JP2010142404A - Game program, and game apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game program by which a user can easily obtain a direction where a target point is present in a virtual three-dimensional space, and which can increase the operability for heading for the target point. <P>SOLUTION: First, operation information which is output from an inputting apparatus operated by a player is acquired. Then, an arbitrary point in the virtual three-dimensional space is set as a marker point according to the acquired operation information. Then, the position and the direction of a virtual camera are set in such a manner that the marker point may be located in the looking direction of the virtual camera. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game device that operates a player object existing in a virtual three-dimensional space photographed by a virtual camera using an input device, and more particularly to a control process of the virtual camera.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a game device that displays a direction indicating object that indicates a direction in which a player object should travel in a virtual three-dimensional space (a direction in which a target point exists) in the vicinity of the player object is known (for example, Patent Documents). 1). In the game device, a direction indicating object having a triangular pyramid shape is created based on the player object coordinate data and the destination coordinate data, and is displayed in the vicinity of the player object. At this time, processing is performed such that the tip of the triangular pyramid faces the direction in which the player object should proceed.
JP-A-11-151376

  However, the game apparatus as described above has conventionally had the following problems. In the above game device, the direction in which the player object should proceed (the direction of the tip of the triangular pyramid) is determined according to the current position of the player object. On the other hand, since the position of the player object changes as needed by the player's operation, the direction indicated by the direction indicating object also changes each time. For example, at a certain point in time, the direction indicating object points to the depth direction when viewed from the player, but as a result of moving the player object thereafter, the direction indicating object points to the right direction or to the left direction. Therefore, each time the player tries to move the player object in the direction indicated by the direction indication object, the player confirms the direction indicated by the direction indication object and operates to turn the player object toward the direction. It was necessary to carry out, and it became complicated operability.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it easier for the user to grasp the direction in which the target point exists in the virtual three-dimensional space, and to improve the operability for heading to the target point, and It is to provide a game device.

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. Note that the reference numerals in parentheses, supplementary explanations, and the like are examples of the correspondence with the embodiments described later in order to help understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention.

  1st invention is the game program which makes the computer of the game device which operates the player object which exists in the said space in the virtual three-dimensional space image | photographed with the virtual camera with an input device, Comprising: Operation information It is made to function as an acquisition means (S31), a marker spot setting means (S33), and a marker spot attention means (S20). The operation information acquisition unit acquires operation information output from the input device. The marker point setting unit sets an arbitrary point in the virtual three-dimensional space as a marker point based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit. The marker point attention unit sets the position and orientation of the virtual camera so that the marker point is positioned in the visual line direction of the virtual camera.

  According to the first invention, the player can set an arbitrary point in the virtual space as a marker point, and the virtual camera can be directed to the point. Thereby, it is possible to easily grasp the direction of the marker point set by the player himself.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the game program causes the computer to determine whether the operation content indicated by the operation information is an instruction for directing the visual line direction of the virtual camera toward the marker point. Further function as means (S13). Then, the marker point attention unit sets the position and orientation of the virtual camera when the attention instruction determination unit determines that the operation content is an instruction for directing the visual line direction of the virtual camera toward the marker point.

  According to the second invention, the virtual camera can be directed toward the marker point when the player desires.

  According to a third aspect, in the second aspect, when the game program determines that the attention instruction determination unit determines that the operation content is an instruction for directing the visual line direction of the virtual camera to the marker point, the marker point Is further functioned as marker point presence determination means for determining whether or not is set. Then, when the marker spot presence determining unit determines that the marker spot is not set, the marker spot notifying unit determines the position of the virtual camera so that the predetermined spot is positioned in the visual line direction of the virtual camera. And set the orientation.

  According to the third aspect, when the marker spot is not set, the player can be made aware of the direction of the spot set in advance as the initial value.

  In a fourth aspect based on the first aspect, the marker point notifying means moves the virtual camera to a position where at least a part of the player object is included in the shooting range of the virtual camera.

  In a fifth aspect based on the first aspect, the marker spot attention means moves the virtual camera to the vicinity of a straight line connecting the marker spot and the player object.

  According to the fourth to fifth inventions, the player can easily grasp the positional relationship between the player object and the marker spot.

  In a sixth aspect based on the first aspect, the marker point attention unit moves the virtual camera so that the player object is positioned on the line of sight of the virtual camera.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the player object can be moved toward the marker point only by performing a simple operation of moving the player object in the depth direction as viewed from the player, and the operability is improved. Can do.

  In a seventh aspect based on the first aspect, the game program causes the computer to further function as bird's-eye image display means (S22) for generating and displaying a bird's-eye image that is an image obtained by bird's-eye view of the virtual three-dimensional space. Then, the marker point setting unit sets the marker point for the bird's-eye view image based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit. Here, the bird's-eye view image includes not only a three-dimensional space image in a state where the virtual game space is bird's eye view but also a two-dimensional image corresponding to the three-dimensional space.

  According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to cause the player to set the marker spot in a state where the bird's-eye view of the virtual three-dimensional space is displayed. Therefore, the marker point can be set in a state where the player can easily understand the topography and the positional relationship of the virtual three-dimensional space, and the operability can be further improved.

  In an eighth aspect based on the first aspect, the computer is further caused to function as a two-dimensional map display means for displaying a two-dimensional map image corresponding to the virtual three-dimensional space. Then, the marker point setting unit sets the marker point for the two-dimensional map image based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit.

  According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to cause the player to set the marker spot on the two-dimensional map image corresponding to the virtual three-dimensional space. Therefore, the marker point can be set in a state where the player can easily grasp the geographical state of the virtual three-dimensional space, and the operability can be further improved.

  In a ninth aspect based on the eighth aspect, the game program causes the computer to determine whether or not the operation content indicated by the operation information is an instruction for directing the visual line direction of the virtual camera to the marker point. Further function as a means. Then, the two-dimensional map display means positions the marker point above the two-dimensional image map when the attention instruction determination means determines that the operation content is an instruction for directing the visual line direction of the virtual camera to the marker point. To display.

  According to the ninth aspect, the player can intuitively grasp the position of the marker point.

  In a tenth aspect based on the eighth aspect, the game program causes the computer to further function as cursor operation means for operating the cursor on the two-dimensional map image based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means. Then, the marker point setting unit sets the marker point based on the position coordinates designated by the cursor operated by the cursor operation unit.

  According to the tenth aspect, a marker setting operation environment with good operability can be provided to the player.

  In an eleventh aspect based on the first aspect, the game program causes the computer to further function as cursor operation means for operating the cursor in the virtual three-dimensional space based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means. Then, the marker point setting unit sets the marker point based on the position coordinates designated by the cursor operated by the cursor operation unit.

  According to the eleventh aspect, since the marker point can be set using the cursor, the marker point setting operation can be facilitated.

  In a twelfth aspect based on the first aspect, the marker spot setting means can set a plurality of marker spots.

  According to the twelfth aspect, the player can set “marks” for a plurality of points in the virtual space, and can easily grasp the direction of each point.

  In a thirteenth aspect based on the twelfth aspect, the game program causes the computer to further function as marker point selection means for selecting one of a plurality of marker points in a predetermined order in response to a predetermined operation. . Then, the marker point attention unit sets the position and orientation of the virtual camera so that the marker point selected by the marker point selection unit is positioned in the visual line direction of the virtual camera.

  According to the thirteenth aspect, switching of a plurality of markers can be realized with a simple operation.

  In a fourteenth aspect based on the twelfth aspect, the game program causes the computer to operate one of a plurality of marker points respectively associated with the type of operation of the input device. It further functions as a marker point selection means to be selected. Then, the marker point attention unit sets the position and orientation of the virtual camera so that the marker point selected by the marker point selection unit is positioned in the visual line direction of the virtual camera.

  According to the fourteenth aspect, when a plurality of marker points are set, it becomes possible to select any one of the plurality of marker points with only one operation, and the operability can be further improved. .

  In a fifteenth aspect based on the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, the game program displays on the game screen a display for indicating the marker point selected by the marker point selecting means from the plurality of marker points. It further functions as a marker display means during selection.

  According to the fifteenth aspect, when a plurality of markers are set, the player can easily grasp to which marker point the virtual camera is directed.

  In a sixteenth aspect based on the fifteenth aspect, the selected marker display means displays an object corresponding to the marker point selected by the marker point selection means.

  According to the sixteenth aspect, it is possible for the player to easily grasp to which marker point the visual line direction of the virtual camera is directed among the plurality of marker points.

  In a seventeenth aspect based on the first aspect, the game program further causes the computer to function as an object placement unit that places a predetermined object at the marker point set by the marker point setting unit.

  According to the seventeenth aspect, the player can intuitively grasp the direction / location of the marker spot in a state where the image in the three-dimensional space is displayed.

  In an eighteenth aspect based on the first aspect, the game program further functions as a player object moving means for moving the player object in the virtual three-dimensional space based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquiring means. Let The player object moving means moves the player object in a circle around the marker point in the virtual three-dimensional space when the instruction is to move the player object in a direction perpendicular to the viewing direction of the virtual camera.

  According to the eighteenth aspect, when the player is performing an operation of moving the player object while the image of the three-dimensional space is being displayed, the player can intuitively grasp the direction / location of the marker point. It becomes possible to make it.

  In a nineteenth aspect based on the first aspect, the game program causes the computer to further function as object specifying means (S23), specific release determination means (S71), and specific object attention means (S73). The object specifying means specifies a predetermined object other than the player object based on the operation information. The specific cancellation determination unit determines whether or not a predetermined condition for canceling the specification of the specified object is satisfied. The specific object attention unit sets a gazing point of the virtual camera on the specified object until the release condition of the specified object is satisfied.

