JP7226822B2 - Game device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game device and program.

A game is known in which a character is operated in a three-dimensional virtual space. In such a game, an image that looks as if it were observed from a virtually set viewpoint (virtual viewpoint) in a three-dimensional virtual space is displayed as a game screen.
In the game screen of such a game, if an object exists between the character and the virtual viewpoint, the character is blocked by the object and cannot be seen. In such a state, it becomes difficult for the user to grasp the situation of the character in the three-dimensional virtual space, and operability is impaired.
Therefore, for example, when there is an object such as an obstacle between the virtual viewpoint and the character, a technique is known in which the character can be seen by performing transparency processing on the object (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP-A-9-50541

However, when the object is subjected to transparency processing as described above, the following problems may occur.
That is, the character moves in the three-dimensional virtual space according to the user's operation. On the other hand, objects that exist in the three-dimensional virtual space are often obstacles that limit the movement of the character.
The object transparency processing described above does not eliminate the presence of the object itself in the three-dimensional virtual space, but is intended to make the object invisible for the sake of convenience, even though the object exists. Therefore, for example, the user tends to perform an operation to move the character to the position of the transparently processed object. In this case, the movement of the character is restricted by the invisible object, which significantly impairs operability.

Accordingly, some aspects of the present invention enable a user to observe a specific object when the specific object is occluded by another object in a three-dimensional virtual space, and then allow the user to observe the other object and the specific object. It is an object of the present invention to provide a game device and a program that can grasp the positional relationship with an object.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game device and a program capable of achieving the effects described in the embodiments to be described later.

In order to solve the above-described problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a position acquisition unit that acquires information about the position of a second object that is provided in a three-dimensional virtual space and that can move in a game field on which the first object is arranged. and an image generation unit that generates an image representing a field of view from a virtual viewpoint in the three-dimensional virtual space, wherein the image generation unit includes at least part of the second object when generating the image. In the game device, an image is changed by at least one of erasing and making transparent the first object based on the height of the first object with respect to the position of the second object in the display area.

Further, one aspect of the present invention includes an image generation unit that generates an image representing a field of view from a virtual viewpoint in a three-dimensional virtual space having a game field in which the first object is arranged, wherein the image generation unit includes the game by at least one of erasing and making transparent the first object based on the height of the first object in the three-dimensional virtual space in a display area including at least part of a second object that can move the field This is a game device that changes images.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a position acquisition unit acquires information about a position of a second object that can move in a game field in which a first object is arranged in a three-dimensional virtual space; and a virtual viewpoint in the three-dimensional virtual space. an image generating unit configured to generate an image representing a field of view from an object, wherein the image generating unit generates an image of the first object at a high position higher than a boundary height set based on the position of the second object; The object and the low-position first object that is lower than the high-position first object are distinguished, and the degree to which the low-position first object is emphasized and displayed with respect to the high-position first object is determined by the In the game device, a first display area including at least part of the second object is higher than a second display area different from the first display area.

Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as each game device described above.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between objects and characters on a game field displayed on a game screen; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between objects and characters on a game field displayed on a game screen; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating setting of an image change area according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image change mode in an image change area according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between objects and characters on a game field displayed on a game screen; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image change mode in an image change area according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a technique for setting a boundary designation plane according to the first embodiment; It is a figure which shows the structural example of the game device in 1st Embodiment. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the game device in the first embodiment in relation to display of a game screen; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between objects and characters on a game field displayed on a game screen; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a setting example of an image change permitted position and an image change prohibited position in the second embodiment; It is a figure which shows the structural example of the game device in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the game device according to the second embodiment in relation to display of a game screen; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the object change identification display in a 1st modification. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an erasing boundary display in the second modified example; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an image change mode in the third modified example; FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a silhouette of a character in the fourth modified example; FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a shape change of an image change area in the sixth modified example; FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for setting a boundary specification plane according to a viewpoint angle in a seventh modified example;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
〔overview〕
In the game played by the game device of this embodiment, a character operated by the user is moved in a game field in a three-dimensional virtual space.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the game field GF displayed on the game screen in this embodiment. The game screen of the present embodiment shows a state in which the game field GF is viewed from a predetermined virtual viewpoint set in a three-dimensional virtual space including the game field GF shown in FIG. Note that the virtual viewpoint set in the present embodiment may be changed as appropriate, but for the sake of simplicity of explanation, a case where the virtual viewpoint is fixedly set at a fixed position will be exemplified hereinafter.

In the game field GF shown in the figure, the character CH (an example of the second object) moves according to the user's operation. A reference plane PL is set in the game field GF of the present embodiment. The object OJ is placed on the reference plane PL. The character CH moves in the space on the reference plane PL in the game field GF.

Also, on the reference plane PL, an object (an example of a first object) as an obstacle to the movement of the character CH is appropriately arranged. The figure shows an example in which the objects OJ1 and OJ2 are appropriately arranged.
In the following description, when there is no particular distinction between individual objects, the "n" in OJn (n is an integer assigned to each object) is omitted, and the object is described as OJ.
Also, the object OJ of this embodiment is formed by a set of blocks BL having a predetermined constant size and shape. In the figure, a case where the block BL is a cube is taken as an example.
A grid corresponding to the size of the surface of the block BL is set on the reference plane PL in accordance with the arrangement of the objects in units of such blocks BL. When arranging the blocks BL on the reference plane PL, the bottoms of the blocks BL are arranged so as to fit within the grid of the reference plane PL.

As described above, the object OJ of this embodiment is an object that functions as an obstacle to movement of the character CH, and corresponds to, for example, walls, buildings, rocks, plants, vehicles, and the like. That is, the object OJ influences the movement of the character CH.
For example, when the user attempts to move the character CH from the position shown in FIG. position cannot be moved.
In this case, the user needs to move the character CH so as to bypass the object OJ1 on the reference plane PL and reach the grid GLD1. Alternatively, if the game allows the user to climb over the object OJ, the user moves the character CH so as to once climb over the object OJ1, and then lowers the character CH from the object OJ1. In this way, an operation to move to the position of the grid GLD1 may be performed.

In the figure, for example, the object OJ1 is formed by one block BL and is small. The character CH never disappears.
However, as shown in FIG. 2, in a situation where an object OJ11 formed of a large number of blocks BL is arranged instead of the object OJ1 of FIG. 1, the character CH is shielded by the object OJ11. In such a situation, the character CH, which is the operation target, is hidden behind the object OJ11 and cannot be seen by the user. end up
In other words, in a game in which the character CH is moved by manipulating it in the game field GF where the object OJ is arranged as in the present embodiment, the operability is significantly impaired when the character CH is shielded by the object OJ. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the operability is maintained in the following manner even when the character CH is shielded by the object OJ.

That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a predetermined position determined corresponding to the position of the character CH existing in the game field GF is set as the reference position, and the image change area FL (second object's position) including the character CH is set as the reference position. An example of a display area including at least a part) is set. For example, the reference position may be a predetermined center position of the character CH. In addition, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which a circular range with a constant radius centered on the reference position is used as the image change area FL.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the following display changes are given in the image change area FL.
First, as shown in FIG. 3, in the object OJ11, blocks BL11 to BL15 are arranged in a row in the lowest stage (first stage from the bottom), and blocks BL11 to BL15 are arranged in a row in the upper stage (second stage from the bottom). , Blocks BL21 to BL23 are arranged above the blocks BL11 to BL13, respectively, and blocks BL31 to BL33 are arranged above the blocks BL21 to BL23 respectively on the upper stage (the third stage from the bottom). placed and formed. In the following description, these blocks will be referred to as blocks BL unless otherwise distinguished.
A part of the object OJ11 is included in the image change area FL as follows according to the positional relationship between the object OJ11 and the character CH positioned behind it on the reference plane PL. That is, in the image change area FL, blocks BL11, BL12, BL13, and BL14 on the first stage from the bottom, blocks BL21, BL22, and BL23 on the second stage from the bottom, and blocks BL31, BL32, and BL33 on the third stage from the bottom. At least a portion of each is included.

