JPH1166342A - Image generating device and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image generating device and an information storage medium which realize a close contest between traveling objects. SOLUTION: Plural traveling objects are moved on a course in an object space. When a traveling object 22 travels behind a traveling object 20, the traveling performance MP2 of the object 22 is higher than the traveling performance MP1 of the object 20, and also the gravitation acceleration G2 that works on the object 22 when it jumps is bigger than the gravitation acceleration G1 that works on the object 20 when it jumps. This prevents the object 22 from getting ahead over the head of the object 20 and reduces the unfairness that is felt by players. The gravitation acceleration is decided so that their jump loci my be almost the same when the objects 20 and 22 jump. Their raveling performance and gravitation acceleration are decided based on the order of the objects and the distance between them. The initial velocity when the objects jump is more higher, then the graviton acceleration applied on the objects may be made more higher.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image generating apparatus and an information storage medium for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image in which a plurality of display objects are arranged in an object space which is a virtual three-dimensional space to generate an image viewed from a given viewpoint in the object space. Generating devices are known and are very popular for experiencing so-called virtual reality. For example, in the case of an image generating apparatus capable of enjoying a driving game, a player drives a car (moving body) operated by himself / herself on a course in an object space.
Enjoy a 3D game.

In recent years, among such three-dimensional games,
In particular, a competitive three-dimensional game in which a player operates a moving object and competes with another player or a moving object operated by a computer while competing for a ranking or a time is gaining in popularity.

In such a competitive three-dimensional game, if the result of the competition is determined only by the operation skill of the player, a beginner player who cannot easily compete and an advanced player who desires a formidable competitor will not be able to play the game. Lose interest. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a handicap to the losing player for absorbing the level of the operation skill. This makes it possible to realize a heated competition game.

[0005] However, if the losing player becomes too advantageous by giving a handicap, the winning player will be given an unnatural or unfair feeling, and the player's immersion in the game will be reduced. Will be impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to realize an intense competition between moving objects and to reduce an unnatural feeling and an unfair feeling given to a player. An object of the present invention is to provide a generation device and an information storage medium.

[0007]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image generating apparatus for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space. Perform the operation to move the moving object of
When the second moving body among the plurality of moving bodies is traveling later than the first moving body, the traveling performance of the second moving body is reduced by the first moving body. Moving object calculating means for performing an operation to increase the gravitational acceleration acting on the second moving object at the time of jumping to be higher than the gravitational acceleration acting on the first moving object at the time of jumping; Means for generating an image from a given viewpoint.

According to the present invention, the second moving body is the first moving body.
When the vehicle travels later than the moving object, the traveling performance of the second moving object increases and the gravitational acceleration acting on the second moving object increases. By increasing the traveling performance of the second moving body, the possibility that the second moving body can catch up with the first moving body can be increased, and a heated competition can be expected. On the other hand, when the traveling performance of the second moving body increases, the jump height and the jump distance of the second moving body increase and increase. As a result, there is a possibility that the second moving body may pass over the head of the first moving body, giving an unnatural feeling and an unfair feeling to the player. In such a case, according to the present invention, the gravitational acceleration acting on the second moving body is increased, and the jump height and the jump distance of the second moving body can be reduced and shortened. Can be prevented.

Further, the present invention determines the gravitational acceleration acting on the first and second moving bodies at the time of the jump so that the jump trajectories of the first and second moving bodies at the time of the jump become substantially the same. Features. By doing so, the unnatural feeling and unfair feeling felt by the player can be further reduced. In this case, it is desirable to make the jump height and the jump distance of the second moving body slightly higher than those of the first moving body.

Further, according to the present invention, based on the order of the first and second moving bodies, the running performance of the first and second moving bodies and the attractive force acting on the first and second moving bodies when jumping. It is characterized by determining the acceleration. By doing this,
The setting of the running performance and the gravitational acceleration can be performed by simple processing. Further, it is possible to effectively use the data indicating the ranking of the moving objects.

[0011] Based on the distance between the first and second moving bodies, the running performance of the first and second moving bodies and the gravitational acceleration acting on the first and second moving bodies when jumping are determined. You may decide.

