JP2003210834A - Control information, information storing medium, and game device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make players more than the number of controller terminals simultaneously participate in a game of a home game device wherein the game is performed by connecting a grip type controller. <P>SOLUTION: The grip type controller is operated in such a manner that a player holds grips 12a and 12b by both of right and left hands, and the controller is mainly operated by thumbs. Regarding such a grip type controller, an input mode for one player and an input mode for two players are made selectable. Under the input mode for the one player, the inputs from a left hand button group 16a and a right hand button group 16b are taken as inputs by one player, and a character control is performed. Under the input mode for two players, the left hand button group 16a and the right hand button group 16b are respectively made to correspond to different characters, and respective characters are controlled based on the inputs from respective button groups. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to control information and the like for operating a home-use game machine that executes a given game based on an operation signal input from a connected grip type controller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a grip type controller connected to a home game machine, there is a shape in which two grips are provided on the left and right sides. In such a controller, the operation means such as buttons and sticks are arranged with emphasis on the reach of the thumb when gripping the grip. That is, the game player holds the two grips with the left and right hands, respectively, and is operated mainly by the thumb.

In a game in which a moving object in a virtual space is operated by reflecting an operation input in real time, the number of operation objects (moving objects) that a player can simultaneously operate with a margin is at most one. Therefore, in the above-mentioned grip type controller, in many cases, from the viewpoint of simplification and weight saving, the number of buttons and sticks is limited to a number sufficient to operate one operation target. Specifically, a button group for direction instruction and a button group for function instruction are separately arranged on the left and right of the controller, and for example, the left hand indicates the direction and the right hand indicates the function. In the game, the movement direction of the operation target is used as a direction button, and the action or action is determined based on the input signal of the function button.

[0004]

The grip type controller is used by being connected to the controller terminal of the game apparatus main body. Therefore, when playing a game using the above-mentioned one-person grip type controller, the number of players who can participate in the game is limited by the number of controller terminals of the game apparatus body. For example, with a game device having two controller terminals, only a maximum of two players can participate simultaneously.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible for players having a number of controller terminals or more to participate in a game at the same time in a home-use game device in which a grip type controller is connected to execute a game.

[0006]

The control information according to claim 1 includes a first operating device group (for example, a left hand button group 16a shown in FIG. 3) and a second operating device group (for example, shown in FIG. 3). Right hand button group 16b) and integrally formed grip type controller (for example, controller 10 shown in FIG. 3).
Connected to each other, and based on an operation signal input from the grip-type controller, controls one or more characters to execute a given game (for example, the game device 1 shown in FIG. 1). On the other hand, the selection means (for example, the operation control unit 112 in FIG. 4; the setting processing in FIG. 5) for selecting whether to use the grip type controller for one person or for two people, and the selection means When the single player is selected, the single player control is performed in which the operation signals from the first operating device group and the second operating device group are input to the first player, and the selecting means is used for the two players. If is selected, the two-person control is performed in which the operation signal from the first operation device group is input to the first player and the operation signal from the second operation device group is input to the second player. Control means for controlling the character (example If the operation control unit 11 of FIG. 4
2; the operation determination process of FIG. 10) and the operation / control of a processor included in the home-use game apparatus.

A game device according to a fifteenth aspect,
First operation device group (for example, left hand button group 16 shown in FIG. 3)
a) and a second operating device group (for example, the right hand button group 16b shown in FIG. 3) integrally formed with a gripping controller (for example, the controller 10 shown in FIG. 3) is connected to the gripping controller. A game device (for example, the game device 1 shown in FIG. 1) that controls one or more characters to execute a given game based on an operation signal input from the expression controller. 1
Selection means for selecting whether it is used for two people or one person (for example, the operation control unit 112 in FIG. 4; the setting process in FIG. 5)
When the one-person selection is selected by the selecting means, one-person control is performed in which operation signals from the first operation device group and the second operation device group are input to the first player,
When the selection means selects two players, an operation signal from the first operation device group is input to the first player,
Control means for controlling the character by performing two-person control in which an operation signal from the second operation device group is input to the second player (for example, operation control unit 112 in FIG. 4; operation determination process in FIG. 10). And are provided.

Here, the character is not limited to a so-called character imitating a person or an animal, but includes a car in a car race game. According to the invention of claim 1 or 15, it is possible to select whether the grip type controller is used by one person or by two persons. When one player is selected, an operation signal is input by the first player, and when two players are selected, an operation signal from the first controller group is operated by the first player from the second controller group. The signal is divided as an input for the second player to control the character. That is, the grip type controller that has been conventionally used for one person can be set to be operated by two people so as to enjoy the game.
Therefore, more players than the number of controller terminals provided in the game device can simultaneously participate in the game.

The player's input may be associated with the character (or moving body). That is, as in the invention described in claim 2, in the control information described in claim 1,
The character includes a first character and a second character, and in the case of the one-person control, the control means controls the first character and the second character based on the input of the first player, The two-person control may include information for controlling the first character based on the input of the first player and controlling the second character based on the input of the second player.

The control information described in claim 3 includes a first operating device group (for example, a left hand button group 16a shown in FIG. 3) and a second operating device group.
Operation device group (for example, right hand button group 16b shown in FIG. 3)
And an integrally formed grip type controller (for example, the controller 10 shown in FIG. 3) are connected, and the first character and the second character are controlled based on an operation signal input from the grip type controller. Selection for selecting whether to use the grip type controller for one person or two persons for a home-use game machine (for example, game machine 1 shown in FIG. 1) that executes a given game. Means (for example, the operation control unit 112 in FIG. 4; the setting process in FIG. 5) and the selection means selects the one for two persons, the first operation unit based on the operation signal from the first operation device group. Control means for controlling the character and performing two-person control for controlling the second character based on an operation signal from the second operation device group (for example, operation control unit 112 in FIG. 4; operation determination process in FIG. 10). ) , Characterized in that for the function by the operation and control of a processor provided in the home game device.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first operating device group (for example, a left hand button group 16a shown in FIG. 3) and a second operating device group (for example, a right hand button group 16 shown in FIG. 3).
b) and an integrally formed grip type controller (for example, the controller 10 shown in FIG. 3) is connected,
A game apparatus (for example, the game apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1) that controls a first character and a second character to execute a given game based on an operation signal input from the grip controller. Grip type controller 1
Selection means for selecting whether it is used for two people or one person (for example, the operation control unit 112 in FIG. 4; the setting process in FIG. 5)
And when the selection means selects two players, the first character is controlled based on an operation signal from the first operation device group, and based on an operation signal from the second operation device group. And a control unit (for example, the operation control unit 112 in FIG. 4; the operation determination process in FIG. 10) for controlling the second character for controlling the second character.

According to the third or sixteenth aspect of the present invention, a character to be controlled is associated with each operation device group included in the grip type controller. Therefore, the first player operates the first character using one of the operation device groups,
Two players can enjoy the game using one grip type controller, such as the second player operating the second character using the other operation device group.

In general, the number of characters that the player can concentrate and operate at the same time is at most one or a group. Therefore, when the game according to the third aspect of the present invention is executed by one player, the attention must be distributed to the two characters, which may make the operation difficult.

Therefore, as in the invention described in claim 4,
The control information according to claim 3, wherein the control means includes:
When the one-person selection is selected by the selection means, the character to be controlled is switched during the execution of the game, so as to change the character based on the operation signal from the first operation device group and the second operation device group. Information for controlling one person who controls one character and the second character may be included.

