COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM STORING GAME PROGRAM, AND GAME APPARATUS

• US 20090163282A1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kanata, Ryosuke, Nakano, Yoshinobu, Masuda, Takumi, Nishimura, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,498,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition

Abstract

A game apparatus detects an input position, on an input plane, at which an input operation has been performed. The game apparatus also detects an operation sound that occurs due to the input operation performed on the input plane. The game apparatus evaluates the detected operation sound, and obtains a result of the evaluation (e.g., volume of the operation sound). The game apparatus performs game processing by using the detected input position and the result of the evaluation. This enables the game apparatus to perform more complex processing by using a touch operation as input information, and allows a player to provide more complex instructions based on the touch operation.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a game program to be executed by a computer of a game apparatus comprising:

an input device having an input plane on which an input operation is performed; and

a microphone, the game program causing the computer to perform;

an input position obtaining step of obtaining, from the input device, an input position on which the input operation has been performed;

a first operation sound obtaining step of obtaining, from the microphone, an operation sound occurring due to the input operation; and

a game process step of performing a game process by using the input position obtained at the input position obtaining step and the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step.

2. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 1, the game program further causing the computer to perform a feature information calculation step of calculating, by performing a predetermined calculation process on the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step, feature information indicating a feature of the operation sound, wherein

at the game process step, the computer performs the game process by using the input position obtained at the input position obtaining step and the feature information, and

at the feature information calculation step, the computer changes a detail of the predetermined calculation process in accordance with the input position obtained at the input position obtaining step.

3. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 2, wherein the feature information calculation step includes:

a filter determining step of determining, based on the input position, a characteristic of a filter to be used at the predetermined calculation process;

a filtering process step of performing a filtering process on a signal of the operation sound, by using the determined characteristic of the filter; and

a feature calculation step of calculating the feature information from the operation sound on which the filtering process has been performed.

4. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 3, wherein at the filter determining step, the computer determines, based on the input position, a frequency passband of the filter to be used.

5. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 2, wherein the feature information calculation step includes:

a rate determining step of determining, based on the input position, an amplification rate for amplifying a signal of the operation sound;

an amplifying process step of performing a process for amplifying the signal of the operation sound by using the determined amplification rate; and

a feature calculation step of calculating, from the operation sound on which the process for amplifying the signal of the operation sound has been performed, volume of the operation sound, as the feature information.

6. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 2, the game program further causing the computer to perform:

an instruction step of instructing a user to perform an input operation on the input plane;

a second operation sound obtaining step of obtaining, from the microphone, an operation sound occurring due to the input operation that is performed, in response to an instruction provided at the instruction step, on a position within a predetermined area of the input plane;

a process determining step of determining, based on the operation sound obtained at the second operation sound obtaining step, a detail of the predetermined calculation process that is to be performed when an input operation is performed on a position within the predetermined area; and

a storing step of generating and storing association data that associates the predetermined area with the determined detail of the predetermined calculation process, wherein

at the feature information calculation step, when the input position is within the predetermined area, the computer performs the predetermined calculation process in accordance with the detail of the predetermined calculation process, which detail is associated with the predetermined area by the association data.

7. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 2, the game program further causing the computer to perform:

an instruction step of instructing a user to perform an input operation on the input plane;

a second operation sound obtaining step of obtaining, from the microphone, an operation sound occurring due the input operation that is performed, in response to an instruction provided at the instruction step, on a position within a predetermined area of the input plane; and

a storing step of generating and storing association data that associates the predetermined area with the operation sound obtained at the second operation sound obtaining step, wherein

at the feature information calculation step, when the input position is within the predetermined area, the computer selects the operation sound that is associated with the predetermined area by the association data, and performs, as the predetermined calculation process, a process for comparing the selected operation sound with the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step.

8. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 1, wherein

at the game process step, the computer determines whether or not the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step satisfies a predetermined standard, and when the operation sound satisfies the predetermined standard, the computer performs the game process using the input position obtained at the input position obtaining step, and

a determination whether or not the operation sound satisfies the predetermined standard is performed such that different reference values are used depending on the input position obtained at the input position obtaining step.

9. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 8, the game program further causing the computer to perform:

an instruction step of instructing a user to perform an input operation on the input plane;

a second operation sound obtaining step of obtaining, from the microphone, an operation sound occurring due to the input operation that is performed, in response to an instruction provided at the instruction step, on a position within a predetermined area of the input plane;

a reference value setting step of setting, based on the operation sound obtained at the second operation sound obtaining step, a reference value which is to be used for the determination when an input operation is performed on a position within the predetermined area; and

a storing step of generating and storing association data which associates the predetermined area with the reference value set at the reference value setting step, wherein

at the game process step, when the input position is within the predetermined area, the computer uses the reference value which is associated with the predetermined area by the association data.

10. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 1, the game program further causing the computer to perform a feature information calculation step of calculating, by performing a predetermined calculation process on the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step, feature information indicating a feature of the operation sound, wherein

the feature information calculation step includes:

a fundamental step of calculating, by performing the predetermined calculation process, the feature information indicating the feature of the operation sound; and

a correction step of correcting the feature information in accordance with the input position.

11. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 10, wherein at the fundamental step, the computer calculates, as the feature information, volume of the operation sound.

12. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 1, wherein at the game process step, the computer performs, based on the input position obtained at the input position obtaining step and the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step, the game process for causing a controlled object to perform a predetermined action.

13. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 12, wherein

the input device has the input plane set on a display screen that displays a predetermined game image,

the game program further causing the computer to perform an object display step of displaying a first object on the display screen, wherein

the game process step further includes:

a determination step of determining, when the input position obtained at the input position obtaining step and a display position of the first object are in a predetermined relationship, whether or not to cause a second object, which is same as or different from the first object, to perform the predetermined action; and

an action control step of causing, when the determination step has determined to cause the second object to perform the predetermined action, the second object to perform an action corresponding to the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step.

14. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 12, wherein

the input device has the input plane set on a display screen that displays a predetermined game image,

the game program further causing the computer to perform an object display step of displaying a first object on the display screen, wherein

the game process step further includes:

an object specifying step of specifying, when the input position obtained at the input position obtaining step and a display position of the first object are in a predetermined relationship, a second object which is same as or different from the first object; and

an action control step of causing the second object specified at the object specifying step to perform an action corresponding to the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step.

15. The computer readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 12, wherein

the input device has the input plane set on a display screen that displays a predetermined game image,

the game program further causing the computer to perform an object display step of displaying the controlled object on the display screen, wherein

the game process step further includes:

a first parameter determining step of determining, based on the input position, a value of a first game parameter relating to the predetermined action of the controlled object; and

a second parameter determining step of determining, based on the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step, a value of a second game parameter that is different from the first game parameter and which relates to the predetermined action of the controlled object.

16. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 13, wherein at the game process step, the computer determines, based on volume of the operation sound, an amount of the action of the second object.

17. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 13, wherein at the game process step, the computer determines, based on the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step, a type of the action of the second object.

18. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 1, wherein at the game process step, the computer specifies, based on the input position, a position in a game space, and determines, based on the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step, a detail of an effect to be provided to the game space in the specified position.

19. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 18, wherein at the game process step, the computer determines a degree of the effect in accordance with volume of the operation sound.

20. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 18, wherein at the game process step, the computer determines a type of the effect in accordance with the operation sound obtained at the first operation sound obtaining step.

21. The computer-readable storage medium storing the game program, according to claim 1, wherein

the first operation sound obtaining step includes:

a detection step of detecting an input performed on the input plane; and

an obtaining execution step of obtaining, as the operation sound, a sound which is detected by the microphone at a timing that is set in relation to a point when the detection step detects the input.

22. A game apparatus comprising:

an input position detecting mechanism which detects an input position, on an input plane, at which an input operation has been performed;

an operation sound detecting mechanism which detects an operation sound that occurs due to the input operation performed on the input plane; and

a game process performing mechanism which performs a game process by using the input position and the operation sound obtained by the operation sound detecting mechanism.