JP2010125293A - Game program, storage medium and computer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game program capable of moving a player character to a desired position by turning a camera in an optionally selected direction by a player's simple manipulation of a controller in a three-dimensional space. <P>SOLUTION: A manipulated object is moved in the direction separating from the camera along the sight line of the camera according to the manipulation of a second operating part in a specific direction, and is moved in the direction of approaching the camera along the sight line of the camera according to the manipulation in the opposite direction from the specific direction. If the operating part is manipulated in the specific direction or in other directions than the opposite direction, the object is moved in the direction corresponding to the direction of manipulation on the surface of a camera plane, a plane defined by the sight line of the camera and an optionally selected horizontal line in the game space orthogonally crossing the sight line of the camera. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a program, a storage medium, and a computer device for executing a game such as an action game in which an operated object operated by a player is active in a three-dimensional space such as underwater.

  Conventionally, there is a game in which a player character (operated object) operated by a player performs activities such as movement and battle in a three-dimensional space such as underwater, air, and outer space. In these games, in order for the player to move the player character, not only forward / backward / left / right movement operations, such as movement on land, but also up / down (up and down) movement operations are necessary, and the operations are not easy. It was.

  As a game for moving a player character in a three-dimensional space, a controller (for example, a Wii (registered trademark) remote controller) is pointed with a pointer in a desired direction, and a pointer displayed on the game screen is displayed by pressing a predetermined operator. There is a game in which a player character moves in a direction (Non-Patent Document 1).

“Forever Blue Nintendo Official Guidebook” Shogakukan, October 2, 2007

  However, in the game of Non-Patent Document 1, a virtual camera (hereinafter referred to as a camera) that shoots a game space and generates a game image only follows the moving direction of the player character, and the player character while arbitrarily rotating the camera. Could not be moved. Therefore, in an action game in which an enemy character attacks from a range (omnidirectional) where the player is not visible, such as behind the player character, the player character is placed in a range where the enemy character can be viewed by pointing the camera in an arbitrary direction. It was necessary to move. Further, in a three-dimensional space having landforms with different characteristics such as land, water, and underwater, it is necessary to switch the direction of the camera and the movement method of the player character corresponding to the characteristics.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a game program that allows a player to point a camera in a free direction and move a player character to a desired position by a simple operation of a controller in a three-dimensional space, and a storage medium storing the program An object of the present invention is to provide a computer device that executes this program.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game space generating means for generating a game space, a virtual camera in the game space, a computer to which a controller having first and second operation units for receiving a player's operation is connected. Camera control means for setting and controlling the position and orientation of the camera according to the operation of the first operation unit, generating an operated object in the game space, and generating the operated object according to the operation of the second operation unit The operated object control means controls the movement of the operation object, and the operated object control means moves the operated object from the camera position in response to an operation in a specific direction of the second operation unit. Move in a direction away from the camera along a camera line of sight that is a straight line indicating the direction of the camera, and operate the second operation unit in a direction opposite to the specific direction In response, characterized in that moving the operated object in a direction toward the camera along the camera line of sight.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the operated object control means is configured such that the operated object is controlled when the second operating unit is operated in a direction other than the specific direction or the opposite direction. Is moved on a camera plane which is a plane determined by the camera line of sight and an arbitrary horizontal line in the game space orthogonal to the camera line of sight in a direction corresponding to the operation direction.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the game space generating means generates a game space having a boundary surface with another space, and the operated object control means is When the operated object moves in the game space and reaches the boundary surface, the operated object is moved along the boundary surface according to the operation of the second operation unit regardless of the camera plane. It is made to move.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the third aspect of the invention, the camera control means moves the position of the camera to a predetermined position in the other space when the operated object reaches the boundary surface. And the direction is changed so that a specific position in the game space enters the field of view.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third or fourth aspect, the operated object control means is an operation for changing an angle formed by the camera line of sight and the boundary surface by the first operation unit. When the operation is performed, the operated object is moved along the camera plane into the game space in accordance with an operation of the second operation unit.

  The invention of claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the game space generating means is an underwater game space having, as a game space, a water surface that is a boundary surface at an upper end, or It is a means for generating an aerial game space having a ground at the lower end.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the controller includes a third operation unit, and the operated object control means is configured such that the third operation unit is operated. In this case, the operated object is moved vertically up or down in the game space regardless of the camera plane.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the operated object control means generates a player character whose movement is controlled by the operation of the operation unit as the operated object. When the second operation unit is not operated, the player character is controlled to stand in the game space, and when the operation unit is operated, the player character is extended in the moving direction. It is characterized by controlling.

  The invention according to claim 9 is a computer-readable storage medium storing the game program according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is a computer device that reads and executes the game program according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

  According to the present invention, the camera posture is controlled according to the operation of the cross key (first operation unit), and the player character (operated object) is moved along the camera line of sight by the operation of the control stick (second operation unit). Since it can be moved in a direction away from the camera or in a direction closer to the camera, the player can move the player character to a desired position while arbitrarily rotating the camera by a simple operation of the controller. it can.

In a three-dimensional space in which a player character such as underwater can be moved three-dimensionally, the player is on a plane (camera plane) determined by a camera line of sight and an arbitrary horizontal line in the game space orthogonal to the camera line of sight. When the character is moved and reaches the water surface (boundary surface), the player character is moved along the water surface (boundary surface). Therefore, the movement method according to the feature of the terrain can be switched between the water and the water surface.

