Music action game machine, performance operation instructing system for music action game and storage device readable by computer

• US 6,461,239 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2000
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Hideki, Mizuki, Kiyoshi, Sagawa, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOTALING, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/709,021
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/9, 463/7, 463/23, 463/30, 434/307.A, 434/307.R, 846/09, 846/15, 846/22
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• 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 13/90 Constructional details or arrangements of video game devices not provided for in groups A63F13/20 or A63F13/25, e.g. housing, wiring, connections or cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/302 specially adapted for receiving control signals not targeted to a display device or game input means, e.g. vibrating driver's seat, scent dispenser
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• 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 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• 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 2210/091 : for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/171 : Ad-lib effects, i.e. adding a musical phrase or improvisation automatically or on player's request, e.g. one-finger triggering of a note sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/241 : Scratch effects, i.e. emulating playback velocity or pitch manipulation effects normally obtained by a disc-jockey manually rotating a LP record forward and backward
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/141 : Games on or about music, i.e. based on musical knowledge, e.g. musical multimedia quizzes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/145 : Multiplayer musical games, e.g. karaoke-like multiplayer videogames
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/595 : ADPCM [adaptive differential pulse code modulation]

Abstract

The music action game machine comprises: a main body; an operation input device disposed on a front side of the main body so as to be adjacent to hands of a player facing the front side of the main body, the operation input device having a plurality of operation members; a storage device for storing data of a musical composition and data of a performance procedure associated with the musical composition; a music play device for playing the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device; an operation instructing device for giving the player a visual instruction to operate the operation members in accordance with progress of a play of the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device; an effect producing device for producing a performance effect in response to a performance operation performed by the player to each of the operation members; an estimation device for estimating the performance operation of the player based on a relationship between the performance procedure defined by the data stored in the storage device and the performance operation of the player; and an estimation informing device for informing the player of an estimation result determined by the estimation device. Therefore, the player can enjoy the simulation of the performance of the music through the operation of the operation members.

Claims

1. A music action game machine comprising:

a main body;

an operation input device disposed on a front side of the main body so as to be adjacent to hands of a player facing the front side of the main body, the operation input device having a plurality of operation members;

a storage device for storing data of a musical composition and data of a performance procedure associated with the musical composition;

a music play device for playing the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;

an operation instructing device for giving the player a visual instruction to operate the operation members in accordance with progress of a play of the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;

an effect producing device for producing a performance effect in response to a performance operation performed by the player to each of the operation members;

an estimation device for estimating the performance operation of the player based on a relationship between the performance procedure defined by the data stored in the storage device and the performance operation of the player; and

an estimation informing device for informing the player of an estimation result determined by the estimation device,

wherein the operation input device comprises a disk-shaped operation member as one of the operation members, the disk-shaped operation member being operable so as to be turned about an axis thereof,

and wherein the effect producing device produces a scratch sound effect as the performance effect in response to a turning operation of the disk-shaped operation member, said scratch sound effect being similar to an actual scratch sound produced by irregularly turning a phonograph record disk with keeping contact between the phonograph record disk and a stylus of a phonograph player.

2. The music action game machine according to claim 1, wherein said main body is provided with a control panel having operating sections to be located at left and right sides thereof, and each of the operating sections includes the disk-shaped operation member.

3. The music action game machine according to claim 2, wherein said main body is provided with a monitor, said operation instructing device displaying indicators for instructing the performance operation at right and left sides of the monitor and displaying in the indicators index marks for indicating operation timing of the disk-shaped operation member so as to be movable in a vertical directions.

4. The music action game machine according to claim 2, wherein different performance procedures are set for the respective operating sections to carry out a game play like a musical dialogue or duet.

5. The music action game machine according to claim 2, wherein said effect producing device changes the scratch sound effect in accordance with a turning direction of the disk-shaped operation member.

6. The music action game machine according to claim 2, wherein said operation input device is provided with a slidably operable knob, and said effect producing device adds another special effect to the performance effect in accordance with operation of said knob.