In the present embodiment, the image change area FL including part of the object OJ11 as described above is changed from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the display shown in FIG. That is, the blocks BL on the second and third stages from the bottom included in the image change area FL are erased, and the block BL on the first stage from the bottom at the same height as the character CH is erased. Even if it is included in the image change area FL, it is left without being erased.
As a result, for example, as shown in the same figure, part of the blocks BL32 and BL33 included in the image change area FL are erased (removed) in the third row from the bottom, and blocks BL32 and BL33 included in the image change area FL are erased (removed) in the second row from the bottom. A part of the block BL21 that is erased and all of the blocks BL22 and BL23 are erased. By erasing the block BL in this way, as shown in the figure, the erased portion is displayed so that the subsequent image can be seen as it is.
On the other hand, although the blocks BL11 to BL14 in the first stage from the bottom are included in the image change area FL, they are displayed as remaining without being erased.

By changing the display in the image change area FL as shown in the figure, the character CH that is blocked by the object OJ11 can be made visible. In addition, the block BL on the first row from the bottom is displayed so as to remain without being erased, so that the user can understand that the block BL at the same height as the position of the character CH exists as part of the object OJ11. At the same time, it is possible to grasp that there is That is, the user can confirm the character CH shielded by the object OJ11. In addition, the user is positioned in front of the character CH when viewed from the virtual viewpoint, and since there is actually a portion of the object OJ11 that is at the same height as the character CH, the character CH is positioned in front of the character CH. It can be accurately grasped that it cannot be moved. As a result, in the present embodiment, operability is improved in a situation where the character CH is present at a position shielded by the object OJ.

In addition, in the game of this embodiment, as a mode of movement of the character CH in the game field GF, the character CH can be moved so as to be placed on the object OJ.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a state in which the character CH is riding on the object OJ as described above. Specifically, the figure shows a state in which a character CH is placed on one block BL in an object OJ22 formed by arranging two blocks BL side by side in the first row from the bottom. Also, in the figure, an object OJ21 is placed in front of the character CH. The object OJ21 is formed by stacking three stages of blocks BL on the reference plane PL as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows an example of display change of the image change area FL that is performed under the state of FIG. As shown in the figure, among the block BL portions of the object OJ21 included in the image change area FL, the third block BL portion from the bottom is erased. The display is performed so that the portion of the eye block BL is left without being erased.
That is, in the case of FIG. 4, the position of the character CH is above the block BL arranged in the first row from the bottom in the height direction, which is one step higher than in the case of FIG. Therefore, in this case, of the blocks BL of the object OJ21 included in the image change area FL, the portion of the blocks BL up to the second stage from the bottom corresponding to the same height as the character CH is left without being erased. The part of the block BL corresponding to the second stage from the bottom higher than the character CH is erased.
In this way, when the character CH is positioned at a height corresponding to the second block BL from the bottom, the second block BL from the bottom attracts attention as the block BL that affects the movement of the character CH. . Therefore, if the display is changed in the image change area FL as shown in the figure, the character CH located at the height corresponding to the second block BL from the bottom can be made visible. In addition, it is possible for the user to grasp the presence of an object OJ that is at the same height as the character CH and obstructs movement of the character in front of the character CH.

Here, referring to FIG. 7, an example of boundary setting between a part to be erased and a part not to be erased in the object OJ will be described in correspondence with the display change of the image change area FL shown in FIGS. It can be done as follows.
FIG. 7A shows a state in which the character CH is positioned directly above the reference plane PL. The position of the character CH in the height direction shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the state shown in FIG. Also, in the figure, an object OJ formed by stacking three stages of blocks BL (BL-1, BL-2, BL-3) from bottom to top is arranged.
In this embodiment, a position corresponding to the height (block height) H of one block BL from the lowest position in the image of the character CH is set as the boundary corresponding position p. Then, a plane including the boundary corresponding position p is set as the boundary specifying plane BD.
In the state shown in the figure, the boundary specification plane BD is a plane parallel to the reference plane PL and at a distance of one block height H from the reference plane PL. Thus, the reference plane PL serves as a reference plane for defining the height direction in this embodiment. That is, in the present embodiment, the vertical direction (normal direction) to the planar direction of the reference plane PL is defined as the height direction. Note that the height direction may be defined as the direction of gravity in a three-dimensional virtual space, for example, instead of being based on a specific plane such as the reference plane PL. In the following description, as shown in the figure, the vertical direction to the plane direction of the reference plane PL is taken as an example of the height direction.
FIG. 7B shows a state in which the character CH is positioned over one block BL-11 placed on the reference plane PL. In this case, the boundary corresponding position p set in the image of the character CH matches the height from the reference plane PL to the upper surfaces of the two blocks BL2. That is, in this case, the boundary designation plane BD is the height (2H) from the reference plane PL to the upper surfaces of the two blocks BL2.
In addition, in the present embodiment, among the block BL portion of the object OJ included in the image change area FL, the block BL above the boundary designation plane BD determined according to the position of the character CH in the height direction as described above. is erased, and the portion of the block BL below the boundary specification plane BD is not erased.

According to the method of setting the boundary designating plane BD in the same figure, the object OJ above the boundary designating plane BD among the objects OJ included in the image change area FL is set either in front of or behind the character CH. The image will be deleted regardless of whether the image is changed or not.
However, the object OJ positioned behind the character CH does not block the character CH. In this respect, it can be said that the operation of the character CH is not hindered even if the image of the object OJ positioned behind the character CH is not intentionally changed above the boundary specifying plane BD.
Therefore, even if the object OJ is included in the image change area FL, the object OJ located behind the character CH may be displayed as it is without being subject to image change.

[Configuration example of game device]
FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of the game device 10 in this embodiment. The game device 10 shown in FIG.
The game control unit 110 controls the progress of the game of this embodiment. The function of the game control unit 110 is realized by executing a program by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) included in the game device 10 . A game control unit 110 in FIG.

The game progress unit 111 executes control related to the progress of the game of this embodiment. For example, the game progression unit 111 performs control for moving the position of the character on the game field GF in response to an operation for moving the character CH on the game field GF as an operation on the operation unit 130 . to run. In addition, when a predetermined purpose in the game is achieved during the progress of the game, a score or the like is given according to the content of the achievement.

The position acquisition unit 112 acquires information regarding the position of the character CH on the game field GF. The position information here includes, for example, position information in the planar direction along the reference plane PL in the game field GF and position information in the height direction perpendicular to the reference plane PL.

The image generator 113 generates an image of the game field GF (an example of an image representing the field of view from the virtual viewpoint in the three-dimensional virtual space).
Further, when generating an image, the image generation unit 113 of the present embodiment changes the image by erasing the object OJ based on the height of the object OJ with respect to the position of the character CH.

The storage unit 120 stores various information used by the game control unit 110 .
The operation unit 130 collectively indicates the operators, operation devices, and the like provided in the game apparatus 10 of the present embodiment.
The display unit 140 displays images under the control of the game control unit 110 . Note that a touch panel including the display unit 140 may be provided as the operation unit 130 .

[Example of processing procedure]
An example of a processing procedure executed by the game device 10 of the present embodiment in relation to display of a game screen will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9 . The process shown in the figure may be executed, for example, at regular time intervals as one of the game screen drawing processes. Further, in the following, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, a case where the entire character CH is included in the image change area FL will be taken as an example.

During the progress of the game, the position of the character CH on the game field GF changes according to the user's operation. Also, the position of the character CH in the game field GF may change according to an event or the like occurring in the game.
Therefore, the position acquisition unit 112 acquires position-related information related to the current position of the character CH in the game field GF (step S100). The position-related information here includes information indicating the position of the character CH in the plane direction on the game field GF and information indicating the height of the character CH. Here, the position of the character CH in the plane direction is the position when the reference plane PL is a plane. As an example, when the reference plane PL is divided by grids as shown in FIG. 1, the position of the character CH in the planar direction may be represented by coordinates determined corresponding to each grid. Further, the height of the character CH is expressed stepwise by multiples of the height H of one block BL when the boundary specification plane BD is set as shown in FIG. I wish I could.
It should be noted that hereinafter, the position of the character CH includes coordinates in the planar direction and coordinates in the height direction of the character CH.

The image generator 113 draws a basic game field screen corresponding to the position of the character CH obtained in step S100 (step S102). The basic game field screen is, for example, an image of the game field GF in which the character CH does not exist in the display range of the game field GF determined based on the position of the character CH. All the objects OJ that fit within the display range should be arranged in the image of the game field GF.
As a specific example, in correspondence with the case where the image change is performed in the image change area FL shown in FIGS. is drawn as the basic game field screen. 5 and 6, the image of the game field GF in which the objects OJ21 and OJ22 are arranged on the reference plane PL as shown in FIG. Drawn as a game field screen.

