Game apparatus and method for debugging game program

Abstract: In a game apparatus and a method of debugging a game program, a reference time is determined, then a start time of a debugging process in a game is set. Next, the reference time is compared with the start time. If the reference time is bigger than the start time, the start time of the debugging process in the game must be set again. In the game apparatus and the method of the present invention, therefore, the time in the game program is not inconsistent with the contents of a game history. The game program can be debugged correctly. Further, in developing a game program, a game program debug does not waste working-time and working-load of a developer.

Description: The invention relates to a game apparatus and a method for debugging a game program, and more particularly, to a game apparatus and a method for debugging a program of a virtual reality type game which is played by using time and clock functions. A conventional game apparatus comprises a game unit and a ROM cartridge as shown, for example, in US-A-4949298. The game unit has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read-Only Memory), I/O (Input/Output) interfaces and a ROM for storing a game program. The game unit and the ROM cartridge are connected with each other through the each I/O interface. In developing a game program, a game program debug wastes working-time and working-load. Game program errors includes three types of error which are a compile error, a link error and an executing error. The compile error and link error are easy to be debugged, because each error point of the two types errors is detected by a compiler or a linker in a computer system. On the other hand, the executing error is hard to be debugged, because the computer system does not detect an error point of the executing error. Therefore, when the executing error occurs, a manner called as "check-print" is generally used by a debugger. In the check-print, the debugger selects an error factor and an error point in a game program, then "check-print" commands are inserted into any points of the game program related to the error factor and point. Next, the results of the check-print commands are outputted, then the debugger examines the results. In this manner, the executing error of the game program is debugged. In the conventional method for debugging a game program, however, there are disadvantages in that an error situation of a program of a virtual reality type game using a virtual real time is hard to be reproduced, because, in the virtual reality type game, an event of the game is often inconsistent with a time of the game. An apparatus for playing video games having multiple sequences of game play, wherein a game player must accomplish predetermined game tasks in each sequence in order to advance succeeding game sequences is disclosed in US-A-5267734. The game apparatus is provided with memory means for storing data including program instructions which define the multiple sequence game and circuit means for providing a time function. The program instructions define time periods dedicated to active play phases and time periods dedicated to steady state play phases. During times determined by the active state phases, a player has to attempt and successfully carry out game sequences to play the game successfully. In US-A-5267734, a video game apparatus of the type in which the play of a multiple-ordered-play sequence type of game is viewable on a display means is also disclosed. The game apparatus is provided with computing means for executing program instructions relating to the play of the game, memory means containing program instructions which control the play of the game, controller means adapted for manipulation by a player during the play for carrying out the play, clock means for providing the time and date, and power means for the clock means. The program instructions provide interaction of the time and date with the play of the game wherein the game is selectively placed in one of two phase of game play, one being an active game phase play, the other phase being a steady state phase of play, thereby the player can practice the game during steady state phases and the player is forced to accomplish predetermined tasks during active phases to advance to a successive sequence of game play. The game apparatuses disclosed in US-A-5267734, however, take no account of debugging of a game and time influence. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a game apparatus and a method for debugging a game program such as a virtual reality type game. According to the present invention there is provided a method for controlling the debugging of a game program with a time influence in a game apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: reading a current time, saved together with the game program to debug the game program; setting an edit time to debug the game program; comparing the edit time with the current time to determine whether the edit time is earlier than the current time; and controlling a debugging process to be carried out when the edit time is not earlier than the current time and to be cancelled when the edit time is earlier than the current time so as to repeat the step of edit time setting to set the edit time so that it is not earlier than the current time. According to the present invention, there is also provided a game apparatus for debugging a game program comprising: means for reading a current time, saved together with the game program to debug the game program; means for setting an edit time to debug the game program; means for comparing the edit time with the current time to determine whether the edit time is earlier than the current time; and means for controlling a debugging process to be carried out when the edit time is not earlier than the current time and to be cancelled when the edit time is earlier than the current time so as to repeat the step of edit time setting to set the edit time so that it is not earlier than the current time. According to the present invention, there is further provided a game apparatus for debugging a game program comprising: a game unit for processing the game program and a debugging program; a Rom cartridge comprising the game program and the debugging program, the debugging program comprising the steps of: reading a current time, saved together with the game program to debug the game program; setting an edit