Further, as in the invention described in claim 5, in the control information described in any one of claims 2 to 4, the 2
In the human control, the control means causes the character to be controlled by the operation signal from the first operation device group and the second character.
Information for causing the home-use game apparatus to function so as to have a compulsory switching unit for compulsorily switching the character to be controlled by the operation signal from the operation device group may be included.

According to the invention of claim 5, the first
The control target character of the operation device group and the control target character of the second operation device group are forcibly switched. Therefore,
The player can enjoy not only the operation of one character but also the operation of another character depending on the occasion.

By the way, when the grip type controller is used for two players, the number of operating devices per player (or one character to be controlled) is halved compared to the case where it is used for one player. To do. Therefore, the operation content that could be instructed when used for one person may not be instructed when used for two persons.

Therefore, as in the invention described in claim 6,
The control information according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the control unit determines whether the operation content corresponding to the input operation signal is one of a plurality of operation contents.
Information may be included in the one-person control based on the type of operation signal, and in the two-person control based on the progress of the game.

Further, as in the invention described in claim 7, in the control information according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the first operation of the grip type controller (for example, the controller 10 'shown in FIG. 24). The device group holds at least one first analog input device (for example, analog stick 18a shown in FIG. 24) and at least one first digital input device (for example, left-hand button group 16a shown in FIG. 24). The second controller group is arranged on either the left or right side of the formula controller, and the second operation device group includes at least one second analog input device (for example, the analog stick 18b shown in FIG. 24) and at least one second operation device. A digital input device (for example, the right hand button group 16b shown in FIG. 24) is arranged on the other side of the grip type controller, and the control means is configured to In the case of use control, the first operation signal from the analog input device and said second digital input device,
Alternatively, information for controlling the character based on the operation signals from the first digital input device and the second analog input device may be included.

According to the invention of claim 7, the grip type controller is provided with an analog input device and a digital input device as operating devices. When used for one player, the player operates the analog input device with the right hand and the digital input device with the left hand, or operates the digital input device with the right hand and the analog input device with the left hand to play the game. It will be fun. Now, in such a case, when used for two players, an individual player using each operating device group operates in the same manner as an input operation for one player by using two of the analog input device and the digital input device. You can enter. Therefore, the input for one person and the input for two persons can be realized by the same operation, and the player can perform the operation without any discomfort regardless of how to use.

[0021] Further, as in the invention described in claim 8, in the control information according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the first operation device group in the case of the two-person control set in advance is set. An operation position selecting means (for example, two-person correspondence data 624 ′ shown in FIG. 21) for selecting one of a plurality of operation positions for the two operation positions, and the operation position selecting means for the two-person control. The operation content changing means for changing the operation content of the operation signal from the first operation device group in accordance with the operation position selected by (for example, the operation control unit 112 shown in FIG. 4; the operation determination processing 3 in FIG. 22).
And may include information for causing the consumer game device to function.

Here, the operation position means a position when the player operates the grip type controller. For example, a gripping controller can be placed in a standard orientation (ie, 1
It is possible to operate from the direction (when used for human use), from the side, or from the direction opposite to the standard direction. It is called the operating position.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the operation content of the operation signal from the operation device group is changed according to the selected operation position. Therefore, the player can perform comfortable operation input according to the operation position. For example,
When the grip type controller is operated from the side, the operation feeling is different as compared with the case of operating from the standard direction. So, if you change the operation contents according to the operation position,
The player can operate from any of the operation positions without any discomfort.

Further, in the control information according to the eighth aspect, the operation content changing means controls the character for the same operation signal input from the first operation device group. The quantity may include information for changing the quantity according to the operation position selected by the operation position selecting means.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the control amount of the character with respect to the operation signal can be changed according to the selected operation position. For example, depending on the operation position, it may be difficult to input an operation to the player using the other operation device group, which is disadvantageous, or conversely, it is almost the same as the standard operation method, and the operation may be advantageous over the other player. May be. In such a case, the character control amount of the advantageous or disadvantageous operation position can be changed to balance the operation mode.

Further, as in the invention described in claim 10,
In the control information according to any one of claims 1 to 7, setting means for setting the operation content of the operation signal from the first operation device group and / or the character control amount during the two-person control (for example, The operation control unit 11 in the fifth embodiment
2; processing for setting a correction angle and correcting an input amount from the analog stick 18) may be included in the home game device.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the operation content and the character control amount can be set. Therefore, for example, in the grip type controller having the analog stick, when the analog stick is used as the direction indicating means, it is possible to freely set the direction indicated by the analog stick according to the operation position of the player.

According to the invention of claim 11, in the control information according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the grip type controller is based on a sound signal input from the home-use game machine. A sound output means of two systems for outputting a sound, and including information for causing the home-use game machine to function as sound control means for variably controlling the sound signal according to whether or not the control is for two persons. May be

The sound output means may be a speaker or a sound output terminal capable of stereo output. According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, in the grip type controller provided with two sound output means, it is possible to output sound according to whether or not the control is for two persons. Therefore, for example, if each sound output means is caused to separately output a sound in accordance with the character control by the first operation device group and the character control by the second operation device group, the player hears the change in the sound output and recognizes the game. You can enjoy

Alternatively, as in the invention described in claim 12, in the control information according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the grip type controller is based on a drive signal input from the home-use game machine. At least two vibrating means for vibrating in accordance with whether or not the vibration control means for variably controlling the drive signal depending on whether or not the control is for two persons are included in the home-use game apparatus. Good.

According to the invention described in claim 13,
The control information according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the grip-type controller includes a display unit that displays an image based on an image signal input from the home-use game machine, and is the two-person control. Depending on whether or not the image signal is variably controlled, the image control means may include information for causing the consumer game device to function.

According to the invention of claim 13, 2
The display content of the display unit included in the grip controller can be changed according to whether or not the control is for human use. Therefore, even if the player forgets whether the control mode is for one player or two players during the game execution, it is possible to check the display unit and make a determination. Further, during the control for two players, a character corresponding to each operation note group can be displayed so that the player can judge at a glance.

According to the invention described in claim 14,
It goes without saying that the control information according to any one of claims 1 to 13 may be stored in the information storage medium.

[0034]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION [First Embodiment]
Embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. Hereinafter, a case where a beach volleyball game (hereinafter, simply referred to as a volley game) is executed by the game device 1 will be described as an example, but the application of the present invention is not limited to the following cases.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a home-use game machine 1 according to the first embodiment. The game device 1 includes a connection terminal 2 for connecting to the display 20, two controller terminals 3a and 3b for connecting the game controllers 10a and 10b, and a slot for inserting the IC card 22 and the memory card 24. Four
a, 4b, and a disk mounting portion 5 for mounting the CD-ROM 26.

The processing system of the game device 1 includes information such as various programs and data, and the game controller 10.
Image data is generated based on a signal input from a and 10b (hereinafter, simply referred to as the controller 10) and transmitted to the display 20 to be displayed.

Information necessary for the game apparatus 1 to execute the volley game (system program, game information, game data, etc.) is an IC card 22 which is a removable information storage medium in the game apparatus 1, a memory card. 24,
It is stored in the CD-ROM 26, an information storage medium included in the main body of the game apparatus 1, or the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the game image 30 of the valley game in the first embodiment. According to the figure, in the game image 30, the valley court 32 set in the virtual space, the net 34, and the four characters a to d are displayed. The respective characters a to d are arranged in the same number in each position of the valley court 32 divided by the net 34. The four characters a to d are represented by different appearances and colors so that the player can distinguish them at a glance.

The player operates the controller 10 while watching the game image displayed on the display 20,
Enjoy the volleyball game by manipulating the characters that appear in the game images.

