JP2007175541A - Game device and image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a racing game, which extracts a new interest of a game player and is more varied in reality than before. <P>SOLUTION: A player's own vehicle 201 running along a race course 200 is displayed on a screen, and the status of competition with competitor's vehicles (not shown) can be observed. In the central area of the upper part of the screen, a target rank and the current rank (Position) are displayed, and when the own car reaches the target rank, the game time is prolonged as "bonus time", and simultaneously a new target rank of higher order is set and displayed on the screen. Thus, a race can be enjoyed with a definite object at every time. A start method is a rolling start, so that at the start of the game, the vehicle runs, and presentation can be always impressive. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game apparatus that performs a game such as a racing game in which a player operates an object (for example, a vehicle) displayed on a screen and competes for speed, and an improvement in image processing technology used in the game apparatus.

  In a conventional racing game, in particular, a racing game in an arcade game, a bonus time is generally given to a player every time a predetermined point is passed within a predetermined time. In addition, the conventional racing game has insufficient reality in terms of expression of the exhaust gas etc. whose shape is not clear. But players are looking for more diverse and realistic racing games.

  The present invention has been created based on such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a racing game that draws out new interests of players and is more realistic than ever before.

  The present invention defines a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player in a virtual three-dimensional space, and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object. In the game apparatus and the image processing method for determining whether or not to continue the player's operation according to the movement status of the first object, the movement status of the second object is displayed on the screen. The target rank is set, and when it reaches the target rank, the game time of the player is extended and a higher-order target rank is newly set. As a result, it is possible to enjoy a race with a clear purpose each time, and to give the player a different interest than before.

  The present invention defines a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player in a virtual three-dimensional space, and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object. And a game apparatus that displays a moving state of the second object on the screen and causes a slip stream effect when the first object is located within a predetermined distance behind the second object, and image processing thereof In the method, a display indicating the effect of the slipstream is displayed together with a display indicating the first object. This makes it easy to enjoy realistic racing.

  The present invention defines a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player in a virtual three-dimensional space, and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object. In the game apparatus and the image processing method for displaying the movement status of the second object on the screen, when the second object is located within a predetermined distance of the first object, the status of the second object To the player. This makes it possible to enjoy racing while creating a strategy that takes the surroundings into consideration.

  The present invention defines a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player in a virtual three-dimensional space, and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object. And a game apparatus for displaying a moving state of the second object on the screen and displaying a display unit for displaying a situation behind the first object on the screen in accordance with an instruction or situation of the player In the method, when the display unit is displayed, the display position of another display already displayed on the screen is changed, and the display unit is displayed at a place where the other display is displayed. As a result, the game can be enjoyed from various viewpoints and the appearance of the display unit is not overlooked.

  The present invention defines a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player in a virtual three-dimensional space, and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object. In the game apparatus and the image processing method for displaying the movement status of the second object on the screen, a pit road is defined for the course of movement of the first object and the second object, and the first object When the player enters the pit road and performs a predetermined operation, the pit work is performed. As a result, pitwork unintended by the player can be avoided. Also, the player's play time is extended at the first pit work, and the pit work is selected by braking in a predetermined area. As a result, the advantages of pit-in are clarified and the sense of reality is enhanced, and the selection operation is close to that of a real race.

  The present invention defines a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player in a virtual three-dimensional space, and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object. In the game apparatus and the image processing method for displaying the movement state of the second object on the screen, when the first object spins and rotates, the angle becomes larger than a predetermined angle with respect to the traveling direction. The rotation is continued until the first object is in the same direction as the traveling direction. This prevents the occurrence of a large loss time and increases the enjoyment of the player.

  The present invention defines a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player in a virtual three-dimensional space, and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object. In the game apparatus and the image processing method for displaying the movement status of the second object on the screen, when the speed of the first object changes, the relative speed between the first object and the second object is predetermined. The speed of the second object is changed with a time delay so as to become a value. As a result, the vehicle can always enjoy an intense race in the vehicle group, and the movement is natural.

