JP2008229234A - Game device, game control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game device and the like for simply performing an operation input by a player in a game for selecting alternatives while moving characters. <P>SOLUTION: In the game device 301, when a movement instruction operation is received by an input reception part 305, a position update part 306 updates the position of a character stored in a position storage part 302 in accordance with the kind, a candidate update part 307 updates a current candidate in alternatives to be stored in the candidate storage part 303 in a cyclic order. A display part 304 displays on a screen how the character looks and the current candidate and an output part 308 outputs the current candidate as a selection result when a determination instruction operation is received. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game apparatus, a game control method, and a program for realizing these on a computer, which are suitable for easily performing an operation input by a player in a game of selecting an option while moving a character.

  Conventionally, in various games, a technique for moving a character arranged in a virtual space in accordance with a player's operation input has been widely used. For example, when a direction key that means up / down / left / right movement is pressed, the character moves in that direction by a distance corresponding to the number of pressing operations and the length of time.

  On the other hand, in such a game, you can make various settings such as changing the character's equipment, or choose a choice to execute a quiz to answer any of the questions in the game. A technique of displaying and selecting one of them is also widely used.

Such a technique for selecting one of a plurality of option candidates is disclosed in the following document.
JP 2004-227089 A

  Here, in the technique disclosed in [Patent Document 1], a history of a character string input in the past by a user is displayed as a candidate for input, and an efficient character is selected by selecting a character string from the candidates. A technique for performing column input is disclosed.

  When selecting such an option, a cursor indicating one of the options listed on the screen as a candidate for the current selection is displayed on the screen, and the cursor is moved using the direction key, and then the return is performed. In general, the current candidate pointed to by the cursor is made a final selection result by pressing a key or a button.

  Therefore, it is common to prepare two modes, a mode to move the character and a mode to move the cursor among the options, and the player switches between the two modes by operating the controller, keyboard, etc. It was. Such a selection input with a mode is characterized in that the player needs to be aware of the current mode and cannot operate in the other mode when in one mode.

  However, depending on the type of game and the assumed user group, there are many cases in which it is desirable to prevent the player from being aware of the current input mode.

  In addition, the GUI (Graphical User Interface) using a mouse and icons may prefer a modeless operation system, and there is a demand for a new modeless input operation system suitable for game content and customs. is there.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and in a game in which an option is selected while moving a character, a game device, a game control method, and An object is to provide a program realized by a computer.

  In order to achieve the above object, the following invention is disclosed in accordance with the principle of the present invention.

  A game device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a position storage unit, a candidate storage unit, a display unit, an input reception unit, a position update unit, a candidate update unit, and an output unit, and is configured as follows.

  That is, the position storage unit stores the position of the character arranged in the virtual space.

  The character corresponds to a so-called “player character” and is a character that acts in accordance with the player's intention in the game. Information on the position in the virtual space may be obtained by dividing a two-dimensional plane corresponding to the ground into a lattice shape or a honeycomb shape, and memorizing which character the character is in, or arranging the character in the three-dimensional space. It is good also as expressing with the coordinate which is done.

  On the other hand, the candidate storage unit stores a plurality of options in which a cyclic order is determined and a current candidate among the plurality of options.

  In the present invention, a cyclic order is defined between the options. For example, a typical cyclic order when there are four options A, B, C, and D is A → B → C → D → A → B → C → D → A → B → C → D → A → B → C → D →...

  That is, when the next option is uniquely determined for a certain option and the options are traced to the next, all options can be scanned. Moreover, in such a cyclic order, “previous” which is the opposite of “next” is generally determined.

  The reverse order of the cyclic order in the above example (the order of tracing back and forth) is D → C → B → A → D → C → B → A → D → C → B → A → D → C → B → A →.

  On the other hand, the display unit displays an image representing the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit and the character arranged at the position stored in the position storage unit in the virtual space.

  The character image may indicate where the character is located in the entire virtual space, such as a game map display, or the character's eye position or behind the character. Various techniques can be applied, such as displaying a virtual world in the direction of the line of sight toward the character from the viewpoint placed at the position, using three-dimensional graphics.

  In addition to the method of displaying a list of options and displaying which option is the current candidate with the cursor, only the current candidates are displayed. You may employ | adopt the method of not displaying an option on a screen.

  Further, the input receiving unit receives an input of a movement instruction operation or a determination instruction operation by the player.

  As the movement instruction operation, typically, an operation of pressing a direction key or an arrow key of a controller or a keyboard, or an operation of tilting a joystick in a desired direction is assigned. In this case, the movement instruction operation is assigned a type indicating in which direction the movement is performed. As will be described later, both the movement of the character and the change of the current candidate (movement based on the above-described circulation order) are performed by the movement instruction operation.

  On the other hand, the decision instruction operation is typically assigned with a controller ○ button, a keyboard return key, an operation of pushing the joystick in the direction of the stick, and the like. As will be described later, it is determined by selection instruction operation that an option displayed as a current candidate on the screen has been selected.

  Further, when the received input is a movement instruction operation, the position update unit updates the position of the character stored in the position storage unit based on the type of the movement instruction operation.

  Typically, the character is moved in that direction by a distance proportional to the number and time of key and button pressing operations and joystick bending operations associated with the movement instruction operation, but the character movement range is limited. In some cases, the character may not be moved any further.