On the other hand, the processing system of the game apparatus 1 controls the movement of each character based on an instruction signal input from the controller 10, game information, and the like. Then, an image of the virtual space including each character is generated for each frame based on a virtual camera (hereinafter referred to as a viewpoint) arranged in the virtual space, and is displayed on the display 20. Note that, hereinafter, the character to be operated by the controller 10 is referred to as an operation character.

The feature of the first embodiment is that one controller 10 is provided in response to an input instruction from the player.
With regard to the above, the one-person input mode and the two-person input mode are provided.

The one-person input mode is a mode in which one player exclusively uses one controller 10 as usual. On the other hand, the two-player input mode is a mode in which two players share one controller 10 and simultaneously use it.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the controller 10 according to the first embodiment. According to the figure,
The controller 10 has two grips 12a, 1 on the left and right.
It is mainly composed of a main body 14 provided with 2b and a button group 16 provided on the surface of the main body 14. Button group 16
Is divided into a left-hand button group 16a and a right-hand button group 16b, and the player grips the grips 12a and 12a, respectively.
It is placed within the reach of the thumb when gripping b. The right hand button group 16b has four function buttons A, B, C, D.
And two auxiliary buttons H1 and H2 are included, and the left hand button group 16a includes four direction buttons ↑ ↓ ← → and two auxiliary buttons H3 and H4.

Single Player Input Mode In the single player input mode, the player uses the controller 10
Grip the grips 12a and 12b with the left and right hands, and press the left hand button group 16a for the left thumb.
The thumb of the right hand pushes the button group 16b for the right hand to instruct the moving direction or the action of the operation character. The processing system of the game device 1 judges that all the buttons of the controller 10 are input signals by one player and advances the game.

In the single-player input mode, the player selects an operation team and operates the two characters belonging to the selected operation team in order. That is,
The processing system of the game device 1 determines the character operated by the controller 10 each time based on the progress of the game and the determination of various conditions.

For example, at the time of receiving, first, the character existing at the closest position to the ball in flight is selected as the operation character, and controlled according to the input instruction from the controller 10. When the motion of the character is completed, the other character in the operation team is subsequently selected as the operation character, and the motion is determined according to the input instruction from the controller 10.

As described above, in the single-player input mode, the processing system of the game apparatus 1 sequentially sets the characters in the selected operation team as the operation characters. The player operates the operation character set by the game device 1 using the same input button.

Input Mode for Two Players In the input mode for two players, two players share one controller 10 and operate different characters respectively.

Specifically, the processing system of the game device 1 causes the left hand button group 16a and the right hand button group 16b to correspond to different characters, and operates each character in response to an input from each button group. . In other words, one controller 10 can simultaneously instruct the movements of two characters.

For example, for the player N and the player M, the player N operates the character a by using the left hand button group 16a, and the player M operates the character b by using the right hand button group 16b. In this way, in the two-person input mode, each button group and the character are made to correspond one to one.

However, in the first embodiment, when a predetermined condition in the game is satisfied, the character corresponding to each button group is exchanged. For example, when characters collide with each other or when the character hits the ball strongly,
The operation target character corresponding to each button group is exchanged.

Next, the functional configuration of the game apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described using the functional blocks shown in FIG. According to FIG. 4, the game device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a processing unit 100, an input unit 200, and
Display unit 300, sound output unit 400, and information storage medium 50
0 and a temporary storage unit 600.

The processing section 100 controls the entire system, gives instructions to each functional section in the system, operates signals input from the input section 200 and game information 510 stored in the information storage medium 500. It performs various kinds of processing such as processing for advancing a game, image processing, and sound processing, and its function is various processors (CPU, DSP).
Etc.) and hardware such as ASIC (gate array etc.),
Alternatively, it can be realized by a given program. Further, the processing unit 100 mainly includes a game calculation unit 110, an image generation unit 120, and a sound generation unit 130, and causes the game calculation unit 110 to execute a process according to an operation signal input from the input unit 200. The image generation unit 120 is caused to generate an image based on the processing result, and the sound generation unit 130 is caused to generate sound.

The game calculation unit 110 is a controller for setting various screens for various selections in the game, a process for proceeding with a volley game, a process for determining the coordinates, directions, motions, etc. of each character or ball in the virtual space. 10
Various game processes such as a process of determining an operation character corresponding to the game, a process of determining the position and orientation of the viewpoint,
Execute every frame. Note that these processes are performed by the operation signal input from the input unit 200 and the information storage medium 500.
It is executed based on the game information 510 stored in.

Further, the game calculation section 110 according to the first embodiment is an operation control section 1 which determines an execution command (command) based on a signal input from the controller 10.
12 and a character control unit 114 that controls a character based on an execution command, and causes each unit to function based on each program stored in the information storage medium 500.

The image generation unit 120 includes the game calculation unit 110.
The game image for each frame is generated in real time based on the information determined by. Specifically, the process of determining the view volume of the virtual space by executing front / rear clipping and the process of converting the coordinate from the coordinate system of the three-dimensional virtual space to the two-dimensional coordinate system based on the viewpoint are performed as follows. It is executed for each frame to generate a game image. Then, the generated game image is temporarily stored in the storage unit 600.
(For example, a frame buffer). The function of the image generation unit 120 is realized by hardware such as a CPU, a DSP, an IC dedicated to image generation, and a memory.
Note that the processing unit 100 uses the game image stored in the temporary storage unit 600 at a necessary timing (for example, one frame interval).
To output and display on the display unit 300.

The sound generation unit 130 reads out sound information (not shown) stored in the information storage medium 500 based on the information and timing determined by the game calculation unit 110, converts it into a sound signal, and outputs the sound signal. It is a functional unit that outputs to 400. The sound output unit 400 outputs a sound from the speaker based on the sound signal input from the sound generation unit 130.

The input section 200 is a functional section corresponding to the controller 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, detects an operation input by the player, generates an electrical signal corresponding to each button, and causes the processing section 100 to perform processing. It is what is output.

The display section 300 is a functional section corresponding to the display 20 shown in FIG. 1, and sequentially reads and displays the game images stored in the temporary storage section 600 in accordance with an instruction input from the processing section 100. The display unit 300
May be realized by a display mainly used for displaying TV broadcasting.

The information storage medium 500 stores a system program and data relating to the driving of the game apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, game information necessary for realizing a valley game, and a CD-ROM. , MO,
It can be realized by hardware such as a DVD, a memory, and a hard disk.

The game information 510 includes a game scenario, model information of each character, information of each object placed in the virtual space, information for calculating a score of a valley game, information for timing a game time, and the like. It contains information necessary for calculation. Further, in addition to an image generation program for generating a game image, a sound generation program for generating a sound, image information, sound information, etc., a setting program 520, an operation determination program 530, an allocation change program 540, a character control, which will be described later, are also provided. Program 550
including.

The temporary storage unit 600 is a storage unit used as a work area of the processing unit 100, and includes a calculation result by the processing unit 100 and operation information input from the input unit 200.
It is a functional unit that expands and temporarily stores data and programs read from the information storage medium 500. For example, input mode data 610, a controller
Character corresponding data (hereinafter referred to as CC corresponding data) 6
20, motion during execution of character (execution motion) 630
And so on. The function of this temporary storage unit 600 is RA
It is realized by hardware such as M and VRAM.

Next, the operation control section 112 and the character control section 114 included in the game calculation section 110 will be described.

