GAME PROGRAM, GAME DEVICE, AND GAME CONTROL METHOD

Abstract

To provide a game program capable of preventing an interest in a golf game from being declined.SOLUTION: A processor causes a player character 302 to strike a ball 306 according to a player's operation. A movable gauge 320 is displayed, and the movable gauge includes a belt-like basic region 322 and a risk region 324 at outside the basic region. A first index image 326 moves in the basic region, and striking force is determined at a position where the movement is stopped by the player's operation. The striking force influences a carry of the ball. After the striking force is determined, the position of a deviation index image displayed along a first index image is determined at random. The amount of deviation becomes larger as the deviation index image is away from a center of the first index image. The risk region becomes larger toward an upper end of the movable gauge. The player plays a golf game while taking into account whether to prioritize a carry of the ball or to prioritize directivity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game program, a game device, and a game control method, and more particularly to a game program, a game device, and a game control method for instructing the movement of a moving object, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of the background art is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the golf game disclosed in Patent Document 1, in a game image configured as a screen showing a shot action of a player object operated by a player as viewed from behind, the player is made to select a golf club and perform a hitting operation to make the player character hit the golf ball. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4213011 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the golf game described in Patent Document 1, when performing a hitting operation in the above game image, a power gauge is used to perform a shot start operation, a power determination operation, and an impact position operation, but if the appropriate timing for the power determination operation and the impact position operation is memorized, for example, it is possible to move the ball with the maximum flight distance and a desired trajectory, so there is a risk that memorizing the timing will lead to a decrease in interest. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the interface.

[0005] Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel game program, a novel game device, and a novel game control method.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a game program, a game device, and a game control method that can prevent loss of interest in the game as much as possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first invention is a game program for causing a computer to execute a virtual golf game, the game program causing a processor of the computer to execute a direction determination step for determining a start direction of movement of a ball object based on the progress of the golf game or a user operation, a power index advancement step for advancing a power index from one end of a displayed gauge extending from one side to the other or along the gauge, a power index stopping step for stopping the advancement of the power index based on a user operation, a position determination step for randomly determining a position of a vibration indicator displayed corresponding to the width direction of the gauge at the stop position of the power indicator stopped in the power index stopping step, and a movement execution step for executing a movement process for moving the ball object such that the closer the stop position of the power indicator is to the other end side of the gauge, the longer the movement distance of the ball object, the closer to the other end side of the gauge the gauge includes a risk area in which the length in the width direction or the rate in the width direction is larger, and the movement execution step changes the start direction of movement of the ball object or the movement direction after the start of movement when the position of the vibration indicator determined in the position determination step is within the risk area, compared to when it is outside the risk area.

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the longer the moving distance of the ball object, the higher the possibility of changing the starting direction of the ball object or the moving direction after the start of the movement, so that a strategy of prioritizing the moving distance or the directionality is generated. Therefore, in the hitting operation using a power gauge as in the conventional golf game, it is possible to prevent as much as possible the loss of interest in the golf game caused by learning the operation timing.

[0009] A second invention is based on the first invention, and the line at the other end of the gauge is inclined relative to the line at one end, and the power indicator is inclined in the same direction as the line at the other end as it approaches the other end, and the movement execution step changes the movement distance of the ball object depending on the position of the blur indicator within the width of the gauge determined in the position determination step.

[0010] According to the second invention, it is possible to change the moving distance of the ball object in response to the determination of the blurring index.

[0011] A third invention is dependent on the first or second invention, and the size of the risk area relative to the size of the entire gauge varies depending on the state of the point where the ball object is located.

[0012] According to the third invention, the degree of difficulty of hitting the ball can be expressed by changing the size of the risk area relative to the size of the entire gauge in accordance with the state of the lie of the ball.

[0013] A fourth invention is according to any one of the first to third inventions, and the risk area is provided outside a basic area of ​​a certain width of the gauge.

[0014] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a risk area is provided outside the basic area, so that the user can intuitively recognize that the longer the moving distance, the more shaking there will be or the greater the shaking will be.

[0015] A fifth invention is according to the fourth invention, and further causes the processor to execute a color control step of changing the color of the basic region and not changing the color of the risk region as the power index progresses.

[0016] According to the fifth invention, it is possible to improve the distinguishability or visibility of the basic area and the risk area.

[0017] The sixth invention is dependent on the fourth or fifth invention, and further causes the processor to execute a target image display step of displaying a target image corresponding to at least one of a green object, a pin object, a bunker object, a hazard object and a rough object to be displayed that are within the movable range of the ball object, within a basic area of ​​the gauge, at a position according to the distance from the ball object.

[0018] According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the corresponding image corresponding to the predetermined display object is displayed in the gauge at a position corresponding to the distance from the ball object, which can be used as a guide when determining the hitting force. In other words, a user-friendly interface can be provided.

[0019] A seventh invention is dependent on any one of the first to sixth inventions, and further causes the processor to execute a lottery display step of displaying the state in which the position of the blurring indicator is randomly determined, between the time when the progress of the power index is stopped in the power index stopping step and the time when the movement processing is started in the movement execution step.

[0020] According to the seventh invention, the state in which the position of the blurring indicator is randomly determined is displayed, so that the user can be kept interested in the game even during the period from when the progress of the power indicator is stopped to when the ball object starts moving.

[0021] An eighth invention is according to any one of the first to seventh inventions, and the gauge bends in accordance with the movement start direction determined in the direction determination step and an inclination of the point where the ball object is located with respect to the movement start direction. That is, the gauge bends in a direction in which the ball object is expected to bend.

[0022] According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the gauge bends in a direction in which the ball object is expected to curve, so that the trajectory of the ball object when it moves can be intuitively known.

[0023] A ninth invention is dependent on any one of the first to eighth inventions, and further causes the processor to execute a trajectory prediction image display step of displaying a trajectory prediction image which predictably shows a predicted trajectory, which is the trajectory of the ball object when it moves in the start direction of movement determined in the direction determination step, and the trajectory prediction image is a strip-shaped image extending linearly in the start direction of movement or extending along the predicted trajectory, and the degree of curvature of the predicted trajectory of the ball object is expressed by the shape or inclination of the strip-shaped image or components of the strip-shaped image.

[0024] In the ninth aspect of the invention, the degree of curvature of the ball object is expressed by a band-shaped predicted trajectory image, so that the trajectory of the ball object when it moves can be intuitively known.

[0025] A tenth invention is according to the ninth invention, in which the components are images of a plurality of quadrilaterals, and the degree of curvature is expressed by changing the shapes of the plurality of quadrilaterals.

[0026] According to the tenth aspect, the trajectory of the ball object when it moves can be intuitively known from the shapes of the components of the trajectory prediction image.

[0027] An eleventh invention is according to the tenth invention, and each of the plurality of quadrangles is displayed while moving in the movement start direction determined in the direction determination step.

[0028] In the eleventh invention, similarly to the tenth invention, the trajectory of the moving ball object can be intuitively known.

[0029] A twelfth aspect of the present invention is dependent on any one of the first to eleventh aspects of the present invention, and further causes the processor to execute a three-dimensional display step of expressing the gauge with a three-dimensional depth.

[0030] A thirteenth invention is according to the twelfth invention, and when the start direction of movement is determined in the direction determination step, the processor further executes a height information display step of displaying, along a gauge, height information of an obstacle object that is an obstacle to the movement of the ball object in the forward direction when the ball object moves.

[0031] According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, since height information is displayed along the gauge, the movement start direction can be strategically changed based on the height information.

[0032] A fourteenth invention is according to the twelfth or thirteenth invention, and further causes the processor to execute a two-dimensional display step of expressing the gauge in a two-dimensional display, and a switching step of switching between the execution of the two-dimensional display step and the three-dimensional display step based on a user operation.

[0033] According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the gauge can be displayed in a two-dimensional manner or a three-dimensional manner in accordance with the user's preference.

[0034] A fifteenth invention is a game program for causing a computer to execute a virtual golf game, the game program causing a processor of the computer to execute a direction determination step for determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on the progress of the golf game or a user operation, a power index advancement step for advancing a power index displayed at an initial position, which is an arbitrary position, in a predetermined direction to a predetermined movable length, a power index stopping step for stopping the advancement of the power index based on a user operation, a position determination step for randomly determining a position of a blurring indicator displayed corresponding to a width direction of a gauge determined based on the stop position of the power index stopped in the power index stopping step and the initial position, and a movement execution step for executing a movement process for moving the ball object such that the closer the stop position of the power index is to the movable length, the longer the movement distance of the ball object, the closer the gauge is to the movable length, the greater the length in the width direction or the rate in the width direction, and the movement execution step changes the movement start direction or the movement direction after the start of movement of the ball object when the position of the blurring indicator determined in the position determination step is within the risk area, compared to when it is outside the risk area.

[0035] A sixteenth invention is a game device that executes a virtual golf game, in which a processor of the game device determines a movement start direction of a ball object based on the progress of the golf game or a user operation, advances a power indicator from one end of a displayed gauge extending from one side to the other and having a width, or along the gauge, stops the progression of the power indicator based on the user operation, randomly determines a position of a vibration indicator displayed corresponding to the width direction of the gauge at the stopping position of the stopped power indicator, and executes a movement process to move the ball object such that the moving distance of the ball object becomes longer as the stopping position of the power indicator becomes closer to the other end side of the gauge, the gauge includes a risk area in which the length in the width direction or the rate in the width direction becomes larger as the gauge becomes closer to the other end side, and when the determined position of the vibration indicator is within the risk area, the movement start direction or the movement direction after the start of movement of the ball object is changed compared to when it is outside the risk area.

[0036] A seventeenth invention is a game device that executes a virtual golf game, the game device having a processor that determines a movement start direction of a ball object based on the progress of the golf game or a user operation, advances a power index displayed at an initial position which is an arbitrary position, in a predetermined direction to a predetermined movable length, stops the advancement of the power index based on the user operation, randomly determines a position of a deviation indicator displayed corresponding to a width direction of a gauge determined based on the stop position of the stopped power index and the initial position at the stop position of the stopped power index, and executes a movement process to move the ball object such that the closer the stop position of the power index is to the movable length, the longer the movement distance of the ball object becomes, the closer the gauge is to the movable length, the greater the length in the width direction or the rate in the width direction becomes, and when the determined position of the deviation indicator is within the risk area, the movement start direction or the movement direction after the start of movement of the ball object is changed compared to when it is outside the risk area.

[0037] An eighteenth invention is a game control method for a game device that executes a virtual golf game, the game control method including: (a) a step of determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on the progress of the golf game or a user operation; (b) a step of progressing a power index from one end of a displayed gauge extending from one side to the other and having a width, or a step of progressing along the gauge, from one end of the gauge to the other end; (c) a step of stopping the progression of the power index based on a user operation; (d) a step of randomly determining a position of a vibration indicator that is displayed corresponding to the width direction of the gauge at the stop position of the power indicator stopped in step (c); and (e) a step of executing a movement process to move the ball object such that the movement distance of the ball object becomes longer as the stop position of the power indicator becomes closer to the other end side of the gauge, the gauge including a risk area in which the length in the width direction or the rate in the width direction becomes larger as the stop position becomes closer to the other end side, and the step (e) changes the movement start direction or the movement direction after the start of movement of the ball object when the position of the vibration indicator determined in step (d) is within the risk area, compared to when it is outside the risk area.

[0038] A nineteenth invention is a game control method for a game device that executes a virtual golf game, the game control method including the steps of: (a) determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on the progress of the golf game or a user operation; (b) advancing a power index displayed at an initial position, which is an arbitrary position, in a predetermined direction to a predetermined movable length; (c) stopping the progress of the power index based on a user operation; (d) randomly determining a position of a blurring indicator displayed corresponding to a width direction of a gauge determined based on the stop position of the power index stopped in step (c) and the initial position; and (e) executing a movement process to move the ball object such that the closer the stop position of the power index is to the movable length, the longer the movement distance of the ball object; the gauge includes a risk area in which the length in the width direction or the rate in the width direction is increased as the gauge is closer to the movable length; and step (e) changes the movement start direction or the movement direction after the start of movement of the ball object when the position of the blurring indicator determined in step (d) is within the risk area, compared to when it is outside the risk area.

[0039] In the fifteenth to nineteenth aspects of the invention, similarly to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent a decline in interest in golf games as much as possible. Effect of the Invention

[0040] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent loss of interest in golf games as much as possible.

[0041] The above objects, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0042] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a left controller and a right controller attached to a main unit device of the first embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 shows a non-limiting example of the state in which the left controller and the right controller are removed from the main unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a six-view diagram showing a non-limiting example of the main unit shown in FIGS. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a six-sided view showing a non-limiting example of the left controller shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a six-view diagram showing a non-limiting example of the right controller shown in FIGS. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a non-limiting example of the internal configuration of the main unit shown in FIGS. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a non-limiting example of the internal configuration of the main unit device, left controller, and right controller shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a first non-limiting example of a parameter determination screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a non-limiting second example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 11] FIG. 11(A) is a diagram showing one non-limiting example of a moving gauge, and FIG. 11(B) is a diagram showing another non-limiting example of a moving gauge. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a fourth non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a fifth non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a sixth non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a seventh non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an eighth non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a ninth non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 18] FIG. 18(A) is a diagram for explaining one example in which the range in which the blur is determined is not limited, and FIG. 18(B) is a diagram for explaining another example in which the range in which the blur is determined is not limited. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a non-limiting tenth example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 20] FIG. 20(A) is a table showing a non-limiting example of a directional input for each frame, and FIG. 20(B) is a table showing a non-limiting example of a directional input averaged for each operation section. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a correspondence table between travel time and horizontal distance on a reference trajectory. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 illustrates one non-limiting example of a method for determining directional inputs that affect the trajectory of a ball at a given time. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23(A) is a diagram for explaining a non-limiting example of a method for rotating the ball's velocity vector in a rightward direction, and FIG. 23(B) is a diagram for explaining a non-limiting example of a method for rotating the ball's velocity vector in an upward direction. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an eleventh non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a twelfth non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a non-limiting thirteenth example of the parameter determination screen. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a memory map of the DRAM of the main unit shown in FIG. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of the data storage area shown in FIG. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of the specific content of the character data shown in FIG. [Diagram 30] FIG. 30 is a flow diagram showing a non-limiting example of the overall game processing of the processor of the main unit shown in FIG. [Diagram 31]FIG. 31 is a flow diagram showing a part of a non-limiting example of the game control process shown in FIG. [Diagram 32] FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing another non-limiting example of the game control process shown in FIG. 30, which follows FIG. [Diagram 33] FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing a part of a non-limiting example of the first parameter determination process shown in FIG. [Diagram 34] FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing another part of a non-limiting example of the first parameter determination process shown in FIG. 31, and follows FIG. [Diagram 35] FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing a part of a non-limiting example of the second parameter determination process shown in FIG. [Diagram 36] FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing another part of a non-limiting example of the second parameter determination process shown in FIG. 31, and follows FIG. [Figure 37] FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing another part of a non-limiting example of the second parameter determination process shown in FIG. 31, and follows FIG. [Figure 38] FIG. 38 is a flow diagram showing a portion of a non-limiting example of the ball movement process shown in FIG. [Figure 39] FIG. 39 is a flow chart showing another part of a non-limiting example of the ball movement processing shown in FIG. 31, which follows FIG. [Diagram 40] FIG. 40 is a flowchart showing a part of another non-limiting example of the ball movement processing shown in FIG. 31, which follows FIG. [Diagram 41] FIG. 41 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a parameter determination screen in the second embodiment. [Diagram 42] FIG. 42 is a diagram showing a non-limiting first example of a distance-altitude measurement screen. [Diagram 43] FIG. 43 is a diagram showing a second non-limiting example of the distance-altitude measurement screen. [Diagram 44] FIG. 44 is a diagram showing a third non-limiting example of a distance / altitude measurement screen. [Diagram 45]FIG. 45 is a diagram showing a fourth non-limiting example of the distance-altitude measurement screen. [Diagram 46] FIG. 46 shows a non-limiting example of an relief display screen. [Figure 47] FIG. 47 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a parameter determination screen in the third embodiment. [Figure 48] FIG. 48 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a moving screen. [Figure 49] FIG. 49 is a diagram showing another example of a non-limiting moving screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] [First Example] A game system according to a non-limiting example of the first embodiment will be described below. An example of the game system 1 in the first embodiment includes a main unit (information processing device; in the first embodiment, it functions as a game device main unit) 2, a left controller 3, and a right controller 4. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are detachable from the main unit 2. That is, the game system 1 can be used as an integrated device by attaching the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 to the main unit 2. The game system 1 can also be used as a separate device from the main unit 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4 (see FIG. 2). The hardware configuration of the game system 1 in the first embodiment will be described below, and then the control of the game system 1 in the first embodiment will be described.

[0044] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a left controller 3 and a right controller 4 are attached to a main unit 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are each attached to and integrated with the main unit 2. The main unit 2 is a device that executes various processes (e.g., game processes) in the game system 1. The main unit 2 includes a display 12. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are devices that include an operation unit that allows the user to perform input.

[0045] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 have been removed from the main unit 2. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are detachable from the main unit 2. In the following, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 may be collectively referred to as "controller."

[0046] Fig. 3 is a six-sided view showing an example of the main unit 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the main unit 2 includes a substantially plate-shaped housing 11. In this first embodiment, the main surface of the housing 11 (in other words, the front surface, i.e., the surface on which the display 12 is provided) is generally rectangular in shape.

[0047] The shape and size of the housing 11 are arbitrary. As an example, the housing 11 may be of a size that is portable. Furthermore, the main unit 2 alone or an integrated device in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are attached to the main unit 2 may be a portable device. Furthermore, the main unit 2 or the integrated device may be a handheld device. Furthermore, the main unit 2 or the integrated device may be a portable device.

[0048] 3, the main unit 2 includes a display 12 provided on a main surface of the housing 11. The display 12 displays an image generated by the main unit 2. In this first embodiment, the display 12 is a liquid crystal display (LCD). However, the display 12 may be any type of display device.

[0049] The main device 2 also includes a touch panel 13 on the screen of the display 12. In this first embodiment, the touch panel 13 is of a type that allows multi-touch input (for example, a capacitive type). However, the touch panel 13 may be of any type, and may be of a type that allows single-touch input (for example, a resistive film type).

[0050] The main unit 2 includes a speaker (i.e., speaker 88 shown in FIG. 6) inside the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 3, speaker holes 11a and 11b are formed in the main surface of the housing 11. The output sound of the speaker 88 is output from these speaker holes 11a and 11b, respectively.

[0051] The main unit 2 also has a left side terminal 17, which is a terminal through which the main unit 2 performs wired communication with the left controller 3, and a right side terminal 21 through which the main unit 2 performs wired communication with the right controller 4.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 3, the main unit 2 includes a slot 23. The slot 23 is provided on the upper side of the housing 11. The slot 23 has a shape that allows a predetermined type of storage medium to be attached thereto. The predetermined type of storage medium is, for example, a storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card) dedicated to the game system 1 and the same type of information processing device. The predetermined type of storage medium is used, for example, to store data used in the main unit 2 (e.g., application save data, etc.) and / or programs executed in the main unit 2 (e.g., application programs, etc.). The main unit 2 also includes a power button 28.

[0053] The main unit 2 includes a lower terminal 27. The lower terminal 27 is a terminal through which the main unit 2 communicates with the cradle. In this first embodiment, the lower terminal 27 is a USB connector (more specifically, a female connector). When the all-in-one device or the main unit 2 alone is placed on the cradle, the game system 1 can display images generated and output by the main unit 2 on a stationary monitor. In this first embodiment, the cradle also has a function of charging the all-in-one device or the main unit 2 alone that is placed on it. The cradle also has a function of a hub device (more specifically, a USB hub).

[0054] FIG. 4 is a six-sided view showing an example of the left controller 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the left controller 3 includes a housing 31. In this first embodiment, the housing 31 has a vertically long shape, that is, a shape that is long in the up-down direction (i.e., the y-axis direction shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4). The left controller 3 can also be held in a vertically long orientation when removed from the main unit 2. The housing 31 has a shape and size that allows it to be held in one hand, particularly the left hand, when held in a vertically long orientation. The left controller 3 can also be held in a horizontally long orientation. When the left controller 3 is held in a horizontally long orientation, it may be held with both hands.

[0055] The left controller 3 includes an analog stick 32. As shown in FIG. 4, the analog stick 32 is provided on the main surface of the housing 31. The analog stick 32 can be used as a direction input unit capable of inputting a direction. By tilting the analog stick 32, the user can input a direction according to the tilt direction (and input a magnitude according to the tilt angle). Note that the left controller 3 may include a cross key or a slide stick capable of slide input, instead of an analog stick, as the direction input unit. Also, in this first embodiment, an input can be made by pressing the analog stick 32.

