Abstract:
In a video game program executed by a video game device, comprising a first external storage device storing a video game program and a second external storage device storing data generated by executing said video game program, a game character is generated by referencing character data indicating the status of the game character. If the data generated by the video game program and stored in the second external storage device is called user data, then the video game program generates the game character by referencing data other than the user data, according to the state of the second external storage device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to the generation of game characters in a video game, and more particularly, to the generation of game characters in a video game such that a contest or competition is performed between game characters each of which is generated by referencing a plurality of character data.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    A wide variety of proposals have been offered about video game programs which provide video games implemented between a plurality of game characters in a competitive manner. Such games are known as competitive play or competitive mode games, or the like. The game characters take part in a video game as a representation of the players who are actually playing the video game, and they compete with the other game characters. Here, if human players determine the actions of the respective game characters participating in the contest, then a human vs. human contest is executed. On the other hand, there are also the cases where a contest is implemented between game characters whose actions are determined by the video game program, and the other game characters whose actions are determined by a human player. Hereinafter, game characters whose actions are determined by a human are called “player characters”, and game characters whose actions are determined by the video game program are called “CPU characters”.  
           [0005]    In general, a video game program of this kind handles game characters by preparing respectively independent character data for each game character participating in the competition. For example, in a human vs. human contest, each player previously creates character data for his or her own player character, and each player provides his or her own character data in order to play a game. In the cases where the game characters taking part in the contest also include CPU characters, if the player has not been able to prepare his or her own character data, then character data previously prepared in conjunction with the video game program is used.  
           [0006]    If a game character is generated using previously prepared character data in this way, then this data is selected from a plurality of character data items. This data may be selected, for example, in a manner such that a list of character data is displayed and the player selects the data him or herself. Alternatively, the data may be determined randomly. However, the above-mentioned manners are problematic in that they afford little variation.  
           [0007]    Moreover, these manners are also problematic in that either is liable to become monotonous or boring. In particular, in a video game of a competitive type, selecting character data means selecting an opponent character. It is desirable that the player is caused to feel a certain degree of tension. But, in the conventional methods described above, it is difficult to maintain a level of psychological tension in the player, and consequently, the player may become bored with the game in a short period of time.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention was devised in consideration of the foregoing problems. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a game character generating method which enhances the diversity of character data selection methods.  
           [0009]    Moreover, a further object of the present invention is to provide a game character generating method whereby a feeling of tension can be imparted to the player actually creating the game characters.  
           [0010]    In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, the present invention provides a game character generation method, a computer-readable storage medium and a video game device as described below.  
           [0011]    The present invention provides a game character generation method of generating a game character in accordance with a video game program stored in a first storage device of a video game device. The method comprises the steps of: preparing a data set generated by an additional video game program different from the video game program; and generating the game character by referencing the data set.  
           [0012]    The game character generation method may further comprise the step of judging whether a second storage device, which is detachable from the video game device, is attached to the video game device or not. In this case, the game character generating step generates a predetermined game character stored in the first storage device if the second storage device is detached from the video game device.  
           [0013]    When the game character generation method comprises the judging step, the method may further comprises the step of storing, prior to the game character generating step, the data set which serves to generate the predetermined game character and which is stored in the first storage device.  
           [0014]    When the game character generation method comprises the judging step, and the second storage device is classified into a plurality of species, the method may further comprise the steps of: further preparing at least one additional data set generated by an additional video game program different from the video game program; detecting the species of the second storage device attached to the video game device; and selecting one of the data set and the additional data set stored in the first storage device according to the detected species. In this case, the game character generating step generates the game character by referencing the selected data set.  
           [0015]    In this method, the video game device may comprise a second storage device which is detachable from the video game device. In this case, the game character generating step generates the game character by referencing the data set stored in the second storage device by the additional video game program. Instead of referencing the data set, the file name of the data set may be referred.  
           [0016]    For example, the video game program is of a competitive type between a plurality of the game characters. In this case, at least one game character of the plurality of game characters participating in a competition may be generated by the video game program. Furthermore, the data set may define cards possessed by the game character.  
           [0017]    Moreover, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a video game program executed by a video game device which comprises a first storage device for installing the storage medium. The video game program comprises the steps of: preparing a data set generated by an additional video game program different from the video game program; and generating the game character by referencing the data set.  
           [0018]    The video game program may further comprises the step of judging whether a second storage device, which is detachable from the video game device, is attached to the video game device or not. In this case, the game character generating step generates a predetermined game character stored in the first storage device if the second storage device is detached from the video game device.  
