332 results about "Game space" patented technology

A game system includes a housing to be held by a player. The housing incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in an X-axis and Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. These sensor and switch detect at least one of an amount (e.g. tilt amount, movement amount, impact amount or the like) and a direction (e.g. tilt direction, movement direction, impact direction or the like) of a change applied to the housing. A simulation program provides simulation such that a state of a game space is changed related to at least one of the amount and direction of the change applied to the housing.

A game system includes a housing to be held by a player. The housing incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in a X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. The sensor and switch detect at least one of an amount (e.g., tilt amount, movement amount, impact amount or the like) and a direction (e.g., tilt direction, movement direction, impact direction or the like) of a change applied to the housing. A simulation program provides simulation such that a state of a game space is changed related to at least one of the amount and direction of the change applied to the housing.

A game system displaying a three-dimensional game space on a display includes a housing held by a player, a tilt sensor provided on the housing, a viewpoint coordinates determination mechanism for determining viewpoint coordinates in accordance with an output value of the tilt sensor, and a game image generation processing mechanism for generating a game image based on the viewpoint coordinates determined by the viewpoint coordinates determination mechanism. The game system allows the player to feel as if the three-dimensional game space is tilted in accordance with a tilt of a game device, etc., with a minimal processing burden.

A gaming system and method of game play is provided wherein the gaming is earned out within a themed physical play space comprising an existing or specially configured entertainment facility or play structure. The game utilizes electronically identifiable objects, such as colored balls, shaped objects, cards, bands, tags and / or the like, to provide an interactive game play experience generally simulative of a computer adventure game experience. Play participants are challenged to work and cooperate with other play participants to find identified objects, clues or other information and to use the objects, clues or information to solve various puzzles or problems that present encumbrances inhibiting players' advancement in the game. Optionally, each play participant possesses a unique RFID band, card or the like, that electronically identifies the play participant and enables the play system to award and track points or other rewards to successful play participants individually or working with other play participants as a team. The game in accordance with the invention provides the intellectual challenge and excitement of a computer adventure game, but with tangible interactives, physical challenges, and social interaction.

A first game image to be controlled by using an operation switch section 14 is displayed on a first LCD 11. In addition, a second game image to be controlled by using a touch panel 13 is displayed on a second LCD 12. The first game image and the second game image are expressions, taken from different perspectives, of the same game space generated by executing a game program.

A game is provided based on real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life. In a game system 10 for providing a virtual stock trade game to players base on the real life stock price data, stock price data is obtained in almost real time from a broker etc., and stock virtually owned by the player in a game space corresponding to real life is evaluated by the stock price data. By allowing the players to compete for a time period until a target total asset value is achieved, a new player can compete under almost the same circumstances as the preceding players regardless of the timing at which they started participating in the game.

A game machine is provided with two display units, that is, a first LCD 11 and a second LCD 12. On the second LCD 12, feature information unique to each object located in a virtual game space is displayed. When a player selects, based on information displayed on the second LCD 12, one of the objects provided in the virtual game space, a focus point of a virtual camera provided in the virtual game space is set so that the virtual camera is oriented to a direction of the selected object, and the state of the virtual game space captured by the virtual camera is displayed on the first LCD 11. With this, the virtual game space can be displayed without impairing its worldview. Also, the player can be allowed to easily specify a desired focus target in the virtual game space.

A method and system for automatically evaluating the state of a user's physical health includes a game for maintaining the use's interest as he exercises and which automatically measures and evaluates the user's physical strength and health and provides an exercise prescription. The method has a game execution and measurement step performed via a main controller section with a display device, a memory and a virtual subject in the game space. Multiple standardized protocols are selected according to measurements reflected in the game and the virtual subject, reflecting an exercise state of the user on the basis of an exercise state of a reference person in the game. Measuring / reading / storing / displaying physical strength and health information occur after generating events for measuring the physical strength and health information such as particular situations, letters, sounds, voices, etc., in the game content.

In a game system in which two related virtual game spaces are separately displayed on a first display device and a second display device, an object, contained in a first game space represented by a three-dimensional coordinate system, is displayed on the first display device, and an object, contained in a second game space represented by a two-dimensional coordinate system, is displayed on the second display device. A coordinate conversion process is performed in which coordinates indicating a current location of the object in the first game space are mathematically projected onto a two-dimensional plane within the first game space that corresponds to the second game space, so as to determine coordinates in the second game space, that are indicative of a location where a shadow of the object would occur in the two-dimensional plane of the second game space when produced by a light source positioned at a predetermined location in the first game space.

A method and system is provided for operating prize-contest in a gaming space. In a virtual space associated with an online game having a plurality of participants, a prize-contest operation is conducted to promote a prize contest to the participants of the online game. At the completion of the prize-contest, information associated with the participants is updated based on the outcome of the prize-contest.