  According to the nineteenth invention, according to the content, progress status, and scene of the game, it is possible to use separately the virtual camera control that focuses on a predetermined object and the virtual camera control that focuses on a predetermined point. Can increase the sex.

  A twentieth aspect of the invention is a game device for operating a player object existing in the virtual three-dimensional space photographed by a virtual camera with an input device, comprising an operation information acquisition means (10) and marker point setting. Means (10) and marker point attention means (10) are provided. The operation information acquisition unit acquires operation information output from the input device. The marker point setting unit sets an arbitrary point in the virtual three-dimensional space as a marker point based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit. The marker point attention unit sets the position and orientation of the virtual camera so that the marker point is positioned in the visual line direction of the virtual camera.

  According to the twentieth invention, an effect similar to that of the first invention can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to cause the player to set an arbitrary point in the virtual space as a marker point, and to easily grasp the direction in which the marker point is set by the player.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this Example.

(Overall configuration of game system)
With reference to FIG. 1, a game system 1 including a game apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an external view of the game system 1. Hereinafter, the game apparatus and the game program of the present embodiment will be described using a stationary game apparatus as an example. In FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a television receiver (hereinafter simply referred to as “TV”) 2, a game apparatus body 3, an optical disk 4, a controller 7, and a marker unit 8. This system executes game processing in the game apparatus body 3 based on a game operation using the controller 7.

  An optical disk 4, which is an example of an information storage medium that can be used interchangeably with the game apparatus body 3, is detachably inserted into the game apparatus body 3. The optical disc 4 stores a game program to be executed in the game apparatus body 3. An insertion slot for the optical disc 4 is provided on the front surface of the game apparatus body 3. The game apparatus body 3 executes a game process by reading and executing a game program stored on the optical disc 4 inserted into the insertion slot.

  A television 2 which is an example of a display device is connected to the game apparatus body 3 via a connection cord. On the television 2, a game image obtained as a result of the game process executed in the game apparatus body 3 is displayed. In addition, a marker unit 8 is installed around the screen of the television 2 (upper side of the screen in FIG. 1). The marker unit 8 includes two markers 8R and 8L at both ends thereof. The marker 8R (same for the marker 8L) is specifically one or more infrared LEDs, and outputs infrared light toward the front of the television 2. The marker unit 8 is connected to the game apparatus body 3, and the game apparatus body 3 can control lighting of each infrared LED included in the marker unit 8.

  The controller 7 is an input device that gives operation data indicating the content of the operation performed on the controller 7 itself to the game apparatus body 3. The controller 7 and the game apparatus body 3 are connected by wireless communication. In the present embodiment, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology is used for wireless communication between the controller 7 and the game apparatus body 3. In other embodiments, the controller 7 and the game apparatus body 3 may be connected by wire.

(Internal configuration of game apparatus body 3)
Next, the internal configuration of the game apparatus body 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the game apparatus body 3. The game apparatus body 3 includes a CPU 10, a system LSI 11, an external main memory 12, a ROM / RTC 13, a disk drive 14, an AV-IC 15, and the like.

  The CPU 10 executes a game process by executing a game program stored on the optical disc 4, and functions as a game processor. The CPU 10 is connected to the system LSI 11. In addition to the CPU 10, an external main memory 12, a ROM / RTC 13, a disk drive 14, and an AV-IC 15 are connected to the system LSI 11. The system LSI 11 performs processing such as control of data transfer between components connected thereto, generation of an image to be displayed, and acquisition of data from an external device. The internal configuration of the system LSI will be described later. The volatile external main memory 12 stores a program such as a game program read from the optical disc 4 or a game program read from the flash memory 17, or stores various data. Used as a work area and buffer area. The ROM / RTC 13 includes a ROM (so-called boot ROM) in which a program for starting the game apparatus body 3 is incorporated, and a clock circuit (RTC: Real Time Clock) that counts time. The disk drive 14 reads program data, texture data, and the like from the optical disk 4 and writes the read data to an internal main memory 11e or an external main memory 12 described later.

  Further, the system LSI 11 is provided with an input / output processor 11a, a GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) 11b, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 11c, a VRAM 11d, and an internal main memory 11e. Although not shown, these components 11a to 11e are connected to each other by an internal bus.

  The GPU 11b forms part of a drawing unit and generates an image according to a graphics command (drawing command) from the CPU 10. More specifically, the GPU 11b performs calculation processing necessary for displaying 3D graphics according to the graphics command, for example, processing such as coordinate conversion from 3D coordinates to 2D coordinates, which is a pre-processing of rendering, Game image data is generated by performing a final rendering process. Here, the CPU 10 provides the GPU 11b with an image generation program necessary for generating game image data in addition to the graphics command. The VRAM 11d stores data (data such as polygon data and texture data) necessary for the GPU 11b to execute the graphics command. When an image is generated, the GPU 11b creates image data using data stored in the VRAM 11d.

  The DSP 11c functions as an audio processor, and generates sound data using sound data and sound waveform (tone color) data stored in the internal main memory 11e and the external main memory 12. Similarly to the external main memory 12, the internal main memory 11e stores programs and various data, and is also used as a work area and a buffer area for the CPU 10.

  The image data and audio data generated as described above are read out by the AV-IC 15. The AV-IC 15 outputs the read image data to the television 2 via the AV connector 16, and outputs the read audio data to the speaker 2 a built in the television 2. As a result, an image is displayed on the television 2 and a sound is output from the speaker 2a.

  The input / output processor (I / O processor) 11a transmits / receives data to / from components connected to the input / output processor (I / O processor) 11a or downloads data from an external device. The input / output processor 11a is connected to the flash memory 17, the wireless communication module 18, the wireless controller module 19, the expansion connector 20, and the memory card connector 21. An antenna 22 is connected to the wireless communication module 18, and an antenna 23 is connected to the wireless controller module 19.

  The input / output processor 11a is connected to the network via the wireless communication module 18 and the antenna 22, and can communicate with other game devices and various servers connected to the network. The input / output processor 11a periodically accesses the flash memory 17 to detect the presence / absence of data that needs to be transmitted to the network. If there is such data, the input / output processor 11a communicates with the network via the wireless communication module 18 and the antenna 22. Send. Further, the input / output processor 11a receives data transmitted from other game devices and data downloaded from the download server via the network, the antenna 22 and the wireless communication module 18, and receives the received data in the flash memory 17. Remember. By executing the game program, the CPU 10 reads out the data stored in the flash memory 17 and uses it in the game program. In the flash memory 17, in addition to data transmitted and received between the game apparatus body 3 and other game apparatuses and various servers, game save data (game result data or halfway) played using the game apparatus body 3 is stored. Data) may be stored.

  The input / output processor 11a receives operation data transmitted from the controller 7 via the antenna 23 and the wireless controller module 19, and stores (temporarily stores) the data in the buffer area of the internal main memory 11e or the external main memory 12.

  Further, an expansion connector 20 and a memory card connector 21 are connected to the input / output processor 11a. The expansion connector 20 is a connector for an interface such as USB or SCSI, and connects a medium such as an external storage medium, a peripheral device such as another controller, or a wired communication connector. By connecting, communication with the network can be performed instead of the wireless communication module 18. The memory card connector 21 is a connector for connecting an external storage medium such as a memory card. For example, the input / output processor 11a can access an external storage medium via the expansion connector 20 or the memory card connector 21 to store data or read data.

  The game apparatus body 3 is provided with a power button 24, a reset button 25, and an eject button 26. The power button 24 and the reset button 25 are connected to the system LSI 11. When the power button 24 is turned on, power is supplied to each component of the game apparatus body 3 through an AC adapter (not shown). In addition, when the power button 24 is pressed again in a state where the power is turned on, a transition to the low power standby mode is performed. Even in this state, the game apparatus body 3 is energized, so that it can always be connected to a network such as the Internet. In addition, when it is desired to turn off the power once the power is turned on, the power can be turned off by pressing the power button 24 for a predetermined time or longer. When the reset button 25 is pressed, the system LSI 11 restarts the boot program for the game apparatus body 3. The eject button 26 is connected to the disk drive 14. When the eject button 26 is pressed, the optical disk 4 is ejected from the disk drive 14.

  Next, the controller 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the controller 7 as viewed from the upper rear side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the controller 7 as viewed from the lower front side.

  3 and 4, the controller 7 includes a housing 71 and an operation unit 72 including a plurality of operation buttons provided on the surface of the housing 71. The housing 71 of the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with the front-rear direction as a longitudinal direction, and has a size that can be gripped with one hand of an adult or a child as a whole, and is formed by plastic molding, for example.

  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 a cross-shaped four-way push switch, and operation portions corresponding to the four directions (front / rear and left / right) are arranged at 90 ° intervals on the protrusions of the cross. The player selects one of the front, rear, left and right directions by pressing one of the operation portions of the cross key 72a. For example, when the player operates the cross key 72a, it is possible to instruct the moving direction of a player character or the like appearing in the virtual game world, or to select and instruct from a plurality of options.

  Note that the cross key 72a is an operation unit that outputs an operation signal in response to the above-described direction input operation of the player, but may be an operation unit of another mode. For example, four push switches may be provided in the cross direction, and an operation unit that outputs an operation signal according to the push switch pressed by the player may be provided. Further, apart from the four push switches, a center switch may be provided at a position where the cross direction intersects, and an operation unit in which the four push switches and the center switch are combined may be provided. An operation unit that outputs an operation signal in accordance with the tilt direction by tilting a tiltable stick (so-called joystick) protruding from the upper surface of the housing 71 may be provided instead of the cross key 72a. Furthermore, an operation unit that outputs an operation signal corresponding to the sliding direction by sliding a horizontally movable disk-shaped member may be provided instead of the cross key 72a. Further, a touch pad may be provided instead of the cross key 72a.

