A system and process for adding a photorealistic rendering of a body of water to a virtual 3D scene or image and creating a video therefrom having interactive water effects. A region of water is added to an image by adding an area depicting the original scene as it would appear if reflected by still body of water. Then, the appearance of the added water region is distorted over a series of image frames in such a way as to simulate how the reflected scene would look if the surface of the water were in motion. The water can have dynamic waves and the user can interact with the water in numbers of ways, including generating ripples on the water surface and creating rain. In addition, these effects can be achieved at full screen resolution with the use of the latest graphics hardware by employing a texture shifting technique.

Interactive water effects using texture coordinate shifting

To achieve a more realistic and richer shifting field, such as water surface over which a jet-ski or other object travels, thereby heightening the interest and ambiance of the game. An image processing device for processing image data for moving an object such as a watercraft over a water surface in three-dimensional space. Comprises means for cyclically shifting the height at given positions of the water surface over time (CPU 101) and means for moving the watercraft while contacting the water (CPU 101). Determination of contact between watercraft and water surface, watercraft tilt correction, boat wake drawing processing, and the like are performed by the CPU 101.

Image processing device, image processing method, game device, and craft simulator

When a moving picture obtained by photographing a controlled object moving in a virtual three dimensional field by a virtual camera is displayed, an entertainment apparatus is designed so that a desired feeling of speed can be acquired from the moving picture displayed on a display screen. A positional relation in the three dimensional field between the controlled object and the virtual camera is determined so that the virtual camera moves farther from the controlled object according to a moving speed of the controlled object in the three dimensional field.

Entertainment apparatus, storage medium and object display method

In a character provision service system for providing users with characters such as interface agents and virtual characters in virtual spaces on computers or in TV games, charges for use of a provided character is computed according to a motion made by the character. This system enables each user to easily purchase with security a character capable of moving according user's need, and also enables character data providers to collect charges according to motions made by provided characters and to provide various characters without anxiety about unauthorized use of the characters.

Character provision service system, information processing apparatus, controlling method therefor, and recording medium

A display device for a vehicle includes: a self-luminous indicator which has a display screen with a plurality of pixels; a display control unit that displays image information indicating at least a given display pattern on a display screen of the self-luminous indicator; a display time measuring unit that measures a display time of the self-luminous indicator; and a brightness adjusting unit that adjusts the brightness of the display screen on the basis of at least the display time measured by the display time measuring unit in order to suppress non-uniform brightness deterioration of the display screen when the non-uniform brightness deterioration occurs on the display screen. The display control unit displays the image information on the display screen of the self-luminous indicator with the brightness adjusted by the brightness adjusting unit.

Display device for vehicle

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game system and an information storage medium capable of realistically expressing glow or a halo generated around a light source with a low processing load. SOLUTION: When an object OB positioned in front of a light source LS and a glow object G are overlapped to each other from a viewpoint, the glow object G is displayed on the front side of the object OB. The glow object G is drawn in the position on a perspective view conversion plane matching the position of the light source LS, and the glow object G is not displayed (or effect intensity is reduced) if the object OB is positioned on a line connecting the light source LS and the viewpoint together. According to the degree of overlapping between views from the object OB viewpoint and the light source LS (or the glow object G) viewpoint, the glow effect intensity is varied. According to a distance between the line connecting the light source LS and the viewpoint together and the object OB and an overlapping area between the object OB and the light source LS (or the glow object G), the glow effect intensity is varied. Using a bounding volume between the object OB and the light source LS (or the glow object G), the degree of overlapping is determined.

Game system and information storage medium

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To have a player enjoy a realer game by providing game information and the like, which enable a gloss and glare to be efficiently expressed, while reducing a computing load and memory consumption. SOLUTION: To generate a game screen using real 3-Dimensional Computer Graphics (3DCG), an environmental texture and a specular map are generated in real time, and the gloss and the glare are expressed, by virtue of texture mapping, on an enemy fighter OB serving as an object in a three-dimensional virtual space. In this step, the environmental texture or the specular map SM1, which is used for an enemy fighter OB1, is stored; for example, when a distance dn to the enemy fighter OB1 is below a given determination value Dmin in processing of enemy fighters OB2 and OB3, stored information is diverted without the new generation of the environmental texture or a specular map SM, so that the calculating load and the consumption of a memory area, which are required for the generation, can be reduced.

Game information, information storage medium and game device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a game progress control in which a feeling of congruity or a dissatisfied feeling such as the temporary stoppage of a game screen resulting from a difference in the processing capabilities between game devices or a communication lag or the like by a communication network between the game devices is suppressed in a game system which executes a network game. SOLUTION: When a waiting time occurs in each client, a smoothing process for which a frame time T is gradually made longer is started from the next cycle SC n+1 . The frame time T i (i is the number of passed frames from the start of the smoothing process) of each frame FL i is determined by adding an extended time ΔT in response to the number W a of waiting frames occurring in the previous frame time T i-1 . COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Program, information storage medium, and game device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To move a mover without being finely vibrated laterally so as to realize the operation with little unnaturalness by omitting or decreasing steering for the mover in the case where the rowing speed is a given threshold value or more even if a virtual rowing means makes water on the virtual water level. SOLUTION: In the case of applying the device to a rafting game in which a boat is rowed downstream, a paddle and a lever are operated by a player, and an operation part 10 inputs the operation data. According to the operation data input from the operation part 10, a virtual paddle is forced to row a boat by a mover operation part 112 to move the boat in an object space. At this time, in the case where the virtual paddle makes water on the virtual water level, that is, in the case where the absolute value of the rowing speed is smaller than a threshold value, the boat is steered according to on which side of the boat the virtual paddle makes water on the virtual water level, and in the case where it is above the threshold value, steering of the virtual paddle is omitted or decreased.

Image forming device and image recording medium

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game device which can carry out a game having complicated branch paths, continuously, even through a new branch path is reselected after a predetermined branch path is selected SOLUTION: A game derive which carry out a game in which a player character moves wile any of several branch courses is selected during the game, comprises a determining means 38 for selecting and determining a branch course in accordance with data of motion of the player character which moves in a branch zone of the branch course The determining means 38 reselects a branch course in accordance with data of motion of the player character which moves in the reverse direction in the above-mentioned branch zone

Yasuhiro Inagawa

Papers

Game system and information storage medium

Game information, information storage medium and game device

Program, information storage medium, and game device

Image forming device and image recording medium

Game device and information storage medium