The operation control section 112 is a functional section for controlling the association between the controller 10 and the character,
It mainly executes the following processing. (A) Input mode setting, operation character setting (setting process) (b) Process for determining operation contents during game execution (operation determination process) (c) Character exchange in 2-person input mode (assignment change process)

(A) The setting processing operation control unit 112 responds to an input instruction from the player before the game starts, and the input mode (1
Setting for humans or for two persons and associating each button group (for right hand or left hand) with the character in the input mode for two persons are performed.

The setting process will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The operation control unit 112
Is the setting program 5 stored in the information storage medium 500.
The following processing is executed based on 20. The operation control unit 112 makes settings for each of the controllers 10 connected to the main body of the game apparatus 1. In the following, it is assumed that two controllers 10 are connected to the main body of the game apparatus 1 and one connected to one controller terminal is the first.
The controller and the one connected to the other controller terminal are called the second controller.

First, when an instruction to set the input mode is input from the controller 10 (step S1), the operation control section 112 determines the attribute of the controller 10 (either the first controller or the second controller) (step S1). Step S2)
At the same time, the input mode (for one person or two persons) is determined according to the instruction input from the controller 10, and the temporary storage unit 6
00 (step S3).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a storage form (input mode data 610) when the input mode of the controller 10 is stored in the temporary storage section 600. The input mode data 610 stores controller attributes and input modes in association with each other. According to the figure, the first controller is set to the one-person input mode, and the second controller is set to the two-person input mode.

When the setting of the input mode is completed, the operation control section 112 associates the controller 10 with the character or team to be operated. If the set input mode is for one person (step S4: for one person), the preselected operation team and the controller 10 are associated with each other (step S5), and the temporary storage unit 60 is used.
Store at 0.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an example of correspondence (corresponding data for one person 622) between the selected team and the controller 10. According to the figure, in the one-person correspondence data 622, the attribute of the controller 10 (controller attribute),
The selected team, the character belonging to the team, and the operation flag for determining the character to be operated are stored in association with each other.

The operation flag is a flag read when the character to be operated is determined during the execution of the game, and the operation control section 112 updates the operation flag at any time according to the progress of the game.

When the set input mode is for two persons (step S4: for two persons), in response to the input instruction from the player, the character for each of the left hand button group 16a and the right hand button group 16b is set. Are associated (step S6) and stored in the temporary storage unit 600.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of association (two-person correspondence data 624) between each button group and a character. According to the figure, the two-person correspondence data 624 includes
The attribute of the controller 10 (controller attribute), the attribute of the right / left hand button group 16 (left / right attribute), and the character are stored in association with each other.

Controller 10 (or button group 1)
When the association between 6) and the character is completed, it is determined whether or not there is an unset controller 10 (step S
7) If there is an unconfigured controller 10 (Y)
To return to step S1, the process is repeated for the controller 10. On the other hand, if the setting has been completed for all the controllers 10, this processing ends.

(B) Operation determination processing The operation control section 112 controls the controller 10 during game execution.
The command (command) corresponding to the signal (button pressed) input from is determined. The correspondence between each button and the command is stored in the operation table for one person and the operation table for two persons, respectively, and the operation control unit 112 changes the operation table to be read according to the input mode of the controller 10. .

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the one-person operation table 532. The one-person operation table 532 stores each button, command, and attribute of the command in association with each other. According to FIG. 8, the right hand button group 16b
Buttons A to D belonging to are associated with commands for instructing the actions of provocation action, super attack, receive, and attack / serve. For actions other than the provocation action, the attribute of "action instruction" is attached. ing.

Further, in FIG. 8, the left hand button group 16a
The direction buttons ↑, ↓, ←, → belonging to belong to 4 of the virtual space.
Commands for designating directions (Z axis positive direction and negative direction, X axis positive direction and negative direction) are associated. Further, each direction button has an attribute of "direction designation".

In the single-person input mode, the auxiliary button H
No commands correspond to 1, H2, H3, and H4.
Therefore, even if each player presses each auxiliary button during the execution of the game, there is no reaction (that is, the operation of the operation character is not affected).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the two-person operation table 534. In the two-person operation table 534, each button, command, attribute of command, and attribute of each button group (for right hand / for left hand) are stored in association with each other.

According to FIG. 9, the buttons A to D belonging to the right hand button group 16b are commands for instructing four directions (Z axis positive direction and negative direction, X axis positive direction and negative direction) in the virtual space. Corresponds, and the attribute of “direction designation” is attached. Auxiliary button H1 is receive, auxiliary button H2
Are associated with commands for instructing attack / serve, and each has an attribute of "operation instruction". Further, each button belonging to the right-hand button group 16b has a right attribute as an attribute.

In FIG. 9, the direction buttons ↑, ↓, ←, → belonging to the left-hand button group 16a indicate four directions in the virtual space (Z axis positive direction and negative direction, X axis positive direction and negative direction). The command to do this corresponds, and the attribute of "direction designation" is attached. The auxiliary button H3 is associated with a receive command, and the auxiliary button H4 is associated with a command for attack / serve, and each has an attribute of "operation instruction". Further, each button belonging to the left-hand button group 16a has a left attribute as an attribute.

The operation determination process will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The operation control unit 112
Performs the following processing based on the operation determination program 530 stored in the information storage medium 500. When a signal from the pressed button is input from the controller 10 during the game execution (step S10: Y), the attribute (first or second) of the controller 10 is determined, and the input mode data 610 shown in FIG. The input mode of the corresponding controller 10 is determined based on (step S1
1).

When the input mode is for one person (step S
11: for 1 person), the operation table 532 for 1 person shown in FIG. 8 is read, and the command and the attribute of the command corresponding to the pressed button are read (step S12).
Further, the one-person correspondence data 622 shown in FIG. 7A is read, and the operation character corresponding to the attribute of the controller 10 is determined (step S13).

In case of the two-person input mode (step S
11: For two persons), the two-person operation table 534 shown in FIG. 9 is read, and the command, the command attribute, and the button attribute (right / left attribute) corresponding to the pressed button are read (step S14). Furthermore, 2 shown in FIG.
The personal correspondence data 624 is read, and the operation character corresponding to the attribute of the controller 10 and the left and right attributes of the pressed button is determined (step S15).

When the command corresponding to the pressed button and the operating character are determined, the determined operating character is caused to perform an action based on the determined command (step S16; character control process), and this process ends. To do.

(C) Allocation change processing When a predetermined condition (exchange condition) is satisfied during the execution of the game, the operation control unit 112 exchanges the character corresponding to each button group (for right hand / for left hand).

The allocation changing process will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the following processing is executed by the operation control unit 112 based on the allocation changing program 540 stored in the information storage medium 500, and is sequentially executed for each unit frame.

The operation control unit 112 determines the replacement condition (step S20). The exchange condition is a condition that changes with the progress of the volleyball game, and includes, for example, conditions such as the presence or absence of a collision between characters, the presence or absence of a collision of a ball, the acquisition of a specific item, and the acquisition of points.

When the exchange condition is not satisfied (step S2)
The process ends at 1: N). On the other hand, when the exchange condition is satisfied (step S21: Y), the character satisfying the condition and the character belonging to the same team as the character are stored in the two-person correspondence data 624 shown in FIG. 7B. Information exchanged (step S
22).

For example, when the character c shown in FIG. 2 satisfies the exchange condition, the character d belonging to the same team is read and the character c and the button group for controlling the character d are exchanged. Two-person correspondence data 6 shown in FIG.
According to 24, the character c is controlled by the right hand button group 16b of the second controller, and the character d is controlled by the left hand button group 16a. Therefore, when the character c satisfies the exchange condition, the character c is the left hand button group 16a and the character d is the right hand button group 1
6b to be controlled. When the content change of the corresponding data is completed, the operation control unit 112 ends this process.

