JP5453006B2 - Game device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game control technique, and more particularly, to a game apparatus in which a user operates a game character using an input device.

  Along with the improvement of the processing capability of game devices, many games that allow player characters and non-player characters to move within a three-dimensionally modeled game field have appeared. In recent years, wireless game controllers have become widespread as game input devices. In addition to conventional input by button operation, an object moved by a user is imaged by a camera, and the movement of the object in the camera image is played by the game. There are also proposals for techniques to be used as input.

JP 2002-140705 A

  The input device and the game have a close relationship, and when a new input device appears, a game application utilizing the features of the input device is developed. The present inventor has come up with a new game application linked to an input device that is moved by the user in order to satisfy the diversified demands of the user.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reflecting the movement of an input device by a user in the operation of a game object.

  In order to solve the above problems, a game device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a reception unit that acquires posture information of an input device having a light emitter, an operation object control unit that controls the operation of an operation object in a virtual space, A non-operation object control unit that controls the movement of the non-operation object in the virtual space; a search direction determination unit that determines a search direction of the non-operation object from the position information of the operation object and the attitude information of the input device; A determination unit that determines whether or not an operation object exists, and a lighting control unit that controls lighting of the light emitter when the determination unit determines that a non-operation object exists.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which reflects the motion of the input device by a user on operation | movement of the character of a game can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the use environment of the game system concerning the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the external appearance structure of an input device. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of an input device. It is a figure which shows the structure of a game device. It is a figure which shows the structure of an application process part. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen in use of search radar. It is a figure which shows the structure of a search control part. It is a figure for demonstrating the non-player character detection function of an NPC determination part. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a search control part. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen during trap use. It is a figure which shows the capture process of a non-player character. It is a figure which shows the structure of a collision control part. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a collision control part. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen of a pachinko.

  An embodiment of the present invention provides a game apparatus capable of acquiring position information and / or posture information in a real space of an input device functioning as a game controller and executing game software based on the information.

  FIG. 1 shows a use environment of a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The game system 1 includes a game device 10 that executes game software, a display device 12 that outputs a processing result by the game device 10, an input device 20, and an imaging device 14 that images the input device 20.

  The input device 20 is an operation input device for a user to give an operation instruction, and the game apparatus 10 processes a game application based on the operation instruction in the input device 20 and an image signal indicating a processing result of the game application. Is a processing device for generating

  The input device 20 has a function of transmitting an operation instruction from the user to the game apparatus 10 and is configured as a wireless controller capable of wireless communication with the game apparatus 10 in this embodiment. The input device 20 and the game apparatus 10 may establish a wireless connection using a Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol. The input device 20 is not limited to the wireless controller, and may be a wired controller connected to the game apparatus 10 via a cable.

  The input device 20 is driven by a battery and is configured to have a plurality of buttons for performing operation instructions for proceeding with the game. When the user operates the button of the input device 20, the operation instruction is transmitted to the game apparatus 10 by radio. The game apparatus 10 receives an operation instruction from the input device 20, controls the game progress in accordance with the operation instruction, and generates a game image signal. The generated game image signal is output from the display device 12.

  The imaging device 14 is a video camera composed of a CCD imaging device, a CMOS imaging device, or the like. The imaging device 14 images a real space at a predetermined cycle and generates a frame image for each cycle. For example, the imaging speed of the imaging device 14 may be 30 frames / second so as to match the frame rate of the display device 12. The imaging device 14 is connected to the game device 10 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or other interface.

  The display device 12 is a display that outputs an image. The display device 12 receives an image signal generated by the game device 10 and displays a game screen. The display device 12 may be a television having a display and a speaker, or may be a computer display. The display device 12 may be connected to the game device 10 by a wired cable, or may be wirelessly connected by a wireless local area network (LAN) or the like.

  In the game system 1 of the present embodiment, the input device 20 has a light emitter. During the game, the light emitter emits light in a predetermined color and is imaged by the imaging device 14. The imaging device 14 images the input device 20, generates a frame image, and supplies the frame image to the game device 10. The game apparatus 10 acquires a frame image, and derives position information of the light emitter in real space from the position and size of the image of the light emitter in the frame image. The game apparatus 10 treats the position information as a game operation instruction and reflects it in the game process such as controlling the movement of the player character. The game apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment has a function of processing a game application using not only an operation input such as a button of the input device 20 but also the positional information of the acquired light emitter image.

  The light emitter of the input device 20 is configured to emit light in a plurality of colors. The light emitter can change the light emission color in accordance with a light emission instruction from the game apparatus 10.

  The input device 20 includes an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. The detection value of the sensor is transmitted to the game apparatus 10 at a predetermined cycle, and the game apparatus 10 acquires the detection value of the sensor and acquires the posture information of the input device 20 in the real space. The game apparatus 10 handles the posture information as a game operation instruction and reflects it in the game processing. As described above, the game apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment has a function of processing a game application using the acquired posture information of the input device 20.