The present invention also relates to an image generating apparatus for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space. The image generating apparatus performs an operation of moving a plurality of moving objects on a course in an object space, and Moving object calculating means for performing an operation for increasing the gravitational acceleration acting on the moving object as the initial speed at the time of jump increases, and means for generating an image at a given viewpoint in the object space. . By doing so, it is possible to reduce the dispersion of the jump trajectory caused by the magnitude of the initial speed, and it is possible to reduce the unnatural feeling felt by the player.

[0013]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, a case where the present invention is applied to a motorcycle game will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the image generating apparatus of the present embodiment.

The operation unit 10 is used by a player to input operation data by operating an accelerator and a brake or rolling a vehicle body. The operation data obtained by the operation unit 10 is a processing unit. 100 is input.

The processing unit 100 performs a process of arranging a display object in an object space and a process of generating an image at a given viewpoint in the object space based on the operation data and a given program. It is. The function of the processing unit 100 is a CPU (CISC type, RISC type),
This can be realized by hardware such as a DSP and an IC dedicated to image generation.

The information storage medium 190 stores programs and data. The functions of the information storage medium 190 are as follows: CD-ROM, game cassette, IC card, M
It can be realized by hardware such as O, FD, DVD, hard disk, and memory. The processing unit 100 performs various processes based on the program and data from the information storage medium 190.

The processing section 100 includes a game calculation section 110 and an image generation section 150. Here, the game calculation unit 110
Processing for setting a game mode, processing for proceeding with a game, processing for determining the position and direction of a moving object, processing for arranging a display object in an object space, and the like are performed. The image generation unit 150 performs a process of generating an image at a given viewpoint in the object space set by the game calculation unit 110. Image generator 150
Are displayed on the display unit 12.

The moving body computing section 112, based on operation data input from the operating section 10 or a given program, stores a plurality of moving bodies (bikes) operated by a player, another player, or a computer in an object space. To move on the course. More specifically, a calculation is performed to determine the positions and directions of the plurality of moving objects for each inter, for example.

For example, the position of the moving body at the (k-1) inter is PMk-1, the speed is VMk-1, the acceleration is AMk-1, and the time of one inter is Δt. Then, the position PMk and the speed VMk of the moving body at the k-inter are, for example, the following equations (1) and (2).
Is required. PMk = PMk−1 + VMk−1 × Δt (1) VMk = VMk−1 + AMk−1 (VXR) × Δt (2)

The feature of the present embodiment is that, when the second moving body of the plurality of moving bodies is traveling later than the first moving body, the traveling of the second moving body is performed. Performance first
And the gravitational acceleration acting on the second moving body when jumping is made larger than the gravitational acceleration acting on the first moving body.

More specifically, the following processing is performed.

That is, as shown in FIG.
(Moving body) travels later than the moving body 20 (first moving body). In this case, in the present embodiment, the traveling performance M of the moving body 22 traveling with a delay
P2 is set higher than the traveling performance MP1 of the moving body 20 traveling ahead. That is, the traveling performance is set so that the moving body 22 is faster than the moving body 20. By doing so, the chance of the moving body 22 catching up with the moving body 20 is increased, and competition between the moving bodies can be heated.

To improve the traveling performance of the moving body, for example, the speed of the moving body may be directly increased, or the acceleration may be increased. The setting may be such that both the maximum speed and the acceleration are high (for example, the engine characteristics are such that the torque does not decrease even when the speed increases).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the traveling performance MP2 of the moving body 22 is made higher than the traveling performance MP1 of the moving body 20, and the gravitational acceleration G2 acting on the moving body 22 at the time of jumping is applied to the moving body 20. It is set to be larger than the gravitational acceleration G1 that works. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the moving body 22 having high running performance jumps high and far and passes over the moving body 20.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3 (A), the moving body 22 running with a delay jumps higher than the moving body 20 in order to obtain high running performance. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, a situation occurs in which the moving body 22 passes over the head of the moving body 20. Such a situation occurs when the mobile unit 20
This gives the player operating the game a feeling of unnaturalness and unfairness, and impairs the player's immersion in the game.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the gravitational acceleration G2 acting on the moving body 22 is made larger than the gravitational acceleration G1 acting on the moving body 20. As a result, the jump height of the moving body 22 can be reduced, and the jump distance can be shortened. As a result, it is possible to prevent the moving body 22 from overtaking the head of the moving body 20.