The following steps S104 to S114 are processes related to drawing of the image change area FL. In drawing the image change area FL, first, the image generation unit 113 sets the image change area FL on the game screen based on the position of the character CH acquired in step S100 (step S104). Specifically, in step S104, the image generator 113 determines the reference position of the image change area FL on the game screen based on, for example, the position of the character CH. After that, the image generation unit 113 sets a circular range centered on the determined reference position as the image change area FL on the game screen.

Next, the image generator 113 draws a background image excluding the object OJ in the image change area FL whose position on the screen of the game field is set (step S106). The background image here is the image of the game field GF in the state where the character CH and the object OJ do not exist as the image of the game field GF included in the image change area FL.

Next, the image generator 113 determines whether or not there is a portion of the object OJ to be changed (change target object portion) in the image change area FL (step S108). The change target object portion is a portion to be erased among the portions of the object OJ included in the image change area FL.
For the determination in step S108, the image generator 113 sets the boundary specification plane BD corresponding to the height of the character CH acquired in step S100. After that, the image generator 113 determines whether or not there is a portion above the set boundary designation plane BD among the portions of the object OJ included in the image change area FL.
If there is no part above the boundary specification plane BD, the image generator 113 determines that there is no part of the object to be changed. On the other hand, if there is a portion above the boundary specification plane BD, the image generation unit 113 determines that there is an object portion to be changed. Also, in response to determining that there is a change target object portion, the image generating unit 113 has identified the change target object portion in the image change area FL.

If it is determined that there is an object portion to be changed (step S108-YES), the image generator 113 executes the following process. That is, the image generation unit 113 erases the object portion to be changed from the prototype (original object image portion) of the image portion of the object OJ included in the image change area FL, and generates the remaining image portion (change object image portion) of the object OJ. Create (step S110).
Next, the image generation unit 113 draws the changed object image portion created in step S110 and the image of the character CH in the image change area FL in which the background image excluding the object OJ has been drawn in step S106. (Step S112). At this time, for example, the image generation unit 113 may perform drawing so as to overlap image layers from bottom to top in correspondence with the depth of the drawing target. That is, the image generation unit 113 may first draw the changed object image portion behind the character CH, then draw the character CH, and then draw the changed object image portion in front of the character CH.
By performing such drawing, an image change area FL in which a part of the block BL forming the object OJ placed in front of the character CH is erased, like the image change area FL in FIGS. An image of the area FL is obtained.
Note that, as the drawing process in step S112, drawing objects may be drawn sequentially from the drawing object on the near side in correspondence with the depth (depth) of the drawing object in the three-dimensional virtual space. Specifically, the image generation unit 113 in this case first draws the changed object image portion in front of the character CH, then draws the portion of the character CH that is not hidden by the drawn changed object image portion, and then draws the character CH. Then, the part not hidden by the character CH should be drawn in the changed object image part behind the character CH. In the case of such drawing processing, the processing load is reduced because there is no need to draw the part that is hidden by the object to be drawn in the foreground.
Further, the drawing method according to the depth of the drawing object as described above may also be applied when drawing the basic game field screen in step S102.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no change target object portion (step S108-NO), the image generator 113 executes the following process. In this case, it is not necessary to erase any part of the object OJ included in the image change area FL. That is, in this case, the object OJ drawn in the image change area FL may be the original object image portion. Therefore, in this case there is no need to create a modified object image portion from the original object image portion.
Therefore, the image generation unit 113 in this case draws the prototype object image portion and the image of the character CH in the image change area FL in which the background image has been drawn in step S106 without performing the process of step S110. (step S114).
If it is determined in step S108 that there is no object portion to be changed because there is no object OJ within the range of the image change area FL, there is also no object OJ to be drawn in step S114. In this case, in step S114, the process of drawing the character CH may be executed without drawing the object OJ.

The image generator 113 superimposes the image of the image change area FL drawn through the process of step S112 or step S114 on the image of the basic game field screen drawn in step S102 (step S116). As a result, the basic game field screen is displayed in a state in which the image change area FL is included.
Note that the image generation process for making the basic game field screen including the image change area FL is not limited to the process of superimposing the image of the image change area FL on the image of the basic game field screen as described above. For example, in step S116, instead of superimposing the image of the image change area FL, the image generation unit 113 superimposes the image portion of the area where the image change area FL is located on the basic game field screen using the image of the image change area FL. Processing may be performed to change (replace).
When the process of step S116 is performed through step S112, the game screens of the modes illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6 are displayed on the display unit 140. FIG. That is, in the image change area FL of the game field GF, a game screen is displayed in which the blocks BL higher than the character CH are erased from among the blocks BL forming the object OJ positioned in front of the character CH.
On the other hand, when the process of step S116 is performed after step S114, the game screen is displayed in the image change area FL of the game field GF in a state in which the block BL is not particularly erased.

According to the example of the processing procedure shown in FIG. 10, all the change target object portions of the object OJ included in the image change area FL are erased regardless of whether they are positioned before or after the character CH. However, as described above, the part of the object to be changed after the character CH does not have to be erased.
When drawing the image change area FL so as not to erase the change target object portion behind the character CH, the image generation unit 113 may change the processing shown in the figure as follows.
In step S110, the image generation unit 113 creates a changed object image portion for an object that exists in front of the character CH, but does not create a changed object image portion for an object that exists behind the character CH. The original object image part is left as it is. Next, when drawing the image portion of the object OJ in the image change area FL in step S112, the image generation unit 113 draws the object OJ behind the character CH using the prototype object image portion. On the other hand, the image generation unit 113 may draw the changed object image portion created in step S110 for the object OJ in front of the character CH.
Through such processing, in the image change area FL, the portion of the object OJ in front of the character CH that is above a certain height is erased, but the portion of the object OJ behind the character CH that is above a certain height is erased. Even if there is, the display is not erased and is arranged as it was originally.

[Summary of the first embodiment]
As described above, the game device 10 of this embodiment includes the position acquisition section 112 and the image generation section 113 .
The position acquisition unit 112 acquires information on the position of a character CH (an example of a second object) which is provided in a three-dimensional virtual space and can move in a game field GF on which an object OJ (an example of a first object) is arranged. .
The image generation unit 113 generates an image of a game screen (an example of an image representing a field of view from a virtual viewpoint in a three-dimensional virtual space). Then, when generating an image, the image generating unit 113 generates an object based on the height of the object OJ with respect to the position of the character CH in the image change area FL (an example of the display area including at least part of the character CH). The image is changed by erasing the OJ.

According to the above configuration, a portion of the object OJ to be erased is determined according to the height of the character CH in the image change area FL, and the determined portion is erased. By such processing, in the image change area FL, based on the height of the character CH, objects OJ with a height above a certain level can be erased, and objects with a height below a certain level can be displayed without being erased. can. As a result, the state of the character that is hidden by the object OJ can be displayed so that the user can confirm the state of the character, and the user can also be made aware of the presence of the object OJ that affects the movement of the character CH.
That is, according to this embodiment, when the character CH (an example of a specific object) is blocked by an object OJ (an example of another object) in the three-dimensional virtual space, the user can observe the character CH. , the positional relationship between the object OJ and the character CH can also be grasped.

[Second embodiment]
〔overview〕
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The objects OJ placed on the game field GF may have various sizes and shapes. FIG. 10 shows an example of a situation in which a relatively small-sized object OJ is positioned in front of the character CH when the object OJ has various sizes and shapes as described above.
Three objects OJ31, OJ32, and OJ33 are arranged in the game field GF of the figure. In addition, the character CH is positioned behind the object OJ31 directly above the reference plane PL (at the same height as the first block BL from the bottom). Therefore, part of the character CH is blocked by the object OJ31 and cannot be seen.
Here, the object OJ31 positioned in front of the character CH is formed by one block BL31-1 placed on the reference plane PL and a block BL31-2 placed on the block BL31-1. there is That is, the object OJ31 has a shape in which two blocks BL are piled up in the height direction, and the size of the object OJ is small.