[0056] The left controller 3 includes various operation buttons. The left controller 3 includes four operation buttons 33 to 36 (specifically, a right button 33, a down button 34, an up button 35, and a left button 36) on the main surface of the housing 31. Furthermore, the left controller 3 includes a record button 37 and a - (minus) button 47. The left controller 3 includes an L button 38 and a ZL button 39 on the upper left of the side of the housing 31. The left controller 3 also includes an SL button 43 and an SR button 44 on the side of the housing 31 that is attached when the left controller 3 is attached to the main unit 2. These operation buttons are used to give instructions according to various programs (for example, OS programs and application programs) executed on the main unit 2.

[0057] In addition, the left controller 3 is equipped with a terminal 42 that enables the left controller 3 to communicate with the main unit 2 via wire.

[0058] FIG. 5 is a six-sided view showing an example of the right controller 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the right controller 4 includes a housing 51. In this first embodiment, the housing 51 has a vertically long shape, that is, a shape that is long in the up-down direction. The right controller 4 can also be held in a vertically long orientation when removed from the main unit 2. The housing 51 has a shape and size that allows it to be held in one hand, particularly the right hand, when held in a vertically long orientation. The right controller 4 can also be held in a horizontally long orientation. When the right controller 4 is held in a horizontally long orientation, it may be held with both hands.

[0059] The right controller 4, like the left controller 3, has an analog stick 52 as a direction input unit. In this first embodiment, the analog stick 52 has the same configuration as the analog stick 32 of the left controller 3. The right controller 4 may have a cross key or a slide stick capable of slide input, instead of the analog stick. The right controller 4, like the left controller 3, has four operation buttons 53 to 56 (specifically, an A button 53, a B button 54, an X button 55, and a Y button 56) on the main surface of the housing 51. The right controller 4 further has a + (plus) button 57 and a home button 58. The right controller 4 also has an R button 60 and a ZR button 61 on the upper right of the side of the housing 51. The right controller 4 also has an SL button 65 and a SR button 66, like the left controller 3.

[0060] In addition, the right controller 4 is equipped with a terminal 64 for enabling the right controller 4 to communicate with the main unit 2 via wire.

[0061] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of main unit 2. In addition to the configuration shown in Fig. 3, main unit 2 includes components 81-91, 97, and 98 shown in Fig. 6. Some of these components 81-91, 97, and 98 may be mounted on an electronic circuit board as electronic components and housed in housing 11.

[0062] The main unit 2 includes a processor 81. The processor 81 is an information processing unit that executes various types of information processing executed in the main unit 2, and may be composed of only a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or may be composed of a SoC (System-on-a-chip) including multiple functions such as a CPU function and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) function. The processor 81 executes various types of information processing by executing an information processing program (e.g., a game program) stored in a storage unit (specifically, an internal storage medium such as a flash memory 84, or an external storage medium inserted in the slot 23, etc.).

[0063] The main unit 2 includes a flash memory 84 and a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 85 as examples of internal storage media built into the main unit 2. The flash memory 84 and the DRAM 85 are connected to the processor 81. The flash memory 84 is a memory used mainly for storing various data (which may be programs) saved in the main unit 2. The DRAM 85 is a memory used for temporarily storing various data used in information processing.

[0064] The main unit 2 includes a slot interface (hereinafter abbreviated as "I / F") 91. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the processor 81. The slot I / F 91 is connected to the slot 23, and reads and writes data from and to a predetermined type of storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card) attached to the slot 23 in response to an instruction from the processor 81.

[0065] The processor 81 appropriately reads and writes data from and to the flash memory 84, DRAM 85, and each of the above storage media to execute the above information processing.

[0066] The main unit 2 includes a network communication unit 82. The network communication unit 82 is connected to the processor 81. The network communication unit 82 communicates with an external device via a network (specifically, wireless communication). In this first embodiment, the network communication unit 82 connects to a wireless LAN and communicates with an external device by a method conforming to the Wi-Fi standard as a first communication mode. The network communication unit 82 also performs wireless communication with other main units 2 of the same type by a predetermined communication method (for example, communication by a unique protocol or infrared communication) as a second communication mode. Note that the wireless communication by the second communication mode can perform wireless communication with other main units 2 arranged within a closed local network area, and realizes a function that enables so-called "local communication" in which data is transmitted and received by directly communicating between a plurality of main units 2.

[0067] The main unit 2 includes a controller communication unit 83. The controller communication unit 83 is connected to the processor 81. The controller communication unit 83 performs wireless communication with the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4. Any communication method may be used between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and right controller 4, but in this first embodiment, the controller communication unit 83 performs communication with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0068] The processor 81 is connected to the above-mentioned left terminal 17, right terminal 21, and lower terminal 27. When the processor 81 performs wired communication with the left controller 3, it transmits data to the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17 and receives (or acquires) operation data from the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17. When the processor 81 performs wired communication with the right controller 4, it transmits data to the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21 and receives (or acquires) operation data from the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21. When the processor 81 performs communication with the cradle, it transmits data to the cradle via the lower terminal 27. Thus, in this first embodiment, the main unit 2 can perform both wired communication and wireless communication with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4, respectively. When the integrated device in which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are attached to the main unit 2 or the main unit 2 alone is attached to the cradle, the main unit 2 can output data (for example, display image data and audio data) to a stationary monitor or the like via the cradle.

[0069] Here, the main unit 2 can communicate with a plurality of left controllers 3 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). The main unit 2 can also communicate with a plurality of right controllers 4 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). Therefore, a plurality of users can simultaneously input to the main unit 2 using each set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4. As an example, a first user can input to the main unit 2 using a first set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4, while a second user can input to the main unit 2 using a second set of left controllers 3 and right controllers 4.

[0070] The main device 2 includes a touch panel controller 86, which is a circuit that controls the touch panel 13. The touch panel controller 86 is connected between the touch panel 13 and the processor 81. The touch panel controller 86 generates data indicating, for example, the position where a touch input has been performed based on a signal from the touch panel 13, and outputs the data to the processor 81.

[0071] The display 12 is also connected to the processor 81. The processor 81 displays on the display 12 an image generated (for example, by executing the above-mentioned information processing) and / or an image acquired from the outside.

[0072] The main unit 2 includes a codec circuit 87 and speakers (specifically, a left speaker and a right speaker) 88. The codec circuit 87 is connected to the speaker 88 and the audio input / output terminal 25, and is also connected to the processor 81. The codec circuit 87 is a circuit that controls the input and output of audio data to and from the speaker 88 and the audio input / output terminal 25.

[0073] The main unit 2 includes a power control unit 97 and a battery 98. The power control unit 97 is connected to the battery 98 and the processor 81. Although not shown, the power control unit 97 is also connected to each unit of the main unit 2 (specifically, each unit that receives power from the battery 98, the left terminal 17, and the right terminal 21). The power control unit 97 controls the supply of power from the battery 98 to each of the above-mentioned units based on instructions from the processor 81.

[0074] Furthermore, battery 98 is connected to lower terminal 27. When an external charging device (e.g., a cradle) is connected to lower terminal 27 and power is supplied to main unit 2 via lower terminal 27, battery 98 is charged with the supplied power.

[0075] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the main unit 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4. Note that details of the internal configuration of the main unit 2 are omitted in Fig. 7 because they are shown in Fig. 6.

[0076] The left controller 3 includes a communication control unit 101 that communicates with the main unit 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication control unit 101 is connected to each component including the terminal 42. In this first embodiment, the communication control unit 101 can communicate with the main unit 2 by both wired communication via the terminal 42 and wireless communication not via the terminal 42. The communication control unit 101 controls the communication method by which the left controller 3 communicates with the main unit 2. That is, when the left controller 3 is attached to the main unit 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates with the main unit 2 via the terminal 42. Also, when the left controller 3 is detached from the main unit 2, the communication control unit 101 performs wireless communication with the main unit 2 (specifically, the controller communication unit 83). The wireless communication between the controller communication unit 83 and the communication control unit 101 is performed according to, for example, the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0077] The left controller 3 also includes a memory 102, such as a flash memory. The communication control unit 101 is configured with, for example, a microcomputer (also called a microprocessor), and executes firmware stored in the memory 102 to perform various processes.

[0078] The left controller 3 includes buttons 103 (specifically, buttons 33 to 39, 43, 44, and 47). The left controller 3 also includes an analog stick (referred to as "stick" in FIG. 7) 32. Each button 103 and analog stick 32 repeatedly outputs information relating to operations performed on them to the communication control unit 101 at appropriate timing.

[0079] The communication control unit 101 acquires information related to the input (specifically, information related to the operation, or the detection results by the sensors) from each input unit (specifically, each button 103, analog stick 32, each sensor 104 and 105). The communication control unit 101 transmits operation data including the acquired information (or information obtained by performing a specified process on the acquired information) to the main unit 2. The operation data is repeatedly transmitted once every specified time. The interval at which the information related to the input is transmitted to the main unit 2 may or may not be the same for each input unit.

[0080] By transmitting the above operation data to the main unit 2, the main unit 2 can obtain the input performed on the left controller 3. In other words, the main unit 2 can determine the operations performed on the buttons 103 and the analog stick 32 based on the operation data.

[0081] The left controller 3 is equipped with a power supply unit 108. In this first embodiment, the power supply unit 108 has a battery and a power control circuit. Although not shown, the power control circuit is connected to the battery and to each part of the left controller 3 (specifically, each part that receives power from the battery).

[0082] As shown in FIG. 7, the right controller 4 includes a communication control unit 111 that communicates with the main unit 2. The right controller 4 also includes a memory 112 that is connected to the communication control unit 111. The communication control unit 111 is connected to each component including the terminal 64. The communication control unit 111 and the memory 112 have the same functions as the communication control unit 101 and the memory 102 of the left controller 3. Therefore, the communication control unit 111 can communicate with the main unit 2 by both wired communication via the terminal 64 and wireless communication (specifically, communication in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard) that does not go through the terminal 64, and controls the method of communication that the right controller 4 uses with the main unit 2.

[0083] The right controller 4 has input units similar to those of the left controller 3. Specifically, it has buttons 113 and an analog stick 52. These input units have the same functions as those of the left controller 3, and operate in the same manner.

[0084] The right controller 4 is equipped with a power supply unit 118. The power supply unit 118 has the same functions as the power supply unit 108 of the left controller 3, and operates in the same manner.

[0085] Next, with reference to Figs. 8-26, an overview of the game processing of the virtual golf game executed in the game system 1 of the first embodiment will be described. Although a detailed description will be omitted, in the virtual golf game, a user or player (hereinafter simply referred to as "player") can play strokes alone or with other players (human or computer players). However, other golf games such as match play can also be played. In the following, a case where a player plays a golf game using a player character will be described, and since other players are similar to the player, overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0086] In this first embodiment, when a golf game application is executed, the type of golf game to be played (e.g., stroke play or match play), the golf course to be played, and the character to be used by the player are selected from among a plurality of characters. After these selections are completed, the golf game starts according to the player's operation or automatically.

[0087] Although a detailed description will be omitted, in this first embodiment, each of the multiple characters has a different appearance from the other characters, and is individually assigned a maximum flight distance for each club.

[0088] The main unit 2 also functions as an image processing device, generating and outputting (or displaying) display image data corresponding to various screens such as game images. The processor 81 arranges various objects and characters in a three-dimensional virtual space to generate a certain scene or scene. An image of this scene or scene captured by a virtual camera (i.e., seen from a viewpoint) is displayed on the display 12 as a game image.

[0089] In this specification, the hole on the green into which the golf ball is placed is called the "cup," and the playing area or region within the golf course from the teeing area to the green (i.e., the area within which the character can move) is called the "hole." In addition, in this specification, "in the cup" means that the golf ball goes into the cup.

[0090] When a golf game is started, a game image including a teeing area of ​​the first hole of a selected golf course and an image (background image) of a part of the hole visible from the teeing area is displayed on the display 12. For example, the first hole of the golf course is generated in a game space or game field, and the position and orientation of a virtual camera are set so that the player character faces the direction in which he will hit the ball from a predetermined position behind the teeing area. As a non-limiting example of a game image, a parameter determination screen 300 as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on a display device (for example, the display 12).

[0091] As shown in Fig. 8, a player character 302 is displayed on the parameter determination screen 300, and the player character 302 is gripping a virtual golf club (hereinafter simply referred to as a "club") 304. As can be seen from Fig. 8, the player character 302 is displayed in an address state, and a teed-up virtual golf ball (hereinafter simply referred to as a "ball") 306 is placed at a predetermined position. As described above, a background image 308 is displayed on the parameter determination screen 300. In the example shown in Fig. 8, virtual objects such as a teeing area, left and right tee markers, a fairway, trees, sky, and clouds are displayed as the background image 308.

[0092] In addition, in FIG. 8, a virtual pin 310 is displayed at approximately the center of the parameter determination screen 300. Furthermore, a trajectory prediction image 312 is displayed from the position of the ball 306 toward the virtual pin 310. This trajectory prediction image 312 is an image that predictably shows the trajectory of the ball 306 when the ball 306 is hit in a predetermined launch direction, and in this first embodiment, it is a band-like image that visualizes a part of the reference trajectory. In this first embodiment, a part of the reference trajectory from the current position of the ball 306 to the highest point is displayed as the trajectory prediction image 312. However, the reference trajectory for displaying the trajectory prediction image 312 is an ideal parabola when the ball 306 is hit in a predetermined launch direction, and in this first embodiment, it is a parabola when the ball 306 is hit with 100% hitting force using the club 304 to be used (see FIG. 22). The ideal parabola means a parabola when there is no influence other than gravity in the virtual space.

[0093] 8, the trajectory prediction image 312 includes a plurality of quadrilateral images 312a which are constituent elements. The plurality of quadrilateral images 312a are displayed in an animation so as to move in the direction in which the ball 306 is launched. For example, each of the plurality of quadrilateral images 312a moves from the current position of the ball 306 toward the highest point position, and when it reaches the highest point position, it starts moving from the current position of the ball 306 and continues moving until the player starts a second parameter determination operation described later.

[0094] In this first embodiment, the trajectory prediction image 312 is an image using a reference trajectory, but it is not necessary to be limited to this. In other embodiments, the trajectory prediction image 312 may be a strip-shaped image of a predetermined length extending in a direction in which the ball 306 moves linearly forward (hereinafter referred to as the "front direction"). In this case, at least one of the size and the position of the trajectory prediction image 312 may be set or corrected based on at least one of the information of the club 304 to be used and the information of the player character 302. However, the front direction of the ball 306 is the direction in which the ball 306 is moved among the directions directly to the side of the player character 302 in the address state. Specifically, for a right-handed player character 302, the front direction of the ball 306 is the left direction, and for a left-handed player character 302, the front direction of the ball 306 is the right direction.

[0095] However, when the second parameter determination operation is started, the trajectory prediction image 312 is erased (or hidden) from the parameter determination screen 300. This is just one example, and the trajectory prediction image 312 may be erased at any timing before the player character 302 hits the ball 306.

[0096] The quadrilateral image 312a indicates the predicted moving direction of the ball 306. When the ball 306 is predicted to move along a reference trajectory, the image 312a is a vertically long rectangle. When the ball 306 is predicted to curve, the quadrilateral image 312a indicates the direction and magnitude of the curve (hereinafter, these are referred to as "curve information"). The curve information is determined based on the slope of the ground at the current position of the ball 306 and the launch direction. The direction in which the ball 306 curves is similar to that of general real golf; when the slope is toe-up, the ball 306 curves to the left, and when the slope is toe-down, the ball 306 curves to the right, and the magnitude of the curve increases in conjunction with the magnitude of the slope.

[0097] However, the launch direction of the ball 306 includes the left and right directions and the up and down directions at the start of the movement of the ball 306. The left and right launch directions of the ball 306 are preliminarily determined by a straight line connecting the current position of the ball 106 and the pin 310 (cup). However, if the current position of the ball 106 is far from the pin 310, the left and right launch directions of the ball 306 are set to a fairway or the like close to the current position of the ball 106. If the current position of the ball 106 is far from the pin 310, not only the case where the straight line distance from the ball 106 to the pin 310 is long, but also the case where the actual distance from the ball 306 to the pin 310 along the shape of the hole is long in a hole that curves midway, such as a dogleg hole, is included. In addition, the left and right launch directions of the ball 306 can be set (changed) by the player. The up and down launch directions of the ball 306 are determined according to the club 304 used (specifically, the launch angle).

[0098] Fig. 9 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 when the ball 306 is predicted to curve to the right. In the example shown in Fig. 9, the ball 306 is on a slope with the toes pointing down. Therefore, the ball 306 is predicted to curve to the right, and the amount of the curve is determined by the angle of the slope with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0099] Furthermore, if it is expected that the ball 306 will curve to the right, the image 312a is made into a parallelogram with the upper left corner protruding upward beyond the upper right corner. That is, by displaying the image 312a of a quadrangle with the right side sagging downward on the parameter determination screen 300, it is expressed that the ball 306 will curve to the right. Furthermore, the amount by which the upper left corner protrudes relative to the upper right corner is changed depending on the degree to which the ball 306 will curve.

[0100] Although not shown, when the ball 306 is on a toe-up slope, it is expected that the ball 306 will curve to the left, and the image 312a is made into a parallelogram with the upper right corner protruding upward from the upper left corner. That is, by displaying the image 312a of a quadrangle with the left side sagging downward on the parameter determination screen 300, it is expressed that the ball 306 will curve to the left. Also, the amount of protrusion of the upper right corner relative to the upper left corner is determined according to the degree to which the ball 306 will curve.

[0101] As described above, in the first embodiment, the images 312a are displayed in an animation so as to move in the direction in which the ball 306 is launched. For this reason, data for displaying the images 312a in animation, each having a shape corresponding to the direction and magnitude of the curve, is prepared in advance and used as appropriate. However, the data for displaying the animation may be generated each time the image is displayed, without being prepared in advance.

[0102] In the first embodiment, the images 312a are displayed in animation so as to move in the moving direction of the ball 306, but the images 312a may remain stationary because they are displayed in a shape that represents the direction and magnitude of the curve of the ball 306. In other words, the images 312a do not need to move.

[0103] In the first embodiment, the direction and magnitude of the curve of the ball 306 are expressed by the shape of the image 312a constituting the predicted trajectory image 312, but this is not necessarily limited to this. In another example, the direction and magnitude of the curve of the ball 306 may be expressed by the tilt at which the image 312a is displayed. In such a case, the image 312a is rotated around a vertical axis that passes through the center of the image 312a in the left-right direction and is parallel to the image 312a by an angle according to the direction and magnitude of the curve of the ball 306.

[0104] Furthermore, in this first embodiment, trajectory prediction image 312 is composed of a plurality of images 312a, and the shape of images 312a is changed, but the direction and magnitude of the curve of ball 306 may be expressed by the shape or tilt of a single trajectory prediction image 312 itself. For example, trajectory prediction image 312 may be composed of a single vertically long rectangle, and the twist direction (or tilt direction) and twist amount (or tilt amount) of trajectory prediction image 312 may be changed according to the direction and magnitude of the curve of ball 306.

[0105] Also, when the moving direction of the ball 306 is expected to be above or below the reference trajectory, the color of the image 312a can be changed to notify the player of this. For example, when the height of the moving direction of the ball 306 does not change or hardly changes from the reference trajectory, the image 312a is made translucent white. When the height of the moving direction of the ball 306 is expected to be above the reference trajectory, the image 312a is made blue. When the height of the moving direction of the ball 306 is expected to be below the reference trajectory, the image 312a is made red. When the height of the moving direction of the ball 306 is expected to be above or below the reference trajectory, the intensity (i.e., saturation) of the blue or red color may be changed according to the amount of change in height.

[0106] However, the movement direction of the ball 306 going above or below the reference trajectory may be represented by a difference in color intensity or a difference in shape of the image 312a, rather than a difference in color of the image 312a.

[0107] As described above, the direction in which the ball 306 curves is the same as in general real golf, so if the player character 302 is right-handed and the left foot is up, the height in the direction of movement of the ball 306 will be higher than the reference trajectory, and if the left foot is down, the height in the direction of movement of the ball 306 will be lower than the reference trajectory, and the change in height increases in conjunction with the magnitude of the incline.

[0108] In this way, the trajectory prediction image 312 itself is displayed linearly, and the moving direction of the ball 306 is expressed by the shapes of the multiple images 312a that make up the trajectory prediction image 312, so the difficulty of predicting the trajectory of the ball 306 after it moves is maintained, while the curve information is expressed abstractly by the shapes of the images 312a, ensuring game playability. In other words, the interest in the golf game can be increased.

[0109] If the trajectory prediction image 312 itself were to be displayed for a long period of time along the predicted trajectory of the ball 306, interest in predicting the trajectory of the ball 306 after it has moved would diminish, and interest in the golf game would likely decrease.

[0110] However, the trajectory prediction image 312 may be displayed based on the predicted trajectory of the ball 306. In this case, the predicted trajectory is displayed for a short period of time (for example, a quarter of the time until the horizontal reach) after the ball 306 is launched. This is because, if the predicted trajectory image 312 is displayed based on a predicted trajectory for a long period of time as described above, interest in predicting the trajectory of the ball 306 after it moves decreases. In other words, by displaying the predicted trajectory image 312 based on a predicted trajectory for a short period of time, when the trajectory of the ball 306 curves after it moves, the influence of the magnitude of the curve is reduced as much as possible. Therefore, even when the predicted trajectory is displayed based on the predicted trajectory, the predicted trajectory image 312 can be displayed linearly. However, even in such a case, the shape of the image 312a is changed according to the direction and magnitude of the curve, so that the difficulty of predicting the trajectory of the ball 306 after it moves is maintained, and the game playability is ensured by expressing the curve information abstractly by the shape of the image 312a.