  FIG. 2 shows an external configuration of the input device 20. FIG. 2A shows the top surface configuration of the input device 20, and FIG. 2B shows the bottom surface configuration of the input device 20. The input device 20 has a light emitter 22 and a handle 24. The light emitter 22 is formed into a sphere with a light-transmitting resin on the outside, and has a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode or a light bulb on the inside. When the inner light emitting element emits light, the entire outer sphere glows. Operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38 are provided on the upper surface of the handle 24, and an operation button 40 is provided on the lower surface. The user operates the operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38 with the thumb and the operation button 40 with the index finger while holding the end of the handle 24 by hand. The operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38 are configured to be pressed, and the user operates by pressing them. The operation button 40 may be capable of inputting an analog amount.

  The user plays the game while watching the game screen displayed on the display device 12. Since the imaging device 14 needs to image the light emitter 22 during execution of the game application, the imaging device 14 is preferably arranged so that the imaging range faces the same direction as the display device 12. In general, since a user often plays a game in front of the display device 12, the imaging device 14 is arranged so that the direction of the optical axis thereof coincides with the front direction of the display device 12. Specifically, the imaging device 14 is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the display device 12 so that the imaging range includes a position where the user can visually recognize the display screen of the display device 12. Thereby, the imaging device 14 can image the input device 20.

  FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the input device 20. The input device 20 includes a wireless communication module 48, a processing unit 50, a light emitting unit 62, and operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40. The wireless communication module 48 has a function of transmitting / receiving data to / from the wireless communication module of the game apparatus 10. The processing unit 50 executes intended processing in the input device 20.

  The processing unit 50 includes a main control unit 52, an input receiving unit 54, a triaxial acceleration sensor 56, a triaxial gyro sensor 58, and a light emission control unit 60. The main control unit 52 transmits and receives necessary data to and from the wireless communication module 48.

  The input receiving unit 54 receives input information from the operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and sends it to the main control unit 52. The triaxial acceleration sensor 56 detects acceleration components in the XYZ triaxial directions. The triaxial gyro sensor 58 detects angular velocities in the XZ plane, the ZY plane, and the YX plane. Here, the width direction of the input device 20 is set as the X axis, the height direction is set as the Y axis, and the longitudinal direction is set as the Z axis. The triaxial acceleration sensor 56 and the triaxial gyro sensor 58 are preferably disposed in the handle 24 of the input device 20 and are disposed in the vicinity of the center in the handle 24. The wireless communication module 48 transmits detection value information from the three-axis acceleration sensor 56 and detection value information from the three-axis gyro sensor 58 together with input information from the operation buttons to the wireless communication module of the game apparatus 10 at a predetermined cycle. . This transmission cycle is set to 11.25 milliseconds, for example.

  The light emission control unit 60 controls the light emission of the light emitting unit 62. The light emitting unit 62 includes a red LED 64a, a green LED 64b, and a blue LED 64c, and enables light emission of a plurality of colors. The light emission control unit 60 adjusts the light emission of the red LED 64a, the green LED 64b, and the blue LED 64c, and causes the light emitting unit 62 to emit light in a desired color.

  When the wireless communication module 48 receives the light emission instruction from the game apparatus 10, the wireless communication module 48 supplies the light emission instruction to the main control unit 52, and the main control unit 52 supplies the light emission control unit 60 with the light emission instruction. The light emission control unit 60 controls the light emission of the red LED 64a, the green LED 64b, and the blue LED 64c so that the light emitting unit 62 emits light in the color specified by the light emission instruction. For example, the light emission control unit 60 may perform lighting control of each LED by PWM (pulse width modulation) control.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the game apparatus 10. The game apparatus 10 includes a frame image acquisition unit 80, an image processing unit 82, a device information deriving unit 84, a wireless communication module 86, an input receiving unit 88, an output unit 90, and an application processing unit 100. The processing function of the game apparatus 10 in the present embodiment is realized by a CPU, a memory, a program loaded in the memory, and the like, and here, a configuration realized by cooperation thereof is illustrated. The program may be built in the game apparatus 10 or may be supplied from the outside in a form stored in a recording medium. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof. Note that the game apparatus 10 may have a plurality of CPUs due to the hardware configuration.

  The wireless communication module 86 establishes wireless communication with the wireless communication module 48 of the input device 20. As a result, the input device 20 can transmit operation button state information, detection value information of the triaxial acceleration sensor 56 and triaxial gyro sensor 58 to the game apparatus 10 at a predetermined cycle.

  The wireless communication module 86 receives the operation button state information and sensor detection value information transmitted from the input device 20 and supplies them to the input receiving unit 88. The input receiving unit 88 separates the button state information and the sensor detection value information and delivers them to the application processing unit 100. The application processing unit 100 receives button state information and sensor detection value information as game operation instructions. The application processing unit 100 handles sensor detection value information as posture information of the input device 20.