Under the state shown in FIG. 7, for example, if the boundary setting method illustrated in FIG. BL31-2 is subject to change. That is, in the image change area FL, the lower block BL31-1 is displayed as the object OJ31, but the upper block BL31-2 is erased.
However, since the size of the object OJ31 itself is small, it is often possible to grasp the state of the character CH without erasing the block BL31-2. Moreover, if a part of the small object OJ is erased or redisplayed according to the movement of the character CH, the user may rather feel annoyed. In consideration of this, it is preferable not to change even parts of the object OJ that are subject to change depending on the size and shape of the object OJ, for example, depending on the boundary setting in FIG.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the objects OJ arranged in the game field GF are classified into those that can be changed and those that cannot be changed. After that, when the object OJ that can be changed is positioned in front of the character CH and fits in the image change area FL, for example, the boundary designation plane BD in FIG. is erased. On the other hand, when the object OJ that cannot be changed is positioned in front of the character CH and fits in the image change area FL, even if there is a portion of the object OJ above the boundary designation plane BD, it is not erased. make it

For this reason, in the present embodiment, either the image change permitted position or the image change prohibited position is assigned to the coordinates (grid) of the reference plane PL.
The image change permissible position is coordinates on the reference plane PL that allow the part of the object OJ that fits in the image change area FL to be changed when the character CH is positioned.
The image change prohibition position is a coordinate on the reference plane PL that is determined not to be subject to change even if there is a portion of the object OJ that fits in the image change area FL when the character CH is positioned.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which image change permitted positions and image change prohibited positions are set in the game field GF of FIG. In the figure, each of nine grids GLD included in the image change allowable area AR on the reference plane PL is set as the image change allowable position. On the other hand, each of the grids GLD included in the area other than the image change allowed area AR on the reference plane PL is set as the image change prohibited position.
In the example shown in the figure, when the character CH is positioned in one of the grids GLD in the image change permissible area AR, in the object OJ33 that is in front of the character CH, the portion of the block BL on the second stage included in the image change area FL An image modification is provided to eliminate
On the other hand, for example, in the game field GF of FIG. 10, if the character CH exists in the grid GLD at the same position as in FIG. 10, the grid GLD where the character CH is positioned is the image change disabled position. Therefore, the object OJ31 in front of the character CH is displayed completely by the blocks BL31-1 and BL31-2 without erasing the block BL31-2.
Also, for example, in the game field GF shown in the figure, even if the character CH is positioned behind the object OJ32, the grid GLD where the character CH is positioned is the image change disabled position. Therefore, even in the object OJ32, the upper block BL is displayed in a complete form without being erased.

In addition, in the figure, the case where the character CH is positioned directly above the reference plane PL is taken as an example. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the character CH may exist at a position higher than the reference plane PL, such as above the object OJ. In such a case, the setting of the image change permitted position and the image change prohibited position may be performed with respect to the upper surface of the block BL forming the object OJ.

[Configuration example of game device]
FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the game device 10A in this embodiment. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 8 are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
110 A of game control parts in the same figure are provided with 113 A of image production|generation parts. The image generator 113A determines whether or not to change the image based on the position of the character CH in the game field GF. After that, when the character CH exists at a predetermined position (image change permissible position) in the game field GF, the image generation unit 113A changes the image based on the height of the object OJ with respect to the position of the character CH. .
Further, the storage unit 120 in the game device 10A stores a position setting table 121. FIG. In the position setting table 121, for each coordinate in the game field GF (the grid of the reference plane PL, or the position of the upper surface of the block BL in the object OJ), either the surface image change permitted position or the image change prohibited position is set. This is a table showing whether

[Example of processing procedure]
An example of a processing procedure executed by the game device 10A of the present embodiment in relation to display of a game screen will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As in the case of FIG. 9, the process of FIG. 9 may be executed, for example, at regular time intervals as one of the game screen drawing processes. In addition, in the same figure, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the case where the entire character CH is included in the image change area FL will be taken as an example.

In the figure, the processes of step S1100 executed by the position acquisition unit 112 and steps S1102 to S1106 executed by the image generation unit 113A are the same as steps S100 to S106 in FIG. omitted.

After drawing the background image in the image change area FL in step S1106, the image generation unit 113A determines whether or not the current position of the character CH is the image change permitted position (step S1108). For this reason, image generation unit 113A refers to position setting table 121 and sets either the face image change permitted position or the image change prohibited position for the coordinates corresponding to the position of character CH acquired in step S1100. It is sufficient to determine whether the
If the position of the character CH is the image change permissible position (step S1108-YES), the object OJ is positioned in front of the character CH, and the image change area FL includes the object OJ subject to image change. .
Therefore, the image generation unit 113A in this case first identifies the object portion to be changed for the object OJ in front of the character CH by using the boundary setting method of FIG. 7, for example. After that, the image generator 113A executes the processes of steps S1110 and S1112. The processes of steps S1110 and S1112 are the same as steps S110 and S112 of FIG.

On the other hand, if the position of the character CH is the position where the image cannot be changed (step S1108-NO), the image generator 113 executes the process of step S114 without executing step S1110. The processing of step S1114 is the same as that of step S114 in FIG. Note that when the position of the character CH is the position where the image cannot be changed, the object OJ may not exist within the range of the image change area FL. In this case, in step S1114, the process of drawing the character CH may be executed without drawing the object OJ.

The image generation unit 113 superimposes the image of the image change area FL drawn through the process of step S1112 or step S1114 on the image of the basic game field screen drawn in step S1102, similarly to step S116 in FIG. (step S1116).
For example, in correspondence with FIG. 11, when the process of step S1116 is performed after step S1112, the case where the character CH is positioned in any of the grids GLD in the image change permissible area AR corresponds to this. In this case, the part included in the image change area FL in the second block BL from the bottom of the object OJ33 is erased, and a game screen is displayed in which the character CH can be seen through the erased part.
On the other hand, when the processing of step S1116 is performed after step S1114, the state in which the character is positioned behind the object OJ31 corresponds, for example. In this case, the upper block BL31-2 of the object OJ31 is completely displayed without being erased, and the character CH is partially blocked by the object OJ31 and displayed in an invisible state.

[Summary of the second embodiment]
As described above, in the game device 10A of the present embodiment, the image generator 113A determines whether or not to change the image based on the position of the character CH in the game field GF.

According to the above configuration, whether or not to change the image of the object OJ is determined based on the position of the character CH in the game field GF. As a result, for example, depending on the position of the object OJ, even if there is an object OJ with a height that can be subject to image change in the image change area FL, image change can be prevented. As a result, for example, it is possible to solve the problem that the user feels annoyed when the image is changed even for the small object OJ.

Further, in the game device 10A of the present embodiment, the image generation unit 113A, when the character CH exists at the image change-allowed position (an example of a predetermined position) in the game field GF, creates an object image corresponding to the position of the character CH. Image modification is performed based on the height of OJ.

According to the above configuration, if the character CH is positioned at the image change permissible position in the game field GF, the object OJ can be changed in image according to the height of the character CH. On the other hand, if the character CH is positioned at the position where the image cannot be changed, even if the object OJ is positioned in front of the character CH, the image of the object OJ can be prevented from being changed. That is, whether or not the image of the object OJ should be changed can be efficiently set in association with the position (coordinates) within the game field GF.

[Modification]
Modifications of this embodiment will be described below. Each of the following modifications can be applied to at least one of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above.
[First modification]
As can be understood from the description of each embodiment above, depending on the positional relationship between the character CH and the object OJ in front of the character CH, the object OJ included in the image change area FL may or may not be erased. There is Also, even if the part of the object OJ is erased in the image change area FL, if the part of the object OJ that is erased is small, the user should confirm that the part of the object OJ has been erased. may be difficult to ascertain.
Considering this, it is preferable that the user can identify whether or not the object OJ is erased in the image change area FL. Therefore, in this modified example, display (object change identification display) is performed so that the user can identify whether or not the object OJ is in the erased state in the image change area FL.

FIG. 14 shows an example of an object change identification display in this modified example.
First, FIG. 14A shows an example of a display mode in a state where the portion of the object OJ to be changed is erased in the image change area FL. In the figure, an image change area FL superimposed on the basic game field screen corresponding to the position of the character CH is shown. Moreover, in the figure, a state in which an object change identification display DS is being performed is shown. Specifically, the object change identification display DS in this case has a circular shape along the outer shape of the image change area FL, and is displayed in a predetermined color so as to be clearly visually distinguishable from the surroundings, for example. It is the part where Also, the object change identification display DS in the figure may be displayed so as to blink, for example.
On the other hand, FIG. 14(B) shows a display mode example in a state where the part of the object OJ to be changed is not erased in the image change area FL. In the figure, broken lines indicate an image change area FL superimposed on the basic game field screen corresponding to the position of the character CH. The dashed line in the image change area FL in the figure indicates that the object change identification display DS is not performed at the boundary between the image change area FL and the image of the surrounding basic game field screen.
As described above, in this modification, the object change identification display DS is switched between display and non-display depending on whether or not the part of the object OJ to be changed is erased. . By switching the display in this way, the user can clearly understand whether or not the part of the object OJ to be changed is currently erased.

