SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING VIDEO GAME CONTENT

• US 20090165632A1
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rigopulos, Alex, Egozy, Eran
• Application Number:
  US12/396,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20090165632A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/135 Musical aspects of games or videogames; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/325 Synchronizing two or more audio tracks or files according to musical features or musical timings

Abstract

Systems and methods for a creating a music-based video game are described as is a portable music and video device housing a memory for storing executable instructions and a processor for executing the instructions. Creating video game content using musical content supplied from a source other than the game includes analyzing musical content to identify at least one musical event extant in the musical event; determining a salient musical property associated with the at least one identified event; and creating a video game event synchronized to the at least one identified musical event and reflective of the determined salient musical property associated with the at least one identified event.

Claims

1-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A method for dynamically creating video game content on a server computer for play on a portable game playing device, using musical content from a source other than the game, the method comprising:

(a) analyzing musical content on the server computer to identify at least one musical event extant in the musical content, wherein the server computer possesses substantially greater processing power than the portable game playing device;

(b) determining a salient musical property of the at least one identified musical event;

(c) creating a video game event synchronized to the at least one musical event and reflective of the determined salient musical property associated with the at least one identified musical event;

(d) storing video game data representing the video game event, the video game data corresponding to the identified musical event of which the game event is reflective; and

(e) transmitting the video game data to the portable game playing device, wherein the portable game playing device has limited processing power sufficient to play the video game content.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein step (a) comprises analyzing musical content to identify the occurrence of a musical section change.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein step (c) comprises creating a video game event synchronized to the occurrence of the musical section change.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein step (a) comprises analyzing musical content to identify the occurrence of a musical phrase.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein step (c) comprises creating a video game event synchronized to the occurrence of the musical phrase.

42. The method of claim 37 wherein step (b) comprises determining the timbre of the at least one identified event.

43. The method of claim 37 wherein step (b) comprises determining the pitch range associated with the at least one identified event.

44. The method of claim 37 wherein step (b) comprises determining the loudness associated with the at least one identified event.

45. The method of claim 37 wherein the video game data is used to alter a visual property of the video game content responsive to the determined salient musical property associated with the identified musical event.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the determined salient musical property is loudness.

47. The method of claim 45 wherein the determined salient musical property is timbre.

48. The method of claim 45 wherein the determined salient musical property is frequency distribution.

49. The method of claim 45 wherein the visual property is brightness.

50. The method of claim 45 wherein the visual property is color.

51. The method of claim 45 wherein the visual property is animations.

52. In a portable device for playing music and games housing a memory for storing executable instructions and a processor for executing the stored instructions, a method for playing video game content based on musical content from a source other than the game, the method comprising:

(a) receiving game data generated by a server computer with substantially greater processing power than the portable device, the game data comprising a game event synchronized to, and reflective of, a musical event extant in the musical content and storing the game data in the memory of the portable device;

(b) retrieving, from a file stored in the memory of the portable device, data representing musical content;

(c) retrieving, from the game data, a game event synchronized to, and reflective of, a musical event extant in the musical content;

(d) reproducing the musical event of the musical content of which the game event is reflective; and

(e) substantially simultaneously displaying, on the portable device, the retrieved game event as part of a graphical user interface for a game.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein the graphical user interface comprises a three-dimensional display in which a musical time axis does not lie in the image plane of the display of the portable device.

54. The method of claim 52 further comprising receiving player input.

55. The method of claim 54 further comprising filtering the audio output of the game responsive to the received player input.

56. The method of claim 54 further comprising adjusting the volume of the audio output of the game responsive to the received player input.

57. The method of claim 54 further comprising applying an audio effect to the audio output of the game responsive to the received player input, the effect selected from the group of reverberation, delay, echo, flange, phase, and attack modification.

58. A computer program product for playing video game content based on musical content from a source other than the game, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product including instructions operable to cause a portable game playing device to:

retrieve, from a file stored in the memory of the portable game playing device, data representing musical content;

retrieve a game event synchronized to, and reflective of, a musical event extant in musical content, the game event retrieved from game data generated by a computer possessing substantially greater processing power than the portable game playing device, transmitted to the portable game playing device, and stored in the memory of the portable game playing device;

reproduce the musical event of the musical content of which the game event is reflective; and

substantially simultaneously display, on the portable game playing device, the retrieved game event as part of a graphical user interface for a game;

wherein the portable game playing device has limited processing power sufficient to play the video game content.

59. The computer program product of claim 58 wherein the processing power of the portable game playing device is insufficient to create the second file in real time.

60. The computer program product of claim 58 wherein substantially simultaneously displaying the retrieved game event displays the retrieved game event as part of a graphical user interface for a game comprising a three-dimensional display in which a musical time axis does not lie in the image plane of the display of the portable device.

61. The computer program product of claim 58 further including instructions operable to cause a portable game playing device to receive player input.

62. The computer program product of claim 61 further including instructions operable to cause a portable game playing device to filter the audio output of the game responsive to the received player input.

63. The computer program product of claim 61 further including instructions operable to cause a portable game playing device to adjust the volume of the audio output of the game responsive to the received player input.

64. The computer program product of claim 61 further including instructions operable to cause a portable game playing device to apply an audio effect to the audio output of the game responsive to the received player input, the effect selected from the group of reverberation, delay, echo, flange, phase, and attack modification.

65. The computer program of claim 61 wherein the player input is received via a clickwheel.

66. A method for dynamically creating video game content on a server computer for play on a portable game playing device, using musical content from a source other than the game, the method comprising:

(a) analyzing musical content on the server computer to identify at least one musical event extant in the musical content, wherein the server computer possesses substantially greater processing power than the portable game playing device;

(b) creating a video game event synchronized to the at least one musical event;

(c) storing video game data suitable for download to the portable game playing device, the video game data corresponding to the identified musical event of which the game event is reflective; and

(d) transmitting the video game data to the portable game playing device.

67. The method of claim 66 further comprising determining a salient musical property of the at least one identified musical event.

68. The method of claim 67 wherein step (b) comprises creating a video game event reflective of the determined salient property associated with the at least one musical event.