  The frame image acquisition unit 80 is configured as a USB interface, and acquires a frame image from the imaging device 14 at a predetermined imaging speed (for example, 30 frames / second). The image processing unit 82 extracts a light emitter image from the frame image. The image processing unit 82 specifies the position and size of the light emitter image in the frame image. When the light emitter 22 of the input device 20 is lit in a color that is unlikely to be used in the user environment, for example, the image processing unit 82 can extract the light emitter image from the frame image with high accuracy. The image processing unit 82 may binarize the frame image data using a predetermined threshold value to generate a binarized image. As a result of this binarization processing, the pixel value of the pixel holding the luminance greater than the predetermined threshold is encoded as “1”, and the pixel value of the pixel holding the luminance equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold is encoded as “0”. The By illuminating the illuminator 22 with a luminance exceeding the predetermined threshold, the image processing unit 82 can specify the position and size of the illuminant image from the binarized image. For example, the image processing unit 82 specifies the barycentric coordinates of the illuminant image in the frame image and the radius of the illuminant image.

  The device information deriving unit 84 derives position information of the input device 20 as viewed from the imaging device 14 from the position and size of the light emitter image specified by the image processing unit 82. The device information deriving unit 84 derives position coordinates in the camera coordinates from the barycentric coordinates of the light emitter image, and derives distance information from the imaging device 14 from the radius of the light emitter image. The position coordinates and distance information constitute position information of the input device 20. The device information deriving unit 84 derives the position information of the input device 20 for each frame image and passes it to the application processing unit 100. The application processing unit 100 receives the position information of the input device 20 as a game operation instruction.

  The application processing unit 100 progresses the game from the position information and posture information of the input device 20 and the button state information, and generates an image signal indicating the processing result of the game application. The image signal is sent from the output unit 90 to the display device 12 and output as a display image.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration of the application processing unit 100. The application processing unit 100 includes an operation instruction receiving unit 102, a control unit 110, a parameter holding unit 150, a three-dimensional data holding unit 152, and an image generation unit 154.

  The operation instruction receiving unit 102 receives the position information of the input device 20 from the device information deriving unit 84 and the posture information and button state information of the input device 20 from the input receiving unit 88 as operation instructions. The control unit 110 executes the game program based on the operation instruction received by the operation instruction receiving unit 102 and advances the game. The parameter holding unit 150 holds parameters necessary for the progress of the game. The three-dimensional data holding unit 152 holds three-dimensional data such as objects constituting the game world. The image generation unit 154 sets the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction of the camera in the game space, renders the three-dimensional data, and displays the game world controlled by the control unit 110, that is, the operation of the operation object and A display screen corresponding to the operation of the non-operation object is generated.

  The control unit 110 includes an operation object control unit 112, an item determination unit 114, a non-operation object control unit 116, a collision control unit 118, a search control unit 120, and a display control unit 122.

  The operation object control unit 112 controls the operation object according to the operation instruction received by the operation instruction reception unit 102. Here, the operation object is an object that can be operated by the user, and typically includes a player character. Here, items used by the player character are also included in the operation object. The item determination unit 114 determines an item used by the player character in accordance with button state information from the user. As will be described later, search radar, capture tools, strike weapons, throwing weapons, and the like are prepared as items used by the player character.

  The non-operation object control unit 116 controls the operation of the non-operation object. The non-operation object is an object that is not operated by the user, and typically includes a non-player character.

  In the game executed by the game apparatus 10 of the embodiment, the player character operated by the user searches for a non-operation object existing in the game world three-dimensionally modeled using a search radar that is one of the items. . When a non-operation object is found, the player character locks on the non-operation object and tracks it. The non-operation object is controlled so as to escape when it is tracked by the player character. When the player character approaches the non-operation object, the player character strikes with a strike weapon or captures with a capture tool. The player character can also damage the non-operational object using the throwing weapon.

  The collision control unit 118 performs a collision determination between the operation object and the non-operation object in the game space. This collision determination is performed, for example, when a player character strikes a non-player character using a striking weapon, when a player character captures a non-player character using a capture tool, and when the player character uses a throwing weapon as a non-player character. It is executed in various game scenes such as when thrown.

  The search control unit 120 determines whether a non-operation object exists in the search direction in the game space. This search process is executed when the player character searches for a non-operation object using the search radar. The display control unit 122 controls the camera for rendering the three-dimensional game world according to the movement of the player character, and causes the image generation unit 154 to generate a display screen. Details of the operation of each component will be described below.