  On the other hand, when the accepted input is a movement instruction operation, the candidate update unit updates the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit to the next option in the cyclic order.

  That is, when an operation of moving the character is performed, the candidates are sequentially replaced with this. In the conventional method, in the character movement mode, the movement instruction operation only moves the character. In the mode for selecting one of the options, the current candidate is changed even if the (same) movement instruction operation is performed. It was just.

  In the present invention, if a movement instruction operation is performed in order to move the character, the current candidate is changed accordingly, and if a movement instruction operation is performed in order to change the current candidate, the character is also changed accordingly. Moved.

  In addition, since a cyclic order is set for the options, if any movement instruction is input, the options are traced from the next to the next, and all the options can be scanned.

  Therefore, the user does not need to be aware of the mode for moving the character or the mode for selecting one of the options, and modeless input is possible.

  On the other hand, when the received input is a determination instruction operation, the output unit outputs the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit as an option selected by the user.

  That is, when the current candidate displayed on the screen is a desired option, the user selects the candidate by a push button, a return key, a joystick pressing operation, or the like.

  According to the present invention, the movement instruction operation is given two roles at the same time, and the movement of the character and the change of the current candidate of the option are performed simultaneously by the common movement instruction operation, and the desired candidate is displayed on the screen. When it is displayed, the user can easily input an instruction by selecting this by a determination instruction operation.

  Further, in the game device of the present invention, there are two types of movement instruction operations, the first type and the second type, and the candidate update unit stores in the candidate storage unit when the movement instruction operation is the first type. When the current candidate stored is updated to the next option in the cyclic order and the movement instruction operation is the second type, the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit is updated in the cyclic order. Can be configured to update to the previous option.

  For example, if there are four directions of up / down / left / right in the type of movement instruction input, the character is moved in that direction. Here, in the above-described game device invention according to the present application, it is assumed that the current candidate is moved to the next option, regardless of whether the movement instruction is input up, down, left, or right.

  On the other hand, according to the present invention, for example, when the movement instruction input is down or right (both are the first type of operation input), it moves to the next option, and up or left (both are the second type). In the case of operation input.), It moves to the previous candidate.

  According to the present invention, the movement instruction inputs are grouped into those for moving the current option candidates in the forward direction and those for moving in the reverse direction, for example, the candidates have gone too far during the user's operation. Even in this case, it is possible to easily return the candidates and select a desired candidate.

  The game device of the present invention can be configured as follows.

  That is, when the movement instruction operation is the first type, the position update unit updates the character so as to move in the first direction in the virtual space, and the movement instruction operation is the second type. In some cases, the character is updated so as to be moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction in the virtual space.

  For example, the first type (right key) moves the character to the right (first direction), the second type (left key) moves to the left (second direction), and so on. It is possible to match the direction of the arrow key with the direction of movement of the character, which is a widely used technique for improving the operability of the user.

  On the other hand, when the received input is the first type movement instruction operation, the display unit moves the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit to the candidate display position in the screen in the first direction. When the received input is the second type movement instruction operation, the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit is moved to the candidate display position in the screen in the second direction. To display.

  In the above example, if there is a movement instruction input of the first type (right key), the candidate advances to the next, while the new candidate moves from left to right (first direction). It will be displayed on the screen. That is, it appears to the user that the list of options scrolls to the right.

  On the other hand, if there is a movement instruction input of the second type (left key), the candidate returns to the front, and at this time, the new candidate is displayed on the screen while moving from right to left (second direction). Will be. That is, it appears to the user that the list of options scrolls to the left.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the type of selection instruction input and the scroll direction of the candidate display in the character movement direction / option can be matched, so that the user can perform an intuitive operation.

  Further, in the game device of the present invention, a limit at which the character can be placed in the virtual space is determined in advance, and the position update unit causes the movement instruction operation to cause the character to exceed the limit. If there is, the position of the character stored in the position storage unit is maintained as it is, and the candidate update unit updates the current position stored in the candidate storage unit when the position of the character stored in the position storage unit is maintained. Candidates can be configured to remain as they are.

  In other words, this is a case where a movable range of the character is defined. For example, if the right key is pressed when the character reaches the movable right end, in the above game device invention according to the present application, the candidate is changed even though the character is not moved. However, in the present invention, if the character cannot move, the candidate is not changed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the movement of the character is linked to the movement of the current candidate in the options, so that the user can perform an intuitive operation.

  In the game device of the present invention, a plurality of choices stored in the candidate storage unit is associated with one task in advance, and the display unit displays the associated one task and the current candidate. Can be configured to be displayed until the output unit outputs the option selected by the user.

  In the present invention, the above invention is applied to a quiz. A quiz problem is presented as a problem, and when a player answers the question, candidates for the problem and options are displayed on the screen until the answer is correct. It is. If the answer is correct, the display of questions and option candidates is typically stopped, and the display of characters (only) in the virtual space is typically performed.

  The present invention relates to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and applies a technique for selecting one of a plurality of options to a quiz game in which an answer is made while moving a character, and provides a user with a light operation feeling. Will be able to.

  A game control method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a position storage unit that stores a position of a character arranged in a virtual space, a plurality of options in which a cyclic order is determined, and a plurality of options A candidate storage unit that stores current candidates, a display unit, an input receiving unit, a position updating unit, a candidate updating unit, and an output unit. An update process and an output process are provided and configured as follows.

