Game machine, game program, and information storage medium

A golf game machine wherein hit location and shot power input operations are performed during a golf hall shot operation and which displays on a display device a gauge and a cursor that moves on the gauge, along with a scene in which a ball hit by a golf club swung by a game character travels in a game field according to a shot power and a hit location indicated by the cursor on the gauge, the golf game machine comprising:

• at least one controller having a plurality of control switches for permitting a user to sequentially provide a first input, a second input and a third input to the game machine, wherein movement of the cursor along the gauge is initiated by the first input from the controller, the shot power is set in relation to a first detected position of the moving cursor at a time of providing the second input from the controller, and the hit location is set in relation to a position of the cursor at which movement of the cursor is stopped;
• start cursor movement mechanism which receives said first input from the controller and initiates cursor movement along the gauge in response to said first input;
• input receiving mechanism which receives said second input to the controller;
• and
• moving cursor position determining mechanism which determines, as a first detected cursor position, a position of the cursor at a time of receiving said second input from the input receiving mechanism and then determines as a second detected cursor position, a predetermined position on the gauge at which movement of the cursor is stopped.

A golf game machine having a dynamic shot mode selection mechanism which displays on a display device a gauge and a cursor moving on the gauge along with a scene in which a ball hit by a golf club swung by a game character travels in a game field according to a shot power and a hit location indicated by the cursor on the gauge, and wherein different shot mode operation selection inputs are performed by a user during a club swing operation, the golf game machine dynamic shot mode selection mechanism comprising:

• at least one controller having a plurality of control switches for providing a sequence of inputs to the game machine, wherein movement of the cursor along the gauge is initiated by a first input produced by the controller, the shot power is set in relation to a cursor first position determined at a time of producing a second input, and the hit location is set in relation to a position of the cursor at which movement of the cursor is stopped;
• start cursor movement process programmed logic circuitry configured to receive a first input from the controller and start the cursor moving along the gauge in response to the first input;
• cursor position processing programmed logic circuitry configured to receive a second input from the controller and determine a position on the gauge of a cursor at a time of receiving the second input for use in setting a shot power;
• said cursor position detecting programmed logic circuitry also being configured to receive, after the first and second inputs from the control switches occur in a first predetermined sequence, a third input from the controller, and to determine a position of the cursor on the gauge at the time of receiving the third input as a hit location position at which movement of the cursor along the gauge is stopped;
• and
• said cursor position determining programmed logic circuitry also being configured to automatically determine, a subsequent random position on the gauge as the hit location position when the first and second inputs occur in a second predetermined sequence which is different from said first sequence,
• wherein different control switch activation input patterns are recognized by the golf game machine to enable a user to dynamically select between a plurality of different shot operation modes during each club swing operation.

A game machine having a dynamic operation mode selection mechanism which displays on a display device an image of a gauge and a cursor moving on the gauge along with a scene in which an object moves in a game field according to a movement distance of the object and a movement direction parameter of the object indicated by the gauge, and wherein a selection of different operation modes for controlling object movement are performed by player during a predetermined game operation, the game machine dynamic operation mode selection mechanism comprising:

• one or more controller having a plurality of control switches for providing a sequence of inputs to said game machine including at least a first input, a second input, and a third input, wherein the movement of the cursor along the gauge is initiated by the first input from the controller, the movement distance parameter is determined based on a first detected position of the moving cursor at a time of producing the second input from the controller, and the movement direction parameter is determined based on a position of the cursor at a time of producing the third input from the controller;
• start cursor movement processing mechanism which receives said first input from the controller and starts the cursor moving along the gauge in response to the first input;
• input receiving mechanism which receives, as said second input to the controller, an input by a first control switch among the plurality of control switches or an input by a second control switch among the plurality of control switches, said second control switch being different from the first control switch;
• cursor position determining mechanism which determines, as a cursor first detected position for determining a movement distance parameter, a position of a moving cursor at the time of receiving the second input from the controller when the second input is produced from said first control switch, and then determining a subsequent position on the gauge of the same moving cursor at a time of receiving the third input from the controller as a movement direction position;
• and
• said cursor position determining mechanism also determining, as a cursor first detected position for determining said movement distance parameter, a position of a moving cursor at the time of receiving said second input when said second input is produced from said second control switch of the controller, and then automatically determines a different position on the gauge as a movement direction position,
• wherein different first and second control switch activation input patterns performed by a player during a course of said predetermined game operation are recognized by the game machine to enable the player to dynamically select between a plurality of different available operation modes.