           [0019]    The storage medium may further store the data set which serves to generate the predetermined game character and which is stored in the first storage device. In this case, when the second storage device is classified into a plurality of species, the video game program may further comprises the steps of: further preparing at least one additional data set generated by an additional video game program different from the video game program; detecting the species of the second storage device attached to the video game device; and selecting one of the data set and the additional data set stored in the first storage device according to the detected species; wherein the game character generating step generates the game character by referencing the selected data set.  
           [0020]    The video game device may comprise a second storage device which is detachable from the video game device. In this case, the game character generating step may generate the game character by referencing the data set stored in the second storage device by the additional video game program. Instead of the data set itself, its file name may be referred.  
           [0021]    The video game program may be of a competitive type between a plurality of the game characters. In this case, for example, at least one game character of the plurality of game characters participating in a competition is generated by the video game program.  
           [0022]    The video game program may be for performing a competitive type card game. In this case, the data set defines cards possessed by the game character.  
           [0023]    According to the present invention, a video game device performing a plurality of video game programs is provided. The video game device comprises: a storage device for storing user data sets each of which is generated by one of the video game programs; another storage device for storing a data set generated by another one of the video game programs; and accessing means for accessing the storage device and another storage device in accordance with the one of the video game programs to generate a game character with reference to the data set stored in another storage device. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a video game device  100  constituting a video game system  1  forming one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a flowchart describing a process whereby a video game program  200  generates a game character according to the state of a memory card;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a flowchart of candidate character data registration processing;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is a flowchart of memory card detection processing;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is a flowchart of memory card type identification processing;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a flowchart of other video game data reference processing; and  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a flowchart describing a process for generating character data E on the basis of a filename in a data file. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0031]    A video game system  1  according to one embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings. The video game system  1  comprises a video game device  100  and a CD-ROM storing a video game program  200  which is operated by the video game device  100 . The video game device  100  is now described with reference to FIG. 1.  
         [0032]    1. Video game device  100   
         [0033]    The video game device  100  reads out programs and data stored on the CD-ROM and outputs images and sounds to a player. The player is able to play a game, or the like, by manipulating the controller.  
         [0034]    An overview of the composition of the video game device  100  is now described with reference to FIG. 1. The video game device  100  comprises a control section  110  for controlling the operation of the whole device; an image processing section  120  for performing processing relating to image display; a sound processing section  130  for performing processing relating to sound output; an auxiliary storage control section  140  for reading out programs and data from the storage medium; a communications control section  150  for controlling reading and writing of data, such as player operations, game settings, game development status, and the like, and the input and output of other data; and a main bus  160  connecting from the aforementioned control section  110  through to the communications control section  150 .  
         [0035]    Next, the internal composition from the control section  110  to the communications control section  150  is described.  
         [0036]    The control section  110  comprises: a CPU  111 ; a peripheral device controller  112  for performing control, such as interrupt control, time control, memory control, direct memory access (DMA) transfer control, and the like; a main storage device (main memory)  113  consisting of a RAM; and a ROM  114  for storing programs, such as an operating system (OS) for managing the main memory  113 , image processing section  120 , sound processing section  130 , and the like. The CPU  111  controls the whole device by executing the OS stored in the ROM  114 . The CPU  111  is also equipped with a command cache and scratchpad memory and manages the actual memory.  
         [0037]    The image processing section  120  comprises: a geometry transfer engine (GTE)  121  consisting of a co-ordinates calculation co-processor for performing procedures, such as co-ordinates conversion, or the like; a graphics processing unit (GPU)  122  for performing drawing operations in accordance with drawing commands from the CPU  111 ; a frame buffer  123  for storing images drawn by the GPU  122 ; an image decoder (MDEC)  124  for decoding image data that has been subject to parallel transform, such as a so-called discrete cosine transform, and then further compressed and encoded; and a video output portion  125 , such as a display device, or the like.  
         [0038]    The sound processing section  130  comprises: a sound processing unit (SPU)  131  for generating sounds based on instructions from the CPU  111 ; a sound buffer  132  for storing data, such as sounds and music read out from the CD-ROM, and sound source data, and the like; and a sound output portion  133 , such as an amplifier and speaker, or the like, for outputting sounds generated by the SPU  131 .  
         [0039]    The auxiliary storing control section  140  comprises: a CD-ROM driver  143  for reproducing programs, data, and the like stored on a CD-ROM disk; a decoder  141  for decoding programs, data, and the like, stored with appended error correction coding (ECC), for example; and a CD-ROM buffer  142  for temporarily storing reproduced data from the CD-ROM driver  143 .  