  When the user presses the operation button 34 of the input device 20, the input reception unit 54 receives an operation instruction, and the wireless communication module 48 transmits it to the game apparatus 10 as button state information. In the game apparatus 10, the wireless communication module 86 receives the button state information, and the input receiving unit 88 supplies the application processing unit 100. In the application processing unit 100, the operation instruction receiving unit 102 receives a pressing operation of the operation button 34 as an operation instruction for search processing. The item determination unit 114 determines the search radar as an item used by the player character based on the button state information indicating that the operation button 34 has been pressed.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of a display screen during use of the search radar. On the display screen, a player character 200, a search radar 202, a non-player character 204, and an obstacle 206 are displayed. Here, the player character 200 and the search radar 202 are operation objects that can be operated by the user, and the non-player character 204 is a non-operation object that cannot be operated by the user. In the game space, the non-player character 204 is operated by the non-operation object control unit 116. The obstacle 206 is a stationary non-operation object, and the position in the three-dimensional space is determined by the data held in the three-dimensional data holding unit 152. The display control unit 122 determines the line-of-sight direction and viewpoint position of the virtual camera in the game space expressed in world coordinates, according to the movement direction and movement amount of the player character 200 according to the operation instruction input from the user. . The image generation unit 154 arranges the virtual camera at the determined viewpoint position, directs the optical axis of the virtual camera in the determined line-of-sight direction, renders the three-dimensional data held in the three-dimensional data holding unit 152, A display screen corresponding to the operation of the operation object and the operation of the non-operation object is generated.

  FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the search control unit 120. The search control unit 120 includes a search direction determination unit 210, a non-player character (hereinafter also referred to as “NPC”) determination unit 212, a lock-on processing unit 214, and a lighting control unit 216. The search control unit 120 executes a search process for searching for a non-player character while button state information indicating that the operation button 34 is pressed is being transmitted. Therefore, the user can start the search process by pressing the operation button 34, and can end the search process by releasing the press of the operation button 34.

  The search direction determination unit 210 acquires posture information of the input device 20 from the operation instruction reception unit 102 and determines a direction for searching for a non-player character. The search direction is determined using the attitude of the input device 20 in the game space with reference to the position of the player character 200 and the viewing direction of the virtual camera. The reference posture of the input device 20 is registered in advance before execution of the game application. For example, a posture in which the longitudinal direction of the input device 20 is perpendicular to the display is registered as a reference posture in the actual three-dimensional space. Keep it. By registering the reference posture of the input device 20 in this way, the direction of the input device 20 in the real space can be substantially matched with the viewing direction of the virtual camera in the game space. And the search direction in the game space can be matched.

  The search direction determination unit 210 detects the attitude of the input device 20 from detection value information of the triaxial acceleration sensor 56 and the triaxial gyro sensor 58. The posture of the input device 20 is detected as a change amount with respect to the reference posture, and is represented by a vector in a real three-dimensional space. The search direction determination unit 210 determines the search direction at the position of the player character 200 from the detected attitude of the input device 20 and the viewing direction of the camera in the virtual three-dimensional space of the game world. Specifically, the search direction is determined by processing the amount of change with respect to the reference posture as the amount of change with respect to the line-of-sight vector of the camera. Further, the detected attitude of the input device 20 may be used as it is as a direction for searching for a non-player character in the virtual three-dimensional space of the game world. The NPC determination unit 212 determines whether a non-player character exists in the detected search direction.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the non-player character detection function of the NPC determination unit 212. FIG. 8 shows a virtual two-dimensional space for convenience of illustration, but the NPC determination unit 212 actually detects a non-player character in the virtual three-dimensional space. In the space shown in FIG. 8, the display screen shown in FIG. 6 is formed in an area cut out by the frame area 220. In the two-dimensional space shown in FIG. 8, the direction indicated by the arrow is the reference direction specified by the reference posture.

  In the display screen shown in FIG. 6, only the non-player character 204 is displayed, but in the virtual space shown in FIG. 8, the non-player character 208 exists behind the obstacle 206 and the non-player character 200 is behind the player character 200. A player character 218 exists. The NPC determination unit 212 can detect not only the non-player character 204 visible from the player character 200 but also the non-player characters 208 and 218 that are not visible from the player character 200.

  The NPC determination unit 212 determines whether a non-player character exists in the search direction. For example, the NPC determination unit 212 sets a box (boundary box) that surrounds non-player characters existing in the game space, and uses the position of the player character 200 as a starting point as an infinite length vector indicating the search direction. The presence / absence of a non-player character is determined by determining whether the boxes intersect. The boundary box may be a virtual sphere arranged around the non-player character. The size of the boundary box to be set is determined in proportion to the distance from the position of the player character 200. That is, if the distance between the player character 200 and the non-player character is small, the boundary box set for the non-player character is small, and if the distance is large, the boundary box is set large. Thereby, an angle such as a viewing angle can be provided in the search direction, and the existence confirmation of the non-player character can be executed effectively. Note that the NPC determination unit 212 may calculate the distance between the infinite length vector indicating the search direction and the non-player character, and may determine the presence of the non-player character when the calculated distance is within the threshold. This threshold value is set to be large according to the distance from the player character 200.

  Further, the NPC determination unit 212 sets a virtual cone with the player character 200 as a vertex and the search direction as a central axis, and determines the presence of the non-player character when the non-player character is included in the virtual cone. Also good.