  That is, in the display step, the display unit displays an image representing the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit and the character arranged at the position stored in the position storage unit in the virtual space.

  On the other hand, in the input reception process, the input reception unit receives an input of a movement instruction operation or a determination instruction operation by the player.

  Further, in the position update step, when the received input is a movement instruction operation, the position update unit updates the position of the character stored in the position storage unit based on the type of the movement instruction operation.

  In the candidate update step, when the received input is a movement instruction operation, the candidate update unit updates the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit to the next option in the cyclic order.

  On the other hand, in the output step, when the accepted input is a decision instruction operation, the output unit outputs the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit as an option selected by the user.

  A program according to another aspect of the present invention is configured to cause a computer to function as each unit of the above-described game device and to cause the computer to execute each step of the above-described game control method.

  The program of the present invention can be recorded on a computer-readable information storage medium such as a compact disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magneto-optical disk, digital video disk, magnetic tape, and semiconductor memory.

  The above program can be distributed and sold via a computer communication network independently of the computer on which the program is executed. The information storage medium can be distributed and sold independently from the computer.

  According to the present invention, there are provided a game device, a game control method, and a program for realizing these on a computer that are suitable for easily performing an operation input by a player in a game of selecting an option while moving a character. be able to.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the following, for ease of understanding, an embodiment in which the present invention is realized using a game information processing device will be described. However, the embodiment described below is for explanation, and the present invention is described. It does not limit the range. Therefore, those skilled in the art can employ embodiments in which each or all of these elements are replaced with equivalent ones, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a typical information processing apparatus that performs the function of the game apparatus of the present invention by executing a program. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  The information processing apparatus 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an interface 104, a controller 105, an external memory 106, an image processing unit 107, and a DVD-ROM. (Digital Versatile Disc ROM) drive 108, NIC (Network Interface Card) 109, audio processing unit 110, and microphone 111.

  A DVD-ROM storing a game program and data is loaded into the DVD-ROM drive 108 and the information processing apparatus 100 is turned on to execute the program, thereby realizing the image generation apparatus of the present embodiment. Is done.

  The CPU 101 controls the overall operation of the information processing apparatus 100 and is connected to each component to exchange control signals and data. Further, the CPU 101 uses arithmetic operations such as addition / subtraction / multiplication / division, logical sum, logical product, etc. using an ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) (not shown) for a storage area called a register (not shown) that can be accessed at high speed. , Logic operations such as logical negation, bit operations such as bit sum, bit product, bit inversion, bit shift, and bit rotation can be performed. In addition, the CPU 101 itself is configured so that saturation operations such as addition / subtraction / multiplication / division for multimedia processing, vector operations such as trigonometric functions, etc. can be performed at a high speed, and those provided with a coprocessor. There is.

  The ROM 102 records an IPL (Initial Program Loader) that is executed immediately after the power is turned on, and when this is executed, the program recorded on the DVD-ROM is read out to the RAM 103 and execution by the CPU 101 is started. The The ROM 102 stores an operating system program and various data necessary for operation control of the entire information processing apparatus 100.

  The RAM 103 is for temporarily storing data and programs, and holds programs and data read from the DVD-ROM and other data necessary for game progress and chat communication. Further, the CPU 101 provides a variable area in the RAM 103 and performs an operation by directly operating the ALU on the value stored in the variable, or temporarily stores the value stored in the RAM 103 in the register. Perform operations such as performing operations on registers and writing back the operation results to memory.

  The controller 105 connected via the interface 104 receives an operation input performed when the user executes the game. In this figure, various buttons such as operation input indicating up, down, left, and right are prepared as the controller 105, but a controller that can be used in place of a laser pointer or a pointing bar as described later can also be adopted. A mouse or a keyboard may be used as a controller.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the controller 105. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  On the left side of the controller 105, there are arranged an ↑ button 201, a ↓ button 202, a ← button 203, and a → button 204 that are used to perform an operation input indicating up, down, left, and right.

  On the right side, a ○ button 205 used to input a decision operation, a × button 206 used to input a cancel operation, a Δ button 207 used to input an instruction such as a menu display, A square button 208 used for inputting other instructions is arranged.

  However, in the present invention, since a method that does not distinguish between the mode in which the menu is displayed and the mode in which the menu is not displayed is adopted, the importance of the role of the Δ button 207 is lower than in the conventional case. Yes.

  At the center of the controller 105, in addition to the SELECT button 209 and the START button 210, an ANALOG button 211 for instructing start / stop of analog input, and an indicator 212 for displaying whether the analog input is valid or invalid are provided. Has been placed.

  In addition, joysticks 213 and 214 for inputting an instruction with a size in a direction not limited to up, down, left, and right are arranged at the lower center.

  Further, an L1 button 215, an L2 button 216, an R1 button 217, and an R2 button 218 that can be used for inputting various instructions are disposed above.

  Each button 201-208, 215-218 of the controller 105 is provided with a pressure sensor, and when analog input is enabled, it can detect which button is pressed, The magnitude of the pressure of the user's pressing operation can be obtained in 256 steps from 0 to 255.