  The present invention relates to a game apparatus that converts an object defined in a virtual three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional image and displays the image on a screen, and an image processing method thereof, and an area having a predetermined size in the virtual three-dimensional space, A plurality of particles having a predetermined size are defined in the region, the region and the particles in the region are projected onto a two-dimensional surface toward the viewpoint, and a lattice is formed in the region projected on the two-dimensional surface. When a particle in the region projected onto the two-dimensional plane and a lattice point on the lattice overlap, a predetermined parameter is set for the lattice point, and a pixel at the lattice point is generated based on the parameter . This makes it possible to express realistically about an object whose shape is not clear. The region defined in the virtual three-dimensional space is a three-dimensional region, and the plurality of particles are defined in the three-dimensional region. For pixels between grids, the calculation load can be reduced by setting the components so that the components of the grid points are linearly interpolated. For each particle projection, a range that affects the surrounding grid points is set, and for each grid point, the components of the grid points are set according to the number of particles in the affected range. The distance from the particle to the particle may be larger as the distance is shorter. The component of each lattice point may be set according to the number of particles projected onto the lattice point. Further, a texture image of an object to be expressed is set in advance, each lattice point is associated with a pixel of the texture image, and a pixel at the lattice point is generated from a component of the corresponding pixel and a parameter set for the lattice point. Also good.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a machine-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method. Here, the “recording medium” is a medium in which information (mainly digital data, a program) is recorded by some physical means, and causes a processing device such as a computer or a dedicated processor to perform a predetermined function. It is something that can be done. In short, any means may be used as long as it downloads a program to a computer and executes a predetermined function by any means. For example, flexible disk, fixed disk, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disk, CD, CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, PD, MD, DCC, ROM cartridge, with battery backup A RAM memory cartridge, a flash memory cartridge, a nonvolatile RAM cartridge, and the like are included. This includes the case where data is transferred from the host computer via a wired or wireless communication line (public line, data dedicated line, satellite line, etc.). The so-called Internet is included in this recording medium.

  Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a game device according to this embodiment. The game apparatus 100 includes a program data storage device or storage medium (including an optical disc and an optical disc drive) 101 in which a game program and data (including video / music data) are stored, execution of the game program, and control of the entire system. A CPU 102 that performs coordinate calculation for image display, a system memory 103 that stores programs and data necessary for the CPU 102 to perform processing, and a program and data necessary when the game apparatus 100 is activated are stored. The BOOTROM 104 and a bus arbiter 105 that controls the flow of programs and data between each block of the game apparatus 100 and devices connected to the outside are provided, and these are connected to a bus (not shown).

  A rendering processor 106 is connected to the bus, and video data read from the program data storage device or the storage medium 101 and images to be generated according to the player's operation and game progress are displayed by the rendering processor 106. It is displayed on the monitor 110. Graphic data and the like necessary for the rendering processor 106 to generate an image are stored in the graphic memory 107.

  A sound processor 108 is connected to the bus, and music data read from the program data storage device or storage medium 101 and sound effects and sounds to be generated according to the player's operations and game progress are sent by the sound processor 108 to the speaker 111. Is output from. Sound data and the like necessary for the sound processor 108 to generate sound effects and sounds are stored in the sound memory 109.

  A modem 112 is connected to the game apparatus 100 and can communicate with other game apparatuses 100 and network servers through a telephone line (not shown). Further, the game apparatus 100 includes a backup memory 113 (including a disk storage medium and a storage device) that records information about the progress of the game and program data that is input / output via a modem, and the game apparatus 100 according to the operation of the operator. A controller 114 for inputting information for controlling an externally connected device (not shown) to the game apparatus 100 is connected.

2 and 3 show examples of the screen configuration of the racing game displayed on the display monitor 110. FIG. The own vehicle 201 traveling on the race course 200 is displayed on the screen of FIG. 2, and the situation of competition with an enemy vehicle (not shown) can be observed. The screen of FIG. 3 displays a view of the front from the cockpit of the own vehicle, and the situation of the enemy vehicle 204 ahead can be seen. Hereinafter, characteristic parts of the racing game will be described sequentially.
(Target order)
The racing game of the present embodiment can select any one of the “single-player”, “time attack”, and “match” modes, and the present embodiment is most characteristic in the “single-player” and “match” modes. In these modes, each player does not aim to travel faster on the course, but causes each player to travel his or her vehicle to reach the target rank set by the game apparatus 100. In the upper center of the screen, the target rank (Target: “10th place” in the figure is the target rank) and the current rank (Position: “12th of 30 cars” in the figure are the current ranks. Is displayed. When the host vehicle reaches the target rank, the game time is extended as “bonus time”, and at the same time, a new higher rank target rank is set and displayed on the screen. This allows you to enjoy a race with a clear purpose each time. The start method is rolling start, and the vehicle is running from the start of the game, and the operation can be switched to a player from a predetermined point so that the game can be started while maintaining a predetermined rank with other vehicles. It has become.

