The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-291641, filed on Oct. 4, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game program for causing a computer in a game device to execute a game process.
2. Description of the Background Art
As a technique for displaying a game explanatory information while a video game is being played, there is a technique described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-192689 (hereinafter, referred to as patent document 1). In patent document 1, it is described that a game image is displayed on an upper screen and an image of the game explanatory information is displayed on a lower screen in accordance with a progress of the game. Thereby a player can play the game while looking at the image of the game explanatory information as needed.
In the technique of patent document 1, however, since the image of the game explanatory information is displayed on the screen which is different from the screen for displaying the game image, even when important game explanatory information regarding a game progress state is displayed at predetermined timing, the player who is absorbed in the game may not notice at all that the image of the game explanatory information is displayed.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a display method which is capable of reminding a player in a natural manner that for example, important explanatory information or the like is displayed on a screen area which is different from a screen area at which the player is looking while playing a game.
The present invention has the following features to attain the object mentioned above. The reference numerals, supplementary explanations, and the like provided in parentheses merely illustrate correspondence with the below-described embodiment for assisting in the understanding of the present invention, and by no means limit the scope of invention.
A computer-readable storage medium of the present invention is a computer-readable storage medium having game programs stored thereon which cause a computer (21), in a game device (10) comprising at least two image display areas (11, 12), to function as a first image display controller, a second image display controller, and a sight line guiding object display controller.
The first image display controller (50) is to display a first image on a first image display area (11).
The second image display controller (51) is to display a second image on a second image display area(12).
The sight line guiding object display controller (52) is to display a sight line guiding object (40, 42, 44), which guides a player's sight line from the second image display area to the first image display area, on the first image display area and the second image display area so as to gradually move from a second spot in the second image, across a boundary between the first image display area and the second image display area, to a first spot in the first image.
A first preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the first image display area and the second image display respectively correspond to two display screens (11, 12) disposed in proximity to each other. Thus, by utilizing the sight line guiding object, a player's sight line can be guided in a natural manner from one to another of the two display screens disposed in proximity to each other.
A second preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the first image is an image for displaying any of explanatory information regarding a map of a game space, explanatory information regarding a game operation method, and explanatory information regarding a progress state of the game.
A third preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the second image display controller temporarily stops movements of other objects displayed on the second image display area at least while the sight line guiding object is moving from the second image display area to the first image display area. Thus, since the progress of the game stops while the sight line guiding object is moving from the second image display area to the first image display area, a player can move his or her sight line at ease to the first image display area.
A fourth preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the second image is an image showing a game world in which a player character (40) operated by a player is included and the first image is an image for explaining a method of operating the player character. Thus, a method of operating the player character can be informed in an ensured manner to a player who is absorbed in a game.
A fifth preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the sight line guiding object is the player character (
A sixth preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the sight line guiding object is a character (42) which is different from the player character (
A seventh preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that when the first image display controller displays the explanatory information on the first image display area, the sight line guiding object display controller displays the sight line guiding object on the first image display area and the second image display area so that the sight line guiding object moves from the second spot to the first spot.
An eighth preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the second image is an image showing the game world and the first image is an image showing the map of the game world, thus allowing a player to see the map of the game world in an ensured manner while playing a game.
A ninth preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the first spot is a spot on the map of the game world, which corresponds to a spot displayed on the first image display area (
A tenth preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that when a course to a destination is informed to the player by utilizing the map in the first image, the sight line guiding object display controller displays the sight line guiding object on the first image display area and the second image display area so that the sight line guiding object moves from the second spot to the first spot. Thus, when the course to the destination is informed to a player by utilizing the map in the first image, the player's sight line can be guided to the first image display area in an ensured manner.
An eleventh preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that the first spot is a spot on the map of the game world, which corresponds to a spot at which an event occurring at the spot displayed on the first image display area exerts an influence (
A twelfth preferable exemplary embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention has a feature that when the spot at which the event occurring at the spot displayed on the first image display area exerts the influence is informed to a player, the sight line guiding object display controller displays the sight line guiding object (44) on the first image display area and the second image display area so that the sight line guiding object moves from the second spot to the first spot. Thus, when the spot at which an event exerts an influence is informed to a player, the player's sight line can be guided to the first image display area in an ensured manner.
A game device of the present invention comprises: a first image display controller (21, 50) for displaying a first image on a first image display area (11); a second image display controller for displaying a second image on a second image display area; and a sight line guiding object display controller (21, 52) for displaying a sight line guiding object (40, 42, 44), which guides a player's sight line from the second image display area to the first image display area, on the first image display area and the second image display area so as to gradually move from a second spot in the second image, across a boundary between the first image display area and the second image display area, to a first spot in the first image.
