JP2012003363A - Game device, game processing method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game device, etc. suitable for creating an image in which a player can properly see character's movement in synchronization with the character's movement in a virtual space.SOLUTION: A game device 300 comprises: a position change unit 301 for changing the position and posture of a character in a virtual space; a part acquisition unit 302 for acquiring a part of the character with the largest displacement among the parts of the character whose position and posture are changed by the position change unit 301; a viewpoint setting unit 303 for setting a viewpoint position to a position where the angle of the displacement of the acquired part with the largest displacement is larger; and an image creation unit 304 for creating an image indicating the state of the virtual space viewed from the set viewpoint toward the character position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a game apparatus, a game processing method, and a program suitable for generating an image that allows a player to appropriately see the movement of a character in accordance with the movement of the character in a virtual space.

  A game in which a player moves the whole body and plays is widespread. A typical example is a dance game. In a dance game, in general, a task represented by body movement timing is displayed on a screen, and when a player plays in accordance with this, a sense of dance can be enjoyed.

  In such a dance game, typically, a mat-type controller that is pressed by the player with his / her foot is used to display the step position and its timing on the screen, thereby allowing the player to enjoy a dance feeling and choreography. Show. In addition, a method has been developed that teaches such actions and choreography suitable for such a player to perform in a game in an easy-to-understand manner on the screen.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for teaching a player in an easy-to-understand manner not only the timing when a player steps his / her foot on a mat-type controller but also the operation between steps by displaying a warning in words on the screen. Is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 4354509

  In this way, there is a demand for the actions that the player should take in the game not only to display the foot step method on the screen but also to display on the screen in an easy-to-understand manner, including the movements of the entire body such as the head and hands. is there.

  In recent years, in particular, various controllers that remotely sense the player's actions using infrared rays or the like as well as those based on conventional button pressing operations have been developed and spread as controllers used in games. In such a remote sensing type controller, it is possible to use various movements of the whole body as game operation inputs, not only by pressing operations by the player's hands and feet.

  For example, in the above-described dance game, the movement of the entire body danced by the player can be used as an operation input including fine choreography. It is required to display the entire movement and the movement of the whole body that should be taken in dance, including detailed choreography, on the screen in an easy-to-understand manner.

  Such a technique can be applied not only to the above-described dance game, but also to various games in which an action game and other players can progress using the entire body.

  The present invention is for solving the above-described problems, and is a game suitable for generating an image in which a player can appropriately see the movement of the character in accordance with the movement of the character in the virtual space. An object is to provide an apparatus, a game processing method, and a program.

  In order to achieve the above object, a game device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a position change unit, a part acquisition unit, a viewpoint setting unit, and an image generation unit.

  The position changing unit changes the position and posture of the character in the virtual space.

  For example, in a game in which the player can enjoy dancing along with the reproduction of music, the position changing unit changes the position and posture of the character in the virtual space to perform the dance, Typically, choreography is shown in the game screen.

  Further, the position changing unit may receive an input from the player by the controller and change the position and posture of the character in the virtual space based on the input. Specifically, in the above-described dance game, the characters in the virtual space may not only dance based on a predetermined program, but may also change their actions and choreography according to instructions from the player.

  The part acquiring unit acquires a part having the largest displacement among the parts of the character whose position and posture are changed by the position changing unit.

  That is, for example, in a game in which the player can enjoy dancing in conjunction with the playback of the music, when the right hand movement of the character in the virtual space becomes larger than other parts during playback of a part of the music If the movement of the left foot of the character in the virtual space becomes larger than that of the other part during reproduction of another part of the music, the part acquisition unit acquires the left foot as the part having the largest displacement.

  The viewpoint setting unit sets the position of the viewpoint so that the angle at which the acquired displacement of the portion with the largest displacement is expected is increased.

  Here, the “look angle” means an interior angle of the triangle at the viewpoint when the triangle having the vertex at the three points of the viewpoint and the start point and the end point of the displacement of the character part is considered. .

  For example, in a game in which a player can enjoy dancing along with the reproduction of the music, when the portion of the character in the virtual space where the displacement is the largest is the right hand, a position where the right hand can be seen well, that is, the right hand If the left foot is the part where the displacement is the largest, the position where the left foot can be seen well, that is, the left hand movement has a large “look angle”. The viewpoint setting unit sets the position of the viewpoint at such a position.

  The image generation unit generates an image representing the state of the virtual space from the set viewpoint with a line of sight toward the character position.

  That is, for example, in a game in which the player can enjoy dancing along with the reproduction of the music, the viewpoint setting unit sets the viewpoint so that the right hand of the character in the virtual space can be seen well. At this time, the image generation unit generates an image that makes it easy to see how the character moves the right hand in the virtual space.

  Further, in the game device according to the present invention, the viewpoint moves on a predetermined route at a predetermined upper limit speed or less, and the viewpoint setting unit is within a range that can be moved on the predetermined route at a predetermined upper limit speed or less. The position of the viewpoint can be set at a position where the angle at which the displacement is expected is maximized.

  In other words, the setting of the viewpoint by the viewpoint setting unit is not possible to be set at any position in the virtual space, but is limited to a predetermined route in the virtual space. This corresponds to the case where the vehicle can move only at a speed lower than the specified speed. At this time, the viewpoint is set at a position where the angle at which the character is most likely to be seen is maximized in a range that can be moved at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed.

  For example, in a game in which a player can enjoy dancing along with the playback of the above music, when the right hand is the part with the greatest displacement of the character in the virtual space, the viewpoint is a virtual space where the movement of the right hand can be seen well. The position of the right hand is not immediately set, but by moving little by little below a predetermined speed, the movement of the right hand gradually becomes visible.

  With such a configuration, the player can see the character in the virtual space with a more realistic feeling.

  In the game device according to the present invention, the predetermined path may be a predetermined circular path centered on the position of the character.

  For example, it may be a circular path with the center and height positioned higher than the head of the character. In this case, a game screen with a line of sight looking down on the character is generated. Or it is good also as a circular path | route which took the center and height at the position of the knee of a character. In this case, a game screen with a line of sight looking up at the character is generated.

  By taking such a circular path centered on the character, a game screen is generated from a viewpoint from a position away from the character in the virtual space, regardless of the displacement of any part of the character. Will be.

  In the game device according to the present invention, the viewpoint setting unit can set a radius of a predetermined circular path based on the displacement of the part of the character having the largest displacement.

  That is, for example, when the part with the largest displacement is an operation of slightly moving the fingertip of the character, a game screen in which the fingertip of the character is enlarged is generated by reducing the radius of the circular path along which the viewpoint moves. Will be. On the other hand, for a large action of the character, the game screen of the entire character is generated by increasing the radius of the circular path along which the viewpoint moves.