7. A music action game machine comprising:

a main body;

an operation input device disposed on a front side of the main body so as to be adjacent to hands of a player facing the front side of the main body, the operation input device having a plurality of operation members;

a storage device for storing data of a musical composition and data of a performance procedure associated with the musical composition;

a music play device for playing the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;

an operation instructing device for giving the player a visual instruction to operate the operation members in accordance with progress of a play of the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;

an effect producing device for producing a performance effect in response to a performance operation performed by the player to each of the operation members;

an estimation device for estimating the performance operation of the player based on a relationship between the performance procedure defined by the data stored in the storage device and the performance operation of the player; and

an estimation informing device for informing the player of an estimation result determined by the estimation device,

wherein the operation instructing device comprises;

an indicator disposed on the front side of the main body and provided with at least one track extending in a predetermined direction;

a mark indicating device capable of indicating index marks each of which is provided for indicating operation timing of each of the operation members, in such a manner that each of the index marks moves along the track and then reaches to a fixed operation position defined in the track when the operation timing associated with each of the index marks comes,

and wherein the mark indicating device changes a length of each of the index marks in said predetermined direction in accordance with a length of an operation continuation time during which each of the operation members must be operated.

8. The music action game machine according to claim 7, wherein the estimation device estimates the performance operation with referring to a relationship between the performance procedure stored in the storage device and said length of the operation continuation time.

9. A music action game machine comprising:

a main body;

an operation input device disposed on a front side of the main body so as to be adjacent to hands of a player facing the front side of the main body, the operation input device having a plurality of operation members;

a storage device for storing data of a musical composition and data of a performance procedure associated with the musical composition;

a music play device for playing the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;

an operation instructing device for giving the player a visual instruction to operate the operation members in accordance with progress of a play of the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;

an effect producing device for producing a performance effect in response to a performance operation performed by the player to each of the operation members;

an estimation device for estimating the performance operation of the player based on a relationship between the performance procedure defined by the data stored in the storage device and the performance operation of the player; and

an estimation informing device for informing the player of an estimation result determined by the estimation device,

wherein the effect producing device produces sound effects different from each other in response to respective operations of the operation members, each of the sound effects corresponding to said performance effect,

and wherein a relationship between each of the operation members and the sound effect to be produced in response to the operation thereto is changed in accordance with the progress of the play of the musical composition.

10. A music action game machine comprising:

a main body;

an operation input device disposed on a front side of the main body so as to be adjacent to hands of a player facing the front side of the main body, the operation input device having a plurality of operation members;

a storage device for storing data of a musical composition and data of a performance procedure associated with the musical composition;

a music play device for playing the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;

an operation instructing device for giving the player a visual instruction to operate the operation members in accordance with progress of a play of the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;

an effect producing device for producing a performance effect in response to a performance operation performed by the player to each of the operation members;

an estimation device for estimating the performance operation of the player based on a relationship between the performance procedure defined by the data stored in the storage device and the performance operation of the player; and

an estimation informing device for informing the player of an estimation result determined by the estimation device, wherein

the main body has a plurality of operating sections, each of which is provided with the operation input device;

the estimation device estimates the performance operation separately for each of the operating sections; and

the estimation informing device informs the estimation result separately for each of the operating sections.

11. A storage device readable by a computer which stores data defining a procedure for operating operation members provided in each of operating sections in a game system in association with a predetermined music, and a program for instructing a player to operate the operation members through a screen of a display device provided in the game system, said program being prepared for causing the computer to execute steps of:

displaying an image of an instruction on the screen of the display device to operate the operation members based on the data defining the procedure;

producing a performance effect in response to an operation of the operation members performed by the player;

estimating the operation of the operation members based on a relationship between the data defining the procedure and the operation performed by the player; and

informing a result of said estimating step to the player,

wherein said program is configured such that the same performance procedure is instructed to each of the operating sections with respect to the same musical composition at said displaying step,

the performance operation is separately estimated for each of the operating sections at said estimation step, and

the estimation result is separately informed for each of the operating sections at said informing step.

12. A storage device readable by a computer which stores data defining a procedure for operating operation members provided in each of operating sections arranged in a lateral direction in a game system in association with a predetermined music, and a program for instructing a player to operate the operation members through a screen of a display device provided in the game system, said program being prepared for causing the computer to execute steps of:

displaying an image of an instruction on the screen of the display device to operate the operation members based on the data defining the procedure;

producing a performance effect in response to an operation of the operation members performed by the player;

estimating the operation of the operation members based on a relationship between the data defining the procedure and the operation performed by the player; and

informing a result of said estimating step to the player,

wherein a display manner of the display device at said displaying step can be changed between a first display mode and a second display mode, the first display mode being prepared to display images for indicating timing of the performance operation on the screen of the display device with leaving a space between each of the images in the lateral direction in accordance with an arrangement of the operating sections, and the second display mode being prepared to display the images for indicating timing in such a manner that a space therebetween is less than that in the first display mode.