According to the present invention, even if a player is absorbed in a game, by visually following the sight line guiding object, the player's sight line is inevitably moved to a screen area on which explanatory information or the like is displayed, thus preventing a situation where a player overlooks information or the like which is required for a progress of a game.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
A configuration and operations of a game device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
The upper housing 13a is provided with sound holes 18a and 18b for outputting a sound from a pair of loudspeakers (30a and 30b shown in
The lower housing 13b is provided with input devices as follows; a cross switch 14a, a start switch 14b, a select switch 14c, a “A” button 14d, a “B” button 14e, a “X” button 14f, a “Y” button 14g, a “L” button 14L, and a “R” button 14R. In addition, a touch panel 15 is provided on a screen of the second LCD 12 as another input device. The lower housing 13b further includes a power switch 19, and insertion openings for storing a memory card 17 and a stick 16.
The touch panel 15 may be of any type such as a resistive filmtype, an optical type (infrared type), or a capacitive coupling type. The touch panel 15 has a function of outputting, when its surface is touched with the stick 16, coordinate data which corresponds to a touch position. Though the following description is provided on an assumption that the player uses a stick 16 to operate the touch panel 15, of course the touch panel 15 may also be operated by a pen (stylus pen) or a finger instead of the stick 16. A touch panel 15 used in the present embodiment has a same resolution at 256 dots×192 dots (detection accuracy) as that of the second LCD 12. However, resolutions of the touch panel 15 and the second LCD 12 may not necessarily be consistent with each other.
The memory card 17 is a storage medium having a game program stored therein, and placed in the insertion slot provided at the lower housing 13b in a removable manner.
Next, an internal configuration of the game device 10 will be described with reference to
In
A first VRAM (Video RAM) 28 is connected to the first GPU 26, and a second VRAM 29 is connected to the second GPU 27. In accordance with an instruction from the CPU core 21, the first GPU 26 generates a first game image based on data used for image generation which is stored in the RAM 24, and writes images into the first VRAM 28. The second GPU 27 also follows an instruction from the CPU core 21 to generate a second game image, and writes images into the second VRAM 29. The first VRAM 28 and the second VRAM 29 are connected to the LCD controller 31.
The LCD controller 31 includes a register 32. The register 32 stores a value of either 0 or 1 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU core 21. When the value of the register 32 is 0, the LCD controller 31 outputs to the first LCD 11 the first game image which has been written into the first VRAM 28, and outputs to the second LCD 12 the second game image which has been written into the second VRAM 29. When the value of the register 32 is 1, the first game image which has been written into the first VRAM 28 is outputted to the LCD 12, and the second game image which has been written into the second VRAM 29 is outputted to the first LCD 11.
Further, the setting of the game device 10 as mentioned above is merely an example. The present invention is applicable to any computer system which comprises at least one display device. Also, the game program of the present invention can be supplied to a computer system not only by the way of an external storage medium such as a memory card 17, but also by the way of a wired or wireless communication path. The program can also be recorded beforehand in a nonvolatile storage inside of a computer system.
Hereinafter, a flow of a game process executed by the game device 10 will be described with reference to examples of a game screen image.
Immediately after a situation shown in
In the meantime, if the player character 40 is instantaneously moved from the display screen of the second LCD 12 to the display screen of the first LCD 11, the player may lose sight of the player character 40 and be puzzled. In the present embodiment, however, the player character 40 is displayed so as to move across a boundary between the first LCD 11 and the second LCD 12 as shown by the arrow with the dotted line in
In addition, since the stream of time inthe game world displayed on the second LCD 12 temporarily has stopped, the player can concentrate on looking at the explanatory information regarding the operation method at ease without caring about a situation in the game world.
As shown in
Although in the example described above, the player's sight line is guided from the second LCD 12 to the first LCD 11 by utilizing the player character 40, a method of guiding the player's sight line in the present invention is not limited to this and the player's sight line may be guided from the second LCD 12 to the first LCD 11 by utilizing any object.
In the meantime, it is not only in a case of displaying the explanatory information regarding the operation method that such a method of guiding the player's sight line is effective. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, another example of a method of guiding the player's sight line will be described.