On the other hand, in the “time attack mode”, bonus time is added for each check point, and data such as total time, lap time, section time, best lap, maximum speed, and average speed are displayed when the course is completed. In the “competition mode”, a plurality of players start rolling at the same time, and a bonus time is added for each check point to compete for a ranking at the time when any vehicle finishes.
(Slip stream)
In this racing game, it is possible to create a “slipstream” effect in which the air resistance decreases when the host vehicle wraps behind the enemy vehicle, and enjoys realistic racing. When the “slipstream” effect occurs, not only the speed of the host vehicle increases, but also the player can experience the effect such as a lighter steering kickback. A drafting meter 202 indicating “slip stream” is displayed at a substantially lower center of the screen. The drafting meter is made up of a figure that looks like a left-facing vehicle and a band (gauge) along the upper surface thereof, and the length of the portion where the color of the band changes corresponds to the magnitude of the effect of “slipstream”. The color of the band changes from the left (inverted to the position of drf in FIG. 2), and the color change part extends to the right as the effect increases. By displaying the belt along with the vehicle display in this manner, the air resistance applied to the vehicle is displayed in an intuitively easy-to-understand expression, so that the player can easily become familiar with traveling using “slipstream”.

When a slipstream occurs, the effect of “turbulence” is also generated, and the situation such as a decrease in vehicle speed or instability of the vehicle body is reproduced due to the influence of a nearby vehicle, enhancing the sense of reality. .
(Pit radio)
To the right of the current ranking display, a display ("PIT" character and lightning-like figure) indicating that "pit radio" has been received is provided, and after the display becomes active, the positional relationship with the enemy vehicle A warning message is displayed. This makes it possible to enjoy racing while making a strategy that takes into account the surrounding conditions. As shown in FIG. 4, rectangular areas ZF (front), ZB (rear), ZR (right), and ZL (left) of a predetermined size are set on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the own vehicle 201, and enemy vehicles are placed in this area. When entering, a message corresponding to the situation is selected. Tables 1 to 24 show the contents of the pit radio message. Even if the vehicle enters the same area, it is possible to convey more accurate information to the player by changing the message depending on the speed of the enemy vehicle (relative speed with the host vehicle).

（バックミラー）
図２、図３の画面表示はゲーム装置１００のスタートボタン（図示せず。）を押すごとに切り替えられ、さらに図３の画面上部に示すようにバックミラー２０３を適宜表示して、自車後方の状況を観察し得る。バックミラー２０３は目標順位（Ｔａｒｇｅｔ）および現在順位（Ｐｏｓｉｔｉｏｎ）の表示の上に出現し、そのとき目標順位（Ｔａｒｇｅｔ）および現在順位（Ｐｏｓｉｔｉｏｎ）の表示はやや下方に移動する。この表示の移動によって、遊技者の注意が喚起され、遊技者はバックミラーの出現を認識し得る。

(rearview mirror)
The screen display of FIGS. 2 and 3 is switched every time a start button (not shown) of the game apparatus 100 is pressed, and the rearview mirror 203 is appropriately displayed as shown in the upper part of the screen of FIG. You can observe the situation. The rearview mirror 203 appears on the display of the target rank (Target) and the current rank (Position). At that time, the display of the target rank (Target) and the current rank (Position) moves slightly downward. This movement of the display alerts the player, and the player can recognize the appearance of the rearview mirror.

  In addition, the rearview mirror display hides all the images displayed behind it, but the display of the target ranking (Target) and the current ranking (Position) is displayed behind it because there is a gap in the display area. You can see part of the image. Further, since the rearview mirror is displayed above the image, the player's view is not obstructed.

Further, the number of laps, the lap time, and the higher rank (up to the third place in the figure) are displayed on the upper left, the remaining time is displayed on the upper right, and the tachometer and shift are displayed on the lower left. In the “battle mode”, a course map is displayed.
(Pit in)
In conventional racing games, the meaning of pit-in is often significantly different from the actual race. Especially in arcade games, the short game time is premised, so the advantages of pit-in (pit work such as refueling and tire changes) It was difficult to reflect in the race. Also, when a vehicle accidentally enters the pit road due to a collision or the like, it may be forcibly determined to be pit-in against the player's intention. In this racing game, after the vehicle enters the pit road, the player can select whether to perform pit work or simply “pass” the pit.