  The joysticks 213 and 214 of the controller 105 are provided with strain gauges and can detect how much they are bent in which direction.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the external memory 106 detachably connected via the interface 104 stores data indicating game play status (past results, etc.), game progress data, and network battles. Chat communication log (record) data and the like are stored in a rewritable manner. The user can record these data in the external memory 106 as appropriate by inputting an instruction via the controller 105.

  A DVD-ROM mounted on the DVD-ROM drive 108 stores a program for realizing the game and image data and audio data associated with the game. Under the control of the CPU 101, the DVD-ROM drive 108 performs a reading process on the DVD-ROM loaded therein, reads out necessary programs and data, and these are temporarily stored in the RAM 103 or the like.

  The image processing unit 107 processes the data read from the DVD-ROM by an image arithmetic processor (not shown) included in the CPU 101 or the image processing unit 107, and then processes the processed data on a frame memory ( (Not shown). The image information recorded in the frame memory is converted into a video signal at a predetermined synchronization timing and output to a monitor (not shown) connected to the image processing unit 107. Thereby, various image displays are possible.

  The image calculation processor can execute a two-dimensional image overlay calculation, a transmission calculation such as α blending, and various saturation calculations at high speed.

  Also, polygon information arranged in the virtual three-dimensional space and added with various texture information is rendered by the Z buffer method, and the polygon arranged in the virtual three-dimensional space from the predetermined viewpoint position is determined in the direction of the predetermined line of sight It is also possible to perform high-speed execution of operations for obtaining rendered images.

  Further, the CPU 101 and the image arithmetic processor operate in a coordinated manner, so that a character string can be drawn as a two-dimensional image in a frame memory or drawn on the surface of each polygon according to font information that defines the character shape. is there.

  The NIC 109 is used to connect the information processing apparatus 100 to a computer communication network (not shown) such as the Internet, and is based on the 10BASE-T / 100BASE-T standard used when configuring a LAN (Local Area Network). To connect to the Internet using an analog modem, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) modem, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) modem, cable television line A cable modem or the like and an interface (not shown) that mediates between these and the CPU 101 are configured.

  The audio processing unit 110 converts audio data read from the DVD-ROM into an analog audio signal and outputs the analog audio signal from a speaker (not shown) connected thereto. Further, under the control of the CPU 101, sound effects and music data to be generated during the progress of the game are generated, and sound corresponding to this is output from the speaker.

  When the audio data recorded on the DVD-ROM is MIDI data, the audio processing unit 110 refers to the sound source data included in the audio data and converts the MIDI data into PCM data. If the compressed audio data is in ADPCM format or Ogg Vorbis format, it is expanded and converted to PCM data. The PCM data can be output by performing D / A (Digital / Analog) conversion at a timing corresponding to the sampling frequency and outputting it to a speaker.

  Furthermore, a microphone 111 can be connected to the information processing apparatus 100 via the interface 104. In this case, the analog signal from the microphone 111 is subjected to A / D conversion at an appropriate sampling frequency so that processing such as mixing in the sound processing unit 110 can be performed as a PCM format digital signal.

  In addition, the information processing apparatus 100 uses a large-capacity external storage device such as a hard disk so as to perform the same function as the ROM 102, the RAM 103, the external memory 106, the DVD-ROM mounted on the DVD-ROM drive 108, and the like. You may comprise.

  The information processing apparatus 100 described above corresponds to a so-called “consumer video game apparatus”, but the present invention can be realized as long as it performs image processing to display a virtual space. Therefore, the present invention can be realized on various computers such as a mobile phone, a portable game device, a karaoke apparatus, and a general business computer.

  For example, a general computer, like the information processing apparatus 100, includes an image processing unit that includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, DVD-ROM drive, and NIC and has simpler functions than the information processing apparatus 100. In addition to having a hard disk as an external storage device, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, and the like can be used. Further, not the controller 105 but a keyboard or a mouse is used as an input device.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a game device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  The game device 301 according to the present embodiment includes a position storage unit 302, a candidate storage unit 303, a display unit 304, an input reception unit 305, a position update unit 306, a candidate update unit 307, and an output unit 308.

  First, the position storage unit 302 stores the positions of characters arranged in the virtual space. On the other hand, the candidate storage unit 303 stores a plurality of options for which a cyclic order is determined and a current candidate among the plurality of options. Therefore, the RAM 103 functions as the position storage unit 302 and the candidate storage unit 303.

  Hereinafter, a case where the game apparatus 301 functions as a quiz game including action-like elements will be described as an example.

  Therefore, the character whose position is stored in the position storage unit 302 corresponds to the player character. On the other hand, a question sentence of the quiz, a plurality of choices of answers to the question, and correct answers in the choices are set and stored in advance on a DVD-ROM or the like. Of these, a randomly determined set is read from the DVD-ROM or the like to the RAM 103.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a screen display of the game apparatus 301 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  A candidate display area 402 is arranged at the bottom of the screen 401, and a square frame 403 representing the current candidate is displayed here. In the candidate display area 402, the entire option 404 that is the current candidate is displayed surrounded by a rectangular frame 403, and a part of the previous and next candidate options 404 are also displayed. When the current option changes, the display portion of these options 404 scrolls horizontally.

  A character movable area 405 is arranged on the candidate display area 402. The character 406 can move left and right in this. Therefore, the movement of the character 406 is one-dimensional, and its position can be expressed by the abscissa value of the character 406 in the screen 401.