[0111] Furthermore, in the parameter determination screen 300 shown in Fig. 9, the movement gauge 320 is deformed in accordance with the curve information of the ball 306. Details of the movement gauge 320 will be described later. As described above, in the case shown in Fig. 9, since the ball 306 is expected to curve to the right, the movement gauge 320 is also curved to the right. The degree to which the movement gauge 320 is curved increases as the degree to which the ball 306 curves increases. In other words, the direction and the degree to which the movement gauge 320 is curved are also determined based on the inclination of the current position of the ball 306 and the launch direction.

[0112] In this way, the moving gauge 320 also curves based on the inclination of the current position of the ball 306 and the launch direction, so the moving direction of the ball 306 can be intuitively known from the direction and magnitude of the curve of the moving gauge 320. Therefore, while maintaining the difficulty of predicting the trajectory of the ball 306 after it has moved, the game play is ensured by abstractly expressing the curve information by the shape of the moving gauge 320. In other words, the interest in the golf game can be increased.

[0113] However, as described above, in trajectory prediction image 312, trajectory prediction image 312 itself is displayed linearly, and the moving direction of ball 306 is represented by the shapes of multiple images 312a constituting trajectory prediction image 312, so movement gauge 320 may not be deformed. Also, movement gauge 320 may be deformed so as not to deform the shapes of multiple images 312a.

[0114] As can be seen from FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a display area 314 for displaying the type of club 304 used by the player character 302 for hitting is provided in the lower right corner of the parameter determination screen 300. When the type of club 304 is changed on the parameter determination screen 300, the image of the club 304 held by the player character 302 is changed to the image of the club 304 of the changed type. At this time, the type of club 304 displayed in the display area 314 is also changed. In this first embodiment, the type of club 304 can be changed by pressing the L button 38 or the R button 60. When the L button 38 is pressed, the club 304 is changed to a club 304 that is longer than the current club 304, and when the R button 60 is pressed, the club 304 is changed to a club 304 that is shorter than the current club 304. The flight distance of the ball 306 when the ball 306 is hit with 100% hitting power is determined according to the type of club 304. However, the flight distance may be changed according to the type of the player character 302.

[0115] Also, a star-shaped ability gauge 316 is displayed above the display area 314. The ability gauge 316 displays the size (or the accumulated amount) of a parameter (hereinafter, referred to as an "ability increase parameter") for determining whether the ability of the club 304 to be used can be increased. When the ability increase parameter is accumulated, the color inside the star-shaped ability gauge 316 changes according to the accumulated amount. When the ability gauge 316 is full, that is, when the ability increase parameter reaches a maximum value (for example, 100), the ability of the club 304 to be used can be increased according to the operation of the player. For example, the player presses the Y button 56 to select increasing the ability of the club 304. The player can cancel increasing the ability of the club 304 by pressing the Y button 56 again or by pressing the B button 54. Also, when the player character 302 hits the ball 306 with the ability of the club 304 increased, the ability increase parameter is set to a minimum value (for example, 0).

[0116] In this first embodiment, when a predetermined condition is met, an ability increase parameter is accumulated. As an example, the predetermined condition is that the ball 306 is hit with a hitting force that is less than 75% of the maximum value (100%). In another embodiment, the predetermined condition may be that a predetermined item is obtained or used, and / or a predetermined quota is achieved. The amount of the ability increase parameter accumulated may be a fixed value or a variable value. For example, if the hitting force is less than 75%, a predetermined accumulation amount (e.g., 20) is added to the ability increase parameter. However, the accumulation amount may be increased as the hitting force decreases from 75%.

[0117] The operation (hereinafter referred to as the "first parameter determination operation") for changing the type of the club 304 and increasing the ability of the club 304, that is, for determining some parameters (hereinafter referred to as the "first parameter") related to the movement of the ball 306, is performed before the operation (hereinafter referred to as the "second parameter determination operation") for determining the second parameters (hereinafter referred to as the "second parameter") related to the movement of the ball 306 using the movement gauge 320. Although detailed explanation is omitted, it is performed before the second parameter determination operation. Although detailed explanation is omitted, before the second parameter determination operation, not only the selection of the club 304 and the selection of whether to increase the ability, but also the left and right launch direction of the ball 306, that is, the left and right direction at the start of the movement of the ball 306, can be changed according to the operation of the player. This left and right launch direction is also the first parameter related to the movement of the ball 306. For example, the left and right launch direction of the ball 306 can be changed by tilting the analog stick 32 to the left or right.

[0118] Furthermore, to the right of the center of the parameter determination screen 300 and to the left of the display area 314 and the ability gauge 316, a movement gauge 320 for determining a second parameter related to the movement of the ball 306 is displayed. In this first embodiment, the second parameter related to the movement of the ball 306 is the striking force of the ball 306, the change in the trajectory of the ball 306, and the deviation of the trajectory of the ball 306.

[0119] In this first embodiment, the change in trajectory means the direction of change up and down and left and right and the amount of change (or the strength of the change) from the reference trajectory. As described above, the reference trajectory means a parabola determined by the type of club 304 used (specifically, the launch angle in the up and down direction) and the impact force (specifically, the initial velocity of the ball 306). Also, in this first embodiment, the deviation of the trajectory means the direction of deviation of the launch direction of the ball 306 (in this first embodiment, the left and right direction) and the amount of deviation.

[0120] The parabola can be calculated according to Equation 1, which is a general physical calculation of oblique projection. The position of the ball 306 at time t can be calculated according to Equation 2. It is assumed, however, that a predetermined gravitational acceleration g is set in the virtual game space. Furthermore, θ is the launch angle in the vertical direction of the ball 306, and v0 is the initial velocity of the ball 306. The launch angle θ in the vertical direction of the ball 306 is set in advance for each club 304. Furthermore, the initial velocity v0 of the ball 306 is set according to the impact force and the maximum flight distance of the club 304 used. Furthermore, t is time (frame). A frame is a unit time for updating the screen, and is, for example, 1 / 60 seconds.

[0121] Furthermore, when calculating the reference trajectory, local coordinates are set. Specifically, the current position of the ball 106 is set as the reference (origin), an axis extending horizontally from the current position of the ball 106 toward the virtual impact point is set as the x-axis, and an axis perpendicular to the x-axis and extending in the height direction of the virtual space is set as the y-axis. Furthermore, a z-axis perpendicular to both the x-axis and y-axis is set. Furthermore, a direction extending horizontally from the current position of the ball 106 toward the virtual impact point is set as the positive direction of the x-axis, a direction toward the top of the virtual space is set as the positive direction of the y-axis, and a direction toward the right when looking in the positive direction of the x-axis is set as the positive direction of the z-axis.

[0122] However, when calculating the reference trajectory, it is assumed that the terrain (or the ground) has no inclination. Therefore, in the game space, a parabola from the current position of the ball 306 to a position at the same height as the current position (i.e., a position in the horizontal reach) is calculated as the reference trajectory.

[0123] [Number 1] Reference trajectory y=tanθ·x-(gx 2 ) / (2v0 2 cos 2 θ) [Number 2] In this first embodiment, the reference trajectory is a parabola calculated by typical physical calculations, but it may also be determined based on a simulation process that takes into account the effects of air resistance in virtual space and lift caused by ball spin.

[0124] Position x=v0cosθ·ty=v0sinθ-(gt 2 ) / 2 Here, the movement gauge 320 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 8, the movement gauge 320 includes a rectangular area (hereinafter referred to as a "basic area") 322 formed in a vertically long bar shape (or band shape), and the basic area 322 is divided into four sections (or areas). In this first embodiment, the four divided sections are called a first operation section 322a, a second operation section 322b, a third operation section 322c, and a fourth operation section 322d, in order from the bottom on the parameter determination screen 300. As an example, the movement gauge 320 is displayed with white lines, and the inside of the basic area 322 is colored black before the second parameter determination operation.

[0125] Further, the moving gauge 320 includes an area (hereinafter, referred to as a "risk area") 324, the size and shape of which are set variably, outside the basic area 322. The risk area 324 is an area for determining the left or right directional deviation of the ball 306 beyond the range of the basic area 322, as will be described in detail later. The size and shape of this risk area 324 are variably determined based on the club 304 used and the state of the lie. To put it simply, as in the case of general real golf, the size of the risk area 324 is increased as the difficulty of the hit increases. In other words, when the club 304 used is the same, the size of the risk area 324 relative to the overall size of the moving gauge 320 differs depending on the state of the lie. Also, as an example, the inside of the risk area 324 is colored red. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the risk area 324 is triangular in shape, and the width from left to right is gradually increased toward the upper end of the moving gauge 320. Therefore, the longer the travel distance, the greater the likelihood of the shaking becoming greater, and the image of the ball 306's arrival point spreading out allows the user to intuitively recognize that the longer the travel distance, the greater the shaking or the greater the shaking will be.

[0126] In this first embodiment, the basic region 322 and the risk region 324 are shown in different colors to make the risk region 324 easier to understand, but they may be shown as one body without being color-coded. For example, the risk region 324 may be formed by a part of the basic region 322 deforming and expanding in the left and right directions.

[0127] Additionally, within the basic area 322 of the movement gauge 320, an image (hereinafter referred to as a "target image") 3220 is displayed that corresponds to a predetermined object (hereinafter referred to as a "display target object") such as the green, pin 310, bunker, water hazard, and rough that exists between the current position of the ball 306 and a position within the horizontal reach when the ball 306 moves on the reference trajectory.

[0128] However, the target image 3220 is displayed in the basic area 322 at a position corresponding to the linear distance from the current position of the ball 306 to the object to be displayed so that the distance (or positional relationship) to the ball 306 can be known.

[0129] The position corresponding to the straight-line distance means a position that is a length away from the bottom end of the moving gauge 320 that corresponds to the straight-line distance, assuming that the length of the moving gauge 320 corresponds to the horizontal reach of the ball 306 when the ball 306 is hit with 100% hitting force using the selected club 304.

[0130] Therefore, when the parameter determination screen 300 is displayed (or updated), the presence or absence of an object to be displayed that exists between the current position of the ball 306 and a position within the horizontal reach is detected, and the straight-line distance to the object to be displayed is detected.

[0131] Fig. 10 shows an example of a parameter determination screen 300 including a target image 3220. In the parameter determination screen 300 shown in Fig. 10, target images 3220 for the green and the pin 310 are displayed in the fourth operation section 322d of the basic area 322. However, the target image 3220 for the green is shown as a rectangle with vertical stripes, and the target image 3220 for the pin 310 is displayed superimposed on the green. Although not shown, when a part of the green is displayed and the pin 310 is not standing on that part of the green, the target image 3220 for the pin 310 is not displayed. The same applies to these matters below.

[0132] 11(A) and 11(B) show other non-limiting examples of the movement gauge 320. In the example shown in Fig. 11(A), in the fourth operation section 322d of the basic area 322, target images 3220 for the green and the pin 310 are displayed, and a target image 3220 for a bunker in front of the green is also displayed. In Fig. 11(A), the target image 3220 for the bunker is shown as a square with multiple dots randomly added.

[0133] In the example shown in Fig. 11(B), target images 3220 for the green and pin 310 are displayed in the fourth operation section 322d of the basic area 322, and a target image 3220 for the rough is displayed in front of the green, in the third operation section 322c. In Fig. 11(B), the target image 3220 for the rough is shown as a square with four W's attached.

[0134] In this first embodiment, the target image 3220 is erased (or hidden) when the second parameter determination operation is started. However, this is just an example, and the target image 3220 may be erased when the striking force is determined.

[0135] As described above, since it is assumed that the length of the movement gauge 320 corresponds to the horizontal reach of the ball 306 when the ball 306 is hit with the selected club 304 with 100% hitting power, the position where the target image 3220 was displayed can be taken into consideration when determining the hitting power, as described later. In addition, since the horizontal reach changes depending on the type of club 304, the display / non-display of the target image 3220 changes, and the position where the target image 3220 is displayed changes, so this becomes a factor for judgment when selecting the club 304 to be used. In other words, it is possible to provide a user-friendly movement gauge 320. This is also true even if the risk area 324 is not provided in the movement gauge 320.

[0136] Furthermore, on the parameter determination screen 300 shown in Figures 8-10, the movement gauge 320 is displayed two-dimensionally (hereinafter referred to as "2D display"), but when a specific button (in this first embodiment, the ZR button 61) is pressed, it is displayed three-dimensionally (hereinafter referred to as "3D display"). However, when the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 3D, pressing a specific button (in this first embodiment, the ZL button 39) returns it to 2D display. The player can select whether the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 2D or 3D.

[0137] Fig. 12 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 when the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 3D. Fig. 13 shows another non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 when the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 3D.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 12, when the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 3D, the movement gauge 320 is displayed diagonally, and the auxiliary frame 350 is displayed with the movement gauge 320 at the center. The auxiliary frame 350 defines a range of several tens of meters to the left and right and several tens of meters to the top and bottom based on the current position of the ball 306, and is divided into operation sections 322a-322d. However, the position of the auxiliary frame 350 that overlaps with the center of the bottom end of the movement gauge 320 corresponds to the current position of the ball 306. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the lower part of the auxiliary frame 350 is shown in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped divided into operation sections 322a-322d based on the movement gauge 320. On the other hand, the upper part of the auxiliary frame 350 based on the movement gauge 320 shows only the surface on the top end side of the movement gauge 320 and the right surface perpendicular to this surface. In the parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the left and right range indicated by the auxiliary frame 350 is set to be larger than the top and bottom range, but this is just one example and does not need to be limited.

[0139] Moreover, on the right end face constituting the auxiliary frame 350, a broken line (i.e., height information) 352 is displayed which indicates the change in height of the ground object, the object placed on the ground (hereinafter referred to as the "ground object"), and the object placed in the air (hereinafter referred to as the "air object") in the front direction of the ball 306. However, the broken line 352 is displayed in the range on a straight line from the current position of the ball 306 to the position of the horizontal reach. In this way, the broken line 352 is displayed along the movement gauge 320. Moreover, the ground object, the ground object, and the air object in the front direction of the ball 306 are objects (i.e., obstacle objects) which become an obstacle to the movement of the ball 306 when it moves.

[0140] In this first embodiment, a virtual straight line parallel to the straight line from the current position of the ball 306 to the position of the horizontal reach is set at a position higher than the objects placed on the ground and in the air in the three-dimensional game space. For example, the virtual straight line is set to a height of 100 m in the three-dimensional game space. The position where a line object drawn vertically from this virtual straight line first hits a polygon constituting a ground object, a ground object, or an air object is determined as the height at that point. By performing this at intervals of several centimeters to several tens of centimeters in the virtual space, a change in height from the current position of the ball 306 to the position of the horizontal reach is detected. However, the line object is a cylindrical or capsule-shaped object with a certain thickness so as not to pass through a ground object or an air object. In addition, when detecting the height, the virtual straight line and the line object do not need to be drawn, and only a calculation process is performed.

[0141] As described above, the launch direction is changed by the player's operation, so when the launch direction is changed, a process for detecting height is executed, and in the parameter determination screen 300, the background image 308 seen from the player character 302 is changed, and the broken line 352 is also changed according to the result of the process for detecting height. Also, when the ball 306 is on a slope, the shapes of the multiple images 312a in the trajectory prediction image 312 and the shape of the movement gauge 320 are also changed, as described above.

[0142] Fig. 13 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 when the launch direction is rotated approximately 30 degrees to the left from the state shown in Fig. 12. As shown in Fig. 13, a tree object is placed in the launch direction. Also, as described above, a process for detecting height is executed, and the broken line 352 is changed. The portion of the broken line 352 that protrudes upward from the surface of the movement gauge 320 indicates the height of the tree object placed in the launch direction.

[0143] In this way, when the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 3D, it is possible to know information about the height in the launch direction. Also, since the auxiliary frame 350 is divided into each operation section 322a-322d, it is possible to know the change in the broken line 352 for each operation section 322a-322d, and this can be used as a guide when performing directional input, which will be described later.

[0144] Next, the second parameter determination operation will be described, along with the movement of the ball 306. However, in Fig. 14 and subsequent figures, a case where the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 2D will be described, but even if the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 3D, the parameter determination screen 300 will change in the same manner.

[0145] In the first embodiment, the broken line 352 is displayed along the movement gauge 320, but the movement gauge 320 may be displayed with a thickness, and the broken line 352 may be displayed on its cross section or side.

[0146] Also, the broken line 352 is just one example, and the height information may be expressed by a bar graph every few centimeters or every few tens of centimeters.

[0147] 8 etc., when an instruction to start the second parameter determination operation is given, in this first embodiment, when the A button 53 is pressed, the first indicator image 326 starts moving from the initial position (i.e., the bottom end of the movement gauge 320) toward one end (i.e., the top end of the movement gauge 320). The first indicator image 326 is an indicator for determining the striking force, and moves at a movement speed V1.

[0148] 14, when the first index image 326 moves, the color of the portion of the moving gauge 320 to which the first index image 326 has moved is changed. As an example, when the first index image 326 moves within the moving gauge 320, the color of the moved portion is changed to yellow. In this first embodiment, the color of the basic region 322 is changed, but the color of the risk region 324 is not changed. Therefore, the distinction or visibility of the basic region 322 and the risk region 324 is improved. However, since the first index image 326 moves within the moving gauge 320, the width of the portion where the risk region 324 is provided is increased.

[0149] In the first embodiment, the color of the portion to which the first index image 326 has moved is changed, but instead of the movement of the first index image 326, the color inside the movement gauge 320 may be gradually changed from the bottom to the top of the movement gauge 320. In this case, the speed at which the color is changed is the movement speed V1.

[0150] The striking force is determined according to the position where the first indicator image 326 is stopped, and is determined to be greater than the minimum value (0%) and equal to or less than the maximum value (100%). However, when the first indicator image 326 is located at the bottom end of the moving gauge 320, the striking force is minimum, and when the first indicator image 326 is located at the top end of the moving gauge 320, the striking force is maximum. When an instruction to stop is given, in this first embodiment, when the A button 53 is pressed, the first indicator image 326 stops moving. The striking force is determined by the ratio of the length from the bottom end of the moving gauge 320 to the stopped first indicator image 326 to the total length of the moving gauge 320. Strictly speaking, the first indicator image 326 gradually tilts diagonally according to the deformation of each operation section 322a-322d as it moves from the bottom end to the top end of the moving gauge 320, so the striking force is determined by the length from the bottom end of the moving gauge 320 to the center position of the first indicator image 326. In other words, the closer the first index image 326 is to the top end of the moving gauge 320, the greater the impact force. As described above, the initial velocity v0 of the ball 306 is determined based on the impact force, so the closer the first index image 326 is to the top end of the moving gauge 320, the longer the moving distance of the ball 306.

[0151] If there is no instruction to stop, when the first index image 326 reaches the upper end of the moving gauge 320, it reverses its moving direction and moves toward the lower end of the moving gauge 320. When the first index image 326 reaches the lower end of the moving gauge 320, the first index image 326 stops moving, and the second parameter determination operation must be redone, or a miss shot or whiff occurs.

[0152] Note that even when the first indicator image 326 is moving toward the bottom end of the movement gauge 320, the player can stop the movement of the first indicator image 326.

[0153] In another embodiment, when the first index image 326 reaches the top end of the moving gauge 320, it may move from the bottom end to the top end again.

[0154] FIG. 15 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 when the movement of the first index image 326 is stopped. As shown in FIG. 15, the first index image 326 is stopped at a position from the center to the upper end of the fourth operation section 322d. When the first index image 326 is stopped, the second index image 330 starts moving from the lower end to the upper end of the movement gauge 320 at a movement speed V2. The second index image 330 is an indicator that indicates a predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as a "direction input period") during which the direction and the magnitude of the change (i.e., the amount of change) of the trajectory of the ball 306 can be input, and a part (or section) in which the trajectory of the ball 306 is changed. As an example, the movement speed V2 is the same as the movement speed V1, but may be a different speed.

[0155] The second indicator image 330 moves from the bottom end of the movement gauge 320 to the position of the stopped first indicator image 326. This period is the direction input period. Therefore, when the first indicator image 326 is stopped in the middle of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d, the direction input period is made shorter than when the first indicator image 326 is stopped at the end of the same operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d. When the player designates the striking force by stopping the movement of the first indicator image 326, the player can perform a direction input over time during the direction input period. By this direction input over time, the trajectory of the ball 306 after hitting can be changed from the reference trajectory. In other words, the ball 306 can be moved while reflecting the direction input over time on the trajectory over time. As described above, the second indicator image 330 moves at the moving speed V2, so the direction input period is variably set according to the position of the first indicator image 326.

[0156] Therefore, the player stops the first indicator image 326 taking into consideration not only the striking force but also the directional input period, which increases the interest and strategy of the game.