For example, let VJ1 and VJ2 be the initial velocities of the moving bodies 20 and 22 at the time of jump, and set the jump angle (elevation angle) to θ.
Then, the jump heights HJ1, HJ of the mobile units 20, 22
J2 and jump distances LJ1 and LJ2 are expressed by the following equations (3) to
It can be expressed as (6). ^{HJ1 = (VJ1 2 × sin 2} θ) / 2G1 (3) HJ2 = (VJ2 2 × sin 2 θ) / 2G2 (4) LJ1 = (VJ1 2 × sin2θ) / G1 (5) LJ2 = (VJ2 2 × sin2θ ) / G2 (6) In the above equations (3) to (6), the influence of air resistance and the like are neglected.

As is apparent from the above equations (3) to (6),
When the traveling performance of the moving body 22 becomes high and VJ2> VJ1, HJ2> HJ1 and LJ2> LJ1, and the jump height and the jump distance become high and long. However, according to this embodiment, since G2> G1, HJ2 and HJ
1 and the difference between LJ2 and LJ1 can be reduced. This can reduce the unnaturalness and unfairness felt by the player.

If a simulation faithful to the real world is intended, G1 = G2 = G and the gravitational acceleration should be a constant. However, focusing on the fact that aiming at a simulation faithful to the real world in this way makes the game unnatural, the present embodiment differs in that the gravitational acceleration, which should be a constant, is changed according to the traveling performance of the moving object. There is a feature.

Note that, as shown in FIG.
The gravitational accelerations G1, G2, G3 such that the jump trajectories at the time of the jumps 2 and 24 become substantially the same trajectory 30.
It is desirable to adjust. More desirably, it is desirable to adjust the gravitational accelerations G1, G2, and G3 so that the moving object having higher running performance has a trajectory in which the jump height is slightly higher and the jump distance is slightly longer. By doing so, it is possible to increase the realism of the game while reducing the unnaturalness and unfairness felt by the player.

Next, a detailed processing example of this embodiment will be described.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the order of the moving object of interest is determined (step S1). The ranking of the moving body can be obtained, for example, by dividing the course into strip-shaped course blocks and determining on which course block the moving body is traveling based on the position coordinates of the moving body.

Next, the traveling performance of the moving body is changed based on the ranking obtained in step S1 (step S2). This can be realized, for example, by preparing a rank-running performance table as shown in FIG. 6A and reading out the running performance corresponding to the rank of the moving object from this table.

Next, it is determined whether or not the moving object is jumping (step S3). This can be determined based on the position of the moving body and the height of the course.

If the moving object is jumping, the gravitational acceleration acting on the moving object is changed based on the order obtained in step S1 (step S4). This can be realized, for example, by preparing a rank-gravity acceleration table as shown in FIG. 6B and reading out the gravitational acceleration corresponding to the rank of the moving object from this table.

On the other hand, when the moving body is not jumping, the normal gravitational acceleration is set for the moving body (step S).
5).

Finally, steps S2, S4, S
Based on the traveling performance, gravitational acceleration, and the like set in step 5, the position, direction, and the like of the moving object are calculated (step S6).

In FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B, the running performance of each moving object and the gravitational acceleration acting on each moving object when jumping are determined based on the order of each moving object. However, for example, tables such as those shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D are prepared, and based on the distance between the moving bodies (the distance to the leading moving body), the traveling performance of each moving body and the The gravitational acceleration that acts on the moving object when jumping may be determined. Alternatively, the driving performance and the gravitational acceleration may be determined by a function calculation without using the tables as shown in FIGS.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a game image obtained by the present embodiment. This image is an image at a given viewpoint in the object space. As shown in FIG. 7, according to the present embodiment, the jump trajectories of the moving bodies 40, 42, 44, and 46 are substantially the same, and the unnaturalness and unfairness felt by the player can be reduced.

Next, an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the device shown in the figure, the CPU 1000, the ROM 1002, the RA
M1004, information storage medium 1006, sound generation IC 100
8, image generation IC 1010, I / O port 1012, 1
014 are connected to each other via a system bus 1016 so that data can be transmitted and received therebetween. And the image generation IC1
010 is connected to a display 1018 to generate a sound I
A speaker 1020 is connected to C1008, a control device 1022 is connected to I / O port 1012, and a communication device 1024 is connected to I / O port 1014.