  Further, when the player character reaches the water surface (boundary surface), the camera position is automatically moved to a predetermined position, thereby switching to a camera position where the player can easily play, whereby the player character (operated object) is changed. It is possible to notify the player that the mode (water surface mode) for moving along the water surface (boundary surface) has been entered. Then, by moving the camera position from a predetermined position by the player's operation (changing the angle formed by the camera line of sight and the boundary surface), the water surface mode is canceled and the underwater moving method is to move on the camera plane. The player can smoothly move the player character between the water and the water surface.

A game system 1 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external view for explaining the game system 1. Hereinafter, the game system 1 of the present invention will be described using a stationary game apparatus as an example.

  In FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a stationary game apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a monitor) 2 connected to a display (hereinafter referred to as a monitor) 2 having a speaker 2a such as a home television receiver via a connection cord. 3) and a controller 7 that gives operation information to the game apparatus 3. An optical disk 4 as an example of an information storage medium that is used interchangeably with the game apparatus 3 is attached to and detached from the game apparatus 3. The game apparatus 3 is provided with a power ON / OFF switch that is a main power source of the game, a game process reset switch, and an injection switch for attaching and detaching the optical disk 4.

  Further, an external memory card 5 equipped with a backup memory or the like for storing save data or the like in a fixed manner is detachably attached to the game apparatus 3 as necessary. The game apparatus 3 displays a result as a game image on the monitor 2 by executing a game program or the like stored on the optical disc 4. Furthermore, the game apparatus 3 can reproduce the game state executed in the past by using the save data stored in the external memory card 5 and display the game image on the monitor 2. Then, the player of the game apparatus 3 can enjoy the progress of the game by operating the controller 7 while viewing the game image displayed on the monitor 2.

The controller 7 wirelessly transmits transmission data from a communication unit 75 (described later) provided therein to the game apparatus 3 to which the receiving unit 36a (see FIG. 2) is connected, using, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology. Send. The controller 7 is configured by connecting two control units (a core unit 70 and a subunit 76) to each other via a flexible connection cable 79, and a player appearing in a game space mainly displayed on the monitor 2. This is an operation means for operating a player object such as a character. Two LED modules 8L and 8R are installed near the display screen of the monitor 2. These LED modules 8L and 8R each output infrared light toward the front of the monitor 2. Each of the core unit 70 and the subunit 76 is provided with a plurality of operation units such as operation buttons, keys, and sticks. The core unit 70 includes an imaging information calculation unit 74 (described later) that captures images of the LED modules 8L and 8R viewed from the core unit 70.
In the present embodiment, the core unit 70 and the subunit 76 are connected by a bendable cable. However, the connection cable 79 can be eliminated by mounting a wireless unit on the subunit 76. For example, by mounting a Bluetooth (registered trademark) unit as a wireless unit in the subunit 76, operation data can be transmitted from the subunit 76 to the core unit 70.

Next, a functional configuration of the game apparatus 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the game apparatus 3.
In FIG. 2, the game apparatus 3 includes, for example, a risk (RISC) CPU (Central Processing Unit) 30 that executes various programs. The CPU 30 executes a boot program stored in a boot ROM (not shown), initializes a memory such as the main memory 33, and the like, and then executes a game program stored in the optical disc 4 according to the game program. Game processing and the like. A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) 32, a main memory 33, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 34, and an ARAM (Audio RAM) 35 are connected to the CPU 30 via a memory controller 31. In addition, a controller I / F (interface) 36, a video I / F 37, an external memory I / F 38, an audio I / F 39, and a disk I / F 41 are connected to the memory controller 31 via a predetermined bus 42. The receiving unit 36a, the monitor 2, the external memory card 5, the speaker 2a, and the disk drive 40 are connected to each other.

  The GPU 32 performs image processing based on an instruction from the CPU 30, and is configured by a semiconductor chip that performs calculation processing necessary for displaying 3D graphics, for example. The GPU 32 performs image processing using a memory dedicated to image processing (not shown) and a partial storage area of the main memory 33. The GPU 32 generates game image data and movie video to be displayed on the monitor 2 using these, and outputs them to the monitor 2 through the memory controller 31 and the video I / F 37 as appropriate.

  The main memory 33 is a storage area used by the CPU 30 and stores game programs and the like necessary for the processing of the CPU 30 as appropriate. For example, the main memory 33 stores a game program read from the optical disc 4 by the CPU 30 and various data. The game program and various data stored in the main memory 33 are executed by the CPU 30.

  The DSP 34 processes sound data generated by the CPU 30 when the game program is executed, and is connected to an ARAM 35 for storing the sound data. The ARAM 35 is used when the DSP 34 performs a predetermined process (for example, storage of a pre-read game program or sound data). The DSP 34 reads the sound data stored in the ARAM 35 and outputs the sound data to the speaker 2 a included in the monitor 2 via the memory controller 31 and the audio I / F 39.