  A question display area 407 is arranged at the top of the screen 401, and a quiz question sentence 408 is displayed here.

  Between the lower end of the problem display area 407 and the lower end of the character movable area 405, an attack icon 409 and a reward icon 410 are displayed for the action game. The attack icon 409 and the reward icon 410 are randomly generated at the lower end of the problem display area 407, move toward the character movable area 405 with time, and disappear when the character movable area 405 is reached.

  When the attack icon 409 collides with the character 406, the score parameter of the character 406 decreases. When the reward icon 410 collides with the character 406, the score parameter of the character 406 increases.

  In addition, when the quiz is correctly answered, the score parameter of the character 406 is increased. When the fixed time elapses after the game is started, the incorrect answer of the quiz reaches a predetermined threshold number, or the score parameter becomes 0. The game ends.

  The score parameter of the current character 406 is displayed in the score display area 411 in the screen 401.

Now, the quiz problem in this example is
What is the prefecture of the southernmost island in Japan?
And this quiz is a four-choice question,
(0) Okinawa Prefecture (1) Tokyo (2) Kagoshima Prefecture (3) Nagasaki Prefecture. Here, in order to facilitate understanding, the numbers representing the order are represented by zero origin.

The cyclic order when this option is followed next is
(0) Okinawa → (1) Tokyo → (2) Kagoshima → (3) Nagasaki → (0) Okinawa → (1) Tokyo → (2) Kagoshima → (3) Nagasaki →
Therefore, the cyclic order when moving back and forth is
(3) Nagasaki → (2) Kagoshima → (1) Tokyo → (0) Okinawa → (3) Nagasaki → (2) Kagoshima → (1) Tokyo → (0) Okinawa →…
It becomes.

That is, when there are multiple (M) choices from the 0th to the (M-1) th, the “next” of the i-th choice is the (i + 1) mod M-th choice and the i-th choice The “before” option is the (i-1) mod Mth option. Here, mod is an operation for calculating the remainder of division,
a mod b = a (0 ≦ a <b);
= (ab) mod b (b ≦ a);
= (a + b) mod b (a <0)
Is defined by a recursive computation such as

  Hereinafter, the game apparatus 301 will be described in more detail based on this example.

  5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the flow of control of the game process executed by the game apparatus 301 of the present invention. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  When the game process is started, the CPU 101 of the information processing apparatus 100 performs various initializations (step S501). This initialization includes initialization of the position storage unit 302 and the candidate storage unit 303 prepared in the RAM 103.

As described above, the position storage unit 302 stores information on the position of the character 406 in the virtual space. However, in the present embodiment, the character 406 only moves in the horizontal direction on the screen 401. Since the coordinate value y in the vertical direction can be considered to be a constant h, it is sufficient to store only the coordinate value x in the horizontal direction in the screen 401. Therefore, in general, when the horizontal width of the screen 401 is W dots, 0 ≦ x ≦ W−1 is established. As an initial value,
x ← W / 2
(Here, “←” means substitution.) Typically, the position of the character 406 is set as an initial value at a predetermined height (y coordinate value is h) in the center of the screen. The value may be set as an initial value or may be set by a random number.

  In addition, the candidate storage unit 303 typically does not store any options at this initialization stage, and therefore, it is typical that no current candidate is set. Since the present embodiment relates to a quiz action game, quiz problems and options are read from the DVD-ROM as necessary by the processing described below.

In order to facilitate understanding, it is assumed that the quiz problem is read to the character string q and the choices are read to the character string array s []. The number of current options is read into a variable N, and the current candidate index is referred to by a variable p. Therefore, in the initialization stage of step S501,
N ← 0; p ← 0
This is typical.

  In addition, it is necessary to initialize an object other than the character 406 at this initialization stage. In this embodiment, the attack icon 409 and the reward icon 410 are objects to be processed other than the character 406.

In this embodiment, the attack icon 409 and the reward icon 410 advance from the top to the bottom of the screen 401 at a constant speed, and the horizontal positions thereof are determined randomly. Therefore, in order to process an object other than the character 406, the RAM 103 is provided with an area for storing the following information.
(1) Number of objects.
(2) An array for storing information on each object. Information about one object is stored in each element of the array.

As information about one object, at least the following is stored.
(A) Type information indicating whether the object is the attack icon 409 or the reward icon 410.
(B) x and y coordinates of the object.

  In addition, the processing described below has a so-called loop structure, but the RAM 103 has a flag indicating whether any of the buttons of the controller 105 has been pressed in the previous repeat unit of this loop. Variable r is provided. The variable r means one of the values (either the button was released in the previous iteration (“Release immediately”)) or one of the buttons was pressed (“Previous press”). Constant) is substituted. In the initialization stage, the variable r is typically set to “release immediately before”.

  Typically, an area for recording the player's score is secured, and 0 or an appropriate positive score is substituted here as an initial value.