  With such a configuration, the enlargement / reduction of the game screen changes in accordance with the magnitude of the action of the character, and the player can easily confirm the part to be operated.

  Further, in the game device according to the present invention, the viewpoint setting unit moves the viewpoint position to a position where the angle at which the displacement is expected is maximized, and then determines based on the displacement of the portion of the character having the largest displacement. The radius of the circular path can also be set.

  In other words, the process of changing the radius of the circular path in accordance with the size of the character's movement is performed after the viewpoint position is set so that the angle at which the character has the greatest displacement is expected. ,That's what it means.

  With such a configuration, after the movement of the viewpoint is completed to a position where it is easy to confirm the most moving part of the character, the player enlarges or reduces the image of the part while checking the most moving part. You can see how it is done.

  Further, in the game device according to the present invention, the viewpoint setting unit moves the viewpoint position to a position where the angle at which the displacement is expected is maximized, and based on the displacement of the portion of the character having the largest displacement, the predetermined circle The radius of the path can be set.

  In other words, in the process of changing the radius of the circular path according to the size of the character's movement, the viewpoint position is set so that the angle at which the character's greatest displacement is expected is increased. Is to be done.

  With such a configuration, the viewpoint moves simultaneously with the enlargement or reduction of the image to a position where it is easy to confirm the most moving part of the character, so that the player can smoothly change the moving part. Can be confirmed.

  In the game device according to the present invention, the viewpoint setting unit can also move the position of the viewpoint on a predetermined route so that the acceleration and deceleration of the viewpoint do not exceed a predetermined threshold.

  That is, when the viewpoint fixed in the virtual space starts to move to another position by the viewpoint setting unit, if the viewpoint suddenly starts moving at a large speed, it is unnatural for the player who is watching the generated game screen.・ It tends to be uncomfortable. In order to avoid this, by providing predetermined threshold values for acceleration and deceleration and smoothly moving the viewpoint, the player can view the game screen comfortably.

  A game processing method according to another aspect of the present invention is a game processing method that is executed by a game device including a position change unit, a part acquisition unit, a viewpoint setting unit, and an image generation unit. A process, a viewpoint setting process, and an image generation process.

In the position changing step, the position changing unit changes the position and posture of the character in the virtual space.
In the part acquisition step, the part acquisition unit acquires a part having the largest displacement among the parts of the character whose position and posture are changed by the position changing unit.
In the viewpoint setting step, the viewpoint setting unit sets the position of the viewpoint so that the angle at which the acquired displacement of the portion with the largest displacement is expected is increased.
In the image generation step, the image generation unit generates an image representing the state of the virtual space from the set viewpoint to the line of sight toward the character position.

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

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

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

  According to the present invention, there are provided a game device, a game processing method, and a program suitable for generating an image in which a player can appropriately see the movement of the character in accordance with the movement of the character in the virtual space. be able to.

It is a mimetic diagram showing the outline composition of the typical information processor which fulfills the function of the game device of the present invention. 3 is a schematic diagram of a mat-type controller according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the game device according to the first embodiment. It is the figure which showed the structural example of the game screen which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is the figure which showed the correspondence of the virtual space which concerns on Embodiment 1, and a game screen. It is a figure for demonstrating the angle which anticipates the displacement of the site | part with the largest displacement of a character. It is the figure which showed the range which the virtual camera moves in virtual space. It is a correspondence relationship between the virtual space and the game screen according to the first embodiment, and is a diagram when the movement of the virtual camera is completed. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of game processing according to the first embodiment. It is a correspondence relationship between the virtual space and the game screen according to the second embodiment, and is a diagram when a predetermined route is changed. It is the figure which showed the movement of the virtual camera in a virtual space, and the change of a predetermined path | route. (A), (b), (c) are all graphs showing the relationship between the radius of a predetermined circular path and the circumferential position of the virtual camera. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of game processing according to the second embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the function structure of the game device which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is the figure which showed the correspondence of the virtual space which concerns on Embodiment 3, and a game screen. FIG. 11 is a correspondence relationship between the virtual space and the game screen according to the third embodiment when the movement of the virtual camera is completed. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of game processing according to the third embodiment.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following, for ease of understanding, an embodiment in which the present invention is realized using an information processing apparatus for games will be described. However, the following embodiment is for explanation, and the scope of the present invention There is no limit. Therefore, those skilled in the art can employ embodiments in which each or all of these elements are replaced with equivalent ones, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a typical information processing apparatus that performs the function of the game apparatus of the present invention by executing a program. Hereinafter, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The information processing apparatus 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an interface 104, a controller 105, an external memory 106, a DVD-ROM ( A digital versatile disk-read only memory (107) drive 107, an image processing unit 108, an audio processing unit 109, and a NIC (Network Interface Card) 110 are provided.

  A DVD-ROM storing a game program and data is loaded into the DVD-ROM drive 107 and the information processing apparatus 100 is turned on to execute the program, thereby realizing the game apparatus of the present embodiment. The

  The CPU 101 controls the overall operation of the information processing apparatus 100 and is connected to each component to exchange control signals and data.

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

  The RAM 103 is for temporarily storing data and programs, and holds programs and data read from the DVD-ROM and other data necessary for game progress and chat communication.

  The controller 105 connected via the interface 104 receives an operation input performed when the user executes the game.

  The external memory 106 detachably connected via the interface 104 stores data indicating game play status (past results, etc.), data indicating game progress, and log of game chat communication using the network ( Data) is stored in a rewritable manner. The user can record these data in the external memory 106 as appropriate by inputting an instruction via the controller 105.

  A DVD-ROM mounted on the DVD-ROM drive 107 stores a program for realizing the game and image data and sound data associated with the game. Under the control of the CPU 101, the DVD-ROM drive 107 performs a reading process on the DVD-ROM loaded therein, reads out necessary programs and data, and these are temporarily stored in the RAM 103 or the like.

  The image processing unit 108 processes the data read from the DVD-ROM by the CPU 101 or an image arithmetic processor (not shown) included in the image processing unit 108, and then processes the processed data on a frame memory ( (Not shown). The image information recorded in the frame memory is converted into a video signal at a predetermined synchronization timing and output to a monitor (not shown) connected to the image processing unit 108. Thereby, various image displays are possible.

The image calculation processor can execute a two-dimensional image overlay calculation, a transmission calculation such as α blending, and various saturation calculations at high speed.
Also, polygon information arranged in the virtual three-dimensional space and added with various texture information is rendered by the Z buffer method, and the polygon arranged in the virtual three-dimensional space from the predetermined viewpoint position is determined in the direction of the predetermined line of sight It is also possible to perform high-speed execution of operations for obtaining rendered images.