The memory controller 31 comprehensively controls data transfer, and the various I / Fs described above are connected via a bus 42. The controller I / F 36 connects the controller 7 so as to be communicable with the game apparatus 3. For example, the receiving unit 36a is connected to the memory controller 31 via the controller I / F 36. As described above, the reception unit 36 a receives transmission data from the controller 7 and outputs the transmission data to the CPU 30 via the controller I / F 36. A monitor 2 is connected to the video I / F 37. An external memory card 5 is connected to the external memory I / F 38 and can access a backup memory or the like provided in the external memory card 5.
A speaker 2a built in the monitor 2 is connected to the audio I / F 39 so that sound data read out from the ARAM 35 by the DSP 34 or sound data directly output from the disk drive 40 can be output from the speaker 2a. A disk drive 40 is connected to the disk I / F 41. The disk drive 40 reads data stored on the optical disk 4 arranged at a predetermined reading position, and outputs the data to the bus 42 and the audio I / F 39 of the game apparatus 3.

The core unit 70 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the core unit 70 as viewed from the upper rear side. FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the core unit 70 as viewed from the lower rear side.
The core unit 70 has a housing 71 formed by plastic molding, for example. The housing 71 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction, and is a size that can be gripped with one hand of an adult or a child as a whole.

  A cross key 72 a is provided on the center front side of the upper surface of the housing 71. The cross key 72a is four push switches coupled by a cross-shaped button head, and projecting pieces in four directions, up, down, left, and right of the button head serve as push switch operators corresponding to the respective directions. When the player presses one of the operation keys of the cross key 72a, one of up, down, left and right directions is selected. When the player holds the core unit 70 horizontally in the direction of the monitor 2, the “up / down” operation element becomes the “front / rear” operation element. For example, when the player operates the cross key 72a, the movement direction of the camera or the like appearing in the virtual game world can be instructed, or the movement direction of the cursor can be instructed.

  A plurality of button switches 72b to 72g are provided on the rear surface side of the cross key 72a on the upper surface of the housing 71. The button switches 72b to 72g are operation units that output operation signals assigned to the button switches 72b to 72g when the player presses the button head. For example, the button switches 72b to 72d are assigned functions as one button, two buttons, and A button. The button switches 72e to 72g are assigned functions as a-(minus) button, a home button, and a + (plus) button.

  The button switches 72b to 72d are arranged side by side along the center front-rear direction on the upper surface of the housing 71. The button switches 72e to 72g are arranged in parallel between the operation buttons 72b and 72d along the left-right direction of the upper surface of the housing 71. The button switch 72f is a type of button whose upper surface is buried in the upper surface of the housing 71 and is not accidentally pressed by the player.

  Further, a button switch 72h is provided on the front surface side of the cross key 72a on the upper surface of the housing 71. This button switch 72h is a power switch for remotely turning on / off the game apparatus 3 main body. This operation button 72h is also a type of button whose upper surface is buried in the upper surface of the housing 71 and that is not accidentally pressed by the player.

  A plurality of LEDs 702 are provided on the rear surface side of the button switch 72c on the upper surface of the housing 71. Here, the controller 7 is provided with a controller type (number) to distinguish it from other controllers 7. For example, the LED 702 is used to notify the player of the controller type currently set in the controller 7. Specifically, when transmitting transmission data from the core unit 70 to the receiving unit 36a, among the plurality of LEDs 702, the LED corresponding to the type is turned on according to the controller type.

  On the other hand, a recess is formed on the lower surface of the housing 71. The concave portion on the lower surface of the housing 71 is formed at a position where the player's index finger or middle finger is positioned when the player holds the core unit 70. And the button switch 72i is provided in the rear surface side inclined surface of the said recessed part. The button switch 72i is an operation unit that functions as a B button.

  Each of the button switches 72b to 72g, 72i is assigned a function according to a game program executed by the game apparatus 3. In an action game to be described later, the button switch 72d that is an A button functions as an operator for causing the player character to attack with a weapon, and the button switch 72i that is a B button is an operator for causing an emergency avoidance action. Function as.

  In addition, on the front surface of the housing 71, an imaging element 743 that constitutes a part of the imaging information calculation unit 74 (see FIG. 5) is provided. Here, the imaging information calculation unit 74 is a system for analyzing the image data captured by the core unit 70, discriminating a place where the luminance is high, and detecting the position of the center of gravity or the size of the place, For example, since the maximum sampling period is about 200 frames / second, even a relatively fast movement of the core unit 70 can be tracked and analyzed. The detailed configuration of the imaging information calculation unit 74 will be described later. A connector 73 is provided on the rear surface of the housing 70. The connector 73 is a 32-pin edge connector, for example, and is used for fitting and connecting with the connector of the connection cable 79.

  The subunit 76 will be described with reference to FIG. 4A is a top view of the subunit 76, FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the subunit 76, and FIG. 4C is a left side view of the subunit 76.

  In FIG. 4, the subunit 76 has a housing 77 formed by plastic molding, for example. The housing 77 has a streamlined three-dimensional shape in which the front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction and the head portion that is the thickest part of the subunit 76 is formed in the front. The housing 77 is large enough to be grasped by one hand of an adult or a child as a whole. That's it.

  A stick 78 a is provided in the vicinity of the thickest portion on the upper surface of the housing 77. The stick 78a is an operation unit that outputs an operation signal according to the tilting direction by tilting the tiltable stick protruding from the upper surface of the housing 77. For example, the player can specify an arbitrary direction and position by tilting the tip of the stick in an arbitrary direction of 360 °, and can indicate a moving direction of a player character or the like appearing in the virtual game world, or move a cursor. You can indicate the direction.

Next, the internal configuration of the controller 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller 7.
In FIG. 5, the core unit 70 includes a communication unit 75, an acceleration sensor 701, and a vibrator 704 in addition to the operation unit 72 and the imaging information calculation unit 74 described above.