It should be noted that the object change identification display DS is not limited to switching between display and non-display. For example, after constantly displaying an image of the circumference along the contour of the image change area FL, depending on whether or not the object OJ is erased, the circumference as the object change identification display DS The gradation, color, etc. of the image may be varied. Alternatively, the circumference image as the object change identification display DS may be switched between a steady state and a flashing state depending on whether the object OJ is erased. Alternatively, after blinking the image of the circumference as the object change identification display DS, the blinking pattern may be changed according to whether the object OJ is erased.
Note that the object change identification display is not limited to the display corresponding to the position of the image change area FL as shown in FIG. For example, the object change identification display may be performed at a predetermined position away from the image change area FL on the game screen as a display accompanied by, for example, characters or a predetermined pattern.

Such display of the object change identification display DS is performed by the image generators 113 and 113A in steps S112 (FIG. 9) and step S1112 (FIG. 13), for example, in correspondence with the first and second embodiments. It may be realized by drawing the object change identification display DS when drawing the change object image portion and the character in the drawing. Alternatively, the drawing of the object change identification display DS may be performed when the image of the image change area FL is superimposed on the basic game field image in steps S116 and S1116.

[Summary of the first modified example]
As described above, in the game devices 10 and 10A of the present embodiment, the image generators 113 and 113A generate images so that it can be identified whether or not the image has been changed in the image change area FL.

According to the above configuration, the image generators 113 and 113A of the present embodiment, when the image is changed in the image change area FL, change the shape of the object along the outer shape of the image change area FL on the game screen. It is possible to add the identification indication DS and not to add the object change identification indication DS when the image is not changed. Thereby, the user can clearly grasp whether or not the part of the object OJ to be changed is currently erased from the presence or absence of the object change identification display DS.

[Second modification]
In the image change area FL, by erasing the portion of the object OJ to be changed, the upper surface of the object OJ that remains without being erased (that is, the boundary with the erased portion of the object OJ) is newly formed. Appears exposed. Specifically, in the example in which the image change area FL changes as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the following state occurs. That is, by erasing part or all of each of the blocks BL21 to BL23 of the object OJ11, the upper surface portions of the blocks BL11 to BL13 arranged below the blocks BL21 to BL23 in the same object OJ11 are newly exposed. is displayed. Considering the operability of the user, the newly exposed portion of the object OJ can be visually recognized as having newly appeared by erasing the portion of the object OJ at a position higher than the exposed portion. It is preferred that the
Therefore, in this modified example, the object OJ that remains without being erased as described above is displayed so as to be able to identify the boundary with the portion of the erased object OJ. Such a display allows the user to grasp what is erased in the object OJ.

Specifically, in this modified example, the surface of the object OJ that remains without being erased is the boundary with the erased portion of the object OJ. is displayed (deleted boundary display).
FIG. 15 shows an example of erasing boundary display when the portion of the object OJ11 included in the image change area FL is erased, as in FIG. The figure shows a state in which an erase boundary display STL is applied to the upper surface portions of the blocks BL11 to BL13 exposed by erasing the blocks BL21 to BL23 of the object OJ11 included in the image change area FL. It is With such a display, the user can accurately grasp that the portion of the block BL above the blocks BL11 to BL13 has been erased in the object OJ11.

Such display of the erase boundary display STL is performed by the image generators 113 and 113A in steps S110 (FIG. 9) and step S1110 (FIG. 13) in correspondence with the first and second embodiments. When creating the changed object image portion, it can be realized by drawing corresponding to the erased boundary display STL for the portion of the object OJ exposed by erasing the portion of the object OJ to be changed.
Further, as a form of the erasing boundary display STL, a predetermined pattern may be used regardless of the type of the object OJ. As an example, if the object OJ is a tree, the erased boundary display STL may be such that the tree is cut and annual rings appear. Also, if the object OJ is a building, the erased boundary display STL may be such that the building is cut and the interior is visible.

[Summary of the second modification]
As described above, in the game devices 10 and 10A of the present embodiment, the image generators 113 and 113A generate images of the object OJ whose image is not changed so that the boundary between the object OJ whose image is changed can be identified. Generate an image.

According to the above configuration, for example, in an object OJ that remains without an image change due to erasing, an erasing boundary display STL can be applied to a portion newly exposed by erasing the object OJ. Thereby, the user can accurately grasp that the part of the object OJ above the part where the erasing boundary display STL is applied in the image change area FL has been erased.

[Third modification]
Next, a third modified example will be described. In the description so far, the part of the object OJ to be changed in the image change area FL has been changed by erasing. However, the mode of image change in the image change area FL in this modified example is not limited to erasing. For example, semi-transparency (an example of transparency) may be performed as the image change in the image change area FL.
FIG. 16 shows a case where the object OJ11 portion (blocks B21 to BL23, blocks BL31 to BL33) is subject to image change as in FIG. shows an example. The figure shows a state in which blocks B21 to BL23 and blocks BL31 to BL33 to be changed in the image change area FL have changed to a translucent state. Also, the character CH in this case is displayed in a state where it can be seen through the translucent block BL.
With such a display, the user can grasp the original shape of the object OJ11 as well as the state of the character.

Such semi-transparent display of this modified example is performed by the image generators 113 and 113A in step S110 (FIG. 9) and step S1110 (FIG. 13) in correspondence with the first and second embodiments. ), the part of the object OJ to be changed is rendered semi-transparent with a predetermined transparency.

[Summary of the third modification]
As described above, in the game devices 10 and 10A of the present embodiment, the image generators 113 and 113A change the image by making the object OJ transparent.
According to the said structure, in the image change area|region FL, arbitrary transparency can be set and a change can be given to the image of the object OJ, for example.

In addition, the image generators 113 and 113A make the object OJ translucent as the transparency.
According to the said structure, in the image change area FL, a change can be given so that the image of the object OJ may be in a translucent state, for example. Thereby, the user can confirm the presence of the portion of the object OJ that is the target of change, as well as the character CH.

[Fourth modification]
Next, a fourth modified example will be described. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the character CH cannot see the part of the object OJ11 that is blocked by the remaining blocks BL11 to BL13 at the bottom without being erased, and the upper part that can be seen through the blocks BL11 to BL13 is displayed. state. In such a display state, since the user cannot see the entire character CH, it may be difficult to accurately grasp the state of the character CH.
Therefore, in this modification, when the image of the object OJ is changed in the image change area FL, the part of the character CH hidden by the part of the object OJ that remains without being erased is displayed as a silhouette.
In FIG. 17, when the portion of the object OJ11 included in the image change area FL is erased, as in FIG. A displayed example is shown. In other words, in the figure, of the entire character CH, the upper part visible through the blocks BL11 to BL13 is normally displayed, and the part hidden by the blocks BL11 to BL13 is displayed by the silhouette SIL. there is
Such a display of the character CH is performed by the image generation units 113 and 113A in step S112 (FIG. 9) and step S1112 (FIG. 13). This can be realized by drawing the silhouette SIL portion of the character CH so as to be superimposed on the change object image portion.

[Summary of the fourth modification]
As described above, in the game devices 10 and 10A of the present embodiment, the image generators 113 and 113A generate the silhouette SIL of the character CH (the image indicating the existence of the character CH) based on the position of the character CH in the game field GF. (an example) is superimposed on the image showing the object OJ whose image is not changed.
According to the above configuration, the portion of the character CH hidden here is displayed in a state superimposed by the silhouette SIL on the object OJ that remains without image change. As a result, the user can recognize the entire image of the character CH, and thus can accurately grasp the state of the character CH.

[Fifth Modification]
Next, a fifth modified example will be described. In the previous third modification, the portion of the object OJ to be changed in the image change area FL is translucent. On the other hand, in this modified example, first, the remaining portions of the object OJ that are not subject to change are translucent with a predetermined transparency. Then, the portion of the object OJ that is the object of change in the same object OJ is displayed in a semi-transparent manner by setting the transparency higher than the transparency set to the portion that is not the object of change.
Although not shown, depending on such a display, the object OJ including the part to be changed in the image change area FL is displayed semi-transparently, but the part to be changed is compared with the part not to be changed. Displayed with higher transparency. Since the image change area FL is displayed in this way, the user can accurately grasp the presence of the object OJ placed in front of the character CH, and the object OJ placed in front of the character CH can be positioned behind the object OJ. It is also possible to accurately grasp the state of the character CH to be set.