  A plurality of operation buttons 72 b to 72 g are provided on the rear surface side of the cross key 72 a on the upper surface of the housing 71. The operation buttons 72b to 72g are operation units that output operation signals assigned to the operation buttons 72b to 72g when the player presses the button head. For example, functions as a first button, a second button, and an A button are assigned to the operation buttons 72b to 72d. Further, functions as a minus button, a home button, a plus button, and the like are assigned to the operation buttons 72e to 72g. These operation buttons 72a to 72g are assigned respective operation functions according to the game program executed by the game apparatus body 3. In the arrangement example shown in FIG. 3, the operation buttons 72 b to 72 d are arranged side by side along the center front-rear direction on the upper surface of the housing 71. Further, the operation buttons 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 operation button 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.

  An operation button 72h is provided on the front surface side of the cross key 72a on the upper surface of the housing 71. The operation button 72h is a power switch for turning on / off the power source of the game apparatus body 3 from a remote location. 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 the player does not accidentally press.

  A plurality of LEDs 702 are provided on the rear surface side of the operation button 72 c 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 transmission data is transmitted from the controller 7 to the game apparatus main body 3, the LED corresponding to the type among the plurality of LEDs 702 is turned on according to the controller type.

  Further, on the upper surface of the housing 71, a sound release hole is formed between the operation button 72b and the operation buttons 72e to 72g for emitting sound from a speaker (speaker 706 in FIG. 5) described later to the outside.

  On the other hand, a recess is formed on the lower surface of the housing 71. As will be described later, the recess 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 grips the front surface of the controller 7 with one hand toward the markers 8L and 8R. The An operation button 72i is provided on the inclined surface of the recess. The operation button 72i is an operation unit that functions as a B button, for example.

  An imaging element 743 that constitutes a part of the imaging information calculation unit 74 is provided on the front surface of the housing 71. Here, the imaging information calculation unit 74 is a system for analyzing the image data captured by the controller 7 to determine a location where the luminance is high and detecting the position of the center of gravity, the size, and the like of the location. Since the maximum sampling period is about 200 frames / second, even a relatively fast movement of the controller 7 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 71. The connector 73 is an edge connector, for example, and is used for fitting and connecting with a connection cable, for example.

  Here, in order to make the following description concrete, a coordinate system set for the controller 7 is defined. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, xyz axes orthogonal to each other are defined for the controller 7. Specifically, the longitudinal direction of the housing 71 that is the front-rear direction of the controller 7 is the z-axis, and the front surface (the surface on which the imaging information calculation unit 74 is provided) of the controller 7 is the z-axis positive direction. Further, the vertical direction of the controller 7 is defined as the y-axis, and the upper surface (surface on which the operation buttons 72a and the like are provided) of the housing 71 is defined as the positive y-axis direction. Further, the left-right direction of the controller 7 is the x-axis, and the left side surface (side surface not shown in FIG. 3 but shown in FIG. 4) is the x-axis positive direction.

  Next, the internal structure of the controller 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the controller 7 as viewed from the rear side with the upper housing (a part of the housing 71) removed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the state in which the lower housing (a part of the housing 71) of the controller 7 is removed as seen from the front side. Here, the substrate 700 shown in FIG. 6 is a perspective view seen from the back surface of the substrate 700 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, a substrate 700 is fixed inside the housing 71, and operation buttons 72a to 72h, an acceleration sensor 701, an LED 702, an antenna 754, and the like are provided on the upper main surface of the substrate 700. These are connected to the microcomputer 751 and the like (see FIGS. 6 and 7) by wiring (not shown) formed on the substrate 700 and the like. The microcomputer 751 functions as an example of the button data generating means of the present invention to generate operation button data corresponding to the type of the operation button 72a and the like. This mechanism is a known technique, and is realized by the microcomputer 751 detecting contact / cutting of wiring by a switch mechanism such as a tact switch disposed below the key top, for example. More specifically, when the operation button is pressed, for example, the wiring contacts and energizes, so that the microcomputer 751 detects which operation button is connected to the wiring, and according to the type of the operation button. The signal is generated.

  The controller 7 functions as a wireless controller by the wireless module 753 (see FIG. 7) and the antenna 754. A quartz oscillator (not shown) is provided inside the housing 71, and generates a basic clock for the microcomputer 751, which will be described later. A speaker 706 and an amplifier 708 are provided on the upper main surface of the substrate 700. Further, the acceleration sensor 701 is provided on the substrate 700 on the left side of the operation button 72d (that is, on the peripheral portion, not the central portion). Therefore, the acceleration sensor 701 can detect the acceleration including the component due to the centrifugal force in addition to the change in the direction of the gravitational acceleration in accordance with the rotation about the longitudinal direction of the controller 7. The game apparatus body 3 and the like can determine the rotation of the controller 7 from the detected acceleration data with good sensitivity.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 6, an imaging information calculation unit 74 is provided at the front edge on the lower main surface of the substrate 700. The imaging information calculation unit 74 includes an infrared filter 741, a lens 742, an imaging element 743, and an image processing circuit 744 in order from the front of the controller 7, and each is attached to the lower main surface of the substrate 700. A connector 73 is attached to the rear edge on the lower main surface of the substrate 700. Further, a sound IC 707 and a microcomputer 751 are provided on the lower main surface of the substrate 700. The sound IC 707 is connected to the microcomputer 751 and the amplifier 708 through wiring formed on the substrate 700 or the like, and outputs an audio signal to the speaker 706 via the amplifier 708 according to the sound data transmitted from the game apparatus body 3.

  A vibrator 704 is attached on the lower main surface of the substrate 700. The vibrator 704 is, for example, a vibration motor or a solenoid. Vibrator 704 is connected to microcomputer 751 by wiring formed on substrate 700 and the like, and turns on / off its operation in accordance with vibration data transmitted from game apparatus body 3. Since the vibration is generated in the controller 7 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. Here, since the vibrator 704 is disposed slightly forward of the housing 71, the housing 71 vibrates greatly when the player is gripping it, and it is easy to feel the vibration.

  Next, the internal configuration of the controller 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller 7.

  In FIG. 7, the controller 7 includes a communication unit 75 in addition to the above-described operation unit 72, imaging information calculation unit 74, acceleration sensor 701, vibrator 704, speaker 706, sound IC 707, and amplifier 708. .

  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 rays to pass from light incident from the front of the controller 7. Here, the markers 8 </ b> L and 8 </ b> R arranged in the vicinity of the display screen of the television 2 are infrared LEDs that output infrared light toward the front of the television 2. Therefore, by providing the infrared filter 741, the images of the markers 8L and 8R can be taken more accurately. The lens 742 collects the infrared light transmitted through the infrared filter 741 and causes the infrared light to enter 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. Hereinafter, an image captured by the image sensor 743 is referred to as a captured image. Image data generated by the image sensor 743 is processed by an image processing circuit 744. The image processing circuit 744 calculates the position of the imaging target (markers 8L and 8R) in the captured image. Hereinafter, a method for calculating the position of the imaging target will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a captured image. In the captured image shown in FIG. 8, the image 8L ′ of the marker 8L and the image 8R ′ of the marker 8R are arranged side by side. When a captured image is input, first, the image processing circuit 744 calculates coordinates indicating the position of a region that matches a predetermined condition in the captured image for each region. Here, the predetermined condition is a condition for specifying an image (target image) to be imaged, and the specific content of the predetermined condition is an area having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined value (high luminance area), and The size of the region is within a predetermined range. The predetermined condition may be a condition for specifying an imaging target, and in other embodiments, may include a condition related to the color of the image.

  When calculating the position of the target image, first, the image processing circuit 744 specifies the high-intensity region as a target image candidate from the captured image region. This is because the target image appears as a high luminance area in the image data of the captured image. Next, the image processing circuit 744 performs determination processing for determining whether or not the high luminance area is the target image based on the size of the specified high luminance area. In addition to the images 8L ′ and 8R ′ of the two markers 8L and 8R that are target images, the captured image may include images other than the target image due to sunlight from a window or light from a fluorescent lamp in a room. is there. In this case, images other than the images 8L ′ and 8R ′ of the markers 8L and 8R also appear as high luminance areas. The above determination processing is processing for distinguishing the images 8L ′ and 8R ′ of the markers 8L and 8R, which are target images, from other images and accurately specifying the target image. Specifically, in the determination process, it is determined whether or not the specified high luminance area has a size within a predetermined range. If the high brightness area is a size within the predetermined range, the high brightness area is determined to represent the target image. If the high brightness area is not a size within the predetermined range, the high brightness area is other than the target image. It is determined that the image is represented.

  Furthermore, as a result of the above determination processing, the image processing circuit 744 calculates the position of the high luminance region for the high luminance region determined to represent the target image. Specifically, the barycentric position of the high brightness area is calculated. Note that the position of the center of gravity can be calculated on a more detailed scale than the resolution of the image sensor 743. Here, it is assumed that the resolution of the captured image captured by the image sensor 743 is 126 × 96, and the position of the center of gravity is calculated on a scale of 1024 × 768. That is, the coordinates of the barycentric position are expressed by integer values from (0, 0) to (1024, 768). As shown in FIG. 8, the position in the captured image is represented by a coordinate system (xy coordinate system) in which the upper left of the captured image is the origin, the downward direction is the positive y-axis direction, and the right direction is the positive x-axis direction. Shall.