When the initialization is completed, the CPU 101 reads quiz question and answer information from the DVD-ROM, stores them in the candidate storage unit 303, and sets options and current candidates (step S502). When the question and answer according to the above example are read, the following processing is performed.
N ← 4; p ← 0;
q ← “What is the prefecture on the southernmost island in Japan?”;
s [0] ← "Okinawa";
s [1] ← "Tokyo";
s [2] ← "Kagoshima";
s [3] ← "Nagasaki";

  In this example, “Tokyo” in s [1] is the correct answer. Accordingly, the correct subscript “1” required for scoring is also read from the DVD-ROM to a predetermined area in the RAM 103.

  Next, the CPU 101 randomly generates an object (step S503). Specifically, when a random number is generated and this is a value within a predetermined range, a new object is generated. The object generation probability can be appropriately changed depending on the difficulty level of the game.

  In addition, when generating an object, it is necessary to define the above information. That is, whether the new object is the attack icon 409 or the reward icon 410 and the x coordinate of the object are determined by random numbers. The y coordinate of the object may be a value (typically 0) representing the upper end of the screen. Then, information about such an object is added to the RAM 103. In addition to adding to the appropriate free space in the above array, the process of increasing the total number of objects by 1 is executed. Specifically, an appropriate technique such as a queue, stack, or ring buffer is applied. Just do it.

  Next, the CPU 103 determines the character position information stored in the current position storage unit 302, the options and current candidates stored in the candidate storage unit 303, other information stored in the RAM 103, and the DVD. Based on the image information stored in the ROM, image information representing an image as shown in FIG. 4 is generated in the RAM 103 (step S504). A technique generally used in an action game, a quiz game, or the like can be applied to the generation of the image.

  That is, the character 406 is displayed at the coordinates (x, h) in the screen 401. Of the options, the current candidate s [p] is displayed surrounded by a rectangular frame 403 in the candidate display area 402.

  In addition, the display position of each object is determined with reference to the respective x coordinate value and y coordinate value, and the attack icon 409 or the reward icon 410 is determined with reference to the type information.

  As for the display of the candidate display area 402, if the current candidate s [p] has changed since the previous image generation, the direction of the change (p has become “next” or “previous” Depending on whether the display of the candidate in the candidate display area 402 is scrolled, an animation display may be employed.

  Then, it waits until a vertical synchronization interrupt occurs (step S505). During this waiting time, various other processes can be executed in parallel or in a coroutine manner.

  When a vertical synchronization interrupt occurs, the CPU 101 instructs the image processing unit 107 to transfer the image information generated in the RAM 103 to the monitor via the frame memory, as shown in FIG. The image is displayed as a screen 401 (step S506).

  Accordingly, the image processing unit 107 functions as the display unit 304 in cooperation with the RAM 103 under the control of the CPU 101.

  The character image may display the position of the character in the entire view of the virtual space, such as a game map display. It is good also as displaying a state which looked at the virtual world in the direction of the sight line which goes to the character from the viewpoint arrange | positioned in the position behind.

  In addition, as a method for displaying candidates, a method of displaying a list of options and displaying with a cursor which option is the current candidate may be adopted, or only the current candidate is displayed. However, a method of not displaying other options on the screen may be adopted.

  Next, the CPU 101 refers to the flag variable r in the RAM 103 and determines whether it is “released immediately before” (step S507).

  If it is the last release (step S507; Yes), the CPU 101 acquires the status of the controller 105 as to whether the player is pressing any button (step S508).

In the game apparatus 301, the controller 105 has the following states.
The ← button 203 is pressed.
→ The button 204 is pressed.
A button 205 is pressed.
Any other button is pressed.
None of the buttons are pressed.

  Here, the ← button 203 and the → button 204 correspond to a movement instruction input, and the circle button 205 corresponds to a determination instruction input. Therefore, the controller 105 functions as the input receiving unit 305 under the control of the CPU 101.

  Next, the CPU 101 checks which is the acquired button pressing state of the controller 105 (step S509).

  If the ← button 203 is pressed (step S509; ←), p ← (p-1) mod N is executed (step S510), and the current candidate is moved forward. It is checked whether or not a result x-d obtained by subtracting a predetermined constant d from the position x of the character 406 protrudes from the screen 401, that is, x-d <0 (step S511). If x-d <0 (step S511; Yes), the process proceeds to step S521.

  On the other hand, if x-d <0 is not satisfied (step S511; No), x ← x-d is executed (step S512), and the position of the character 406 is shifted to the left. Further, the process proceeds to step S521.

  On the other hand, if the → button 204 is pressed (step S509; →), p ← (p + 1) mod N is executed (step S513), and the current candidate is moved to the next. It is checked whether or not a result x + d obtained by adding a predetermined constant d to the position x of the character 406 protrudes from the screen 401, that is, whether x + d ≧ W (step S514). If x + d ≧ W (step S514; Yes), the process proceeds to step S521.

  On the other hand, if x + d ≧ W is not satisfied (step S514; No), x ← x + d is executed (step S515), the position of the character 406 is shifted to the right, and the process proceeds to step S521.

  Thus, in this embodiment, even if the ← button 203 or the → button 204 is pressed, if the character 406 is at the end of the movable range, it may not move further, but the current candidate p is always updated to move to the previous or next.

  Therefore, the CPU 101 functions as the position update unit 306 and the candidate update unit 307 in cooperation with the RAM 103 and the like.

  However, this aspect can be changed as appropriate. That is, when the character 406 cannot move, the current candidate p is not changed or the current direction of the character 406 is moved, that is, regardless of which of the ← button 203 and the → button 204 is pressed. Various modifications are possible, such as that the candidate p always moves to the next candidate.

