Music staging device apparatus, music staging game method, and readable storage medium

• US 6,645,067 B1
• Filed: 02/10/2000
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kaneiso, Naonobu, Kitae, Tadasu, Nagatomi, Masato, Takeda, Toru, Okita, Katsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BINH AN DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/501,837
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 463/7, 463/1, 463/2, 463/3, 463/23, 463/35, 463/36, 463/37, 463/38, 463/43, 463/46, 463/47, 844/77.R, 847/43, 846/00, 434/307.A, 434/4, 434/10, 434/308, 434/309, 434/314, 434/315, 434/316, 434/319, 434/320
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• 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 13/54 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 13/95 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 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• 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

Abstract

A CPU controls a graphic controller based on control programs within a main RAM to extract a series of rhythm sound data for each of multiple mimic percussion instruments from a graphic RAM and correlates these in a time-axial direction for display on a monitor, instruction and display of the operating timing for each sound of the multiple mimic percussion instruments is performed on the monitor, the player performs sequential striking input with the left and right hands, for example, for the rhythm sounds via a rhythm input detecting apparatus corresponding to multiple mimic percussion instruments, while following the operation timing display instructions thereof. The timing thereof is compared with the timing of the display instruction and evaluation is made based on the offset thereof, and the evaluation results are accumulated. Thus, a rhythm-matching game with a high gaming nature is realized, by inputting operation for multiple instruments using multiple hands and feet such as the left and right hands.

Claims

1. A music staging game apparatus, comprising:

a monitor;

staging operating means for accepting staging operations input from a player on at least a first simulated musical instrument and a second simulated musical instrument, wherein said staging operations include at least a striking operation, and generating a signal indicating input times of said staging operations;

a storage means for storing music data for playing music and staging procedures data for instructing the player to perform said staging operations coordinated with said music, said staging operations including playing said first simulated musical instrument and said second simulated musical instrument;

a playing means for playing said music using the music data in said storage means;

a staging operation instructing means for visually instructing said player to perform said staging operations using said staging operating means based on said staging procedures data of said storage means in a manner synchronous with said music by displaying signal marks moving and a reference mark on said monitor to indicate operation timings, which are times to perform the staging operations, by the signal marks arriving at the reference mark, said signal marks including a first signal mark corresponding to said first simulated musical instrument and a second signal mark corresponding to said second stimulated musical instrument which are simultaneously displayed on said monitor approaching the reference mark;

a staging effects generating means for generating staging effects corresponding to said staging operations;

an evaluating means for evaluating said staging operations based on correlation between the staging procedures stored by said storage means and said staging operations input by said player; and

evaluation display means for displaying to said player evaluation results of said evaluating means and for temporarily replacing said signal marks with alternative characters contemporaneously with said input of said staging operations at offsets corresponding to ones of said alternative characters to provide a real time indication of the evaluating of the staging operations.

2. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said staging operation instructing means has a display means, and a display control means for displaying said signal marks moving in a time axial direction for visually indicating the times to perform for a plurality of types of said staging operations; and

said evaluating means has judging means for judging whether said staging operations are input from said staging operating means at said input times within a certain time interval about said times to perform, and basing said evaluation results on offset amounts between said input times when said staging operations are input and said times to perform.

3. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said display control means changes a display format at said times to perform.

4. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a sound generating means is provided as said playing means, a sound output control means is provided as said staging effects generating means and produces a series of rhythm sounds as said staging effects; and

said first and second simulated musical instruments include a plurality of mimic percussion instruments correlating to said series of rhythm sounds, and a rhythm input detecting means for detecting the input times of the rhythm sounds.

5. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said rhythm input detecting means has an acoustic sensor provided at a portion other than a striking portion of said mimic percussion instruments.

6. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of said mimic percussion instruments includes a plurality of first mimic percussion instruments mimicking drums played with a drumstick, and at least one second mimic percussion instrument for mimicking a percusion instrument played using a foot operated device.

7. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the times to perform the series of rhythm sounds are indicated by said signal marks having differing appearances from each other which correspond to ones of the plurality of mimic percussion instruments and moving along paths which correspond in arrangement to an arrangement of the plurality of mimic percussion instruments.

8. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display control means displays said signal marks moving along paths with identifying marks having differing appearances from each other which correspond to ones of the plurality of mimic percussion instruments to which said signal marks apply.

9. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

said evaluating means has judging means for judging whether said staging operations are input from said staging operating means at said input times within a certain time interval about said times to perform, and basing said evaluation results on offset amounts between said input times when said staging operations are input and said times to perform; and

said sound output control means outputs to said sound generating means sound data when the input times detected with said rhythm input detecting means are affirmed by said judging means as being within said certain time interval.

10. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

said evaluating means has judging means for judging whether said staging operations are input from said staging operating means at said input times within a certain time interval about said times to perform, and basing said evaluation results on offset amounts between said input times when said staging operations are input and said times to perform; and

said sound output control means outputs to said sound generating means sound data of said music when said judging means has affirmed said input times are within said certain time interval, and sound data of a warning sound other than of said music when said staging operations are not performed within said certain time interval.

11. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said music data contains touch sounds.

12. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display control means comprises:

graphic storing means for storing notes screen data for displaying said signal marks to indicate said tomes to perform; and

graphic control means for sequentially updating said notes screen data according to flow of time of the played music, and also for displaying whether or not there are misses defined by staging operations not being performed within a given time range of corresponding ones of the times for input.

13. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said evaluating means has judging means for judging whether said input times at which said staging operations are input from said staging operating means are within a certain time interval about said times to perform, and basing said evaluation results on offset amounts between said input times when said staging operations are input and said times to perform such that said offsets are determined to correspond to one of a plurality of evaluation levels ranging from superiority to inferiority when the input times are within the certain time interval;

said evaluating means evaluates by accumulating an evaluation value for each of said offset amounts;

graphic storing means for storing notes screen data for displaying said signal marks to indicate said times to perform and displaying alternative characters corresponding to said plurality of evaluation levels; and

graphic control means for sequentially updating said notes screen data according to flow of time of the played music, and for temporarily replacing said signal marks with ones of said alternative characters contemporaneously with said input of said staging operations at offsets corresponding to ones of said plurality of evaluation levels of said alternative characters to provide a real time indication of the evaluating of the staging operations.

14. The game apparatus of claim 13 wherein when said offsets are determined to correspond to ones of said plurality of evaluation levels corresponding to a superior range of said ranging from superiority to inferiority, a congratulatory symbol is displayed in addition to said temporarily displayed alternative characters.

15. A music staging game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said evaluating means sets a tolerance range extending before and after the time to perform, and calculates score by accumulating addition values set according to proximity of the input times to the times for input for ones of the input times within the tolerance range, and by accumulating subtraction values set according to amounts other ones of the input times are outside of the tolerance range.

16. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein said signal marks are disposed on a vertical time axis which moves to advance said signal marks to said reference mark.

17. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second signal marks are arrayed vertically to indicate timing thereof.

18. The game apparatus of claim 17 wherein said signals marks are arrayed vertically on a plurality of vertical time axes, each respectively corresponding to one of said at least said first simulated musical instrument and said second simulated musical instrument, and said signal marks move vertically to the reference mark.

19. The game apparatus of claim 17 wherein said signals marks move vertically to pass through the reference mark.

20. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein said signal marks and said reference mark are displayed on said monitor on a first portion of said monitor and a pictorial scene corresponding to said music is simultaneously displayed on a second portion of said monitor.

21. A music staging game method, comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of series of signal marks on timing axes moving toward a stationary reference mark through which said signal marks move to indicate operation timings for a player to conduct staging operations by the signal marks arriving at the reference mark, the staging operations being played on corresponding ones of a plurality of percussion instrument input devices;

accepting staging operations input from the player and determining input times of said staging operations;

evaluating said staging operations by determining whether the input times fall within timing intervals disposed about said operation timings and, if said input times fall within said timing intervals, determining offset amounts of said input times from said staging operations such that said offsets are determined to correspond to one of a plurality of evaluation levels ranging from superiority to inferiority when the input times are within the certain time intervals; and

temporarily replacing said signal marks with alternative characters corresponding to ones of said plurality of evaluation levels contemporaneously with said accepting of said staging operations to provide a real time indication of the evaluating of the staging operations.

22. The music staging game method of claim 21, further comprising the step of outputting sounds corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of percussion instrument input devices when said input times are within said timing intervals and outputting warning sounds when said input times are outside said timing intervals.

23. A readable storage medium having stored thereon an executable code for a music staging program for performing the steps of:

displaying a plurality of series of signal marks on timing axes moving toward a stationary reference mark through which said signal marks move to indicate operation timings for a player to conduct staging operations by the signal marks arriving at the reference mark, the staging operations being played on corresponding ones of a plurality of percussion instrument input devices;

accepting staging operations input from the player and determining input times of said staging operations;

evaluating said staging operations by determining whether the input times fall within timing intervals disposed about said operation timings and, if said input times fall within said timing intervals, determining offset amounts of said input times from said staging operations such that said offsets are determined to correspond to one of a plurality of evaluation levels ranging from superiority to inferiority when the input times are within the certain time intervals; and

temporarily replacing said signal marks with alternative characters corresponding to ones of said plurality of evaluation levels contemporaneously with said accepting of said staging operations to provide a real time indication of the evaluating of the staging operations.

24. The readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the program further comprises the step of outputting sounds corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of percussion instrument input devices when said input times are within said timing intervals and outputting warning sounds when said input times are outside said timing intervals.

25. A game apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of input devices to be operated by a player;

a memory storing tuning data indicating timings for operating said input devices;

a display device having a display screen;

a controller for driving said display device based on said timing data to display on said display screen moving marks, which move in columns which correspond to respective ones of said plurality of input devices, and a reference mark to which said moving marks move to indicate said timings for operating said input devices when the moving marks arrive at the reference mark;

a sound output device;

said memory further including sound data for respective ones of said plurality of input devices;

said controller sending corresponding ones of said sound data to said sound output device to produce a sound associated with a respective one of said plurality of input devices only when said respective one of said plurality of input devices is operated by the player within a predetermined time interval about an indicated timing for said respective one of said plurality of input devices; and

said controller temporarily replacing said moving marks with alternative characters contemporaneously with said operation of said plurality of input at timing offsets corresponding to ones of said alternative characters to provide a real time indication of timing of the operation.

26. The game apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said controller evaluates operation of said input devices based on timings of operations of said input device being within a set of predetermined time ranges of indicated timings for said input devices.

27. The game apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said moving marks move downward.