[0157] However, a directional input over time is a directional input detected during a directional input period, and the player is not necessarily always making a directional input during this directional input period.

[0158] The player can input a direction by tilting the analog stick 32. The analog stick 32 can be tilted in 360 degrees, and therefore 360 ​​degrees of direction input is possible. Also, the magnitude (or strength) of the change in the trajectory of the ball 306 in the tilted direction (hereinafter referred to as the "tilt direction") is determined according to the magnitude of the angle at which the analog stick 32 is tilted, that is, the amount of tilt. In other words, the player can determine not only the direction in which the trajectory of the ball 306 is changed, but also the degree of change. Therefore, the directional input itself can be interesting.

[0159] FIG. 16 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 when the second index image 330 is moving. As shown in FIG. 16, when the second index image 330 moves, the color of the part of the movement gauge 320 to which the second index image 330 has moved is changed to orange. However, the color of the risk area 324 is not changed. In addition, in FIG. 16, in order to easily show the color changed due to the movement of the first index image 326 and the color changed due to the movement of the second index image 330, the direction of the diagonal lines and the width between adjacent diagonal lines are changed from those of the parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, and further, the diagonal lines indicating the color changed due to the movement of the first index image 326 are omitted. In addition, instead of the movement of the second index image 330, the color in the movement gauge 320 may be gradually changed from the bottom end of the movement gauge 320 to the position of the stopped first index image 326. In this case, the speed at which the color is changed is the movement speed V2.

[0160] Also, as shown in FIG. 16, an image (hereinafter referred to as an "arrow image") 332 indicating a direction input is displayed in the center of the first operation section 322a. The arrow image 332 is an image indicating a direction input (hereinafter referred to as an "interval direction input") obtained by combining multiple direction inputs detected for each frame in the displayed operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d. As described above, the direction input is the tilt amount of the analog stick 32 tilted up and down and left and right, respectively, and therefore the interval direction input is a two-dimensional vector in which the input values ​​of up and down and left and right are added together. In other words, in each of the operation sections 322a-322d, the average value of the multiple direction inputs detected for each frame is calculated as the interval direction input.

[0161] In this first embodiment, the arrow image 332 is an image that indicates one section direction input that is a collection of multiple direction inputs, so that a smaller number of section direction inputs than the detected direction inputs are displayed. Therefore, the section direction inputs are easy to understand.

[0162] The timing at which the arrow image 332 is displayed is, for example, the timing at which a predetermined number of directional inputs (for example, 10-12) are detected. Therefore, when the predetermined number of directional inputs are detected, a section direction input is calculated, and an arrow image 332 indicating the section input direction is displayed in the corresponding operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d. Therefore, even if the second indicator image 330 is moving in the middle of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d, at the time when the predetermined number of directional inputs are detected, a section direction input is calculated, and an arrow image 332 indicating the calculated section direction input is displayed in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d.

[0163] In another example, when the second indicator image 330 reaches the center of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d, a section direction input may be calculated, and an arrow image 332 indicating the calculated section direction input may be displayed in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d.

[0164] However, in either case, finally, an arrow image 332 corresponding to a section direction input calculated from all direction inputs detected in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d is displayed in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d. That is, the arrow image 332 displayed midway in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d in which the second indicator image 330 is moving is updated when the second indicator image 330 moves to the end of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d.

[0165] Therefore, when the second indicator image 330 looks at the arrow image 332 displayed while moving through the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d, if the section direction input indicated by the arrow image 332 is not the desired direction and size (or strength), the direction input can be corrected so that the section direction input becomes the desired direction and size. Therefore, the arrow image 332 not only indicates the section direction input, but can also be said to be an indicator for correcting the section direction input.

[0166] In this first embodiment, the strength of changing the trajectory of the ball 306 varies depending on the tilt amount of the directional input, and the arrow image 332 is displayed or hidden so that the strength can be seen, and the content is changed according to the strength level. In this first embodiment, the strength of changing the trajectory of the ball 306 includes the case where the tilt amount is 0, and is classified into three levels (for example, strong, medium, and weak) when the tilt amount is greater than 0. The tilt amount of the analog stick 32 changes in increments of 0.1 between 0 and 1.0, the tilt amount when not tilted is 0, and the tilt amount when tilted to the maximum is 1.0. In addition, when the tilt amount is greater than 0 and is 0.3 or less, the strength level is determined to be weak, when the tilt amount is greater than 0.3 and is 0.7 or less, the strength level is determined to be medium (i.e., between strong and weak), and when the tilt amount is greater than 0.7 and is 1.0 or less, the strength level is determined to be strong.

[0167] Therefore, in this first embodiment, when the trajectory of the ball 306 is changed, an arrow image 332 expressing the strength of changing the trajectory of the ball 306 in three stages is displayed, and when the trajectory of the ball 306 is not changed, the arrow image 332 is not displayed. The arrow image 332 shown in FIG. 16 is an arrow image 332 when the strength of changing the trajectory of the ball 306 is strong, and three arrows (arrowheads) are displayed side by side. Although not shown, when the strength of changing the trajectory of the ball 306 is weak, an arrow image 332 with one arrow is displayed. Also, when the strength of changing the trajectory of the ball 306 is medium, an arrow image 332 with two arrows is displayed.

[0168] However, the above-mentioned classification of strength is performed only for displaying or not displaying the arrow image 332, and is not used when actually changing the trajectory. In another embodiment, this classification may be used when actually changing the trajectory. The method of changing the trajectory of the ball 306 will be described later.

[0169] In this first embodiment, when the tilt amount of the analog stick 32 is greater than 0, the strength of the change in the trajectory of the ball 306 is classified into three stages, but this is just one example, and it is also possible to classify it into two or more stages, or into four or more stages.

[0170] FIG. 17 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 in the case where the second indicator image 330 has moved to the position where the first indicator image 326 has stopped. As shown in FIG. 17, the second indicator image 330 is hidden, and the color from the initial position of the movement gauge 320 to the position where the first indicator image 326 has stopped is changed to orange. Also, in the parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 17, an arrow image 332 is displayed in each operation section 322a-322d. The trajectory of the ball 306 is changed in the direction indicated by the arrow image 332. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 17, when the player character 302 hits the ball 306, the ball 306 moves according to a trajectory in which the reference trajectory is changed to the right in the section corresponding to the first operation section 322a, changed to the left in the section corresponding to the second operation section 322b, changed diagonally upward to the right in the section corresponding to the third operation section 322c, and changed diagonally upward to the left in the section corresponding to the fourth operation section 322d.

[0171] 17, an image (hereinafter, referred to as a "blurring indication image") 328 is displayed in contact with the lower side of the first indicator image 326. The blurring indication image 328 is an image that indicates the trajectory deviation of the ball 306. In this first embodiment, the striking force is determined by the player's operation, and when the change in the trajectory is determined, the trajectory deviation is determined by lottery.

[0172] The position where the blur instruction image 328 is displayed is determined by lottery within the range of the width of the moving gauge 320 (or the first index image 326). In this first embodiment, a lottery period (hereinafter referred to as the "blur lottery period") of a predetermined length (for example, about 0.5 seconds (30 frames)) is set. The blur is automatically determined at the end of the lottery period. During the lottery period of the blur, the display position of the instruction image 328 is randomly changed along the first index image 326, and this state is displayed on the parameter determination screen 300 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "lottery display"). Since the lottery display is performed in this manner, the player can be interested in the golf game even during the period from when the hitting force is determined to when the movement of the ball 306 starts.

[0173] When the blurring indication image 328 is located in the center of the width of the movement gauge 320, there is no blurring and the amount of left-right blurring is zero. When the blurring indication image 328 is located to the left of the center of the movement gauge 320, the trajectory of the ball 306 blurs to the left. When the blurring indication image 328 is located to the right of the center of the movement gauge 320, the trajectory of the ball 306 blurs to the right. In either case, when the ball 206 blurs to the left or right, the amount of blurring increases as the blurring indication image 328 moves away from the center of the width of the movement gauge 320.

[0174] FIG. 18(A) is a diagram for explaining an example in which the range in which the blur is determined is not limited, and FIG. 18(B) is a diagram for explaining another example in which the range in which the blur is determined is not limited. In FIG. 18(A), the first index image 326 is stopped at a position in the moving gauge 320 where the risk area 324 is not provided. Therefore, in the case shown in FIG. 18(A), the blur is determined within the range of the basic area 322. On the other hand, in FIG. 18(B), the first index image 326 is stopped at a position in the moving gauge 20 where the risk area 324 is provided. Therefore, in the case shown in FIG. 18(B), the blur is determined within the range of the basic area 322 and the risk area 324. Therefore, in the case shown in FIG. 18(B), the impact force is larger than in the case shown in FIG. 18(A), so the moving distance of the ball 306 is longer, but the amount of blur may also be larger. As described above, the amount of blur is increased as the blur indication image 328 moves away from the center of the width of the moving gauge 320. Therefore, when the blurring indication image 328 is within the risk area 324, the amount of blurring is increased compared to when it is outside the risk area 324. Also, the player can play the golf game by considering the selection of the club 304 and the magnitude of the hitting force depending on whether the player places importance on the moving distance or the directionality.

[0175] In addition, since the magnitude of the impact force is proportional to the directional input period, the amount of shaking may also increase when the period during which the moving direction of the ball 306 is changed by the player's operation is lengthened. In other words, since the length of the directional input period changes depending on the position at which the first indicator image 326 is stopped, it is possible to play a golf game by considering the selection of the club 304 and the magnitude of the impact force, depending on whether to prioritize lengthening the directional input period or not to prioritize increasing the amount of shaking.

[0176] In this first embodiment, if there is shaking, the left and right launch directions of the ball 306 are changed. The amount of change in the launch direction of the ball 306 is increased in proportion to the amount of shaking. However, in other examples, if there is shaking, a part or all of the trajectory may be changed (or moved) in the direction of shaking by an amount corresponding to the amount of shaking. In other examples, if there is shaking, both the launch direction and the trajectory of the ball 306 may be changed. These may be adopted individually depending on the type of the player character 302 and / or the club 304.

[0177] Also, the lines at the end (or upper end) of each of the first operation section 322a, the second operation section 322b, the third operation section 322c, and the fourth operation section 322d are set to be oblique. The degree of inclination of the lines at the end of each operation section 322a-322d is increased from the first operation section 322a to the fourth operation section 322d. This degree of inclination is related to the amount of left-right deviation of the ball 306. In general, the distance traveled by a draw ball is longer than that of a fade ball. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, in the case of a right-handed character, the lines at the end are inclined downward from left to right on the parameter determination screen 300. In other words, in the case of a right-handed character, the distance traveled is longer when the ball is deviated to the left than when the ball is deviated to the right. However, instead of only the lines at the end, each operation section 322a-322d is deformed so that the change becomes larger as the ball moves from the bottom to the top of the movement gauge 320.

[0178] Although not shown, in the case of a left-handed character, the inclination direction of the boundary line on the terminal side of each of the operation sections 322a-322d is opposite to that in the case of a right-handed character.

[0179] Although detailed description is omitted, when there is a blur, the moving distance changed by the blur affects the rolling distance of the ball 306 after it lands. When the blur indication image 328 is closer to the top of the moving gauge 320 than the position where the striking force is determined, the rolling distance of the ball 306 is increased, and conversely, when the blur indication image 328 is farther from the top of the moving gauge 320 than the position where the striking force is determined, the rolling distance of the ball 306 is decreased. However, when the terrain is inclined or the landing point is a bunker, rough, or hazard, the ball 306 rolls according to the inclination of the terrain, and moves or stops according to the landing point. As described above, since the shape of each section 322a-322d is deformed, the moving distance is changed even if the determined position of the blur indication image 328 is within the basic area 322.

[0180] When the direction input period ends, a shake lottery is started, and in parallel with this, the player character 302 starts a swing motion and hits the ball 306. However, when the direction input period ends and further the shake lottery is ended, the swing motion of the player character 302 may also be started.

[0181] Fig. 19 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 immediately after the player character 302 hits the ball 306. In the example shown in Fig. 19, the blurring instruction image 328 is located near the center of the width of the basic region 322, so there is no blurring or it is slightly shifted to the right. Therefore, the ball 306 starts to move in the predetermined launch direction or slightly to the right from the predetermined launch direction.

[0182] When the ball 306 starts to move, although not shown in the figure, the virtual camera is moved to a position behind the ball 306 so as to capture an overhead image from diagonally above. However, although a detailed description is omitted, the virtual camera is moved so as to follow the imaginary ball when it is assumed that the ball 306 moves on a reference trajectory. This is to show the player the change in the trajectory of the ball 306 by the game screen image. Therefore, the angle of view of the virtual camera is appropriately adjusted so that the ball 306 fits within the game screen image.

[0183] Furthermore, when the ball 306 starts moving, in the parameter determination screen 300 and the game screen from when the ball 306 hits the ground to when it stops, the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 306 is identifiably displayed in the movement gauge 320, and an arrow image 332 of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d is displayed. The operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 306 is displayed in a color (for example, yellow) different from the color of the other operation sections (orange in this first embodiment). However, each of the arrow images 332 of the operation sections 322a-322d displayed during the direction input period may be temporarily changed to white when the direction input period ends and the player character 302 starts a swing operation, and the arrow image 332 of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 306 may be displayed in a color (e.g., black) different from that of the other operation sections. In other words, the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 306 and its arrow image 332 are made to stand out (or are highlighted). Therefore, the player can know that the trajectory of the ball 306 is changing in a direction according to his / her own direction input.

[0184] However, in this specification, the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 306 means the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d including the position on the moving gauge 320 corresponding to the horizontal movement distance (hereinafter referred to as the "horizontal distance") of the reference trajectory at time t from the start of the movement of the ball 306, assuming that the length from the initial position of the moving gauge 320 to the stopping position of the first indicator image 326 when the impact force is determined corresponds to the horizontal reach distance of the reference trajectory.

[0185] When the player character 302 hits the ball 306, the color in the movement gauge 320 is temporarily returned to the color (yellow) when the hitting force was determined, and the arrow images 332 in each operation section 322a-322d are hidden. However, the arrow images 332 may be displayed in a semi-transparent white color.

[0186] In addition, in this first embodiment, the entire operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 306 is displayed in an identifiable manner, but this is not necessary to be limited to this. A predetermined instruction image such as a dot or line may be displayed at the position of the movement gauge 320 corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 306. Also, it is possible to simply display the arrow image 332 of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 306. In this case, the arrow image 332 may be displayed in each operation section 322a-322d, and the color of the arrow image 332 of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d corresponding to the position of the currently moving ball 3306 may be changed.

[0187] 19 shows a state immediately after the player character 302 hits the ball 306, the first operation section 322a is displayed in an identifiable manner, and an arrow image 332 of the first operation section 322a is displayed. When each operation section 322a-322d is displayed in an identifiable manner, a predetermined color (orange in this first embodiment) is applied to each operation section 322a-322d.

[0188] Next, a method of changing the trajectory of the ball 306 using a directional input will be described. As described above, when the player wishes to change the trajectory of the ball 306 from the reference trajectory, the player tilts the analog stick 32 in the direction in which the change is desired. Since the player's operation input is detected every frame, when the analog stick 32 is tilted, the tilt direction and tilt amount are detected every frame.

[0189] In this first embodiment, the trajectory of the ball 306 is changed using a direction input in each operation section 322a-322d of the movement gauge 320 (hereinafter referred to as a "section direction input"). After the striking force is determined, the direction input is detected for each frame during a direction input period from the initial position of the second indicator image 330 to the position where the first indicator image 326 is stopped. In this first embodiment, the ball 306 is moved while reflecting the direction input over time (i.e., the section direction input) on the trajectory over time. However, the player may not perform a direction input during all or part of the direction input period. For example, only one direction input may be detected during the direction input period. Also, as described later, a section direction input is calculated by averaging the direction input detected for each frame for each operation section 322a-322d. Therefore, the section direction input over time is a section direction input for each temporally consecutive operation section in two or more operation sections (322a-322d in this first embodiment), and affects the trajectory of the ball 306 in a time series.

[0190] As described later, when changing the trajectory of the ball 306, calculations are performed separately for the up-down direction and the left-right direction, so the directional input is stored separately as the amount of tilt in the up-down direction and the amount of tilt in the left-right direction. However, in this specification, the direction in which the analog stick 32 is tilted means the up-down, left-right, and right directions when the left controller 3 is viewed from the front. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, when a predetermined three axes (x, y, and z axes) are set for the game system 1 and its components (i.e., the main unit 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4), the left-right direction corresponds to the x-axis direction, and the up-down direction corresponds to the y-axis direction. Also, the trajectory of the ball 306 is changed in the up-down, left-right, and right directions when the reference trajectory of the ball 306 is viewed in the positive direction of the X-axis from the origin of the local coordinates based on the directional input of the player (see FIG. 22). However, the origin of the local coordinates is the movement start position of the ball 306. The movement start position is the position of the ball 306 before it is hit.

[0191] FIG. 20(A) shows a non-limiting example of a table of directional inputs detected for each frame during a directional input period. In order to distinguish from the number of frames of a reference trajectory, which will be described later, the number of frames in the directional input table will be expressed as the number of operation frames. This is also true for the table of averaged directional inputs shown in FIG. 20(B).

[0192] In the directional input table, upward tilt is represented by a positive number and downward tilt is represented by a negative number. Also, rightward tilt is represented by a positive number and leftward tilt is represented by a negative number. As above, the size of the number indicates the amount of tilt and is expressed as a number from 0 to 1.0.

[0193] In this first embodiment, in order to move the ball 306 in the direction indicated by the arrow image 332, a plurality of directional inputs are averaged for each operation section 322a-322d. That is, a section directional input is calculated for each operation section 322a-322d. When the section directional input is calculated, it is written back as a directional input detected in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d in which the section directional input is calculated. That is, in each operation section 322a-322d, a directional input of the same value (i.e., a section directional input) is written. FIG. 20(B) shows a non-limiting example of a table of directional inputs averaged for each operation section 322a-322d. In this way, the trajectory of the ball 306 is changed using the written back directional input, i.e., the section directional input.

[0194] In order to determine which section direction input should be reflected in which part of the trajectory of ball 30, in this first embodiment, a correspondence table is created that lists the horizontal distance for each movement time (i.e., each frame) on the reference trajectory. FIG. 21 shows a non-limiting example of the correspondence table. As shown in FIG. 21, the correspondence table lists the horizontal distance d after the start of movement when ball 306 moves on the reference trajectory in correspondence with the number of frames (hereinafter referred to as "number of movement frames"). n (n is an integer of 1 or more). However, as described above, the reference trajectory is calculated by Equation 1 using the initial velocity v0 and launch angle θ of the ball 306 when the ball 306 is hit, and the horizontal distance d n is the position x calculated according to equation 2.

[0195] Fig. 22 shows an example of the movement gauge 320 when the striking force is determined to be 100%, the direction input for each operation section 322a-322d detected in this case, and the reference trajectory based on the striking force. As shown in Fig. 22, since the striking force is 100%, the time during which the second indicator image 330 moves through the operation sections 322a-322d is the direction input period. Also, in Fig. 22, the movement gauge 320 is drawn horizontally, and the reference trajectory is drawn corresponding to the movement gauge 320.

[0196] Note that FIG. 22 shows the case where the impact force is 100%, and a method of changing the trajectory of ball 306 will be described using this FIG. 22, but the same applies to the case where the impact force is less than 100%.

[0197] As an example, the horizontal distance d of the reference trajectory at a certain time t (frame) is n Obtain this horizontal distance d from the correspondence table. n It is possible to identify one section direction input at a position corresponding to and change the trajectory of the ball 306 using the identified one section direction input. n is the horizontal distance d corresponding to the number of frames moved from the start of movement to time t n It is.

[0198] As described above, this single section direction input is a combination of multiple direction inputs for each operation section 322a-322d, so there is a possibility that the trajectory of ball 306 will not change smoothly, especially when crossing operation sections 322a-322d.

[0199] Therefore, in this first embodiment, as shown by the dotted line frame in Fig. 22, the average value of a plurality of section direction inputs for several to a dozen frames before and after the section direction input at a position corresponding to horizontal distance dn at a certain time t is calculated, and the position of ball 306 in the next frame is calculated using the averaged section direction input. Therefore, even when crossing over operation sections 322a-322d, the trajectory of ball 306 can change more smoothly.

[0200] In this first embodiment, when the direction input period ends, the horizontal distance d n (or for each moving frame number n), a range of operation frame number p that affects the trajectory of the ball 306 (hereinafter referred to as the "corresponding range") is determined. Then, when calculating the position of the ball 306 in the next frame, the horizontal distance d n The average value of a plurality of section direction inputs included in the corresponding range corresponding to is calculated.

[0201] However, the above method is merely an example and is not necessarily limited to the above. In another embodiment, the horizontal distance d at a certain time t is basically n and only when the effect of one frame spans multiple sections, such as when the start time of one frame corresponds to near the end of operation section 322a, 322b or 322c and the end time of the one frame corresponds to near the start of the next operation section 322b, 322c or 322d, the position of the next ball 306 may be calculated using a section direction input that is a combination of the section direction inputs of two adjacent sections, in accordance with the proportion of time in one frame.