FIG. 5 shows the situation of the vehicle on the pit road PR. When the vehicle 201 enters the pit road PR from the right side of the figure, it becomes auto-drive (arrows P1, P2), and first reaches the braking area BA (the pit road is colored red). Just before the braking area BA, a message “Pit work when you step on the red area!” Is displayed on the screen, and the player knows that the selection is possible. When the brake is depressed in the braking area BA, the vehicle 201 automatically enters the pit work PW (arrow P4), and the pit work process is performed. After that, it leaves the pit work PW (arrow P5) and returns to the course (arrow P6). If the brake is not depressed in the braking area BA, the vehicle can go straight on, for example, the pit road PR (arrow P3) and return to the course (arrow P6) according to the player's steering operation. When the pit stops, the subtraction of the remaining time stops, but the total time and lap time measurement continues. Therefore, the pit work is a loss time in the race, but in this race game, the bonus time is given only for the first pit work, and the advantage by the pit-in is expressed. However, the remaining time subtraction is not stopped on the last lap of the course. This is in order to prevent the disadvantage that it is more advantageous to pit-in than to run the course by obtaining bonus time. At the time of pit-in, it is possible to remove severely damaged car body parts, and this also raises the sense of reality.
(Spin trick)
During a race, the vehicle may spin due to a collision with an enemy vehicle or fence, a braking operation mistake, etc., but at this time, the vehicle has a property of once stabilizing in the direction in which the tire travels, that is, the traveling direction or the opposite direction. For this reason, the spin often rotates 180 degrees and stops in a state of facing backward. This is based on the actual characteristics of the vehicle, but if the vehicle is reversed from here to resume running, a large loss time occurs, which reduces the refreshing feeling of running in the racing game. Therefore, in this racing game, when a spin occurs, the vehicle is given a characteristic of stopping almost facing forward without giving an unnatural feeling.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the vehicle has spun to an angle B with respect to the course traveling direction A. FIG. Here, the counterclockwise angle is positive and expressed in arc degrees. The driving force of the vehicle for suppressing spin is expressed by angular acceleration (second-order differential of angle B), and in conventional racing games, rotation is suppressed until B = π / 2 or B = −π / 2. After this, the angular acceleration reached its maximum when B = π or B = −π. In this racing game, as shown in the equation (1), the rotation starts by spinning, and the rotation is suppressed until B = π / 2 or B = −π / 2, but after this, the vehicle is π / 2. From 0 to −π / 2, the angular acceleration is set to zero.

これによって車両は−π／２の角度まで（時計回りのときπ／２の角度まで）は確実に回転するので、車両が停止するときの角度Ｂは、式（２）に示すように、横向きよりも前方よりになる。またその動きは自然である。

As a result, the vehicle reliably rotates to an angle of −π / 2 (to an angle of π / 2 when clockwise), so that the angle B when the vehicle stops is lateral as shown in the equation (2). Than before. The movement is natural.

（敵車スピードの適正化）
遊技者の技術によって遊技者の車両の速度は異なるが、敵車との距離が離れすぎてしまうとレースとしての緊迫感、迫力は消失する。本レーシングゲームでは「１人プレイ」に際し、すべて敵車のスピードを自車スピードに応じて調整する。ここで自車スピードをＶ、ｎ台の敵車のスピードをＶｉ（ｉ＝１〜ｎ）、敵車スピードの目標値をＳｉ（ｉ＝１〜ｎ）、自車と敵車の相対速度の目標値をｆ（ｎ）（ｉ＝１〜ｎ）とすると、目標値は式（３）のように設定される。なお相対速度の目標値をｆ（ｎ）はあらかじめテーブル等に記録しておく。

(Adequate enemy vehicle speed)
Although the speed of the player's vehicle varies depending on the player's technique, the sense of urgency and power of the race disappears if the distance from the enemy vehicle is too far. In this racing game, the speed of all enemy vehicles is adjusted according to the speed of the host vehicle when “one player” is played. Here, the vehicle speed is V, the speed of n enemy vehicles is Vi (i = 1 to n), the target value of the enemy vehicle speed is Si (i = 1 to n), and the relative speed of the host vehicle and the enemy vehicle is Assuming that the target value is f (n) (i = 1 to n), the target value is set as shown in Expression (3). Note that the target value of the relative speed f (n) is recorded in advance in a table or the like.

これによって自車は常に敵車とともに車両の集団の中でレースを楽しむことができる。しかし敵車が自車のスピード変化に追随したのでは、敵車を追い越し、あるいは敵車に抜かれる感覚が不自然になるので、各敵車のスピードＶｉの調整は自車スピードＶの変化に対して時間遅れをもって比較的緩やかに行う。これによって自然な追い越し感覚が得られる。
（排気ガスの表現）
レーシングゲームの迫力を高める重要な要素の１つに、排気ガスや砂塵の表現がある。例えば図７に示すように、走行する車両２０１の後方に排気ガスＥＸを表示する場合、従来は煙（排気ガス）のポリゴンを用いていた。

As a result, the vehicle can always enjoy the race in the group of vehicles together with the enemy vehicle. However, if the enemy vehicle follows the speed change of its own vehicle, the feeling of overtaking the enemy vehicle or being pulled out by the enemy vehicle becomes unnatural, so the adjustment of the speed Vi of each enemy vehicle will result in a change of the own vehicle speed V. On the other hand, it is performed relatively slowly with a time delay. This gives a natural sense of overtaking.
(Expression of exhaust gas)
One of the important factors that enhance the power of racing games is the expression of exhaust gas and dust. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the exhaust gas EX is displayed behind the traveling vehicle 201, a smoke (exhaust gas) polygon is conventionally used.

