Program, information storage medium and game system

• US 7,582,015 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.), Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Endo, Hiroumi, Takamoto, Junji, Onoda, Hiroyuki, Nagareda, Takeshi, Igarashi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling, II; John M
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, JEFFREY KEITH
• Application Number:
  US10/936,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20050085297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 463/7, 463/37
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video 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 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation

Abstract

A game system includes: a direction mark storage section which stores image data of a direction mark which directs an operation of a player; a display control section which performs display control of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark; a timing acquisition section which acquires an operation timing; and an evaluation section which compares the acquired operation timing with a reference timing and evaluates the operation of the player. The display control section performs control of displaying the direction mark which directs the player to operate a plurality of operation regions by one mark. When the player operates the plurality of the operation regions of the operation section, the evaluation section evaluates the operation of the player by comparing the operation timing for the plurality of operation regions and the reference timing.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium including a program for a music game in which a player plays by operating an operation section, the program causing a computer to function as:

a direction mark storage section which stores image data of a direction mark which directs an operation which is performed by the player using the operation section;

a display control section which performs display control of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark based on the image data of the direction mark;

a timing acquisition section which acquires an operation timing when the player operates the operation section according to a direction of the direction mark; and

an evaluation section which compares the operation timing with a reference timing and evaluates the operation of the player based on a comparison result,

wherein the display control section performs display control of displaying the direction mark which directs the player to operate a plurality of operation regions of the operation section by one mark and another direction mark which directs the player to operate one operation region of the operation section on a same line, display control of changing a relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing judgment to cause the direction mark and the reference position to come closer on the same line, and display control of changing a relative positional relationship between the another direction mark and the reference position to cause the another direction mark and the reference position to come closer on the same line, and

wherein the direction mark has a plurality of direction regions in which each direction region respectively corresponds to each operation region of the operation section and a position of each operation region respectively corresponds to a position of each direction region.

2. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display control section performs display control of the direction mark, the direction mark comprising a plurality of direction regions, each of the direction regions corresponding to one of the operation regions of the operation section.

3. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display control section performs display control of the direction mark which has a first shape and a first color when directing the player to operate one of the operation regions of the operation section and has the first shape and a second color when directing the player to operate a plurality of the operation regions.

4. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein, when the player operates a plurality of the operation regions of the operation section according to a direction of the direction mark, the evaluation section evaluates the operation of the player by comparing the operation timing for the plurality of operation regions and the reference timing.

5. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the evaluation section evaluates the operation of the player by extracting two operations performed at operation timings between which a time interval is shortest among a plurality of operations performed for the plurality of the operation regions, and comparing the operation timing with the reference timing for one of the two extracted operations of which the operation timing differs to a larger extent from the reference timing.

6. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the direction mark includes a timing judgment region for judging the operation timing, and

wherein the evaluation section evaluates the operation of the player by judging whether or not the player has operated the operation regions of the operation section at a timing at which a position of the timing judgment region of the direction mark coincides with the reference position.

7. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display control section performs display control of changing an image of at least a part of the direction mark in synchronization with a reference pace of music.

8. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display control section performs display control of the direction mark so that the reference position for timing judgment is positioned within the direction mark at both timings at which the player starts and finish a repeated operation or continuous operation using the operation section.

9. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display control section performs display control of causing the direction mark to direct the player to perform a strong operation or a weak operation for each of the operation regions of the operation section, and

wherein, when the player operates a plurality of the operation regions of the operation section, the evaluation section evaluates the operation of the player by judging whether the operation performed for each of the operation regions is the strong operation or the weak operation according to the direction of the direction mark.

10. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein, when a standard of the timing judgment in the evaluation section changes, the display control section performs display control of visually notifying the player that the standard of the timing judgment has changed.

11. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display control section performs control of displaying a first direction mark which directs the player to perform an operation which is performed by using the operation section, and a second direction mark which directs the player to perform a sound input operation which is detected by a sound detection section, and

wherein, in a case in which the operation of the operation section and the sound input operation by the player are judged to have been performed within the same period, the timing acquisition section judges that the operation of the operation section is effective and acquires operation timing of the operation of the operation section, and, in a case other than the case in which the operation of the operation section and the sound input operation by the player are judged to have been performed within the same period, the timing acquisition section judges that the operation of the operation section and the sound input operation are effective and acquires the operation timings of the operation of the operation section and the sound input operation.

12. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display control section uses a mask-displayed direction mark, and performs display control of changing a relative positional relationship between the mask-displayed direction mark and the reference position for timing judgment based on movement operation information of the direction mark before masking corresponding to the mask-displayed direction mark,

wherein the timing acquisition section acquires an operation timing when the player operates the operation section according to a direction of the mask-displayed direction mark, and

wherein the evaluation section compares the acquired operation timing with the reference timing based on operation content information of the direction mark before masking corresponding to the mask-displayed direction mark, and evaluates the operation of the player based on a comparison result.

13. A computer-readable storage medium including a program for a percussion instrument game in which a player plays by performing an operation of beating a percussion instrument type controller, the program causing a computer to function as:

a direction mark storage section which stores image data of a direction mark which directs a beat operation which is performed by the player using the percussion instrument type controller;

a display control section which performs display control of a plurality of display object including the direction mark based on the image data of the direction mark;

a timing acquisition section which acquires a beat timing when the player has performed an operation of beating the percussion instrument type controller according to a direction of the direction mark; and

an evaluation section which compares the beat timing with a reference timing and evaluates the beat operation of the player based on a comparison result,

wherein the display control section performs display control of displaying the direction mark which directs the player to operate a plurality of beat regions of the percussion instrument type controller by one mark and another direction mark which directs the player to operate one operation region of the operation section on a same line, the display control of changing a relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing judgment to cause the direction mark and the reference position to come closer on the same line, and the display control of changing a relative positional relationship between the another direction mark and the reference position to case the another direction mark and the reference position to come closer on the same line, and

wherein the direction mark has a plurality of direction regions in which each direction region respectively corresponds to each operation region of the operation section and a position of each operation region respectively corresponds to a position of each direction region.

14. The computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 13,

wherein the display control section uses a mask-displayed direction mark, and performs display control of changing a relative positional relationship between the mask-displayed direction mark and the reference position for timing judgment based on movement operation information of the direction mark before masking corresponding to the mask-displayed direction mark,

wherein the timing acquisition section acquires the beat timing when the player performs the operation of beating the percussion instrument type controller according to a direction of the mask-displayed direction mark, and

wherein the evaluation section compares the beat timing with the reference timing based on operation content information of the direction mark before masking corresponding to the mask-displayed direction mark, and evaluates the operation of beating of the player based on a comparison result.

15. A game method for a music game in which a player plays by operating an operation section, the method comprising:

storing image data of a direction mark which directs an operation which is performed by the player using the operation section;

performing display control of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark based on the image data of the direction mark;

acquiring an operation timing when the player operates the operation section according to a direction of the direction mark;

comparing the operation timing with a reference timing and evaluating the operation of the player based on a comparison result; and

performing display control of displaying the direction mark which directs the player to operate a plurality of operation regions of the operation section by one mark and another direction mark which directs the player to operate one operation region of the operation section on a same line, and changing a relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing judgment to cause the direction mark and the reference position to come closer.

16. The game method as defined in claim 15, further comprising:

using a mask-displayed direction mark, and performing display control of changing a relative positional relationship between the mask-displayed direction mark and the reference position for timing judgment based on movement operation information of the direction mark before masking corresponding to the mask-displayed direction mark;

acquiring an operation timing when the player operates the operation section according to a direction of the mask-displayed direction mark; and

comparing the operation timing with the reference timing based on operation content information of the direction mark before masking corresponding to the mask-displayed direction mark, and evaluating the operation of the player based on a comparison result.

17. A game method for a percussion instrument game in which a player plays by performing an operation of beating a percussion instrument type controller, the method comprising:

storing image data of a direction mark which directs a beat operation which is performed by the player using the percussion instrument type controller;

performing display control of a plurality of display object including the direction mark based on the image data of the direction mark;

acquiring a beat timing when the player has performed an operation of beating the percussion instrument type controller according to a direction of the direction mark;

comparing the beat timing with a reference timing and evaluating the beat operation of the player based on a comparison result; and

performing display control of displaying the direction mark which directs the player to operate a plurality of beat regions of the percussion instrument type controller by one mark and another direction mark which directs the player to operate one beat region of the percussion instrument type controller on a same line, and changing a relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing judgment to cause the direction mark and the reference position to come closer.

18. The game method as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

using a mask-displayed direction mark, and performing display control of changing a relative positional relationship between the mask-displayed direction mark and the reference position for timing judgment based on movement operation information of the direction mark before masking corresponding to the mask-displayed direction mark;

acquiring the beat timing when the player performs the operation of beating the percussion instrument type controller according to a direction of the mask-displayed direction mark; and

comparing the beat timing with the reference timing based on operation content information of the direction mark before masking corresponding to the mask-displayed direction mark, and evaluating the operation of beating of the player based on a comparison result.