[0202] When calculating the position of the ball 306 in the next frame, the velocity vector of the ball 306 in the current frame and the horizontal distance d n A two-dimensional vector is synthesized for the average value obtained by averaging multiple section direction inputs included in the correspondence table corresponding to the above.

[0203] The velocity vector of the ball 306 is the direction and amount of movement of the ball 306 in the current frame. The direction of movement is initially set to the direction in which the ball 306 was launched, and is gradually changed according to the physical calculations of the oblique projection, and is also changed by the influence of the section direction input. The amount of movement is the horizontal distance d n+1 The horizontal distance d from the current frame n The horizontal distance can be obtained from the correspondence table shown in FIG.

[0204] Also, in this first embodiment, as shown in Figures 23(A) and 23(B), the velocity vector is rotated for each of the left-right component and the up-down component of the two-dimensional vector indicating the averaged section direction input.

[0205] However, the movement of ball 306 is calculated in the local coordinates described above, and FIG. 23(A) is a diagram of the virtual space of the local coordinates viewed from directly above, and FIG. 23(B) is a diagram of the virtual space of the local coordinates viewed from directly to the side.

[0206] As shown in Figures 23(A) and 23(B), just before frame N, i.e., frame N-1, the velocity vector is parallel to the x-axis of the local coordinate system and is perpendicular to each of the y-axis and z-axis of the local coordinate system.

[0207] 23(A) and 23(B), for simplicity, the magnitude of the velocity vector in each frame is set to be the same. In reality, the tilt amount of the analog stick 32, i.e., the strength of the directional input, is also taken into consideration.

[0208] Furthermore, the up / down input rotation axis shown in Figure 23(A) corresponds to the rotation axis when the analog stick 32 is tilted in the up / down direction, and the left / right input rotation axis shown in Figure 23(B) corresponds to the rotation axis when the analog stick 32 is tilted in the left / right direction.

[0209] As shown in FIG. 23(A), the velocity vector of frame N is rotated around the left-right input rotation axis perpendicular to the up-down input rotation axis in frame N in response to the left-right direction input with respect to the velocity vector of the previous frame (frame N-1). In the example shown in FIG. 23(A), the velocity vector is rotated about 30 degrees to the right around the left-right input rotation axis. Also, as shown in FIG. 23(A), when the orientation of the movement vector of frame N+1 is determined by the averaged section direction input, the left-right input rotation axis is parallel to the Y axis of the local coordinate system. Although a detailed description is omitted, the velocity vector of the next frame N+1 is rotated about 30 degrees to the right around the left-right input rotation axis with respect to the orientation of the velocity vector of frame N.

[0210] Also, as shown in FIG. 23(B), the velocity vector of frame N is rotated around the up-down input rotation axis perpendicular to the left-right input rotation axis in frame N in response to the up-down directional input with respect to the previous velocity vector. In the example shown in FIG. 23(B), the velocity vector is rotated about 30 degrees upward around the up-down input rotation axis. Also, as shown in FIG. 23(B), when the orientation of the movement vector of frame N+1 is determined by the up-down component of the averaged section direction input, the up-down input rotation axis is parallel to the Z axis of the local coordinates. Although a detailed description is omitted, the velocity vector of the next frame N+1 is rotated about 30 degrees upward around the up-down input rotation axis with respect to the orientation of the velocity vector of frame N.

[0211] In this way, the movement vector is rotated around each of the left / right input rotation axes and the up / down input rotation axes using the two-dimensional vector for the averaged section direction input, and the position of ball 306 in the next frame N+1 in local coordinates is calculated.

[0212] When displaying a game image, the position of the ball 306 calculated in the local coordinate system is converted to the position of the ball 306 in the world coordinate system.

[0213] In addition, the change in the trajectory due to the directional input is the maximum number of frames of movement in the correspondence table (n max ) will be held.

[0214] However, if the ball 306 goes into the cup, hits a ground object (e.g., a fairway, bunker, rough, water hazard, or out-of-bounds (OB) object), hits a ground object (e.g., a tree, building, or wall object), or hits an air object (e.g., an airship, balloon, or block object suspended in the air) before proceeding to the maximum number of movement frames in the correspondence table, the change in trajectory due to the directional input is terminated.

[0215] Furthermore, even if the number of movement frames reaches the maximum value in the correspondence table, if the ball 306 does not go into the cup, hit an object on the ground, hit an object on the ground, or hit an object in the air, the ball 306 moves in the direction of the last calculated velocity vector while being influenced by gravity in the virtual space until it hits an object.

[0216] However, the effects of air resistance in the virtual space and lift caused by ball spin may also be taken into consideration.

[0217] When the ball 306 hits an object on the fairway or rough, the ball 306 bounces off the object on the fairway or rough, then rolls, and stops. However, the bouncing and rolling processes are changed according to the state of the lie. When the ball 306 hits an object on the water hazard or OB, the ball 306 stops when it hits the water hazard or OB zone, and the ball 306 automatically moves to a position where it will be hit after the penalty is added. When the ball 306 hits an object on the bunker, the ball 306 may sink into the sand and stop, or it may bounce, roll, and stop. When the ball 306 hits an object placed on the ground, it may bounce, change direction, and move, or fall to the spot. When the ball 306 bounces or changes direction, it may then hit the ground or a water hazard object, as described above. Hereinafter, these processes will be collectively referred to as "movement stop process."

[0218] Furthermore, until the ball 306 goes in, the player character 302 is automatically moved to the position where the ball 306 will be hit next (hereinafter referred to as the "next hit position") and is in an address state. That is, a parameter determination screen 300 for the next movement of the ball 306 is displayed on the display 12. However, the player character 302 may be moved to the next hit position in accordance with the player's operation. In this case, it may be possible to obtain an item during the movement.

[0219] When the ball 306 goes into the cup, the score for the hole on which the ball 306 goes into the cup is calculated and recorded. If there is a next hole, the player character 302 automatically moves to the teeing area of ​​the next hole. If there is no next hole, the total score of the player character 302 is calculated and recorded, and the golf game for the golf course that has just been played is over.

[0220] When playing with other players, the above-mentioned processing is also executed for the players, except that the order of hitting is determined according to the rules of golf and the golf game proceeds.

[0221] FIG. 24 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 when hitting the ball 306 in the bunker. In the parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 24, the length of the movement gauge 320 is set shorter than that when hitting the ball 306 on the fairway. In the example shown in FIG. 24, the length is set to 80% of the length of the movement gauge 320 in the other parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 8 and the like. This is because, in the general sport of golf, the flight distance of a bunker shot is shorter than that of hitting the ball 306 on the fairway. Therefore, although not shown, in the case of a so-called eyeball, the movement gauge 320 is set to 50% of the length of the movement gauge 320 in the other parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 8 and the like.

[0222] However, when the length of the moving gauge 320 is shortened, the entire moving gauge 320 is reduced, and accordingly, the moving speed V1 of the first index image 326 and the moving speed V2 of the second index image 330 are reduced in proportion to the length of the moving gauge 320. Therefore, the direction input period is not shortened as a result of the moving gauge 320 being shortened. Although not shown in the figures, when hitting the ball 306 that is in the rough, the length of the movement gauge 320 is shortened according to the depth of the rough. In other embodiments, the length of the movement gauge 320 is also shortened when the weight of the ball 306 used by the player character 302 is increased or the gravitational acceleration g in the virtual space is increased by an operation of the player or another player or the occurrence of a predetermined event.

[0223] However, in other embodiments, when hitting the ball 306 from a position where the difficulty of hitting is relatively high, such as a bunker or rough, the length of the movement gauge 320 may be shortened but the moving speed V1 of the first indicator image 326 and the moving speed V2 of the second indicator image 330 may not be changed. In such a case, the period during which the hitting force can be determined and the direction input period are shortened, so that the difficulty of the operation is increased in accordance with the high difficulty of the hit.

[0224] Furthermore, when the weight of the ball 306 used by the player character 302 is reduced or the gravitational acceleration g in the virtual space is reduced due to the operation of the player or another player or the occurrence of a predetermined event, the length of the movement gauge 320 is lengthened. Therefore, even if the striking force is the same as when the length of the movement gauge 320 is not lengthened, the flight distance of the ball 306 is increased. In this case, the length of the movement gauge 320 is lengthened, but as in the case where the length is shortened, the entire movement gauge 320 is enlarged, and accordingly, the movement speed V1 of the first indicator image 326 and the movement speed V2 of the second indicator image 330 are increased in proportion to the length of the movement gauge 320. Therefore, the direction input period is not lengthened.

[0225] In this way, the length of the moving gauge 320 is changed, and this is also the case when the moving gauge 320 is displayed in 3D. Also, when the moving gauge 320 is displayed in a curved manner, the length of the moving gauge 320 is changed in the same manner.

[0226] In real golf, bunker shots are generally prone to mis-shots. In other words, because the difficulty of hitting is high, the risk area 324 is made relatively large even if the club 304 used is an iron or a wedge. In the example shown in FIG. 24, the club 304 is a sand wedge (SW), and the risk area 324 is set from about 85% of the hitting force. In other words, compared to hitting from the fairway, for example, the risk area 324 is set from a portion of the movement gauge 320 that corresponds to a lower hitting force. In other embodiments, instead of or in addition to setting the risk area 324 in this way, the width of the risk area 324 may be made wider.

[0227] Fig. 25 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 when the club 304 is changed to 1W in the same situation as the parameter determination screen 300 shown in Fig. 24. In a bunker shot, the difficulty of hitting is higher when using 1W than when using an iron or wedge, so the risk area 324 is made larger than in the case shown in Fig. 24. In the example shown in Fig. 25, the risk area 324 is set from about 50% of the hitting force, becomes larger as the hitting force increases, and further becomes larger from about 85% of the hitting force.

[0228] FIG. 26 shows a non-limiting example of the parameter determination screen 300 in a state in which, in a similar situation to the parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 24, when the ability increase parameter reaches the maximum value, increasing the ability of the club 304 to be used is selected. When the ability increase parameter reaches the maximum value, the player presses the Y button 56, and increasing the ability of the club 304 to be used is selected. Then, as shown in FIG. 26, the risk area 324 is reduced. As an example, the vertical length and horizontal length of the risk area 324 are each halved. In this way, when the ability of the club 304 to be used is increased, the risk area 324 is reduced, and the ball 306 does not wobble significantly. In other words, the amount of wobble is reduced, and the directionality of the ball 306 when it moves is improved.

[0229] Although not shown in the figure, as described above, when the player character 302 hits the ball 306 with the ability of the club 304 being used increased, the hit increase parameter is set to the minimum value and the color in the star-shaped ability gauge 316 is erased.

[0230] In the first embodiment, the amount of wobble is reduced as the performance of the club 304 used increases, but this is not necessarily limited to this. In another example, the flight distance of the club 304 used may be increased. Alternatively, the flight distance may be increased or the amount of wobble may be reduced depending on the type of club 304 used.

[0231] Also, in this first embodiment, it has been explained that "the ability of the club 304 used is improved", but since the flight distance is increased and the amount of shaking is reduced, it can also be said that the hitting skill of the player character 302 is improved. Therefore, the flight distance may be increased and the amount of shaking may be reduced depending on the type of player character 302 used.

[0232] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a memory map 850 of the DRAM 85 shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 27, the DRAM 85 includes a program memory area 852 and a data memory area 854. The program memory area 852 stores a program of a game application (i.e., a game program of a golf game). As shown in FIG. 27, the game program includes a main processing program 852a, an image generating program 852b, an operation detection program 852c, a first parameter determination program 852d, a second parameter determination program 852e, an omnidirectional input storage program 852f, ​​a section direction input determination program 852g, a movement control program 852h, and an image display program 852i. However, the function of displaying images such as game images is a function provided in the main unit 2. Therefore, the image display program 852i is not included in the game program.

[0233] Although detailed description will be omitted, at an appropriate timing after the main device 2 is powered on, a part or all of each of the programs 852a-852i is read from the flash memory 84 and / or a storage medium inserted in the slot 23 and stored in the DRAM 85. However, a part or all of each of the programs 852a-852i may be obtained from another computer capable of communicating with the main device 2.

[0234] The main processing program 852a is a program for executing the overall game processing of the virtual golf game of this first embodiment. The image generation program 852b is a program for generating display image data corresponding to various images such as game images, using image generation data 854b described later. The operation detection program 852c is a program for acquiring (or receiving) operation data 854a from the left controller 3 and / or right controller 4 and operation data 854a from other controllers, and storing them in an identifiable manner in the data memory area 854. Here, the other controllers are controllers equivalent to the left controller 3 or right controller 4, or controllers equivalent to a combination of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4.

[0235] The first parameter determination program 852d is a program for changing the club 304 to be used, changing the left / right launch direction of the ball 306, changing the display method of the movement gauge 320, and improving the ability of the club 304 to be used, based on the operation of the player before the second parameter determination operation. However, it is also possible to cancel the improvement of the ability of the club 304 to be used, before the second parameter determination operation. The second parameter determination program 852e is a program for determining the hitting force of the ball 306, determining the direction of change of the ball 306 from the reference trajectory, and determining the deviation of the ball 306, regardless of the operation of the player.

[0236] The all-directional input memory program 852f is a program for storing the directional input detected during the directional input period for each frame, and for writing back the section directional input, which is the directional input detected for each frame in accordance with the section directional input determination program 852g described later, for each operation frame as the directional input for the corresponding operation section 322a-322d.

[0237] The section direction input determination program 852g is a program for determining a single section direction input for each operation section 322a-322d when a predetermined number of directional inputs are detected per frame and when the second index image 330 reaches the end of each operation section 322a-322d.

[0238] The movement control program 852h is a program for controlling the movement of the ball 306. Using a reference trajectory determined based on the type of the club 304 and the impact force, the trajectory of the ball 306 affected by shaking and directional input over time is determined, and the ball 306 is moved according to the determined trajectory. However, in this first embodiment, the position of the ball 306 after movement is calculated for each frame. In another example, the entire trajectory may be calculated before the ball 306 starts moving, and the ball 306 may be moved according to the calculated trajectory.

[0239] The image display program 852i is a program for outputting the display image data generated according to the image generation program 852b to a display device. Therefore, an image corresponding to the display image data (i.e., the parameter determination screen 300, etc.) is displayed on a display device such as the display 12.

[0240] In addition, the program memory area 852 also stores a sound output program for outputting sounds such as background music, a communication program for communicating with other devices, and a backup program for storing data in a non-volatile storage medium such as flash memory 84.

[0241] 28, the data storage area 854 stores operation data 854a, image generation data 854b, character data 854c, game data 854d, launch direction data 854e, curve information data 854f, display object data 854g, height information data 854h, impact force data 854i, reference trajectory data 854j, blur data 854k, direction input data 854m, strength data 854n, correspondence table data 854p, correspondence range data 854q, ball position data 854r, and highlight object data 854s. The data storage area 854 also stores a 3D flag 854t, a first parameter determination flag 854u, a second parameter determination flag 854v, and a ball movement flag 854w.

[0242] The operation data 854a is operation data received from the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4 and operation data received from other controllers. In this first embodiment, when the main unit 2 receives operation data from two or more of the left controller 3, the right controller 4, and other controllers, the main unit 2 classifies the operation data 854a into the respective controllers and stores them.

[0243] In addition, when multiple human players play a golf game, the controllers used by each player are associated with multiple players or multiple player characters, and the operation data 854a is stored in the data memory area 854 in a manner that makes the players or player characters identifiable.

[0244] Furthermore, for the opponent character operated by the computer (processor 81), as an example, operation data 854a generated by the computer (processor 81) is stored in the data storage area 854.

[0245] Image generation data 854b is data necessary for generating display image data, such as polygon data and texture data. Character data 854c is data about characters playing the golf game of this first embodiment (see FIG. 29). Character data 854c will be described in detail later. Game data 854d is data about the progress or results of the golf game of this first embodiment, and includes play data 900c, which will be described later.

[0246] The launch direction data 854e is data on the launch direction of the ball 306. As described above, the launch direction of the ball 306 includes the left-right direction and the up-down direction. When the parameter determination screen 300 is initially displayed, the direction of a straight line connecting the current position of the ball 306 and the pin 310 (cup) or a fairway closer than the pin 310 is determined as the left-right launch direction, and the player can change this launch direction according to strategy. However, the launch direction does not have to be changed.

[0247] The curve information data 854f is data on the direction and magnitude of the curve of the ball 306 (i.e., curve information) that is determined based on the inclination of the current position of the ball 306 and the launch direction. The display object data 854g is data on the identification information of each display object that exists between the current position of the ball 306 and the horizontal reach position, and the straight-line distance from the current position of the ball 306 to each display object. The height information data 854h is data on the change in height (i.e., height information) between the current position of the ball 306 and the position of the horizontal reach in the launch direction when the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 3D.

[0248] The impact force data 854i is data on the value (%) of the impact force determined by the player's operation. The reference trajectory data 854j is data on the reference trajectory of the ball 306, and the reference trajectory is determined based on the current position of the ball 306, the launch direction, the launch angle of the selected club 304, and the initial velocity v0 of the ball 306 according to the determined impact force. However, when the trajectory prediction image 312 is displayed before the second parameter determination operation, the impact force is set to 100% when the reference trajectory is calculated. The blur data 854k is data on the blur direction and amount determined randomly.

[0249] The directional input data 854m is data of the directional input detected for each frame during the directional input period in the second parameter determination operation, and after the section directional input is calculated, the data of the directional input detected for each frame is rewritten to the calculated section directional input data for each operation section 322a-322d. However, each directional input and each section directional input indicates the tilt direction and tilt amount of the analog stick 32. The strength data 854n is data regarding the strength of the section directional input for each operation section 322a-322d. As described above, the strength of the section directional input is classified into four stages according to the magnitude of the tilt amount of the section directional input.

[0250] The correspondence table data 854p is data for the correspondence table as shown in Fig. 21. As described above, in the correspondence table, for the reference trajectory, the horizontal distance d n The corresponding range data 854q is the horizontal distance d n The data is for the corresponding range (i.e., the range of the operation frame number p) determined for

[0251] The ball position data 854r is coordinate data of the current position (three-dimensional position in this first embodiment) of the ball 306 in virtual space. The highlight target data 854s is data indicating the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d to be highlighted and its arrow image 332 in the movement gauge 320.

[0252] The 3D flag 854t is a flag for determining whether or not to display the movement gauge 320 in 3D. When the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 3D, the 3D flag 854t is turned on, and when the movement gauge 320 is displayed in 2D, the 3D flag 854t is turned on.

[0253] The first parameter determination flag 854u is a flag for determining whether or not to determine the first parameter. When the first parameter determination operation is performed, the first parameter determination flag 854u is turned on, and when the second parameter determination operation is started, the first parameter determination flag 854u is turned off.

[0254] The second parameter determination flag 854v is a flag for determining whether or not to determine the second parameter. When the second parameter determination operation is performed, the second parameter determination flag 854v is turned on, and when the second parameter determination operation is completed and the blur is determined, the second parameter determination flag 854v is turned off.

[0255] The ball movement flag 854w is a flag for determining whether or not to move the ball 306. When the ball 306 is hit, the ball movement flag 854w is turned on, and when the movement of the ball 306 stops, the ball movement flag 854w is turned off.

[0256] Although not shown, the data storage area 854 stores other data necessary for executing the golf game, and is provided with other flags and timers (or counters) necessary for executing the golf game.

[0257] Figure 29 is a diagram showing the specific contents of the character data 854c shown in Figure 28. As shown in Figure 29, the character data 854c is data on the player character 302 and the opponent character. In this first embodiment, in order to explain a case where there is no opponent character, in Figure 29, the character data 854c includes player character data 900.

[0258] The content of the character data of one or more opponents is the same as the player character data 900.

[0259] 29, the player character data 900 includes type data 900a, current position data 900b, play data 900c, ability improvement parameter data 900d, etc. The player character data 900 also includes a cup-in flag 900e.

[0260] The type data 900a is the type of the player character 302, and is data on identification information for identifying the character selected by the player. The current position data 900b is coordinate data of the current position (in this first embodiment, a three-dimensional position) of the player character 302 in the virtual space.

[0261] The play data 900c is data about the player character 302 when playing a golf game. As an example, in the case of stroke play, data on the number of strokes from the tee shot to the cup-in and the total number of strokes up to the current hole are stored as the play data 900c for each hole.

[0262] The ability improvement parameter data 900d is data of the numerical value of the ability improvement parameter of the player character 302. The cup-in flag 900e is a flag for determining whether or not the ball 306 of the player character 302 has gone in to the cup. In this first embodiment, when the ball 306 goes in to the cup, the cup-in flag 900e is turned on, and when the ball moves to the next hitting position, the cup-in flag 900e is turned off.