time to debug the game program; comparing the edit time with the current time to determine whether the edit time is earlier than the current time; and controlling a debugging process to be carried out when the edit time is not earlier than the current time and to be cancelled when the edit time is earlier than the current time so as to repeat the step of edit time setting to set the edit time so that it is not earlier than the current time. The invention will be described in more detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a time process of a virtual reality type game; FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a debug process of the time process in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a debug system of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a timing chart of processing a test of a game program with a time influence; FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a scenario process of one week in the game program; FIG. 6A is a flow chart of processing a time adjusting program of the present invention; FIG. 6B is a flow chart of processing a time adjusting program of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a block schematic diagram of a calculating process in FIGS. 6A and 6B and FIG. 8 is a block schematic diagram of a calculating process of the step 606 in FIG. 6A. Before explaining a game apparatus and a method for debugging a game program in the preferred embodiment according to the invention, the above mentioned conventional game apparatus and method for debugging a game program will be explained in FIGS 1 and 2. A conventional game apparatus comprises a game unit and a ROM cartridge. The game unit has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read-Only Memory), I/O (Input/Output) interfaces, and a timer. The ROM cartridge has an I/O interface and a ROM for storing a game program. The game unit and the ROM cartridge are connected with each other through the each I/O interface. In developing a game program, a game program debug wastes working-time and working-load. Game program errors includes three types of error which are a compile error, a link error and an executing error. The compile error and link error are easy to be debugged, because each error point of the two types errors is detected by a compiler or a linker in a computer system. On the other hand, the executing error is hard to be debugged, because the computer system does not detect an error point of the executing error. In particular, when the game program is finished without hanging up the game program at the midge and the result of the game program is incorrect, the executing error is very hard to be debugged. Therefore, when the executing error occurs, a manner called as "check-print" is generally used by a debugger. The check-point is to output contents of a point indicated by the debugger in the game program. In the check-print, the debugger selects an error factor and an error point in a game program, then "check-print" commands are optionally inserted into any points of the game program related to the error factor and point. Next, the results of the check-print commands are outputted, then the debugger examines the results. In this manner, the executing error of the game program is debugged. On the other hand, a game apparatus with an RTC (Real Time Clock) for playing a virtual reality type game has been developed. The RTC is an IC (Integrated Circuit) having a clock function and a calender function. A virtual real time of a game corresponds with a real time by the clock function and the calender function in the RTC. Namely, the RTC saves year, month, day, day of the week, hour, minute, and second of the real time therein as the virtual real time of the game by using the clock function and the calendar function. FIG.1 is a flow chart of a time process of a virtual reality type game. In FIG. 1, the game program processes a virtual real time including month, day, and clock time. In the time process, the virtual real time including month (M), day (D), and clock time (T) is set into the game program from an RTC at the step 100. At the step 110, the M, D, and T of the game program is processed (MDT process). At the step 120, if the M is equal to "12", then the step 130 follows, else the step 150 follows and a process C is executed. At the step 130, if the D is equal to "24", then the step 140 follows, else the time process ended. At the step 140, if the T is less than "18", then the step 160 follows and a process B is executed, else the step 170 follows and a process A is executed. In this case, a conventional method for debugging a game program is explained on assumption that an error has occurred in the process A. FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a debugging process of the time process in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, the step 115 is inserted into between the step 110 and the step 120 to reproduce the error at the process A. At the step 115, the M, D and T are set to be "12", "24", "19", respectively. Therefore, the step 170 follows through the step 120,130, and 140. Then the error is reproduced in the process A at the step 170. The debugger can debug the game program based on the reproduced error. In the conventional method for debugging the game program, however, there are disadvantages in that the error situation of the program of the virtual reality type game using the virtual real time is hard to be reproduced, because, in the virtual reality type game, an event of the game is often inconsistent with a time of the game. Specially, when an event of the game is affected by other factors such as year and day of the week, the error situation in the game often is very hard to be reproduced. For example, in the virtual reality type game, a scenario of the game is changed by even day of the week and the game history is stored. When an error occurs on Sunday of a week in the game and the game program is debugged on the following Monday, the day of the week in the game program must be set on Sunday, the preceding day for debugging. However, the day of the week (Sunday) of the game program is inconsistent with a contents of the game history. Therefore, a game program is very hard to be debugged correctly. Further, on sharing one debug PC (Personal Computer), if the timer in the PC is changed by one developer, tests of other developers are affected. Therefore, a method for debugging a game program such as a virtual reality type game, in which there occurs no inconsistency in a debug process, is necessary to be provided. Next, a method for controlling the debugging of a game program such as a virtual reality type game in a preferred embodiment according to the invention will be explained in FIGS. 3 to 8. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a debug system of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the debug system comprises a game unit 10 and a ROM cartridge 20. The game unit 10 has a CPU 1, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 6, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 7, and timer 8. The ROM cartridge 20 has a MRC (Memory and RTC controller) 2, a product ROM 3, a test ROM 4, a RTC (Real Time Clock) 5. The CPU 1, the ROM 6, and the RAM 7 are connected with each other in the game unit 10. The CPU 1 is for performing programs and instructions. The ROM 6 is for storing programs and instructions of an operating system of the debug system. The RAM 7 is used as a main memory by the CPU 1. In the ROM cartridge 20, the product ROM 3 is for storing a virtual reality type game program. The test ROM 4 is for storing a time adjusting program. The RTC 5 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) having a clock function and a calender function. A time of the game corresponds with a real time by the clock function and the calender function in the RTC 5. Namely, the RTC 5 saves year, month, day, day of week, hour, minute, and second of the real time therein at the time of the game by using the clock function and the calender function. Further the RTC 5 includes a battery. The RTC 5 is supplied with power by the battery. Therefore, even if the ROM cartridge 20 is detached from the game unit 10, the RTC 5 correctly saves the time of the game therein independent of the game unit 10. The MRC 2 is for controlling memory addresses of the game program in the product ROM 3 and the time adjusting program in the test ROM 4. Further, the MRC 2 includes a register 21. The register 21 is for controlling a memory address of the time adjusting program in the test ROM 4. The game unit 10 is connected with the ROM cartridge 20 through I/O interfaces (not shown). The CPU 1 accesses the product ROM 3, the test ROM 4, and the RTC 5 through the MRC 2. When the CPU 1 loads the game program from the product ROM 3 and contents in the RTC 5, the game program and the contents are placed on a fixed address area in the RAM 7 by the MRC 2. Then, the CPU 1 processes the game program according to the contents from the RTC 5. On the other hand, when the game program is to be debugged, the time adjusting program is loaded from the test ROM 4 and placed on another address area in the RAM 7 by the register 21 in the MRC 2. Thereby the memory area of the game program in the RAM 7 for a product game is separated from the memory area of the time adjusting program for a debugging process. Therefore, when the test ROM 4 is detached from a ROM cartridge 20, the memory area of the time adjusting program for the debugging process is not accessed by the game program. Namely, a debug routine can be accessed by only using the register 21 and the product game program can not access the debug routine. Further, even when an error occurs in the product ROM cartridge, a debug environment is easy to by reconstructed by inserting the test ROM 4 in to the product ROM cartridge and adjusting the register 21 in the MRC 2. FIG. 4 is a timing chart of processing of a test of a game program with a time influence, that is, a game program having a game history, in which a game story event is dependent both upon the day of the week and play data. FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a scenario process of one week in the game program. Each story of the game corresponds to day of the week. Namely, the game has seven game stories corresponding to each day of the week. The test of the game program with the time influence is processed at the points P1 to P5 and the results of the test are recorded at the points R1 to R5, respectively. Through the scenario at the point P1 (1995/12/20) is the same as the scenario at P5 (1995/12/27), because the day of the week of the point P1 is same as that of the point P5 (i.e. Wednesday). However, the recorded result at R1 is not same as that at R5, because the event of the game story at P1 is different from the event of the game story at P5 by the time influence of the game program. Thus, even if the debugging is processed by going back to the date of P1 (the same day of the week), the debugging process fails, because the date of the point P1 is not matched with the date of P5 in the game history. FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow charts of processing a time adjusting program of the present invention. At the step 600, a time adjusting program is started. At the step 602, a current time is read from the RTC 5. The current time is a virtual real time but not a real time. At the step 604, the current time is copied to an edit time. At the step 606, day of the week of the current time is calculated based on year, month, and day of the current time and the real time in the CPU. Namely, input data are year, month, and day of the current time, then an output data is day of the week of the current time. At the step 608, the calculated day of the week of the current time is compared with the day of the week of the real time. If the calculated day of the week of the current time is correct, the current time is displayed on a display unit at the step 612. If the calculated day of the week of the current time is incorrect, the calculated day of the week of the current time is displayed in red on the display unit at the step 610. At the step 614, the edit time is displayed on the display unit. At the step 616, when a read operation of the current time is operated by a key operation, the step 602 is resumed. If not, the step 618 follows. At the step 618, when a set operation of the edit time is operated by the key operation, the step 620 follows. At the step 620, year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and day of the week of the edit time is set on. At the step 622, day of the week of the current time is calculated based on year, month, and day of the current time and the real time in the CPU. Namely, input data are year, month, and day of the current time, and an output data is day of the week of the current time. Then, the step 626 in