  The imaging information calculation unit 74 includes an infrared filter 741, a lens 742, an imaging element 743, and an image processing circuit 744. The infrared filter 741 allows only infrared light to pass through from light incident from the front of the core unit 70. The lens 742 condenses the infrared light that has passed through the infrared filter 741 and outputs the condensed infrared light to the image sensor 743. The imaging element 743 is a solid-state imaging element such as a CMOS sensor or a CCD, for example, and images the infrared rays collected by the lens 742. Therefore, the image sensor 743 captures only the infrared light that has passed through the infrared filter 741 and generates image data. Image data generated by the image sensor 743 is processed by an image processing circuit 744. Specifically, the image processing circuit 744 processes the image data obtained from the image sensor 743 to detect high-luminance portions, and transmits processing result data indicating the result of detecting their position coordinates and area to the communication unit 75. Output to.

  Note that these imaging information calculation units 74 are fixed to the housing 71 of the core unit 70, and when the direction of the housing 71 itself changes, the imaging direction changes accordingly. Based on the processing result data output from the imaging information calculation unit 74, a signal corresponding to the position and movement of the core unit 70 can be obtained.

  Since the housing 71 of the subunit 76 is connected to the subunit 76 by a connection cable 79 that can be bent, the imaging direction of the imaging information calculation unit 74 changes even if the direction or position of the subunit 76 is changed. do not do. The subunit 76 may be provided with an imaging information calculation unit similar to that of the core unit 70.

  The acceleration sensor 701 is an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration along three axes of the core unit 70 in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction. The acceleration sensor 701 may be an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration on two axes in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction depending on the type of operation signal required. Data indicating the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 701 is output to the communication unit 75. The acceleration sensor 701 is typically a capacitance type acceleration sensor, but other types of acceleration sensors or gyro sensors may be used. Based on the acceleration data output from the acceleration sensor 701, the movement of the core unit 70 can be detected.

  The communication unit 75 includes a microcomputer (microcomputer) 751, a memory 752, a wireless module 753, and an antenna 754. The microcomputer 751 controls the wireless module 753 that wirelessly transmits transmission data while using the memory 752 as a storage area during processing.

  An operation signal (core key data) from the operation unit 72 provided in the core unit 70, an acceleration signal (acceleration data) from the acceleration sensor 701, and processing result data from the imaging information calculation unit 74 are output to the microcomputer 751. The In addition, an operation signal (sub key data) from the operation unit 78 provided in the subunit 76 is output to the microcomputer 751 via the connection cable 79. The microcomputer 751 temporarily stores the input data (core key data, sub key data, acceleration data, and processing result data) in the memory 752 as transmission data to be transmitted to the receiving unit 36a.

  Here, the wireless transmission from the communication unit 75 to the receiving unit 36a is performed every predetermined cycle, but since the game processing is generally performed in units of 1/60, a shorter cycle than that is performed. It is necessary to send in. Specifically, the processing unit of the game is 16.7 ms (1/60 seconds), and the transmission interval of the communication unit 75 configured with Bluetooth is 5 ms. When the transmission timing to the receiving unit 36a comes, the microcomputer 751 outputs the transmission data stored in the memory 752 as a series of operation information and outputs it to the wireless module 753. The wireless module 753 radiates operation information from the antenna 754 as a radio wave signal using a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency using, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology.

  That is, core key data from the operation unit 72 provided in the core unit 70, subkey data from the operation unit 78 provided in the subunit 76, acceleration data from the acceleration sensor 701, and processing from the imaging information calculation unit 74. Result data is transmitted from the core unit 70. Then, the radio signal is received by the receiving unit 36a of the game apparatus 3, and the radio signal is demodulated or decoded by the game apparatus 3, whereby a series of operation information (core key data, sub key data, acceleration data, and processing result data). ) To get. And CPU30 of the game device 3 performs a game process based on the acquired operation information and a game program. Further, the CPU 30 of the game apparatus 3 calculates the position and orientation of the core unit 70 based on the processing result data indicating the position coordinates and area detection results of the LEDs 8L and 8R, the distance between the LEDs 8L and 8R, and the like.

  When the communication unit 75 is configured using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology, the communication unit 75 can also have a function of receiving transmission data wirelessly transmitted from other devices.

  The vibrator 704 may be a vibration motor or a solenoid, for example. Since the vibration is generated in the core unit 70 by the operation of the vibrator 704, the vibration is transmitted to the hand of the player holding it, and a so-called vibration-compatible game can be realized.

  The player holds the core unit 70 in such a manner that the thumb of the right hand is attached to the upper surface of the core unit 70 (for example, in the vicinity of the cross key 72a) and the index finger is attached to the concave portion (for example, in the vicinity of the operation button 72i) of the lower surface of the core unit 70. . At this time, the light incident port of the imaging information calculation unit 74 provided on the front surface of the core unit 70 is exposed in the forward direction of the player.

As described above, the core unit 70 can easily operate the operation unit 72 such as the cross key 72a and the operation button 72i while being held by the player with one hand. Further, when the player holds the core unit 70 with one hand, the light incident port of the imaging information calculation unit 74 provided on the front surface of the core unit 70 is exposed, so that the two LED modules 8L and 8R described above are exposed. Infrared light can be easily taken from the light entrance. That is, the player can hold the core unit 70 with one hand without obstructing the function of the imaging information calculation unit 74 of the core unit 70. That is, when the player moves the hand holding the core unit 70 with respect to the display screen, the core unit 70 can further include an operation input in which the movement of the player's hand acts directly on the display screen.
Further, the subunit 76 is also gripped and operated in the same manner by the player's left hand.