A game system includes a game apparatus, an operating device, and a hand-held device. The game apparatus performs a game control process based on first operation data representing a first player's operation on the operating device and second operation data representing a second player's operation on the hand-held device. The game apparatus generates a first game image for the first player, which is an image of a virtual game space and represents a result of the game control process, based on a first virtual camera set in the game space. The game apparatus also generates a second game image for the second player, which is an image of the game space, based on a second virtual camera set in the game space. The first game image is displayed on a first display device provided independently of the hand-held device. The second game image is displayed on a second display device of the hand-held device.

Acceleration data which is output from an acceleration sensor included in an input device is obtained, and a support position coordinate set, in a virtual game space, of a support provided on an object is calculated based on the obtained acceleration data. An inclination of the input device in the real space is calculated based on the obtained acceleration data. A parameter representing an object inclination at which the object is inclined in the virtual game space is calculated in accordance with the calculated inclination of the input device. Using the support position coordinate set and the parameter representing the object inclination, the object is located in the virtual game space and displayed on a display device.

The generation, association, and display of in-game tags are disclosed. Such tags introduce an additional dimension of community participation to both single and multiplayer games. Through such tags, players are empowered to communicate through filtered text messages and images as well as audio clips that other game players, including top rated players, have generated and placed at particular coordinates and / or in context of particular events within the game space. The presently described in-game tags and associated user generated content further allow for label based searches with respect to game play.

A game apparatus selects one of a plurality of characters as a selected character. The game apparatus also sets a position of a virtual camera in accordance with the position of the selected character and thus causes a display apparatus to display an image of a game space, and also causes the display apparatus to display a cursor for designating a predetermined position in the game space. When a predetermined operation by the player is performed in the state where one of the non-selected characters is designated by the cursor, the game apparatus sets the non-selected character designated by the cursor as a newly selected character. When the selected character is changed in a first change step, the position of the virtual camera is moved in accordance with the position of the newly selected character.

This invention allows for an electronic doll-house to be constructed at a reasonable cost that provides the ability to identify the location of a number of figures that a child may manipulate in a play space. By use of IR communications and the characteristics of such a communications link, a doll-house is provided that combines the ability to be built at a relatively low cost with the advantages of not requiring physical contacts, special purpose RFID chips and transceiving arrangements, or other expensive sensing methods. In brief, the invention makes use of an IR transmitter that sends a unique ID code upon user activation which allows for power savings, the elimination of contact points or RF components, the localization of the signal to a room in a doll-house, and by use of reflecting paths, allows relative independence of orientation. These capabilities are that of a low cost system that allows a system controller to locate an object within a doll-house and consequently allow for an improved location and / or player object specific game play.

A video game device in which a competition is developed between a main character and an enemy character by giving instructions to move the main character operated by an operation unit in a game space displayed on a display screen. The video game device comprises: a character processing unit for displaying an area mark belonging to one of the main character and the enemy character and having a specified size, a judging unit for judging whether the other character has continued to be inside the area mark for a predetermined time, and a game result output unit for obtaining a result of the competition when the other character continued to be inside the area mark for the predetermined time.

Network game system for playing a game with the aim of a achieving a predetermined goal. The game is played, via data terminals operated by member players, in a game space provided on a game server, while communicating with the game server on the network. The game server includes a recruiting information generating section for generating, upon receipt from a member player of referral information specifying the mail address of the data terminal of a non-member player, recruiting information including information specifying the member player, an enrollment processing section for performing enrollment processing upon receiving application information in response to recruiting information sent to the mail address of the non-member, and an advantage conferring section for conferring to the referring member player advantages useful in achieving the goal of the game.

A game space may be provided to a user in which the user attempts to obtain discoverable items that have been associated with individual zones in the game space. The user may attempt to obtain the items through strategically employing one of a plurality of selectable actions that are associated with different costs in the game space. The costs of the actions may be balanced to create a prospecting mechanic within the game. The game space may be provided to the user as a discrete game, or as one or more mini-game(s) within a larger game or virtual space.

A game image representing a part or all of an identical game space is displayed on game machines. A first game machine detects the link strength of wireless communication between the first game machine and a second game machine. The first game machine executes predetermined game processing such that a processing result changes depending on the detected link strength. Further, the first game machine updates the game image based on a result of the predetermined game processing. The first game machine sends game processing information indicating the result of the predetermined game processing, to the second game machine. The second game machine updates the game image based on the game processing information sent from the first game machine.

A game apparatus selects one of a plurality of characters as a selected character. The game apparatus also sets a position of a virtual camera in accordance with the position of the selected character and thus causes a display apparatus to display an image of a game space, and also causes the display apparatus to display a cursor for designating a predetermined position in the game space. When a predetermined operation by the player is performed in the state where one of the non-selected characters is designated by the cursor, the game apparatus sets the non-selected character designated by the cursor as a newly selected character. When the selected character is changed in a first change step, the position of the virtual camera is moved in accordance with the position of the newly selected character.

