Selective Virtual Camera Entry into Terrain for Player Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional information processing systems restrict virtual cameras from entering objects, even when transparency could improve visibility, limiting the user's experience.
Innovation Solution
An information processing system determines the positional relationship between a player character and terrain objects, allowing the virtual camera to enter if certain conditions are met, and applies rendering and display changes to enhance visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the virtual camera is restricted from entering terrain objects, then the system maintains simple collision detection logic, but visibility is reduced when the player character is surrounded by objects
Solution Approach 1:
The camera control system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on real-time detection of player character surroundings. When the player is surrounded by terrain objects (masking ratio exceeds threshold), the system transitions from avoidance mode to penetration mode, allowing the camera to enter terrain objects. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction by adapting camera behavior to contextual needs rather than using fixed restrictive logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different camera control strategies to different spatial contexts. Instead of uniformly preventing camera entry into all terrain objects, the invention selectively permits camera penetration only in specific locations where the player character is surrounded by objects (high masking ratio areas). This localized application of camera penetration resolves the visibility issue without requiring global changes to camera control logic.
2Ease of operation
If the virtual camera enters terrain objects, then visibility is improved, but determining whether to allow entry requires complex positional relationship analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The system evaluates camera entry permission based on quantitative parameters including the masking ratio (proportion of surrounding area blocked by objects), distance between player character and terrain objects, and vertical versus horizontal positioning. By transforming the complex positional relationship analysis into measurable parameters with a clear threshold (masking ratio > threshold), the system simplifies the detection process while maintaining accurate visibility assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces complex geometric collision detection with a masking ratio calculation approach. Instead of analyzing detailed spatial intersections and overlap volumes, the system uses a simplified metric (masking ratio) that quantifies how much the terrain objects block the player's surroundings. This substitution reduces computational complexity while preserving the essential visibility information needed for camera control decisions.
3Reliability
If avoidance control is always executed, then the virtual camera never enters terrain objects, but visibility is reduced in situations where transparency would help
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between avoidance control and penetration control based on real-time assessment of player character surroundings. When the masking ratio is below the threshold, avoidance control maintains stable camera positioning outside terrain objects. When the masking ratio exceeds the threshold, the system transitions to penetration control, allowing the camera to enter terrain objects to improve visibility. This dynamic control strategy resolves the contradiction by applying different control modes only when their respective benefits are needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the masking ratio and uses this feedback to adjust camera control behavior. The masking ratio serves as a feedback parameter that indicates whether the player character is surrounded by terrain objects. Based on this feedback, the system automatically decides whether to permit camera penetration or maintain avoidance control, creating a closed-loop control system that balances stability and visibility needs.
Data Source
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AI summary
It is determined whether or not a positional relationship between a player character and a terrain object around the player character in a virtual space satisfies a permission condition. If the positional relationship does not satisfy the permission condition, then when a virtual camera approaches the terrain object, avoidance control to prevent the virtual camera from being located inside the terrain object is executed. If the positional relationship satisfies the permission condition, the virtual camera is controlled without executing the avoidance control. A portion of a surface of the terrain object that faces front with respect to the virtual camera is rendered.