Such semi-transparent display of this modified example is performed by the image generators 113 and 113A in step S110 (FIG. 9) and step S1110 (FIG. 13) in correspondence with the first and second embodiments. ), the part of the object OJ not to be changed is drawn with a predetermined lower transparency, and the part of the object OJ to be changed is drawn more than the object OJ not to be changed. This can be achieved by drawing with a predetermined high transparency.

[Sixth modification]
In each of the embodiments described above, the shape of the image change area FL is fixed, for example, circular. However, the shape of the image change area FL may change according to the state of the character CH in the game field GF, for example.
Therefore, in this modification, the shape of the image change area FL is changed according to the movement direction of the character CH in the game field GF.
With reference to FIG. 18, an example of the shape change of the image change area FL in this modified example will be described. The figure shows a state in which the character CH is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow dir behind the object OJ41 in the game field GF where the objects OJ41 and OJ42 are arranged.

In this modified example, when the character CH is stopped at the same position on the game field GF, the image change area FL is circular with a constant size as in the previous embodiments. Specifically, if the character CH stops at the position shown in FIG.
On the other hand, when the character CH is moving, the shape of the image change area FL changes from the image change area FL-1 to the image change area FL-2 in FIG. In other words, the image change area FL-2 is deformed from the position of the character CH so that the area becomes wider in the moving direction. The figure shows an example in which the image change area FL-2 becomes elliptical in accordance with such a change.
In addition, when the image change area FL is transformed, the determination of the part of the object OJ to be changed such as erasing or semi-transparency is based on the part of the object OJ included in the transformed image change area FL. done.
By performing such a display, when the character CH is moving, the area to which the image change of the object OJ is applied is widened at the movement destination. This makes it easier for the user to grasp the state of the movement destination of the character CH.

Such a change in the shape of the image change area FL can be achieved by setting the image change area FL in steps S104 (FIG. 9) and S1104 (FIG. 13), for example, in correspondence with the first and second embodiments. In doing so, it can be realized by the following processing.
That is, the image generators 113 and 113A determine the reference position of the image change area FL on the game screen based on the position of the character CH as described above. In addition, the image generators 113 and 113A determine whether or not the character CH is moving based on the change in the position of the character CH from now until a certain time ago in the past. Further, the image generators 113 and 113A further determine the moving direction of the character CH in the game field GF if the character is moving. Note that the image generating units 113 and 113A determine whether or not a character moving operation is currently being performed and whether or not the character CH is moving, and move the character CH in the moving direction specified by the character moving operation. A direction of movement may be determined.
The image generators 113 and 113A set a circular image change area FL of a predetermined size around the reference position when the character CH is not moving but is stationary. On the other hand, when the character CH is moving, the area on the side corresponding to the moving direction with respect to the reference position is wider than the area opposite to the moving direction, corresponding to the moving direction of the character CH in the game field GF. An elliptical image change area FL is set.

Also, the size of the image change area FL may be changed according to, for example, the moving speed of the character CH. Specifically, the image generators 113 and 113A may be set to increase the size of the image change area FL as the movement speed of the character CH increases. Such deformation of the image change area FL may include, for example, an aspect in which the degree of widening the area on the moving direction side is increased in accordance with the moving speed of the character CH.
If the image change area FL is changed in accordance with the moving speed of the character CH in this way, the user can detect the presence of the object OJ that affects the movement of the character CH in a wider range when the character CH is moving quickly. be able to comprehend.

[Summary of the sixth modification]
As described above, in the game devices 10 and 10A of the present embodiment, the image generators 113 and 113A change the range of the image change area FL according to the movement of the character CH.
According to the above configuration, for example, the shape of the image change area FL can be changed so as to expand in the direction corresponding to the moving direction of the character CH, and the size of the image change area FL can be changed according to the moving speed. . That is, the image change area FL can be deformed so as to match the movement state of the character CH. This makes it easier to grasp the state of the surrounding object OJ accompanying the movement of the character CH, thereby improving the operability.

[Seventh modification]
In the explanation so far, the case where the viewpoint of the game field GF on the game screen is fixed has been taken as an example. However, the height of the viewpoint with respect to the game field GF may be changed, for example, according to the situation of the game field GF, the user's operation, and the like. When the height of the viewpoint can be changed in this way, even if the positional relationship between the object OJ and the object OJ positioned in front thereof is the same, the character CH can be seen according to the height of the viewpoint. The height of the object OJ is different.

As a specific example, FIG. 19 shows virtual viewpoints PV1 and PV2 having different heights. As an example, with respect to the heights of the virtual viewpoints PV1 and PV2, in the same figure, one point indicates a plane parallel to the reference plane PL and a direction from the viewpoint to the boundary corresponding position p of the character CH (an example of the line-of-sight direction). are indicated by the viewing angles α1, α2 formed by the dashed lines.
In the example shown in the figure, the character CH is positioned directly above the reference plane PL, and the object OJ is arranged in front of the character CH when viewed from the virtual viewpoints PV1 and PV2. Object OJ is in a state in which blocks BL-1, BL-2, and BL-3 are stacked in the height direction.
According to the example of FIG. 1, when the virtual viewpoint PV1 is set, the upper two blocks BL-3 and BL-3 among the blocks BL-1, BL-2 and BL-3 forming the object OJ are displayed. 2 can be seen by changing the image (erasing or making it translucent).
On the other hand, when the virtual viewpoint PV2 higher than the virtual viewpoint PV1 is set, the uppermost block BL-3 among the blocks BL-1, BL-2, and BL-3 forming the object OJ is displayed. The character CH can be seen by changing the image (erasing or translucency).

Therefore, in this modified example, the boundary designation plane BD is set based on the height of the viewpoint in addition to the height of the character CH described with reference to FIG. 7, for example. Specifically, in the case of FIG. 7, when the virtual viewpoint PV1 is set, the image generators 113 and 113A set the plane including the boundary-corresponding position p to the boundary designation plane BD- Set as 1.
By setting the boundary designating plane BD-1 in this way, the two blocks BL-3 and BL-2 from the top are subjected to an image change. becomes visible.
On the other hand, when the virtual viewpoint PV2 is set, the image generators 113 and 113A offset the boundary corresponding position p by the height of one block BL. Then, the image generators 113 and 113A set the plane including the boundary corresponding position p after this offset as the boundary designation plane BD-2.
By setting the boundary designating plane BD-2 in this way, the uppermost block BL-3 is changed, so that from the virtual viewpoint PV2, the block BL-2 on the second stage from the bottom can be seen. , the character CH can be seen.

Under the first embodiment or the second embodiment described above, in order to change the height of the boundary specifying surface BD according to the height of the viewpoint, for example, the storage unit of the game device 10, 10A In 120 and 120A, an offset value table is stored in which an offset value from the boundary corresponding position p for the height at which the boundary specification plane BD is set is associated with each predetermined range of viewpoint height (viewpoint angle). Specifically, in correspondence with the example of FIG. 19, an offset value of “0” is associated with the viewpoint angle range including the viewpoint angle α1, and one block BL is associated with the viewpoint angle range including the viewpoint angle α2. "H", which is the height of the minute, is associated.

In step S108 (FIG. 9) or step S1110, the image generators 113 and 113A may then set the boundary specification plane BD as follows when specifying the object portion to be changed as follows. That is, the image generators 113 and 113A obtain the current viewpoint angle, and refer to the offset value table to obtain the offset value corresponding to the current viewpoint angle. The image generators 113 and 113A offset the height of the boundary-corresponding position p corresponding to the position of the character CH in the increasing direction using the obtained offset value. The image generators 113 and 113A set the plane including the boundary corresponding position p after the offset as the boundary designation plane BD. Through such processing, the height of the boundary between the part of the object OJ to be changed and the part of the object OJ not to be changed can be changed according to the viewpoint angle.

[Summary of the seventh modification]
As described above, in the game device 10 of the present embodiment, the image generators 113 and 113A further change the image based on the line-of-sight direction from the virtual viewpoint to the character CH.
According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine the portion of the object OJ to be changed in image according to the height of the virtual viewpoint, and change the image of the object OJ. Accordingly, when the height of the virtual viewpoint is changed in the game, it is possible to appropriately change the image of the object OJ according to the height of the virtual viewpoint.