  The NPC determination unit 212 may change the search range according to the elevation angle in the search direction in the game space expressed in world coordinates. For example, the search range when searching the upward direction from the player character 200 may be wider than the search range in the same plane as the player character 200. When the input device 20 is turned upward from the horizontal, the NPC determination unit 212 widens the search range by setting the boundary box larger than that set at the time of horizontal, for example, so that the non-player character can be easily found. Good. Thus, in the three-dimensional virtual space, when the search direction has an angle from the horizontal plane, it is possible to effectively utilize the characteristics of the three-dimensional game space that is not in the two-dimensional space by expanding the search range beyond the horizontal plane. .

  When the NPC determination unit 212 detects the presence of a non-player character, the NPC determination unit 212 notifies the lighting control unit 216 to that effect. Upon receiving the notification, the lighting control unit 216 controls lighting of the light emitter 22 of the input device 20. Specifically, the lighting control unit 216 generates a light emission instruction for changing the light emission color of the light emitter 22 and transmits the light emission instruction from the wireless communication module 86 to the input device 20. In normal times, if the light emitter 22 emits light in blue, for example, the lighting control unit 216 generates a light emission instruction in a color different from blue. While the non-player character exists in the search direction, the NPC determination unit 212 continues to notify the lighting control unit 216 to that effect, and the lighting control unit 216 receives a light emission instruction from the wireless communication module 86 while receiving the notification. To send. For example, the light emission color designated by the light emission instruction is red to call the user's attention. In order to increase the image recognition accuracy of the light emitter 22, the NPC determination unit 212 may instruct a color different from the color included in the imaging range of the imaging device 14 as the emission color. For example, the NPC determination unit 212 may select a color with the highest image recognition accuracy from a plurality of light emission color candidates, specifically, a color that is not included in the frame image of the imaging device 14 and generate a light emission instruction. Good.

  In the input device 20, when the wireless communication module 48 receives the light emission instruction, the main control unit 52 supplies the light emission control unit 60. The light emission control unit 60 controls the light emission of the light emitting unit 62 so that the light emission color designated by the light emission instruction is obtained. Thereby, the light emission part 62 light-emits by the designated color.

  The user recognizes that the non-player character has been found by looking at the color change of the light emitter 22. When the user releases the pressing operation of the operation button 34 at this time, the lock-on processing unit 214 determines the end of the search process and locks on the found non-player character. Here, “lock-on” means that the player character 200 is automatically directed toward the non-player character, and if the user continues to operate the operation button 40 even if the non-player character runs away, The character 200 can follow the locked non-player character. If the NPC determination unit 212 determines that there is no non-player character in the search direction when the operation button 34 is released, the lock-on processing unit 214 cannot lock on the non-player character. . If it is determined by the search process that there are a plurality of non-player characters in the search range, the lock-on processing unit 214 locks on the non-player character closest to the player character 200. Also good.

  The image processing unit 82 receives a light emission instruction of the light emitter 22 from the lighting control unit 216, and always grasps the light emission color of the light emitter 22. Thereby, the image processing unit 82 resets the threshold value for each of the RGB pixels when binarizing the frame image according to the emission color, and binarizes the frame image based on the reset threshold value. By processing, even if the emission color changes, the position and size of the illuminant image can be specified continuously.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing of the search control unit 120. When the operation instruction receiving unit 102 receives button state information indicating that the operation button 34 is pressed (S10), the search control unit 120 starts the search process. The search direction determination unit 210 determines the search direction of the non-player character from the position of the player character 200 in the virtual three-dimensional space, the posture information of the input device 20, and the line-of-sight vector of the virtual camera (S12). The NPC determination unit 212 determines whether or not a non-player character exists in the determined search direction (S14), and when a non-player character is detected (Y in S14), notifies the lighting control unit 216 of the detection. At this time, the NPC determination unit 212 may set the NPC detection flag to ON and notify the lighting control unit 216 of this flag value. Note that the NPC detection flag is set to OFF if no non-player character is detected. When the lighting control unit 216 receives the flag ON value, the lighting control unit 216 controls the lighting of the light emitter 22 of the input device 20 to change the emission color (S16). If a non-player character is not detected in the search direction (N in S14), the light emission color of the light emitter 22 does not change. While the operation instruction receiving unit 102 receives button state information indicating that the operation button 34 has been pressed (N in S18), the processes in S12 to S16 are repeatedly executed.

  When the operation instruction receiving unit 102 receives button state information indicating that the pressing operation of the operation button 34 has been released (Y in S18), the lock-on processing unit 214 refers to the NPC detection flag value (S20). If the NPC detection flag value is ON (Y in S20), a lock-on process is executed for the non-player character detected to be present in the search direction (S22). If the NPC detection flag value is OFF (N in S20), the lock-on process is not executed. Above, the search process of the search control part 120 is complete | finished.

  When the lighting control unit 216 finds a non-player character, the lighting control unit 216 changes the light emission color of the light emitter 22 of the input device 20. At this time, the lighting control unit 216 determines the light emission color according to the status information of the found non-player character. May be.