  As described above, the image processing circuit 744 calculates the coordinates indicating the position of the region that matches the predetermined condition in the captured image for each region. Hereinafter, the coordinates calculated by the image processing circuit 744 are referred to as marker coordinates. The marker coordinates are coordinates indicating the position of the imaging target in the coordinate system for representing the position on the plane corresponding to the captured image. The image processing circuit 744 outputs the marker coordinates to the microcomputer 751 of the communication unit 75. The marker coordinate data is transmitted as operation data to the game apparatus body 3 by the microcomputer 751. Since the marker coordinates change corresponding to the orientation (posture) and position of the controller 7 itself, the game apparatus body 3 can calculate the orientation and position of the controller 7 using the coordinate values. In the present embodiment, the process from the captured image to the process of calculating the marker coordinates is performed by the image processing circuit 744 and / or the microcomputer 751 of the controller 7. However, for example, the captured image is sent to the game apparatus body 3 and the subsequent processes are performed. Equivalent processing can be performed by the CPU 10 of the game apparatus body 3 or the like.

  The controller 7 is preferably provided with a triaxial (x, y, z axis) acceleration sensor 701. The three-axis acceleration sensor 701 detects linear acceleration in three directions, that is, an up-down direction, a left-right direction, and a front-rear direction. In other embodiments, depending on the type of control signal used in the game process, biaxial acceleration detection that detects only linear acceleration along each of the vertical and horizontal directions (or other paired directions). Means may be used. For example, the triaxial or biaxial acceleration sensor 701 may be of the type available from Analog Devices, Inc. or ST Microelectronics NV. The acceleration sensor 701 may be a capacitance type (capacitive coupling type) based on a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technique in which silicon is finely processed. However, the triaxial or biaxial acceleration sensor 701 may be provided by using existing acceleration detecting means technology (for example, a piezoelectric method or a piezoresistive method) or other appropriate technology developed in the future.

  As known to those skilled in the art, the acceleration detection means used in the acceleration sensor 701 can detect only the acceleration (linear acceleration) along a straight line corresponding to each axis of the acceleration sensor. That is, the direct output from the acceleration sensor 701 is a signal indicating linear acceleration (static or dynamic) along each of the two or three axes. For this reason, the acceleration sensor 701 cannot directly detect physical characteristics such as movement, rotation, rotational movement, angular displacement, inclination, position, or posture along a non-linear (for example, arc) path.

  However, based on the acceleration signal output from the acceleration sensor 701, a computer such as a game device processor (for example, the CPU 10) or a controller processor (for example, the microcomputer 751) performs processing to estimate further information regarding the controller 7. Those skilled in the art can easily understand from the description of the present specification that they can be calculated (determined). For example, when processing is performed on the computer side on the assumption that the controller equipped with the acceleration sensor is in a static state (that is, when processing is performed assuming that the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor is only gravitational acceleration), the controller is actual. In the static state, it can be determined whether or not the attitude of the controller is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity based on the detected acceleration. Specifically, when the detection axis of the acceleration sensor is oriented vertically downward, it can be determined whether or not it is tilted only by whether or not 1G (gravity acceleration) is applied, You can know how much it is tilted by its size. In the case of a multi-axis acceleration sensor, it is possible to know in detail how much each axis is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity by further processing the acceleration signal of each axis. In this case, the processor may perform processing for calculating the tilt angle data of the controller 7 based on the output from the acceleration sensor 701. However, without performing the processing for calculating the tilt angle data, the acceleration sensor Based on the output from 701, a rough inclination may be estimated. Thus, by using the acceleration sensor 701 in combination with the processor, the inclination, posture, or position of the controller 7 can be determined. On the other hand, when it is assumed that the acceleration sensor is in a dynamic state, acceleration corresponding to the motion of the acceleration sensor is detected in addition to the gravitational acceleration component, so if the gravitational acceleration component is removed by a predetermined process, , Know the direction of movement. Specifically, when the controller 7 including the acceleration sensor 701 is dynamically accelerated and moved by a user's hand, the acceleration signal generated by the acceleration sensor 701 is processed to perform various movements of the controller 7 and / Or the position can be calculated. Even when it is assumed that the acceleration sensor is in a dynamic state, if the acceleration according to the motion of the acceleration sensor is removed by a predetermined process, the inclination with respect to the direction of gravity can be known. . In another embodiment, the acceleration sensor 701 is a built-in signal processing device or the like for performing desired processing on the acceleration signal output from the built-in acceleration detection means before outputting the signal to the microcomputer 751. This type of processing device may be provided. For example, if the acceleration sensor is for detecting a static acceleration (for example, gravitational acceleration), the built-in or dedicated processing device uses the detected acceleration signal as the corresponding inclination angle (or other It may be converted into a preferable parameter.

  In an example of another embodiment, a gyro sensor incorporating a rotation element or a vibration element may be used as a motion sensor that detects the movement of the controller 7. An example of a MEMS gyro sensor used in this embodiment is available from Analog Devices, Inc. Unlike the acceleration sensor 701, the gyro sensor can directly detect rotation (or angular velocity) about the axis of at least one gyro element incorporated therein. As described above, since the gyro sensor and the acceleration sensor are basically different from each other, it is necessary to appropriately change the processing to be performed on the output signals from these devices depending on which device is selected for each application. There is.

  Specifically, when the inclination or posture is calculated using a gyro sensor instead of the acceleration sensor, a significant change is made. That is, when the gyro sensor is used, the inclination value is initialized in the detection start state. Then, the angular velocity data output from the gyro sensor is integrated. Next, a change amount of the inclination from the initialized inclination value is calculated. In this case, the calculated inclination is a value corresponding to the angle. On the other hand, when the inclination is calculated by the acceleration sensor, the inclination is calculated by comparing the value of the component relating to each axis of the gravitational acceleration with a predetermined reference, so the calculated inclination can be expressed by a vector. Thus, it is possible to detect the absolute direction detected using the acceleration detecting means without performing initialization. In addition, the property of the value calculated as the inclination is an angle when a gyro sensor is used, but a vector when an acceleration sensor is used. Therefore, when a gyro sensor is used instead of the acceleration sensor, it is necessary to perform predetermined conversion in consideration of the difference between the two devices with respect to the tilt data. Since the characteristics of the gyro sensor as well as the basic difference between the acceleration detecting means and the gyro sensor are known to those skilled in the art, further details are omitted in this specification. While the gyro sensor has the advantage of being able to directly detect rotation, in general, the acceleration sensor has the advantage of being more cost effective than the gyro sensor when applied to a controller as used in this embodiment. Have.

  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. Further, the microcomputer 751 controls the operation of the sound IC 707 and the vibrator 704 in accordance with data from the game apparatus body 3 received by the wireless module 753 via the antenna 754. The sound IC 707 processes sound data transmitted from the game apparatus main body 3 via the communication unit 75. Further, the microcomputer 751 activates the vibrator 704 in accordance with vibration data (for example, a signal for turning the vibrator 704 on or off) transmitted from the game apparatus body 3 via the communication unit 75.

  An operation signal (key data) from the operation unit 72 provided in the controller 7, an acceleration signal from the acceleration sensor 701 (x, y, and z-axis direction acceleration data; hereinafter simply referred to as acceleration data), and imaging information The processing result data from the calculation unit 74 is output to the microcomputer 751. The microcomputer 751 temporarily stores the input data (key data, acceleration data, processing result data) in the memory 752 as transmission data to be transmitted to the wireless controller module 19. Here, the wireless transmission from the communication unit 75 to the wireless controller module 19 is performed at predetermined intervals, but since the game processing is generally performed in units of 1/60 seconds, it is more than that. It is necessary to perform transmission in a short cycle. Specifically, the processing unit of the game is 16.7 ms (1/60 seconds), and the transmission interval of the communication unit 75 configured by Bluetooth (registered trademark) is, for example, 5 ms. When the transmission timing to the wireless controller module 19 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 then modulates the operation information using a carrier wave having a predetermined frequency based on, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology, and radiates the radio signal from the antenna 754. That is, key data from the operation unit 72 provided in the controller 7, acceleration data from the acceleration sensor 701, and processing result data from the imaging information calculation unit 74 are modulated into radio signals by the wireless module 753 and transmitted from the controller 7. Is done. Then, the radio controller module 19 of the game apparatus body 3 receives the radio signal, and the game apparatus body 3 demodulates and decodes the radio signal, so that a series of operation information (key data, acceleration data, and processing result data) is obtained. ) To get. Then, the CPU 10 of the game apparatus body 3 performs a game process based on the acquired operation information and the game program. When the communication unit 75 is configured using Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology, the communication unit 75 can also have a function of receiving transmission data wirelessly transmitted from other devices.

  Here, the game operation using the controller 7 will be described. When playing a game using the controller 7 in the game system 1, the player holds the controller 7 with one hand. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the player holds the controller 7 in a state where the front surface of the controller 7 (the light entrance side of the light imaged by the imaging information calculation unit 74) faces the direction of the markers 8L and 8R. In this state, the player changes the inclination of the controller 7, changes the position (instructed position) on the screen indicated by the controller 7, or changes the distance between the controller 7 and each of the markers 8L and 8R. The game operation is performed by.

  Next, the outline of the game assumed in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This game is an action adventure game in which a player object is operated in a virtual three-dimensional space. FIG. 10 is an example of a game screen assumed in the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, the game screen displays the state of the three-dimensional virtual game space. A player object 101 exists in the three-dimensional virtual game space, and its whole body is displayed. That is, in FIG. 10, the virtual camera that captures the state of the three-dimensional virtual game space is controlled by setting a position and an angle of view at which the whole body of the player object 101 is displayed on the game screen. Here, in this game, a plurality of methods are used properly for controlling the virtual camera (details will be described later), but the camera control as described above is hereinafter referred to as objective camera control. The game state when the objective camera control is being performed is referred to as a normal mode.