[Eighth modification]
Further, when the image generation units 113 and 113A determine whether or not the image of the object OJ is to be changed, it is based on the setting of the boundary designation plane BD determined according to the height of the character CH as shown in FIG. can also be done as follows:
In other words, in step S108 (FIG. 9), the image generation units 113 and 113A of the present modified example first move the character CH from the current position (current position) to the direction in which the viewpoint is set (forward). Then, it is determined whether or not there is a portion of the object OJ that has a height that impedes movement (movement-obstructing portion). If there is a movement-inhibiting portion, the portion of the object OJ that is not the movement-inhibiting portion is the change target. Therefore, when it is determined in step S108 that there is a movement-inhibiting portion, the image generators 113 and 113A further determine whether or not there is a portion of the object OJ that is not a movement-inhibiting portion in the image change area FL.
When it is determined that there is a portion of object OJ that is not a movement-inhibiting portion, image generators 113 and 113A, in step S110, remove portions of object OJ included in image change area FL that are not movement-inhibiting portions. The changed object image portion is drawn so as to erase it and leave the movement inhibiting portion without erasing it. Even in this way, the image change area FL can be displayed in the same manner as in FIG. 4, for example.
Note that the above-mentioned movement-obstructing portion is a portion of the object OJ which has a height that is arranged such that it cannot be moved from the current position of the character CH. However, even if the movement inhibition portion includes a portion of the object OJ at a position where the character CH can be moved even if the next movement operation is performed, but cannot be moved if the character CH is moved a predetermined distance. good.

[Summary of the eighth modification]
As described above, in the game device 10 of the present embodiment, the image generators 113 and 113A do not change the image of the object OJ whose height affects the movement of the character CH at the current position.
According to the above configuration, in the image change area FL, the image of the object OJ having a height that affects the movement of the character CH at the current position is not changed, and the height that does not affect the movement of the character CH at the current position is not changed. , the image change of the object OJ is performed. Thereby, the user can accurately grasp the object OJ that will be an obstacle when the character CH moves from the current position in the game field GF.

[Ninth Modification]
Further, in the description so far, the boundary specification plane BD between the portion of the object OJ subject to image change and the object OJ not subject to image change in the image change area FL is the height of the character CH as shown in FIG. was determined according to However, the boundary specification plane BD may be determined based on the height of the object OJ regardless of the height of the character CH.
As a specific example, the boundary designation plane BD may be fixedly defined as the boundary between the first block BL from the bottom and the second block BL from the bottom. In this case, among the blocks BL forming the object OJ included in the image change area FL, the block BL in the first stage from the bottom is not subject to image change, and the portion of the block BL higher than the second stage from the bottom is always It is subject to image modification and is erased, made semi-transparent, or the like.
In the case of such processing, the processing load can be reduced because it is not necessary to reset the boundary designation plane BD according to the movement of the character CH in the height direction.
In addition, the fixed setting of the boundary specification surface BD as in this modified example is limitedly applied to the object OJ that satisfies a certain condition, for example, the height is below a certain level, and in other game fields GF , the boundary specifying plane BD may be set according to the height of the character CH.

[Summary of the ninth modification]
As described above, the game devices 10 and 10A of the present embodiment have the image generators 113 and 113A that generate images representing the field of view from the virtual viewpoint in the three-dimensional virtual space having the game field GF in which the character CH is arranged. Prepare.
The image generators 113 and 113A change the image by at least one of erasing and making transparent the object OJ based on the height of the object OJ in the three-dimensional virtual space in the image change area FL.
According to the above configuration, the object OJ whose image should be changed can be determined according to the height of the object OJ itself without considering the height of the character CH. This eliminates the need to redetermine the object OJ whose image is to be changed according to the movement of the character CH in the height direction, thereby reducing the processing load.

[Tenth Modification]
In the description so far, in the image change area FL, the part of the object OJ that is subject to change is erased or translucent, and the part that is not subject to change is not erased or translucent, or is not subject to change. It was set to a semi-transparent state with a lower transparency than the part that was marked.
From the viewpoint of the degree of image enhancement, it can be said that the following processing is performed for the difference in the display mode between the part to be changed and the part not to be changed in the object OJ. In other words, in the image change area FL, compared with the areas other than the image change area FL in the game screen, the degree of highlighting and displaying the part to be changed with respect to the part not to be changed is increased. It can be said that it is set to
In this modification, a parameter (image enhancement degree) indicating the degree of enhancement of such an image is used to compare the portion to be changed and the portion not to be changed in the object OJ with respect to each of the above-described embodiments. An image is generated so that a similar display change can be obtained.

For example, when applying this modified example under the first embodiment, the image generating unit 113 may generate a sets the standard image enhancement degree corresponding to normal display, and similarly sets the standard image enhancement degree for the portion above the boundary designation plane BD. On the other hand, for the object OJ included in the image change area FL, the standard image enhancement level corresponding to normal display is set for the portion below the boundary specification plane BD, but for the portion above the boundary specification plane BD sets the lower than standard image enhancement corresponding to erasure (hidden).
The degree of image enhancement in this modification can be treated as the degree of transparency of the image. Therefore, if the image enhancement level lower than the standard set for the portion above the boundary designation plane BD in the image change area FL is set to an image enhancement level higher than that corresponding to erasing, translucent as in the third modified example. state can be set.

[Summary of the tenth modification]
As described above, the game device 10, 10A of the present embodiment includes the position acquisition section 112 and the image generation section 113 or 113A.
The position acquisition unit 112 acquires information on the position of a character CH (an example of a second object) which is provided in a three-dimensional virtual space and can move in a game field GF on which an object OJ (an example of a first object) is arranged. .
The image generation unit 113 or 113A generates an image of a game screen (an example of an image representing a field of view from a virtual viewpoint in a three-dimensional virtual space).
Then, the image generating unit 113 or 113A creates a high position object OJ that is higher than the boundary specifying surface BD (an example of the boundary height) set based on the position of the character CH, and a high position object OJ that is higher than the high position object OJ. In the image change area FL (an example of the first display area), the game screen (an example of a second display area different from the first display area) other than the image change area FL in .
According to the above configuration, by setting the degree of image enhancement, it is possible to change the image change area FL so that the object OJ whose image is to be changed is erased or made transparent.

[Other Modifications]
Although the shape of the image change area FL has been described as circular or elliptical in the description so far, it is not limited to such a shape, and may be rectangular, for example.

In the description so far, the target object displayed in the image change area FL, which serves as the reference for setting the image change area FL, is the character CH (operated character) operated by the user. However, the target object is not limited to the playable character, and may be any object that exists in the three-dimensional virtual space. For example, in spectator mode, it may be desired to grasp the situation of the enemy character. In response to such a situation, the image change area FL may be set with the enemy character as a reference, and the enemy character may be displayed within the image change area FL.

Also, in the game to which the game devices 10 and 10A of the present embodiment are compatible, a game screen is displayed in a state in which the game field is viewed obliquely from above from a virtual viewpoint set in a three-dimensional virtual space. The content of the game is not particularly limited as long as it is a game.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes design and the like within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the configurations described in the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily.

By recording a program for realizing the functions of the game devices 10 and 10A described above in a computer-readable recording medium and causing a computer system to read and execute the program recorded in the recording medium, the game device 10, 10A, etc. may be performed. Here, "loading and executing the program recorded on the recording medium into the computer system" includes installing the program in the computer system. The "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Also, the "computer system" may include a plurality of computer devices connected via a network including communication lines such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, and dedicated lines. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible discs, magneto-optical discs, ROMs and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard discs incorporated in computer systems. Thus, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Recording media also include internal or external recording media accessible from the distribution server for distributing the program. The program code stored in the recording medium of the distribution server may be different from the program code in a format executable by the terminal device. That is, as long as it can be downloaded from the distribution server and installed in a form that can be executed on the terminal device, the form stored in the distribution server does not matter. It should be noted that the program may be divided into a plurality of parts, and the divided programs may be downloaded at different timings and then merged in the terminal device, or the distribution servers that distribute the divided programs may be different. In addition, "computer-readable recording medium" is a volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that acts as a server or client when the program is transmitted via a network, and retains the program for a certain period of time. It shall also include things. Further, the program may be for realizing part of the functions described above. Further, it may be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the above functions by combining with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[Appendix]
From the above description, the present invention can be grasped, for example, as follows. In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the attached drawings are added in parentheses for convenience, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments.