  The non-operation object control unit 116 determines status information of the non-player character. For example, information indicating whether or not the non-player character is aware of the presence of the player character 200 is set as the status information. The non-player character is aware of the presence of the player character 200 as a condition that the player character 200 is included in the viewing angle of the non-player character and that the distance between the non-player character and the player character 200 is predetermined. Is less than or equal to the value. The non-operation object control unit 116 manages whether or not this condition is satisfied for each non-player character, and sets it as a state flag value. If the condition is satisfied, the status flag value is set to ON, and if not satisfied, it is set to OFF. Since the player character 200 and the non-player character are moving with each other, the state flag value needs to be updated at a predetermined cycle.

  When the NPC determination unit 212 detects that a non-player character is present in the search direction, the NPC determination unit 212 acquires the state flag value of the non-player character and notifies the lighting control unit 216 of the state flag value. The lighting control unit 216 determines the light emission color of the light emitter 22 according to the state flag value. Accordingly, the user can recognize whether or not the discovered non-player character is aware of the player character 200 by looking at the light emission color of the light emitter 22, and thus can determine how to follow the non-player character. For example, when a non-player character noticed by the player character 200 is locked on and then chased normally, the non-operation object control unit 116 slowly chases the non-player character when the non-player character operates so as to run away with a fierce dash. This makes it easier to capture non-player characters.

  At this time, the non-operation object control unit 116 controls the movement of the non-player character by switching the movement pattern based on the state flag value set for the non-player character. As described above, when the state flag value of a certain non-player character is set to ON, the non-operation object control unit 116 detects that the player character 200 approaches the non-player character at a normal speed. The movement pattern is switched, and the non-player character is controlled to move away from the player character 200 at high speed. On the other hand, in this case, when it is detected that the player character 200 approaches the non-player character at a slower speed than usual, the non-operation object control unit 116 does not change the motion pattern and changes the non-operation object in the normal motion pattern. Control the movement of the player character.

  In addition, although the status information for specifying whether or not the non-player character is aware of the presence of the player character 200 has been described, the NPC determination unit 212 may determine the emission color based on other status information. Good. For example, distance information between the discovered non-player character and the player character 200 may be set as the status information, or information on the number of non-player characters found in the search range may be set. Further, the NPC determination unit 212 may generate a blinking instruction for repeatedly turning on and off, in addition to changing the emission color in accordance with the status information, or generate a multicolor switching instruction for periodically switching a plurality of colors. May be.

  When the non-player character is locked on as described above, the user operates the operation button 40 so that the player character 200 follows the locked-on non-player character. This process is performed by the operation object control unit 112. At this time, the item determination unit 114 determines an item used before using the search radar as an item used by the player character. For example, if the capture tool is used before using the search radar, the capture tool is determined as an item after the search process is completed.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of a display screen during use of the capture tool. On the display screen, a player character 200, a non-player character 222, and a catcher 224 are displayed. The catch catch 224 is one mode of the catch tool, and the catch is completed by putting the non-player character 222 into the catch catch 224 and pressing the ring ring portion (filled frame) against the floor or wall. When the capture is completed, the non-player character 222 disappears in the capture screen 224.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a capturing process of the non-player character 222. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the non-player character 222 is put in the catching net 224. FIG. If the player is left for a predetermined time in a state where it is placed in the catch catch 224, the non-player character 222 can escape from the catch catch 224. In addition, when the user presses the operation button 32 in a state where the non-player character 222 is in the capture screen 224, the non-player character 222 can be released from the capture screen 224. Thus, in this game application, various ways of enjoying are provided to the user.

  FIG. 11B shows a state in which the ring portion of the catching trout 224 is pressed against the floor 226. The capture is completed by pressing the ring portion of the capture catch 224 against the floor 226 within a predetermined time from when the non-player character 222 is placed in the catch catch 224. At this time, the non-player character 222 disappears from the captured catch 224. The target for pressing the ring portion is not limited to the floor 226, but may be an object fixed in the game world such as a wall.

  FIG. 12 shows the configuration of the collision control unit 118. The collision control unit 118 includes a collision determination unit 230, a collision mode determination unit 232, and an operation determination unit 234. The collision control unit 118 executes collision control between the operation object and the non-operation object. When the collision determination unit 230 performs collision determination between the operation object and the non-operation object and detects a collision, the collision mode determination unit 232 determines the mode of the collision. The action determining unit 234 determines at least one action of the operation object or the non-operation object according to the collision mode.

  The operation object control unit 112 causes the player character 200 to track the locked-on non-player character 222 based on the button state information indicating that the operation button 40 has been operated. When the player character 200 approaches the non-player character 222, the user releases the pressing of the operation button 40. Thereafter, the operation object control unit 112 controls the movements of the player character 200 and the capture catch 224 based on the position information and posture information of the input device 20. Specifically, the operation object control unit 112 determines the movement of the player character 200 in the front-rear direction based on distance information derived from the size of the light emitter image in the frame image, and determines the movement in the left-right direction in the frame image. It is determined by the position coordinates of the light emitter image. More specifically, each movement is determined by the distance information and the difference value from the position coordinates when the operation button 40 is released. In addition, the operation object control unit 112 determines the movement of the capture catch 224 based on the posture information. When the user moves the input device 20 as if it is a letter, the operation object control unit 112 controls the movement of the capture letter 224 in the same manner as the movement of the input device 20 by the user. Thereby, a user's motion and the motion of the player character 200 can be linked.

