Title: Driving games method for automatically controlled cars

Abstract: In a race car type video game one or more manually controlled player cars race against automatic computer controlled "drone" cars whose courses are controlled by direction vectors associated with cells into which the entire track is divided. The relationship of the cars direction and angular orientation or rotation with respect to the vector is controlled in a manner to provide cumulative minor response variations so that the drone car path may change for each circuit of the track. In an alternate game the drone cars by themselves may be controlled in speed only by competing players (with the computer by the use of the direction vectors controlling steering) to simulate a mechanical slotted track racing game where the car can be skidded from one "slot" to another.

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Other info:

Inventors: Rains, Lyle V. (San Jose, CA, US)

Application Number: 834702
Filing Date: 1977-09-19
Publication_date: 1979-04-10
Assignee: Atari, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA)
Primary Class(es): 463/6 463/31
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

3777410	Dec, 1973	Robinson	35/9.
3874669	Apr, 1975	Ariano	273/85.
4016362	Apr, 1977	Bristow et al.	273/DIG.
4026555	Mar, 1977	Kirschner et al.	273/102.
4034983	Jul, 1977	Dash et al.	273/85.
4045789	Aug, 1977	Bristow	273/DIG.
4053740	Oct, 1977	Rosenthal	364/900.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Hum, Vance Y.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Townsend and Townsend