JP2926402B1 - Method and apparatus for displaying switching direction of image displayed on display means and video game apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A display means for allowing an operator to easily and surely recognize a direction in which an image can be switched, and for an image to enjoy a beautiful image with a limited expressive power without considering operability. And a video game device. SOLUTION: Storage means, display means, control means,
An operation device is prepared, and the control unit calls up the program stored in the storage unit and executes the program to display the main image on the display unit using desired main image data stored in the storage unit. And a step of displaying a desired index indicating a direction in which switching can be performed by superimposing the main image on the currently displayed image using the auxiliary image data. It is preferable that the index is deleted from the display means after a predetermined time has elapsed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for displaying a switching direction of an image displayed on a display means and a video game apparatus suitable for use in game software or other computer software.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, among various software used for a personal computer, a home game machine, or the like, when an image displayed on a display means such as a CRT is switched to another image, an operator determines which image to switch to. Some are available for selection.

On the other hand, in recent years, with the improvement of computer graphics (CG) technology, it has become possible to express more precise and precise images.

[0004] By the way, in order to switch the image displayed on the display means to the next image, the image to be displayed next (or the image that can be displayed next) is displayed on the currently displayed image. Must be displayed. Therefore, conventionally, the following display methods have been used.

As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), obstacles 81, 83, 85 such as walls are shown on the screen by line drawings having a depth, and the image can be switched only by looking at the screen ( The image that can be displayed next can be understood (in the same figure, (a) indicates that the image can be moved in the front and left and right directions of the screen, and in FIG. (B), the image can be moved only in the direction of the screen and right of the screen) Is displayed). In this method, obstacles 81, 83, and 85 are combined with pictures of various patterns serving as stone walls, trees in a forest, and other obstacles to improve the expressive power.

As shown in FIG. 7, an image is displayed without any limitation, and the next display of the image can be switched by displaying characters on a white background 87 made by splitting a part of the screen. The direction that can be switched.

An arrow or the like that freely moves on the image is operated with an operation device such as a mouse or a controller, the arrow is brought to a predetermined position on the image, and a predetermined button on the operation device is pressed to start the operation from the image. A method in which various reactions are returned and image switching is performed as one of the reactions.

[0008]

However, each of the above-mentioned conventional examples has the following problems. In the above method, the operation is easy to understand, but the obstacles 81, 83, 85
Without it, the traveling direction cannot be displayed, the expressive power of the CG is extremely suppressed, and the screen is far from a beautiful screen such as a natural image.

Also, in the above-mentioned method, since an image must be created so that it can be easily described by characters, the expressive power of the image is restricted and simplified as shown in FIG. 7, for example. On the other hand, if the image is not simplified, the correspondence between the character and the image is difficult for the operator to understand. In addition, the operation for repeatedly switching images is complicated (for example, pressing the direction button several times to select "move" and pressing the determination button, and pressing the direction button several times to select "east" and pressing the determination button. ,etc).

Further, in the above-mentioned method, it is troublesome to find out which position on the image corresponds to which reaction, and if the operator has to search for a responsive place to every corner of the image. Will also occur. On the other hand, in order to reduce such complexity, there are cases where it is necessary to simplify the image, for example, by reducing the number of small objects in the background of the image or reducing the number of passersby, and the expressive power of the image is reduced. There was also a risk of sacrifice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to enable an operator to easily and reliably recognize a direction in which an image can be switched, and to express an image without considering operability. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for displaying a switching direction of an image to be displayed on a display means capable of enjoying a beautiful image with maximum power, and a video game apparatus.

[0012]

