Rhythm game apparatus, rhythm game method, computer-readable storage medium and instrumental device

• US 6,225,547 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1999
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Toyama, Motoki, Mukasa, Shigehito, Okubo, Toru, Yamano, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nappi, Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon
• Application Number:
  US09/429,545
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 84/600-607, 84/609-612, 84/615, 84/634-636, 84/649-653, 84/667, 84/477 R, 84/478, 84/DIG. 6
• US Class Current: 84/611
• 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 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting 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 13/54 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 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• 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 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/40 Rhythm
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/141 Games on or about music, i.e. based on musical knowledge, e.g. musical multimedia quizzes teaching of music per se G09B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/151 Musical difficulty level setting or selection

Abstract

Sound generation control and instruction operation evaluation is performed by sound group selection and a sound generation instruction, with a mimic guitar having selection buttons for selecting one of a plurality of sound groups bearing a series of sounds, and a picking blade for instructing the generation of a sound. The rhythm-matching game can be enjoyed relatively easily in a manner closer to a realistic state of playing an instrument.

Claims

1. A rhythm game apparatus, comprising:

a sound data storage device which stores at least data concerning sounds, the sounds being sorted into a plurality of selective sound groups;

a display device which displays occurrences of sounds in each of the plurality of selective sound groups in accordance with time passing;

an instrumental unit to which a game player operates, the instrumental unit being provided with;

a sound group selector which is to be operated by the game player to select a sound group, and

an instructor which is to be operated by the game player to instruct generation of a sound;

an evaluator which evaluates the operation of the game player based on a time gap between an instruction timing of the instructor and a predetermined timing of a sound in a selected sound group.

2. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sound generator which generates an instructed sound.

3. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a judger which judges whether the instruction timing of the instructor is within an allowable time range of the sound, wherein the sound generator generates the sound when the instruction timing is within the allowable time range.

4. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a judger which judges whether the instruction timing of the instructor is within an allowable time range of the sound, wherein the sound generator generates the sound at a predetermined interval when the instruction timing is within the allowable time range.

5. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaluator evaluates the operation of the game player based on a total of differences with respect to a predetermined number of sounds.

6. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaluator has for evaluation an addition parameter for a difference within a predetermined tolerance range and a subtraction parameter for a difference out of the predetermined tolerance range.

7. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sound generator operable to generate a background sound.

8. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound data is selected from the group consisting of scale date and chord data.

9. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display device comprises:

a graphic storage device which stores note screen data for visually guiding the instruction operation; and

a graphic generator which generates an updated note screen in accordance with time passing, and an updated failure screen indicative of whether or not the instruction timing is within the allowable range.

10. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the sound group selector and the instructor is arranged for the right hand of the game player, and the other is arranged for the left hand.

11. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instrumental unit is in the form of a guitar, the sound group selector is configured into a plurality of neck buttons corresponding to the plurality of sound groups, respectively, and the instructor is configured into a picking unit.

12. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the picking unit comprises:

a picking blade provided swingably;

a restoring mechanism for restoring a blade portion of the picking blade into a reference position with respect to the instrumental unit; and

a swing detector for detecting a swing of the picking blade to determine a sound generation timing.

13. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the restoring mechanism includes a pair of elastic members provided below the picking blade, one member of the pair being arranged on one swing side and the other member being arranged on the other swing side.

14. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the picking blade is formed with a protrusion extending inside, and the restoring mechanism includes an elastic member for holding the protrusion of the picking blade in a swingable manner.

15. A rhythm game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a posture detector for detecting whether the instrumental unit is placed in a particular posture in a predetermined time, wherein the evaluator gives an additional score to the evaluation when the instrumental unit is placed in the particular posture in the predetermined time.

16. An instrumental device for use with a rhythm game apparatus including a sound data storage device which stores at least data concerning sounds, the sounds being sorted into a plurality of selective sound groups, a display device which displays occurrences of sounds in each of the plurality of selective sound groups in accordance with time passing, a sound generator which generates a sound, the instrumental device comprising:

a sound group selector which is to be operated by one of the both hands of a game player to select a sound group; and

an instructor which is to be operated by the other hand of the game player to instruct the sound generator to generate a sound.

17. An instrumental device according to claim 16, wherein the instrumental device is in the form of a guitar, the sound group selector is configured into a plurality of neck buttons corresponding to the plurality of sound groups, respectively, and the instructor is configured into a picking unit.

18. An instrumental device according to claim 17, wherein the picking unit comprises:

a picking blade provided swingably;

a restoring mechanism for restoring a blade portion of the picking blade into a reference position with respect to the instrumental unit; and

a swing detector for detecting a swing of the picking blade to determine a sound generation timing.

19. An instrumental device according to claim 18, wherein the restoring mechanism includes a pair of elastic members provided below the picking blade, one member of the pair being arranged on one swing side and the other member being arranged on the other swing side.

20. An instrumental device according to claim 18, wherein the picking blade is formed with a protrusion extending inside, and the restoring mechanism includes an elastic member for holding the protrusion of the picking blade in a swingable manner.

21. A method for producing a rhythm game, comprising the steps of:

giving a game player a visual display of occurrences of sounds in each of a plurality of selective sound groups in accordance with time passing;

detecting a time gap between a predetermined generation timing of a sound in a selected sound group and an instruction timing of the game player to judge whether the sound is allowed to be generated;

generating the particular sound based on the judgment; and

evaluating the operation of the game player based on the detected time gap.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the game player is given a background music in connection with the displayed sound occurrences.

23. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program of executing the steps:

giving a game player a visual display of occurrences of sounds in each of a plurality of selective sound groups in accordance with time passing;

detecting a time gap between a predetermined generation timing of a sound in a selected sound group and an instruction timing of the game player to judge whether the sound is allowed to be generated;

generating the particular sound based on the judgment; and

evaluating the operation of the game player based on the detected time gap.

24. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 23, wherein the game player is given a background music in connection with the displayed sound occurrences.