possible to shift to the kick operation in a very natural manner during the execution of the punch operation (after '), and the operability can be improved. In addition, it is possible to perform a so-called feinting operation, such as switching to a kicking action from the middle as if punching out, and it is possible to reproduce the situation during actual fighting more faithfully, and to improve its tactics in fighting games. Can be enhanced. For this reason, the player becomes more tactically interesting and can move the character with a natural feeling, and can proceed with the game with a sense of unity with the character.

As described above, the present invention has been specifically described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist thereof. Of course. For example, the present invention can be applied to a fighting game using a weapon such as a sword or a spear, instead of fighting with bare hands, and if the game is a game in which a character performs its instruction operation in response to an operation instruction. The present invention is also applicable to games of other genres other than fighting games. The character is not limited to a human, but may be an animal, a plant, a robot, or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case has been described where the present invention is realized using a home game machine as a platform. However, the present invention realizes a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer or an arcade game machine as a platform. Is also good.

In the above embodiment, programs and data for realizing the present invention are stored in a CD-ROM, and this CD-ROM is used as an information recording medium. However, the information recording medium is not limited to the CD-ROM, but may be another computer-readable magnetic or optical recording medium such as a magnetic disk or a ROM card or a semiconductor memory.

Further, the programs and data for realizing the present invention are not limited to the form provided by a medium such as a CD-ROM which can be detachably attached to the game apparatus or the computer, but may be stored in the memory of the game apparatus or the computer in advance. May be preinstalled. Further, a program or data for realizing the present invention may be received from another device connected via a communication line or the like and recorded in a memory, or may be received via a communication line or the like. Alternatively, the program or data may be recorded in a memory of another device connected to the device, and the program or data may be used via a communication line or the like.

[0085]

According to the present invention, it is possible for a character in a game to move to the next motion with a natural motion during one motion, thereby improving the operability of the character in the game. In addition, for example, it is possible to perform a feint operation in which a kick is delivered from the middle of the game as if punching is performed, and tactics in the game can be enhanced. For this reason, the player using this game device becomes more tactically interesting and can move the character with a natural feeling, and can proceed with the game with a sense of unity with the character.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the game apparatus main body of FIG. 1 and its peripherals.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating one operation of a character in a fighting game executed by the game device body of FIG. 1 by taking a punch operation as an example.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an image processing method for a right arm portion shown by the punch operation in FIG. 3;

5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between each state of the punching operation in FIG. 3, drawing timing, and switching timing to the next operation.

6 is a diagram illustrating a kick motion as another example of one motion of the character in the fighting game executed by the game device main body in FIG. 1. FIG.

7 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating a processing procedure of a main process executed by the game device main body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating a processing procedure of a main process executed by the game device main body of FIG. 1;

9 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between various timings when a kick operation is instructed in the middle of a punch operation in a fighting game executed by the game device main body in FIG. 1;

10 is a state transition diagram showing an operation transition state when a kick operation is instructed in the middle of a punch operation in a fighting game executed by the game device body of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game system 2 Display part 3 Television monitor (part of image display means, part of complementary display means) 4 CD-ROM (information recording medium) 5 Game device main body 6 Controller (operation instruction means) 31 CPU (Display control means) , Instruction detecting means, display changing means, display correcting means, image correcting means, part of image displaying means, part of complementary displaying means 33 GTE (part of image displaying means, part of complementary displaying means) 34 GPU (Part of image display means, Part of complement display means) 38 Main memory (Part of data storage means) 51 Character 52 Right arm 53 Right foot

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Hiroaki Nakagawa 1-8-1, Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo Alco Tower Lightweight Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2C001 AA03 AA09 BA02 BC01 BC03 BC07 CB01 CB03 CB06 CC01