[0263] FIG. 30 is a flow diagram showing a non-limiting example of the processing of the game program of the processor 81 (or computer) of the main unit 2 (i.e., "overall game processing"). FIG. 31 and FIG. 32 are flow diagrams showing a non-limiting example of the game control processing of the processor 81 (or computer) of the main unit 2. Furthermore, FIG. 33 and FIG. 34 are flow diagrams showing a non-limiting example of the first parameter determination processing of the processor 81 (or computer) of the main unit 2. Furthermore, FIG. 35-FIG. 37 are flow diagrams showing a non-limiting example of the second parameter determination processing of the ball of the processor 81 (or computer) of the main unit 2. Furthermore, FIG. 38 and FIG. 39 are flow diagrams showing a non-limiting example of the ball movement processing of the processor 81 (or computer) of the main unit 2.

[0264] However, in each process of Figures 30 to 39, the process for other players will be omitted and only the process for the player will be described. The process for other players is the same as the process for the player, and is executed so that the balls are hit in an order that follows the same rules as the general sport of golf.

[0265] Below, the overall game processing, game control processing, first parameter determination processing, second parameter determination processing, and ball movement processing will be explained using Figures 30 to 39, but duplicate explanations of steps that perform the same processing will be omitted.

[0266] However, the processing of each step in the flow diagrams shown in Figures 30 to 39 is merely an example, and the processing order of each step may be changed if similar results are obtained. Also, in this first embodiment, the processing of each step in the flow diagrams shown in Figures 30 to 39 is basically described as being executed by processor 81, but some steps may be executed by a processor other than processor 81 or a dedicated circuit.

[0267] When the power supply of the main unit 2 is turned on, prior to the execution of the overall game processing, the processor 81 executes a startup program stored in a boot ROM (not shown), which initializes each unit such as the DRAM 85. When the execution of the game program of the first embodiment is instructed by the player, the main unit 2 starts the overall game processing.

[0268] As shown in FIG. 30, when the processor 81 starts the overall game processing, it executes initial setting in step S1. In this first embodiment, a game selection screen for selecting a stroke play golf game or a match play golf game is displayed, and the type of golf game to be played is determined according to the player's selection operation. In the following, a case where one player selects stroke play will be described, but when multiple players play stroke play, the balls are hit in order of the farthest distance from the ball to the cup according to the general rules of real golf, and the golf game proceeds. Also, when match play is selected, the golf game proceeds according to the rules of match play.

[0269] In the next step S3, operation data 854a transmitted from the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4 is acquired, and in step S5, a game control process (see FIGS. 31 and 32) is executed, which will be described in detail later. However, in step S3, the acquired operation data 854a is stored in the data memory area 854.

[0270] In the next step S7, a game image is generated. Here, processor 81 generates game image data corresponding to the game image (i.e., various screens such as parameter determination screen 300) based on the result of the game control processing in step S5. When generating game image data corresponding to parameter determination screen 300, the size of movement gauge 320 (including risk area 324) is appropriately changed according to the type of club 304 and the lie of ball 306. Also, when processing of the swing motion of player character 302 is executed in parallel with the game control processing, game image data is generated based on the result of the game control processing and the result of the swing motion.

[0271] Furthermore, in step S9, processor 81 generates game sound. Here, processor 81 generates sound data corresponding to game sound according to the result of the game control process in step S5.

[0272] Next, in step S11, a game image is displayed. Here, processor 81 outputs the game image data generated in step S7 to display 12. Furthermore, in step S13, game sound is output. Here, processor 81 outputs the game sound data generated in step S9 to speaker 88 via codec circuit 87.

[0273] Then, in step S15, it is determined whether or not to end the game. The determination in step S15 is made based on whether or not the player has instructed to end the game, etc. If "NO" in step S15, that is, if the game is not to be ended, the process returns to step S3. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S15, that is, if the game is to be ended, the overall game processing ends.

[0274] 31, when processor 81 starts the game control process shown in step S5, in step S21, it determines whether or not a golf game is being played. If "YES" in step S21, that is, if a golf game is being played, it proceeds to step S31. On the other hand, if "NO" in step S21, that is, if a golf game is not being played, it determines whether or not a golf game is to start in step S23. Here, processor 81 determines whether the start of a golf game has been instructed by the player.

[0275] If "NO" in the step S23, that is, if the golf game is not to be started, various selection processes are executed in a step S25, the game control process is ended, and the process returns to the overall game process shown in FIG.

[0276] The various selection processes are a selection process of a player character and a selection process of a golf course. When playing a stroke play golf game, a selection process of the number of other players and the type of each of the other players (i.e., human or computer) and a selection process of the number of holes are further executed. When playing a match play golf game, a selection process of the type of the other opponent player is executed. Although not shown in the figures, upon completing the various selection processes, processor 81 starts the golf game in response to the player's operation.

[0277] On the other hand, if "YES" in step S23, that is, if the golf game is starting, then in step S27, player character 302 is placed at the hitting position in the teeing area of ​​the starting hole, and in step S29, first parameter determination flag 854u is turned on, and the process returns to the overall game processing. Also, if "YES" in step S21, that is, if the golf game is being played, then in step S31, it is determined whether or not to determine the first parameter. Here, processor 81 determines whether first parameter determination flag 854u is on. If "NO" in step S31, that is, if the first parameter is not determined, the process proceeds to step S41.

[0278] On the other hand, if the answer is "YES" in step S31, that is, when the first parameter is to be determined, a first parameter determination process (see FIG. 33 and FIG. 34) described later is executed in step S33, and it is determined in step S35 whether or not a second parameter determination operation is to be started. Here, processor 81 determines whether or not A button 53 is pressed when parameter determination screen 300 in a state in which first indicator image 326 is stopped at the initial position is displayed. However, when the first parameter determination process is executed in step S33, processor 81 generates game image data of parameter determination screen 300 as shown in FIG. 8-FIG. 10, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, and FIG. 24-FIG. 26 in the overall game processing, and outputs it to display 12. At this time, in the front direction of ball 306, a display target object between the current position of ball 306 and the horizontal reach distance is detected, and the linear distance to the display target object is detected, and the detected display target object is displayed at a corresponding position in basic area 322 of movement gauge 320.

[0279] If "NO" in step S35, that is, if the second parameter determination operation is not started, the process returns to the overall game processing. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S35, that is, if the second parameter determination operation is started, the second parameter determination flag 854v is turned on in step S37, and the first parameter determination flag 854u is turned off in step S39, and the process returns to the overall game processing.

[0280] In step S41, it is determined whether or not to determine a second parameter. Here, processor 81 determines whether second parameter determination flag 854v is on. If "YES" in step S41, that is, if a second parameter is to be determined, in step S43, a second parameter determination process (see FIGS. 35-37) described later is executed, and the process returns to the overall game processing. However, if the second parameter determination process is executed in step S43, processor 81 generates a game image of parameter determination screen 300 as shown in FIGS. 14-17 in the overall game processing, and outputs it to display 12.

[0281] On the other hand, if “NO” in step S41, that is, if the second parameter is not determined, it is determined whether to move ball 306 in step S45 shown in Fig. 32. Here, processor 81 determines whether ball movement flag 854w is on.

[0282] If "YES" in step S45, that is, if the ball 306 is to be moved, then in step S47, a ball movement process (see Figs. 38 and 39) described below is executed, and the process returns to the overall game process. On the other hand, if "NO" in step S45, that is, if the ball 306 is not to be moved, then in step S49, it is determined whether or not the player character 302 has hit the ball 306.

[0283] If "YES" in step S49, that is, if it is the time when the player character 302 has hit the ball 306, then in step S51, the ball movement flag 854w is turned on, and the process returns to the overall game processing. On the other hand, if "NO" in step S49, that is, if it is not the time when the player character 302 has hit the ball 306, then in step S52, it is determined whether or not a swing motion is being processed.

[0284] If "YES" in step S52, and if a swing motion is being processed, it is determined that the player character 302 has started a swing motion and has not yet struck the ball 306, and the process returns to the overall game process. On the other hand, if "NO" in step S52, and if a swing motion is not being processed, it is determined in step S53 whether or not the cup-in flag 900e is on.

[0285] If the result in step S53 is "NO", that is, if the cup-in flag 900e is off, then in step S55, the player character 302 is moved to the next hitting position, and in step S57, the first parameter determination flag 854u is turned on, and the process returns to the overall game processing. On the other hand, if the result in step S53 is "YES", that is, if the cup-in flag 900e is on, then in step S59, the score is calculated. Here, processor 81 calculates the score for the hole where the ball went in and the total score up to the current hole.

[0286] In the next step S61, it is determined whether there is a next hole to be played. If the answer is "YES" in step S61, that is, if there is a next hole to be played, in step S63, the player character 302 is moved to a hitting position in the teeing area of ​​the next hole, in step S65, the first parameter determination flag 854u is turned on, in step S67, the cup-in flag 900e is turned off, and the process returns to the overall game processing.

[0287] On the other hand, if "NO" in step S61, that is, if there is no next hole to play, play of the current golf course ends in step S69, and the process returns to the overall game processing.

[0288] Although not shown in the figures, as described later, after the swing motion of the player character 302 is started, processing of the swing motion of the player character 302 is executed in parallel with the game control processing shown in Figures 31 and 32. In processing of the swing motion of the player character 302, the animation frames of the swing motion of the player character 302 are advanced frame by frame until the final animation frame.

[0289] As shown in FIG. 33, when processor 81 starts the first parameter determination process shown in step S33, in step S101, it determines whether or not a club has been selected. Here, processor 81 determines whether L button 38 or R button 60 has been pressed. If "YES" in step S101, that is, if a club has been selected, in step S103, club 304 to be used is changed in accordance with the player's operation, and the process proceeds to step S131 shown in FIG. 34. On the other hand, if "NO" in step S101, that is, if a club has not been selected, it determines in step S105 whether or not a change in the launch direction has been made. Here, processor 81 determines whether analog stick 32 has been tilted left or right.

[0290] If "YES" in step S105, that is, if the launch direction is to be changed, in step S107, the launch direction is changed in accordance with the player's operation, and in step S109, curve information of ball 306 is calculated based on the slope of the ground at the current position of ball 306 and the launch direction. However, processor 81 stores curve information data 854f corresponding to the calculated curve information in data storage area 854 of DRAM 85.

[0291] In the next step S111, a display target object that exists in the launch direction from the current position of the ball 306 to a position of the horizontal reach is detected. However, the processor 81 stores or updates the detection result, that is, the display target object data 854g, in the data storage area 854 of the DRAM 85.

[0292] Next, in step S113, it is determined whether or not the movement gauge 320 is being displayed in 3D. Here, the processor 81 refers to the 3D flag 854t to determine whether or not the 3D flag is on. If the result is "NO" in step S113, that is, if the movement gauge 320 is being displayed in 2D, the process proceeds to step S131. On the other hand, if the result is "YES" in step S113, that is, if the movement gauge 320 is being displayed in 3D, the process calculates height information from the current position of the ball 306 to the position of the horizontal reach in the launch direction in step S115, and proceeds to step S131. However, the processor 81 stores or updates height information data 854h corresponding to the calculated height information in the data storage area 854 of the DRAM 85. This is the same as in step S121 described later.

[0293] Also, if the result in step S105 is "NO", that is, if the shot direction is not changed, in step S117 shown in Fig. 34, it is determined whether or not the instruction is for 3D display of the moving gauge 320. Here, the processor 81 determines whether or not the ZR button 61 is pressed. However, if the 3D flag 854t is on, even if the ZR button 61 is pressed, the operation is invalidated.

[0294] If the answer is "YES" in step S117, that is, if there is an instruction to display the moving gauge 320 in 3D, then in step S119, the 3D flag 854t is turned on, and in step S121, height information from the current position of the ball 306 to the position of the horizontal reach in the launch direction is calculated, and then the process proceeds to step S131.

[0295] On the other hand, if "NO" in step S117, that is, if there is no instruction to display the movement gauge 320 in 3D, then in step S123, it is determined whether there is an instruction to display the movement gauge 320 in 2D. Here, the processor 81 determines whether the ZL button 39 has been pressed. However, if the 3D flag 854t is off, even if the ZL button 39 is pressed, the operation is invalidated.

[0296] If "YES" in step S123, that is, if there is an instruction to display the movement gauge 320 in 2D, then in step S125, the 3D flag 854t is turned off, and the process proceeds to step S131. At this time, the height information data 854h may be erased.

[0297] On the other hand, if "NO" in step S123, that is, if there is no instruction to display movement gauge 320 in 2D, then in step S127, it is determined whether or not to increase the ability of club 304 to be used. Here, processor 81 determines whether Y button 56 has been pressed. However, if the ability increase parameter is less than the maximum value (100), even if Y button 56 is pressed, the operation is invalidated.

[0298] If "YES" in step S127, that is, if the ability of the club 304 to be used is to be increased, the risk area 324 is reduced in step S129, and the process proceeds to step S131. On the other hand, if "NO" in step S127, that is, if the ability of the club 304 to be used is not to be increased, the process proceeds to step S131.

[0299] In step S131, the animation of the trajectory predicted image 132 advances by one frame, and the process returns to the game control process. Therefore, the multiple images 132a move on the reference trajectory by one frame.

[0300] As shown in FIG. 35, when the processor 81 starts the second parameter determination process shown in step S43, in step S201, the processor 81 determines whether or not the impact force has been determined. The processor 81 determines whether or not the impact force data 854i is stored in the data storage area 854 of the DRAM 85. If the result is "YES" in step S201, that is, if the impact force has been determined, the process proceeds to step 217 shown in FIG. 36. On the other hand, if the result is "NO" in step S201, that is, if the impact force has not been determined, the processor 81 determines whether or not the impact force determination operation has been performed in step S203. Here, the processor 81 determines whether or not the A button 53 has been pressed when the first index image 326 is moving on the parameter determination screen 300.

[0301] If the result in step S203 is "NO", that is, if there is no operation to determine the striking force, the first indicator image 326 is moved by one frame in step S205, and the process returns to the game control process. As described above, the first indicator image 326 moves from the initial position toward the top end of the moving gauge 320, and when it reaches the top end of the moving gauge 320, it moves back to the initial position. On the other hand, if the result in step S203 is "YES", that is, if there is an operation to determine the striking force, the first indicator image 326 is stopped in step S207, and the striking force is stored in step S209. That is, the processor 81 stores striking force data 854i corresponding to the determined striking force in the data storage area 854.

[0302] In the next step S211, it is determined whether the determined impact power is less than 75%. If the result in step S211 is "YES", that is, if the determined impact power is less than 75%, in step S213, a predetermined value (for example, 20) is added to the ability increase parameter, and the process proceeds to step S215. On the other hand, if the result in step S211 is "NO", that is, if the determined impact power is 75% or more, the process proceeds to step S215.

[0303] 21 and returns to the game control process, except that processor 81 stores in data memory area 854 correspondence table data 854p corresponding to the generated correspondence table.

[0304] As shown in Fig. 36, in step S217, it is determined whether the direction input period has ended. That is, it is determined whether the second index image 330 has reached the position where the first index image 326 is stopped. If "NO" in step S217, that is, if the direction input period has not ended, in step S219, the second index image 330 is moved by one frame, and in step S221, the direction input detected this time is stored. As described above, the direction input is the tilt direction and tilt amount of the analog stick 32, and in this first embodiment, it is divided into the tilt amount in the up-down direction and the tilt amount in the left-right direction.

[0305] Then, in step S223, it is determined whether the second indicator image 330 has reached the end of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d during its movement. If the result is "YES" in step S223, that is, if the second indicator image 330 has reached the end of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d during its movement, in step S225, all directional inputs in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d are combined to determine one directional input, i.e., a section directional input, in step S225, the strength level of the determined one section directional input is classified, and in step S229, the determined one directional input is written back as each directional input in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d, and the process returns to the game control process.

[0306] It should be noted that for the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d for which the processing of step S229 has been executed, the determined one section direction input and the classified strength are not changed in the subsequent second parameter determination processing.

[0307] Processor 81 rewrites the directional input data corresponding to each directional input detected in operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d with the section directional input data corresponding to the one section directional input determined in step S225, and updates directional input data 854m.

[0308] Note that one section direction input determined in step S225 is used to display an arrow image 332 in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d after the second indicator image 330 has moved to the end of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d and before the player character 302 hits the ball 306. The arrow image 332 is an image according to the strength level classified in step S227. The same applies to step S235 described later.

[0309] On the other hand, if step S223 is "NO", that is, if the second indicator image 330 has not reached the end of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d during which it is moving, then in step S231 it is determined whether or not the number of directional inputs detected in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d during which it is moving has reached a predetermined number (for example, 10). If step S231 is "NO", that is, if the number of directional inputs detected in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d during which it is moving has not reached the predetermined number, then the process returns to the game control process. On the other hand, if the result is "YES" in step S231, that is, if the number of directional inputs detected in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d during which the second indicator image 330 is moving has reached a predetermined number, then in step S233, one section directional input is determined by combining the predetermined number of directional inputs detected in that operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d, and in step S235, the strength level of the determined one section directional input is classified, and the process returns to the game control processing.

[0310] If "YES" in step S217, that is, if the direction input period has ended, it is determined whether or not it is the blur lottery period in step S237 shown in Fig. 31. If "YES" in step S237, that is, if it is the blur lottery period, the position of the blur instruction image 328 is changed randomly in step S239, and the process returns to the game control process.

[0311] On the other hand, if "NO" in step S237, that is, if it is not the end of the shake lottery period, then in step S241 it is determined whether the shake lottery period has ended. If "NO" in step S241, that is, if the shake lottery period has not ended, then it is determined that the shake lottery has not started, and in step S243 the shake lottery is started. In the next step S245, for each movement frame in the correspondence table, a correspondence range that affects the trajectory of the ball 306 is determined, and in step S247, the swing motion of the player character 302 is started, and the process returns to the game control process.

[0312] Also, if "YES" in step S241, that is, if the blur selection period has ended, the blur is determined in step S249, and in step S251, the second parameter determination flag 854v is turned off, and the process returns to the game control process. In step S249, processor 81 stores blur data 854k corresponding to the determined blur in data memory area 854.

[0313] In addition, one section direction input determined in step S233 shown in FIG. 36 is used to display an arrow image 332 in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d while the second indicator image 330 moves to the end of the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c or 322d.

[0314] 38, when processor 81 starts the ball movement process shown in step S47, in step S301, it determines whether ball 306 is moving. If the result is "YES" in step S301, that is, if ball 306 is moving, it determines whether ball 306 has hit a background object in step S303. That is, processor 81 determines whether ball 306 has landed on a ground object such as a fairway, rough, or bunker, hit an object in a water hazard or OB zone, hit a ground object such as a tree or building, or hit an air object such as an airship, balloon, or block.

[0315] If "NO" in step S303, that is, if the ball 306 has not hit a background object, the process proceeds to step S317 shown in Fig. 39. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S303, that is, if the ball 306 has hit a background object, the movement stop process as described above is executed in step S305, and the process returns to the game control process.

[0316] If step S301 is "NO", that is, if the ball 306 is not moving, then in step S307 it is determined whether the ball 306 has not yet started moving. If step S307 is "NO", that is, if the ball 306 has not yet started moving, then it is determined that the ball 306 has stopped, and in step S309 it is determined whether the ball 306 has gone into the cup.

[0317] If "NO" in step S309, that is, if the ball 306 has not gone in, proceed to step S313. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S309, that is, if the ball 306 has gone in, the cup-in flag 900e is turned on in step S311, and proceed to step S313. In step S313, the ball movement process is ended, and the process returns to the game control process.

[0318] It should be noted that, by executing the process of step S313, the ball 306 is no longer moving.

[0319] Also, if "YES" in step S307, that is, if the ball 306 has not yet started moving, in step S315, the variable n is set to 1 (n=1), and the process proceeds to step S321 shown in Fig. 39. The variable n indicates the number of movement frames in the correspondence table.

[0320] As shown in FIG. 39, in step S317, the variable n is set to the maximum value n max If "NO" in step S317, that is, if the variable n is equal to or larger than the maximum value n max If it does not exceed the maximum value n, the process proceeds to step S325. On the other hand, if "YES" is determined in step S317, that is, if the variable n is equal to or smaller than the maximum value n max If it exceeds the maximum value n, in step S319, max Using the velocity vector calculated at time , the position of ball 306 after one frame of movement is calculated, and the process returns to the game control process.

[0321] Also, in step S321, it is determined whether or not there is shaking. If "NO" in step S321, that is, if there is no shaking, the process proceeds to step S325. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S321, that is, if there is shaking, the launch direction of ball 306 is changed according to the shaking in step S323, and the process proceeds to step S325.

[0322] In step S325, the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d in which a directional input of operation frame number p at a position corresponding to movement frame number n is detected and the arrow image 332 in the operation section 322a, 322b, 322c, or 322d are determined to be the object of highlighting. In the next step S327, the position of the ball 306 after moving one frame is calculated by reflecting the direction obtained by averaging a plurality of section direction inputs in the corresponding range corresponding to movement frame number n. Then, in step S329, the variable n is incremented by 1 (n=n+1), and the process returns to the game control process.

[0323] Fig. 40 is a flow diagram showing a part of the ball movement process of another embodiment. In the ball movement process of another embodiment, if there is shaking, the shaking affects the trajectory of the ball 306 after it moves. Therefore, steps S321 and S323 shown in Fig. 39 are deleted, and after the process of step S315 shown in Fig. 38 is executed, the process proceeds to step S325. Also, as shown in Fig. 40, steps S341 and S343 are provided between steps S327 and S329.

