Abstract: A video game including a player's character that can move in a currently executed game stage. When the target position to be next reached by a player's character does not exist within a radar screen display area in the game field, a flashing target position mark is displayed in the vicinity of the intersection of a segment connecting the player's character position, the target position and the end portion of the radar screen. Thus, the direction toward the target position viewing from the player's character position can be recognized by the target position mark.

Abstract: A video game determines a reward acquired by a player character that has won a battle. If the player character inflicts damage of at least a predetermined value on an enemy character and kills the enemy character, the experience points acquired by the player character increase and the number of acquired items is also increased. If damage inflicted by the player character on the enemy character, immediately before the player character defeats the enemy character, is at least the predetermined value, then the reward of the battle is thus modified favorably for the player.

Abstract: Upon issuance of a sound reproduction request, storage locations of sound data constituting a sentence are determined. A live commentary sound is output based on the sound data that are stored in a distributed manner. At this time, the sound data in a CD-ROM are transferred to a RAM in a divisional manner. The sound data that have been transferred to the RAM are then transferred to a sound memory in a divisional manner. In this manner, even sound data of a long sentence can be read from the CD-ROM with a small number of times of access.

Abstract: A game program realizes a role playing game using cards with originality and amusement. In processing for selecting a scenario, a character is solicited to obtain three scenario cards in advance. Any of the scenario cards is selected from the three scenario cards according to operation of a player. When any of the scenario cards is selected, game development processing based on a scenario of the selected scenario card is executed. Subsequently, it is determined if conditions for clearing a scenario, for which the game development processing is executed, defined in the scenario in advance are met. The game development processing based on the scenario continues to be executed until the conditions for clearing the scenario are met. When the conditions for clearing the scenario are met, games based on scenarios of the remaining two scenario cards are developed.

Abstract: A video game program that allows a player to be involved in numerically setting a control value for controlling developments of an RPG is provided. The game program sets an initial range “1 to 5”, causes a computer to sequentially display numerical values in the set range for every fixed time, determines whether operation input is received from a keypad, if operation input is received form the keypad, compares operation input timing with display timing of each numerical value, detects a numerical value that is displayed at timing coinciding with the operation input timing, and sets the detected numerical value as a value of attacking power or recovery power. Therefore, a value of an attacking power or a recovery power is variably set according to timing of operation input performed by a player, and various game developments are provided for each player.

Abstract: A game apparatus determines a contact situation between a player character and an enemy character on a display screen (step S200), identifies a contact pattern for the determined contact situation (step S300), determines an arrangement pattern based on the contact pattern identified (step S400), and displays the characters in a battle scene according to the determined arrangement pattern.

Abstract: Upon issuance of a sound reproduction request, storage locations of sound data constituting a sentence are determined. A live commentary sound is output based on the sound data that are stored in a distributed manner. At this time, the sound data in a CD-ROM are transferred to a RAM in a divisional manner. The sound data that have been transferred to the RAM are then transferred to a sound memory in a divisional manner. In this manner, even sound data of a long sentence can be read from the CD-ROM with a small number of times of access.

Abstract: A source terminal adds to a message a header including a flag indicating whether the message is private communication and information for identifying a recipient of the message and sends the message to a server. The recipient terminal displays the message received from the server, to which the flag is added, along with information indicating that the message is a private communication.

Abstract: Disclosed is a computer readable medium capable of functioning an information processing apparatus without making a reading device to operate inefficiently. The recording medium comprises a main program storing area in which a main program for performing a game is recorded and a component recording area in which program components each of which is used for displaying a game character are consecutively recorded. The main program recorded in the main program storing area includes a routine for causing the reading device to read out a plurality of program components that are consecutively stored in the component recording area and for causing a control unit of the apparatus to store some of program components included in the plurality of program components read by the reading device into a memory.

Abstract: An electronic comic including at least one frame on each page, each of the frames having a balloon portion displaying words and a frame image, is viewed on a screen of a display device. The balloon portion and the frame image are stored as image data, and words displayed in the balloon portion are displayed as text data separately from the image data.

Abstract: A method of image display processing for a ball playing game such as a baseball game and a computer readable program product storing a program and video game system for a ball playing game, displaying the screen with an on-the-spot feeling. When converting a three-dimensional image to a two-dimensional image, depth data showing a depth position in a virtual three-dimensional space of the two-dimensional image is obtained and the two-dimensional image at the deeper side from the depth position of the ball of the ball playing game seen in the depth direction of the virtual three-dimensional space is made to become an unfocused image by referring to the depth data and performing blurring processing on the two-dimensional image of the image at the deeper side from the depth position of the ball.