FIG. 6B follows. At the step 626, when the edit time is earlier than the current time, the step 614 is resumed, because the edit time is inconsistent with the contents of the game history. At the step 626, when the edit time is later than the current time, the step 628 follows. At the step 628, the current time is updated by the edit time. Then, the time adjusting process is finished. At the step 618 in FIG. 6A, when a setting operating of the edit time is not operated by key operation, the step 624 in FIG. 6B follows. At the step 624, when a write operation of the edit time is not operated by the key operation, the step 614 in FIG. 6A is resumed. When a write operation of the edit time is operated by the key operation, the step 626 follows. At the step 626, when the edit time is earlier than the current time, the step 614 is resumed, because the edit time is inconsistent with the contents of the game history. At the step 626, when the edit time is not earlier than the current time, the step 628 follows. At the step 628, the current time is updated by the edit time. Then, the time adjusting process is ended. FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a calculating process in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and day of the week of the current time are 1995, 12, 08, 13, 50, 37 and Friday, respectively. The current time is copied to the edit time at the step 604 in FIG. 6A. Then, year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and day of the week of the edit time is set on at the step 620 in FIG. 6A. At the step 622 in FIG. 6A, day of the week of the current time is calculated based on year, month, and day of the current time and the real time in the CPU 1. Then, at the step 628 in FIG. 6B, the current time is updated by the edit time. FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a calculating process of the step 606 in FIG. 6A. In FIG. 8, in the input process, input data are a real time in the CPU 1 and a current time. Year (Y), month (M), day (D), hour (h), minute (m), second (s), and day of the week (DW) of the real time in the CPU 1 is 1995, 01, 01, 00, 00, 00, Sunday. Year, month, and day of the current time is 1996, 01, 12. In the operation process, the total days are calculated as different days between the real time and the current time. The calculated total days are divided by 7 and the remainder is gotton by the dividing process. Then, day of the week of the current time is resulted in by a day of the week table corresponding with the remainder. In output process, the day of the week of the current time is output as Friday. According to the time adjusting process in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the time of the game program is free from inconsistency with a contents of the game history. Therefore, the game program can be debugged correctly. Further, in developing game program debugging wastes less working-time and working-load of a developer. This invention may be embodied in several forms. The present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description proceeding them.

Claims: A method for controlling the debugging of a game program with a time influence in a game apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: reading a current time, saved together with the game program, to debug the game program; setting an edit time to debug the game program; comparing the edit time with the current time to determine whether the edit time is earlier than the current time; and controlling a debugging process to be carried out when the edit time is not earlier than the current time and to be cancelled when the edit time is earlier than the current time so as to repeat the step of edit time setting to set the edit time so that it is not earlier than the current time. The method according to claim 1, the method of further comprising the steps of: reading a real time; calculating day of the week of the current time based on the current time and real time; and setting day of week of the edit time based on the calculated day of the week of the current time. A game apparatus for debugging a game program comprising: means for reading a current time, saved together with the game program, to debug the game program; means for setting an edit time to debug the game program; means for comparing the edit time with the current time to determine whether the edit time is earlier than the current time; and means for controlling a debugging process to be carried out when the edit time is not earlier than the current time and to be cancelled when the edit time is earlier than the current time so as to repeat the step of edit time setting to set the edit time so that it is not earlier than the current time. The game apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a real time clock (5) generating a real time; and means (1) for calculating day of the week of the current time based on the current time and the real time and setting day of the week of the edit time based on the day of the week of the current time. A game apparatus for debugging a game program comprising: a game unit (10) for processing the game program and a debugging program; a Rom cartridge comprising the game program and the debugging program, the debugging program comprising the steps of: reading a current time, saved together with the game program, to debug the game program; setting an edit time to debug the game program; comparing the edit time with the current time to determine whether the edit time is earlier than the current time; and controlling a debugging process to be carried out when the edit time is not earlier than the current time and to be cancelled when the edit time is earlier than the current time so as to repeat the step of edit time setting to set the edit time so that it is not earlier than the current time. The game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the current game unit comprises a real time clock (5) generating a real time; and the debugging program in the ROM cartridge (20) further comprises the step of: calculating day of the week of the current time based on the current time and the real time and setting day of the week of the edit time based on the day of the week of the current time.

Inventors: NAKAJIMA TOMOHIKO, NAKAJIMA, TOMOHIKO, Nakajima, Tomohiko, Hudson Soft Co., Ltd.
Applicants: HUDSON SOFT CO LTD, HUDSON SOFT CO., LTD.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: G06F11
IPC codes: G06F11, A63F13