  In the normal mode, the gazing point of the virtual camera is set on the player object 101, and the virtual camera is controlled so that the whole body of the player object 101 is displayed in the approximate center of the screen. Therefore, when the player object 101 moves in the virtual game space, the virtual camera also moves. FIG. 11 is an example of a screen showing a state when the player object 101 is controlled to move to the left (as viewed from the player). In FIG. 11, a state in which the player object 101 is running in the left direction (as viewed from the player) is displayed in the approximate center of the game screen. Further, in the normal mode, by performing a predetermined button operation, the virtual camera can be moved to a position behind the player object 101 (that is, the field of view is directed to the front, hereinafter referred to as a viewpoint reset operation). . That is, it is possible to display a game screen in which the direction in which the player object 101 is facing is in front.

  A cursor 106 is also displayed on the game screen shown in FIG. The player can perform operations such as moving the cursor 106 to instruct a predetermined position on the screen.

  Next, camera control in the normal mode as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 12A to 12C are schematic views of the virtual game space as a bird's-eye view, showing the arrangement (positional relationship) between the player object 101 and the virtual camera. Further, in FIGS. 12A to 12C, it is assumed that the upward direction is the “north” direction in the virtual game space. First, as shown in FIG. 12A, it is assumed that the player object 101 faces “north” and the virtual camera is located behind the player object 101 and faces the “north” direction (in this case, A game screen as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed). When the player performs an operation of moving the player object 101 leftward from the state of FIG. 12A, as shown in FIG. 12B, the player object 101 moves leftward in the virtual game space, that is, “ Turn west and move towards west. At this time, the virtual camera moves in the “west” direction according to the movement of the player object while facing “north”. As a result, a screen as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed. Also, in the state of FIG. 11 (FIG. 12B), if the player performs the viewpoint reset operation as described above, the virtual camera moves to a position behind the player object as shown in FIG. 12C. The virtual camera is also controlled so as to face in the “west” direction. As a result, a game screen in which the state in front of the player object 101 is displayed (the screen as shown in FIG. 10 above although the background state is different) is displayed.

  Here, the game processing is executed in the basic mode (objective camera control) as a basic state, but in addition to this, the game is executed in the normal mode according to the scene in the game, the operation of the player, and the like. The game screen is displayed by a virtual camera control method different from the objective camera control. That is, a plurality of virtual camera control methods are properly used. Specifically, in this game, in addition to the objective camera control, a bird's-eye camera control (hereinafter, the bird's-eye camera control is performed) that displays a bird's-eye view of the three-dimensional virtual game space (hereinafter, bird's-eye view screen). The marker attention control for displaying the game screen by the control that the virtual camera always faces a predetermined point as will be described later (hereinafter, the marker attention control is performed). And the state of being in the state called marker attention mode) and subjective camera control in which a game screen is displayed by virtual camera control viewed from the viewpoint of the player object 101 (first person viewpoint) (hereinafter, the subjective camera control is performed). Three types of camera control methods are used. Hereinafter, each virtual camera control and each mode will be described.

  First, bird's-eye camera control in the 2D mode will be described. The switching operation between the normal mode and the 2D mode can be switched by the player performing a predefined 2D mode switching operation (for example, pressing the upper button of the cross key 72a). When the player performs an operation for switching the 2D mode in the normal mode, it is generated by performing a control of moving the virtual camera directly upward while moving the virtual camera space as an effect during the switching of the game screen. A game screen is displayed (the effect is that a game screen in which the virtual camera moves rapidly) is displayed, and finally a game screen as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed. FIG. 13 is an example of the game screen in the 2D mode. In FIG. 13, a bird's-eye view of the virtual game space (hereinafter referred to as a bird's-eye view image) is displayed. The bird's-eye view image is an image when the virtual camera moves upward in the virtual game space and is photographed directly below. The bird's-eye view image may be displayed as a two-dimensional map image corresponding to a three-dimensional space. That is, based on a three-dimensional space with a bird's eye view of the virtual game space, for example, a terrain object such as a rocky place is replaced with a rocky image for a two-dimensional image prepared in advance to generate a separate two-dimensional image. May be displayed. A player symbol 105 indicating the player object 101 is displayed at the center of the game screen. By switching to this screen, the player can grasp the situation around the player object 101 and the overall image of the virtual game space. Even in this state, the player can move the player object 101 (player symbol 105). For example, if an operation for moving the player object 101 to the right in the state of FIG. 13 is performed, the game screen scrolls from right to left. That is, screen scroll control is performed so that the player symbol 105 is always displayed at the center of the screen.

  In FIG. 13, a toolbar 104 is displayed on the right side of the game screen, and a marker 103 is displayed in the toolbar 104. In this game, the marker 103 can be used to place a “mark” at any point in the virtual game space. A specific example of the setting operation of the marker 103 will be described. First, the player moves the cursor 106 to the display position of the marker 103 and presses a predetermined button (for example, the operation button 72d). Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the image changes so that the cursor 106 grasps the marker 103. Thereafter, while the operation button 72d is being pressed, the cursor 106 (marker 103) is moved to a desired position in the game screen (in the virtual game space) (drag operation), and the operation button 72d is released. Thereby, the marker 103 is set at the position when the operation button 72d is released, and as shown in FIG. 15, the “mark” 107 of the star is displayed at the point where the marker 103 is set. The “mark” point (hereinafter referred to as a marker point) where the marker is set in this way is used in virtual camera control in a marker attention mode described later.

  Next, marker attention mode and marker attention control will be described. First, it is assumed that the “mark” 107 (marker point) has been set by the player performing the above-described operation in the 2D mode. Then, in the normal mode, when a predetermined button, for example, the operation button 72i is pressed, the virtual camera is controlled such that the marker point is located in the front direction of the virtual camera (the direction of the line of sight of the virtual camera). Control is performed. For example, when the virtual game space is considered as a bird's-eye view, it is assumed that the relationship between the player object 101 and the marker point changes from the state shown in FIG. 16 to the state shown in FIG. That is, it is assumed that the player object 101 has moved slightly to the right (eastward in the virtual game space). At this time, it is still in the normal mode, and the virtual camera is controlled by the objective camera control, and is in a state of facing the east direction in the virtual game space. When the player presses the operation button 72i in the normal mode when the positional relationship is as shown in FIG. 17, the marker attention control of the virtual camera is started, and as a result, the position and orientation of the virtual camera are shown in FIG. It is controlled to be in such a state. That is, the gazing point of the virtual camera is set at the marker point, and the direction of the virtual camera faces the direction where the marker point is. Further, the position of the virtual camera is a position (a position where the player object 101 is displayed almost at the center of the game screen) such that the virtual camera is positioned on an extended line connecting the marker point and the player object 101. As a result, a screen as shown in FIG. 19 is displayed as the game screen. In FIG. 19, the marker points are shown in the depth direction as viewed from the player (in FIG. 19, for convenience of explanation, this is indicated by a star, but the star is not displayed on the actual game screen. In this state, a predetermined object may be arranged and displayed at the marker point), and the player object 101 is also displayed in the approximate center of the game screen. is there.

  Then, while the player continues to press the operation button 72i, the virtual camera is controlled so that the player object 101 and the marker point are always in the visual line direction of the virtual camera. That is, while the operation button 72i is kept pressed, the marker point attention mode is set, and the virtual camera control by the marker attention control is continuously executed. FIG. 20 shows an example of the game screen when the player performs an operation of moving the player object 101 to the right while pressing the operation button 72i from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 21 shows an example of the game screen when an operation for moving the player object 101 to the near side (viewed from the player) is performed while the operation button 72i is pressed from the state of FIG. In either case, the virtual camera is pointed in the direction with the “mark”. That is, a marker point in the depth direction of the player object 101 (as viewed from the player) (In this embodiment, the star is not displayed on the actual game screen as in FIG. 19, provided that the marker point is a predetermined point. A star screen object as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 may be arranged as the object, and the marker point may be clearly shown in the screen). Further, the player can switch from the marker attention mode to the normal mode by stopping the pressing of the operation button 72i.

  The control process of the virtual camera in the marker attention control will be described more specifically. For example, when the virtual game space is considered as a bird's eye view, it is assumed that the relationship between the player object 101 and the marker point is as shown in FIG. When the operation button 72i is pressed by the player in this state (switching operation to the marker attention mode is performed), first, as shown in FIG. 23, the marker point and the player object 101 are connected in the virtual game space. A straight line 109 is calculated. Next, as shown in FIG. 24, a virtual camera is arranged on a straight line obtained by extending the straight line 109 from the player object 101 side. Furthermore, the marker point is set as a camera gazing point, and the direction of the virtual camera is set to be the direction of the marker point. And the state of the virtual game space image | photographed with the virtual camera controlled in this way is displayed as a game screen.

  In addition, during the marker attention control, the gazing point of the virtual camera is set at the marker point. Therefore, when the player object 101 is moved while the operation button 72i is pressed as described above, the movement trajectory of the virtual camera is The locus moves on the circumference of a circle centered on the marker point. For example, if the player object 101 is continuously moved in the right direction (as viewed from the player) while the operation button 72i is being pressed, the movement trajectory of the player object 101 and the virtual camera is centered on the marker point as shown in FIG. The movement trajectory is like drawing a circle (the game screen shows that the player object 101 is running to the right).

  Note that, as described above, by pressing the operation button 72i in the normal mode, control is performed so that the virtual camera faces the marker point. However, when the operation button 72i is pressed in the 2D mode, the control is performed according to the marker point. The screen is controlled. Specifically, when the operation button 72i is pressed in the 2D mode, a process of rotating the bird's eye view as shown in FIG. 13 or the like is executed so that the marker point is positioned in the upper direction of the screen. . For example, assume that a bird's-eye view screen as shown in FIG. 26 is displayed. In FIG. 26, the mark 107 (marker point) is set at the lower right position. By pressing the operation button 72i while this screen is displayed, the screen is rotated so that the mark 107 (marker point) is positioned at the top of the screen as shown in FIG. 26 (however, FIG. 27, the marker point itself is not included in the display range of the game screen).