         [0040]    The communications control section  150  comprises a communications control device  151  for controlling communications with the CPU  111  by the main bus  160 ; a controller  152  for inputting instructions from a user; a memory card  153  for storing game settings, and the like; a parallel input/output (I/O) port  154  connected to the main bus  160 ; and an asynchronous serial input/output (I/O) port  155  similarly connected to the main bus  160 .  
         [0041]    In this way, the video game device  100  comprises two external memory devices: a CD-ROM drive device  143  and a memory card  153 . Furthermore, due to differences in capacity, and the like, there are three types of memory card  153 : type  1 , type  2  and type  3 . Type  1  and type  2  have different capacities. Type  3  does not simply comprise a storage medium, but is also provided with an input device, image display device and a control device, in such a manner that it may operate independently as a portable information terminal. The communications control device  151  is able to detect whether or not a memory card  153  is connected, and also to distinguish the types of memory card  153  connected, one another.  
         [0042]    Next, an overview of the operation of the video game device  100  is described.  
         [0043]    When the power supply of the video game device  100  is switched on, the OS stored in the ROM  114  is executed by the CPU  111 , and the image processing section  120 , sound processing section  130 , and the like, enter under the control of the OS. Firstly, when the OS has performed initialization processes, such as operational checking, and the like, for the whole device, it controls the auxiliary storage control section  140  and executes the video game program  200  stored in the CD-ROM, or another video game program. In other words, the type of video game program executed by the video game device  100  is dependent on the CD-ROM loaded in the CD-ROM device  143 , or more accurately speaking, the type of video game stored on that CD-ROM. When the video game program is executed, the CPU  111  controls the image processing section  120 , the sound processing section  130 , and the like, according to the program and the inputs made by the player via the controller  152 , and images are displayed by the video output portion  125 , whilst sounds, such as sound effects, music, and the like, are output from the sound output portion  133 . User data generated by the program is stored as necessary on the memory card  153 , as a file. The memory card  153  is capable of storing a plurality of data files, but these data files are not necessarily generated by a single video game program, but rather, in many cases, a plurality of data files generated by video game programs of different types are stored on a single memory card  153 .  
         [0044]    2. Video game program  200   
         [0045]    The video game program  200  is described below. This video game program  200  is assumed to be a video game of the type wherein two game characters compete with each other in a card game.  
         [0046]    To give an overview of this contest, the card game will be described below. The card game is played in a state where the two game characters are facing each other across a game space. Each game character has at least 40 cards. The game characters participating in the contest each build a group of cards, called a deck, by choosing 40 cards from the cards in their hands, before the contest, and they then use these decks to compete. At the start of the contest, both game characters start the game having a prescribed number of hit points, each. The game progresses by repeating victory/defeat judgement between the cards, and if a player wins in this victory/defeat judgement processing between the cards, then he or she is able to reduce the hit points of the other player. The object of the game is to reduce the other player&#39;s hit points to zero, or lower.  
         [0047]    In a video game program  200  of this kind, the state of the respective game characters before participating in the contest is represented by the types of cards and numbers of cards that they are holding, this state being prepared in the form of character data. If the game character is one which is controlled by the input operations performed by the player by the controller  152  (hereinafter, called a “player character”), then, in principle, that character data is stored in the memory card  153 . The character data may also be stored as user data along with the other data used by the video game program  200 .  
         [0048]    Here, it is supposed that a contest is implemented between a player character and a game character controlled by the video game program  200  (hereinafter, called a “CPU character”). The character data for the player character is stored in the memory card  153 . Here, the process from selecting the character data required to generate a CPU character until generation of the CPU character will be described.  
         [0049]    (1) Summary  
         [0050]    To give an overview with reference to FIG. 2, firstly, the video game program  200  performs processing for registering candidate character data used when generating a CPU character, in other words, candidate character data registration processing (step A 1 ). Thereupon, a list of the candidate character data registered by this process is displayed to the player by the video output portion  125  (step A 2 ). If the player selects character data for a game character with which he or she wishes to compete, from the displayed list, by using the controller  152  (step A 3 ), then the video game program  200  generates a CPU character on the basis of the selected character data. A contest is then implemented between the CPU character thus generated, and a player character generated on the basis of character data previously stored by the player in the memory card  153 .  