The information storage medium 1006 mainly stores programs, image data for expressing a display object, sound data, and the like. For example, in a home game device, a CD-R is used as an information storage medium for storing a game program and the like.
OMs, game cassettes, DVDs and the like are used. In the arcade game machine, a memory such as a ROM is used. In this case, the information storage medium 1006 is the ROM 1002.

The control device 1022 corresponds to a game controller, an operation panel, and the like, and is a device for inputting a result of a determination made by a player in accordance with the progress of a game to the main body of the device.

The program stored in the information storage medium 1006, the system program (initialization information of the apparatus main body) stored in the ROM 1002, the control apparatus 102
CPU 1000 according to a signal input by
Controls the entire apparatus and performs various data processing. RAM10
Reference numeral 04 denotes storage means used as a work area or the like of the CPU 1000. The information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 10
02, or the calculation result of the CPU 1000 or the like is stored. A data structure having a logical configuration as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D is constructed on the RAM or the information storage medium.

Further, this type of device includes a sound generation IC 100
8 and an image generating IC 1010 are provided so that a suitable output of game sounds and game images can be performed.
The sound generation IC 1008 includes the information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 1
This is an integrated circuit that generates game sounds such as sound effects and background music based on the information stored in 002, and the generated game sounds are output by the speaker 1020. The image generation IC 1010 includes a RAM 1004,
An integrated circuit that generates pixel information to be output to the display 1018 based on image information sent from the ROM 1002, the information storage medium 1006, and the like. Note that a so-called head-mounted display (HMD) can also be used as the display 1018.

The communication device 1024 exchanges various types of information used inside the game device with the outside. The communication device 1024 is connected to another game device to transmit and receive given information according to the game program. It is used for transmitting and receiving information such as a game program via a communication line.

The various processes described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIGS. 6A to 7 correspond to the information storage medium 1006 storing a program for performing the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG.
Are realized by the CPU 1000, the image generation IC 1010, the sound generation IC 1008, etc., which operate according to the program. Note that the image generation IC 1010 and the sound generation IC 10
The processing performed in step 08 or the like may be performed by software using the CPU 1000 or a general-purpose DSP.

FIG. 9 shows an example in which this embodiment is applied to an arcade game device. The player uses the display 1
The operator operates the accelerator 1102 and the brake 1104 while watching the game image projected on the
5 is rolled, and the moving body 1103 on the screen is operated to enjoy the game. In FIG. 9, a CPU, an image generation IC, a sound generation IC, and the like are mounted on a system board 1106 built in the apparatus. Then, an operation of moving a plurality of moving bodies on a course in the object space is performed, and when the second moving body among the plurality of moving bodies is running later than the first moving body, Makes the traveling performance of the second moving body higher than the traveling performance of the first moving body and makes the gravitational acceleration acting on the second moving body at the time of jump larger than the gravitational acceleration acting on the first moving body at the time of jumping Information for performing the calculation to perform the calculation for moving the plurality of moving objects on the course in the object space, and also perform the calculation for increasing the gravitational acceleration acting on the moving object as the initial speed at the time of the jump of the moving object increases. Information for generating an image at a given viewpoint in object space, etc.
Memory 1 as information storage medium on system board 1106
108. Hereinafter, such information is referred to as stored information. The stored information includes at least one of a program code, image information, sound information, shape information of a display object, table data, list data, player information, and the like for performing the various processes described above.

FIG. 10A shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a home game machine. The player looks at the game image displayed on the display 1200,
The game controller 1202 and 1204 are operated to enjoy the game. In this case, the stored information is stored in the CD-ROM 1206, which is an information storage medium detachable from the main unit.
It is stored in C cards 1208, 1209 and the like.