  Further, the CPU 101 and the image arithmetic processor operate in a coordinated manner, so that a character string can be drawn as a two-dimensional image in a frame memory or drawn on the surface of each polygon according to font information that defines the character shape. is there. The font information is recorded in the ROM 102, but it is also possible to use dedicated font information recorded in the DVD-ROM.

  The audio processing unit 109 converts audio data read from the DVD-ROM into an analog audio signal, and outputs the analog audio signal from a speaker (not shown) connected thereto. Further, under the control of the CPU 101, sound effects and music data to be generated during the progress of the game are generated, and sound corresponding to this is output from the speaker.

  The NIC 110 is used to connect the information processing apparatus 100 to a computer communication network (not shown) such as the Internet, and is based on the 10BASE-T / 100BASE-T standard used when configuring a LAN (Local Area Network). To connect to the Internet using an analog modem, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) modem, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) modem, cable television line A cable modem or the like and an interface (not shown) that mediates between these and the CPU 101 are configured.

  In addition, the information processing apparatus 100 uses a large-capacity external storage device such as a hard disk so as to perform the same function as the ROM 102, the RAM 103, the external memory 106, the DVD-ROM attached to the DVD-ROM drive 107, and the like. You may comprise.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a mat-type controller, which is an example of the controller 105 used in the first embodiment. The mat-type controller 200 is arranged on the floor, and a plurality of buttons that change between a pressed state and a non-pressed state by a player's pressing operation with a foot or a hand are arranged in a predetermined area on the surface. For example, as shown in the figure, a left button 201a, a lower button 201b, an upper button 201c, a right button 201d, and the like are arranged. When these buttons are pressed by the user, an operation input corresponding to the pressed button is received.

  In the present embodiment, the mat-type controller 200 includes four buttons 201a to 201d, but the number of buttons is not limited to four, and may be three or less or five or more. Further, the operation input is not limited to the shape arranged on the floor surface, but may be a so-called touch pad shape that is held by hand or a shape held by hand.

  Moreover, it is good also as operation input of game execution by using the infrared camera etc. instead of the mat | matte-type controller 200, and capturing the motion of the whole body of a player.

  Next, a functional configuration of the game device according to the first embodiment will be described.

  As a typical game executed by the game device of the present invention, there is a game in which a player dances to music in a real space. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described by taking a dance game as an example.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the game device according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  The game device 300 includes a position change unit 301, a part acquisition unit 302, a viewpoint setting unit 303, and an image generation unit 304.

  The position changing unit 301 changes the position and posture of the character in the virtual space.

  For example, the CPU 101 can function as the position changing unit 301 in conjunction with the DVD-ROM drive 107 or the RAM 103.

  Specifically, in a dance game, character movement and choreography programs and data in a virtual space are typically stored on a DVD-ROM along with music to be played back, and are mounted on the DVD-ROM drive 107. And read. The position changing unit 301 controls the position and posture of the character in the virtual space by the CPU 101 controlling the temporary storage area via the RAM 103 based on the program and data read in this way. Change. Then, the changed information is supplied to the following part acquisition unit 302.

  The part acquisition unit 302 acquires a part having the largest displacement among the parts of the character whose position and posture are changed by the position changing unit 301.

  As such a part acquisition unit 302, for example, the CPU 101 can function by being controlled via the RAM 103.

  Specifically, the part obtaining unit 302 receives information on the position and posture of the character changed by the position changing unit 301, and obtains a part having the largest displacement under the control of the CPU 101. Then, the acquired information is supplied to the following viewpoint setting unit 303.

  The viewpoint setting unit 303 sets the position of the viewpoint so that the angle at which the displacement of the part of the character with the largest displacement acquired by the part acquisition unit 302 is expected to increase.

  As such a viewpoint setting unit 303, for example, the CPU 101 can function by being controlled via the RAM 103.

  Here, the “look angle” means an interior angle of the triangle at the viewpoint when the triangle having the vertex at the three points of the viewpoint and the start point and the end point of the displacement of the character part is considered. . Details will be described with reference to FIG.

  Specifically, the viewpoint setting unit 303 receives the information on the part with the largest displacement of the character acquired by the part acquisition unit 302, and the “viewing angle” of the displacement of the part with the largest displacement is controlled by the CPU 101. Set the viewpoint position to be larger. Then, the set information is supplied to the following image generation unit 304.

  The image generation unit 304 generates an image representing the state of the virtual space from the viewpoint set by the viewpoint setting unit 303 with a line of sight toward the character position.

  As such an image generation unit 304, for example, the CPU 101 can function in conjunction with the image processing unit 108 and the RAM 103.

  Specifically, the image generation unit 304 receives the information on the viewpoint set by the viewpoint setting unit 303, and generates an image representing the state of the virtual space from the line of sight toward the character position under the control of the CPU 101. . Then, the generated image is displayed on the monitor using the image processing unit 108.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a game screen according to the first embodiment. The image generation unit 304 generates an image as shown on the game screen 400 in FIG.

  On the game screen 400, a character image 401 showing an exemplary dance choreography to the player is arranged, and further, a reference mark 410 (410a to 410d) drawn while being fixed at a predetermined position, and the drawing position moves over time. Instruction marks 411 (four in the figure, 411a to 411d), other background images, and the like are displayed.

  The instruction mark 411 is scroll-displayed according to the music to be played. On the instruction mark 411, an arrow image of one of up, down, left and right is drawn.

  The reference marks 410a to 410d are marks that indicate the timing at which the player should press the buttons 201a to 201d, respectively. On the reference marks 410a to 410d, an image of any one of up, down, left and right arrows is drawn.

  The instruction mark 411 moves toward the position where the reference marks 410a to 410d are drawn in accordance with the music playback speed. When the instruction mark 411 moves to the same position as the reference marks 410a to 410d and the player presses the buttons 201a to 201d corresponding to the directions of the arrows drawn on the reference marks 410a to 410d, the player's score is added, The game results are determined according to the score.

  For example, when the instruction mark 411 has moved to a position overlapping any of the reference marks 410a to 410d, when the player presses one of the buttons 201a to 201d corresponding to the arrow indicated by the moved instruction mark 411 with one foot. You will be able to take exemplary dance steps that match the music being played.

  In the present embodiment, such a reference mark 410 and instruction mark 411 are used to indicate a dance step instruction, and an exemplary choreography of dance is displayed to the player using the character image 401. That is, when the instruction mark 411 moves to a position where any of the reference marks 410a to 410d overlaps with the character image 401, the character image 401 uses any one of the buttons 201a to 201d corresponding to the arrow indicated by the moved instruction mark 411 with one foot. Take the action of pressing.

