SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING A VOCAL EXPERIENCE FOR A PLAYER OF A RHYTHM ACTION GAME

• US 20090075711A1
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lesser, Ryan, Brosius, Eric, Kay, Robert, Schmidt, Daniel, Egozy, Eran, LoPiccolo, Gregory B.
• Application Number:
  US12/140,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20090075711A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/348 Switches actuated by parts of the body other than fingers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/368 displaying animated or moving pictures synchronized with the music or audio part
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/091 for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/155 Musical effects
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/135 Musical aspects of games or videogames; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces game background music G10H2210/026; musical game scoring or performance evaluation G10H2210/091
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/145 : Multiplayer musical games, e.g. karaoke-like multiplayer videogames
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/175 : for jam sessions or musical collaboration through a network, e.g. for composition, ensemble playing or repeating; Compensation of network or internet delays therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 : Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 : Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/435 : Gensound percussion, i.e. generating or synthesising the sound of a percussion instrument; Control of specific aspects of percussion sounds, e.g. harmonics, under the influence of hitting force, hitting position, settings or striking instruments such as mallet, drumstick, brush, hand spint percussion G10H2230/231
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/441 : Gensound string, i.e. generating the sound of a string instrument, controlling specific features of said sound spint piano G10H2230/065; spint stringed instruments G10H2230/075
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/146 : using a membrane, e.g. a drum; Pick-up means for vibrating surfaces, e.g. housing of an instrument

Abstract

A method for combining vocal cues and percussion cues for a player of a rhythm action game during a song comprises: displaying, in a rhythm action game, a lane comprising cues corresponding to a vocal track of a song; displaying, on the lane during the song, at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song; evaluating, with a first gameplay mechanic, a player'"'"'s performance with respect to the cues corresponding to a vocal elements; and evaluating, with a second gameplay mechanic, the player'"'"'s performance with respect to the cues corresponding to the percussion element. Such a method may be used to keep a vocalist engaged during portions of a song with no vocals.

Claims

1. A method for combining vocal cues and percussion cues for a player of a rhythm action game during a song, the method comprising:

a. displaying, in a rhythm action game, a lane comprising cues corresponding to a vocal track of a song; and

b. displaying, on the lane during the song, at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the percussion elements are selected from the group of tambourine, cowbell, and hand clapping.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

c. evaluating, with a first gameplay mechanic, a player'"'"'s performance with respect to the cues corresponding to a vocal track; and

d. evaluating, with a second gameplay mechanic, the player'"'"'s performance with respect to the cues corresponding to the percussion element.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first gameplay mechanic comprises scoring a player'"'"'s approximation of a target musical pitch, and the second gameplay mechanic comprises scoring a player'"'"'s timing of a burst input into the microphone.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein step (d) further comprises detecting that a microphone has been struck.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the vocal track comprises the lead vocal track of the song.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises displaying, on the lane during a portion of the song with no lead vocals, at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cues corresponding to vocal track comprise cues indicating words and pitch of the vocal track.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising not penalizing a player for failing to respond to the at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song is visually distinguishable from the cues corresponding to a vocal track of a song.

11. Computer readable media having executable code for combining vocal cues and percussion cues for a player of a rhythm action game during a song, the computer readable media comprising:

executable code for displaying, in a rhythm action game, a lane comprising cues corresponding to a vocal track of a song; and

executable code for displaying, on the lane during the song, at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song.

12. The computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the percussion elements are selected from the group of tambourine, cowbell, and hand clapping.

13. The computer readable media of claim 11, further comprising:

executable code for evaluating, with a first gameplay mechanic, a player'"'"'s performance with respect to the cues corresponding to a vocal elements; and

executable code for evaluating, with a second gameplay mechanic, a player'"'"'s performance with respect to the cues corresponding to the percussion element.

14. The computer readable media of claim 13, wherein the first gameplay mechanic comprises scoring a player'"'"'s approximation of a target musical pitch, and the second gameplay mechanic comprises scoring a player'"'"'s timing of a burst input into the microphone.

15. The computer readable media of claim 13, further comprising executable code for detecting that the microphone has been struck.

16. The computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the vocal track comprises the lead vocal track of the song.

17. The computer readable media of claim 11, further comprising executable code for displaying, on the lane during a portion of the song with no lead vocals, at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song.

18. The computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the cues corresponding to vocal track comprise cues indicating words and pitch of the vocal track.

19. The computer readable media of claim 11, further comprising executable code for not penalizing the player for failing to respond to the at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song.

20. The computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the at least one cue corresponding to a percussion element of the song is visually distinguishable from the cues corresponding to a vocal track of a song.

21. A method for providing improvisational vocal sections of a song during a rhythm action game, the method comprising:

a. identifying that a value associated with a vocalist'"'"'s performance of a song in a rhythm action game exceeds a first predetermined threshold;

b. providing, in response to the identifying, a vocal improvisational section during the song;

c. determining, that sound data from a microphone assigned to the vocalist exceeds a second predetermined threshold during the improvisational section; and

d. deploying, in response to the determining, a bonus.