         [0051]    (2) Candidate character data registration processing  
         [0052]    Candidate character data registration processing is now described with respect to FIG. 3. This processing consists, broadly speaking, of: memory card detection processing (step B 1 ), memory card type identification processing (step B 2 ), and other video game data reference processing (step B 3 ). These processes are described below.  
         [0053]    (a) Memory card detection processing  
         [0054]    This processing is executed for detecting whether or not a memory card  153  is connected to the communications control device  151  and registering previously prepared character data as candidate character data, in the event that no memory card  153  is connected.  
         [0055]    As shown in FIG. 4, the communications control device  151  checks whether or not a memory card  153  is connected (step C 1 ). If one is connected, then it proceeds to the memory card type identification processing in step B 2 , and if one is not connected, then the character data A is registered as candidate character data. The character data A is previously stored on the CD-ROM, along with the video game program  200 .  
         [0056]    (b) Memory card type identification processing  
         [0057]    This processing is processing for identifying whether the type of the memory card  153  connected to the communications control device  151  is type  1 ,  2 , or  3 , and registering different candidate character data according to the identified type.  
         [0058]    Looking now at FIG. 5, firstly, the type of memory card  153  connected to the communications control device  151  is identified (step D 1 ). If the memory card  153  is type  1 , then the character data B is registered as the candidate character data (step D 2 ). If the memory card  153  is type  2 , then the character data C is registered as candidate character data (step D 3 ). If the memory card  153  is type  3 , then the character data D is registered as candidate character data (step D 4 ). Similarly to the character data A, the character data B, C and D are stored previously on the CD-ROM along with the video game program  200 . Once either the character data B, C, or D has been registered as candidate character data in this manner, the sequence proceeds to the other video game data reference processing at step B 3 .  
         [0059]    (c) Other video game data reference processing  
         [0060]    This processing is processing for registering candidate character data according to the data stored in the memory card  153 .  
         [0061]    Referring to FIG. 6, firstly, the video game program  200  checks whether or not user data for the video game program  200  is present in the data file stored in the memory card  153  (step E 1 ). If such data is present, then it registers the character data contained in the user data as candidate character data (step E 2 ).  
         [0062]    Thereupon, the video game program  200  checks whether or not a data file with a known format is stored in the memory card  153  by video game programs other than the video game program  200  (step E 3 ). If such a data file exists, then character data is generated on the basis of that data file and is registered as candidate character data (step E 4 ).  
         [0063]    Herein, it is assumed that a data file with a known format is created by another video game program written by the same author as the video game program  200 . For example, the video game program may be a previous version of the video game program  200  sold in a series of programs.  
         [0064]    Moreover, the video game program  200  also checks whether or not there exists a data file having an unknown format (step E 5 ), and if such a file is present, then character data E is generated on the basis of the file name of that data file (step E 6 ), and registered as candidate character data (step E 7 ).  
         [0065]    Step E 6  is now described with reference to FIG. 7. Firstly, of the various files stored on the memory card  153 , a file name generated by the video game program  200  or another video game program having an unknown data format is read out from the memory card  153 , and converted to ASCII code (step F 1 ). Thereupon, the sum of that ASCII code is derived (step F 2 ), and this sum is divided by a natural number n, to determine a remainder k (step F 3 ). Thereupon, the character data E k  is selected from the character data E 1 , E 2 , . . . E n−1 , stored on the CD-ROM along with the video game program  200  (step F 4 ).  
         [0066]    By means of the aforementioned candidate character data registration processing, it is possible to register as candidate character data, different character data according to the state of the memory card, in other words, whether or not a memory is loaded, the type of memory card, the data stored on the memory card by a video game other than the video game program  200 , and the file name of that data.  
         [0067]    The present embodiment has thus far been described on the premise of a contest between a player character and a CPU character, but the present invention may also be applied to a contest between player characters. Furthermore, it was supposed that each of the character data A-E is stored on the CD-ROM along with the video game program  200 , but it is also possible to incorporate a procedure for generating character data according to input values into the video game program  200 , and to generate character data by inputting the numerically converted state of the memory card into this procedure.  
         [0068]    According to the present invention, the character data of the selectable contest opponents can be changed according to the state of the memory card, and hence it is possible to prevent a player from becoming bored with the contest.  
         [0069]    Moreover, because the candidate character data registered by other video game data reference processing changes according to what kind of video game data is stored on the memory card, it is possible to impart a feeling of tension to the player, since the player cannot readily predict the type of contest opponents that can be selected. At the same time, it is also possible to provide the player with the possibility of consciously changing the type of video game storing data on the memory card, in order to search for a game character against which he or she has never competed.