Patent ID: 7588497

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of generating a character image in which a plurality of characters are drawn in a virtual three-dimensional space, the plurality of characters including a three-dimensional character drawn by three-dimensional polygon data and a two-dimensional character drawn by two-dimensional sprite data, the computer-implemented method comprising: drawing, with a computer, the three-dimensional character in a field of view of a virtual camera and within a predetermined distance from a viewpoint position of the virtual camera, and drawing the two-dimensional character in the field of view of the virtual camera and at a distance greater than the predetermined distance from the viewpoint position of the virtual camera; drawing, with the computer, the three-dimensional character so as to move to a position which is within the predetermined distance from the viewpoint position of the virtual camera when the position of the three-dimensional character drawn in the field of view of the virtual camera is to be moved when the viewpoint position of the virtual camera is moved; and drawing, with the computer, the two-dimensional character so as to move to a position which is located at a distance greater than the predetermined distance from the viewpoint position of the virtual camera when the position of the two-dimensional character drawn in the field of view of the virtual camera is to be moved when the viewpoint position of the virtual camera is moved, wherein drawing the two-dimensional character comprises: determining whether or not the two-dimensional character moves within a predetermined distance from the virtual camera when the position of the two-dimensional character is to be moved; and changing the position of the two-dimensional character to be moved to a position at a distance greater than the predetermined distance from the virtual camera when it is determined that the two-dimensional character would move within the predetermined distance from the virtual camera as a result of the movement of the two-dimensional character.