  8 to 12 show a conventional method for expressing the exhaust gas EX.

  As shown in FIG. 8, an area EXA where exhaust gas is to be displayed is set behind the vehicle 201, and smoke (exhaust gas) composed of polygons is arranged in this area. As shown in FIG. 9, the exhaust gas EX is expressed as a three-dimensional surface composed of polygons (polygons) PL such as triangles. Then, the shape of the exhaust gas EX is changed for each frame as shown in FIGS.

  However, since the polygon has a linear shape, it is not suitable for expressing an object such as an exhaust gas whose shape is not clear. Also, if many polygon motion patterns were prepared, the amount of data became enormous and a large memory space was occupied.

  As another method for expressing the exhaust gas EX, a plurality of two-dimensional smoke pictures such as those shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 are prepared, and this is switched and displayed for each display frame like an animation pattern. There is also a way to express the movement of smoke. However, with this method, it is necessary to have a lot of smoke image patterns, and a large-capacity image memory is required to express the movement realistically.

  In this racing game, particles arranged in a three-dimensional space are projected onto a screen, a lattice is set on the screen, and the particle and lattice overlap on the screen (whether there is a lattice point within the range of particle influence) ) To define the brightness, darkness or translucency of each grid point, assign a texture with a picture of smoke prepared in advance to this grid point, and set the brightness, darkness or translucency of the previous grid point. The texture image at the lattice points is obtained by reflecting the information on the texture. Further, the entire exhaust gas EX is obtained by interpolating pixels between lattice points.

  Details of the processing are shown below.

  As shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of spherical particles EP are three-dimensionally distributed in a region where the exhaust gas EX is to be generated. Each spherical particle EP is projected (one-point perspective) onto a screen SC corresponding to the display screen of the game device toward a predetermined viewpoint EY that assumes the player's viewpoint, and a two-dimensional image ep is calculated. In the three-dimensional space of FIG. 13, the y coordinate is set in the vertical direction, the x coordinate in the horizontal direction, and the z coordinate in the depth direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, on the screen SC, the y coordinate is set in the vertical direction and the x coordinate is set in the horizontal direction. The particle image ep on the screen SC has a diameter ed corresponding to the distance L from the viewpoint EY of each particle EP, and the diameter is larger as the distance is closer. This makes it possible to express a sense of perspective. As shown in FIG. 15, a grid having a predetermined interval is defined on the screen SC. First, information such as luminance is calculated for each grid point CR. The diameter ed of each particle image ep indicates a range in which the particle image affects, and the brightness and the density of the lattice points CR included in the influence range are increased by the particles EP. The translucency is set low (so that it becomes more opaque). When one lattice point CR is included in the influence range of a plurality of particle images ep, information on the lattice point CR is calculated as the sum of the influences of these particles. In the figure, grid points CR1, CR2, and CR3 are included in the influence range of two particle images.

  FIG. 16 shows the influence of the particle image on each grid point. In the figure, black circles indicate lattice points CR1, CR2, and CR3 in the influence range of two particle images, and white circles indicate lattice points CR4 to CR16 included in the influence range of one particle image. The distribution of the particles EX in FIG. 13 is changed for each frame. As a mode of this change, a random one, a one calculated based on an equation of motion, or the like can be adopted. Moreover, each particle | grain may be made into fixed brightness | luminance, or a brightness | luminance and color which are individually different may be sufficient.

  In addition to the luminance setting based on the particle image described above, the basic shape of the exhaust gas is set by the exhaust gas texture basic figure EXTX shown in FIG. Thus, an image of an object such as exhaust gas to be expressed can be easily given. The pixels defining the texture basic figure EXTX do not necessarily correspond to the grid points of the screen SC, and the correspondence between the grid points of the screen SC and the texture basic figure pixels PX is set. In FIG. 17, the texture basic figure is composed of 42 × 42 pixels, the number of grid points on the screen SC is 9 × 7, and every five pixels of the texture basic figure in the x and y directions are associated with each grid point. ing. In FIG. 17, among the lattice points on the screen SC, lattice points to which the brightness due to the influence of the particle EX is given by the processing of FIG. 16 are indicated by circles, CR1 to CR3 are indicated by black circles, and CR4 to CR16 are indicated by white circles. Yes.

