Real-Time Game Image Capture with Reduced Thumbnail Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information processing systems, such as those described in Japanese patent application 2014-092991, require users to suspend or end gameplay to confirm if a desired game image has been captured, as they only record image data and do not allow visual confirmation during gameplay.
Innovation Solution
A game processing program that generates a reduced image of the game image in real-time, allowing it to be displayed superimposed on the gameplay while the game is ongoing, and saves the game image in parallel, with error messages displayed if saving is unsuccessful, enabling immediate visual confirmation and feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the game image is recorded in the ring buffer and screenshot is captured, then the image data can be saved, but the user cannot visually confirm the captured image without suspending or ending the game
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a reduced-size copy (thumbnail) of the captured game image and displays it on the game screen. This allows users to visually confirm the captured image without suspending the game, resolving the contradiction between reliable image capture and ease of visual confirmation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the image display by showing a reduced-size version of the captured image in a corner of the screen rather than requiring full-screen display. This segmentation allows simultaneous game play and image confirmation, improving ease of operation while maintaining capture reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the reduced image is displayed superimposed on the game image, then visual confirmation is enabled during gameplay, but memory resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the size parameter of the displayed image by creating a reduced-size thumbnail version rather than displaying the full-resolution captured image. This parameter change enables visual confirmation during gameplay while minimizing memory consumption.
3Reliability
If the game image is saved in the saving memory, then the captured image is stored permanently, but the saving process may cause delays or errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a reduced-size copy of the game image for immediate display purposes, separate from the full-resolution save operation. This allows the save process to occur in the background without blocking the user interface, reducing perceived saving time while maintaining save reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A game apparatus includes a display device, and a game screen is displayed on the display device. A play image including a player character, an enemy character, a ground object, a block object and a clay pipe object, for example is displayed as a game screen. If a capture instruction is input during a game play, image data corresponding to a play image at a time of input is acquired as captured image data. In the game apparatus, a reduced image of a captured image is generated and displayed in a manner superimposed on the play image. During game control processing is performed, processing that generates and displays the reduced image is performed.