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US 5,470,080 AGranted
Multi-player video game apparatus with single screen mode and split screen mode
AssigneeSega of America, Inc.
InventorsYuji Naka, Masanobu Yamamoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for controlling the display of game character movement in a video game for using a video game system, a method comprising the steps of: displaying a first playfield screen in an upper portion of a video display screen using an interlace video screen rendering technique; displaying a second playfield screen in a lower portion of the display screen using an interlace video screen rendering technique; controlling the movement of a first game character within the first playfield screen by providing inputs to a first user input device; and controlling movement of a second game character within the second playfield screen by providing inputs to a second user input device.
Claims14
A method for controlling the display of game character movement in a video game for use in a video game system which uses a video display screen;
- wherein the video game system includes a graphics controller with digital memory;
- a first user input device and a second user input device;
- wherein movement of a first game character is responsive to the first user input device and movement of a second game character is responsive to the second user input device;
- wherein the video game involves the game characters traversing a playfield which is displayed as a series of video screens, the method comprising the steps of:
- displaying a first playfield screen in an upper portion of the display screen using an interlace video screen rendering technique;
- displaying a second playfield screen in a lower portion of the display screen using an interlace video screen rendering technique;
- wherein said steps of displaying the first playfield screen and displaying the second playfield screen include,
- first, rendering an even frame of the first playfield screen during a first screen trace;
- second, rendering an even frame of the second playfield screen during the first screen trace;
- third, rendering an odd frame of the first playfield screen during a second screen trace;
- and
- fourth, rendering an odd frame of the second playfield screen during the second screen trace;
- providing game character movement commands to the first user input device in order to control the movement of the first game character through the playfield;
- displaying movements of the first character within the first playfield screen in response to the commands provided to the first user input device;
- providing game character movement commands to the second user input device in order to control the movement of the second game character through the playfield;
- and
- displaying movements of the second character within the second playfield screen in response to the commands provided to the second user input device.
14 more elements
A method for controlling the display of game character movement in a video game for use in a video game system which uses a video display screen;
- wherein the video game system includes a graphics controller with digital memory;
- a first user input device and a second user input device;
- wherein movement of a first game character is responsive to the first user input device and movement of a second game character is responsive to the second user input device;
- wherein the video game involves the game characters traversing a playfield which is displayed as a series of video screens, the method comprising the steps of:
- dividing the playfield into a plurality of cells each of which corresponds to a different respective region of the playfield and each of which corresponds to a respective set of pixel illumination data for a respective set of contiguous pixel columns and contiguous pixel rows;
- storing in the digital memory respective sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to respective regions of a first playfield screen and respective regions of a second playfield screen;
- and
- displaying the first playfield screen in an upper portion of the display screen and displaying the second playfield screen in a lower portion of the display screen by,
- first, rendering an even frame of the first playfield screen using respective even pixel rows of the stored sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to the first playfield screen during a first screen trace;
- second, rendering an even frame of the second playfield screen using respective even pixel rows of the stored sets of pixel illumination dam that correspond to the second playfield screen during the first screen trace;
- third, rendering an odd frame of the first playfield screen using respective odd pixel rows of the stored sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to the first playfield screen during a second screen trace;
- and
- fourth, rendering an odd frame of the second playfield screen using respective odd pixel rows of the stored sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to the second playfield screen during the second screen trace.
10 more elements
A method for controlling the display of game character movement in a video game for use in a video game system which uses a video display screen;
- wherein the video game system includes a graphics controller with digital memory;
- a first user input device and a second user input device;
- wherein movement of a first game character is responsive to the first user input device and movement of a second game character is responsive to the second user input device;
- wherein the video game involves the game characters traversing a playfield which is displayed as a series of video screens, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a single screen mode of operation and a multi-screen mode of operation in the video game system;
- selecting one of the single screen mode of operation and the dual screen mode of operation;
- in the event of the selection of the single screen mode of operation,
- displaying a single playfield screen on the display screen;
- and
- providing game character movement commands to the first user input device in order to control the movement of the first game character through the playfield;
- and
- displaying movements of the first character within the single playfield screen in response to the commands provided to the first user input device using a non-interlace video screen rendering technique;
- and
- in the event of selection of the multi-screen mode of operation,
- displaying a first playfield screen in an upper portion of the display screen using an interlace video screen rendering technique;
- displaying a second playfield screen in a lower portion of the display screen using an interlace video screen rendering technique;
- wherein said steps of displaying the first playfield screen and displaying the second playfield screen include,
- first, rendering an even frame of the first playfield screen during a first screen trace;
- `second, rendering an even frame of the second playfield screen during the first screen trace;
- third, rendering an odd frame of the first playfield screen during a second screen trace;
- and
- fourth, rendering an odd frame of the second playfield screen during the second screen trace;
- providing game character movement commands to the first user input device in order to control the movement of the first game character through the playfield;
- displaying movements of the first character within the first playfield screen in response to the commands provided to the first user input device;
- providing game character movement commands to the second user input device in order to control the movement of the second game character through the playfield;
- and
- displaying movements of the second character within the second playfield screen in response to the commands provided to the second user input device.
24 more elements
A method for controlling the display of game character movement in a video game for use in a video game system which uses a video display screen;
- wherein the video game system includes a graphics controller with digital memory;
- a first user input device and a second user input device;
- wherein movement of a first game character is responsive to the first user input device and movement of a second game character is responsive to the second user input device;
- wherein the video game involves the game characters traversing a playfield which is displayed as a series of video screens, the method comprising the steps of:
- dividing the playfield into a plurality of cells each of which corresponds to a different respective region of the playfield and each of which corresponds to a respective set of pixel illumination data for a respective set of contiguous pixel columns and contiguous pixel rows;
- providing a single screen mode of operation and a multi-screen mode of operation in the video game system;
- selecting one of the single screen mode of operation and the dual screen mode of operation;
- in the event of the selection of the single screen mode of operation,
- storing in the digital memory respective sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to respective cells of a single playfield screen;
- displaying the single playfield screen on the display screen using a noninterlace video screen rendering technique;
- providing game character movement commands to the first user input device in order to control the movement of the first game character through the playfield;
- and
- displaying movements of the first character within the single playfield screen in response to the commands provided to the first user input device using a non-interlace video screen rendering technique;
- and
- in the event of selection of the multi-screen mode of operation,
- storing in the digital memory respective sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to respective regions of a first playfield screen and respective regions of a second playfield screen;
- and
- displaying the first playfield screen in an upper portion of the display screen and displaying the second playfield screen in a lower portion of the display screen by,
- first, rendering an even frame of the first playfield screen using respective even pixel rows of the stored sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to the first playfield screen during a first screen trace;
- second, rendering an even frame of the second playfield screen using respective even pixel rows of the stored sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to the second playfield screen during the first screen trace;
- third, rendering an odd frame of the first playfield screen using respective odd pixel rows of the stored sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to the first playfield screen during a second screen trace;
- and
- fourth, rendering an odd frame of the second playfield screen using respective odd pixel rows of the stored sets of pixel illumination data that correspond to the second playfield screen during the second screen trace;
- providing game character movement commands to the first user input device in order to control the movement of the first game character through the playfield;
- displaying movements of the first character within the first playfield screen in response to the commands provided to the first user input device;
- providing game character movement commands to the second user input device in order to control the movement of the second game character through the playfield;
- and
- displaying movements of the second character within the second playfield screen in response to the commands provided to the second user input device.
25 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.