  Each pixel of the texture basic figure EXTX is given luminance (R, G, B, α), and the corresponding grid point is the sum of the luminance due to the influence of the particle image and the luminance of the corresponding pixel. It is said. For example, the R component R (i, j), G component G (i, j), and B component B (i, j) of the i-th and y-th lattice points CR (i, j) are The number of particle images affecting the point is s, the R component exr (i, j, q), the G component exg (i, j), and the B component exb (i, j) corresponding to the increase in luminance due to each particle image. Then, it is expressed by equations (4) to (6). For the transparency α, the transparency of the texture basic figure may be used as it is. When the added value exceeds the upper limit value of each of the R, G, and B components, the upper limit luminance is set.

このように各格子点ＣＲ（ｉ，ｊ）の輝度を算出した後、図１８に示すように、格子間の画素の輝度を補間演算により求める。

After calculating the luminance of each grid point CR (i, j) in this way, as shown in FIG. 18, the luminance of the pixels between the grids is obtained by interpolation calculation.

  FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of the screen SC for illustrating a method for calculating the luminance between lattice points, and the i-th and j-th lattice points in the x direction are indicated by CR (i, j). Here, a description will be given by taking as an example a region between lattice points CR (i, j), CR (i + 1, j), CR (i, j + 1), and CR (i + 1, j + 1). The interval between the lattice points is x direction Lx, y direction Ly, the distance in the x direction in this region is xi, the distance in the y direction is yi, and the luminance (R, G or B component) of each lattice point is D (i, j ), D (i + 1, j), D (i, j + 1), and D (i + 1, j + 1), the transparency d (i, j, xi) at the position of the distance (xi, yi). , Yi) is calculated by linear interpolation of equation (4).

式（７）においては、各格子点上に設定された輝度から、格子線上に表示される画素の輝度を補間（一次補間）により求め、その画素からその水平方向または垂直方向にある別の画素との間で補間（二次補間）して、二次元平面の画素の輝度を設定する。

In Expression (7), the luminance of the pixel displayed on the grid line is obtained from the luminance set on each grid point by interpolation (primary interpolation), and another pixel in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction from that pixel. Are interpolated (secondary interpolation) between and the luminance of the pixels on the two-dimensional plane.

  This kind of exhaust gas expression makes it possible to express smoke-like images rather than the conventional polygon smoke expression, and the smoke movement can be expressed more smoothly than the conventional animation pattern smoke expression. .

  As for the transparency, the influence of the particle image transparency and the transparency of the texture basic figure may be taken into consideration.

  FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram showing another exhaust gas treatment. Here, only the number of particle images on the lattice points is referred to simplify the calculation. In addition, the range of influence of the particle image is not considered, and the size is given to the particle itself.

  In FIG. 20, considering four grid points CR1, CR2, CR3, and CR4 of the screen SC as an example, one particle exists on the grid point CR1, and three particles exist on the grid point CR2. In addition, there are 0 particles on the lattice point CR3, and there are 2 particles on the lattice point CR4. Here, for each lattice point, transparency is 100% at lattice point CR3 (zero particle image), transparency is 80% at lattice point CR1 (one particle image), and transparency is 600% at lattice point CR4 (two particle images). The lattice point CR2 (three particle images) gives a transparency such as 40% transparency. Similarly, the color is set to an intermediate color obtained by blending the colors of the particles existing on the lattice points. The above is merely an example, and various transparency setting methods can be employed.

After calculating the transparency on the lattice points, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the transparency is given to the pixels between the lattices by interpolation.
(Ranking)
Furthermore, this racing game updates the ranking of race results every predetermined period, for example, displays the ranking for the most recent week. In conventional racing games, all of the good results were preserved, and rather than stimulating the player's competitiveness, there was a strong tendency to be depressed by too high a goal. This racing game has improved that point and is designed to motivate players.
(Hidden game)
In this racing game, in addition to the course introduced at the start of the game, there are hidden courses that can be used by hidden commands (specific operation inputs), and points can be scored by running methods such as defeating predetermined pylons during the race. Hidden games are available. As a result, various playing methods according to the proficiency level are possible, and the player is not bored.
(Overall flow)
FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the racing game. Prior to the start of the game, “advertising” is introduced for courses other than “hidden course”, explanation of game rules, introduction of drivers for each vehicle, and introduction of vehicles (step S101). When the game is started by inserting coins or the like (step S102), there is an inquiry as to whether or not to wait for the opponent in the “competition mode” (step S103). If the battle is canceled or the opponent is determined in the “battle mode”, the process proceeds to course selection (step S104). The degree of difficulty is set for the course, and the player can select a course with a degree of difficulty suitable for him. When not in “battle mode”, it is also possible to select “time attack mode” from here (step S105). Next, a vehicle is selected (step S107), and a transmission is selected (step S107). There are also hidden drivers for vehicle drivers, which can be selected by a special operation. Automatic, manual, 4-speed transmission, etc. can be selected for transmission selection. When in the “battle mode”, name entry is performed here (step S108). Next, the process proceeds to the race (step S109). When the race is finished (goal or time is up), the result is displayed (step S110), and when in the “competition mode”, it is finished as it is (step S114). In the “single-player” or “time attack mode”, the display shifts to the ending screen after displaying the result (step S112), and moving scenes such as the pit stop of the vehicle, the stop of the driver, the pose, and the pit crew gathering flow. The race is replayed. Then, when the second game is started, race replay is performed again. In the “single play” or “time attack mode”, the next name entry for the ending is made (step S113), and the game is ended (step S114).

