JP3295068B2 - GAME DEVICE, IMAGE DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a game machine which displays a board image of a board and a ball image of a ball moving on the board on a predetermined display device.
The present invention relates to a video game in which a ball game can be executed on a board image displayed on a display device, and more particularly, to a technique for controlling an image displayed on a display device in executing the video game. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a ball game using a game machine has become popular, and an image of the game machine is projected on a display device such as a television receiver, and the image of the game machine is displayed on the display device. A number of video games have been developed which allow the user to enjoy the same ball and ball game as he or she does. Such a ball-and-ball game has gained considerable popularity because it can easily enjoy the same atmosphere as actually playing a ball-and-ball game without requiring money. It constitutes one field.

[0003] The above-mentioned bullet game executed by a video game is generally developed with the greatest purpose of reproducing the same sense of reality as playing a ball game with an actual gaming machine. It is. For example, a board image on a board of a gaming machine displayed on a display device for executing a ball game as a video game is generally assumed to accurately imitate the board of an actual gaming machine. With such a selection, the sense of presence is further increased.

[0004] Because of such a basic design concept,
At present, the ball game as a video game does not produce more than the ball game played on actual gaming machines, so it may not be possible to obtain sufficient satisfaction with the fun of the game itself ing.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is directed to a ballistic game to be performed in a video game so as to satisfy a player's amusement. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for performing the following.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention for solving such a problem is as described below. Output image control means for displaying a board image of a board of a gaming machine, a ball image of a ball moving on the board on a predetermined display device, and input means for inputting a player's instruction In a game device that can execute a ball-and-ball game on the board image based on the operation content input by the player from the input means, the output image control means When displaying the board image including the lamp image of the blinking lamp and displaying the lamp image indicating the lamp lighting state, the brightness around the lamp image is set to be higher than that in the case of indicating the lamp turning off state. A game device configured to display a reflected image. The output image control means provided in such a game device displays the board image including a lamp image of a lamp that blinks under a certain condition, and displays the lamp image when displaying the lamp lighting state. It is configured to display a reflected image with a higher brightness around the lamp image than when the lamp is turned off. Therefore, if a ball-and-ball game is executed by this game device, it is possible to produce a flashy effect as if the light of the lamp was transferred to the surroundings. According to such an effect, for a wider range beyond the display portion of the actually blinking lamp,
Since it is possible to cause a dynamic change of a display image accompanied by a change in lightness of color, it is possible to display a more exciting image on a display device as viewed from a player.

[0007] The output image control means according to the present invention can be configured so that the reflected image is displayed at least on the board image. According to the output image control means,
Since a large change can be caused in the board image with little change, the effect of the production can be efficiently increased. Also, the output image control means according to the present invention displays the reflection image by superimposing white having predetermined transparency on a color for displaying a board image at a position where the reflection image is displayed. Can be configured. By superimposing a translucent white color on the background color of the board image and performing the display, it is possible to easily express the situation where the light of the lamp has transferred to the board surface. The output image control means in this case, the predetermined transparency for white superimposed at the reflected image display position of the part far from the lamp image, so as to be greater than the transparency of the part near the lamp image Can be configured. By doing so, it becomes possible to display a portion closer to the lamp image in a color closer to white than the peripheral portion, so that the reflection of the lamp light on the board surface is realistic while being flashy. Be able to express.

The present invention can also be realized by causing a computer dedicated to a game or a general-purpose computer for home use to execute the following method. That is, the game machine includes output image control means for displaying a board image of the board of the gaming machine and a ball image of a ball moving on the board on a predetermined display device. A method for executing a ball-and-ball game in the form of a board image based on the board image, wherein the output image control means outputs a lamp image of a lamp that blinks under a certain condition. When displaying the board image including the, when displaying a lamp image indicating the lamp lighting state, around the lamp image, display a reflection image with a higher brightness than when indicating the lamp off state, One example is a method for controlling image display.

Further, the game apparatus according to the present invention can be realized by reading a program code recorded on a recording medium as described below into a predetermined computer, for example, a computer dedicated to a game or a general-purpose computer for home use. For example, a board image of the board of the gaming machine and a ball image of a ball moving on the board are displayed on a predetermined display device, and a bullet is displayed on the board image based on the operation content inputted by the player. When executing the ball game, the process of displaying the board image including the lamp image of the lamp blinking under certain conditions and the display of the lamp image indicating the lamp lighting state are performed around the lamp image. One example is a computer-readable recording medium on which a program code for causing a computer to execute a process of displaying a reflected image whose brightness is higher than that in a case where the lamp is turned off is recorded. Note that the program code referred to in the present specification is a concept that includes, in addition to the program itself, data necessary for causing a game machine to execute a game, control parameters, and the like.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Game device 1 of this example
Is a computer device dedicated to a game machine, which constitutes the video game device 1 by being integrated with the recording medium according to the present invention.