  Next, the subjective mode and subjective camera control will be described. Subjective camera control is a virtual camera control method that is mainly used when a predetermined object (an enemy object in the present game) is identified in a virtual game space and attacked against it. First, switching operation between the normal mode and the subjective mode will be described. This operation can be performed by performing an operation called “pointer lock”. Specifically, in the normal mode, the cursor 106 displayed on the game screen is overlaid on the enemy object 201 in a state as shown in FIG. Then, when the player presses a predetermined button, for example, the operation button 72d, the virtual camera moves to the eye position of the player object 101, and a game screen viewed from the first person viewpoint as shown in FIG. 29 is displayed. In this mode, the gazing point of the virtual camera is set to the enemy object 201 on which the cursor 106 is superimposed. That is, virtual camera control is performed so that the player object 101 is paying attention to the enemy object 201. Further, as shown in FIG. 29, since the game screen is drawn from the first person viewpoint (the line of sight of the player object 101), the player object 101 itself is not displayed, but the weapon object 131 held by the player object 101 is not convenient for the game. Is displayed. The player can attack the enemy object 201 by operating the weapon object 131. In the subjective mode, the subjective mode can be switched to the normal mode by defeating the enemy object 201 or performing a predetermined operation for canceling the subjective mode. That is, the virtual camera control can be switched from subjective camera control to objective camera control.

  FIG. 30 shows the relationship between the transitions between the modes and the operations associated therewith. In FIG. 30, when an operation for switching the 2D mode (for example, pressing the upper button of the cross key 72a) is performed starting from the normal mode, the mode is switched to the 2D mode and a predetermined release operation is performed during the 2D mode. Return to normal mode. In the normal mode, when a button for switching to the marker attention mode (for example, the operation button 72i) is pressed, the mode is switched to the marker attention mode. While the operation button 72i is kept pressed, the marker attention mode continues, and when the operation button 72i is released, the mode returns to the normal mode. In addition, when the pointer lock operation as described above is performed during the normal mode, the mode is switched to the subjective mode. In the subjective mode, when an operation for canceling the subjective mode is performed, or when an enemy object with a pointer locked is defeated, the normal mode is restored.

  In this way, in this game, an arbitrary point desired by the player in the virtual game space is set as a marker point, and if the player performs a predetermined operation during the game, the marker point is a position in front of the player as viewed from the player. Virtual camera control (that is, virtual camera control that comes on the line of sight of the virtual camera) is performed. Therefore, the player can easily grasp the direction in which the marker point is present, and when such a screen is displayed, the player object 101 is simply moved in the depth direction as viewed from the player. The player object 101 can be easily moved toward the marker point.

  Next, details of the game process executed by the game apparatus body 3 will be described. First, data stored in the external main memory 12 during game processing will be described. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a memory map of the main memory 12 of the game apparatus body 3. In FIG. 31, the external main memory 12 includes a program storage area 121 and a data storage area 128. Data in the program storage area 121 and the data storage area 128 is stored in the optical disc 4 and transferred to the external main memory 12 and stored when the game program is executed.

  The program storage area 121 stores a game program executed by the CPU 10, and the game program includes a main processing program 122, a normal mode processing program 123, a 2D mode processing program 124, a marker attention processing program 125, and a pointer. The lock processing program 126 and the subjective mode processing program 127 are included. The main processing program 122 is a program corresponding to the processing of the flowchart of FIG. The normal mode processing program 123 is a program for causing the CPU 10 to execute the virtual camera control processing or the like in the normal mode as described above. The 2D mode processing program 124 performs the virtual camera control processing or the like in the 2D mode. The marker attention processing program 125 is a program for causing the CPU 10 to execute the virtual camera control processing in the marker attention mode. The pointer lock processing program 126 is a program for executing the processing when the pointer lock operation described above is performed. The subjective mode processing program 127 performs control processing of the virtual camera in the subjective mode and the like in the CPU 10. It is a program for making it run.

  The data storage area 128 stores operation data 129, current mode 130, marker spot data 131, player object position data 132, virtual camera control parameters 133, object data 134, image data 135, and other data as well as a game. Various flags used during processing are also stored.

  The operation data 129 is operation data transmitted from the controller 7 to the game apparatus body 3. As described above, since the operation data is transmitted from the controller 7 to the game apparatus main body 3 at a rate of once every 1/200 second, the operation data 129 stored in the main memory is updated at this rate. In the present embodiment, only the latest (last acquired) operation data may be stored in the main memory.

  The operation data 129 includes operation button data 1291, marker coordinate data 1292, and acceleration data 1293.

  The operation button data 1291 is data indicating an input state for each of the operation buttons 72a to 72i.

  The marker coordinate data 1292 is data indicating the coordinates calculated by the image processing circuit 41 of the imaging information calculation unit 35, that is, the marker coordinates. The marker coordinates are expressed in a two-dimensional coordinate system for representing a position on a plane corresponding to the captured image. Note that, when the two markers 6R and 6L are imaged by the imaging element 40, two marker coordinates are calculated. On the other hand, if either one of the markers 6R and 6L is not located within the imageable range of the image sensor 40, only one marker is imaged by the image sensor 40, and only one marker coordinate is calculated. Further, when both of the markers 6R and 6L are not located within the image capturing range of the image sensor 40, the marker is not imaged by the image sensor 40, and the marker coordinates are not calculated. Therefore, the marker coordinate data 65 may indicate two marker coordinates, may indicate one marker coordinate, or may indicate that there is no marker coordinate.

  The acceleration data 1293 is data indicating the acceleration (acceleration vector) detected by the acceleration sensor 37. Here, the acceleration data 1293 indicates a three-dimensional acceleration vector Va1 having as components the accelerations in the directions of the three axes of XYZ shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the magnitude of the acceleration vector Va1 detected by the acceleration sensor 37 while the controller 7 is stationary is “1”. That is, the magnitude of gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 37 is “1”.

  The current mode 130 is data for indicating whether the current game processing state is the normal mode, the 2D mode, the marker attention mode, or the subjective mode as described above.

  The marker spot data 131 is data for indicating the position in the virtual game space where the marker 103 is set in the 2D mode as described above, that is, the marker spot.

  The player object position data 132 is data for indicating the position of the player object 101 in the virtual game space.

  The object data 134 is data of various objects arranged in the virtual game space such as the player object 101 and the enemy object 201.

  The image data 135 is data of various images used in the game process such as the image of the marker 103 and the cursor 106.

  Next, a game process executed by the game apparatus body 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the power of the game apparatus main body 3 is turned on, the CPU 10 of the game apparatus main body 3 executes a startup program stored in the ROM / RTC 13, whereby each unit such as the main memory 33 is initialized. Then, the game program stored in the optical disc 4 is read into the external main memory 12, and the CPU 10 starts executing the game program. The flowchart shown in FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing a game process performed after the above process is completed. Also, the processing loop of steps S2 to S5 shown in FIG. 32 is repeatedly executed for each frame.

  In FIG. 32, first, the CPU 10 executes an initialization process (step S1). The process of step S1 will be described more specifically. First, the CPU 10 constructs a virtual game space and arranges various objects such as the player object 101. Further, the CPU 10 sets the position where the player object 101 is placed in the player object position data 132. Further, the CPU 10 sets the “normal mode” in the current mode 130 and sets the position indicated by the player object position data 132 (that is, the position of the player object 101) in the gazing point data 1333 of the virtual camera control parameter 133. . Further, the CPU 10 sets data indicating the position of a predetermined point, here the start point, in the marker point data 131.

Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the current mode 130 is the “2D mode” (step S2). As a result of the judgment,
When it is determined that the mode is not the “2D mode” (NO in step S2), the CPU 10 executes a normal mode process described later (step S3). Immediately after the start of the game, since the “normal mode” is set in the initialization process, it is determined that the determination is not “2D mode”. On the other hand, when the result of the determination is “2D mode” (YES in step S2), the process proceeds to 2D mode processing (step S4) described later.

  Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the game end condition is satisfied (whether or not an instruction for ending the game is issued from the player) (step S5). As a result, in the case of YES, the game process is terminated, and in the case of NO, the process returns to step S2 to repeat the game process.

  Next, the normal mode process in step S3 will be described. FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing details of the normal mode processing shown in step S3. In FIG. 33, first, the CPU 10 acquires operation data 129 (step S11). Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the current mode 130 is the “subjective mode” (step S12). If the result of the determination is “subjective mode” (YES in step S12), the CPU 10 executes a later-described subjective mode process (step S19), and thereafter proceeds to the process of step S18.

  On the other hand, when it is not the “subjective mode” (NO in step S12), the CPU 10 then indicates that the content of the player's operation indicated by the operation data 129 indicates an instruction to switch to the marker attention mode (for example, an operation button Whether or not 72i is pressed is determined (step S13). As a result of the determination, when the content indicates an instruction to switch to the marker attention mode (YES in step S13), the CPU 10 executes a marker attention process described later (step S20), and then proceeds to the process of step S18.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S13 is not content indicating an instruction to switch to the marker attention mode (NO in step S13), then the CPU 10 indicates that the content of the player's operation indicated by the operation data 129 is 2D mode. It is determined whether or not the content indicates an instruction to switch to (step S14). As a result of the determination, if the content indicates an instruction to switch to the 2D mode (YES in step S14), the CPU 10 sets “2D mode” in the current mode 130 (step S21). Subsequently, the CPU 10 generates an image in which the virtual game space is viewed as shown in FIG. 13 and the like (step S22). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S18 described later.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S14 is not the content indicating the instruction to switch to the 2D mode (NO in step S14), then the CPU 10 indicates that the content of the player's operation indicated by the operation data 129 is a pointer lock instruction. Is determined (for example, pressing of the operation button 72d) (step S15). As a result of the determination, if the content indicates a pointer lock instruction (YES in step S15), the CPU 10 executes a pointer lock process described later (step S23), and then proceeds to the process of step S18.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S15 is not a pointer lock instruction (NO in step S15), the CPU 10 then executes a predetermined game process based on the operation content indicated by the operation data 129 (step S15). S16). That is, a game process in the normal mode, for example, a game process such as movement or jump of the player object 101 is executed. Control of the display position of the cursor 106 is also executed. At this time, the player object position data 132 is also updated according to the position of the player object 101.