  Here, an action game executed in the game system having the above-described configuration will be described. In this game, a player character operated by a player accomplishes a mission by subjugating an enemy character. Some game stages in which the player character performs missions have terrain such as plains, hills, mountains, seas, rivers, ponds, lakes, etc., and the action range of the player character extends not only on land but also in water. .

  On land, the player character moves forward and backward, 360 ° in the direction of the ground, and battles with enemy characters that live on land. On the other hand, in the water, the player character moves not only forward, backward, left and right, but also up and down, flies and dives in an arbitrary direction, and battles with enemy characters living in the water. In addition, the player character can place a face on the surface of the water and move along the surface of the water, or can fight with enemy characters that have surfaced on the surface of the water or enemy characters that live on the surface of the water.

  The player uses the core unit 70 gripped with the right hand and the subunit 76 gripped with the left hand at the same time to operate the game screen and move the player character.

  The position and orientation (hereinafter referred to as “camera position”) of a virtual camera (hereinafter referred to as “camera”) that captures the game space is operated by the cross key 72 a of the core unit 70. Since the camera captures a player character that is active in the game space, the gazing point (the present invention) is a camera destination that is always set in the player character or in the vicinity of the player character while maintaining a predetermined distance from the player character. "Specific location"). The camera rotates around the point of interest. In this way, the position and orientation of the camera are linked to each other, and the camera can be moved while facing the gazing point.

  The player can move the position of the camera so as to reflect the desired direction by pressing an operator corresponding to the desired direction (up / down / left / right) of the cross key 72a. That is, when the player depresses the upper operation element, the camera rotates toward the bottom of the player character and looks up at the player character. On the other hand, when the player presses the lower operation element, the camera rotates toward the player character and looks down at the player character. Similarly, when the player presses the left operation element, the camera rotates to the right around the player character and looks to the left of the player character. Conversely, when the player presses the right control, the camera rotates leftward about the player character and looks to the right of the player character.

  Further, the player can reset the camera position in the initial direction (position) for photographing the game space horizontally from behind the player character by pressing the C button 78d on the lower surface of the subunit 76. In this way, since only the camera can be arbitrarily rotated independently of the movement of the character, the game image in the direction desired by the player is displayed on the monitor 2, and for example, an enemy character behind the player character is found. can do.

  The moving direction of the player character is controlled by the control stick 78a of the subunit 76. The player indicates the moving direction of the player character by tilting the control stick 78a in an arbitrary direction with reference to a straight line (hereinafter referred to as “camera line of sight”) directed from the camera position to the gazing point. can do. By tilting the control stick 78a upward, the player character is moved in the direction of the camera line of sight (in the back of the game screen). Conversely, by tilting the control stick 78a downward, the player character is moved in the direction opposite to the camera line of sight (before the game screen).

  The control stick 78a can be tilted in any direction, and no matter which direction the control stick 78a is tilted, the control stick 78a is on a plane (hereinafter referred to as “camera plane”) determined by the camera line of sight and a horizontal line perpendicular to the camera line of sight. The player character is moved in an arbitrary direction. Here, the horizontal line is a straight line parallel to the XZ plane of FIGS. 7 to 9 (to be described later) orthogonal to the virtually set gravity direction (Y-axis direction of FIGS. 7 to 9 to be described later). Say.

  The player can move the player character to any place in the game space as desired by operating the camera and tilting the control stick 78a while changing the camera position. Detailed movement operations of the player character on land, water, and water will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  A game system as shown in FIG. 6 can be functionally realized by causing the game device described above to read a game program for executing such a game. The game system includes an operation detection unit 50, a game progress control unit 51, a drawing processing unit 55, and the like. The game progress control unit 51 includes a player character control unit 52, a non-player character control unit 53, and a game space control unit 54. The drawing processing unit 55 includes a camera control unit 56.

  The operation detection unit 50 includes a data processing unit such as the CPU 30 and the GPU 32 and the controller 7, detects various operations of the player, and transmits them to the game progress control unit 51 and the drawing processing unit 55. The game progress control unit 51 includes a data processing unit such as the CPU 30 and the GPU 32, generates a virtual game space and characters, and changes the above-described game space according to the player's operation and the passage of time. The game is advanced by performing processing such as activating the character.

  The player character control unit 52 generates a player character in the game space, and controls activities such as movement of the player character based on operation information input from the operation detection unit 50. The non-player character control unit 53 generates a non-player character in the game space and controls the activity of the non-player character. The game space control unit 54 generates a game space for the field selected based on the operation information input from the operation detection unit 50, and controls the environment such as weather and day / night changes in the game space.

  The drawing processing unit 55 includes a data processing unit such as the CPU 30 and the GPU 32, generates a game space and a game image generated by projecting the game progress control unit 51 on a two-dimensional screen, and outputs the game image to the monitor 2. Specifically, an image of a camera that has photographed the game space is generated, and this image is displayed on the monitor 2. The camera control unit 56 controls the position and orientation of the camera according to the operation of the cross key 72a of the core unit 70 by the player.