First, a description will be given of a game apparatus main body for constituting the game system of the present invention. As the game device main body, for example, one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-212377 can be used. In the present embodiment, exchangeable portable disks (CD-ROM, DV
D) or a game program or data recorded on an auxiliary recording medium such as a memory card, by the game device itself,
The game system can execute a plurality of types of games by executing the game program alone or in cooperation with an operating system (hereinafter referred to as “OS”) of the game device itself or other program codes in the device. Make up.

FIG. 1 shows a specific configuration example of the game apparatus main body.
0. That is, the main control unit 10, the image control unit 20, the sound processing unit 30, the disk control unit 40, the communication control unit 50, the input / output port unit 60, and the above units 10 to 10
The game apparatus main body 1 is configured to include a main bus B for connecting the game device 60 so as to enable two-way communication.

The main control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processes).
sing unit) 11 and interrupt control or DMA (Direct Memory)
Access) A peripheral device controller (D · CONT) 12 for performing transfer control and the like, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporarily recording a game program and data.
y) 13 and O which performs overall management and control of each unit of the device
And a ROM (Read Only Memory) 14 in which S and the like are stored. The CPU 11 executes a RISC (reduced instruc
An operation set computer) is a CPU that implements a plurality of functions, which will be described later, based on an OS recorded in the ROM 14 and a game program and the like in the RAM 13.

An image control unit 20 includes a geometry transfer engine (GTE) 21 for performing high-speed coordinate conversion of data to be displayed, and polygons and sprites (triangles, squares, etc.) based on drawing instructions from the CPU 11. A graphics processing unit (GPU) 22 that performs a drawing process of a game image composed of a combination of polygons and the like, and a frame buffer (F.) that temporarily stores the game image that has been subjected to the drawing process by the GPU 22
B) 23, and an image decoder (MDEC) 24 for decoding image data as necessary. The image data decoded by the image decoder 24 and recorded in the frame buffer 23 is read and displayed on the display device DP. By continuously performing the drawing processing by the GPU 22 and the recording in the frame buffer 23, a game image including a moving image element can be displayed on the display device DP.

The sound processing unit 30 has a sound reproduction processor (SP) for reproducing sound based on sound data.
U) 31 and a sound buffer (S / B) 32 for temporarily recording reproduced data. The data in the sound buffer 32 is output to the speaker SP.

The disc control unit 40 includes a game CD-R.
A disk drive (CD-ROM DRV) 42 for reproducing the recorded contents of the music CD in which the OM or the music data is recorded so that the CPU 11 can recognize it (hereinafter, the reproduced data is referred to as “reproduced data”); When an error correction (ECC) code is added to the reproduced data, a CD-ROM decoder (CD-R
OM DEC) 41. The disk drive device 41 usually includes a buffer for temporarily recording reproduction data before recording it in the RAM 13. It should be noted that the CD-ROM decoder 41 also constitutes a part of the sound processing unit 30, and among the outputs of the CD-ROM decoder 41, those relating to sound are input to the SPU 31.

The communication control unit 50 includes a communication controller (COM CONT) 51 for controlling communication with the CPU 11 via the main bus B, a game controller CN for receiving an instruction from a player, and a memory card device of the present invention. A device driver (D / DRV) 52 serving as an interface between the exchangeable memory card MC and the communication controller 51 is provided. The game controller CN is an interface component for instructing a player's intention. This game controller C
Data specified through N is transmitted to the communication controller 51 by synchronous communication.

The communication controller 51 transmits instruction data representing instruction contents transmitted from the game controller CN to the CP.
Send to U11. Thereby, the intention of the player is CP
The information is transmitted to U11, and the CPU 11 can perform processing according to the intention of the player based on the game program being executed. The communication controller 51 also includes a CP
It also has a function of recording data on the memory card MC and reading the recorded data based on an instruction from U11. Since the memory card MC is separated from the main bus B, it can be removed while the power is on.

Each port of the parallel input / output (I / O) 61 and the serial input / output (I / O) 62 is connected to a sound processing device or an external information processing device for reproducing music and musical instrument sounds, and is connected thereto. Electronic data (music data, etc.) from each device is taken in. That is, the present invention can be implemented using data from an external device as well as a game CD and a music CD.