  Furthermore, by displaying the character image 401, not only the action of stepping with a foot, but also choreography using other body parts can be shown to the player. In other words, it is possible to display exemplary actions and choreography of dance using the entire body.

  In this way, by clearly displaying the stepping action and timing of the clear step by the reference mark 410 and the instruction mark 411 and the choreography using the entire body by the character image 401 in one game screen 400, The player can enjoy the game while confirming the exemplary actions and choreography of the dance in an easy-to-understand manner.

  In the present embodiment, in order to display such an action of the character image 401 in an easy-to-understand manner, the viewpoint and line of sight for displaying the character image 401 in the game screen 400 are appropriately changed according to the action of the character image 401. That is, in the choreography with dance, for example, when the character image 401 moves the right hand, the character image 401 is displayed from the viewpoint of viewing the character from the right side. By doing so, you can see how the right hand is moving.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, considering the virtual space 500 in which the virtual character 501 is placed, the viewpoint and line of sight of the virtual camera 502 that generates the image of the character image 401 in the game screen 400 are appropriately set.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between the virtual space 500 and the game screen 400 according to the first embodiment. In this figure, first, a virtual character 501 is arranged in a virtual space 500, and a virtual camera 502 directed to the position of the virtual character 501 is arranged on a predetermined path 503 that can be moved. On the other hand, in the game screen 400, as described with reference to FIG. 4, a character image 401 showing an exemplary dance choreography to the player, reference marks 410a to 410d and instruction marks 411a to 411d, It is displayed with a background image.

  Here, the character image 401 is an image generated by the virtual camera 502. That is, an image in the virtual space 500 generated by a line of sight from the viewpoint of the virtual camera 502 toward the position of the virtual character 501 is displayed as a character image 401 in the game screen 400.

  Specifically, in this drawing, the virtual camera 502 is located on the right rear side of the virtual character 501. Therefore, in the character image 401, an image of the virtual character 501 viewed from the right rear side, that is, the rear view of the virtual character 501 is displayed. On the other hand, since the character image 401 in FIG. 4 described above is displayed from the front, that is, this is generated by the line of sight from the virtual camera 502 arranged in front of the virtual character 501. It turns out that.

  Here, for example, a case where the virtual character 501 moves the left hand, that is, a case where the position changing unit 301 changes the position of the left hand of the virtual character 501 is considered. In this embodiment, at this time, the part acquisition unit 302 reads the displacement 504 of the position of the left hand and acquires the part 505 having the largest displacement.

  When acquiring the part 505 having the largest displacement here, the body of the virtual character 501 is divided into several parts, and the CPU 101 calculates the displacement 504 for each part as needed. The process of selecting a large part is performed.

  Here, the body of the virtual character 501 may be roughly divided into several parts such as a head, a torso, a right hand, a left hand, a right foot, and a left foot, or more finely divided into a finger, an elbow, a knee, and a chest. It may be divided into a large number of parts including the abdomen. If divided into many parts, the movement of the virtual character 501 can be accurately captured, but the amount of calculation to be processed by the CPU 101 also increases.

  Here, for example, consider a case where the left hand of the virtual character 501 is acquired as the part 505 having the largest displacement by the part acquisition unit 302.

  At this time, if the position of the virtual camera 502 is behind the right side of the virtual character 501 as shown in FIG. 5, that is, the opposite side of the position of the portion 505 having the largest displacement here, this virtual camera 502. In the image of the virtual character 501 generated from the character image 401, as shown in the character image 401 in the game screen 400 of FIG. It becomes difficult for the player to check whether the player is moving.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the viewpoint setting unit 303 sets the virtual camera 502 at a position where the part 505 having the largest displacement can be easily seen in the predetermined route 503. Therefore, in the present invention, first, the “viewing angle” is defined for the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement, and the virtual camera 502 is moved to a position where the “viewing angle” is the largest on the predetermined path 503.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an angle at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement of the virtual character 501 is expected. As in FIG. 5, this figure shows a situation in which virtual cameras 502 and 502 ′ are shooting a virtual character 501 in the virtual space 500. Here, it is assumed that the virtual character 501 in this figure takes the action of moving the left hand greatly as in FIG. 5, and the left hand is acquired as the part 505 having the largest displacement by the part acquisition unit 302.

  At this time, the “viewing angle” is a point at which the viewpoint (virtual camera 502 or 502 ′) and the triangle with the vertex of the start point and the end point of the left hand displacement 504 of the virtual character 501 are considered. It means the inner corner of the triangle. That is, when the viewpoint is at the position of the virtual camera 502 in the figure, the “viewing angle” is θ (looking angle 506), while the viewpoint is at the position of the virtual camera 502 ′ in the figure. The “viewing angle” is θ ′ (viewing angle 506 ′).

  Here, when θ (viewing angle 506) and θ ′ (viewing angle 506 ′) in this figure are compared, the virtual cameras 502 and 502 ′ are positioned at the same distance from the position of the portion 505 having the largest displacement, respectively. However, θ (viewing angle 506) in the virtual camera 502 looking at the displacement 504 from the front is larger than θ ′ (looking angle 506 ′) in the virtual camera 502 ′ looking at the displacement 504 from an oblique direction. Has become a big angle.

  In the present embodiment, the viewpoint setting unit 303 is set so that the “viewing angle” defined in this way is larger, that is, the position of the virtual camera 502 in FIG. 6 is greater than the position of the virtual camera 502 ′. The position of the virtual camera 502 on the path 503 is moved. By doing so, it becomes possible to generate the character image 401 in which the player can easily confirm the movement of the portion 505 having the largest displacement of the virtual character 501.

  Here, when the virtual camera 502 moves, it is typical to move the virtual camera 502 little by little rather than instantaneously moving to all positions on the predetermined path 503. This is because when the position of the virtual camera 502 is continuously moved little by little, the character image 401 generated by the virtual camera 502 is also continuously changed little by little. This is because it is assumed that the game can be played with a sense of realism, although naturalness and discomfort are reduced.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a predetermined upper limit speed V that is the moving speed of the virtual camera 502 is provided so that the virtual camera 502 cannot move above the speed V. That is, at this time, the distance that can be moved during the vertical synchronization period t of the game screen 400 is within a range of ± V · t centering on the current position of the virtual camera 502.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a range in which the virtual camera 502 moves in the virtual space 500. This figure is a view of the virtual character 501 looking down from above, and the virtual camera 502 is arranged on a predetermined circular path 503 centered on the virtual character 501. Here, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that the virtual camera 502 is arranged at a position in front of the virtual character 501 on a predetermined circular path 503.