Next, the character control section 114 will be described. The character control unit 114 is the operation control unit 11
2 is a functional unit that determines and executes the action of the operation character according to the execution command determined in 2. Hereinafter, the character control processing executed by the character control unit 114 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The processing described below is performed by the character control unit 114.
Is executed based on the character control program 550 stored in the information storage medium 500.

The character control unit 114 first determines the attribute of the command read by the operation control unit 112 (step S30). Command attribute is "operation instruction"
If so (step S30: operation instruction), the specified operation is stored in the temporary storage unit 600 (step S31). For example, when the content of the command is “receive”, the fact that the receive is being executed is stored in the temporary storage unit 600, and when the content of the command is “serve”, the fact that the serve is being executed is stored.

Then, the character is caused to start the instructed motion (step S32). After a lapse of a predetermined time after the start of the operation, it is determined whether or not the series of operations of the designated action is completed (step S33). If not completed (N), wait until the operation is completed. On the other hand, when the series of operations ends (Y), the temporary storage unit 600
The operation content stored in step S34 is deleted (step S34), and this processing ends.

When the attribute of the command is "direction designation" (step S30: direction designation), the temporary storage unit 600
Based on the stored information of
It is determined whether an attack or receive operation is being executed (step S35).

In step S35, when the serve, attack, and receive operations are being executed (Y), the moving direction of the ball is determined based on the command (direction instruction) (step S36). For example, in the case of serve and attack, the moving direction to the opponent's base is determined, and in the case of receive, the moving direction in the ally base is determined. Then, the trajectory of the ball is determined in the determined direction, the ball is moved (step S37), and when the movement of the ball is completed, this processing ends.

In step S35, if the serve, attack, and receive operations have not been executed (N),
The moving direction of the operating character is determined based on the command (direction instruction) (step S38), and the operating character is moved in the determined direction (step S39).

Then, it is judged whether or not the movement instruction input by the controller 10 is stopped (step S40),
When the movement instruction is stopped, the movement of the operation character is stopped (step S41), and this processing is ended.

In step S30, if the command has no attribute (no attribute), the operation based on the command is started (step S42). When the operation instruction from the controller 10 is stopped (step S40),
This operation is stopped (step S41), and this processing ends. In this way, the character control unit 114 determines the action of the operation character based on the command read by the operation control unit 112.

Next, the hardware configuration of the game apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration that makes it possible to implement the present embodiment. According to the figure, the game device 1 has a CPU 70
0, ROM 702, RAM 704, information storage medium 70
6. The image generation IC 708, the sound generation IC 710, and the I / O ports 712 and 714 are connected to each other via the system bus 716 so that data can be input and output. A display device 718 is connected to the image generation IC 708, a speaker 720 is connected to the sound generation IC 710, a control device 722 is connected to the I / O port 712,
A communication device 724 is connected to the I / O port 714.

The ROM 702 stores initialization information of the main body of the game apparatus 1 and basic information for operating each part. The information storage medium 706 corresponds to the information storage medium 500 in the functional block shown in FIG. 4, and stores the game information 510, various image data, sound data, play data, and the like. As an information storage medium that stores the game information 510 and the like, a CD-R
OM, game cassette, DVD, memory card, etc. are used.

The control device 722 corresponds to the controller 10 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
This is a device for inputting into the main body of the game device 1 the result of the judgment made by the player according to the progress of the game.

According to the program stored in the information storage medium 706, the system program stored in the ROM 702 (initialization information of the apparatus main body, etc.), the signal input by the control unit 722, the CPU 700 controls the entire apparatus and performs various operations. Perform data processing. RAM704 is
The storage unit is used as a work area of the CPU 700, and stores given contents of the information storage medium 706 and the ROM 702, or the calculation result of the CPU 700.
The RAM 704 functions as the temporary storage unit 600 in the functional block shown in FIG.

Furthermore, this type of device includes a sound generation IC 71
0 and an image generation IC 708 are provided so that a game sound and a game image can be appropriately output.
The sound generation IC 710 includes an information storage medium 706 and a ROM 70.
2 is an integrated circuit that generates a game sound such as a sound effect or background music based on the information stored in 2. The speaker 720 outputs the generated game sound.
The image generation IC 708 includes a ROM 702 and a RAM 7
04, an integrated circuit that generates pixel information to be output to the display device 718 based on image information output from the information storage medium 706 or the like. Further, the display device 718 is a CRT.
, LCD, TV, plasma display, projector and the like.

The communication device 724 is for exchanging various kinds of information used inside the game device 1 with the outside, and is connected to another game device 1 to connect the game information 51.
It is used to send and receive given information according to 0, and to send and receive information such as game information 510 via a communication line.

The various processes described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12 are the information storage medium 706 storing a program for performing the various processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 10 to 12. CP operating according to the program
It is realized by the U700, the image generation IC 708, the sound generation IC 710, and the like. The processing performed by the image generation IC 708, the sound generation IC 710, and the like may be performed by software by the CPU 700, a general-purpose DSP, or the like.

As described above, by providing a mode in which one player monopolizes and uses one controller and a mode in which two players share one controller, the number of controller terminals can be increased more than the number of controller terminals of the game device. It is possible for players to participate in the game at the same time. Also, when a predetermined condition (exchange condition) is satisfied, the characters corresponding to the respective button groups are exchanged, so that the player can enjoy the strange change in the operation symmetry.

Second Embodiment A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16. In the first embodiment, a mode in which one player monopolizes and uses one controller 10 (input mode for one player)
The configuration has been described in which two players can switch to a mode that is shared by two players at the same time (input mode for two players).

When one controller 10 is shared by two players to control two characters at the same time,
The number of control buttons per character is halved compared to the case of one character. Therefore, in the two-person input mode, the controllable action content of the character may decrease compared to the one-person input mode.

For example, according to the one-person operation table 532 shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the receive, attack, and serve, the provocation action and the super attack can be instructed by the A to D buttons. However, in the two-person input mode, according to the two-person operation table 534 of FIG. 9, the buttons corresponding to the function buttons are the two auxiliary buttons H1 and H2.
(Or, H3, H4) is halved, so it is not possible to instruct a provocation action or super attack.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, in the two-person input mode, each button is associated with a plurality of commands, and the read command is automatically changed according to the progress of the game. The controllable operation contents can be appropriately executed in the two-person input mode.

The second embodiment will be described below with reference to the game device 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of the points common to the first embodiment will be omitted, the same functions and configurations will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and different points will be mainly described.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a two-person operation table 534 'in the second embodiment. 14
In the two-person operation table 534 ′ shown in FIG. 2, one button corresponds to a plurality of commands, and each command is attached with a “switching condition”. Different from the operation table 534. The “switching condition” is a condition used when any one is selected from a plurality of commands corresponding to one button.

A two-person operation table 534 'shown in FIG.
According to, A to D buttons and direction buttons (↑ ↓ ←
→) has no switching condition. On the other hand, the auxiliary buttons H1 to H4 for instructing a function correspond to two commands and switching conditions, respectively.

The H1 and H3 buttons correspond to the provocation action execution command and the receive execution command, and α is added as a switching condition. If the condition α is satisfied, the provocation action command is selected, and in other cases, the receive command is selected. It should be noted that the condition α is, for example, during a game, at the time of court change, or before serving of the opponent team.

