Abstract: The present invention provides a system that increases a user's control over character animation. Time-dependent signals are accepted from a user input device. The input is processed in real-time such that the user's input can be used to directly control the animation of an animated character. For example, the animation of a three-dimensional rendered character swinging a golf club in a golf game can be changed in mid-swing according to the user's operation of an input device. In general the system accepts user continuous and real-time user input. The user is given improved control and visual feedback on the movement being animated. One embodiment of the invention includes an analog input module, a control state machine module and an animation state machine module. The analog input module is configured to receive user analog input (e.g., from an analog joystick) related to animated character display and to normalize the user analog input to create a normalized user analog input.

Abstract: A method for enabling interaction with a shared game data file in a game device is provided. The method comprises: providing logic to perform one or more actions associated with the shared game data file; and providing logic to cause the game device to perform an action in the one or more actions with the shared game data file, the shared game data file allowing data associated with a first game in the shared game data file to affect actions in a second game.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system that increases a user's control over character animation. Time-dependent signals are accepted from a user input device. The input is processed in real-time such that the user's input can be used to directly control the animation of an animated character. For example, the animation of a three-dimensional rendered character swinging a golf club in a golf game can be changed in mid-swing according to the user's operation of an input device. In general the system accepts user continuous and real-time user input. The user is given improved control and visual feedback on the movement being animated. One embodiment of the invention includes an analog input module, a control state machine module and an animation state machine module. The analog input module is configured to receive user analog input (e.g., from an analog joystick) related to animated character display and to normalize the user analog input to create a normalized user analog input.

Abstract: In a video game, a player is allowed to create a character in the video game by selecting feature variables that define a character feature according to two or more target features and a feature variable. The target features can be are morph targets and the feature variable might represent relative distance of the player's desired feature relative to the morph targets. In a specific example, the player might be presented with two face shapes as morph targets and an input slider for a corresponding feature variable where the resulting face feature of the character matches one of the morph targets when the input slider is at one extreme, matches the other morph target when the input slider is at the other extreme and is a combination of the morph targets when the input slider is between the extremes. The character features might include face shape, height, weight, skin color, skin texture, body build, particular sports figures' faces, clothing, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, lips, hands, feet, etc.