  Here, when the upper limit of the moving speed of the virtual camera 502 is the speed V as described above, the range that can move during one vertical synchronization period t is ± V · The range of t. In this embodiment, the range of ± V · t is divided into three points of + V · t, ± 0, and −V · t. In FIG. 7, as an initial state, the virtual camera 502 is at a position of ± 0, and as a destination position candidate, a virtual camera 502 ′ is at a position of + V · t, and a virtual camera 502 ″ is at a position of −V · t. Are arranged.

  Of the three points + V · t, ± 0, and −V · t, a point at which the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is expected is maximized is obtained. That is, for these three points, the CPU 101 calculates and compares the angles 506 (θ), 506 ′ (θ ′), and 506 ″ (θ ″) at which the displacement 504 is expected, respectively. In the case of this figure, out of these expected angles 506, 506 ′, and 506 ″, the size of the expected angle 506 ′ is the maximum, so that the position of + V · t is selected as the destination position. Become.

  Here, in the above description, the movable ± V · t range is divided into three points. However, in the present embodiment, the range is not limited to three, and may be divided into five, six, or more points. Good. For example, when dividing into 5 points, the current position of the virtual camera 502 is changed to 5 points of + V · t, + V · t / 2, ± 0, −V · t / 2, −V · t, etc. Typically, the movable range of the virtual camera 502 is divided into intervals. In other words, the more the points are divided, the more accurately the position where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is expected is maximized, but the processing becomes complicated and the amount of calculation increases.

  As described above, in one vertical synchronization period t, a position where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is expected is maximized is selected in the range of ± V · t in which the virtual camera 502 can move. The virtual camera 502 is moved to the selected position. By repeating this, the virtual camera 502 moves little by little within the range of ± V · t that can be moved during one vertical synchronization, and after repeating several vertical synchronizations, As long as the portion 505 having a large is not changed to another portion), the movement reaches the position where the angle 506 in which the displacement 504 is expected is maximized in the entire predetermined path 503.

  FIG. 8 shows the correspondence between the virtual space 500 and the game screen 400 in the first embodiment, and is a diagram when the movement of the virtual camera 502 is completed. The virtual camera 502 was initially located in the virtual space 500 at the right rear of the virtual character 501 (the same position as the virtual camera 502 in FIG. 5), but as a result of repeating the movement by the viewpoint setting unit 303 as described above, The angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is viewed moves to the maximum position in the entire predetermined path 503, that is, the left front of the virtual character 501 (the position of the virtual camera 502 ′ in the drawing) .

  As a result, the moved virtual camera 502 ′ can generate a character image 401 from the viewpoint from the left front of the virtual character 501, and as shown in the game screen 400 of FIG. The manner in which the left hand of 401 moves can be easily confirmed.

  In the description so far, the shape of the predetermined path 503 along which the virtual camera 502 moves is typically a circle, but various other paths are conceivable. For example, it may be oval or rectangular. Alternatively, the route is not limited to such a closed curve, and may be a route combining arbitrary straight lines or curves.

  The specific flow of the game processing according to the present embodiment described above will be described in detail with reference to flowcharts.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of game processing realized in the game device 300 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to this figure.

  First, the CPU 101 of the game apparatus 300 performs various initial settings (step S901). Here, selection of music to be played by the player, reading of various data such as the music, reference mark 410, instruction mark 411, and other various objects arranged on the game screen 400 are performed.

  Further, in the initial setting here, the initial setting of the virtual camera 502 in the virtual space 500 is performed. That is, the virtual camera 502 is arranged at a predetermined initial position on the predetermined path 503, and an initial image of the character image 401 in the game screen 400 is generated by a line of sight toward the virtual character 501 from the arranged position.

  Next, the CPU 101 of the game apparatus 300 issues an instruction to the sound processing unit 109 to start playing the music selected by the initial setting (step S902). The music data includes MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data, PCM (Pulse Coded Modulation) data, MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer-3) data, Ogg Vorbis data, etc. These data are loaded into the DVD-ROM drive 107. Stored in a ROM medium such as a DVD-ROM.

  From this point, the present game process enters a loop structure in which one repetition is coincident with the vertical synchronization period t of the game screen 400.

  First, the position changing unit 301 changes the position and posture of the virtual character 501 (step S903). In the present embodiment, the virtual character 501 performs an action of dancing according to the music to be played. This operation is stored in a ROM medium such as a DVD-ROM attached to the DVD-ROM drive 107 together with music data.

  Next, the part acquisition unit 302 acquires the part 505 having the largest displacement among the parts of the virtual character 501 that have changed (step S904). Specifically, if the virtual character 501 performs an action of moving the left hand greatly like the virtual character 501 in FIG. 6, for example, the left hand is acquired as the portion 505 having the largest displacement at this time.

  When the region 505 having the largest displacement is acquired, a range in which the virtual camera 502 can be moved is obtained (step S905). That is, when the upper limit of the moving speed of the virtual camera 502 is the speed V, the movable range is a range of ± V · t from the current position of the virtual camera 502.

  Then, the viewpoint setting unit 303 obtains a position where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is expected is maximized in the obtained movable range (step S906). That is, as described in FIG. 7, for example, when the movable range of ± V · t is divided into three points of + V · t, ± 0, and −V · t, the displacement is the largest for each. The CPU 101 calculates an angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the large portion 505 is expected, and the one having the maximum expected angle 506 is selected from three points.

  In other words, the viewpoint setting unit 303 moves the virtual camera 502 to a position where the angle 506 at which the obtained displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is viewed is maximized (step S907). Then, an image viewed from the virtual camera 502 at the moved position is generated (step S908). That is, the image generation unit 304 generates the state of the virtual space 500 as an image by using the line of sight directed from the virtual camera 502 to the virtual character 501 with the moved position as the viewpoint.

  Then, the game screen 400 is generated based on the generated image in the virtual space 500 (step S909). Here, the character image 401 is generated from the image of the virtual space 500 and arranged, and the reference mark 410, the instruction mark 411, and other various objects to be arranged are arranged on the game screen 400. Here, since the instruction mark 411 moves within the game screen 400 in accordance with the playback speed of the music, the position to be arranged is calculated based on the elapsed time from the start of play to the present.

  The CPU 101 generates such a game screen 400 using the image processing unit 108 and transfers it to the frame memory. The CPU 101 waits until the next vertical synchronization interrupt occurs, and synchronizes with the vertical synchronization interrupt. Then, the image data stored in the frame memory is displayed on the monitor (step S910).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the game play has ended (step S911). If it has not ended (step S911; NO), the process returns to step S903. On the other hand, if the game has been completed (step S911; YES), this process is terminated after the game play is properly terminated.