The H2 and H4 buttons correspond to the super attack execution command and the serve or attack execution command, and β is added as a switching condition. Condition β
If the above conditions are satisfied, the super attack command is selected, and in other cases, the serve or attack command is selected. It should be noted that the condition β includes, for example, when the operating character has a predetermined point, when the operating character has a specific item, and when the score difference exceeds a predetermined value.

The operation control unit 112 performs an operation determination process (a process of determining a command corresponding to a pressed button; FIG.
(See 0), a process for determining a switching condition (switching condition determination process) is performed. Then, the determination result is stored in the temporary storage unit 600.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the determination data 640 storing the determination result of the switching condition. According to the figure, the determination data 640 is associated with a “switching determination flag” for each condition. When the switching condition is satisfied, the operation control unit 112 sets the switching determination flag to “1”, that is, ON.
If not satisfied, the switching determination flag is set to “0”, that is, OF
Let's say F.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart for explaining the switching condition judgment processing. The operation control unit 112 periodically executes the following processing for each unit frame. A program for the operation control unit 112 (that is, the hardware such as the CPU 700) to execute the following processing is prestored in the information storage medium 500, and is read out and executed at any time.

According to FIG. 16, the operation control section 112 determines whether or not the current game situation satisfies the condition α (step S50). When the condition α is satisfied (Y),
The switching determination flag corresponding to the condition α of the determination data 640 is set to 1 (ON) (step S51). On the other hand, when the condition α is not satisfied (N), the switching determination flag is set to 0 (OF
F) (step S52).

Subsequently, the operation control section 112 determines whether or not the current game situation satisfies the condition β (step S5).
3). If the condition β is satisfied (Y), the switching determination flag corresponding to the condition β of the determination data 640 is set to 1 (ON) (step S54). On the other hand, when the condition β is not satisfied (N), the switching determination flag is set to 0 (OFF) (step S55), and this processing ends.

In the operation determination process shown in FIG. 10, the operation control unit 112 reads out a command from the two-person operation table 534 'in step S14, and when there are a plurality of commands corresponding to the input button, Reads the determination data 640 from the temporary storage unit 600 and selects 1 command according to ON / OFF of the switching determination flag.

As described above, in the second embodiment, 2
In the human input mode, a plurality of commands are made to correspond to one button, and one command corresponding to the progress status of the game is selected for the pressed button. Therefore, even in the two-person input mode in which the operating means per character is reduced, it is possible to realize the same operation as in the one-person input mode.

[Third Embodiment] A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the single-player input mode in the first embodiment, the player is the controller 1
It was decided to monopolize 0 and operate the function buttons (A to D buttons) with the right hand and the direction buttons (↑ ↓ ← →) with the left hand.

On the other hand, in the two-player input mode, two players share one controller 10, one player uses the right-hand button group 16b, and the other player uses the left-hand button group 16a. At this time, when the controller 10 having a symmetrical button arrangement as shown in FIG. 3 is used, one player can perform a button operation equivalent to a normal button operation, but the other player performs a button operation opposite to the normal button operation. Be forced.

That is, for the player using the left-hand button group 16a, the direction buttons (↑ ↓ ← →) are located on the left hand side, and the function buttons (auxiliary buttons H3, H4) are located on the right hand side. Can be operated. On the other hand, for the player using the right hand button group 16b, the direction buttons (A to D buttons) are located on the right hand side, and the function buttons (auxiliary buttons H1 and H2) are located on the left hand side. Therefore, the dominant hand is reversed.

At this time, regarding the right hand button group 16b,
If the H1, H2, D, and C buttons are set as direction buttons and the A and B buttons are set as function buttons, the positional relationship between the direction buttons and the function buttons becomes equal to the normal button arrangement.
However, in this case, the button group (H
The arrangement of (1, H2, D, C) is disordered and is not suitable for a game that requires a momentary judgment input.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, a handicap is given to an input from a button group corresponding to an advantageous position so that any player can play the game under equal conditions.

The third embodiment will be described below using the game device 1 described in the first embodiment.
Therefore, description of the points common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the same functions and configurations will be denoted by the same reference numerals.
The difference will be mainly described. As a handicap for buttons in an advantageous position, for example,
There are methods of changing the control mode of the character, such as delaying the reaction speed to the button input, reducing the ability value of the character, and changing the reaction threshold in the case of the analog input button. In the following, a case where the response speed to button input is delayed will be described as an example.

That is, in the third embodiment, when there is a button input in the two-person input mode, if the relevant button belongs to the left-hand button group 16a (advantageous position), it waits for a predetermined time. , The response speed to the input of the right hand button group 16b is delayed.

The operation determination process 2 in the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the figure, the processing of steps S10 to S15 and step S16 is almost the same as the operation determination processing described with reference to FIG. 10, and therefore the description thereof is omitted here.

In the two-person input mode, when the operation character is determined in step S15, the operation control section 112 reads the right / left attribute (left hand or left hand) read in step S14.
Based on (for right hand), it is determined whether or not the attribute of the pressed button is left (step T1).

In step T1, if the attribute of the pressed button is right (N), the process proceeds to step S16, the character control unit 114 executes the character control process, and this process ends.

On the other hand, if the attribute is left (step T
1; Y), time counting is started (step T
2) Then, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed (step T3). If the predetermined time has not passed (N), the process waits as it is, and if the predetermined time has passed (Y), step S1.
6, the character control unit 114 causes the character control process to be executed, and the present process ends.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the control mode of the character is changed according to the input of the button group corresponding to the advantageous position. Therefore, it is prevented that only one player becomes advantageous in the two-player input mode.

[Fourth Embodiment] A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18A, each direction button is associated with the coordinate system in the game space (see the operation table in FIGS. 8 and 9).

In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18B, the up, down, left and right of the display 20 are associated with the respective direction buttons. In other words, the depth direction and the left and right directions of the virtual space visible through the screen are associated with the direction buttons.

By the way, in the two-player input mode, two players share one controller 10, but it can be held in various ways. For example, as for the left hand button group 16a, as shown in FIG. 19, a holding method (POS1) in which the ↑ button is at the back with respect to the base of the thumb,
→ There are two ways to hold the button (POS2) and one way to hold the ↓ button (POS3).

In the controller 10 shown in FIG. 19, when four buttons arranged in a cross shape (that is, A to D buttons, ↑ ↓ ← → buttons) are used as direction buttons, as a player's psychology, the base of the thumb is used. It is conceivable that a button farther from the virtual space is set to the back of the virtual space, and the left and right buttons when the thumb is horizontally swung are determined to be the left and right in the virtual space. Therefore, normally, the direction of the button at the back is aligned with the position of the grip as the instruction button for the depth (direction to move away).

However, in the two-person input mode, FIG.
When holding POS2 or POS3 as shown in, the sensual direction of the player does not match the direction set on the button. Therefore, there is a possibility that a player who plays the game with a sense of urgency feels difficult to operate. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the player is allowed to freely change the direction instruction command corresponding to each button.

The fourth embodiment will be described below using the game device 1 described in the first embodiment.
Therefore, description of the points common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the same functions and configurations will be denoted by the same reference numerals.
The difference will be mainly described.

Information Storage Medium 5 in the Fourth Embodiment
00 has three positions (POS1
Up to POS3), three two-person operation tables 534a, 534b, 534c are stored. For example, in the two-person operation table 534a at the position POS1, the ↑ button and the A button point in the depth direction of the virtual space, and the position
On the POS2 two-person operation table 534b, the → button and B
The button points in the depth direction, and in the two-person operation table 534c at the position POS3, the ↓ button and the C button are set to point in the depth direction.