  The collision determination unit 230 performs a collision determination between the captured catch 224 and the non-player character 222. The collision determination unit 230 performs a collision determination between the non-player character 222 and a plane formed inside the ring portion of the capture catch 224 using a known collision determination algorithm. When a collision is detected, the collision mode determination unit 232 determines the mode of the collision.

  The operation object control unit 112 derives and moves the movement speed of the capture catch 224 from the sensor detection value information transmitted from the input device 20. As described above, the operation object control unit 112 may detect the moving speed of the capture catch 224 using the acceleration sensor detection value information. In addition, the operation object control unit 112 may derive the moving speed of the capture net 224 from the position information of the input device 20 for each frame derived by the device information deriving unit 84. When the collision determination unit 230 determines a collision between the flat surface formed in the ring portion of the captured catch 224 and the non-player character 222, the collision mode determination unit 232 acquires the moving speed of the captured catch 224 at the time of the collision. At this time, the collision mode determination unit 232 determines whether or not the moving speed of the capture catch 224 is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, determines the collision mode according to the determination result, and notifies the operation determination unit 234 of the collision mode.

  The action determining unit 234 determines that the action of the non-player character 222 is not allowed to escape from the capture area 224 for a predetermined time when the determined collision mode indicates that the movement speed of the capture area 224 is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed. . The determined operation is notified to the non-operation object control unit 116, and the non-operation object control unit 116 receives this notification and controls to move the non-player character 222 within the capture area 224 for a predetermined time. To do. On the other hand, when the determined collision mode indicates that the moving speed of the capture spot 224 exceeds the predetermined speed, the action determination unit 234 disappears the action of the non-player character 222 as soon as it enters the capture spot 224. Decide to do. The determined operation is notified to the non-operation object control unit 116, and the non-operation object control unit 116 receives this notification and controls to disappear as soon as the non-player character 222 enters the capture area 224. .

  As described above, the collision mode is determined according to the sensor detection value information and / or the position information of the input device 20, and the action of the non-player character 222 is determined based on the collision mode, thereby utilizing the characteristics of the input device 20. A game can be realized. Note that the action of the player character 200 may be determined according to the collision mode. Although the collision mode is determined based on the moving speed, the collision mode may be determined based on the acceleration.

  If the action of the non-player character 222 is determined so as to remain in the capture spot 224 for a predetermined time, the player character 200 may cause the non-player character 222 to disappear by pressing the capture spot 224 against the floor or wall. it can. The collision determination unit 230 performs a collision determination between the ring portion of the capture catch 224 and the floor or wall. When a collision is detected, the collision mode determination unit 232 determines the collision mode according to the angle between the plane formed on the ring portion and the floor plane. The angle between the planes is determined by the angle between the perpendiculars of each plane. The collision mode determination unit 232 determines whether the angle between the planes is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, determines a collision mode according to the determination result, and notifies the motion determination unit 234 of the determination.

  This collision mode may be determined by collision determination, but may be determined from the positional relationship between the world coordinates of the floor or wall in the game space and the world coordinates of the ring portion of the catching net 224.

  When the determined collision mode indicates that the angle between the planes is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the motion determining unit 234 determines the motion of the non-player character 222 as being able to escape from the captured catch 224. The determined operation is notified to the non-operation object control unit 116, and the non-operation object control unit 116 receives the notification, and when a predetermined time elapses from when the non-player character 222 enters the capture area 224, the capture is performed. Control to escape from Ami 224. On the other hand, when the determined collision mode indicates that the angle between the planes is smaller than the predetermined value, the motion determination unit 234 determines the motion of the non-player character 222 to disappear. The determined operation is notified to the non-operation object control unit 116, and the non-operation object control unit 116 receives this notification and controls the non-player character 222 in the capture catch 224 to disappear.

  In addition, when the user operates the operation button 40 of the input device 20 in a state where the non-player character 222 is captured by the capture screen 224, the non-operation object control unit 116 determines the capture screen 224 from the posture information of the input device 20. The non-player character 222 is emitted in a direction perpendicular to the plane formed in the ring portion. In this way, in this game, various variations can be made to the action of the non-player character 222 in accordance with the collision mode between the capture catch 224 and the non-player character 222.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing of the collision control unit 118. The collision determination unit 230 performs collision determination between the operation object and the non-operation object (S30). If no collision is detected (N in S30), the collision control process does not proceed. When a collision is detected (Y in S30), the collision mode determination unit 232 determines the collision mode (S32). The action determining unit 234 determines at least one action of the operation object or the non-operation object according to the collision mode (S34).