  In the processing after step S521, first, “immediate press” is set to the variable r (step S521).

  Then, each object stored in the RAM 103 is moved by the time of the vertical synchronization interrupt cycle (step S522).

  Typically, each object can be moved downward by increasing the y coordinate of each object by a distance obtained by multiplying the set moving speed by the vertical synchronization interrupt period time. In addition, an algorithm for movement may be assigned to each object, and the movement may be repeated by repeating a periodic movement (for example, wave-like or spiral movement), or may be randomly moved using a random number.

  Then, it is checked whether the coordinates of each object are not deviated from a predetermined area in the screen. This corresponds to the case where the character 406 passes the attack icon 409 or misses the reward icon 410.

  Further, it is determined whether or not each object collides with the character 406. If the object collides, the score of the scoring area stored in the RAM 103 is reduced depending on whether the object type is the attack icon 409 or the reward icon 410. Alternatively, after the increase, the information on the colliding object is deleted from the RAM 103 (step S524).

  This corresponds to a case where the attack icon 409 hits the character 406 and receives damage, or the reward icon 410 is picked up to obtain a reward.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the current score is out of a certain range (step S525). If the score is negative (step S525; negative), the game is over, a message to that effect is displayed (step S526), and the game ends.

  On the other hand, when the score is equal to or greater than a certain value for clearing (step S525; large), the game is cleared, and a message to that effect is displayed (step S527), and the game is terminated.

  In addition, when the current score is a value within the range for continuing the game (step S525; continue), the process returns to step S503.

  Now, when the ← button 203 or the → button 204 is pressed as described above, the current candidate p is updated, but the player can use the options displayed in the rectangular frame 403 as answers to the quiz. When it is desired to make a decision, the O button 205 is pressed. This corresponds to a determination instruction operation.

  Therefore, when the circle button 205 is pressed (step S509; circle), the CPU 101 writes the current candidate s [p] as a selection result in a predetermined variable area in the RAM 103 (step S531). Therefore, the CPU 101 functions as the output unit 308 in cooperation with the RAM 103 and the like.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the written selection result is a correct answer as a quiz answer (step S532). If the answer is correct (step S532; Yes), the score is increased (step S533), and similarly to step S502, the next question and answer are randomly read from the DVD-ROM and each variable is set (step S534). Proceed to step S521.

  That is, the option corresponding to the displayed problem is displayed on the screen 401. If the option is correct, the problem and the option are not displayed on the screen, and the new problem and the option are displayed on the screen 401. Will be displayed.

  On the other hand, if the answer is incorrect (step S532; No), the score is decreased (step S535), and the process proceeds to step S521.

  It should be noted that an appropriate screen display may be performed as appropriate according to the correct or incorrect answer of the quiz, or that effect may be presented by voice. The same display effect, sound effect output, etc. can be performed for the collision with the attack icon 409 and the reward icon 410.

  In addition, when other buttons are pressed (step S509; other), the CPU 101 executes corresponding processing (step S541), and proceeds to step S521.

  On the other hand, if none of the buttons is pressed (step S509; none), the flag variable r is set to “release immediately before” (step S542), and the process proceeds to step S522.

  If the flag variable r is not released immediately before (step S507; No), it is considered that the pressing operation state of the controller 105 has not changed, and the process proceeds to step S522.

  As described above, in the game apparatus 301 according to the present embodiment, when the ← button 203 or the → button 204 is pressed, the movement of the character 406 and the change of the current option candidate are executed at the same time. Instruction input can be performed, and in an action game or the like, other input processing such as answering a quiz while moving a character with a simple operation can be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the moving direction of the character 406 is limited to the left and right, and the change of the current option candidate scrolls to the left and right in conjunction with the moving direction of the character. For example, RPG (Roll Playing Game) If the character 406 can move up and down (front and rear) and left and right in a two-dimensional map, the current candidate can be assigned to always move to the “next” each time it moves. is there.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the game screen display in such a mode. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  In this game, a map state map 602 is prepared in the screen 601, and the character 603 moves one by one in the map 602. The ↑ button 201, the ↓ button 202, the ← button 203, and the → button 204 mean that the character 603 is moved in the direction in the map 602.

  Further, the character 603 may wear one of the “wind” attribute emphasizing speed, the “forest” attribute emphasizing healing, the “fire” attribute emphasizing attack, and the “mountain” attribute emphasizing defense as necessary. it can. The current attribute is displayed in the current attribute display area 604.

There are four choices, “wind”, “forest”, “fire”, and “mountain”. That is, the following settings are made.
N ← 4;
s [0] ← "Wind";
s [1] ← "Lin";
s [2] ← "Fire";
s [3] ← "Mountain"

Here, every time the player presses the ↑ button 201, the ↓ button 202, the ← button 203, and the → button 204, each time
p ← (p + 1) mod N
Is executed and the current candidate s [p] is updated. The current candidate s [p] is displayed in the new attribute display area 605. In this display example, the current attribute display area 604 is set large at a fixed position on the upper right in the screen 601, and the new attribute display area 605 is arranged next to the character 603 and set to move with the character 603. Has been.

