Video game device, background sound output method in video game, and readable storage medium storing background sound output program

• US 6,857,960 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2001
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Corporation (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Araki, Shigeru, Okubo, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/779,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20010014621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 4- 8, 463 25- 36, 463 40- 43, 455/3.06, 704/259, 704/270, 381 61- 63
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video 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 13/816 Athletics, e.g. track-and-field sports
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8005 Athletics

Abstract

A video game device comprises: a monitor; a display unit for displaying an event place where a specific event is performed on the monitor; a sound output unit for outputting a background sound relating to the event; a memory for storing a background sound data relating to the event; an event place determining unit for determining types of event places; and a background sound controller for reading out the background sound data from the memory, outputting it as a background sound and performing an echo process on the background sound in response to the type of the event place determined by the event place determining unit.

Claims

1. A video game device comprising:

a monitor;

a display unit for displaying an event place where a specific event is performed on the monitor;

a sound output unit for outputting a background sound relating to the event;

a memory for storing a background sound data relating to the event;

an event place determining unit for determining types of event places; and

a background sound controller for reading our the background sound data from the memory, outputting it as a background sound and performing an echo process on the background sound in response to the type of the event place determined by the event place determining unit, the echo process producing echos of the background sound, said background sound controller including;

a delay setting unit for setting a time delay of successive ones of said echos of the background sound by selecting a time delay associated with the event place; and

a volume setting unit for setting volumes of said echos based on a damping factor associated with the event place such that successive ones of the echos of the background sound are outputted from the sound output unit in continuously lower volumes throughout the echo process.

2. A video game device according to claim 1, further comprising a game selection unit for selecting one game program from a plurality of game programs stored in the memory and the specific event is carried out when one game program is selected from the plurality of programs stored in the memory.

3. The video game device according to claim 1 wherein damping factors associated with event places located outdoors are set greater than damping factors associated with event places located indoors such that successive ones of the echos for an event place located outdoors are reduced more in volume than successive ones of the echos for an event place located indoors.

4. The video game device according to claim 3 wherein time delays associated with event places located outdoors are set greater than time delays associated with event places located indoors.

5. The video game device according to claim 4 wherein time delays and damping factors associated with event places located indoors are set based on sizes of the event places located indoors.

6. A video gang device according to claim 1, further comprising a main processor for performing a processing related to an execution of an event and a sound processor for performing a processing related to outputting a background sound, and the sound processor includes said event place determining unit and said background sound controller.

7. A background sound outputting method for a video game comprising the steps of:

displaying on a monitor an event place;

executing a specific event in the event place;

outputting from a sound output unit a background sound relating to the event;

determining a type of the event place;

reading the background sound data stored in a memory;

outputting the background sound data as a background sound; and

performing an echo process on the background sound in response to said determined type of the event place and outputting echos of the background sound, including;

setting a time delay of successive ones of said echos of the background sound by selecting a time delay associated with the event place; and

setting volumes of said echos based on a damping factor associated with the event place such that successive ones of the echos of the background sound are outputted from the sound output unit in continuously lower volumes throughout the echo process.

8. A background sound outputting method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of selecting one game program from a plurality of game programs stored in the memory and the specific event is carried out when one game program is selected from the plurality of programs stored in the memory.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein damping factors associated with event places located outdoors are set greater than damping factors associated with event places located indoors such that successive ones of the echos for an event place located outdoors are reduced more in volume than successive ones of the echos for an event place located indoors.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein time delays associated with event places located outdoors are set greater than time delays associated with event places located indoors.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein rime delays and damping factors associated with event places located indoors are set based on sizes of the event places located indoors.

12. A background sound outputting method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of executing a main process for performing a processing related to an execution of an event and executing a sound process for performing a processing related to outputting the background sound, and when an order of outputting the background sound is issued by the main process, the sound process determines the type of event place and performs the echo process on the background sound in accordance with the type of the determined event place.

13. A computer-readable recording medium containing a background sound outputting program for a video game, the program comprising the steps of:

displaying on a monitor an event place;

executing a specific event in the event place;

outputting from a sound output unit a background sound relating to the event;

determining a type of the event place;

reading the background sound data stored in a memory;

outputting the background sound data as a background sound; and

performing an echo process on the background sound in response to said determined type of the event place, and outputting echos of the background sound, including;

setting a time delay of successive ones of said echos of the background sound by selecting a time delay associated with the event place; and

setting volumes of said echos based on a damping factor associated with the event place such that successive ones of the echos of the background sound are outputted from the sound output unit in continuously lower volumes throughout the echo process.

14. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 13, the program further comprising the step of selecting one game program from a plurality of game programs stored in the memory and the specific event is carried out when one game program is selected from the plurality of programs stored in the memory.

15. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 13 wherein the program has damping factors associated with event places located outdoors set greater than damping factors associated with event places located indoors such that successive ones of the echos far an event place located outdoors are reduced more in volume than successive ones of the echos for an event place located indoors.

16. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15 wherein the program has time delays associated with event places located outdoors set greater than time delays associated with event places located indoors.

17. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 13 wherein the program has time delays and damping factors associated with event places located indoors set based on sizes of the event places located indoors.

18. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 13, the program further comprising the step of determining whether the echo process needs to be applied to the background sound outputted from the sound output unit.

19. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 18, wherein the background sound which the echo process applies to is an announcing sound relating to the event.

20. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 13, the program further comprising the steps of:

a main process for performing a processing relating to execution of the event; and

a sound process for performing a processing relating to the output of the background sound,

wherein a type of the event place is determined and the echo process is applied on the background sound in response to the determined type of the event in the sound process step at a time when the background sound output command is issued in the main process step.