[0324] Specifically, after the process of step S327 is executed, in step S341 it is determined whether or not there is shaking. If "NO" in step S341, that is, if there is no shaking, the process proceeds to step S329. On the other hand, if "YES" in step S341, that is, if there is shaking, in step S343 the ball position calculated in step S327 is changed according to the shaking, and the process proceeds to step S329. The other processes are the same as those described using FIG. 39.

[0325] In addition, when there is a wobble, if it is desired to change both the launch direction of the ball 306 and the trajectory of the ball 306 after it has moved, steps S341 and S343 shown in FIG. 40 may be further executed between steps S327 and S329 shown in FIG. 39.

[0326] According to this first embodiment, the longer the flight distance of the ball, the higher the possibility of the ball deviating, so a strategy is required to decide whether to prioritize flight distance or direction. Therefore, unlike conventional golf games, it is possible to prevent the player from losing interest in golf games due to having to memorize the operation timing in the hitting operation using a power gauge.

[0327] Furthermore, according to this first embodiment, the amount of blur is represented by the width of the moving gauge, so that the risk of blur can be recognized when determining the striking force, and after the striking force has been determined, the blur indication image is displayed along with the first indicator image used to determine the striking force, so that the user can grasp the force smoothly without having to move their eyes.

[0328] In the first embodiment, the striking force when striking the ball is determined according to the position where the first index image is stopped, but the initial speed of the ball, the horizontal reach of the ball, or the moving distance of the ball may be determined. In other words, either the moving distance of the ball or a parameter related to the moving distance is determined according to the position where the first index image is stopped.

[0329] In the first embodiment, the moving gauge is displayed at a predetermined position, and the first and second indicator images move within the moving gauge, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The first and second indicator images may move along the moving gauge. Alternatively, the moving gauge may not be displayed in advance, but may simply be displayed so that the gauge (or bar) gradually extends from the initial position to the other end, and the extension of the gauge may be stopped according to the player's operation to determine the striking force, and an indicator corresponding to the second indicator image may be moved from the initial position to the top end of the gauge within or along the gauge displayed to determine the striking force, and the trajectory of the ball may be changed based on the direction input detected during that time.

[0330] Furthermore, in this first embodiment, the arrow image is displayed and the whole or part of the trajectory is changed using the section direction input, which is obtained by collecting the direction inputs detected during the directional input period for each section, but this is not necessary to be limited to this. In other embodiments, the calculation method of the section direction input may be different between the case where the arrow image is displayed and the case where the trajectory is changed. As an example, when the arrow image is displayed, the average value of the multiple direction inputs in the operation section is calculated as described in the first embodiment, but when the trajectory is changed, the direction input that is the maximum tilt amount is calculated (or extracted) from the multiple direction inputs in the operation section. Also, even when the same average value is calculated, the number of direction inputs used to calculate the average value may be different between the case where the arrow image is displayed and the case where the trajectory is changed.

[0331] Furthermore, in this first embodiment, the second index image moves from the bottom end of the moving gauge to the position of the stopped first index image, but it may also move from the bottom end to the top end of the moving gauge. Even in this case, the direction input period is the time it takes for the second index image to move from the bottom end of the moving gauge to the position of the stopped first index image. However, the direction input period may also be the time it takes for the second index image to move from the bottom end to the top end of the moving gauge. In other words, a fixed direction input period may be provided regardless of the position where the first index image is stopped.

[0332] In addition, in the first embodiment, the average value of all directional inputs in each operation section is calculated, but this is not necessary. In other embodiments, a directional input detected at a predetermined timing in each section may be determined as the directional input for that section.

[0333] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the movement gauge is divided evenly, but it does not have to be divided evenly. For example, the movement gauge may be set so that it gets longer from the first operation section to the fourth operation section.

[0334] Furthermore, in this first embodiment, the movement gauge is divided into four operation sections, but if the operation sections are two or more, the movement gauge can be divided into five or more sections. However, since the number of operations required to change the trajectory of the ball in one shot increases as the operation sections increase, the number of divisions of the movement gauge may be increased as the game difficulty or the player level increases. In this case, the movement gauge may not be divided at the beginning of the game, and may be divided into two when the game difficulty or the player level becomes high to a certain extent, and the number of divisions may be gradually increased as the game difficulty or the player level increases. Also, the number of divisions of the movement gauge may be set according to the type of character used by the player, the character level, and other abilities. Furthermore, the number of divisions of the movement gauge may be set by the player or the player character using a specified item. Also, the player may be able to set the desired number of divisions.

[0335] In the first embodiment, the moving gauge has a width and extends vertically, but this is not limited to this. The moving gauge may extend horizontally or may be L-shaped with rounded corners. In other words, it may have any shape as long as the first index image and the second index image can move from one end to the other end.

[0336] Furthermore, in this first embodiment, the moving gauge is displayed at a fixed position, but it is not necessary to be limited to this. In other embodiments, when the second parameter determination operation is started, the first indicator may be displayed at an arbitrary position that does not interfere with the background image, and the position where the first indicator is initially displayed may be set as the initial position and moved in a predetermined direction (for example, upward). In other words, the first indicator image moves from the initial position, and the moving gauge is displayed so as to extend from the initial position. However, the movable range (length) of the first indicator image is predetermined similarly to the moving gauge shown in the first embodiment. Also, the first indicator image is stopped in response to the player's stopping operation, and the striking force is determined in response to the distance between the initial position and the stopping position. In the width direction of the first indicator image at this stopping position, the position of the blurring instruction image is determined by lottery. However, the size and shape of the basic area and the risk area are determined similarly to the above-mentioned first embodiment. Therefore, the first indicator image is inclined with respect to the first indicator image at the initial position as it moves, and the width of the first indicator image is lengthened at the position where the risk area is set. Also, similar to the first embodiment described above, during a directional input period in which the second index image is moved from the initial position of the first index image to the stopping position of the first index image, a directional input from the player is detected, and the trajectory of the ball is influenced based on the detected directional input.

[0337] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the lines on the end side of each region of the moving gauge are inclined, but they do not have to be inclined. In this case, the moving distance may or may not be changed according to the shaking.

[0338] In the first embodiment, the first index image and the instruction image are different images, but this is not necessary. For example, a point image that functions as the first index image and the instruction image may be displayed, and when determining the striking force, the point image may move in the longitudinal direction of the moving gauge, and when determining the shaking, the point image may move in the lateral direction of the moving gauge.

[0339] Furthermore, in this first embodiment, the risk area is provided outside the basic area of ​​the movement gauge, but the risk area may be provided inside the basic area. In such a case, the risk area is enlarged so that the rate and amount of shaking increases as the impact force increases. For example, the risk area is set at the center (or center) of the width of the basic area of ​​the movement gauge, and the shaking increases as the shaking indication image shifts from the center in the width direction within the risk area. Also, for example, the shaking indication image may be made to increase as it shifts from the center of the width in the width direction in the basic area of ​​the movement gauge. In this case, a point other than the center point of the width of the basic area can be considered as the risk area. However, the position from which the risk area is provided in the vertical direction of the basic area can be determined depending on the difficulty of the impact.

[0340] Furthermore, in this first embodiment, there is shaking even within the basic area of ​​the movement gauge, but in other embodiments, there may be no shaking within the basic area and there may be shaking within the risk area.

[0341] In addition, in this first embodiment, the deviation is determined when the directional input period ends, but it can be determined at any time after the impact force is determined and before the ball starts to move.

[0342] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the blur is determined by lottery, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The movement of the blur instruction image may be stopped in response to the player's operation, and the position of the blur instruction image, i.e., the blur, may be determined.

[0343] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the striking force is determined according to the position where the first indicator image is stopped, but the striking force may be determined according to the position of the blurring indication image when the blurring is determined. As described above, the first indicator image is tilted toward the end of the moving gauge, so the magnitude of the striking force changes according to the blurring, and the horizontal reach of the reference trajectory is changed. Even in this way, the moving distance can be changed depending on the difference between a draw ball and a fade ball.

[0344] In addition, in this first embodiment, in order to determine the blurring regardless of the position where the first index image is stopped, the blurring is also determined within the basic area in front of the risk area, but if the position where the first index image is stopped is in front of the risk area, the blurring may not be determined.

[0345] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the first index image and the second index image move within the moving gauge, and the color of the moved portion changes accordingly, but the color does not have to change.

[0346] Furthermore, in this first embodiment, the operation input is performed by operating the operation buttons and analog sticks of the controller, but this is not necessarily limited to this. In another embodiment, the controller may be provided with a motion sensor such as a two-axis or three-axis gyro sensor, and the player may grip and swing the controller (either the left controller 3 or the right controller 4) removed from the main unit 2 to input the operation. In other words, the striking force and the trajectory of the ball are determined at once by the action of the player moving the controller. In this case, the gyro sensor detects the magnitude of the swing when the player swings up the controller from the address state, and the gyro sensor detects the rotation angle of the wrist from the position where the controller is swung up to the position where the controller is swung down and returned to the address state position. As an example, the striking force is determined by the magnitude of the swing up of the controller. Also, the change over time in the rotation angle of the wrist when swinging correctly (hereinafter, "reference rotation angle") is stored in advance, and the type of trajectory of the ball (for example, draw, fade, hook, slice) is determined based on the difference between the reference rotation angle and the rotation angle of the wrist when the player moves the controller. According to the result of this determination, an arrow image that is predetermined according to the type of trajectory of the ball is displayed in the movement gauge, and the ball is moved according to the determined trajectory. However, the launch angle of the ball is determined by the selected club. Also, by providing an acceleration sensor, the acceleration of the controller when it is swung down and returned to the address state position can be detected and converted into impact force.

[0347] In addition, although the golf game has been described in this first embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to other sports games. Examples of other sports include soccer, baseball, tennis, volleyball, bowling, and badminton. In soccer, the trajectory of the kicked ball can be changed according to a directional input over time in a shooting or free kick scene. In baseball, the trajectory of the ball pitched by the pitcher or hit by the batter can be changed according to a directional input over time. Furthermore, in tennis and volleyball, the trajectory of the ball hit by the hand or racket can be changed according to a directional input over time. In bowling, the trajectory of the pitched ball can be changed according to a directional input over time, just like a baseball pitcher. And in badminton, the trajectory of the shuttlecock hit by the racket can be changed according to a directional input over time, just like tennis.

[0348] In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the game system 1 is shown as an example of an information processing system, but the configuration is not limited thereto, and other configurations can be adopted. For example, the above-mentioned "computer" is one computer (specifically, processor 81) in the above-mentioned first embodiment, but may be multiple computers in other embodiments. The above-mentioned "computer" may be (multiple) computers provided in multiple devices, for example, and more specifically, the above-mentioned "computer" may be composed of the processor 81 of the main unit 2 and communication control units (microprocessors) 101, 111 provided in the controller.

[0349] Furthermore, in another embodiment, a part of the overall game processing (S5-S9) may be executed on a server on a network such as the Internet. In such a case, the processor 81 of the main unit 2 transmits operation data acquired from the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 to the server via the network communication unit 82 and the network, receives the results of execution of the part of the overall game processing by the server (i.e., game image data and game sound data), and displays the game images on the display 12 and outputs the game sound from the speaker 88. In other words, it is also possible to configure an information processing system that includes the game system 1 shown in the above-mentioned first embodiment and a server on a network.

[0350] In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the case where the game image is displayed on the display 12 has been described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The main unit 2 can be connected to a stationary monitor (for example, a television monitor) via a cradle to display the game image on the stationary monitor. In such a case, an information processing system including the game system 1 and the stationary monitor can be configured.

[0351] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, a case has been described in which the game system 1 is configured so that the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 can be detachably attached to the main unit 2, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it is also possible to use an information processing device such as a game device in which an operation unit having operation buttons and analog sticks similar to those of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is integrally provided in the main unit 2, or other electronic device capable of executing a game program. Examples of other electronic devices include smartphones and tablet PCs. In such cases, the operation unit can be configured with software keys.

[0352] Furthermore, the specific numerical values ​​and image configurations shown in the above-mentioned first embodiment are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate according to the actual product.

[0353] For example, the determination of the wobble may be performed after the impact force has been determined and before the detection of the directional input is completed, or may be performed after the player character starts his swing motion and before the ball is hit.

[0354] The second parameter determination process is broadly divided into a process for determining striking force (S203-S209), a process for detecting a directional input by the player (S217-S221), and a process for determining shaking (S237-S243, S249), but may include only a process for detecting a directional input by the player. In such a case, for example, the process for determining striking force and the process for determining shaking are executed as another (for example, third) parameter determination process before the second parameter determination process.

[0355] [Second Example] In the first embodiment described above, the change in height of the obstacle object in the forward direction of the ball is displayed as a broken line to the right (or side) of the 3D-displayed movement gauge, but this is not necessarily limited to this. In this second embodiment, the distance to the position indicated by the player and the change in height of the obstacle object may be displayed (hereinafter referred to as a "distance altimeter display") separately from the movement gauge. However, this distance altimeter display is implemented instead of or in addition to the display of the broken line horizontally of the movement gauge. The distance altimeter display will be specifically described below. However, here, the distance altimeter display will be illustrated and described, and the display of the broken line horizontally of the movement gauge will be omitted.

[0356] FIG. 41 is a diagram showing another example of the parameter determination screen 300, and FIG.

[0357] The parameter determination screen 300 in Fig. 41 is a screen for a hole different from the parameter determination screen 300 shown in Fig. 8, and has a different background image 308. Note that the dotted frame R shown in Fig. 41 only indicates the range of some of the obstacle objects, and is not displayed in the actual game image.

[0358] When a parameter determination screen 300 as shown in Fig. 41 is displayed on the display 12, if a prescribed button (for example, the ZR button 61) is pressed before an instruction to start the second parameter determination operation is given, a distance-altitude measurement screen 400 as shown in Fig. 42 is displayed on the display 12. The distance-altitude measurement screen 400 and the undulation display screen 450 shown in Figs. 42-45 will be described below, with the background image 308 and pins 310 being given the same reference symbols as in the parameter determination screen 300.

[0359] The distance-altitude measurement screen 400 includes a pointer image 402, a graph image 404, and a line object 406 in addition to a background image 308 and a pin 310. The player character 302 and the movement gauge 320 are not displayed on the distance-altitude measurement screen 400. As an example, the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 is an image captured by a virtual camera when the position of the virtual camera (i.e., the viewpoint) is set at a predetermined distance (for example, about the height of the player character 302) above the current position of the ball 306. However, this is only an example, and the position of the virtual camera when displaying the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 may be set to the current position of the ball 306 or the position of the head (or eyes) of the player character 302. Also, the virtual camera is zoomed in, and the situation of obstacle objects and the like around the position indicated by the pointer image 402 described later can be viewed. By setting up a virtual camera in this manner, a distance / altitude measurement screen 400 can be displayed on the display 12 for a scene (or content) similar to the scene (or content) seen by a golf player looking through a laser rangefinder used in real golf.

[0360] Also, when the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 is initially displayed, the gaze point of the virtual camera is set to a predetermined position. The predetermined position is determined based on the current position of the ball 306. For example, it is set to the center of the fairway or the cup position in the horizontal reach of the club 304 currently being used. However, this is only an example, and the predetermined position may be specified by the player. In the example shown in FIG. 42, the predetermined position is set to the center of the fairway in the horizontal reach of the club 304 currently being used.

[0361] The pointer image 402 is always displayed in the center of the distance-altitude measurement screen 400. In other words, the pointer image 402 is placed in a position where its center position overlaps with the position of the gaze point of the virtual camera.

[0362] However, the pointer image 402 may be placed at a position where its center does not overlap with the position of the gaze point of the virtual camera.

[0363] Furthermore, when the distance-altitude measuring screen 400 is displayed, if the player tilts the analog stick 52, the fixation point of the virtual camera moves in the tilted direction. That is, the orientation of the virtual camera is changed, and the distance-altitude measuring screen 400 is changed. Therefore, the pointer image 402 is moved in accordance with the movement of the fixation point of the virtual camera.

[0364] However, the gaze point of the virtual camera is set at a position a certain distance away from the virtual camera, and is moved within a plane between the near clipping plane and the far clipping plane and parallel to the near clipping plane and the far clipping plane.

[0365] When a virtual straight line extending from the viewpoint and passing through the gaze point hits an obstacle object, the pointer image 402 indicates the position where the virtual straight line hits the obstacle object. However, when the virtual straight line hits two or more obstacle objects, the pointer image 402 indicates the position where the virtual straight line hits the obstacle object closest to the viewpoint (see Figs. 44 and 45).

[0366] If the virtual straight line does not hit an obstacle object, the pointer image 402 points to a position a predetermined distance away from the viewpoint (for example, the horizontal reach of the club 304 to be used). However, the position pointed to by the pointer image 402 means the position pointed to by the center of the pointer image 402 (hereinafter referred to as the "pointed position").

[0367] When the pointer image 402 points to an obstacle object, the distance and altitude are measured based on the current position of the ball 306, and the measured distance and altitude are displayed. The distance is displayed below the pointer image 402, and the altitude is displayed in the upper right corner of the pointer image 402. The distance is the horizontal distance from the current position of the ball 306 to the position pointed to by the pointer image 402 in the virtual space, not including the height component. However, the distance may be the straight-line distance (three-dimensional distance) from the current position of the ball 306 to the pointed position. Furthermore, the altitude is the difference in height of the position pointed to by the pointer image 402 when the height of the current position of the ball 306 in the virtual space is used as the reference. However, when the position pointed to by the pointer image 402 is above the height of the current position of the ball 306, the altitude is displayed as a positive number, and when the position pointed to by the pointer image 402 is below the height of the current position of the ball 306, the altitude is displayed as a negative number.

[0368] Therefore, by pointing to an obstacle object with the pointer image 402, the player can know the horizontal distance from the current position of the ball 306 to the obstacle object and the height (i.e., altitude) relative to the current position of the ball 306. Furthermore, knowing the horizontal distance and altitude to the obstacle object can be used as a reference when selecting the type of club 304 to use and when determining the direction and amount of change in the trajectory.

[0369] The graph image 404 includes a rectangular frame 404a of a predetermined size, and within this frame 404a, a broken line 4040 is drawn that indicates the change in height of the obstacle object that exists between the current position of the ball 306 and the designated position, with the height of the current position of the ball 306 as a reference. However, in FIG. 42, since there is almost no ups and downs in the obstacle object from the current position of the ball 306 to the designated position, the broken line 4040 is a gentle straight line (same as in FIG. 43). In the frame 404a, the current position of the ball 306 is set at the left end, and the designated position is set at the right end. In the graph image 404, a square point is drawn at the height position of the designated position. However, the dashed line that extends horizontally at the center of the vertical direction within the frame 404a is a reference line 4042 that indicates the height of the current position of the ball 306. In addition, the method of detecting the height of the obstacle object is the same as the method described in the first embodiment above, but may be a different method.

[0370] It should be noted that the graph image 404 is displayed semi-transparently so that images behind it, such as the background image 308, can be seen (see FIGS. 44 and 45).

[0371] The size of frame 404a is fixed, and the horizontal distance between the current position of ball 306 and the position indicated by pointer image 402 is set (for example, scaled) so that it corresponds to the width of frame 404a.

[0372] Also, the height of the obstacle object is set (for example, scaled) to correspond to the vertical length of the frame 404a. However, in order to clearly show the height of the obstacle object, the vertical scale is set smaller than the horizontal scale. As an example, the aspect ratio of the length of the frame 404a is 1:2, but the aspect ratio of the scale is 3:5. However, the aspect ratio of the scale does not need to be fixed, and when the pointed position is relatively far from the current position of the ball 306, the height of the obstacle object becomes low and becomes difficult to see by the broken line 4040, so the vertical scale may be set even smaller.

[0373] Furthermore, on the distance / altitude measurement screen 400, a line object 406 is displayed as a guide for the arrival position of the ball 306 at a position that is the horizontal arrival distance of the club 304 currently being used from the current position of the ball 306. As an example, the line object 406 is a bright, thick line object. Therefore, it is easy to predict the arrival position of the ball 306 when it is hit with the club 304 currently being used.

[0374] Also, in the line object 406, a landmark image (hereinafter referred to as a "marker image") 406a is displayed at the impact point of the ball 306. However, the impact point of the ball 306 is a position where the ball is expected to land if the player character 302 hits the ball 306 in the current launch direction and the hit ball 306 flies straight. Therefore, the expected impact position can be easily known.

[0375] Although omitted in the above-described first embodiment and FIG. 41, the line object 406 and the mark image 406a may be displayed on the parameter determination screen 300.

[0376] As described above, it is possible to change the direction of the virtual camera, i.e., the distance-altitude measurement screen 400. Figure 43 shows an example of the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 displayed on the display 12 when the player operates to move the direction of the virtual camera diagonally downward to the right when the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 shown in Figure 42 is displayed.

[0377] In Fig. 43, the pointer image 402 points to a ground object that is closer to the line object 406, and therefore the distance from the ball 306 to the pointed position is shorter than in the case shown in Fig. 42. Also, in the graph image 404, the horizontal distance from the current position of the ball 306 to the pointed position is set relative to the width of the frame 404a.