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for displaying a switching direction of an image displayed on a display unit according to the present invention. Storage means for storing image data, display means for displaying an image, control means, and an operation device for inputting various commands by the operator to the control means, wherein the control means comprises: Calling the program stored in the storage means to display the main image on the display means using the desired main image data stored in the storage means, and displaying the current image using the auxiliary image data. Displaying a desired index indicating a direction that can be switched over the main image. In order to enjoy the image, the index is erased from the display means for a predetermined time from when the main image is displayed on the display means and / or after a predetermined time elapses from when a command to display the index is input by the operation device. Is preferred. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an image switching direction display device for displaying an image on a display unit, comprising: a storage unit for storing main image data and a program; an operation device operated by an operator; a display unit; And control means for displaying the main image on the display means based on the main image data and for switching the main image to another main image in accordance with an instruction of the operation device, wherein the storage means further switches. The auxiliary image data having an index indicating a direction in which the main image can be stored is stored, and the control unit displays an index indicating a direction in which the main image can be switched from the displayed main image when the main image is displayed on the display unit. Is read out from the storage means, and the index is superimposed on the main image and displayed. Further, the video game device according to the present invention displays the main video game image on the display means, and switches the currently displayed main video game image to another main video game image by operating the operation device. In the video game apparatus for proceeding with the story of the video game, the video game main image displayed on the display means includes an index indicating a direction that can be switched from the video game main screen. It is characterized by being superimposed and displayed on the main screen. Further, the video game device according to the present invention includes a storage means for storing video game main image data and a video game program, an operation device operated by an operator,
Display means for displaying the video game main image on the display means based on the video game program and the video game main image data called from the storage means, and the video game main image according to an instruction from the operation device. Control means for switching another video game main image, and the storage means further stores auxiliary image data having an index indicating a direction in which the video game can be switched, and the control means When the game main image is displayed on the display means, the auxiliary image data is read from the storage means, and an index indicating a direction in which the displayed main image for video game can be switched from the main image is superimposed on the video game main image. Is displayed.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a video game apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the video game device includes a control unit 10 including a CPU and the like, and a storage unit 20.
, Operation device 30, display (display means) 4
0 and an acoustic speaker 50.

Here, the storage means 20 stores the ROM 21 and the RA
An M23, a video RAM 25, and a sound RAM 27 are provided. The ROM 21 stores a basic operation program of the video game apparatus and various data.
3 stores a game program or the like to be played using the video game device. Video RAM2
5 stores a large number of main image data and auxiliary image data used in the game program, and a sound RAM 27 reads and stores various sounds used in the game program.

Here, the main image data is data of the main image on the display 40 which is changed one after another in order to advance the story of the video game.
A large number of fine and precise images are stored by computer graphics (CG) technology as shown in FIGS.

The auxiliary image data is image data composed of an arrow (index) indicating a direction in which switching is possible. For example, the arrow shown in FIG. 4A indicates that there is a screen that can be switched to the back, front, and right directions of the screen, that is, that the screen advances in that direction.
Indicates that there is a screen that can be switched to the front of the page and to the left, that is, indicates that the screen proceeds in that direction. All the patterns in the directions that can be switched in this manner are used as auxiliary image data in the video RAM.
25.

Next, the operation device 30 is
1 and a mouse 33. The controller 31 is an operation-specific device provided with various function buttons, direction instruction buttons, and the like used by the operator to progress the game. The mouse 33 is a device that may be used depending on the type of game. For example, the mouse 33 moves an arrow to a predetermined position on an image and clicks the arrow to instruct the control unit 10 to perform the next operation. Used in case.

The display 40 is various display means for displaying an image on a CRT or the like.

Next, the operation will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. First, the control means 10 executes the main program by the game program read from the RAM 23 (step S1). Then, desired main image data is read from the video RAM 25 along with the progress of the game, and the main image is displayed on the display 40. Then, it is determined whether or not a predetermined input code (that is, an input code for switching a display image or an input code for displaying an arrow (index) indicating a direction in which switching can be performed) is input from a key of the operation device 30 by the operator. (Step S2) If the predetermined input code is not input, the process returns to Step S1, and if the predetermined input code is input, the type of the code is determined (Step S3), and the input code is displayed as an arrow. If it is such an input code,
The direction that can be switched from the currently displayed image is determined (step S4). If the direction is, for example, the back of the screen, the front, and the right, the video R
The auxiliary image data of FIG. 4A stored in the AM 25 is called up and superimposed on the main image currently displayed on the display 40, and displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A (step S5). After a lapse of a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 to 1.0 second) from the display, only the arrow is deleted from the main image (step S6), and the arrow is displayed as shown in FIG. Return to S1. It is unnecessary to delete the arrow in a short time after the operator can recognize the direction in which the arrow can be switched, and after the recognition, the arrow is deleted to limit the expressive power. This is so that a beautiful main image can be enjoyed.

On the other hand, if the input code determined in step S3 is an input code for switching the display image, it is determined which direction can be switched from the currently displayed image (step S3).
7) If it is possible to move in the direction specified by the input code (step 8), the next main image in that direction is displayed (step S9), and at the same time, the next moveable direction is indicated by an arrow in FIG. After displaying once as shown in (b) (step 5), it is deleted as shown in FIG. 3 (b) (step 6) and the process returns to step 1. On the other hand, if it is not movable in step S8 (step 8), the sound RAM 2
After the warning sound is generated from the acoustic speaker 50 using the command 7 (step S10), the process returns to step S1.