  The game program forms a virtual three-dimensional game space, and the game device 3 performs processing for outputting a game image generated from a two-dimensional image obtained by perspective projection of the game space from a predetermined viewpoint (to the monitor 2). To run. Specifically, a virtual screen of the same size as the monitor 2 is arranged between the camera position and the gazing point, and an image of the game space in which characters and objects are arranged viewed from the camera position is displayed on this screen. A two-dimensional image drawn by perspective projection is used as a game image.

  Hereinafter, the player character movement operation method will be described with reference to FIGS. In this figure, with the position where the camera is installed in the horizontal direction as the origin, the coordinate axes of the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis orthogonal to each other are defined, the vertical upward direction of the camera is the Y axis, and the camera line of sight is the Z axis. This is described in an orthogonal coordinate system (world coordinate system) in which the horizontal direction of the camera orthogonal to the axis and the Z axis is the X axis.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the camera and the player character on the land. The X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis represent the world coordinate system set in the game space, and the ground G represents this world. It is a plane parallel to the XZ plane of the coordinate system. The player moves the camera to any position 360 ° around the Y-axis while maintaining a predetermined angle from the ground G parallel to the XZ plane by a predetermined distance from the gazing point by operating the left and right controls of the cross key 72a. Can be made. Further, by operating the upper and lower operators of the cross key 72a, the position of the camera can be changed to a predetermined predetermined position in five stages of D2 to U2. The five stages are horizontal H, upward two stages U1, U2, and downward two stages D1, D2.

  On land, the ground G parallel to the XZ plane is always the movement plane of the player character regardless of the camera position, and the player character moves on the ground G. The direction of the camera line of sight is determined by the left and right positions of the camera, and moves according to the tilt direction of the control stick 78a. For example, if the camera is positioned on the circumference 100 and the player character direction is the line-of-sight direction, the player character 101 will move when the player tilts the control stick 78a upward regardless of the camera position D2-U2. If it moves in the direction of 101a and tilts downward, it moves in the direction of 101b.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the camera and the player character on the water surface. The X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis represent the world coordinate system set in the game space. It is a plane parallel to the XZ plane of the world coordinate system.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the player character moves his face up on the water surface W and moves along the water surface W with the bottom of the neck submerged in water as shown in FIG. 10B. It is possible to battle with enemy characters that have emerged on W or enemy characters that live on the surface of the water. In addition, breathing can be performed and the water surface W can be seen. When the player character reaches the water surface W from underwater, the camera is controlled to automatically move to a predetermined position U1 above the water surface W and overlooking the player character. U1 is set in advance at a predetermined distance from the gazing point and at a predetermined angle from the water surface W. While the camera is moving, the player character cannot perform a diving operation (moving into the water) and moves on the water surface W according to the tilting direction of the control stick 78a. Hereinafter, this moving state is referred to as “water surface mode”.

  The camera is controlled to automatically move to the predetermined position U1, but may be moved instantaneously to the predetermined position or may be moved over time.

  After the camera moves, the water surface mode is maintained while the camera is at the predetermined position U1, and the player character similarly moves on the water surface W with the water surface W as a moving plane. At this time, the player character moves in a posture along the water surface W, not in a posture perpendicular to the water surface W (Y-axis direction) (FIG. 10). For example, when the camera is located at U1 and the player character is facing the Z-axis direction, the player character 101 moves in the direction 101c when the player tilts the control stick 78a upward, and the direction 101d when the player tilts downward. Move to.

  The water surface mode is maintained unless the upper and lower operators of the cross key 72a are pressed. When the left and right controls of the cross key 72a are pressed in the water surface mode, the camera can be moved to an arbitrary position of 360 ° around the Y axis while maintaining the predetermined distance and the predetermined angle of U1 with the gazing point as the center. it can. The direction of the camera line of sight is determined by the left and right positions of the camera. The player character moves on the water surface W according to the tilting direction of the control stick 78a.

  On the other hand, the player can move the camera to an arbitrary position about 180 ° around the X axis by pressing the upper and lower operators of the cross key 72a. Since it is not, the water surface mode is canceled. This is not a stepwise change (selection) of the camera position determined in advance as on land, but a continuous camera position movement.

  Note that the “continuous” movement of the camera position includes not only the movement of the angle of a complete free value but also the movement of the camera at finer angle steps (for example, at intervals of 1 to 5 °) than on the land.

  For example, when the player operates the operation member under the cross key 72a to move the camera position from U1 to U3 and the camera is at a position overlooking the player character, the player tilts the control stick 78a upward. Thus, the player character 101 performs a diving action and moves in the direction of 101e. Conversely, when the control stick 78a is tilted downward, the player character cannot move from the water surface W toward the air, and therefore moves in the direction 101d on the water surface W.

  On the other hand, when the player operates the operation member on the cross key 72a, the camera position moves from U1 to D3, and the player tilts the control stick 78a downward when the camera is in a position looking up at the player character. Thus, the player character performs a diving motion and moves in the direction of 101f. On the contrary, when the control stick 78a is tilted upward, the player character cannot move from the water surface W toward the air, so that the player character is controlled to move in the direction 101c on the water surface W.

