# US 2008/0188302 A1 · Storage medium storing game program, game apparatus, and game control method

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- Number: US 2008/0188302 A1
- Document ID: US20080188302A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 11/984,848
- Filed: 2007-11-21
- Published: 2008-08-07
- Earliest claimed: 2007-02-07
- Assignees: Nintendo Co., Ltd., Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, Japan
- Inventors: Takayuki Haga; Tsutomu Koganezawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080188302A1

## CPC

- A63F 13/10
- A63F 13/5372: for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
- A63F 13/42: by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
- A63F 13/45: Controlling the progress of the video game
- A63F 13/52: involving aspects of the displayed game scene
- A63F 13/837: Shooting of targets
- A63F 2300/306: for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
- A63F 2300/307: for displaying an additional window with a view from the top of the game field, e.g. radar screen
- A63F 2300/6045: for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
- A63F 2300/8029: Fighting without shooting
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A game apparatus includes an LCD, and displayed on the LCD is a game screen including a display portion that displays a planar positional relationship between a player object and enemy objects present in a three-dimensional game space. The player object and enemy objects are flight objects, for example. Each time a player presses an X button, a selection state of an enemy object as a target of the player object is switched by turns according to priorities of the enemy objects. When the player continuously presses the X button over a certain period of time, regardless of the priorities of the enemy objects, the selection state is switched to that of a highest priority enemy object.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A storage medium storing a game program for a game apparatus that displays on a screen a virtual game space in which a plurality of non-player objects serving as targets are arranged, said game program causing a computer of said game apparatus to perform:
a selection step of sequentially switching said plurality of non-player objects and selecting one non-player object therefrom each time a predetermined input is made from an operation means;
a non-player object selection priority setting step of setting priorities for selection to be made in said selection step, for said plurality of non-player objects; and
an input state continuous time detection step of detecting a continuous time during which a state where said predetermined input is being made continues, wherein
said selection step includes:
a first selection step of sequentially switching said plurality of non-player objects and selecting a non-player object, according to the priorities set in said non-player object selection priority setting step, when said continuous time is less than a predetermined value; and
a second selection step of switching to a non-player object with a highest one of said priorities and selecting said non-player object, when said continuous time is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein
in said non-player object selection priority setting step, when said continuous time is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, priorities for selection to be made in said selection step are re-set for said plurality of non-player objects, and
in said second selection step, switching to a non-player object with a highest one of said re-set priorities is performed and said non-player object is selected.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein
said game program further causes said computer to perform an elapsed time detection step of detecting an elapsed time from when switching and selection are performed in said selection step,
in said non-player object selection priority setting step, when said elapsed time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, priorities for selection to be made in said selection step are re-set for said plurality of non-player objects, and
in said first selection step, each time said predetermined input is made, said plurality of non-player objects are sequentially switched and a non-player object is selected, according to the priorities re-set in said non-player object selection priority setting step.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein
said game program further causes said computer to perform:
a player object information obtaining step of obtaining location information on and a traveling direction of a player object in said virtual game space;
an area division step of dividing said virtual game space into a plurality of areas based on said location information and traveling direction and left and right angles and a distance with said location information being a base point; and
an area selection priority setting step of setting selection priorities for the areas divided in said area division step, and
in said non-player object selection priority setting step, higher priorities are sequentially set to said non-player objects in order from one present in an area with a highest one of the priorities set in said area selection priority setting step to one in a lowest priority area.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 4, wherein
said game program further causes said computer to perform a prediction step of predicting location information and a traveling direction where said player object reaches in time T (T>0), and
in said area division step, said virtual game space is divided into a plurality of areas based on said location information and traveling direction predicted in said prediction step and left and right angles and a distance with said location information being a base point.

### Claim 6

A game apparatus that displays on a screen a virtual game space in which a plurality of non-player objects serving as targets are arranged, said game apparatus comprising:
a selection means for sequentially switching said plurality of non-player objects and selecting one non-player object therefrom each time a predetermined input is made from an operation means;
a non-player object selection priority setting means for setting priorities for selection to be made by said selection means, for said plurality of non-player objects; and
an input state continuous time detection means for detecting a continuous time during which a state where said predetermined input is being made continues, wherein
said selection means includes:
a first selection means for sequentially switching said plurality of non-player objects and selecting a non-player object, according to the priorities set by said non-player object selection priority setting means, when said continuous time is less than a predetermined value; and
a second selection means for switching to a non-player object with a highest one of said priorities and selecting said non-player object, when said continuous time is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

### Claim 7

A game control method for a game apparatus that displays on a screen a virtual game space in which a plurality of non-player objects serving as targets are arranged, said game control method comprising the steps of:
(a) sequentially switching said plurality of non-player objects and selecting one non-player object therefrom each time a predetermined input is made from an operation means;
(b) setting priorities for selection to be made in said step (a), for said plurality of non-player objects; and
(c) detecting a continuous time during which a state where said predetermined input is being made continues, wherein
said step (a) includes the steps of:
(a-1) sequentially switching said plurality of non-player objects and selecting a non-player object, according to the priorities set in said step (b), when said continuous time is less than a predetermined value; and
(a-2) switching to a non-player object with a highest one of said priorities and selecting said non-player object, when said continuous time is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.