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the above-described pit-in process. When the vehicle enters the pit road following the process during the race (step S201) (step S202), the auto drive (steering operation is impossible) is performed and a message regarding the braking area is displayed (step S203). Next, it is determined whether braking is performed in the braking area (step S204). If braking is performed, the process proceeds to pit work processing (step S205). Here, a pitwork scene is displayed, and if it is the first pit-in, a bonus time is added and the order is reset. After processing the pit work and when braking is not performed, the vehicle pits out by autodrive (step S206) and returns to the race (S207).
[The invention's effect]
According to the present invention, it is possible to draw a player's new interest and enjoy a racing game that is more realistic than before.

It is a block diagram of the game device in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example of the screen structure of the game device in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example of the other screen structure of the game device in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the area | region around the own vehicle in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the condition of the pit in in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the condition at the time of the own vehicle spin in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the expression of the exhaust gas of this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the conventional display of exhaust gas. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the exhaust gas represented by the conventional polygon. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the exhaust gas expressed by other polygons. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the exhaust gas represented by another polygon. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the exhaust gas expressed by other polygons. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the perspective view to the screen of the particle | grains for exhaust-gas expression in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the particle image on the screen in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the particle | grain image on the screen in this embodiment, and the grating | lattice on a screen. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the strength of the influence of each particle image to each lattice point in the lattice of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the strength of the influence of each particle image to each lattice point in the lattice of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the interpolation of the pixel between lattice points. FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram showing a generalized pixel interpolated in FIG. 18. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the screen and grating | lattice in other processes of exhaust gas. It is a flowchart which shows the whole process of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the pit in by this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

200 Course 201 Vehicle 202 Drafting meter 203 Rearview mirror 204 Enemy vehicle EX Exhaust gas EP Particle ep Particle image EXTX Texture basic figure CR Grid point

Claims (33)

