Audio and animation blending

• US 20110306397A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fleming, James, Flury, Marc A., Tate, Dean N., Boch, Matthew C., Adams, Isaac, Kim, Riseon, Sato, Sachi
• Application Number:
  US12/940,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20110306397A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• 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 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

Presented herein are methods, apparatuses, programs, and systems for providing a smooth animation transition in a game. An event timeline is provided with event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline. Each event marker is associated with an animation segment from the number of animation segments. A first marker on the event timeline is provided, which indicates a first animation segment to be displayed on the display (at a point in time with respect to event timeline). A second marker on the event timeline is also provided, which indicates a second animation segment to be displayed on the display (at a second point in time with respect to event timeline). Then as the game progresses, and the second point time on the timeline is approaching, a set of animation segments that need to be blended together is determined, to provide a smooth transition from the first animation segment to the second animation segment. Once the set of animations have been determined, a blend is performed among the set of animation segments.

Claims

1. A method, executed on a game platform, for providing a smooth animation transition in a game comprising:

(a) providing, during play of the game, an event timeline comprising event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline, each event marker associated with an animation segment from a plurality of animation segments;

(b) providing a first marker on the event timeline indicating a first animation segment to be displayed on the display at a first time with respect to event timeline and a second marker on the event timeline indicating a second animation segment to be displayed on the display at a second time with respect to event timeline;

(c) determining, during play of the game, that the second time is approaching;

(d) determining a set of animation segments to be blended together to provide a smooth transition from the first animation segment to the second animation segment; and

(e) blending among the set of animation segments based on the determination made in step (d).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of animation segments to be blended comprises the first animation segment and the second animation segment and blending comprises blending at least some of the first animation segment with at least some of the second animation segment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of animation segments to be blended comprises the first animation segment, a bridge animation segment, and the second animation segment, and blending comprises blending at least a some of the first animation segment with at least some of the bridge animation segment and blending at least some of the bridge animation segment with at least some of the second animation segment.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

before the first time, judging a first player'"'"'s performance of the game; and

at and after the second time, judging a second player'"'"'s performance of the game.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second animation segment is determined based on a difficulty of the game.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the set of animation segments to be blended comprises determining if there is a bridge animation segment in a table, where the bridge animation segment is looked up based on the first animation segment and the second animation segment.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first marker and the second marker are associated with the same animation.

8. A method, executed on a game platform, for providing smooth audio transitions in a song comprising:

(a) providing, during play of a game, an event timeline comprising event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline, the event timeline associated with an audio track played during play of the game, the audio track comprising a first audio segment and a second audio segment;

(b) providing a first marker on the event timeline indicating a first time associated with the first audio segment and a second marker on the event timeline indicating a second time with respect to the event timeline associated with the second audio segment;

(c) determining, during play of the game, that the second time is approaching;

(d) determining a set of audio segments to be blended to transition from the first audio segment to the second audio segment; and

(e) blending among the set of audio segments based on the determination made in step (d).

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the set of audio segments to be blended comprises the first audio segment and the second audio segment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein blending among the first audio segment and the second audio segment comprises crossfading from at least some of the first audio segment to at least some of the second audio segment.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the set of audio segments to be blended comprises the first audio segment, a bridge audio segment, and the second audio segment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein blending among the first audio segment, the bridge audio segment, and the second audio segment comprises:

crossfading from at least some of the first audio segment to at least some of the bridge audio segment; and

crossfading from at least some of the bridge audio segment to at least some of the second audio segment.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein blending among the first audio segment, the bridge audio segment, and the second audio segment comprises muting at least some of the first audio segment, playing at least some of the bridge audio segment, and muting at least some of the second audio segment.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein muting at least some of the first audio segment, playing at least some of the bridge audio segment, and muting at least some of the second audio segment comprises muting the first audio segment for its final beat, muting the second audio segment for its first two beats, and playing the bridge audio segment for three beats during the muted last beat of the first audio segment and muted first two beats of the muted second audio segment.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the first marker and the second marker are associated with the same audio segment.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the first marker and the second marker are associated with the same audio segment.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein determining the set of audio segments to be blended comprises determining if there is a bridge audio segment in a table, where the bridge audio segment is looked up based on the first audio segment and the second audio segment.

18. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for providing a smooth animation transition in a game, the computer program product including instructions being operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

(a) provide, during play of the game, an event timeline comprising event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline, each event marker associated with an animation segment from a plurality of animation segments;

(b) provide a first marker on the event timeline indicating a first animation segment to be displayed on the display at a first time with respect to event timeline and a second marker on the event timeline indicating a second animation segment to be displayed on the display at a second time with respect to event timeline;

(c) determine, during play of the game, that the second time is approaching;

(d) determine a set of animation segments to be blended together to provide a smooth transition from the first animation segment to the second animation segment; and

(e) blend among the set of animation segments based on the determination made in step (d).

19. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for providing smooth audio transitions in a song, the computer program product including instructions being operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

(a) provide, during play of a game, an event timeline comprising event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline, the event timeline associated with an audio track played during play of the game, the audio track comprising a first audio segment and a second audio segment;

(b) provide a first marker on the event timeline indicating a first time associated with the first audio segment and a second marker on the event timeline indicating a second time with respect to the event timeline associated with the second audio segment;

(c) determine, during play of the game, that the second time is approaching;

(d) determine a set of audio segments to be blended to transition from the first audio segment to the second audio segment; and

(e) blend among the set of audio segments based on the determination made in step (d).

20. An apparatus for providing a smooth animation transition in a game, the apparatus comprising:

(a) means for providing, during play of the game, an event timeline comprising event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline, each event marker associated with an animation segment from a plurality of animation segments;

(b) means for providing a first marker on the event timeline indicating a first animation segment to be displayed on the display at a first time with respect to event timeline and a second marker on the event timeline indicating a second animation segment to be displayed on the display at a second time with respect to event timeline;

(c) means for determining, during play of the game, that the second time is approaching;

(d) means for determining a set of animation segments to be blended together to provide a smooth transition from the first animation segment to the second animation segment; and

(e) means for blending among the set of animation segments based on the determination made by element (d).

21. An apparatus for providing smooth audio transitions in a song, the apparatus comprising:

(a) means for providing, during play of a game, an event timeline comprising event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline, the event timeline associated with an audio track played during play of the game, the audio track comprising a first audio segment and a second audio segment;

(b) means for providing a first marker on the event timeline indicating a first time associated with the first audio segment and a second marker on the event timeline indicating a second time with respect to the event timeline associated with the second audio segment;

(c) means for determining, during play of the game, that the second time is approaching;

(d) means for determining a set of audio segments to be blended to transition from the first audio segment to the second audio segment; and

(e) means for blending among the set of audio segments based on the determination made by element (d).

22. A system for providing a smooth animation transition in a game, the system comprising:

a display; and

a game platform configured to;

(a) provide, during play of the game, an event timeline comprising event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline, each event marker associated with an animation segment from a plurality of animation segments;

(b) provide a first marker on the event timeline indicating a first animation segment to be displayed on the display at a first time with respect to event timeline and a second marker on the event timeline indicating a second animation segment to be displayed on the display at a second time with respect to event timeline;

(c) determine, during play of the game, that the second time is approaching;

(d) determine a set of animation segments to be blended together to provide a smooth transition from the first animation segment to the second animation segment; and

(e) blend, for display on the display, among the set of animation segments based on the determination made in step (d).

23. A system for providing smooth audio transitions in a song, the system comprising:

an audio output; and

a game platform configured to;

(a) provide, during play of a game, an event timeline comprising event markers denoting points in time on the event timeline, the event timeline associated with an audio track played during play of the game, the audio track comprising a first audio segment and a second audio segment;

(b) provide a first marker on the event timeline indicating a first time associated with the first audio segment and a second marker on the event timeline indicating a second time with respect to the event timeline associated with the second audio segment;

(c) determine, during play of the game, that the second time is approaching;

(d) determine a set of audio segments to be blended to transition from the first audio segment to the second audio segment; and

(e) blend, for output through the audio output, among the set of audio segments based on the determination made in step (d).