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An operation instructing means for instructing any one of actions that can be executed by a character, a display control means for performing a motion display control of a character in accordance with an instruction action by the operation instructing means, and a character by the display control means An instruction detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instruction means during the operation display, and, when a new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detecting means, an operation display being displayed by the display control means is displayed. Display changing means for changing to an operation display corresponding to a specified instruction operation, and a display for correcting the operation display based on the operation display before the change when the display control means performs the operation display changed by the display changing means. A game device comprising: a correction unit. 2. A data storage means for storing, for each action that can be executed by the character, an action transition information indicating a progress of the action, an action instructing means for instructing one of the actions that can be executed by the character, An image display unit that reads, from the data storage unit, motion transition information corresponding to the motion instructed by the motion instructing unit, generates and displays a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, Instruction detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instruction means while displaying a motion image of a character; and, when a new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detection means, motion transition information corresponding to the new instruction operation Is read from the data storage means, and the image display means displays a character motion image based on the motion transition information. A game device comprising: an image correction unit that corrects a motion image of the character based on previous motion transition information when the motion image is generated and displayed. 3. A data storage means for storing, for each action that can be executed by the character, action transition information indicating a progress of the action, an action instructing means for instructing one of actions that can be executed by the character, An image display unit that reads, from the data storage unit, motion transition information corresponding to the motion instructed by the motion instructing unit, generates and displays a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, Instruction detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a new operation instruction by the operation instruction means while displaying a motion image of a character; and, when a new operation instruction is detected by the instruction detection means, motion transition information corresponding to the new instruction operation Is read out from the data storage unit, and is read by the image display unit based on the operation transition information and the previous operation transition information. And a complementary display means for generating a connected motion image from a motion image of the character being displayed to a new motion image and displaying the complemented motion image. 4. When any one of the actions that can be executed by the character is instructed, a step of performing a motion display control of the character according to the instructed action, and detecting the presence or absence of a new action instruction during the execution of the action of the character. Step: When a new operation instruction is detected, storing information relating to the operation display in the middle of the display in the memory, and changing the operation display in the middle of the display to an operation display corresponding to the new instruction operation. Correcting the motion display based on the information on the motion display before the change stored in the memory when the motion display is performed. 5. A memory for storing, in a memory, movement transition information indicating a transition progress of the movement for each movement that can be performed by the character;
Reading the motion transition information corresponding to the instructed motion from the memory, generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, and determining whether or not there is a new motion instruction during the display of the motion image of the character. Detecting, and when detecting a new motion instruction, when reading the motion transition information corresponding to the new instruction motion from the memory and generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, Correcting the motion image of the character based on previous motion transition information. 6. A memory for storing, in a memory, movement transition information indicating a transition progress of the movement for each movement that can be performed by the character,
Reading the motion transition information corresponding to the instructed motion from the memory, generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, and determining whether or not there is a new motion instruction during the display of the motion image of the character. Detecting, and when detecting a new operation instruction, reading out the operation transition information corresponding to the new instruction operation from the memory, and, based on the operation transition information and the previous operation transition information, the character of the character being displayed is displayed. Generating a linking motion image until a transition from the motion image to a new motion image and complementarily displaying it. 7. When any one of the actions that can be executed by the character is instructed, a step of performing a motion display control of the character in accordance with the instructed action, and detecting the presence or absence of a new action instruction during execution of the character action. Step: When a new operation instruction is detected, storing information relating to the operation display in the middle of the display in the memory, and changing the operation display in the middle of the display to an operation display corresponding to the new instruction operation. Correcting the operation display based on the information on the operation display before the change stored in the memory when the operation display is performed. 8. A memory for storing, in a memory, movement transition information indicating a transition progress of the movement for each movement that can be performed by the character,
Reading the motion transition information corresponding to the instructed motion from the memory, generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, and determining whether or not there is a new motion instruction during the display of the motion image of the character. Detecting, and when detecting a new motion instruction, when reading the motion transition information corresponding to the new instruction motion from the memory and generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, Correcting a motion image of the character based on previous motion transition information. 9. A memory for storing, in a memory, movement transition information indicating a transition progress of the movement for each movement that can be performed by the character,
Reading the motion transition information corresponding to the instructed motion from the memory, generating and displaying a motion image of the character based on the motion transition information, and determining whether or not there is a new motion instruction during the display of the motion image of the character. Detecting, and when detecting a new operation instruction, reading out the operation transition information corresponding to the new instruction operation from the memory, and, based on the operation transition information and the previous operation transition information, the character of the character being displayed is displayed. An information recording medium for recording a program including a step of generating and complementarily displaying a connecting motion image until a transition from a motion image to a new motion image.