In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In the game device for displaying the movement status of the object on the screen and determining whether or not to continue the player's operation according to the movement status of the first object,
A game apparatus characterized in that a target rank of the first object is set, and when it reaches the target rank, the game time of the player is extended and a higher rank target rank is newly set. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In a game device that displays a moving state of an object on a screen and causes a slipstream effect when the first object is located within a predetermined distance behind the second object.
A game apparatus that displays a display showing an effect of the slipstream together with a display showing the first object. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In a game device that displays the movement status of an object on a screen,
A game device characterized in that when a second object is located within a predetermined distance of the first object, the player is notified of the situation of the second object. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In the game device that displays the movement status of the object on the screen, and displays a display unit on the screen for displaying the status behind the first object in accordance with the instruction or status of the player,
When displaying the display unit, the display position of another display already displayed on the screen is changed, and the display unit is displayed at a place where the other display is displayed. . In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In a game device that displays the movement status of an object on a screen,
A pit road is defined for the course of movement of the first object and the second object, and the pit work is performed when the first object enters the pit road and the player performs a predetermined operation. A game device characterized by the above.   6. The game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the game time of the player is extended at the first pit work.   6. The game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein selection of the pit work is performed by braking in a predetermined area. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In a game device that displays the movement status of an object on a screen,
When the first object spins and rotates, if the angle becomes larger than a predetermined angle with respect to the traveling direction, the rotation is continued until the first object is oriented in the same direction as the traveling direction. A game device characterized by the above. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In a game device that displays the movement status of an object on a screen,
When the speed of the first object changes, the speed of the second object is changed with a time delay so that the relative speed of the first object and the second object becomes a predetermined value. A game device. In a game device that converts an object defined in a virtual three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional image and displays it on a screen,
A region having a predetermined size in the virtual three-dimensional space and a plurality of particles having a predetermined size are defined in the region, and the region and the particles in the region are arranged in a two-dimensional plane toward the viewpoint. A grid is set in the region projected onto the two-dimensional surface, and when a particle in the region projected onto the two-dimensional surface and a lattice point on the lattice overlap, a predetermined parameter is set to the lattice point. And generating a pixel at a lattice point based on the parameter.   11. The game device according to claim 10, wherein the region defined in the virtual three-dimensional space is a three-dimensional region, and the plurality of particles are defined in the three-dimensional region.   The game device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein for the pixels between the grids, the components are set so that the components of the grid points are linearly interpolated.   The range of affecting surrounding grid points is set for the projection of each particle, and for each grid point, the component of the grid point is set according to the number of particles in the affected range. The game device according to any one of 1 to 12.   13. The game apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the influence range changes according to the distance from the viewpoint to the particle.   13. The game device according to claim 10, wherein a component of each lattice point is set according to the number of particles projected to overlap the lattice point.   A texture image of an object to be expressed is set in advance, each grid point is made to correspond to a pixel of the texture image, and a pixel at the grid point is generated from a component of the corresponding pixel and a parameter set to the grid point. The game device according to claim 10, wherein the game device is a game device. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In the image processing method of the game device for displaying the movement status of the object on the screen and determining whether or not to continue the player's operation according to the movement status of the first object,
An image processing method comprising: setting a target rank of the first object, and extending the game time of the player and setting a new higher rank target rank when the target rank is reached. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In an image processing method for a game device that displays a movement status of an object on a screen and causes a slipstream effect when the first object is located within a predetermined distance behind the second object.
An image processing method characterized by displaying a display indicating the effect of the slipstream together with a display indicating the first object. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In an image processing method of a game device that displays a movement status of an object on a screen,
An image processing method comprising: notifying a player of a situation of the second object when the second object is located within a predetermined distance of the first object. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In the image processing method of the game device, which displays the movement status of the object on the screen, and displays a display section for displaying the status behind the first object on the screen in accordance with the instruction or status of the player.
When displaying the display unit, the display position of another display already displayed on the screen is changed, and the display unit is displayed at a place where the other display is displayed. Method. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In an image processing method of a game device that displays a movement status of an object on a screen,
A pit road is defined for the course of movement of the first object and the second object, and the pit work is performed when the first object enters the pit road and the player performs a predetermined operation. An image processing method characterized by the above.   22. The image processing method according to claim 21, wherein the play time of the player is extended at the first pit work.   The image processing method according to claim 21, wherein the selection of the pit work is performed by braking in a predetermined area. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In an image processing method of a game device that displays a movement status of an object on a screen,
When the first object spins and rotates, if the angle becomes larger than a predetermined angle with respect to the traveling direction, the rotation is continued until the first object is oriented in the same direction as the traveling direction. An image processing method characterized by the above. In the virtual three-dimensional space, a first object (own vehicle) that is operated and moved by a player and a second object (enemy vehicle) that moves to compete with the first object are defined, and the first object and the second object In an image processing method of a game device that displays a movement status of an object on a screen,
When the speed of the first object changes, the speed of the second object is changed with a time delay so that the relative speed of the first object and the second object becomes a predetermined value. A featured image processing method. In an image processing method for a game device that converts an object defined in a virtual three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional image and displays it on a screen,
A region having a predetermined size in the virtual three-dimensional space and a plurality of particles having a predetermined size are defined in the region, and the region and the particles in the region are arranged in a two-dimensional plane toward the viewpoint. A grid is set in the region projected onto the two-dimensional surface, and when a particle in the region projected onto the two-dimensional surface and a lattice point on the lattice overlap, a predetermined parameter is set to the lattice point. And generating a pixel at a lattice point based on the parameter.   27. The image processing method according to claim 26, wherein the region defined in the virtual three-dimensional space is a three-dimensional region, and the plurality of particles are defined in the three-dimensional region.   28. The image processing method according to claim 26 or 27, wherein for the pixels between grids, the components are set so as to linearly interpolate the grid point components.   27. A range that affects surrounding grid points is set in the projection of each particle, and a component of each grid point is set according to the number of particles in the range that affects each grid point. 29. The image processing method according to any one of items 28 to 28.   30. The image processing method according to claim 29, wherein the influence range changes according to a distance from the viewpoint to the particle.   29. The image processing method according to claim 26, wherein a component of each lattice point is set according to the number of particles projected so as to overlap the lattice point.   A texture image of an object to be expressed is set in advance, each grid point is made to correspond to a pixel of the texture image, and a pixel at the grid point is generated from a component of the corresponding pixel and a parameter set to the grid point. 32. The image processing method according to claim 26, wherein the image processing method is any one of claims 26 to 31.   A machine-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method according to any one of claims 17 to 32.

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