A game progress administering system is provided with a participation receiving section 361a for receiving the participation in a competition game from client terminal units, a combination generating means 361b for fitting the participating terminal units in combinations of a competition game tournament, a competition starting section 361c for allotting one game space to one combination and instructing the start of the competition games in each round, and a competition ending section 361d for instructing the end of the competitions in each round in accordance with a time limit for each round up to the semifinal round and determining winning participating terminal units in accordance with the dominance in the progress statuses of the competition games.

To make it possible to provide other services even at the time of executing an online game and to communicate with a player receiving the other services in an online game space.Each game terminal receives comics distributions from a comics server and music distributions from a music server, even while executing the online game over its own browser. The game server administers the game participation of each game terminal and the utilization of various services (e.g., comics distributions, music distributions, mails or chats) by using a service utilization database. The game players can communicate with each other in the game space by the knock function in accordance with the service utilizations under the control of the game server.

The appeal of a game can be increased by notifying actions performed in the game by other players. In a game system 10 for providing a virtual stock trade game to a plurality of players, the player-owned brand data is stored which represents the stock brands virtually owned by each player in a game space. At least one of the plurality of players is selected based on, for example, his / her performance in the game, and the portfolio of the selected player is publicized to the other players based on the player-owned brand data.

This invention relates to a network card game. A user purchases actual trading cards from a game planning company via a store or cellular phone agency. The user can transfer a ownership of the card in a virtual card game space established by a service provider, separately from the actual trading cards. The card transfer in the virtual card game space has an effect enabling to release damages of card, which were sustained in a network card game, in addition to an effect on granting a point to a transfer source person. By carrying out such a procedure that the card is transferred to a friend, for example, and is returned from the friend immediately after the transfer, the state of the damaged card returns to the normal state, and it becomes possible to use the card in a game soon. Incidentally, if logs of the transfer process are held, they can be used for various marketing.

A video object generation method (100) for converting a model (102) such that a tessellation operation (164) can create a realistic character in real time during game play. A shelling and slicing operation (106) produces data strings (140) describing a plurality of slices (110) of the model (102). An assign body parts and edit strings operation (130) places cuts (134) on the model (102) and an apply influences operation (144) establishes the influence on each of a plurality of points (142) from a plurality of bones (148) of a skeleton (146). In real time operations (162) a tessellation operation (164) creates a triangle mesh (165) appropriate to the position and importance of the character in game space, and a properly bent character is displayed in a display operation (168).

A game image representing an infield as a specific game image in a game space of a baseball game is displayed on a display surface of a monitor 5 as a reference game image. According to the position of a game medium character, for example, representing a baseball which serves as a game situation, the display of the reference game is switched to that of a combined game image. For example, if the ball flies in a direction toward an outfield (outfield direction), the outfield neighboring a partial game image displayed in the half of the display surface in the outfield direction within the reference game image is displayed as an adjacent game image instead of the partial game image. Accordingly, a game situation and a game progress can be easily grasped and a game operation can be more smoothly performed.

A game executing method for making a computer device execute a given game by generating an image of a game space, and for analyzing and outputting a power distribution of a character group in the game space, the character group including a plurality of characters movable in the game space, has: setting a plurality of sample points in the game space; calculating a position of each character at a time that each character has maintained a current moving condition for a predetermined time period; calculating an arrival time needed for each character to arrive at each set sample point from the calculated position as a starting point; calculating the power distribution of the character group based on the calculated arrival time of each character to each sample point; and outputting a geographical power state of the game space based on the calculated power distribution according to a predetermined output method.

A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a game program for generating a two-dimensional game image representing a state of a three-dimensional game space acquired by a virtual camera so as to display the two-dimensional game image by a display device, and the program is executed so as to calculate the number of pixels included in a linear distance to a target pixel representing a predetermined pixel on the two-dimensional game image, from a sight point pixel corresponding to a sight point of the virtual camera in the three-dimensional game space. Next, a movement rate of the virtual camera is set in accordance with the number of pixels having been calculated. The virtual camera is moved to a predetermined position in the three-dimensional game space in accordance with the movement rate having been set.

A game executing method for making a computer device execute a given game by generating an image of a game space, and for analyzing and outputting a power distribution of a character group in the game space, the character group including a plurality of characters movable in the game space. The method includes setting a plurality of sample points in the game space; calculating a position of each character at a time that each character has maintained a current moving condition for a predetermined time period; calculating an arrival time needed for each character to arrive at each set sample point from the calculated position as a starting point; calculating the power distribution of the character group based on the calculated arrival time of each character to each sample point; and outputting a geographical power state of the game space based on the calculated power distribution according to a predetermined output method.