text: This invention relates to a driving game machine for displaying a three-dimensional image which changes when a car is simulatively driven by the operation of a player on a display monitor in real time and also to a storage medium for storing such a driving game program.
  Driving game machines in which a player seats on a seat provided with an operation unit including a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal and the like as in a driver""s seat of an automotive vehicle and a car is simulatively driven within a screen by operating the operation unit while viewing a three-dimensional image displayed on the display monitor have been spread. In these driving game machines, on the road of the screen are displayed, in addition to a car driven by the player (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cplayer""s carxe2x80x9d), computer-controlled rival cars which are competitors of the player""s car, computer-controlled general cars (cars not participating in the race) which function as simple obstacles, and a communications car controlled by an other player in the case that a data communication with an other driving game machine is possible. The player enjoys the game by passing other cars by driving his car on a three-dimensionally configured road having curves and elevations at high speed.
  However, among the conventional driving game machines, there is no such one with which a player can freely choose a running course between predetermined start and goal points. In other words, the respective cars run on a predetermined race track or on a predetermined course in a town. In some conventional driving game machines, the running course is merely preliminary provided with a route to enter a pit.
  It is an object of the present invention to provide a driving game machine and a game program storage medium which have overcome the problems residing in the prior art.
  According to an aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine comprises operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means; and display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance. The road has a start point and a goal point, and a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with a plurality of branched roads in its intermediate positions. The player""s car control means causes the player""s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means.
  According to another aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine capable of affording a competition between a player""s car and a rival car, the driving game machine comprises: operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means; rival car control means for controlling the running of a rival car on the road; and display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance. The road has a start point and a goal point, and a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with a plurality of branched roads in its intermediate positions. The player""s car control means causes the player""s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means.
  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine comprises: operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; three-dimensional data storage means for storing coordinate data of a three-dimensional road which are set in a three-dimensional coordinate system within a game space; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on the three-dimensional road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means; general car control means for controlling the running of a plurality of general cars on the three-dimensional road; display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view by applying a three-dimensional image processing; and position determination means for determining a positional relationship between the player""s car and the general cars, the position determination means determining the positional relationship using only two-dimensional coordinate data.
  According to yet still another aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine for displaying an image changeable with simulative driving of a car on a road set within a game space on a display monitor in real time, comprises: road data storage means for storing coordinate data of the road; player""s car control means for controlling the running of the player""s car according to a player""s operation; and map display processing means for displaying a map showing the entire road on the display monitor on the basis of the running direction of the player""s car.
  According to further aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine comprises: operation means including a steering wheel for changing the orientation of a car, an accelerator pedal for accelerating the car, a brake pedal for decelerating the car, and a side brake for locking the rear wheels of the car to generate an operation signal in accordance with player""s operation of them; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on a road set in a game space in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means. The player""s car control means includes: steering wheel operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the steering wheel; accelerator pedal operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the accelerator pedal; brake pedal operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the brake pedal; side brake operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the side brake; car speed calculation means for calculating the car speed based on the detected operated amounts of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal; and lock condition determination means for determining whether the lock condition is satisfied using the calculated car speed and the detected operated amount of the side brake; lock condition storage means for storing a predetermined lock condition under which the rear wheels are locked according to a car speed and an operated amount of the side brake; and display processing means for displaying an image corresponding to the running of the player""s car by applying an image processing.
  According to still further aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine for displaying an image which is changeable with simulative driving of a car on a road set within a game space on a display monitor in real time, comprises: operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; road data storage means for storing coordinate data of the road; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means; rival car control means for controlling the running of a rival car on the road; display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view on the display monitor; contact determination means for determining whether the player""s car and the rival car have contacted; and target display control means for displaying on the display monitor a target representation indicating that either one of the player""s car and the rival car is target, the target display control means switching the target representation from one of the player""s car and the rival car to the other when there is discriminated to be a contact between the player""s car and the rival car.
  According to yet still further aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine for displaying an image which is changeable with simulative driving of a car on a road set within a game space on a display monitor in real time, comprises: a plurality of operation units respectively provided for a plurality of players, each operation unit for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; road data storage means for storing coordinate data of the road; player""s car control means for controlling the running of player""s cars corresponding to the plurality of players on the road in accordance with operation signals from the plurality of operation units, respectively; display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view on the display monitor; contact determination means for determining whether player""s cars have contacted to one another; and target display control means for displaying on the display monitor a target representation indicating that one of the player""s cars is target, the target display control means switching the target representation from one of player""s cars to another when there is discriminated to be a contact between player""s cars.
  According to yet still further aspect of the present invention, a computer readable storage medium storing a driving game program which render a computer to execute a procedure that a player""s car simulatively runs on a road set within a game space in accordance with an operation signal from operation means operable by a player, and an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view is displayed on the display monitor, the road including a start point and a goal point which defines a running course which has a plurality of branched roads in intermediate positions thereof, the driving game program comprises: a control step of controlling the player""s car to run at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads in a direction in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means.
  These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.