  With this configuration, in the present embodiment, the character image 401 for the virtual character 501 in the virtual space 500 can be generated by a line of sight from a position that makes it easy to confirm the body part that is currently moving. .

  As a result, in addition to teaching the movement and choreography that the player should take along with the playback of the music at the position and timing of the step of the foot, the choreography of the whole body, including the head and hands, The player can teach choreography of the whole body with an image that makes it easy to confirm the region.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the virtual camera 502 moves on a predetermined route 503 under a restriction by a certain upper limit speed V. In this embodiment, the predetermined path 503 along which the virtual camera 502 moves changes, and the speed of the virtual camera 502 is moved so that not only the upper limit speed V but also acceleration and deceleration do not exceed a predetermined threshold.

  First, in the present embodiment, the predetermined path 503 is changed based on the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement. Specifically, for example, when the predetermined path 503 is circular, when the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is small, the radius of the circular predetermined path 503 is decreased, and when the displacement 504 is large, The radius of the predetermined circular path 503 is increased.

  FIG. 10 shows a correspondence relationship between the virtual space 500 and the game screen 400 according to the second embodiment when the predetermined route 503 is changed. In this figure, as in the case of FIGS. 5 and 8, the portion 505 with the largest displacement is the left hand of the virtual character 501, and the position of the virtual camera 502 is already the most on the initial predetermined path 503. It is assumed that the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the part 505 having a large displacement is viewed is at the maximum position (in the drawing, the left front of the virtual character 501).

  Here, consider a case where the displacement 504 of the left hand of the virtual character 501 is small. At this time, if the virtual camera 502 located at the left front of the virtual character 501 is closer to the position of the virtual character 501, the small displacement 504 of the left hand is zoomed up, and a character image with easier-to-understand movement is obtained. 401 can be generated.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, if the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is smaller than a certain threshold value, the radius 507 of the circular predetermined path 503 is reduced to change to the predetermined path 503 ′ in FIG. Let By doing so, the virtual camera 502 on the route changes to the position of the virtual camera 502 ′ in FIG. 10 and approaches the virtual character 501.

  On the game screen 400 in FIG. 10, the character image 401 viewed from the virtual camera 502 ′ on the predetermined circular path 503 ′ in which the radius 507 is reduced to the radius 507 ′ in this way is another reference mark 410a. -410d, instruction marks 411a-411d, etc. are shown. The character image 401 is zoomed up as compared with the character image 401 of FIG. 8, for example, and as a result, even when the movement of the left hand of the virtual character 501 is small, the player can easily confirm the movement.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the radius 507 is not only decreased when the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement of the virtual character 501 is smaller than a certain threshold value, but is increased when the displacement 504 is larger than a certain threshold value. Thus, the predetermined route 503 may be changed. In that case, the character image 401 zoomed out before the predetermined path 503 is changed is generated.

  In the present embodiment, the predetermined path 503 to be changed is not limited to a circular path, but is not limited to an ellipse, a polygon, or a closed curve. It may be a simple route.

  As described above, the predetermined path 503 is changed depending on the magnitude of the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement, that is, the relative distance between the virtual camera 502 and the virtual character 501 is adjusted, so that the image is appropriately scaled. An image of the virtual character 501 can be provided to the player.

  The process for changing the radius 507 of the predetermined path 503 described here may be either before or after the process compared to the process of moving the virtual camera 502 on the predetermined path 503, or the process is performed simultaneously. It may be broken. In other words, the viewpoint setting unit 303 determines the circular shape based on the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement before or after moving the position of the virtual camera 502 to a position where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 is viewed is maximized. The radius 507 of the predetermined path 503 may be set, or the position of the virtual camera 502 is moved to a position where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 is expected is maximized, and based on the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement. Thus, the radius 507 of the predetermined circular path 503 may be set. The latter case will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the virtual camera 502 and the change of the predetermined route 503 in the virtual space 500. This figure is a view of the virtual character 501 looking down from above, as in FIG. 7, and the virtual camera 502 is arranged on a predetermined circular path 503 centered on the virtual character 501. In the initial state, it is assumed that the virtual camera 502 is arranged at a position in front of the virtual character 501 on a predetermined circular path 503.

  At this time, as in the first embodiment, when the portion 505 having the largest displacement of the virtual character 501 is the left hand, the viewpoint setting unit 303 is positioned such that the angle 506 at which the left hand displacement 504 is expected is the largest. The movement of the position of the virtual camera 502 is started toward the left front position of the virtual character 501. That is, when the upper limit of the moving speed of the virtual camera 502 is the speed V, the virtual camera 502 is virtual within the movable range of ± V · t during the vertical synchronization period t of the game screen 400. The character 501 moves to the left side, that is, to the position of + V · t.

  In this embodiment, at the same time, the radius 507 of the predetermined circular path 503 is changed. That is, when the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the radius 507 of the circular predetermined path 503 is reduced. Therefore, during one vertical synchronization period t, the radius 507 of the circular predetermined path 503 changes to a predetermined hair color 503 ′ reduced to a radius 507 ′. At this time, the position of the virtual camera 502 on the predetermined path 503 moves to the position of the virtual camera 502 'on the predetermined path 503'. That is, the virtual camera 502 that was at the front position of the virtual character 501 on the predetermined path 503 moves by V · t to the left of the virtual character 501 in the circumferential direction, and the virtual character 501 in the radial direction. Is moving closer to

  When the movement between the vertical synchronization periods t is repeated, the virtual camera 502 finally reaches a position where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement of the virtual character 501 is expected is maximized. The radius 507 of the predetermined path 503 is reduced to the radius 507 ″ in FIG. 11, and the virtual camera 502 ″ on the circular predetermined path 503 ″ having the radius 507 ″ is zoomed up. A character image 401 of the virtual character 501 is generated.

  FIG. 12A is a graph showing the relationship between the radius 507 of the predetermined circular path 503 that changes as described above and the position of the virtual camera 502 in the circumferential direction. In this figure, the circular predetermined path 503 having a radius 507 in the initial state is reduced when the virtual camera 502 moves by + V · t in the circumferential direction after the time of the vertical synchronization period t has elapsed. When a predetermined circular path 503 ′ having a radius 507 ′ is reached and the virtual camera 502 finally moves to a position where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is viewed is maximized, a further smaller radius 507 ″ is obtained. A predetermined circular path 503 ″ and a state of decreasing at a uniform rate are shown.