By successively repeating the above steps, the game displays new screens one after another while displaying a direction that can be simultaneously switched for a short time.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the index is displayed on the main image, it is not necessary to devise a direction in which the main image can be switched to the main image itself. The image can be a beautiful main image with a limited expressive power as it is, and at the same time, the operator can easily and clearly recognize the direction that can be switched by the index.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the following various modifications are possible. The index is not limited to an arrow, but may be another index, for example, a symbol, a light spot, a character, or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. Various modifications are possible, such as changing the color tone of the screen to indicate the direction. In addition, the indicator can be made to blink, or the color of the indicator that can be switched among the indicators displayed in all directions can be different from the color of the indicator that cannot be switched.
Alternatively, a direction in which the viewpoint can be switched by moving the viewpoint in the image of the character used as the index may be indicated.

In some cases, the index may be displayed on the image without being erased.

The operation device 30 is not limited to a controller or a mouse, but may be various other operation devices such as a keyboard.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a video game machine, that is, the video game main image is switched from the currently displayed main image to another video game main image by operating the operation device to operate the video game machine. Although an example in which the present invention is applied to a video game device that advances a story has been described, the present invention is applicable to various other software such as CDR.
The present invention can also be applied to various educational software such as browsing art museum pictures stored in the OM or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the current main image is switched to another main image has been described. However, even in the case where the current main image is gradually switched to another main image by scrolling, scrolling is performed. The present invention can be applied by indicating possible directions by using an index.
It is to be noted that the “index indicating the direction in which switching can be performed” referred to in the claims of the present application is, of course, a concept including the “index indicating the direction in which switching can be performed by scrolling”. In this case, it is preferable that the index is deleted from the display means after a predetermined short time has elapsed since the scroll was stopped.

[0028]

As described in detail above, the present invention has the following excellent effects. The main image and the index are stored as separate image data, and these are superimposed and displayed as necessary, so that the operator can easily and reliably recognize the direction in which the image can be switched, and at the same time, can recognize the image. The user can compose a beautiful image with limited expressive power without considering operability.

An index is displayed for a predetermined time from when the main image is displayed on the display means and / or after a predetermined time has passed after a command to display the index is input by the operation device.
In the case of erasing from the display means, the operator can enjoy only the beautiful main image with a limited expressive power after recognizing the switching direction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a video game device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a main image.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of an index.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method of displaying an index on a main image.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of a conventional image display method.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of a conventional image display method.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of another index of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 control means 20 storage means 30 operating device 40 display (display means) 50 acoustic speaker

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A storage unit storing a program, main image data, and auxiliary image data having an index indicating a switchable direction, a display unit displaying an image, a control unit, and a control unit. And an operation device for inputting various commands by the operator. The control unit calls a program stored in the storage unit, executes the program, and stores desired main image data stored in the storage unit. A step of displaying the main image on the display means by using, and a step of displaying a desired index indicating a direction in which switching can be performed by superimposing the main image on the currently displayed main image using the auxiliary image data. A method for displaying a switching direction of an image to be displayed on a display unit, which is a feature of the present invention. 2. The indicator is erased from the display means for a predetermined time from when the main image is displayed on the display means and / or after a predetermined time has elapsed from when an instruction to display the index is input by the operation device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching direction of the image displayed on the display unit is displayed. 3. A storage device for storing main image data and a program, an operation device operated by an operator, a display device, and a main image stored in the display device based on a program and main image data called from the storage device. And control means for switching the main image to another main image in accordance with an instruction from the operation device, and the storage means further stores auxiliary image data having an index indicating a direction in which the main image can be switched. In addition, the control unit, when displaying the main image on the display unit, reads auxiliary image data having an index indicating a direction that can be switched from the displayed main image from the storage unit, and An image switching direction display device for displaying an index on a display unit, wherein the index is displayed on a main image. 4. A video game main image is displayed on a display means, and a video game main image is switched from a currently displayed video game main image to another video game main image by operating an operation device. In the video game device, the video game main image displayed on the display means is superimposed with an index indicating a direction that can be switched from the video game main screen on the video game main screen. A video game device for displaying. 5. A storage device for storing video game main image data and a video game program, an operation device operated by an operator, a display device, and a video game program and a video game program called from the storage device. Control means for displaying a video game main image on the display means based on the main image data, and switching the video game main image to another video game main image in accordance with an instruction from the operation device. The storage means further stores auxiliary image data having an index indicating a direction in which switching can be performed, and the control means stores the auxiliary image data when the video game main image is displayed on a display means. A finger indicating a direction which can be switched from the displayed video game main image and read from the means. Video game device and displaying superimposed on the video game main image.