Storage medium having game program stored therein and game apparatus

1. A computer-readable storage medium having a game program stored therein to be executed by a computer of a game apparatus for causing a display apparatus to display an image of a three-dimensional game space, said game apparatus including a controller device for operating a plurality of player-controllable characters which appear on the display apparatus as seen from a virtual camera positioned within the game space, any one of which player-controllable characters can be designated as an operation target selected character in response to an operation of the controller device by a player, said game program causing the computer to perform operations of:

designating one of the plurality of player-controllable characters as an operation target selected character at a start of a game;

causing the player-controllable operation target selected character to perform a motion in accordance with a motion operation as indicated by the player by operating said controller device, and causing non-selected player-controllable characters, which are player-controllable characters other than the player-controllable operation target selected character, to autonomously perform a motion based on a predetermined motion rule;

setting a position of the virtual camera in accordance with a position and orientation of the operation target selected character wherein the display apparatus displays an image of a partial area of the three-dimensional game space as seen by the virtual camera, and wherein a displayed view of the game space changes in accordance with a motion of the operation target selected character;

displaying an aiming cursor at a center position within the displayed image of the partial area of the three-dimensional game space as seen by the virtual camera;

in response to a predetermined operation of the controller device made by a player after the aiming cursor is made to coincide with a position of one of the non-selected player-controllable characters displayed on the display, changing a designation of a player-controllable character from an operation target selected character to a non-selected player-controllable character and setting the non-selected player-controllable character as a new operation target selected character; and

switching the position of the virtual camera to a new position and orientation associated with the new operation target selected character in response to setting said non-selected player-controllable character as the new player-controllable selected character, thus causing the display apparatus to display a view of a partial area of the three-dimensional game space as seen by the virtual camera from a new position and orientation.

2. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:

when changing a designation of a player-controllable operation target selected character, a non-selected player-controllable character which is first intersected by a line-of-sight within the displayed image of the partial area is determined as the non-selected player-controllable character designated by the cursor.

3. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein:

when causing a player-controllable operation target selected character to perform a motion, an orientation and position of the operation target selected character is controlled in accordance with an operation performed by the player through use of the controller device; and

an attack target is designated by making the displayed cursor position within the image of the partial area coincide with a displayed object.

4. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein when setting a position and orientation of the virtual camera, when there is a non-selected player-controllable character intersected by the line-of-sight, an image representing the non-selected player-controllable character which is intersected against by the line-of-sight is displayed.

5. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:

when setting a position and orientation of the virtual camera, a list of corresponding images respectively corresponding to the non-selected player-controllable characters including a non-selected player-controllable character outside the partial area is further displayed regardless of the setting of the virtual camera; and

the game program further causes the computer to perform operations of:

designating one of the corresponding images sequentially in accordance with a predetermined order, when a second operation by the player is performed; and

changing the current selected player-controllable character to a non-selected player-controllable character, when the first operation by the player is performed in the state where any one of the corresponding images is designated, and changing the non-selected player-controllable character represented by the designated corresponding image to a newly selected player-controllable character.

6. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5 , wherein the designated corresponding image is displayed over the image of the game space.

7. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5 , wherein in the setting a position of the virtual camera, a state image indicating the state of the non-selected player-controllable character represented by the designated corresponding image is displayed together with the designated corresponding image.

8. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:

when causing the operation target selected character to perform a motion, the motion of non-selected player-controllable characters are controlled based on one of a plurality of predetermined motion rules; and

the game program further causes the computer to change the motion rule for a particular non-selected player-controllable character to a predetermined motion rule, when the aiming cursor is made to coincide with the particular non-selected player-controllable character and the player performs a predetermined operation using the controller device.

9. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:

when setting a position of the virtual camera, a list of corresponding images respectively corresponding to the non-selected player-controllable characters including a non-selected player-controllable character outside the partial area is further displayed regardless of the setting of the virtual camera; and

the game program further causes the computer to perform operations of:

designating one of the corresponding images sequentially in accordance with a predetermined order, when a second operation by the player is performed; and

changing a motion rule for a non-selected player-controllable character represented by the designated corresponding image to the predetermined motion rule, when a third operation by the player is performed in the state where any one of the corresponding images is designated.

10. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein:

the game program further causes the computer to cause the operation target selected character to perform a predetermined motion in accordance with a motion instruction operation by the player;

the motion instruction operation is identical to an operation performed in changing a designation of a player-controllable character as a selected character to a non-selected player-controllable character; and

when causing a player-controllable operation target selected character to perform a predetermined motion, the selected character performs a predetermined motion under a condition that none of the non-selected player-controllable characters is designated by making a cursor position on the display coincide with the position of the selected character.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having the game program according to claim 1 ,

wherein the display apparatus displays a cursor within the image of the partial area displayed by the virtual camera and a position of the cursor is moved in response to an operation of the controller device by a player, and

wherein the selection of the player-controllable selected character is received in response to an operation of the controller device by a player which results in making the cursor position on the display coincide with the position of the player-controllable selected character displayed on the display.

12. A game apparatus having a computer and being connected to a display apparatus to display an image of a three-dimensional game space, said game apparatus including a controller device for operating a plurality of player-controllable characters, any one of which can be designated as selected character by a player, and which appear on the display apparatus as seen from a virtual camera positioned within the game space, said game apparatus comprising:

selected character designating programmed logic circuitry configured to automatically designate one of the plurality of player-controllable characters as a player-controllable selected character at a start of a game;

motion control programmed logic circuitry configured to cause a player-controllable selected character to perform a motion in accordance with a motion operation as indicated by the player by operating said controller device, and to cause non-selected player-controllable characters, which are player-controllable characters other than the designated one player-controllable selected character, to autonomously perform a motion based on a predetermined motion rule;

first display control programmed logic circuitry configured to set a position of the virtual camera within the game space in accordance with a position and orientation of the player-controllable selected character and causing the display apparatus to display an image of a partial area of the three-dimensional game space as seen by the virtual camera, and further causing the display apparatus to display a changing view of the game space in accordance with a motion of the player-controllable selected character;

cursor display programmed logic circuitry configured to display an aiming cursor at a center position within the image of the partial area of the three-dimensional game space as seen by the virtual camera;

attack target designation programmed logic circuitry configured to designate a displayed enemy object as an attack target in response to a predetermined operation of the controller device once the aiming cursor position on the display is made to coincide with a position of the displayed enemy object on the display;

player-controllable character designation-change programmed logic circuitry configured to change a designation of a player-controllable character from a player-controllable selected character to a non-selected player-controllable character, and to set a non-selected player-controllable character as a new player-controllable selected character in response to a predetermined operation of the controller device by a player once the aiming cursor position is made to coincide with a position of a non-selected player-controllable character on the display; and

second display control programmed logic circuitry configured to switch the position and orientation of the virtual camera to a new position and orientation associated with the new player-controllable selected character in response to setting said non-selected player-controllable character as the new player-controllable character and thus causing the display apparatus to display a view of a partial area of the three-dimensional game space as seen by the virtual camera from the new position and orientation.