  Here, in this embodiment, the radius 507 of the circular predetermined path 503 may or may not change at a uniform rate as shown in FIG. That is, for example, when the virtual camera 502 starts moving in the circumferential direction, the radius 507 of the predetermined circular path 503 changes slowly, and when the virtual camera 502 finishes moving in the circumferential direction, the radius 507 changes. The amount of change in 507 may be increased. Further, as shown in FIG. 12B, the start of the change of the radius 507 may not be synchronized with the start of the movement of the virtual camera 502. That is, the radius 507 of the predetermined circular path 503 does not change when the virtual camera 502 starts to move in the circumferential direction, and only when the virtual camera 502 finishes moving in the circumferential direction. May change to reach a radius of 507 ″. Or conversely, as shown in FIG. 12C, the end of the change in the radius 507 may not coincide with the end of the movement of the virtual camera 502. That is, when the virtual camera 502 starts to move in the circumferential direction, the radius 507 of the circular predetermined path 503 changes to reach the radius 507 ′ and the radius 507 ″, and the virtual camera 502 becomes a circle. When the movement in the circumferential direction is finished, the radius 507 ″ may remain unchanged. In other words, the radial speed and the circumferential speed of the virtual camera 502 may be dependent on each other so as to reach the target position at the same time, or may be set completely independently.

  Further, in the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the virtual camera 502 is moved on a predetermined path 503 so that the acceleration and deceleration do not exceed a predetermined threshold.

  In other words, here, when the virtual camera 502 that has been stationary starts to move, or when the virtual camera 502 that has been moving stops moving, the focus is particularly on. That is, if the virtual camera 502 suddenly starts moving at a large speed or stops suddenly, it is considered that it is unnatural for the player watching the game screen 400, and in order to avoid this, the virtual camera Predetermined thresholds are provided for the acceleration and deceleration of 502.

  By doing so, the virtual camera 502 moves smoothly on the predetermined path 503 with a so-called viscosity, and the player watching the game screen 400 plays the game with a more realistic feeling. Will be able to.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the game process according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the processing flow of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in this figure, the process from the start of the game process to the movement of the virtual camera 502 (steps S901 to S907), the process of creating an image viewed from the virtual camera 502, and the process from the end of the game. (Steps S908 to S911) are the same as those in the flowchart (FIG. 9) in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a new process (portion surrounded by a dotted line in the drawing) is added between step S907 and step S908 of the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, in step S907, the virtual camera 502 is moved to a position on a predetermined circular path 503 where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the part 505 having the largest displacement of the virtual character 501 is expected is the maximum. Thereafter, it is newly determined whether or not the acceleration and deceleration of the virtual camera 502 exceed a predetermined threshold (step S1301). That is, the acceleration and deceleration are checked in order to make the motion of the virtual camera 502 viscous and generate a smooth motion image.

  If it has exceeded (step S1301; YES), it is adjusted again and moved so as not to exceed the predetermined threshold (step S1302). That is, at this time, the virtual camera 502 can move only a shorter distance than the distance moved in step S907. On the other hand, if the predetermined threshold value is not exceeded (step S1301; NO), nothing is done here, and the virtual camera 502 remains moved to the position in step S907.

  Thereafter, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether the acquired displacement 504 is smaller than or greater than a predetermined threshold (step S1303). That is, it is determined whether the virtual camera 502 needs to be zoomed up or zoomed out to the virtual character 501.

  If it is determined that the acquired displacement 504 is smaller or larger than a predetermined threshold (step S1303; YES), the radius 507 of the circular predetermined path 503 is decreased or increased (step S1304). That is, the virtual camera 502 is zoomed up or zoomed out to the virtual character 501, and the character image 401 in which the action of the virtual character 501 is more easily recognized is generated. On the other hand, when it is not determined that the acquired displacement 504 is smaller or larger than the predetermined threshold (step S1303; NO), nothing is done here and the predetermined path 503 does not change.

  In the present embodiment, such a process is repeated every vertical synchronization period t of the game screen 400 to move the position of the virtual camera 502 on the predetermined path 503 that changes. Then, the same processing as in the first embodiment (steps S908 to S911), such as generating an image viewed from the virtual camera 502 moved in this way, is continued.

  With this configuration, in the present embodiment, the position of the virtual camera 502 in the virtual space 500 can be moved while changing the predetermined path 503 and adding viscosity to the speed.

  As a result, the virtual camera 502 that generates the character image 401 that teaches the actions and choreography to be performed by the player in accordance with the reproduction of the music does not feel unnatural or uncomfortable for the player, and gives the player a sense of realism. The virtual space 500 can be moved so as to be able to do so.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first and second embodiments, the characters in the virtual space dance according to predetermined actions and choreography. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, an instruction input from the player is accepted and the character in the virtual space is moved. Details will be described below.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the game apparatus 300 according to the third embodiment. This figure is basically the same as FIG. 3 (schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of the game apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment), but there are differences as described below in the position changing unit 301.

  The position changing unit 301 in the present embodiment receives an instruction input from the player by the controller 105 connected via the interface 104 when changing the position and posture of the character in the virtual space 500. Then, based on the received instruction input, the position and posture of the virtual character 501 are changed, and the changed information is supplied to the part acquisition unit 302.

  After that, as in the first embodiment, processing in the part acquisition unit 302, the viewpoint setting unit 303, and the image generation unit 304 is performed, and a game image is generated.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between the virtual space 500 and the game screen 400 according to the third embodiment. Here, the arrangement and roles of the virtual character 501, virtual camera 502, and predetermined path 503 in the virtual space 500 are not different from those in FIGS. 5 and 8 in the first embodiment and FIG. 10 in the second embodiment. However, the virtual character 501 does not operate based on a predetermined program stored in a DVD-ROM or the like, but operates according to a player's operation input.

  That is, in this embodiment, the virtual camera 502 captures a virtual character 501 that operates in response to the player's input, generates a character image 401, and displays the game screen 400 to the player. In other words, unlike the first and second embodiments, the reference mark 410 and the instruction mark 411 are not displayed on the game screen 400 in FIG. 15, and the character image 401 and other necessary background objects are displayed in the game screen 400. It will be.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the virtual camera 502 moves through a predetermined route 503 to a position where the part can be easily seen according to the part where the virtual character 501 moves.

  For example, in FIG. 15, when the virtual character 501 moves the left hand, that is, in this embodiment, when the player performs an input operation corresponding to moving the left hand, the position changing unit 301 responds to the input operation. Then, the position of the left hand of the virtual character 501 is changed, and the part acquisition unit 302 acquires the left hand as the part 505 having the largest displacement.

  Then, the position of the virtual camera 502 moves so as to increase the angle 506 at which the left side of the virtual character 501, that is, the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is viewed. As in the first and second embodiments, the movement here is also determined in such a range that the angle 506 in which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement is expected is large within the range that can move during the vertical synchronization period t. The virtual camera 502 is moved to the obtained position. Then, by repeating the processing in such a vertical synchronization period t, the virtual camera 502 is finally moved to a position where the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement in the entire predetermined path 503 is expected is increased. Reach.