Next, the memory card MC will be described. The memory card MC is inserted into a card insertion section provided in a slot (not shown) of the game apparatus main body 1, and is used as a unique data recording unit corresponding to each of the plurality of game controllers CN. For example, when two players play a game, two memory cards MC
The game execution results and the like of each player can be recorded. The appearance of the memory card MC and a mechanism for attaching the memory card MC to the card insertion portion are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-7504.

In the game apparatus main body 1 having the above configuration, C
When power is turned on or reset processing is performed with the D-ROM 44 attached to the disk drive device 42, the CPU 1
1 executes the OS stored in the ROM 14, initializes the entire apparatus such as operation check, and controls the disk control unit 40 to execute the game program recorded on the CD-ROM (CD). It is read out to the main memory 13 and executed. By executing this game program, the CP
U11 forms a functional block as shown in FIG. 2 to realize the video game device of the present invention.

The video game apparatus 1 includes an instruction information analysis unit 110, a game control unit 120, a game execution data recording unit 130, and an output image control unit 140 corresponding to an image control unit in the present invention. .

The instruction information analyzing unit 110 is configured to analyze the operation content inputted by the player through the controller CN corresponding to the input means in the present invention, and to transmit this to the game execution unit 120. The operation contents in this example include those related to game start / interruption / resume / end, selection of gaming machines, determination of difficulty level, and the like.

The game execution unit 120 includes a controller CN
A ball game is executed based on the operation content input through. For example, it is possible to determine a virtual gaming machine to be used for a ball game, to permit start and interruption of the ball game, and to display an image to be displayed on a display device DP provided outside during execution of the ball game. It is configured to determine or control the number of payouts. In the game execution data recording unit 130, data relating to information necessary for the game execution unit 120 to make the above determination is recorded.
The game execution unit 120 makes the above-described determination based on the data.

The output image control section 140 is a game execution section 1
Based on the determination at 20, the control of the image displayed on the display device DP is performed. More specifically, the image control unit 140 includes a board image data recording unit 141, a sphere image data recording unit 142, and a reflected image data recording unit 1.
43, output image determination unit 144 and image data generation unit 14
5 is included.

The board image data recording section 141 records data relating to the board image of the board of the gaming machine. The board image is not necessarily required to be so, but in this embodiment, it is assumed that the board image of the gaming machine actually exists. Further, in the ball game executed by the gaming machine 1 in this embodiment, one kind of gaming machine is selected from a plurality of types of gaming machines so that the ball game can be performed. A plurality of board images corresponding thereto are recorded. Note that any board image includes a lamp image of a lamp that blinks under certain conditions, and the board image data is such that the board image can be displayed including the image of the lamp. ing.

The sphere image data recording section 142 stores data for controlling the movement of the sphere displayed on the board image and data for the sphere image itself. The data for controlling the movement of the ball fluctuates depending on the operation content input by the player via the controller CN before the start of the game with respect to the difficulty adjustment.

The reflection image data recording unit 143 records data for displaying a reflection image displayed around the lamp image when the lamp image is displayed while indicating the lamp lighting state. ing. The reflected image has a higher brightness than when the lamp image indicates that the lamp is turned off, and is displayed on the board image close to the lamp image. Further, the lamp image in this embodiment is divided into two substantially concentric portions on the side closer to the lamp image and on the side farther from the lamp image, and when a display indicating lamp lighting is made, The portion closer to the lamp image is displayed so as to have higher brightness.

The output image deciding unit 144 includes the game executing unit 1
The image to be displayed on the display device DP is determined based on the instruction from the display device 20. The image data generation unit 145 is configured to generate image data for an image to be displayed on the display device DP based on the determination of the output image determination unit 144, and send the image data to the display device DP. And the display device DP
Display an image based on the image data. The image data is generated by the image data generation unit 145. The image data generation unit 145 outputs the board image data from the board image data recording unit 141, the ball image data for the ball image from the ball image data recording unit 142, and the reflected image. This is performed by reading data from the reflection image data recording unit 143 and appropriately combining them.

Next, the operation of the game apparatus 1 will be described, and a method of controlling image display according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. A schematic flow of the operation of the game apparatus 1 is as shown in FIG.

In the game apparatus 1, when the power is turned on or the reset operation is performed, the game execution section 120 starts executing the game, and thereby the display device DP
Displays an initial screen (S201). That is, the gaming machine execution unit 120 determines to display the initial screen,
Upon receiving this, the output image determining unit 144 determines to display the image of the initial screen on the display device DP. Then, based on this determination, the output image data generation unit 145
A predetermined initial screen is displayed on the display device DP123 according to the image data generated by.