  Subsequently, the CPU 10 executes objective camera control processing as described above with reference to FIG. 12 (step S17). That is, the virtual camera control parameter 133 is appropriately set so that the whole body of the player object 101 is displayed in the game screen.

  Next, the CPU 10 executes a drawing process (step S18). That is, processing for displaying an image obtained by photographing the virtual game space with the virtual camera on the television 2 as a game image is executed. Thus, the normal mode process ends.

  Next, the 2D mode process shown in step S4 of FIG. 32 will be described. In this process, the process in the 2D mode as described above with reference to FIG. 13 and the like is executed. This process is executed when it is determined in the normal mode process that an instruction to switch to the 2D mode has been issued. FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing details of the 2D mode processing shown in step S4. In FIG. 34, first, the CPU 10 acquires operation data 129 (step S31).

  Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not an operation for setting the marker 103 as described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16 has been performed based on the content of the operation data 129 (step S32). That is, it is determined whether or not the drag state is released while the marker 103 is being dragged. As a result of the determination, when an operation for setting the marker 103 is performed (YES in step S32), the CPU 10 then displays data (for example, coordinate data) indicating the position in the virtual game space where the marker 103 is set. ) Is stored in the external main memory 12 as the marker point data 131 (step S33), and the 2D mode process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S32 is not an operation for setting the marker 102 (NO in step S32), the CPU 10 determines whether or not the content indicated by the operation data 129 is an instruction to switch to the marker attention mode. Determination is made (step S34). As a result, when the instruction to switch to the marker attention mode is given (YES in step S34), the point where the marker 103 (the mark 107) is set comes to the top of the screen as described above with reference to FIGS. The process of rotating the screen is executed. That is, the CPU 10 acquires the marker spot data 131. Then, the CPU 10 causes the point in the virtual game space indicated by the data to be a predetermined position on the y-axis positive direction on the xy coordinate axis in FIG. Rotate the screen.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S <b> 34 is not an instruction to switch to the marker attention mode (NO in step S <b> 34), the CPU 10 next determines whether the content indicated by the operation data 129 is an instruction to end the 2D mode. Is determined (step S36). As a result, when an instruction to end the 2D mode is given (YES in step S36), "normal mode" is set in the current mode 130 (step S37).

  On the other hand, when it is not an instruction to end the 2D mode (NO in step S36), the CPU 10 executes a game process (for example, a player object movement process) based on the content indicated by the operation data 129 (step S38). . Thus, the 2D mode process ends.

  Next, the marker attention process shown in step S20 of FIG. 33 will be described. In this process, the process in the marker attention mode described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 24 is executed. FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing details of the marker attention processing shown in step S20. In FIG. 35, first, the CPU 10 acquires the marker spot data 131 (step S51), and then acquires the player object position data 132 (step S52).

  Next, the CPU 10 calculates a straight line connecting the marker point and the position of the player object based on the data acquired in steps S51 and S52 (step S53).

  Next, the CPU 10 sets the marker point as the gazing point of the virtual camera by setting the position in the virtual game space indicated by the marker point data 131 as the gazing point data 1333 (step S54). When the player does not set a marker in the 2D mode, a predetermined position (start point in the above example) set in the marker point data 131 in the initialization process is set as a gazing point. Become.

  Next, the CPU 10 sets the position of the virtual camera (step S55). Specifically, a predetermined position (a position where the whole body of the player object 101 can be photographed) on an extended line obtained by extending the straight line calculated in step S53 to the player object side is calculated, and data indicating the position is virtually Set as camera position data 1331.

  Next, the CPU 10 executes a predetermined game process based on the contents of the operation data 129 acquired in step S11 (step S56). For example, a movement process of the player object 101 is executed. In this game, since the marker attention mode is executed while the operation button 72i is continuously pressed, the player's operation here operates other operation buttons while pressing the operation button 72i. It will be in such a state. This completes the marker attention process. By performing such processing, the virtual camera always faces the point where the marker 103 is set (the predetermined point set in the initialization process when the player does not set the marker 103). It is possible to display the game screen.

  Next, the pointer lock process shown in step S15 of FIG. 33 will be described. In this process, when the pointer lock operation is performed, it is determined whether or not to switch to the subjective mode. FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing details of the pointer lock processing shown in step S15. 36, first, the CPU 10 overlaps the display position of a predetermined object (for example, the enemy object 201 in FIG. 28) set in advance so that the display position of the cursor 106 (see FIG. 28) can be an attack target. It is determined whether or not (step S61). As a result of the determination, when the cursor 106 does not overlap any of the predetermined objects (NO in step S61), the CPU 10 ends the pointer lock process.

  On the other hand, when the cursor 106 overlaps any of the predetermined objects (YES in step S61), the CPU 10 sets “subjective mode” as the current mode 130 (step S62).

  Next, the CPU 10 executes a process for locking on the object on which the cursor 106 overlaps (step S63). For example, processing such as setting ON to a lock-on flag (not shown) prepared in advance as a parameter of the object can be considered. For the object locked on in this process, for example, when the player object 101 is caused to perform an attacking action, a control is automatically performed so that the sword object is swung down while aiming at the locked-on object. become.

  Next, the CPU 10 sets the position of the object for which the lock-on setting has been performed as a gazing point of the virtual camera (step S64). Specifically, the position of the object for which lock-on is set is set in the gazing point data 1333.

  Next, the CPU 10 executes a subjective camera control process (step S65). Specifically, the CPU 10 sets the eye position of the player object 101 in the virtual camera position data 1331. Also, the angle of view data 1332 is set as appropriate. Since the gazing point data 1333 is set in step S64, the game image as shown in FIG. 29 can be generated by shooting the virtual game space with the virtual camera set in this way. It becomes possible. This completes the pointer lock process.

  Next, the subjective mode process shown in step S19 will be described. In this process, the process in the subjective mode is executed. FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing details of the subjective mode process shown in step S19. In FIG. 37, first, the CPU 10 determines whether the content of the operation data 129 acquired in step S11 of FIG. 33 is an instruction to end the subjective mode, or has defeated an object locked on in the pointer lock process (for example, Then, it is determined whether or not the hit points set in advance for the object have become 0 as a result of a decrease in the attack action of the player object (step S71). If the above condition is not satisfied as a result of the determination (NO in step S71), the CPU 10 performs a predetermined game process based on the content of the operation data 129, for example, a process of attacking a locked-on object or the like. Is executed (step S72).

  Next, the CPU 10 executes a subjective camera control process (step S73). The content of this process is the same as the process of step S65 of FIG.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S71, when an instruction to end the subjective mode has been issued, or when the locked-on object has been defeated (YES in step S71), the CPU 10 ends the subjective mode. Execute the process. That is, the CPU 10 sets the “normal mode” as the current mode 130 (step S74). Subsequently, the CPU 10 releases the lock-on setting (step S75). For example, setting the lock-on flag to off can be considered.

  Next, the CPU 10 sets the position of the player object 101 in the gazing point data 1333 (step S76). Next, the CPU 10 executes objective camera control processing (step S77). That is, camera control is performed such that the whole body of the player object 101 is displayed on the game screen as shown in FIG. Since this process is the same as the process shown in step S17 of FIG. 33, detailed description thereof is omitted. This completes the subjective mode process.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the marker 103 can be set at an arbitrary point in the virtual game space using the 2D mode, and the virtual camera is set to the marker by performing a predetermined operation during the game process. Can be pointed. Thereby, it is possible to make it easier for the player to instantly grasp in which direction an arbitrary point in the virtual game space set by the player is located. Further, since the point where the marker 103 is set, the position of the player object, and the position of the virtual camera are in a straight line (that is, the player object 101 is included in the shooting range of the virtual camera), It is possible to move the player object toward the point where the marker is set only by performing an operation of moving the player object in the depth direction. Thereby, operability can also be improved.

  In addition, since the virtual camera control that pays attention to a predetermined object as an attack target and the camera control that pays attention to the marker point are used together like the pointer lock, in a game set in a three-dimensional virtual space It is possible to provide a game screen that is easy for the player to see according to the scene in the game.

  As for the marker point attention mode, as described above, the virtual camera is controlled by the marker attention control while the operation button 72d is kept pressed. This makes it possible for the player to easily compare the direction of the marker point before and after the attention, that is, the direction of the player object and the direction of the marker point. The positional relationship of 101 can be easily grasped.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where only one marker 103 is used has been exemplified. However, a plurality of markers may be used. For example, on the bird's eye view screen in the 2D mode, as shown in FIG. 38, a plurality of markers 103 may be displayed (markers 103a to 103c), and a plurality of marker point data 131 corresponding to each marker may be prepared. In FIG. 38, images with numbers 1 to 3 are displayed as the images of the markers, and each marker can be identified by these numbers. In this case, a plurality of marker point data Any one of 131 is selected, and information for indicating the selected marker is stored in the external main memory 12. Then, information indicating the marker currently selected may be displayed on the game screen in the normal mode. For example, as shown in FIG. 39, an information window 210 indicating the currently selected marker may be displayed in the upper right corner of the game screen in the normal mode. In FIG. 39, the second marker is currently selected, and when the switching operation to the marker attention mode is performed in this state, the virtual camera is directed to the marker point where the second marker is set. That is, the state shown in FIG. 39 is a state in which the second marker is selected.