  FIG. 16 is a correspondence relationship between the virtual space 500 and the game screen 400 in the present embodiment and is a diagram when the movement of the virtual camera 502 is completed. In this figure, similarly to FIG. 8 in the first embodiment, the virtual camera 502 is moved so that the angle 506 at which the displacement 504 of the portion 505 having the largest displacement of the virtual character 501 is expected is increased. Then, an image in the virtual space 500 is generated by a line of sight from the left front of the character image 401. As a result, the player can easily see how the left hand of the character image 401 moves.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of game processing in the third embodiment. Hereinafter, the processing flow of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in this figure, the process (steps S901 to S902) from the start of the game process to the reproduction of the music (steps S901 to S902) is the same as the flowchart in FIG. is there. Thereafter, in the first and second embodiments, the process of changing the position and posture of the virtual character 501 is performed. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not an input from the player is accepted (step S1701). That is, in this embodiment, since the virtual character 501 changes according to an instruction input from the player, it is determined here whether or not there is an input.

  When an input from the player is accepted (step S1701; YES), the position and posture of the virtual character 501 are changed based on the input (step S1702). That is, when the input by the player is an instruction to move the right hand of the virtual character 501, the right foot of the virtual character 501 is moved according to the instruction when the right hand of the virtual character 501 is moved and the right foot is moved according to the instruction. Move. On the other hand, when the input from the player is not accepted (step S1701; NO), nothing is done here and the process proceeds to the next step.

  Processing peculiar to the present embodiment (portion surrounded by a dotted line in the figure) ends here, and thereafter, processing from obtaining the portion 505 having the largest displacement to processing ending the game is the first embodiment. 2 and 2 are the same as steps S904 to S907, steps S1301 to S1304, and steps S908 to S911.

  Here, also in the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the predetermined path 503 along which the virtual camera 502 moves in the virtual space 500 may be circular, limited to an ellipse, a polygon, or a closed curve. It can be a straight line, a curved line, or any other route.

  Similarly to the second embodiment, it is also possible to set the radius 507 of the predetermined path 503 based on the displacement 504 of the portion of the character with the largest displacement, that is, to generate the character image 401 by scaling.

  Further, similarly to the second embodiment, the virtual camera 502 can move on the predetermined path 503 so that the acceleration and the deceleration do not exceed the predetermined threshold, that is, can move smoothly.

  With such a configuration, in the third embodiment, in the game in which the character in the virtual space moves based on the player's input, the character's movement can be appropriately viewed.

  As a result, in a game using a controller that captures the movement of the entire body of the player using, for example, an infrared camera, the player can practice while checking his / her dance choreography on the game screen. Also, in other sports, the player can appropriately check his / her own form and body position on the game screen including fine movements for each part of the body.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in accordance with the movement of the character in the virtual space, a game device, a game processing method, and the like that are suitable for generating an image that allows the player to appropriately see the movement of the character, In addition, a program can be provided.

100 Information processing apparatus 101 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
104 Interface 105 Controller 106 External Memory 107 DVD-ROM Drive 108 Image Processing Unit 109 Audio Processing Unit 110 NIC
200 mat-type controller 201 (201a, 201b, 201c, 201d) button 300 game device 301 position change unit 302 region acquisition unit 303 viewpoint setting unit 304 image generation unit 400 game screen 401 character image 410 (410a, 410b, 410c, 410d) Reference mark 411 (411a, 411b, 411c, 411d) Instruction mark 500 Virtual space 501 Virtual character 502, 502 ′, 502 ″ Virtual camera 503, 503 ′, 503 ″ Predetermined path 504 Displacement 505 The portion with the largest displacement 506 , 506 ', 506''Viewing angle 507, 507', 507 '' Radius

Claims (9)

A position changing unit that changes the position and posture of the character in the virtual space;
A part acquiring unit that acquires a part having the largest displacement among the parts of the character whose position and posture are changed by the position changing unit,
A viewpoint setting unit that sets the position of the viewpoint so that the angle at which the acquired displacement of the portion with the largest displacement is expected is increased;
An image generation unit that generates an image representing the state of the virtual space from the set viewpoint to the position of the character;
A game apparatus comprising: The game device according to claim 1,
The viewpoint moves on a predetermined route at a predetermined upper limit speed or less,
The viewpoint setting unit sets the position of the viewpoint at a position where the angle at which the displacement is expected is maximized in a range that can be moved on the predetermined route at the predetermined upper limit speed or less;
A game device characterized by that. A game device according to claim 2,
The predetermined path is a predetermined circular path centering on the position of the character.
A game device characterized by that. A game device according to claim 3,
The viewpoint setting unit sets a radius of the predetermined circular path based on the displacement of the part of the character having the largest displacement.
A game device characterized by that. A game device according to claim 4,
The viewpoint setting unit moves the position of the viewpoint to a position where the angle at which the displacement is expected is maximized, and then, based on the displacement of the portion of the character having the largest displacement, the viewpoint setting unit Set the radius,
A game device characterized by that. A game device according to claim 4,
The viewpoint setting unit moves the radius of the predetermined circular path based on the displacement of the portion of the character having the largest displacement while moving the position of the viewpoint to a position where the angle at which the displacement is expected is maximized. Set,
A game device characterized by that. A game device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The viewpoint setting unit moves the position of the viewpoint on the predetermined path so that acceleration and deceleration of the viewpoint do not exceed a predetermined threshold;
A game device characterized by that. A game processing method executed by a game device including a position change unit, a part acquisition unit, a viewpoint setting unit, and an image generation unit,
A position changing step in which the position changing unit changes the position and posture of the character in the virtual space;
A part acquiring step in which the part acquiring unit acquires a part having the largest displacement among the parts of the character whose position and posture are changed by the position changing unit;
A viewpoint setting step in which the viewpoint setting unit sets the position of the viewpoint so that the angle at which the acquired displacement of the portion with the largest displacement is expected is increased;
An image generation step in which the image generation unit generates an image representing the state of the virtual space from the set viewpoint to the position of the character;
A game processing method comprising: Computer
A position changing unit that changes the position and posture of the character in the virtual space;
A part acquiring unit that acquires a part having the largest displacement among the parts of the character whose position and posture are changed by the position changing unit,
A viewpoint setting unit that sets the position of the viewpoint so that the angle at which the acquired displacement of the portion with the largest displacement is expected is increased;
An image generation unit that generates an image representing the state of the virtual space from the set viewpoint to the position of the character;
A program characterized by functioning as

Images