Message output device, message control method, program, and information recording medium

• US 20070111771A1
• Filed: 01/13/2005
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujimatsu, Shinya, Ihori, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,167,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/537 for exchanging game data using a messaging service, e.g. e-mail, SMS, MMS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting

Abstract

A battle situation detection unit (205) detects progress status of a battle controlled by a battle control unit (204) and winning and losing statuses of friend and enemy sides. An audio data acquisition unit (209) acquires audio data specified based on the progress status of the battle. The audio data acquisition unit (209) detects winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides at each predetermined timing, and acquires arbitrary matching audio data based on the detected winning and losing statuses. The audio data acquisition unit 209 sends the acquired audio data together with priority orders to a queue buffer (210). An audio output unit (212) reads out the audio data from the queue buffer (210) according to the priority orders, synthesizes an audio signal from the read-out audio data, and outputs audios from a predetermined speaker.

Claims

1. A message output device, comprising:

a battle control unit (204) which controls a battle between characters belonging to opposing friend and enemy sides in a virtual space based on a predetermined instruction input;

a message storage unit (208) which stores a plurality of messages matching winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides;

a winning and losing status detection unit (205) which detects winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides which change in accordance with progress of the battle controlled, at each predetermined timing;

a message acquisition unit (209) which acquires a message matching the detected winning and losing statuses; and

a message output unit (212) which outputs the acquired message.

2. A message output device, comprising:

a battle control unit (204) which controls a battle between characters belonging to opposing friend and enemy sides in a virtual space based on a predetermined instruction input;

a message storage unit (208) which stores a plurality of main messages matching progress statuses of the battle, and a plurality of sub messages matching winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides;

a main message acquisition unit (209) which acquires a main massage specified in accordance with progress of the battle controlled;

a sub message acquisition unit (209) which detects winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides which change in accordance with the progress of the battle controlled at each predetermined timing, and acquires an arbitrary sub message matching the detected winning and losing statuses; and

a message output unit (212) which outputs the acquired main message and sub message based on a predetermined condition.

3. The message output device according to claim 2,

wherein in a case where the main message and the sub message are acquired at a same time, said message output unit (212) outputs the main message preferentially.

4. The message output device according to claim 2,

wherein:

a priority order is set for each main message and each sub message; and

said message output unit (212) outputs the acquired main message and sub message in an order based on the priority orders.

5. The message output device according to claim 4,

wherein:

a life duration time is set at least for each sub message; and

said message output device further comprises a message deletion unit (211) which deletes any sub message whose life duration time has passed among the sub messages acquired.

6. A message control method utilizing a message storage unit (208), where said message storage unit (208) stores a plurality of main messages matching progress statuses of a battle, and a plurality of sub messages matching winning and losing statuses of friend and enemy sides, said method comprising:

a battle controlling step (S301) of controlling a battle between characters belonging to opposing friend and enemy sides in a virtual space based on a predetermined instruction input;

a main message acquiring step (S303) of acquiring a main message specified in accordance with progress of the battle controlled;

a sub message acquiring step (S303) of detecting winning and losing statuses of the battle which change in accordance with the progress of the battle controlled at each predetermined timing, and acquiring an arbitrary sub message matching the detected winning and losing statuses; and

a message outputting step (S306) of outputting the acquired main message and sub message based on a predetermined condition.

7. A program for controlling a computer to function as:

a battle control unit (204) which controls a battle between characters belonging to opposing friend and enemy sides in a virtual space based on a predetermined instruction input;

a message storage unit (208) which stores a plurality of main messages matching progress statuses of the battle, and a plurality of sub messages matching winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides;

a main message acquisition unit (209) which acquires a main massage specified in accordance with progress of the battle controlled;

a sub message acquisition unit (209) which detects winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides which change in accordance with the progress of the battle controlled at each predetermined timing, and acquires an arbitrary sub message matching the detected winning and losing statuses; and

a message output unit (212) which outputs the acquired main message and sub message based on a predetermined condition.

8. A computer-readable information recording medium storing a program for controlling a computer to function as:

a battle control unit (204) which controls a battle between characters belonging to opposing friend and enemy sides in a virtual space based on a predetermined instruction input;

a message storage unit (208) which stores a plurality of main messages matching progress statuses of the battle, and a plurality of sub messages matching winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides;

a main message acquisition unit (209) which acquires a main massage specified in accordance with progress of the battle controlled;

a sub message acquisition unit (209) which detects winning and losing statuses of the friend and enemy sides which change in accordance with the progress of the battle controlled at each predetermined timing, and acquires an arbitrary sub message matching the detected winning and losing statuses; and

a message output unit (212) which outputs the acquired main message and sub message based on a predetermined condition.