Abstract: A network system and home appliance connected to a network effectively utilize data collected from home appliances to achieve more effective advertising and sales promotion using the home appliance. A home appliance (e.g., refrigerator) connects to a service center via a network. Benefit is provided to the consumer by reimbursing the consumer for the power consumed by refrigerator operation. When the consumer places something in the refrigerator, the consumer enters product information using a bar code scanner disposed to the refrigerator, and when removing something from the refrigerator enters the product name and amount used. This information is then sent to the service center, which by collecting information can accurately identify consumer lifestyle preferences. Advertising from a marketing company selected according to the consumer information can then be presented in a timely manner using a display or speakers disposed to the refrigerator.

Abstract: A control method for controlling execution of processing in a video game, the game being made to progress with display of an image timed to a reference signal supplied every unit cycle.

Abstract: The present invention has an object to permit change the progressing rate of time during a battle period in response to the skill and experience of the player in a game apparatus. The controller unit, upon detection of start of a battle between characters, changes the progressing rate of time during the battle period, from the progressing rate of time during a non-battle period in response to any of a plurality of pieces of rate information previously prepared for regulating the progressing rate of time during the battle period. The controller unit, the audio process unit and the graphics process unit adjust the executing timing of the character in response to the changed progressing rate of time during the battle period. As a result, when the progressing rate of time during the battle period is changed, it is possible to cause the character to execute an action in response to such a change.

Abstract: A network video game for allowing a player to easily grasp a relation between the player's own character and another character. A computer 1a capable of being connected with a server 116 via a network 100 decides whether or not a player's own character 201 manipulated by the computer, and another character 210 manipulated by another computer 1b and connected with the server 116 via the network 100 are in a predetermined relation. If it is decided that the player's own character and another character are in the predetermined relation, another character is displayed in a display mode according to the predetermined relation. The player may thus easily understand the relation between the player's own character and another character by confirming the display on another character.

Abstract: A scene in a virtual three-dimensional space is divided into multiple regions in accordance with the depth from a prescribed viewing point. Filtering levels are set for the respective divisional regions. Filtering processing is performed that imparts visual effects such as blurring to the respective regions of the scene in degrees corresponding to the respective filtering levels. A resulting scene is displayed on a display device. Since a single filtering level is determined for each of the regions obtained by dividing the scene in accordance with the depth and calculations are performed under common conditions on the pixels belonging to each region, the processing is relatively simple.

Abstract: A computer readable program product and method of controlling the display of a game three-dimensionally display an area showing the effective range of an attack when setting an attack. The data of a range area and effect area are set for each type of “magic” in advance. The range area of magic selected by a player is displayed on a screen at the time of a fight and an effect area is set by an input operation of the player at any position in the range area. The effect of the attack thus reaches the inside of the effect area by execution of the attack. The modes of the fight scene become more diverse and the tactical nature and interest of the game are thus enhanced.

Abstract: A method of blurred drawing processing for three-dimensional computer image processing and a computer readable program product storing a program and video game system for the same are provided which display a virtual three-dimensional space on a screen having the effect of a depth of field free from an unnatural feeling without increasing the load of the blurred drawing processing. That is, the effect is achieved without increasing the number of steps of blurring degree given in the depth direction of the virtual three-dimensional space. The invention converts a three-dimensional image to a two-dimensional image, and acquires depth data showing a depth position in the virtual three-dimensional space of the two-dimensional image. The invention also repeatedly performs blurring processing for blurring the two-dimensional image at the deeper side from a threshold value for each of a plurality of threshold values set in steps in the depth direction of the virtual three-dimensional space.

Abstract: An object display method for displaying an object from a direction of a viewpoint in a virtual three-dimensional space of a video game. The viewpoint and an object are arranged in a cylinder, on an inner surface of which a reflection image expressing the environment is provided, in accordance with predetermined rules or player operation. A partial area of the cylinder to be provided with a reflection image to be reflected on the object in accordance with the positions of the viewpoint and the object is judged. The image linked with the determined partial area of the cylinder combined with the image of the object is then displayed. The method may be incorporated into a computer readable program product that is associated with a display, for displaying an object, and a game console.

Abstract: A nonsense illegal character of a received message is completely avoided, and when the received message can not be correctly displayed, a notice that a language of the message is not supported is given to a user. Use language identification information is imparted to a header portion of a transmission frame of a message. Then, it is judged from the use language identification information whether a character code system corresponding to a language of a received character code string is a character code system supported by a computer. A message corresponding to the received character code string is generated in accordance with the character code system when the character code system is supported. On the other hand, when the character code system is not supported notice information indicating that a message can not be generated is displayed.