Next, the game execution section 120 causes the player to select which of the plurality of prepared gaming machines will play the ball game (S202). At this time, the image data generating unit 145 includes, for example, a plurality of board images of the boards of a plurality of gaming machines that play a ball and ball game, based on the determination of the output image determining unit 144 receiving the instruction from the game execution unit 120. Image data is generated, and an image based on the image data is displayed on the display device DP. On the other hand, the player decides on which gaming machine the ball game is to be played by operating the keys of the controller CN. The decision of the player is transmitted to the game execution unit 120 via the instruction information analysis unit 110, and the game execution unit 120 performs control such that the subsequent ball game is performed by the gaming machine.

When the player selects a gaming machine, an image is displayed on the display device DP so as to prompt the player to determine the game difficulty level of the gaming machine for performing the ball game (S203). The player inputs whether or not to make a change by key operation of the controller CN (S
204). Since the determination of the game difficulty is reflected in the trajectory of the movement of the ball when executing the ball-and-ball game (for example, reflected in the probability that the ball is guided to a specific character), this data is stored in the ball image The data is recorded in the data recording unit 142 (S205).

When the selection of the gaming machine and the setting of the probability are completed,
An image of the gaming machine viewed from the front, that is, a board image of the gaming machine is displayed on the display device DP (S
206). The board image is stored in the board image data recording unit 1 described above.
41 is displayed based on the data recorded in 41. still,
At this time, in addition to the board image, the display device DP
An information presentation image for presenting information such as the number of balls held, the number of pitches, and the elapsed time to the player, or presenting information to the player for the player to interrupt or end the game is displayed. Will be. FIG. 4 shows an example of an image displayed on the display device DP. In the figure, 301 is a board image, 3
02 is a lamp image, and 303 in the figure is an information presentation image.

Then, the ball and ball game is started by the operation of the controller CN by the player (S207). When the ball and ball game is executed, an image of the ball 304 falling on the board of the gaming machine is displayed as an animation on the display device DP (S208). The trajectory of the sphere 304 in the image is generated according to the determination of the output image determination unit 250 and the data recorded in the sphere image data recording unit 142 based on the output image data generation unit 145.

If the game execution unit 120 determines that a predetermined condition has been satisfied, such as when the ball has won a predetermined bonus and a jackpot has been reached (S20).
9) The output image determination unit 144 displays the lamp image indicating the lamp lighting state, and displays a reflection image 305 around the lamp image, the brightness of which is higher than that when the lamp is turned off. To be determined. The reflection image 305 is displayed according to the image data generated by the output image data generation unit 145 based on the determination (S210). FIG. 5 shows an example of an image displayed on the display device DP at this time.

The reflection image 305 is displayed by, for example, a method called alpha blending as shown in FIG. That is, the reflected image is the board image 3 at the position where the reflected image 305 is displayed.
Texture image T for displaying an image displaying 01
Is displayed by additively superimposing a texture image W for displaying a white image with a predetermined degree of transparency on the side closer to the viewpoint X. For example, when the texture image T is an image filled with a single color of red and the texture image W is a white image with a transparency of 50%, from the viewpoint X, a translucent white texture image with a transmittance of 50% is seen. The user sees the texture image T through W, and an image indicating such a state is displayed on the display device DP. By performing such display, the texture image T is displayed in a color closer to white than the original color, and from the player's eyes, the lamp image 3
02 appears to be reflected on the board image 301. Further, the reflection image 305 in this embodiment includes two substantially concentric portions 305IN and 305OUT centered on the lamp image 302. These two parts are displayed by the addition of white as described above, but the transparency of the white displayed in addition is changed. That is, the white transparency used to display the reflection image 305IN located closer to the lamp image is larger than the white transparency used to display the reflection image 305OUT located farther from the lamp image. Is controlled as follows. By performing such control, the reflected image 30 located near the lamp image is displayed.
5IN is displayed in a state where white is emphasized more than the reflected image 305OUT located far from the lamp image. Then, the blinking state of the lamp is reproduced on the display device DP by continuously and alternately displaying the image shown in FIG. 4 and the image shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the reflected image is displayed in two parts, inside and outside, but it is of course possible to display the reflected image in more parts.

The game execution section 120 determines whether or not a predetermined condition for ending the game is satisfied, such as when the player performs an operation for ending the ball-and-ball game by the controller CN, or when a predetermined time limit has elapsed. (S211) If the condition is satisfied (S211: YES), the ball game ends (S212). If the condition is not satisfied (S211: NO), the game is continued.