  In addition, the selected marker point data may be switched by performing a predetermined operation on the screen as shown in FIG. That is, it is only necessary to select one of the plurality of marker point data in a predetermined order by performing a predetermined operation for marker switching on the screen of FIG. Then, in response to the operation, the marker images in the information window 210 are displayed in the predetermined order, for example, sequentially switched from No. 1 to No. 2 to No. 3 to No. 1. You can do it. Of course, a plurality of marker images may all be displayed on the game screen in the normal mode. In addition, an arbitrary marker image may be selected.

  Further, the plurality of marker point data may be associated with one of the operations that can be input by the input device on a one-to-one basis so that the marker point can be selected by only one operation (one action). For example, the above three marker points are respectively associated with the upper (front), right, and left of the cross key 72a, and the second marker point is selected simply by pressing the right part of the cross key 72a. You may do it.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the case where a virtual camera was arrange | positioned as an example of the position of the virtual camera in the said marker attention mode on the straight line which extended the straight line 109 which connects a marker point and the player object 101 was mentioned as an example. The position of the virtual camera is not limited to this, and it may be arranged near the straight line (see FIG. 40). For example, when performing virtual camera control such as “tracking camera” in which the virtual camera follows the player object 101 with a slight delay, immediately after switching to the marker attention mode, the virtual camera is arranged in the vicinity of the straight line and gradually You may perform control which moves so that it may be located on the said straight line.

  Further, in the above embodiment, in the marker attention mode and the normal mode, the virtual camera is arranged at a position where the whole body of the player character 101 is displayed. Control may be performed so that is displayed on the game screen. In other words, the virtual camera may be controlled such that at least a part of the player object is displayed on the game screen.

  The game program and the game device according to the present invention can easily show the direction of an arbitrary point in the virtual three-dimensional space to the player, and are useful for a stationary game device, a portable game device, a PDA, a personal computer, and the like. It is.

1 is an external view for explaining a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Functional block diagram of the game apparatus body 5 of FIG. The perspective view seen from the upper surface back of the controller 7 of FIG. The perspective view which looked at the controller 7 of FIG. 3 from the lower surface front The perspective view which shows the state which removed the upper housing of the controller 7 of FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which removed the lower housing of the controller 7 of FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the controller 7 of FIG. The figure which shows an example of a captured image The figure which shows the state which hold | gripped the controller 7 Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Diagram for explaining camera control in normal mode Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Diagram for explaining camera control in marker attention mode Diagram for explaining camera control in marker attention mode Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Diagram for explaining camera control in marker attention mode Diagram for explaining camera control in marker attention mode Diagram for explaining camera control in marker attention mode Diagram for explaining camera control in marker attention mode Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment Example of game screen assumed in this embodiment The figure which shows the relation between the transition between each mode and the operation which accompanies this The figure which shows the memory map of the main memory 12 of the game device main body 3 The flowchart which shows the game processing which concerns on embodiment of this invention The flowchart which showed the detail of the normal mode process shown by step S3 of FIG. The flowchart which showed the detail of 2D mode process shown by step S4 of FIG. The flowchart which showed the detail of the marker attention process shown by step S20 of FIG. The flowchart which showed the detail of the pointer lock process shown by step S23 of FIG. The flowchart which showed the detail of the subjective mode process shown by step S19 of FIG. Example of game screen when using multiple markers Example of game screen when using multiple markers Example of virtual camera placement

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Game system 2 ... Monitor 2a ... Speaker 3 ... Game device 4 ... Optical disk 7 ... Controller 10 ... CPU
11 ... System LSI
11a: I / O processor 11b: GPU
11c DSP
11d ... VRAM
11e ... internal main memory 12 ... external main memory 13 ... ROM / RTC
14 ... Disk drive 15 ... AV-IC
16 ... AV connector 17 ... Flash memory 18 ... Wireless communication module 19 ... Wireless controller module 20 ... Expansion connector 21 ... External memory card connector 22 ... Antenna 23 ... Antenna 24 ... Power button 25 ... Reset button 26 ... Eject button 71 ... Housing 72 ... Operation unit 73 ... Connector 74 ... Imaging information calculation unit 741 ... Infrared filter 742 ... Lens 743 ... Imaging element 744 ... Image processing circuit 75 ... Communication unit 751 ... Microcomputer 752 ... Memory 753 ... Wireless module 754 ... Antenna 700 ... Substrate 701 ... Acceleration sensor 702 ... LED
703 ... Crystal oscillator 704 ... Vibrator 707 ... Sound IC
708 ... amplifier

Claims (20)

In a virtual three-dimensional space photographed by a virtual camera, a game program that causes a computer of a game device that operates a player object existing in the space with an input device to be executed,
The computer,
Operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information output from the input device;
Marker point setting means for setting an arbitrary point in the virtual three-dimensional space as a marker point based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means;
A game program that functions as a marker point attention unit that sets the position and orientation of a virtual camera so that the marker point is positioned in the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera. The game program further causes the computer to function as attention instruction determination means for determining whether or not the operation content indicated by the operation information is an instruction for directing the visual line direction of the virtual camera toward the marker point,
The marker point attention unit sets the position and orientation of the virtual camera when the attention instruction determination unit determines that the operation content is an instruction to direct the visual line direction of the virtual camera toward the marker point. The game program according to claim 1. The game program determines whether or not a marker point is set when the attention instruction determination unit determines that the operation content is an instruction for directing the visual line direction of the virtual camera toward the marker point. It further functions as a marker point presence determination means for determining whether
The marker point notifying unit is configured so that when the marker point presence determining unit determines that the marker point is not set, the virtual point is set so that a predetermined point is positioned in the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera. The game program according to claim 2, wherein the camera position and orientation are set.   The game program according to claim 1, wherein the marker point attention unit moves the virtual camera to a position where at least a part of the player object is included in a shooting range of the virtual camera.   The game program according to claim 1, wherein the marker spot attention unit moves the virtual camera in the vicinity of a straight line connecting the marker spot and the player object.   The game program according to claim 1, wherein the marker point attention unit moves the virtual camera so that the player object is positioned on the line of sight of the virtual camera. The game program causes the computer to further function as a bird's-eye image display means for generating and displaying a bird's-eye image that is an image obtained by bird's-eye view of the virtual three-dimensional space;
The game program according to claim 1, wherein the marker spot setting unit sets the marker spot for the bird's-eye view image based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit. The game program causes the computer to further function as a two-dimensional map display means for displaying a two-dimensional map image corresponding to the virtual three-dimensional space,
The game program according to claim 1, wherein the marker spot setting unit sets the marker spot for the two-dimensional map image based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit. The game program further causes the computer to function as attention instruction determination means for determining whether or not the operation content indicated by the operation information is an instruction for directing the visual line direction of the virtual camera toward the marker point,
The two-dimensional map display means, when the attention instruction determination means determines that the operation content is an instruction for directing the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera to the marker spot, the marker spot as the two-dimensional image. The game program according to claim 8, wherein the game program is displayed so as to be positioned at an upper part of the map. The game program causes the computer to further function as cursor operation means for operating a cursor on the two-dimensional map image based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means,
The game program according to claim 8, wherein the marker spot setting unit sets the marker spot based on a position coordinate indicated by a cursor operated by the cursor operating unit. The game program causes the computer to further function as cursor operation means for operating a cursor in the virtual three-dimensional space based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means.
The game program according to claim 1, wherein the marker spot setting unit sets the marker spot based on a position coordinate indicated by a cursor operated by the cursor operating unit.   The game program according to claim 1, wherein the marker spot setting means can set a plurality of marker spots. The game program further causes the computer to function as marker point selection means for selecting one of the plurality of marker points in a predetermined order in response to a predetermined operation,
The game program according to claim 12, wherein the marker spot attention unit sets the position and orientation of the virtual camera so that the marker spot selected by the marker spot selection unit is positioned in the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera. The game program further serves as marker point selection means for selecting the computer by operating one of the plurality of marker points associated with the type of operation of the input device by operating the input device. Make it work
The game program according to claim 12, wherein the marker spot attention unit sets the position and orientation of the virtual camera so that the marker spot selected by the marker spot selection unit is positioned in the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera.   The game program further causes the computer to function as a selected marker display unit that displays on the game screen a display for indicating a marker point selected by the marker point selection unit among the plurality of marker points. The game program according to claim 13 or claim 14.   The game program according to claim 15, wherein the selected marker display unit displays an object corresponding to the marker point selected by the marker point selection unit.   The game program according to claim 1, wherein the game program further causes the computer to function as an object placement unit that places a predetermined object at a marker point set by the marker point setting unit. The game program causes the computer to further function as player object moving means for moving the player object in the virtual three-dimensional space based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquiring means.
When the player object moving means is an instruction to move the player object in a direction perpendicular to the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera, the player object moves the player object in a circle around the marker point in the virtual three-dimensional space. The game program according to claim 1, which is moved. The game program causes the computer to
Object specifying means for specifying a predetermined object other than the player object based on the operation information;
Specific release determination means for determining whether or not a predetermined condition for canceling the specification of the specified object is satisfied;
The game program according to claim 1, further causing the specified object to further function as a specific object attention unit that sets a gazing point of the virtual camera until the specified object release condition is satisfied. In a virtual three-dimensional space photographed by a virtual camera, a game device for operating a player object existing in the space with an input device,
Operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information output from the input device;
Marker point setting means for setting an arbitrary point in the virtual three-dimensional space as a marker point based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means;
A game apparatus comprising: marker point attention means for setting the position and orientation of a virtual camera so that the marker point is positioned in the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera.

Images