  That is, when the camera position is no longer the predetermined position U1 by the player's operation, the water surface mode is canceled, the movement plane of the player character is not the water surface W, and the camera plane CP becomes the movement plane of the player character. Then, the player character moves on the camera plane CP according to the tilting direction of the control stick 78a.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the camera and the player character in water.
The player can continuously move the rotation angle of the camera 360 ° around the Y axis by operating the left and right operation elements of the cross key 72a, and the upper and lower operation elements of the cross key 72a. By operating the, the rotation angle of the camera can be continuously moved to an arbitrary position of about 180 ° around the X axis. In the present embodiment, since the control becomes complicated during the battle with the enemy character, the position of the camera that can be moved is set to about 180 ° instead of 360 ° around the X axis (up and down), but it is also up and down. It may be possible to move 360 °.

  Underwater, the player character always uses the camera plane CP as a moving plane, and moves on the camera plane CP according to the tilt direction of the control stick 78a. For example, when the camera position is H (horizontal), when the player tilts the control stick 78a upward, the player character 101 moves in the direction of 101g, and when tilted down, the player character 101 moves in the direction of 101h.

  For example, when the camera position is D1, the player character moves to the left and right on the camera plane CP before (floating) and after (diving). When the player tilts the control stick 78a upward, the player character 101 moves in the direction of 101i, and when tilted down, the player character 101 moves in the direction of 101j.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the player character moves in water when the camera position is D1. In this figure, what is displayed at the center of the upper part is the light of the sun inserted into the water surface, which is located just above the player character. In FIG. 6A, the player tilts the control stick 78a upward, so that the player character floats toward the water surface (in the back of the camera). In FIG. 5B, the player character dives away from the water surface (in front of the camera) by tilting the control stick 78a downward.

  For example, when the camera position is U1, the player character moves left and right on the camera plane CP before (submerge) and after (float). When the player tilts the control stick 78a upward, the player character 101 moves in the direction of 101k. When the player tilts down, the player character 101 moves in the direction of 101l.

  In addition, the player can cause the player character to perform an avoidance action in the water (FIG. 9). When the player depresses the B button 72i of the core unit 70, the player character performs an avoidance action of moving downward in the vertical direction (the negative direction of the Y axis) regardless of the camera position. For example, the player character 101 moves in the direction of 101x. Further, when the player presses the B button 72i with the core unit 70 oriented in the vertical direction, the player character performs an avoidance action of moving upward in the vertical direction (the Y axis + direction) regardless of the camera position. . For example, the player character 101 moves in the direction of 101y. Further, when the player depresses the B button 72i with the control stick 78a tilted, the player character performs “emergency avoidance” by moving a predetermined distance in the tilt direction of the control stick 78a. These avoidances are effective when you escape from the enemy as soon as possible.

  Further, the player performs an attack operation on the enemy while performing the above movement and avoidance operations. The player can select one type of weapon from the weapons possessed by the player character and launch an attack technique. There are a plurality of attack techniques using each weapon, and the player can select the attack technique by operating the controller.

  When the player presses the A button 72 d of the core unit 70, the player character starts an attack technique, but the type of attack technique to be paid out differs depending on the posture (orientation) of the core unit 70. For example, when the A button 72d is pressed in a state where the core unit 70 is held horizontally, the upper surface portion of the core unit 70 is directed rightward, and the upper surface portion of the core unit 70 is directed leftward, the player characters have different attack techniques. To pay out. Further, if the player continues to press the A button 72d while holding the core unit 70 vertically, the player character performs a “reserving action” and either swings the core unit 70 while the power is accumulated or the A button 72d. If you let go of it, it will make a “pump attack”. On land, these aggressive actions are performed on the front of the player character.

  Further, when an attack operation is performed while the player character is underwater, since the player character is in a posture perpendicular to the water surface W (Y-axis direction) in the water, if the attack operation is performed without operating the control stick 78a, Aggressive action is performed with the direction parallel to the XZ plane as the front. On the other hand, when an attacking operation is performed while operating the control stick 78a, an attacking action is performed in the direction in which the camera plane CP is moving as the moving plane, in the direction that the camera plane CP is facing at that time.

Hereinafter, the movement control process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating camera viewpoint control processing performed by the camera control unit 56. This process is repeatedly executed, for example, every frame.

  First, when an operation (pressing) of the cross key 72a is detected (S11), it is determined whether or not the operation member of the pressed cross key 72a is a left or right operation member (S12). If the pressed operator is the left or right operator (YES in S12), the camera position is moved in the left and right pressed direction (S13).

  When the pressed operation element is not the left or right operation element (NO in S12), that is, when the pressed operation element is the upper or lower operation element, it is determined whether or not the player character is on land (S14). If the player character is on the land (YES in S14), the camera position is changed by one step in the direction in which the player is pressed up and down (S15). On land, the camera position can be changed to a predetermined position of 5 steps up and down, and 5 steps are horizontal, upward 2 steps, and downward 2 steps.

  When the player character is not on land (NO in S14), that is, when the player character is on the water surface W or in the water, the camera position is continuously moved in the up and down pressed direction (S16). Although the camera position can be changed by about 90 ° in the vertical direction (about 180 °), the camera position does not move even when the operator is pressed beyond the predetermined value.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing player character movement control processing performed by the player character control unit 53.
First, when an operation (tilt) of the control stick 78a is detected (S21), it is determined whether or not the player character is in water (S22). When the player character is underwater (YES in S22), the player character is moved on the camera plane CP according to the tilt direction of the control stick 78a (S23). If the player character is not underwater (NO in S22), it is determined whether or not the player character is on land (S24). When the player character is on land (YES in S24), the player character is moved on the ground G according to the tilting direction of the control stick 78a (S25). If the player character is not on land (NO in S24), that is, if the player character is on the water surface W, it is determined whether or not the camera position is the predetermined position U1 (S26). When the camera position is the predetermined position U1 (YES in S26), the player character is moved on the water surface W according to the tilting direction of the control stick 78a (S27). When the camera position is not the predetermined position U1 (NO in S26), the player character is moved on the camera plane CP according to the tilting direction of the control stick 78a (S28).