First, as shown by an arrow with a dotted line in
Subsequently, as shown in
Also in this example, it never happens that without any previous notice, information of a course is displayed on the map displayed on the first LCD 11, and as shown in
In addition, after the non-player character 42 has been moved to the spot on the map corresponding to the current position as shown in
Next, with reference to
When the player character 40 fires a missile 44 in accordance with a player's input operation, as shown in
Next, operations of the game device 10 will be described in detail. Here, although in order to facilitate understanding, the operations of the game device 10 in a case where the example described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 is carried out will be described, the other examples described above can be carried out in a manner described below.
The first image display control program 50 is to generate an image (image for explaining an operation method) displayed on the first LCD 11. The second image display control program 51 is to generate an image (image of the game world, in which the player character 40 and the enemy character 41 are included) displayed on the second LCD 12. As shown in
The player character data 53 is data regarding the player character 40 in the game world, which contains image data and display coordinate data. The enemy character data 54 is data regarding the enemy character 41 in the game world, which contains image data and display coordinate data. The explanatory information data 55 is data regarding explanatory information displayed on the first LCD 11, which contains image data, text data, and display coordinate data. The background image data 56 is image data for displaying a landscape of the game world displayed on the second LCD 12. At the start of the game, these pieces of image data and text data are loaded from the ROM 17a in the memory card 17 to the RAM 24 and are used by the CPU core 21 during the execution of the game programs. And the display coordinate data is appropriately updated during the execution of the game programs.
Next, with reference to a flowchart shown in
First at step S10, the CPU core 21 generates an image showing a view of a game space in which the player character 40 appears and displays this image on the first LCD 11.
At step S12, the CPU core 21 detects an input operation by the player based on a signal from the operation switch section 14 or the touch panel 15.
At step 14, the CPU core 21 controls a movement (including a change of a position) of the player character 40 in accordance with the input operation detected at step S12 and updates the display coordinate data on the player character 40, which has been stored in the RAM 24.
At step S16, the CPU core 21 controls a movement of the enemy character 41 in accordance with a predetermined algorithm and updates the display coordinate data on the enemy character 41, which has been stored in the RAM 24.
At step 18, the CPU core 21 determines whether explanatory information on a method of operating the player character 40 should be displayed, and when the explanatory information on the operation method of the player character 40 should be displayed, proceeds to step S20 and when the explanatory information on the operation method of the player character 40 should not be displayed, proceeds to step S22.
At step S20, the CPU core 21 executes a sight line guiding process. Details of this sight line guiding process will be described hereinunder.
At step S22, the CPU core 21 determined whether the game has been finished, and when the game has been finished, ends the execution of the game programs and when the game has not been finished, returns to step S10.
Next, with reference to a flowchart shown in
First at step S30, the CPU core 21 sequentially updates the display image on the second LCD 12 so that the player character 40 moves from a current display position to the boundary between the display screen of the first LCD 11 and the display screen of the second LCD 12.
At step S32, the CPU core 21 sequentially updates the display image on the first LCD 11 so that the player character 40 moves from the boundary between the display screen of the first LCD 11 and the display screen of the second LCD 12 to a predetermined position on the first LCD 11.
At step S34, the CPU core 21 displays the explanatory information on the method of operating the player character 40 on the first LCD 11. This process at step S34 may be executed before the process at step S 32 or the process at step S30.
At step S36, the CPU core 21 sequentially updates the display image on the first LCD 11 so that the player character 40 moves from a current display position to the boundary between the display screen of the first LCD 11 and the display screen of the second LCD 12.
At step S38, the CPU core 21 sequentially updates the display image on the second LCD 12 so that the player character 40 moves from the boundary between the display screen of the first LCD 11 and the display screen of the second LCD 12 to the original display position (in other words, the display position of the player character 40 immediately before the process at step S30 is executed) on the second LCD. Then the sight line guiding process is finished.
As stated above, according to the present embodiment, in a case where information to be provided to the player is displayed on the display screen of the first LCD 11 while the player is playing the game looking at the display screen of the second LCD 12, since an object (the player character, the non-player character, or other object) is displayed so as to move from the display screen of the second LCD 12 toward the display screen of the first LCD 11, even when the player is absorbed in the game, the player's sight line can be guided in an ensured manner from the display screen of the second LCD 12 to the display screen of the first LCD 11.
Although in the present embodiment, the game device comprising the two independent display screens is described, the present invention is not limited to this and also in a case where an area of one display screen is divided into two areas which are utilized as two display screens in a virtual manner, the present invention is effective.
While the invention has been described in detail, the foregoing description is in all aspects illustrative and not restrictive. It is understood that numerous other modifications and variations can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2005-291641 | Oct 2005 | JP | national |