  When the attribute to be assigned to the character 603 is displayed in the new attribute display area 605, the player presses the ○ button 205. Then, the attribute s [p] becomes a selection result by the player.

  Since the player generally watches the character 603 in the screen 601, the character 603 can be moved by the movement instruction operation by arranging the new attribute display area 605 in the vicinity of the character 603. It is possible to intuitively understand that the change of the current candidate is linked.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in a game in which an option is selected while moving a character, a game device, a game control method, and the like that are suitable for easily performing an operation input by a player, are performed by a computer. A program to be realized can be provided.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline | summary structure of the typical information processing apparatus which performs the function of the game device of this invention by running a program. It is explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance of the controller which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the game device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the screen display of the game device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control of the game process performed with the game device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control of the game process performed with the game device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the screen display of the game device which concerns on other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 Information processing apparatus 101 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
104 Interface 105 Controller 106 External Memory 107 Image Processing Unit 108 DVD-ROM Drive 109 NIC
110 Audio processing unit 111 Microphone 201 ↑ button 202 ↓ button 203 ← button 204 → button 205 ○ button 206 × button 207 Δ button 208 □ button 208
209 SELECT button 210 START button 211 ANALOG button 212 Indicator 213 Joystick 214 Joystick 215 L1 button 216 L2 button 217 R1 button 218 R2 button 301 Game device 302 Position storage unit 303 Candidate storage unit 304 Display unit 305 Input reception unit 306 Position update unit 307 Candidate update unit 308 Output unit 401 Screen 402 Candidate display area 403 Square frame 404 Options 405 Character movable area 406 Character 407 Problem display area 408 Problem sentence 409 Attack icon 410 Reward icon 411 Score display area 601 Screen 602 Map 603 Character 604 Current Attribute display area 605 New attribute display area

Claims (7)

A position storage unit for storing the positions of characters arranged in the virtual space;
A candidate storage unit that stores a plurality of options in which a cyclic order is determined and a current candidate among the plurality of options;
A display unit for displaying an image representing a current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit and a character arranged at a position stored in the position storage unit in the virtual space;
An input receiving unit that receives an input of a movement instruction operation or a determination instruction operation by a player;
A position updating unit that updates the position of the character stored in the position storage unit based on the type of the movement instruction operation when the accepted input is a movement instruction operation;
If the received input is a movement instruction operation, a candidate update unit that updates the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit to the next option in the cyclic order;
A game device comprising: an output unit that outputs a current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit as an option selected by a user when the accepted input is a determination instruction operation. The game device according to claim 1,
There are two types of movement instruction operations, the first type and the second type,
The candidate update unit
When the movement instruction operation is the first type, the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit is updated to the next option in the cyclic order,
When the movement instruction operation is of the second type, the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit is updated to the previous option in the cyclic order. The game device according to claim 2,
The position update unit
If the movement instruction operation is the first type, update the character to move in the first direction in the virtual space,
When the movement instruction operation is the second type, the character is updated to move in the second direction opposite to the first direction in the virtual space,
The display unit
When the received input is the first type movement instruction operation, the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit is moved to the candidate display position in the screen and displayed in the first direction. ,
When the accepted input is the second type movement instruction operation, the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit is moved to the candidate display position in the screen and displayed in the second direction. A game device characterized by that. The game device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The limit that the character can be placed in the virtual space is predetermined,
When the movement instruction operation is to cause the character to exceed the limit, the position update unit maintains the position of the character stored in the position storage unit as it is,
The candidate update unit maintains the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit as it is when the position of the character stored in the position storage unit is maintained. The game device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
A plurality of options stored in the candidate storage unit is associated with one task in advance,
The display unit displays the one associated task and the current candidate until the output unit outputs an option selected by the user. A position storage unit that stores the positions of characters arranged in the virtual space, a candidate storage unit that stores a plurality of options in which a cyclic order is determined, and a current candidate among the plurality of options, and a display A game control method that is executed by a game device including a unit, an input receiving unit, a position updating unit, a candidate updating unit, and an output unit,
A display step in which the display unit displays an image representing a current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit and a character arranged at a position stored in the position storage unit in the virtual space;
An input receiving step in which the input receiving unit receives an input of a movement instruction operation or a determination instruction operation by a player;
When the received input is a movement instruction operation, the position update unit updates the character position stored in the position storage unit based on the type of the movement instruction operation;
If the accepted input is a movement instruction operation, the candidate update unit updates the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit to the next option in the cyclic order;
When the received input is a decision instruction operation, the output control unit includes an output step in which the output unit outputs a current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit as an option selected by a user. Method. Computer
A position storage unit for storing the positions of characters arranged in the virtual space;
A candidate storage unit that stores a plurality of options in which a cyclic order is determined and a current candidate among the plurality of options;
A display unit for displaying an image representing a current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit and a character arranged at a position stored in the position storage unit in the virtual space;
An input receiving unit that receives an input of a movement instruction operation or a determination instruction operation by a player;
A position updating unit that updates the position of the character stored in the position storage unit based on the type of the movement instruction operation when the accepted input is a movement instruction operation;
If the accepted input is a movement instruction operation, a candidate update unit that updates the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit to the next option in the cyclic order;
When the received input is a determination instruction operation, the program causes the current candidate stored in the candidate storage unit to function as an output unit that outputs as an option selected by the user.

Images