[0378] Furthermore, when one looks at the heights displayed near the pointer image 402 and graph image 404 shown in Figures 42 and 43, one can see that the height is slightly higher on the near side of the line object 406, and therefore there is a slight downward slope as one moves forward from the position indicated by the pointer image 402 shown in Figure 43.

[0379] Also, when the distance-altitude measuring screen 400 shown in Fig. 42 or 43 is displayed, the player can operate to move the virtual camera diagonally downward to the right, thereby pointing to the area of ​​the dotted frame R enclosed by the dotted line in Fig. 41 with the pointer image 42. Figs. 44 and 45 show other examples of the distance-altitude measuring screen 400.

[0380] The distance-altitude measurement screen 400 in Fig. 44 is displayed on the display 12 when the orientation of the virtual camera is moved as described above to point the virtual camera at the ground object of the farther tree among the ground objects of two trees arranged side by side, one in the foreground and one in the background, within the dotted frame R in Fig. 41. Also, the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 in Fig. 45 is displayed on the display 12 when the virtual camera is moved as described above to point the virtual camera at the ground object of the nearer tree among the ground objects of two trees arranged side by side, one in the foreground and one in the background, within the dotted frame R in Fig. 41.

[0381] 44, when the virtual camera is directed at a tree on the far side, the horizontal distance from the current position of ball 306 to the designated position of the tree on the far side is displayed near pointer image 402 and is set to correspond to the width of frame 404a. Also, as can be seen from graph image 404, when the virtual camera is directed at a tree on the far side, a tree on the near side is placed between ball 306 and the tree on the far side, so that a change in height due to the tree on the near side appears in broken line 4040 between the current position of ball 306 and the designated position.

[0382] 45, when the virtual camera is directed toward a tree in the foreground, the horizontal distance from the current position of ball 306 to the designated position of the tree in the foreground is displayed near pointer image 402 and is set to correspond to the width of frame 404a. As can be seen from graph image 404, when the virtual camera is directed toward a tree in the foreground, no ground object is disposed between ball 306 and the tree in the foreground, so that only the undulations of the ground object appear in broken line 4040 between the current position of ball 306 and the designated position.

[0383] Although not shown, as described above, when the distance / altitude measurement screen 400 is displayed on the display 12, the direction of the virtual camera is changed according to the player's operation, so that the pointer image 402 may point to an obstacle object ahead of the line object 406. In other words, it is possible to measure a distance that exceeds the horizontal reach of the club 304 being used. Therefore, it can be used as a reference when deciding whether to increase the number of the club 304 being used.

[0384] Figure 46 shows an example of an undulation display screen 450. The undulation display screen 450 is displayed on the display 12 when a prescribed button (here, the ZR button 61) is operated while the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 is being displayed. The undulation display screen 450 shown in Figure 46 is displayed on the display 12 when a prescribed button is operated while the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 shown in Figure 43 is being displayed.

[0385] As shown in FIG. 46, in addition to the background image 308, the relief display screen 450 displays the pointer image 402, the line object 406, and the landmark image 406a, as well as the grid image 460. The graph image 404 is also erased (or hidden) in the relief display screen 450. This is because the relief display screen 450 displays the relief within a predetermined range with the position indicated by the pointer image 402 as the center so that it can be visually recognized. As an example, the predetermined range is a range determined by a square with the length and width of 40 yards when the pointer image 402 is at the center and the center is viewed from directly above the virtual space. However, this is just an example, and the predetermined range may be variably set according to the position indicated by the pointer image 402.

[0386] In addition, in order to make it easier to see the undulations of obstacle objects (ground objects in FIG. 46) on the undulation display screen 450, the position of the virtual camera is set higher to provide a slightly more bird's-eye view than when the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 is displayed. Note that the center position of the pointer image 402 remains at a position overlapping the position of the gaze point of the virtual camera.

[0387] As can be seen from FIG. 46, the grid image 460 is an image of guide lines (that is, grid lines) displayed on an obstacle object such as a ground object, and the undulations of the ground object are represented by changes in the shape of the grid lines.

[0388] By looking at the relief display screen 450, the player can know the topography around the position indicated by the pointer image 402, and can determine, for example, the position where the ball 306 will land.

[0389] Furthermore, when the undulation display screen 450 is displayed, pressing a specific button (in this second embodiment, the ZL button 39) returns the screen to the distance-altitude measurement screen 400. Furthermore, when the distance-altitude measurement screen 400 is displayed, pressing a specific button (i.e., the ZL button 39) returns the screen to the parameter determination screen 300. However, when the undulation display screen 450 is displayed, pressing another specific button (in this second embodiment, the B button 54) may return the screen to the parameter determination screen 300 instead of returning to the distance-altitude measurement screen 400.

[0390] In the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the user can know the distance to the position indicated by the pointer image and the altitude or the undulations of the ground.

[0391] [Third Example] In the third embodiment, the game image displayed on the display 12 after the ball 306 starts moving indicates whether the ball 306 is in flight or rolling on the ground, i.e., whether it is a carry or a run, in an easily understandable manner. The third embodiment is the same as the first and second embodiments, and therefore a duplicated explanation will be omitted.

[0392] Below, game images displayed from when the ball 306 starts moving until it stops moving will be described, but since parameter settings and the like are the same as in the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted. Also, for the same reason, game images when the ball 306 moves will be described assuming that no operation has been performed to change the trajectory of the ball 306.

[0393] FIG. 47 shows an example of the parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 41 immediately after an operation such as parameter determination is performed, the player character 302 hits the ball 306, and the ball 306 starts moving.

[0394] As shown in FIG. 47, in the third embodiment, when ball 306 starts to move, simultaneously or almost simultaneously, an image (hereinafter referred to as a "movement indication image") 510 is displayed to indicate whether ball 306 is in flight or rolling on the ground, together with the distance traveled.

[0395] The movement instruction image 510 is displayed at the bottom center of the game image (here, the parameter determination screen 300). As an example, this movement instruction image 510 is composed of a black horizontal bar 510a, a white horizontal bar 510b overlapping the front of the horizontal bar 510a, and a line 510c displayed above the horizontal bars 510a and 510b. In addition, above the movement instruction image 510, the horizontal distance of the ball 306 to the current frame is displayed.

[0396] The horizontal bar 510a indicates the maximum flight distance of the ball 306 and is fixed to a predetermined length, which corresponds to the maximum flight distance of the club 304 being used by the player character 302. The horizontal bar 510b indicates the calculated flight distance of the struck ball 306 and is set to a length corresponding to the flight distance of the ball 306 according to the determined striking force.

[0397] However, in the movement instruction image 510, the left end corresponds to the current position of the ball 306. Therefore, in the horizontal bars 510a and 510b, the left end is distance 0, and the distance increases toward the right. In the parameter determination screen 300 shown in Fig. 47, it can be seen that the impact force has been determined to be about 50% from the length of the horizontal bar 510b relative to the horizontal bar 510a.

[0398] Also, the line 510c shows the trajectory of the ball 306 in the virtual space in two dimensions according to the change in time when the ball 306 is viewed from the side. Therefore, when the ball 306 moves in the air, the line 510c in the shape of a parabola is drawn. When the ball 306 moves in the air, the line 510c is drawn as a parabola (trajectory) according to the position of the ball 306 before the movement, the horizontal distance between the position of the ball 306 at present, and the height from the ground to the position of the ball 306 at present. The line 510c is drawn so that the height of the ball 306 at the start of the movement and the height of the point of impact are equal, but the line 510c may be drawn to reflect the difference in height. Also, the method of drawing the parabola is not limited to this. For example, a parabola image prepared in advance may be appropriately deformed according to the impact force and the current position of the ball 306, and gradually drawn from the left as time passes.

[0399] Also, when the ball 306 rolls on the ground, the height of the ball 306 from the ground is 0 yards, so the line 510c is drawn as a straight horizontal line. As described later, when the ball 306 rolls on the ground, the line 510c is shown as a dotted straight line (see FIG. 49). This is to easily show whether the ball 306 is moving in the air or rolling on the ground. However, this is only an example, and the line 510c may be shown as a solid parabola and a solid straight line, and may be given different colors. The line 510c may also be given a single color. In the parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 47, it can be seen that the ball 306 moves 22 yards in the horizontal direction, and the altitude gradually increases according to the vertical launch direction. It should be noted that even when the ball 306 bounces after impact, the line 510c may be shown as a straight line, assuming that the ball is rolling on the ground.

[0400] When the ball 306 has moved a certain distance, that is, when a predetermined time (e.g., 0.5 seconds) has elapsed since the ball 306 started to move, a game image showing the ball 306 moving (hereinafter, referred to as a "ball movement screen 500") is displayed on the display 12. As explained in the first embodiment, after the ball 306 starts to move, the virtual camera is moved to a position behind the ball 306 so as to take an overhead shot from diagonally above. However, although a detailed explanation is omitted, the virtual camera is moved so as to follow an imaginary ball when it is assumed that the ball 306 has moved on a reference trajectory. Also, the angle of view of the virtual camera is appropriately adjusted so that the ball 306 fits within the game image (i.e.,

[0401] Fig. 48 shows an example of the ball movement screen 500 when the ball 306 is in flight. Fig. 49 shows an example of the ball movement screen 500 when the ball 306 is rolling on the ground after landing.

[0402] In the ball movement screen 500 shown in FIG. 48, the ball 306 moves further than in the parameter determination screen 300 shown in FIG. 47, the horizontal distance is 61 yards, and it can be seen that the altitude is further increased according to the vertical launch direction. In the ball movement screen 500 shown in FIG. 49, the ball 306 moves further than in the ball movement screen 500 shown in FIG. 48, and after reaching the highest point, the altitude gradually decreases, hits the ground, and rolls on the ground. In the ball movement screen 500 shown in FIG. 49, the horizontal distance is 111+42 (=153) yards. As can be seen from FIG. 49, the display of the movement distance is divided into the distance traveled in the air and the distance traveled by rolling on the ground.

[0403] Although not shown, after the ball 306 hits the ground, the ball 306 may move in the opposite direction due to backspin or the inclination of the ground. In this case, the straight line portion (dotted line portion) of the line 510c may be drawn so as to extend to the left, or the straight line portion that once extends to the right may be drawn so as to become shorter. In addition, when the ball 306 returns from the point of impact to the front, the moving distance of the straight line portion may be displayed as a negative value. For example, in the ball movement screen 500 shown in FIG. 49, the horizontal distance may be displayed as "111y-42y".

[0404] Although not shown, when the ball 306 moving through the air hits a ground object or an air object and falls to the ground, the parabolic line 510c is transformed into a vertical line extending downward from the point when the ball 306 hits the ground object or the air object, and when the ball 306 rolls on the ground after that, a dotted horizontal line is drawn following the solid vertical line. Note that instead of being transformed into a vertical line extending downward, the parabolic line 510c may be compressed or scaled while maintaining the parabolic shape, so that the ball 306 appears to have landed at the point when it hits the ground object or the air object.

[0405] Although not shown, when there is a tailwind and / or the altitude of the impact point is low (so-called downwind), the travel distance increases, so the parabola is drawn to a position beyond the horizontal bar 510b. Conversely, when there is a headwind and / or the altitude of the impact point is high (so-called upwind), the travel distance decreases, so the parabola is drawn so that the horizontal reach distance is shorter than the length of the horizontal bar 510b.

[0406] Furthermore, although not shown, when the horizontal distance from the current position of the ball 306 to the pin 310 is shorter than the maximum distance of the club 304 being used, an image showing the pin 310 may be displayed at a position equivalent to the horizontal distance, above the horizontal bar 510a. However, even when the horizontal distance from the current position of the ball 306 to the pin 310 is longer than the maximum distance of the club 304 being used, an image showing the pin 310 may be displayed at a position equivalent to the horizontal distance to the pin 310. However, an image showing the pin 310 is displayed only when the player character 302 hits the ball 306 toward the pin 310 to a certain extent, and an image showing the pin 310 does not have to be displayed when, for example, the ball 306 is hit in the opposite direction to the pin 310.

[0407] Furthermore, although not shown, when the striking force is determined, a strip-shaped image indicating that the ball 306 will roll may be drawn on the movement gauge 320 so as to extend upward from the position where the first indicator image 326 is stopped. The strip-shaped image is given a predetermined color, and its width is set to be the same as or approximately the same as the width of the movement gauge 320. However, since the purpose of the strip-shaped image is to inform the player that the ball 306 will roll, the length of the strip is fixed at a predetermined length. Also, as described above, when the line 510c is shown in the movement instruction image 510 as a solid parabola and a solid straight line, and different colors are applied to each of them, the predetermined color applied to the strip-shaped image is set to the same color as the color of the line 510c drawn as the solid straight line, thereby impressing the player that the color indicates that the ball 306 will roll.

[0408] Since the band-shaped image extends upward from the position where the first indicator image 326 stops, it may be displayed beyond the top end of the moving gauge 320 if the striking force is at or near the maximum value.

[0409] In the third embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, it is possible to know at a glance whether the ball is moving in the air or rolling on the ground. [Explanation of symbols]

[0410] 1. Game System 2. Main unit 3...Left controller 4 ... Right controller 32, 52 ... Analog stick 39 ... ZL button 60 ...R button 61 ... ZR button 81 ... processor

Claims

1. A game program for causing a computer to execute a virtual golf game, comprising: a processor of the computer, a direction determination step of determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on a progress of the golf game or a user operation; a power indicator advancement step of advancing the power indicator within or along a displayed gauge having a width extending from one end to the other of the gauge; a power index stopping step of stopping the progress of the power index based on a user operation; a position determination step of randomly determining a position of a deviation index to be displayed corresponding to a width direction of the gauge at a stop position of the power index stopped in the power index stopping step; and executing a movement execution step of executing a movement process of moving the ball object such that the closer the stopping position of the power index is to the other end side of the gauge, the longer the movement distance of the ball object becomes; The gauge includes a risk area in which the length or the ratio in the width direction is increased toward the other end side, the movement execution step changes the movement start direction or the movement direction after the start of movement of the ball object when the position of the blurring indicator determined in the position determination step is within the risk area, compared to when the position is outside the risk area.

2. the line at the other end of the gauge is inclined relative to the line at the one end; the power index is inclined in the same direction as the line at the other end as it approaches the other end, 2 . The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the movement executing step changes a movement distance of the ball object in accordance with a position within the width of the gauge of the deviation indicator determined in the position determining step.

3. 3. The game program according to claim 1, wherein a size of the risk area relative to the entire size of the gauge varies depending on a state of a point where the ball object is located.

4. 4. The game program according to claim 1, wherein the risk area is provided outside a basic area of ​​the gauge having a certain width.

5. 5. The game program according to claim 4, further comprising a color control step of causing the processor to execute a color control step of changing a color of the basic area and not changing a color of the risk area as the power index progresses.

6. 6. A game program as described in claim 4 or 5, further comprising a target image display step of displaying a target image corresponding to at least one of a green object, a pin object, a bunker object, a hazard object and a rough object that are within a movable range of the ball object, within the basic area of ​​the gauge, at a position according to a distance from the ball object.

7. A game program as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising causing the processor to execute a lottery display step of displaying the random determination of the position of the vibration indicator between the time when the progress of the power indicator is stopped in the power indicator stopping step and the time when the movement processing is started in the movement execution step.

8. 8. The game program according to claim 1, wherein the gauge curves in accordance with the movement start direction determined in the direction determination step and an inclination of the point where the ball object is located with respect to the movement start direction.

9. a trajectory prediction image display step of displaying a trajectory prediction image predictably showing a predicted trajectory, which is a trajectory when the ball object moves in the movement start direction determined in the direction determination step; the trajectory prediction image is a strip-shaped image extending linearly in the movement start direction or extending along the predicted trajectory, 9. The game program according to claim 1, wherein the degree of curvature of the predicted trajectory of the ball object is expressed by a shape or a tilt of the strip-shaped image or a component of the strip-shaped image.

10. the components are images of a plurality of quadrilaterals; 10. The game program according to claim 9, wherein the degree of curvature is expressed by changing a shape of the plurality of quadrilaterals.

11. 11. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of quadrangles is displayed so as to move in the movement start direction determined in the direction determination step.

12. 12. The game program according to claim 1, further comprising causing the processor to execute a three-dimensional display step of expressing the gauge with a three-dimensional depth.

13. 13. The game program according to claim 12, further comprising a height information display step of causing the processor to execute, when the movement start direction is determined in the direction determination step, a height information display step of displaying, along the gauge, height information of an obstacle object that is an obstacle to the movement of the ball object in a forward direction when the ball object moves.

14. a two-dimensional display step of expressing the gauge in a two-dimensional display; and 14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, further comprising a switching step of switching between the two-dimensional display step and the three-dimensional display step based on the user operation.

15. A game program for causing a computer to execute a virtual golf game, comprising: a processor of the computer, a direction determination step of determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on a progress of the golf game or a user operation; a power index advancement step of advancing the power index displayed at an initial position, which is an arbitrary position, in a predetermined direction up to a predetermined movable length; a power index stopping step of stopping the progress of the power index based on a user operation; a position determination step of randomly determining a position of a deviation index to be displayed corresponding to a width direction of the gauge determined based on the stop position of the power index stopped in the power index stopping step and the initial position; and executing a movement execution step of executing a movement process of moving the ball object such that the movement distance of the ball object becomes longer as the stopping position of the power index approaches the movable length; The gauge includes a risk area whose widthwise length or widthwise rate increases as the gauge approaches the movable length, the movement execution step changes the movement start direction or the movement direction after the start of movement of the ball object when the position of the blurring indicator determined in the position determination step is within the risk area, compared to when the position is outside the risk area.

16. A gaming device for executing a virtual golf game, comprising: The processor of the gaming device determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on a progress of the golf game or a user operation; advancing a power indicator through or along a gauge having a width extending from one end to the other as indicated, from one end of the gauge to the other; Stopping the progression of the power index based on a user action; Randomly determine the position of the deviation indicator to be displayed corresponding to the width direction of the gauge at the stop position of the stopped power indicator; and executing a movement process for moving the ball object such that the closer the stopping position of the power indicator is to the other end side of the gauge, the longer the moving distance of the ball object becomes; The gauge includes a risk area in which the length or the ratio in the width direction is increased toward the other end side, When the determined position of the deviation indicator is within the risk area, the direction in which the ball object starts moving or the direction in which the ball object moves after starting moving is changed compared to when the determined position of the deviation indicator is outside the risk area.

17. A gaming device for executing a virtual golf game, comprising: A processor of the gaming device determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on a progress of the golf game or a user operation; advancing a power indicator displayed at an initial position, which is an arbitrary position, in a predetermined direction up to a predetermined movable length; Stopping the progression of the power index based on a user action; Randomly determine the position of a deviation index to be displayed corresponding to the width direction of the gauge determined based on the stopped position of the stopped power index and the initial position, and executing a movement process for moving the ball object such that the closer the stopping position of the power index is to the movable length, the longer the movement distance of the ball object becomes; The gauge includes a risk area whose widthwise length or widthwise rate increases as the gauge approaches the movable length, When the determined position of the deviation indicator is within the risk area, the direction in which the ball object starts moving or the direction in which the ball object moves after starting moving is changed compared to when the determined position of the deviation indicator is outside the risk area.

18. A game control method for a game device that executes a virtual golf game, comprising the steps of: (a) determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on a progress of the golf game or a user operation; (b) advancing a power indicator through or along a gauge having a width extending from one end to the other as indicated, from one end of the gauge to the other; (c) stopping the progression of the power index based on a user action; (d) a step of randomly determining a position of a deviation index to be displayed corresponding to the width direction of the gauge at the stop position of the power index stopped in the step (c); and (e) executing a moving process of moving the ball object such that the closer the stopping position of the power indicator is to the other end side of the gauge, the longer the moving distance of the ball object becomes; The gauge includes a risk area in which the length or the ratio in the width direction is increased toward the other end side, The step (e) changes the direction in which the ball object starts moving or the direction in which the ball object moves after starting to move when the position of the blurring indicator determined in the step (d) is within the risk area, compared to when the position is outside the risk area.

19. A game control method for a game device that executes a virtual golf game, comprising the steps of: (a) determining a movement start direction of a ball object based on a progress of the golf game or a user operation; (b) moving the power index displayed at an initial position, which is an arbitrary position, in a predetermined direction up to a predetermined movable length; (c) stopping the progression of the power index based on a user action; (d) a step of randomly determining a position of a vibration indicator to be displayed corresponding to the width direction of the gauge determined based on the stop position of the power indicator stopped in the step (c) and the initial position; and (e) executing a movement process for moving the ball object such that the closer the stopping position of the power index is to the movable length, the longer the movement distance of the ball object becomes; The gauge includes a risk area whose widthwise length or widthwise rate increases as the gauge approaches the movable length, The step (e) changes the direction in which the ball object starts moving or the direction in which the ball object moves after starting to move when the position of the blurring indicator determined in the step (d) is within the risk area, compared to when the position is outside the risk area.

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