Game device, golf game device shot result decision method

Abstract

A game apparatus is provided that can reduce the number of times that a player of the game has to performs unnecessary manual operations. A shot direction and a golf club determined by automatic determination means 53 can be modified by manual modification means 55. Shot position determination means 51 determines whether or not a shot motion should be made at the same position continuously twice. When the shot position determination means 51 determines that the shot motion was the second shot made at the same position, the automatic determination means 53 determines the shot direction and club, which has been stored in memory means 57 at the time of a previous play, as a shot direction and a club for a next play.

1 . A game apparatus for playing a game that includes a control unit for carrying on the game by moving a movable object displayed on a screen based on an input from an input device operated by a game player, the control unit comprising: 
 determination means for determining, based on the input, whether an arrival point that the movable object has reached is in a target area or is out of the target area;    automatic determination means for automatically determining settings for carrying on the game at least including a moving direction of the movable object before the input has been made;    manual modification means for allowing the settings for carrying on the game automatically determined by the automatic determination means to be modified manually; and    memory means for storing the settings for carrying on the game;    wherein the automatic determination means determines that the settings for carrying on the game for a previous play which have been stored in the memory means should be used as the settings for carrying on the game for a next play when the determination means determines that the arrival point determined for the previous play is out of the target area and that for the next play the movable object has to be moved from the same point as that for the previous play.    
   
   
       2 . The game apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 the input device is a game tool to be operated by the player in a three dimensional space;    the control unit is disposed inside a body of the game apparatus, the body including one or more switches and being provided separately from the game tool;    the control unit further includes image display means for controlling how the movable object is displayed on the screen and motion signal generation means for detecting a motion of the game tool and outputting a motion signal in accordance with the detected motion;    the automatic determination means is constructed to automatically determine the settings for carrying on the game at least including the moving direction of the movable object, which moves on the screen in accordance with the motion signal, for each stage in which one motion of the game tool is made;    the memory means is constructed to store the settings for carrying on the game at the time that the motion signal is outputted; and    the determination means is constructed to determine, at least based on the motion signal and the settings for carrying on the game, whether the arrival point that the movable object has reached is in the target area or out of the target area.    
   
   
       3 . The game apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein 
 the game tool is operated by the game player in order to input a shot motion of a golf club;    the control unit further includes shot position determination means for determining whether or not the shot motion should be made at the same position;    the determination means includes shot result determination means for determining, based on the motion signal, the arrival point that a ball as the movable object has reached, and a result of the shot;    the automatic determination means has a function of determining an optimal club in accordance with a shot direction toward a hole and a distance to the hole;    the manual modification means has a function of allowing the shot direction and the club determined by the automatic determination means to be modified manually;    the motion signal generation means has a function of outputting the motion signal in accordance with the shot motion of the golf club inputted with the game tool;    the memory means has a function of storing the shot direction and the club at the time that the shot motion is made; and    the automatic determination means further has a function of determining the shot direction and the club that have been stored in the memory means at the time of the previous play as those for the next play when the shot position determination means determines that a next shot motion should be made at the same position as that for the previous play.    
   
   
       4 . The game apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein 
 the shot result determination means has a function of determining whether an OB or water hazard is caused when the ball has reached a point out of the target area;    the automatic determination means determines the shot direction and the club for a next play when the shot position determination means determines that a next shot motion should be made at the same position as that for the previous play after the shot result determination means has determined that an OB or water hazard is caused.    
   
   
       5 . The game apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the image display means has a function of displaying on the screen the shot direction and the club determined by the automatic determination means or the manual modification means, and a scene in which the ball is moving to the arrival point that has been determined by the shot result determination means.  
   
   
       6 . A game apparatus for playing a game, which carries on the game by moving a movable object displayed on a screen based on an input from an input device operated by a game player, the game apparatus comprising: 
 determination means for determining, based on the input, whether an arrival point that the movable object has reached is in a target area or is out of the target area,    automatic determination means for automatically determining settings for carrying on the game at least including a moving direction of the movable object before the input has been made,    manual modification means for allowing the settings for carrying on the game automatically determined by the automatic determination means to be modified manually, and    memory means for storing the settings for carrying on the game,    wherein the automatic determination means determines the settings for carrying on the game for a previous play which have been stored in the memory means should be used as the settings for carrying on the game for a next play when the determination means determines that the arrival point determined for the previous play is out of the target area and that for the next play the movable object has to be moved from the same point as that for the previous play.    
   
   
       7 . The game apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein 
 the input device includes a game tool to be operated by the game player in a three dimensional space;    a body of the game apparatus that includes therein at least the manual modification means is disposed at the foot of the game player; and    the body of the game apparatus includes one or more switches to be operated by the game player when the settings for carrying on the game are modified manually.    
   
   
       8 . A shot result determination method for a golf game apparatus, which automatically determines an optimal club according to a shot direction toward a hole and a distance to the hole, allows the automatically determined shot direction and the club to be modified manually, and determines a shot result for each shot based on a shot motion inputted from an input device and the shot direction and the club determined automatically or manually, the method comprising the steps of: 
 storing the shot direction and the club at the time that the previous shot motion was made, and determining automatically the shot direction and the club stored at the time of the previous play as a shot direction and a club for a next play when a subsequent shot motion should be made at the same position as that for the previous play.    
   
   
       9 . A program for a golf game apparatus that determines a shot result, the program causing a computer to execute: 
 a function of automatically determining an optimal club according to a shot direction toward a hole and a distance to the hole;    a function of allowing the automatically determined shot direction and the club to be modified manually; and    a function of determining a shot result for each shot based on a shot motion inputted from an input device and the shot direction and the club determined automatically or manually,    the program further causing the computer to execute:    a function of storing the shot direction and the club at the time that the previous shot motion was made, and    a function of determining automatically the shot direction and the club stored at the time of the previous play as a shot direction and a club for a next play when a subsequent shot motion should be made at the same position as that for the previous play.