  In this embodiment, when the player presses the up / down / left / right operation buttons of the cross key 72a, the camera position is moved in the direction opposite to the pressed direction, and the game image in the pressed direction is displayed on the monitor 2. However, the camera position may be moved in the pressed direction of up, down, left, and right.

  In the present embodiment, the water surface mode is canceled when the camera position is slightly moved from the predetermined position U1, but the condition for canceling the water surface mode is that the camera position is moved from the predetermined position U1 to a predetermined angle (U1 ±). α) It is also possible to move it more than once.

  Further, when playing this action game, the core unit 70 may be used for the movement control of the player character, and the subunit 76 may be used for the movement control of the virtual camera.

  Furthermore, the present invention may be applied not only to home game machines but also to arcade game machines. Further, the present invention may be applied not only to a game machine in which the game machine main body and the controller are separated but also to a portable game machine in which the controller and the apparatus main body are integrated.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the camera position is changed, the camera orientation is also changed in conjunction with it (for example, the gaze point is at the center of the field of view), but the camera position and orientation are linked to each other. It may not be allowed to. Even when linked, it is not necessary to follow the camera position in real time (without delay or advance). For example, after moving the camera position, the direction may be changed to the gazing point direction. The position may be moved after changing the direction of the camera.

External view for explaining a game system to which the present invention is applied Functional block diagram of the game apparatus shown in FIG. The perspective view of the core unit shown in FIG. 3 views of the subunit shown in FIG. Block diagram showing the configuration of the controller The figure which shows the structure of the game system comprised with a game program and a game device. The figure which shows the positional relationship of the virtual camera and player character on land The figure which shows the positional relationship of the virtual camera and player character on the water surface The figure which shows the positional relationship of the virtual camera and player character in water The figure which shows the example of the screen where a character acts on the water surface in the said game system. The figure which shows the example of the screen where a character moves in water in the said game system. A flowchart showing processing operations for executing an action game in the game system. A flowchart showing processing operations for executing an action game in the game system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Game system 2 ... Monitor 2a ... Speaker 3 ... Game device 7 ... Controller 8 ... LED module 30 ... CPU
31 ... Memory controller 32 ... GPU
33 ... Main memory 70 ... Core unit 72 ... Operation unit 72a ... Cross key 72d ... A button 74 ... Imaging information calculation unit 75 ... Communication unit 76 ... Sub unit 78a ... Control stick 701 ... Acceleration sensor 704 ... Vibrator 741 ... Infrared filter 742 ... Lens 743 ... Image sensor 744 ... Image processing circuit 751 ... Microcomputer 752 ... Memory 753 ... Wireless module 754 ... Antenna

Claims (10)

A computer to which a controller having first and second operation units for receiving player operations is connected,
Game space generating means for generating a game space;
Camera control means for setting a virtual camera in the game space and controlling the position and orientation of the camera in accordance with the operation of the first operation unit;
Generating an operated object in the game space and functioning as operated object control means for controlling movement of the operated object in accordance with an operation of the second operation unit;
The operated object control means moves the operated object away from the camera along a camera line of sight that is a straight line indicating the direction of the camera from the camera position in response to an operation of the second operation unit in a specific direction. A game program for moving the operated object in a direction approaching the camera along the line of sight of the camera in response to an operation in a direction opposite to the specific direction of the second operation unit. .   The operated object control means is configured to select the operated object as an arbitrary game space orthogonal to the camera line of sight when the second operation unit is operated in a direction other than the specific direction or the opposite direction. The game program according to claim 1, wherein the game program is moved in a direction corresponding to the operation direction on a camera plane which is a plane determined by the horizontal line. The game space generation means generates a game space having a boundary surface with another space,
When the operated object moves in the game space and reaches the boundary surface, the operated object control means is responsive to an operation of the second operation unit regardless of the camera plane. The game program according to claim 1, wherein an object is moved along the boundary surface.   When the operated object reaches the boundary surface, the camera control means moves the position of the camera to a predetermined position in the other space and directs the specific position in the game space to enter the field of view. The game program according to claim 3 to be changed.   The operated object control means is configured to operate the operated object according to an operation of the second operating unit when an operation of changing an angle formed by the camera line of sight and the boundary surface is performed by the first operating unit. The game program according to claim 3 or 4, wherein an object is moved in the game space along the camera plane.   6. The game space generating means is means for generating an underwater game space having a water surface as a boundary surface at an upper end or an aerial game space having a ground at a lower end as a game space. A game program according to any one of the above. The controller includes a third operation unit,
The operated object control means moves the operated object vertically up or down in the game space regardless of the camera plane when the third operation unit is operated. 7. The game program according to any one of 6. The operated object control means includes:
A player character whose movement is controlled by operation of the operation unit is generated as the operated object,
When the second operation unit is not operated, the player character is controlled to stand in the game space, and when the operation unit is operated, the player character is controlled to extend in the moving direction. The game program according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the game program according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A computer device that reads and executes the game program according to claim 1.