【The invention's effect】

As is clear from the above description, according to the game device of the present invention, by displaying a reflected image, it is possible to perform a flashy effect that satisfies the entertainment spirit of the player.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a game apparatus main body to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a video game device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a flow of an image display control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display device by one game device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a display device by one game device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view conceptually showing a method of generating reflected image data.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 game device 110 instruction information analysis unit 120 game control unit 130 game execution data recording unit 140 output image control unit 301 board image 302 lamp image 303 information presentation image 304 ball image 305 reflection image CN controller DP display device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A63F 13/00-13/12 A63F 9/24 A63F 7/02 G06T 15/00 G06T 17/00

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] An input means for inputting a player's instruction
And the hand on which the data for executing the
Stage, data read from said means, and said input means
Based on the data entered by the player from
Means for executing to generate data about the ball and ball game
And a game based on the data for the ball game.
The board image of the board of the machine and the movement on this board
Display the ball image of the ball on the display device
Output image control means, and the board surface image
A game device that can execute a ball game on
The means for generating data about a ball game is such that a plurality of gaming machines can execute the ball game.
Based on the data inputted by the player from the input means.
The game machine to execute the ball game.
And a bullet based on data input by the player from the input means.
Reflected on the trajectory of ball movement when running a ball game
To determine the difficulty of the ball game
The output image control means outputs a lamp image for a lamp that blinks under certain conditions.
Said method of generating data about a ball and ball game, including
To the gaming machine that the dan decided to execute the ball and ball game
The board image is displayed and the difficulty level is displayed.
Based on the trajectory based on the trajectory
While displaying the lamp image indicating the lamp lighting status.
Indicates that the lamp is turned off around the lamp image
The reflected image whose brightness is higher than that of the lamp image
At least as concentric parts centered on the image
While being displayed on the board image,
The reflection image is changed to a color for displaying the board image,
The farther from the lamp image, the higher the transparency of the lamp
Overlay white that is larger than the part close to the image
A game device characterized in that the game device displays the game device. 2. An input means for inputting a player's instruction.
And the hand on which the data for executing the
Stage, data read from said means, and said input means
Based on the data entered by the player from
Means for executing to generate data about the ball and ball game
And a game based on the data for the ball game.
The board image of the board of the machine and the movement on this board
Display the ball image of the ball on the display device
Output image control means, which is executed in a game device capable of executing a ball game on the board image, wherein the means for generating data on the ball game is One of a plurality of gaming machines that can execute
Based on the data entered by the player from the input means,
The process of deciding to play a ball game,
A ball and ball game based on data input from the input means
Reflected in the trajectory of the movement of the ball when performing
The process of determining the degree of difficulty of the sphere game, the output image control hand
The column displays a lamp image for a lamp that flashes under certain conditions.
Said method of generating data about a ball and ball game, including
To the gaming machine that the dan decided to execute the ball and ball game
The board image is displayed and the difficulty level is displayed.
The process of displaying the sphere moving on the trajectory based on when displaying the lamp image indicating the lamp lighting state
Indicates that the lamp is turned off around the lamp image
The reflected image whose brightness is higher than that of the lamp image
At least as concentric parts centered on the image
Display on the board image and the reflection image
From the lamp image to the color for displaying the board image
The farther the part, the closer the transparency is from the lamp image
Displayed by superimposing white that is larger than
Performing a process of controlling the image display. 3. A computer which receives an input from an input means for inputting a player's instruction, means for recording data for executing a ball-and-ball game,
A means for executing a ball-and-ball game based on the data read from the means and the data input by the player from the input means, and generating data on the ball-and-ball game, based on the data on the ball-and-ball game A board image on the board of the gaming machine, and output image control means for displaying a ball image of a ball moving on the board on a predetermined display device, thereby enabling a ball-and-ball game on the board image. A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for forming a game device to be executed is recorded, wherein said means for generating data on a ball-and-ball game is capable of executing a ball-and-ball game on a plurality of gaming machines. And determining which gaming machine to execute the ball-and-ball game based on the data inputted by the player from the input means. And the difficulty level of the ball game reflected on the trajectory of the movement of the ball when the player executes the ball game based on the data input from the input means, The output image control means includes a lamp image for a lamp that blinks under a certain condition, and includes a lamp image for a ball and ball game. A board image is displayed, and the sphere moving on a trajectory based on the difficulty level is displayed. When displaying a lamp image indicating a lamp lighting state, a lamp is provided around the lamp image. The reflected image whose brightness is higher than that in the case of indicating the unlit state is at least the board surface as a plurality of concentric portions centered on the lamp image. Together they are to be displayed on an image,
The reflection image, the color to display the board image, the transparency of the portion farther from the lamp image is displayed by superimposing a white color that is greater than the portion closer to the lamp image, recoding media.