Talking video games with vocal conflict

• US 5,393,072 A
• Filed: 05/19/1993
• Issued: 02/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert M. Best
• Original Assignee: Robert M. Best
• Inventors: Best, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Application Number:
  US08/063,858
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 273/434, 273/435, 273/437, 273/438, 273/DIG. 28, 273/85 G
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/47 involving branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible scenarios at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy 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: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/005 Programmed access to indexed parts of tracks of operating discs, by guiding the disc
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/00 Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

Talking video games provide simulated voice dialog between human players and animated characters on a video or television screen. Two or more animated characters argue with each other and with human game players who control directly or indirectly what the characters do and say. Many different kinds of vocal conflicts can be simulated. Each scene branches to two or more subsequent scenes. But within each scene there are several branching dialog sequences, thereby providing a large variety of possible dialogs. Pictures and voices are generated from digital data read from a laser-readable disk or stored in semiconductor memory. Each player has a hand-held controller that displays two or more phrases or sentences. A player responds to what an animated character says by pressing a button next to a selected sentence. An animated character then responds vocally or by action to the selected sentence as if it had been spoken by the human player or says the words the player selected. Speech recognition is not required. Human players are thus given an illusion of having voice dialog with interesting characters involved in vocal conflicts.

Claims

1. A method of electronically simulating voice conversations between at least two talking animated characters, the words of one character being selected by a human player, comprising the steps of:

(a) digitally storing a catalog of distinctive voices for at least two talking characters, each in the form of voice sound data representing a plurality of sentences, phrases, word segments or phonemes;

(b) digitally storing a preprogrammed branching dialog between a first animated character and a second animated character, each branch comprising a plurality of alternative verbal expressions;

(c) generating a video signal representing an image of said first and second characters for display on a video screen;

(d) displaying on a hand-held controller apparatus a first set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions, each corresponding to a branch in said dialog;

(e) receiving from said hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a selected verbal expression in said first set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a branch in the dialog;

(f) digitally reading from said catalog of voices first voice sound data that corresponds to said selected verbal expression for the voice of said first character;

(g) generating an audio signal from said first voice sound data representing the voice of said first character speaking said selected verbal expression;

(h) digitally reading from said catalog of voices second voice sound data for the voice of said second character speaking the verbal expression that follows next in the selected branch of the dialog;

(i) generating an audio signal from said second voice sound data representing the voice of said second character;

(j) displaying on said hand-held controller apparatus a second set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions that follows next for said first character in the selected branch of the dialog;

(k) receiving from said hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a second selected verbal expression in said second set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a next branch in the dialog;

(l) digitally reading from said catalog of voices third voice sound data that corresponds to said second selected verbal expression for the voice of said first character expressing words that conflict with the words of said second voice sound data; and

(m) generating an audio signal from said third voice sound data representing the voice of said first character speaking said second selected verbal expression.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said second voice sound data expresses words that conflict with said first voice sound data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said hand-held controller is a portable game system with program cartridge.

4. A method of electronically simulating voice conversations between at least two talking animated characters, the words of one character being selected by a human player, comprising the steps of:

(a) digitally storing a catalog of distinctive voices for at least two talking characters, each in the form of voice sound data representing a plurality of sentences, phrases, word segments or phonemes;

(b) digitally storing a preprogrammed branching dialog between a first animated character and a second animated character, each branch comprising a plurality of alternative verbal expressions;

(c) generating a video signal representing an image of said first and second characters for display on a video screen;

(d) displaying on a hand-held controller apparatus a first set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions, each corresponding to a branch in said dialog;

(e) receiving from said hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a selected verbal expression in said first set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a branch in the dialog;

(f) digitally reading from said catalog of voices first voice sound data that corresponds to said selected verbal expression for the voice of said first character;

(g) generating an audio signal from said first voice sound data representing the voice of said first character speaking said selected verbal expression;

(h) changing said video signal to indicate that the first character is speaking to the second character;

(i) digitally reading from said catalog of voices second voice sound data for the voice of said second character speaking the verbal expression that follows next in the selected branch of the dialog;

(j) generating an audio signal from said second voice sound data representing the voice of said second character;

(k) changing said video signal to indicate that the second character is speaking to the first character;

(l) displaying on said hand-held controller apparatus a second set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions that follows next for said first character in the selected branch of the dialog;

(m) receiving from said hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a second selected verbal expression in said second set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a next branch in the dialog;

(n) digitally reading from said catalog of voices third voice sound data that corresponds to said second selected verbal expression for the voice of said first character expressing words that conflict with the words of said second voice sound data; and

(o) generating an audio signal from said third voice sound data representing the voice of said first character speaking said second selected verbal expression.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said second voice sound data expresses words that conflict with said first voice sound data.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said hand-held controller is a portable game system with program cartridge.

7. A method of electronically simulating voice conversations between at least two talking animated characters, the words of the characters being selected by two corresponding human players, comprising the steps of:

(a) digitally storing a catalog of distinctive voices for at least two talking characters, each in the form of voice sound data representing a plurality of sentences, phrases, word segments or phonemes;

(b) digitally storing a preprogrammed branching dialog between a first animated character and a second animated character, each branch comprising a plurality of alternative verbal expressions;

(c) generating a video signal representing an image of said first and second characters for display on a video screen;

(d) displaying on a first hand-held controller apparatus a first set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions, each corresponding to a branch in said dialog;

(e) receiving from said first hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a first selected verbal expression in said first set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a branch in the dialog;

(f) digitally reading from said catalog of voices first voice sound data that corresponds to said selected verbal expression for the voice of said first character;

(g) generating an audio signal from said first voice sound data representing the voice of said first character speaking said first selected verbal expression;

(h) displaying on a second hand-held controller apparatus a second set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions that follows next for said second character in the selected branch of the dialog;

(i) receiving from said second hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a second selected verbal expression in said second set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a second branch in the dialog;

(j) digitally reading from said catalog of voices second voice sound data that corresponds to said second selected verbal expression for the voice of said second character;

(k) generating an audio signal from said second voice sound data representing the voice of said second character speaking said second selected verbal expression;

(l) displaying on said first hand-held controller apparatus a third set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions that follows next for said first character in the second branch of the dialog;

(m) receiving from said first hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a third selected verbal expression in said third set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a third branch in the dialog;

(n) digitally reading from said catalog of voices third voice sound data that corresponds to said third selected verbal expression for the voice of said first character expressing words that conflict with the words of said second voice sound data; and

(o) generating an audio signal from said third voice sound data representing the voice of said third character speaking said third selected verbal expression.