In the setting process at the start of the game (see FIG. 5), the operation control unit 112 sets the character corresponding to each button group (for right hand or left hand) in step S6 and sets the player's grip position. Set.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of two-person correspondence data 624 'in the fourth embodiment. The two-person correspondence data 624 ′ shown in FIG. 21 is that the operation position for the left / right hand button group 16 is stored, and thus the two-person correspondence data of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7B. Different from the data 624.

The operation determination process 3 executed during the execution of the game will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the figure, steps S10 to S
Since the processing of 13 and step S16 is almost the same as the operation determination processing described with reference to FIG. 10, the description thereof will be omitted here.

When the operation control unit 112 determines that the input mode of the controller 10 which has input the operation signal is for two persons (step S11: for two persons), the left and right attribute table 560 shown in FIG. Based on this, the right / left attribute of the pressed button is determined (step U1). The left / right attribute table 560 is a table in which the left / right attributes (for left hand or for right hand) of each button are associated with each other, and is stored in the information storage medium 600.

Then, the attributes of the controller 10 (first or
Second) and the determined right / left attribute, the position of the player and the character to be operated are determined from the two-person correspondence data 624 'of FIG. 21 (step U).
2).

Further, the two-person operation table 534a-c corresponding to the position determined in step U2 is selected (step U3), and the selected two-person operation table 5 is selected.
The command corresponding to the pressed button is read from 34a to 34c (step U4).

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the two-person operation table is prepared for each position of the player, and the command corresponding to each position is read out. Therefore, the player can comfortably operate the player according to his or her preferred way of holding.

In the third embodiment, an example of giving a handicap according to the player's gripping position has been described, but the character control mode is changed for each position in the fourth embodiment, and You may set so that you can enjoy the game equally.

[Fifth Embodiment] A fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fifth embodiment, a case where a controller equipped with an analog stick is used will be described.

In the following, the fifth embodiment will be described using the game device 1 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of the points common to the first embodiment will be omitted, the same functions and configurations will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and different points will be mainly described.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the controller 10 'in the fifth embodiment. The controller 10 ′ shown in FIG. 24 includes analog sticks 18 a, 18
The difference from the controller 10 shown in FIG. The analog sticks 18a and 18b detect the direction in which the player is tilted (that is, the angle from the reference direction) and output them to the main body of the game apparatus 1, and are mainly used as direction designating means.

When the direction is specified by the button input, since four buttons corresponding to the four directions of the virtual space are fixedly installed in the controller 10 ', as shown in FIG. Direction of holding) is at most 3 or 4
Limited to one. However, when the direction is instructed using the analog sticks 18a and 18b as shown in FIG. 24, more various ways of holding are possible (FIGS. 25 and 26).
reference).

Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, the player can freely and arbitrarily set the operation direction of the analog sticks 18a and 18b with respect to the virtual space, and the character control based on the setting is realized.

The fifth embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.
Will be described with reference to. In addition to the information shown in FIG. 4, the information storage medium 500 stores the default operation reference direction 570 of the analog sticks 18a and 18b with respect to the depth direction of the virtual space (FIG. 27 (a)). For example, the direction away from the position of the grip 12 (Fig. 24; γ direction)
Is set as the default operation reference direction.

Before the game starts, the operation control section 112 gives the player the analog sticks 18a, 1 for the depth.
8b, the operation reference direction 570 stored in the information storage medium 500 and the specified operation reference direction 8
The angle difference θ from 00 is calculated (FIG. 27 (b)). At this time, the calculated angle difference θ is used as a correction angle in the temporary storage unit 60.
It is stored in 0 (FIG. 27 (c)).

During the game execution, the operation control section 11
2, when the angle information (angle φ with respect to the operation reference direction) is input from the analog sticks 18a and 18b, the correction angle θ stored in the temporary storage unit 600 is subtracted (φ−
θ), correct.

With the above processing, for the controller 10 'having the analog operation section, even in the input mode for two players, it is possible to perform a game operation using both analog operation and digital operation as in the input mode for one player. Also,
It is possible to provide an operation mode that does not make the player feel uncomfortable.

The contents described in the first to fifth embodiments can be modified in various ways. For example, in the first to fourth embodiments, the case where the controller 10 shown in FIG. 3 is used has been described as an example.
It is not necessary to limit to the controller of the configuration. Hereinafter, modified examples of the controller will be described.

(1) Controller with Speaker FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an example of the controller 90 with a speaker. According to the figure, the grip 12
A left speaker 92a and a right speaker 92b are arranged in the vicinity of a and 12b, respectively.

In the two-person input mode, the processing system of the game device 1 outputs the voice of the operating character of the left hand button group 16a from the left speaker 92a, and the right hand button group 16b.
The voice of the operating character is output from the right speaker 92b.

The speaker control process will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Processing unit 100
Determines whether to generate a character sound (step S60), and if there is no sound output (N), ends the process. On the other hand, if the conditions for outputting the voice of the character are met (Y), the character is determined based on the one-person correspondence data 622 and the two-person correspondence data 624 shown in FIG. 7 (step S61), and the corresponding character is dealt with. The input mode of the controller 90 to be operated is determined (step S62).

When the input mode is for one person (step S
62; N), sound is output from the left and right speakers 92a and 92b of the corresponding controller 90 (step S63), and the process ends.

In the two-person input mode (step S
62; Y), controller attributes and left and right attributes corresponding to the character are read out from the two-person correspondence data 624 (step S64). If the attribute is left (step S65; left), a sound is output from the left speaker 92a of the corresponding controller 90 (step S66), and the process ends. On the other hand, if the attribute is right (step S6)
5; right), sound is output from the right speaker 92b of the corresponding controller 90 (step S67), and the process ends.

Thus, the two speakers 92 on the left and right
When the controller 90 including a and 92b is used, it is possible to double the fun of the game by controlling the sound output according to the corresponding character.

The controller having the speaker is not limited to the type having the speaker directly as shown in FIG. 28, but may be the type having two earphone jacks. That is, the configuration may be such that two players listen to the game sound by wearing the earphones separately. In this case, it is preferable to output the sound separately to the right side and the left side of the earphone.

(2) Controller with Vibration Motor In the related art, there is a controller having a vibration motor in the grip part, and the vibration motor is driven according to the progress of the game to transmit the vibration to the player holding the grip. There is.

Therefore, when the operating character of the right hand button group satisfies the vibration generating condition, the vibration motor of the right grip is driven, and when the operating character of the left hand button group satisfies the vibration generating condition. The vibration motor of the left grip may be driven, and the vibration motor driven according to the character may be controlled.

Specifically, similar to the speaker control process shown in FIG. 29, the input mode is determined, and if it is the two-person input mode, it is driven based on the right / left attribute corresponding to the corresponding character. Determine the vibration motor.

As described above, the vibration motor driven according to the character may be controlled.

(3) Controller with Monitor FIG. 30 is an external perspective view showing an example of the controller 94 with an auxiliary monitor. According to the figure, an auxiliary monitor 96 is installed at an intermediate position between the right hand button group 16b and the left hand button group 16a. The input mode of the controller 94 may be displayed on the auxiliary monitor.

Specifically, when the input mode is determined in step S3 of the setting process (see FIG. 5) before the game starts, if the input mode is for one player, the processing section 10
0 outputs a display signal in the one-person input mode to the corresponding controller 94, and causes the auxiliary monitor 96 to display the one-person input mode. On the other hand, when the input mode is for two persons, the processing unit 100 outputs a display signal for the input mode for two persons to the corresponding controller 94, and displays on the auxiliary monitor 96 that it is for two persons. Let Alternatively, the character corresponding to each button group may be displayed in the two-person input mode. As described above, in the controller including the monitor, by displaying the input mode, the player can confirm the input mode even during the game execution.