  In this game, the capture tool is set as the default item, and the capture tool is always determined as the item after the end of the search process, but the user changes the item used by the player character 200 by pressing the operation button 36. it can. The item determination unit 114 determines the strike weapon as an item used by the player character.

  Harisen is an aspect of a strike weapon. Realistic Harisen is made by folding paper into a bellows shape, winding one side with tape to make a grip, and opening the other side into a fan shape. The player character 200 can hit a non-player character with a harsen. The direction of the Harrison is determined by the attitude information of the input device 20. The collision determination unit 230 determines the collision between the Harrison and the non-player character.

  The operation object control unit 112 derives the movement speed of the harsen from the sensor detection value information transmitted from the input device 20 and moves it. When the collision determination unit 230 determines the collision between the Harrison and the non-player character, the action determination unit 234 determines the direction and speed of the non-player character 222 to blow from the movement direction and movement speed of the Harrisen at the time of the collision. . The determined operation is notified to the non-operation object control unit 116, and the non-operation object control unit 116 operates the non-player character 222 in response to the notification.

  Harisen is used as a beating weapon, but it may be used so that the bellows part is like a fan and a wind is generated. The operation object control unit 112 determines the direction in which the harness is moved based on the posture information of the input device 20, and operates the harness with either a strike weapon or a fan.

When the user presses the operation button 36, the item determination unit 114 may determine the throwing weapon as an item used by the player character.
FIG. 14A shows an example of a display screen of a pachinko that is one aspect of a throwing weapon. When the user operates the operation button 40, the operation object control unit 112 places the pachinko 240 on the player character 200. Here, illustration of the player character 200 is omitted. The operation object control unit 112 acquires position information and posture information of the input device 20 at the time when the operation button 40 is operated as initial state information. The operation object control unit 112 determines the direction of the pachinko 240 from the posture information.

  FIG. 14B shows an example of a display screen when the input device 20 moves in a direction away from the imaging device 14. In this example, the pachinko rubber string is pulled according to the amount of movement from the position when the operation button 40 is operated. When a bullet is set on the rubber cord and the operation button 40 is released, the bullet is thrown as shown in FIG. The operation object control unit 112 may determine the bullet flight distance according to the amount of movement from the initial position and the pressing time of the operation button 40.

The items prepared in this game are shown below.
1) Tongs When the user simultaneously presses the operation button 30 and the operation button 40, the player character 200 can grasp a non-operation object using the tongs.
2) Otama The player character 200 can scoop water or hot water using the Otama and put it on a non-player character. The non-operation object control unit 116 changes the motion of the non-player character according to the temperature of water or hot water.
Other items that make use of the characteristics of the input device 20 may be prepared.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Game system, 10 ... Game device, 12 ... Display apparatus, 14 ... Imaging device, 20 ... Input device, 22 ... Luminescent body, 24 ... Handle, 48. ..Wireless communication module, 50... Processing unit, 52... Main control unit, 54... Input receiving unit, 56... Three-axis acceleration sensor, 58. Light emission control unit 62 ... Light emission unit 80 ... Frame image acquisition unit 82 ... Image processing unit 84 ... Device information deriving unit 86 ... Wireless communication module 88 ... Input accepting unit, 90 ... output unit, 100 ... application processing unit, 102 ... operation instruction accepting unit, 110 ... control unit, 112 ... operation object control unit, 114 ... item determination Part, 116 ... non-operational object Control unit, 118 ... collision control unit, 120 ... search control unit, 122 ... display control unit, 150 ... parameter holding unit, 152 ... three-dimensional data holding unit, 154 ... Image generation unit 210 ... Search direction determination unit 212 ... NPC determination unit 214 ... Lock-on processing unit 216 ... Lighting control unit 230 ... Collision determination unit 232 ... Collision mode determination unit, 234... Operation determination unit.

Claims (4)

A receiving unit for acquiring posture information of an input device having a light emitter;
An operation object control unit for controlling operation of the operation object in the virtual space;
A non-operation object control unit for controlling the operation of the non-operation object in the virtual space;
A search direction determination unit for determining a search direction of a non-operation object from the position of the operation object and the posture information of the input device;
A determination unit that determines whether a non-operation object exists in the search direction;
A lighting control unit that controls lighting of the light emitter when the determination unit determines that a non-operation object exists ;
When the determination unit determines that a non-operation object exists, the determination unit acquires status information of the non-operation object,
The lighting control unit controls lighting of a light emitter based on status information . The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the status information is set for the non-operation object according to a distance between the non-operation object and the operation object. On the computer,
A function of acquiring posture information of an input device having a light emitter;
A function for controlling the operation of the operation object in the virtual space;
A function for controlling the operation of a non-operation object in the virtual space;
A function for determining the search direction of the non-operation object from the position of the operation object and the posture information of the input device;
A function for determining whether a non-operation object exists in the search direction;
When it is determined that a non-operation object exists, a function for acquiring status information of the non-operation object,
If it is determined that a non-operation object exists , a function for controlling lighting of the light emitter based on the status information ;
A program to realize   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 3 is recorded.

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