FIG. 10B shows a host device 1300,
An example in which the present embodiment is applied to a game device including this host device 1300 and terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n connected via a communication line 1302 will be described. in this case,
The storage information is stored in an information storage medium 1306 such as a magnetic disk device, a magnetic tape device, or a memory that can be controlled by the host device 1300. Terminal 1304-1 ~
If the CPU 1304-n has a CPU, an image generation IC, and a sound generation IC and can generate a game image and a game sound in a stand-alone manner, the host device 1300 can generate a game image and a game sound. Are delivered to the terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n. on the other hand,
If it cannot be generated standalone, the host device 1
300 generates a game image and a game sound, and
The data is transmitted to 304-1 to 1304-n and output at the terminal.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the above embodiment, the higher the traveling performance of the moving body, the greater the gravitational acceleration acting on the moving body. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the gravitational acceleration acting on the moving body may be increased as the initial velocity of the moving body at the time of jump increases. For example, in FIG. 11, the initial speed V2 of the moving body 52 when jumping is higher than the initial speed V1 of the moving body 50 when jumping. In this case, the moving object 5
2 is made larger than the gravitational acceleration G1 acting on the moving body 50. In this way, when the gravitational acceleration is kept constant, the jump trajectory 60 that largely disperses according to the magnitude of the initial velocity as shown in FIG. The jump trajectory 62 can be set. This can reduce the unnatural feeling felt by the player while sacrificing the realism of the game to some extent.

It is particularly desirable to determine the traveling performance and the gravitational acceleration of the moving object by the order or the distance, but it is also possible to determine the other factors.

The present embodiment can be applied not only to a motorcycle game but also to various games, and can also be applied to a simulation for training.

Further, the present invention is applicable not only to home and business game machines, but also to a simulator, a large attraction device in which many players participate, a personal computer,
The present invention can also be applied to various image generating apparatuses such as a multimedia terminal and a system board for generating a game image.

[0056]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of a functional block diagram of an image generating apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present embodiment.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining a problem that occurs when the gravitational acceleration is not adjusted.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining that a jump trajectory of a moving object is made substantially the same.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a detailed processing example of the embodiment;

FIGS. 6A to 6D are diagrams for explaining various tables used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image generated by the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the present embodiment is applied to an arcade game device.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of various types of apparatuses to which the present embodiment is applied.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a method of increasing the gravitational acceleration as the initial speed at the time of jump is higher.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams for explaining an advantage of a method of increasing the gravitational acceleration as the initial speed at the time of jump is higher.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Operation part 12 Display part 20 Moving body (1st moving body) 22 Moving body (2nd moving body) 100 Processing part 110 Game calculation part 112 Moving body calculation part 150 Image generation part 190 Information storage medium

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An image generating apparatus for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space, comprising: performing an operation of moving a plurality of moving objects on a course in an object space; When the middle second moving body is running later than the first moving body, the running performance of the second moving body is made higher than the running performance of the first moving body. And a moving body calculating means for performing an operation to make the gravitational acceleration acting on the second moving body when jumping larger than the gravitational acceleration acting on the first moving body when jumping, and an image at a given viewpoint in an object space. Generating means for generating an image. 2. The gravitational acceleration that acts on the first and second moving bodies at the time of jumping so that jump trajectories of the first and second moving bodies at the time of jumping are determined. An image generating apparatus, characterized in that: 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second mobile units are ranked based on the order of the first and second mobile units.
An image generating apparatus, wherein a running performance of a second moving body and an attractive acceleration acting on the first and second moving bodies at the time of jumping are determined. 4. The travel performance of the first and second moving bodies and the first and second movements according to claim 1 or 2, based on a distance between the first and second moving bodies. An image generating apparatus for determining gravitational acceleration acting on a body when jumping. 5. An image generating apparatus for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space, comprising: performing an operation of moving a plurality of moving objects on a course in the object space; A moving body calculating means for performing a calculation for increasing the gravitational acceleration acting on the moving body as the initial velocity of the moving object increases; and a means for generating an image at a given viewpoint in the object space. . 6. An information storage medium for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space, comprising: performing an operation of moving a plurality of moving objects on a course in an object space; When the second moving body in the body is running later than the first moving body, the running performance of the second moving body is made smaller than the running performance of the first moving body. Information for performing an operation to increase the gravitational acceleration acting on the second moving body when jumping and the gravitational acceleration acting on the first moving body when jumping, and at a given viewpoint in the object space, An information storage medium comprising: information for generating an image. 7. An information storage medium for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space, wherein the information storage medium performs an operation of moving a plurality of moving objects on a course in the object space, and The information includes information for performing an operation for increasing the gravitational acceleration acting on the moving body as the initial speed at the time of the jump is higher, and information for generating an image at a given viewpoint in the object space. Information storage medium.