In addition, according to the first to fifth embodiments, the case where the beach volleyball game is executed by the game apparatus 1 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.
Of course, it may be applied to other ball games, adventure games, car racing games, fighting action games, and the like.

[0174]

According to the present invention, the character control is performed by automatically changing the operation signal from the operation device group depending on whether one person is selected or two persons are selected. Therefore,
It is possible to allow more players to simultaneously participate in the game than the number of controller terminals provided in the game device.
Further, in the control for two players, it is possible to diversify the rules of the game by forcibly changing the control target character of each operation device group during the execution of the game, and to develop a game that does not get tired. .

Further, by setting the operation mode and the character control amount according to the operation position with respect to the grip type controller, it is possible to provide a comfortable game environment for all players who execute the game.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a game device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a game image.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a controller according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the game device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a setting process.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of input mode data.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an example of one-person correspondence data. (B) is a figure showing an example of correspondence data for two persons.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a one-person operation table.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a two-person operation table.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation determination process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an allocation change process.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a character control process.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of a game device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a two-person operation table in the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of determination data.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a switching condition determination process.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation determination process 2 according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 18A is a diagram showing correspondence between direction buttons and instruction contents in the first embodiment. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing correspondence between direction buttons and instruction contents in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of operation positions.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a two-person operation table according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of two-person correspondence data in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an operation determination process 3 according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a left / right attribute table.

FIG. 24 is a plan view showing an example of a controller including an analog stick.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of an operation position.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of an operation position.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a method of correcting a direction instruction using an analog stick.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing an example of a controller including a speaker.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating a speaker control process.

FIG. 30 is a plan view showing an example of a controller including a monitor.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 game device 10 controller 100 processing unit 110 Game calculation unit 112 Operation control unit 114 character control unit 120 Image generator 130 sound generator 200 input section 300 display 400 sound output section 500 information storage medium 510 game information 520 setting program 530 Operation judgment program 532 Operation table for one person 534 Operation table for two persons 540 Assignment change program 550 character control program 560 Left / Right attribute table 600 temporary storage 610 Input mode data 620 CC compatible data 622 Data for one person Data for 624 people 630 Running operation

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Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A grip type controller, which is integrally formed with a first manipulator group and a second manipulator group, is connected, and one or more of them are based on an operation signal input from the grip type controller. Selecting means for selecting whether to use the grip type controller for one person or two persons, for a home-use game apparatus that controls a character to execute a given game. When the one player is selected by, the one player control is performed in which the operation signal from the first operating device group and the second operating device group is input to the first player, and the two players are operated by the selecting means. If is selected, the first
A control means for controlling the character by performing a two-person control in which an operation signal from the operation device group is input by the first player and an operation signal from the second operation device group is input by the second player; Calculation of the processor provided in the home game device
Control information for functioning by control. 2. The control information according to claim 1, wherein the character includes a first character and a second character, and when the control means is for the one-person control, the first character is used. The first character and the second character are controlled based on the input of the player, and in the case of the control for two players, the first character is controlled based on the input of the first player, and based on the input of the second player. Control information characterized by including information for controlling the second character. 3. A grip type controller integrally formed with a first manipulator group and a second manipulator group is connected, and the first character is based on an operation signal input from the grip type controller. And selection means for selecting whether to use the grip type controller for one person or two persons for a home-use game apparatus that controls a second character to execute a given game, and the selection. When the device for two persons is selected by the means, the first character is controlled based on the operation signal from the first operation device group, and the second character is based on the operation signal from the second operation device group. And a control means for performing two-person control for controlling the operation of the processor provided in the home-use game apparatus.
Control information for functioning by control. 4. The control information according to claim 3, wherein the control means switches the character to be controlled during the game execution when the one-person selection is selected by the selection means. Control information including information for performing one-person control for controlling the first character and the second character based on operation signals from the first operation device group and the second operation device group. . 5. The control information according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, in the control for two persons, the control means sets a control target of a control target based on an operation signal from the first operation device group. Control information including information for causing the home-use game apparatus to function so as to have a forced switching unit for forcibly switching between the character and the character to be controlled by the operation signal from the second controller group. 6. The control information according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the control unit has an operation content corresponding to an input operation signal, out of a plurality of operation contents. Whether or not
The one-person control includes information for making a decision based on the type of operation signal, and the two-person control, including information for making an automatic decision in accordance with the progress of the game. Control information. 7. The control information according to claim 1, wherein the first operation device group of the grip type controller includes at least one first analog input device and at least one first digital input device. An input device is arranged on one of the left and right sides of the grip type controller, and the second operation device group includes at least one second analog input device and at least one second digital input device. It is arranged on the other side part of the grip type controller, and the control means, in the case of the one-person control, operation signals from the first analog input device and the second digital input device, or A first digital input device and the second
Control information including information for controlling a character based on an operation signal from an analog input device. 8. The control information according to claim 1, wherein one of a plurality of operation positions with respect to the first operation device group, which is set in advance for the two-person control, Operation position selecting means for selecting an operation position, and, in the two-person control, the operation content of the operation signal from the first operation device group according to the operation position selected by the operation position selecting means. Control information comprising: operation content changing means for changing; and information for causing the home-use game apparatus to function. 9. The control information according to claim 8, wherein the operation content changing unit sets a character control amount for the same operation signal input from the first operation device group by the operation position selecting unit. Control information including information for changing according to the selected operation position. 10. The control information according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the operation content of the operation signal from the first operation device group and / or the character control amount during the two-person control. The control information includes information for causing the setting means for setting the above-mentioned home game apparatus to function. 11. The control information according to claim 1, wherein the grip-type controller outputs sounds of two systems based on a sound signal input from the home-use game device. Control information including output means, including information for causing the household game device to function as sound control means for variably controlling the sound signal according to whether or not the control is for two persons. 12. The control information according to claim 1, wherein the grip type controller includes at least two vibrating means that vibrate based on a drive signal input from the home-use game machine. Control information including information for causing the home-use game apparatus to function as vibration control means for variably controlling the drive signal according to whether or not the control is for two persons. 13. The control information according to claim 1, wherein the grip type controller includes a display unit that displays an image based on an image signal input from the home-use game machine. , Control information including information for causing the home-use game apparatus to function as image control means for variably controlling the image signal depending on whether or not the control is for two persons. 14. An information storage medium for storing the control information according to claim 1. 15. A grip type controller, which is integrally formed with a first manipulator group and a second manipulator group, is connected, and one or a plurality of groups are provided based on an operation signal input from the grip type controller. A game device for controlling a character to execute a given game, the selecting device selecting whether to use the grip type controller for one person or for two people; When the player's selection is made, the player's control is performed by inputting the operation signals from the first operating device group and the second operating device group to the input of the first player, and the selecting means selects the operating device for the two players. If selected, the first
Control means for controlling the character by performing a two-person control in which an operation signal from the operation device group is input by the first player and an operation signal from the second operation device group is input by the second player. A game device characterized by the above. 16. A first character based on an operation signal input from the grip type controller to which a grip type controller integrally formed with a first manipulator group and a second manipulator group is connected. And a game device for controlling a second character to execute a given game, the selection device selecting whether to use the grip type controller for one person or for two people, and the selection means. When two players are selected, the first character is controlled based on an operation signal from the first operation device group, and the second character is controlled based on an operation signal from the second operation device group. And a control means for performing control for two players.