[Appendix 1]
A game device (10, 10A) according to an aspect of the present invention is provided in a three-dimensional virtual space, and a game field (GF) in which a first object (for example, object OJ) is arranged is a second object ( For example, a position acquisition unit (112, S100, S1100) that acquires information about the position of the character (CH), and an image generation unit (113, 113A) that generates an image representing the field of view from the virtual viewpoint in the three-dimensional virtual space. wherein, when generating the image, the image generation unit changes the position of the first object with respect to the position of the second object in a display area (for example, an image change area FL) including at least part of the second object , the image is changed by at least one of erasing and making transparent the first object (S108, S110, S112, S1110, S1112).

According to the above configuration, the portion to be erased of the first object is determined according to the height of the second object in the display area, and the determined portion is erased. By such processing, in the display area, based on the height of the second object, it is possible to erase an object OJ having a height above a certain level and display an object having a height below a certain level without erasing it. .
As a result, the state of the second object that is hidden behind the first object can be displayed so that the user can check it, and the user can also be made aware of the existence of the first object that affects the movement of the second object.
As a result, when a specific object (second object) is shielded by another object (first object) in the three-dimensional virtual space, the user can observe the specific object, and then the other object can be viewed. It is also possible to grasp the positional relationship with a specific object.

[Appendix 2]
An aspect of the present invention is the game device according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the image generation unit determines whether to change the image based on the position of the second object in the game field. (S1108).
According to the above configuration, whether or not to change the image of the first object is determined based on the position of the second object in the game field. As a result, for example, depending on the position of the first object, it is possible not to change the image even if the first object is present in the display area and has such a height that the image can be changed. As a result, for example, it is possible to solve the problem that the user feels annoyed when the image is changed even for the small first object.

[Appendix 3]
An aspect of the present invention is the game device according to appendix 2, wherein the image generation unit detects the image of the second object when the second object exists at a predetermined position within the game field. The image modification is performed based on the height of the first object with respect to the position (S1108, S1110).
According to the above configuration, if the second object is positioned at a predetermined position within the game field, the image of the first object can be changed according to the height of the second object. On the other hand, if the second object is positioned at a position different from the predetermined position within the game field, the image of the first object is displayed even if the first object is positioned in front of the second object. You can avoid making changes. That is, whether or not the image of the first object should be changed can be efficiently set in association with the position (coordinates) in the game field.

[Appendix 4]
One aspect of the present invention is the game device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein the image generation unit is capable of identifying whether or not the image is changed in the display area. (DS, S112 or S116, S1112 or S1116).
According to the above configuration, a display indicating whether or not the image has been changed in the display area is displayed on the game screen. Thereby, the user can clearly grasp whether or not the portion of the first object to be changed is currently erased.

[Appendix 5]
An aspect of the present invention is the game device according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the image generation unit generates a first object whose image has not been changed. An image is generated so that the boundary with the first object can be identified (STL, S110, S1110).
According to the above configuration, for example, in the first object whose image is not changed, the boundary where the image is changed is shown with respect to the part that is newly displayed due to the image change of the first object. display is performed. Thereby, the user can easily grasp that the erased part of the first object is above the part where the boundary is indicated in the display area.

[Appendix 6]
An aspect of the present invention is the game device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 5, wherein the image generation unit makes the first object translucent as the transparency (S110, S1110). .
According to the above configuration, in the display area, the image of the first object can be changed, for example, so as to be translucent. This allows the user to confirm the existence of the portion of the first object that is the object of modification as well as the second object.

[Appendix 7]
An aspect of the present invention is the game device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6, wherein the image generation unit detects the existence of the second object based on the position of the second object in the game field. is superimposed on the image showing the first object for which the image change is not performed (SIL, S112, S1112).
According to the above configuration, the portion of the second object hidden behind the first object remaining without image change is displayed in a state of being superimposed in a predetermined manner. As a result, the user can recognize the overall image of the second object, and thus can accurately grasp the state of the second object.

[Appendix 8]
One aspect of the present invention is the game device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 7, wherein the image generation unit changes the range of the display area according to movement of the second object ( FL-2, S104, S1104).
According to the above configuration, for example, it is possible to change the shape so as to expand the display area in a direction corresponding to the moving direction of the second object, or change the size of the display area according to the moving speed. That is, it is possible to transform the display area so as to match the movement state of the second object. This makes it easier to grasp the state of the surrounding first object accompanying the movement of the second object, thereby improving operability.

[Appendix 9]
An aspect of the present invention is the game device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 8, wherein the image generation unit further comprises: Based on this, the image is changed (S110, S1110).
According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine the portion of the first object to be changed in image according to the height of the virtual viewpoint, and change the image of the first object. Accordingly, when the height of the virtual viewpoint is changed in the game, it is possible to appropriately change the image of the first object according to the height of the virtual viewpoint.

[Appendix 10]
An aspect of the present invention is the game device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 9, wherein the image generation unit controls the movement of the second object at the current position with the height of the first object that affects the movement of the second object. Objects are excluded from the image change (S108, S110).
According to the above configuration, in the display area, the image of the first object having a height that affects the movement of the second object at the current position is not changed. An image modification is performed on the first object of . This allows the user to accurately grasp the first object that affects the movement of the second object from its current position on the game field.

[Appendix 11]
One aspect of the present invention includes an image generator that generates an image representing a field of view from a virtual viewpoint in a three-dimensional virtual space having a game field in which a first object is arranged, wherein the image generator generates the game field. In a display area that includes at least a portion of a movable second object, the image is changed by at least one of erasing and making transparent the first object based on the height of the first object in the three-dimensional virtual space. It is a game device that performs
According to the above configuration, the first object whose image is to be changed can be determined according to the height of the first object itself without considering the height of the second object. This eliminates the need to redetermine the first object whose image is to be changed according to the movement of the second object in the height direction, thereby reducing the processing load.

[Appendix 12]
One aspect of the present invention is a position acquisition unit that acquires information about the position of a second object that can move in a game field in which the first object is arranged in a three-dimensional virtual space, and and an image generation unit that generates an image representing a field of view, wherein the image generation unit generates a first object at a high position higher than a boundary height set based on the position of the second object, and the first object at a high position. , and a low-position first object that is lower than the high-position first object, and the degree of emphasizing and displaying the low-position first object with respect to the high-position first object is determined by the second In the game device, a first display area including at least part of an object is higher than a second display area different from the first display area.
According to the above configuration, by setting the degree to which the object is emphasized and displayed, the first object whose image is to be changed can be erased or made transparent in the display area.

[Appendix 13]
One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as the game device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 12.

10, 10A game device, 110, 110A game control unit, 111 game progression unit, 112 position acquisition unit, 113, 113A image generation unit, 120, 120A storage unit, 121 position setting table, 130 operation unit, 140 display unit

Claims (5)

computer as a game device,
In a game field provided in a three-dimensional virtual space where a first object is placed, the first object can move in an area where movement is not restricted by the first object, and can move horizontally and vertically on a reference plane set in the game field. a position acquisition unit that acquires information about the position of the second object that can move in a direction ;
A program for functioning as an image generation unit that generates an image representing a field of view from a virtual viewpoint in the three-dimensional virtual space,
the image representing the field of view includes a first display area including at least part of the second object and a second display area not including the second object;
The image generation unit erases and makes transparent the first object above a predetermined height defined within a range in the height direction of the second object currently positioned in the first display area. A program that performs an image change by at least one of the above, and does not perform the image change in the second display area. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the image generation unit generates an image so that a boundary between the first object whose image is not changed and the first object whose image is changed can be identified. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the image generator makes the first object translucent as the transparency. 2. From claim 1, wherein the image generation unit superimposes an image showing the presence of the second object on an image showing the first object without the image change, based on the position of the second object in the game field. 4. The program according to any one of 3. In a game field provided in a three-dimensional virtual space where a first object is placed, the first object can move in an area where movement is not restricted by the first object, and can move horizontally and vertically on a reference plane set in the game field. a position acquisition unit that acquires information about the position of a second object that can move in a direction ;
an image generation unit that generates an image representing a field of view from a virtual viewpoint in the three-dimensional virtual space;
the image representing the field of view includes a first display area including at least part of the second object and a second display area not including the second object;
The image generation unit erases and makes transparent the first object above a predetermined height defined within a range in the height direction of the second object currently positioned in the first display area. , and the image is not changed in the second display area.

Images