Storage medium, information processing apparatus, information processing system, and game processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11890543-B2
Application number	US-202217858595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2022
Priority date	Sep 8, 2021
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

An example of an information processing system controls an action by a player character object in a virtual space in response to an action instruction based on an operation input. When the player character object performs the action, the information processing system defines a hit detection area used for defining whether the action has hit another object other than the player character object at a position that is determined based on the position and the orientation of the player character object in the virtual space, and expands the hit detection area in the depth direction of a virtual camera. If the expanded hit detection area is in contact with the other object, the information processing system performs a process based on the action against the other object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a game program, wherein when executed the game program causes a processor of an information processing apparatus to:
control a virtual camera in a virtual space;
control movement of a player character object in the virtual space in response to a move instruction based on an operation input by a user;
control an action by the player character object in the virtual space in response to an action instruction based on the operation input;
when the player character object performs the action, define a hit detection area used for determining whether the action has hit another object other than the player character object at a position that is determined based on position and orientation of the player character object in the virtual space, and expand the hit detection area in a depth direction of the virtual camera in the virtual space; and
if the expanded hit detection area is in contact with the other object, perform a process based on the action against the other object.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:
the hit detection area is a plurality of areas of a predetermined shape that are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship; and
the game program when executed further causes the processor to expand the hit detection area by adding, to at least one of the plurality of areas, an area of the same shape as the at least one area at a position that is shifted by a predetermined amount in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

3. The storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein the game program when executed further causes the processor to expand the hit detection area by adding, to at least one of the plurality of areas, an area on a near side thereof in the depth direction of the virtual camera and an area on a far side thereof in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

4. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:
the hit detection area is a plurality of areas of a predetermined shape that are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship; and
the game program when executed further causes the processor to expand the hit detection area by moving at least one of the plurality of areas in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

5. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the game program when executed further causes the processor to expand the hit detection area by deforming the hit detection area so as to enlarge the hit detection area in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

6. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the hit detection area has a spherical shape.

7. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the hit detection area has a shape that includes a first unit area and a second unit area that are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship, and a connecting area that connects together the first unit area and the second unit area by a predetermined rule.

8. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:
the game program when executed further causes the processor to:
in response to the action instruction, start a control of the action by the player character object, and define the hit detection area based on position and orientation of the player character object in the virtual space; and
for a predetermined period of time after the start of the action, continue the control of the action by the player character object, and update the hit detection area in accordance with passage of time; and

updating the hit detection area in accordance with passage of time is done by updating the hit detection area in accordance with passage of time based on a pattern that is associated with the action, and expanding the updated hit detection area in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

9. The storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:
the other object is an enemy character object;
the predetermined action is an attack action; and
the process based on the action is a process of giving a damage to the enemy character object.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9 , wherein the game program when executed further causes the processor to further:
control the enemy character object in the virtual space;
if an enemy attack action is performed in which the enemy character object attacks the player character object based on the control of the enemy character object, define an enemy hit detection area used for determining whether the enemy attack action has hit the player character object based on position and orientation of the enemy character object in the virtual space, without expanding the enemy hit detection area in the depth direction of the virtual camera; and
if the enemy hit detection area is in contact with the player character object, perform a process of giving a damage to the player character object.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising a processor and a memory coupled thereto, wherein:
the processor is configured to:
control a virtual camera in a virtual space;
control movement of a player character object in the virtual space in response to a move instruction based on an operation input by a user;
control an action by the player character object in the virtual space in response to an action instruction based on the operation input;
when the player character object performs the action, define, in the virtual space, a hit detection area used for determining whether the action has hit another object other than the player character object at a position that is determined based on position and orientation of the player character object in the virtual space, and expand the hit detection area in a depth direction of the virtual camera in the virtual space; and
if the expanded hit detection area is in contact with the other object, perform a process based on the action against the other object.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:
the hit detection area is a plurality of areas of a predetermined shape that are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship; and
the processor is configured to expand the hit detection area by adding, to at least one of the plurality of areas, an area of the same shape as the at least one area at a position that is shifted by a predetermined amount in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to expand the hit detection area by adding, to at least one of the plurality of areas, an area on a near side thereof in the depth direction of the virtual camera and an area on a far side thereof in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:
the hit detection area is a plurality of areas of a predetermined shape that are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship; and
the processor is configured to expand the hit detection area by moving at least one of the plurality of areas in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to expand the hit detection area by deforming the hit detection area so as to enlarge the hit detection area in the depth direction of the virtual camera.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the hit detection area has a spherical shape.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the hit detection area has a shape tha

Assignees

• Sumitomo Katsuyoshi
• Kamiyama Tatsuya
• Nintendo Co Ltd
• Hal Laboratory Inc

Inventors

• Sumitomo Katsuyoshi
• Kamiyama Tatsuya

Classifications

• A63F13/56 Primary

  Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding · CPC title

• A63F13/573

  using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact · CPC title

• A63F13/577 Primary

  using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars · CPC title

• A63F13/525

  Changing parameters of virtual cameras · CPC title

• A63F13/833

  Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition · CPC title