A storage medium having stored thereon a golf game program to be executed by a computer of a game machine, the storage medium being readable by the computer, the game machine comprising a controller device having a plurality of control switches and a display device on which is displayed a gauge and a cursor moving on the gauge along with a scene in which a ball hit by a golf club swung by a game character travels in a game field according to a shot power and a hit location indicated by a cursor position on the gauge and determined by a shot mode selection arrangement wherein golf club shot mode selection input operations may be dynamically performed during a golf ball shot operation by a player manipulating the controller device, said golf game program configuring the computer to function as:

• a start cursor moving mechanism which receives a first input from a first control switch of the controller and initiates the cursor moving along the gauge at a time of receiving the first input;
• an input processing mechanism which receives, as a second input from the controller for setting a shot power, an input from a first control switch among the plurality of control switches or from a second control switch among the plurality of control switches which is different from the first control switch;
• a position determining mechanism which determines, when the second input is received by the input receiving mechanism from the first control switch, a position of the cursor at the time of receiving the second input to he used in setting a shot power, and then receives a third input to the controller and determines a position of the cursor at the time of receiving the third input as the hit location position at which movement of the cursor is stopped;
• and
• said position determining mechanism also determines, when the second input is received by the input receiving mechanism from the second control switch, a position of the cursor at the time of receiving the second input to be used in setting a shot power, and then automatically determines a subsequent predetermined position on the gauge as the hit location position at which movement of the cursor is stopped,
• wherein different sequences of control switch activation patterns are recognized by the game machine computer to enable a player manipulating the controller device to dynamically select between a plurality of different golf club shot modes during each golf ball shot operation.

A storage medium having stored thereon a golf game program to be executed by a computer of a game machine, the storage medium being readable by the computer, the game machine comprising a controller device having a plurality of control switches for permitting a user to sequentially provide a first input, a second input and a third input, and the game machine further comprising a display device on which is displayed a gauge and a cursor that moves on the gauge along with a scene in which a ball hit by a golf club swung by a game character travels in a game field according to a shot power and a hit location indicated by the cursor on the gauge, said golf game program configuring the game machine computer to function as:

• a start cursor movement mechanism which receives said first input from the controller and initiates cursor movement along the gauge in response to said first input;
• an input receiving mechanism which receives said second input to the controller;
• and
• a moving cursor position determining mechanism which determines, as a first detected cursor position, a position of the cursor at a time of receiving said second input from the input receiving mechanism and then determines, as a second detected cursor position, a predetermined position on the gauge at which movement of the cursor is stopped,
• wherein movement of the cursor along the gauge is initiated by the first input from the controller, the shot power is set in relation to the first detected position of the moving cursor at a time the second input is provided from, the controller, and the hit location is set in relation to a positron of the cursor at which movement of the cursor is stopped.

A storage medium having stored thereon a golf game program to be executed by a computer of a game machine, the storage medium being readable by the computer, the game machine comprising a controller device having a plurality of control switches and a display device on which is displayed a gauge and a cursor moving on the gauge along with a scene in which a ball hit by a golf club swung by a game character travels in a game field according to a shot power and a hit location indicated by the cursor on the gauge, and wherein different shot made operation selection inputs are preformed by a user during a club swing operation, said golf game program configuring the computer to function as:

• a start cursor movement mechanism which receives a first input from the controller and starts the cursor moving along the gauge in response to the first input;
• a cursor position determining mechanism which receives a second input to the controller and determines a position on the gauge of a cursor at a time of receiving the second input for use in setting a shot power parameter;
• and
• said cursor position determining mechanism also receives, after the first and second inputs from the control switches occur in a first predetermined sequence, a third input from the controller, and determines a position of the cursor on the gauge at the time of receiving the third input as a hit location position at which movement of the cursor along the gauge is stopped;
• and
• said cursor position determining mechanism also automatically determines a subsequent random position on the gauge as the hit location position when the first and second inputs occur in a second predetermined sequence which is different from said first predetermined sequence,
• wherein different control switch activation input patterns are recognized by the game machine computer to enable a user manipulating the controller device to dynamically select between a plurality of different shot operation modes during each club swing operation.

A method for operating a game machine, the game machine comprising a controller device having a plurality of control switches for generating inputs to the game machine and a display device on which is displayed a gauge and a cursor moving on the gauge, along with a scene in which an object moves in a game field according to at least two movement parameters of the object, the game machine having a dynamic operation mode selection arrangement wherein selection of one a plurality of different available operation modes for controlling movement of the object is performed by a user during a predetermined game operation, said method comprising:

• receiving a first input from the controller from a first control switch and initiating movement of the cursor displayed on the gauge in response to the first input;
• receiving a second input from the controller from either the first control switch or from a second control switch;
• and
• determining, as a cursor first detected position used for setting a first movement parameter for controlling the object, a first position of a moving cursor at a time of receiving the second input from the controller when said second input is produced from said first control switch, and then determining a subsequent a position of the same moving cursor at a time of receiving a third input from the controller from either the first control switch or the second control switch for use in setting a second movement parameter for controlling the object;
• and
• also determining, as a cursor first detected position used for setting a first movement parameter for controlling the object, a position of a moving cursor at a time of receiving said second input when said second input is produced from said second control switch, and then automatically selecting a different subsequent position of the moving cursor on the gauge for use in setting a second movement parameter for controlling the object,
• wherein different first and second control switch activation input patterns performed by a user during a course of a predetermined game operation are thereby recognized by the game machine to enable the user to dynamically select between a plurality of different available operation modes for controlling movement of the object.