Systems and methods for indicating input actions in a rhythm-action game

• US 7,625,284 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kay, Robert, Schmidt, Daniel, Rigopulos, Alexander, LoPiccolo, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Milap
• Application Number:
  US12/139,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20080311969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/7, 463/23, 463 30- 35, 463 40- 42, 84609-611, 847/43
• US Class Current: 463/31
• 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 13/45 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/348 Switches actuated by parts of the body other than fingers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/368 displaying animated or moving pictures synchronized with the music or audio part
• 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 2210/155 Musical effects
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/135 Musical aspects of games or videogames; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces game background music G10H2210/026; musical game scoring or performance evaluation G10H2210/091
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/145 : Multiplayer musical games, e.g. karaoke-like multiplayer videogames
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/175 : for jam sessions or musical collaboration through a network, e.g. for composition, ensemble playing or repeating; Compensation of network or internet delays therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 : Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 : Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/435 : Gensound percussion, i.e. generating or synthesising the sound of a percussion instrument; Control of specific aspects of percussion sounds, e.g. harmonics, under the influence of hitting force, hitting position, settings or striking instruments such as mallet, drumstick, brush, hand spint percussion G10H2230/231
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/441 : Gensound string, i.e. generating the sound of a string instrument, controlling specific features of said sound spint piano G10H2230/065; spint stringed instruments G10H2230/075
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/146 : using a membrane, e.g. a drum; Pick-up means for vibrating surfaces, e.g. housing of an instrument

Abstract

Systems and methods for displaying cues indicating input actions in a rhythm-action game may include: displaying, to a player of a rhythm-action game, a lane divided into at least two sub-lanes, each sub-lane containing cues indicating a drum input element; and displaying, to the player, an additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes, the additional cue indicating a foot pedal action. In some embodiments, the additional cue may span all the sub-lanes. In some embodiments, each sub-lane may contain cues indicating a drum input element of a set of linearly arranged drum input elements. In other embodiments, each sub-lanes may correspond to a fret button of a simulated guitar and the additional cue may correspond to an open strum.

Claims

1. A method executed by a game platform for rendering, on a screen display, a foot-pedal cue in a rhythm-action video game, the method comprising:

a. displaying via the screen display, to a player of the rhythm-action video game, a lane divided into at least two sub-lanes, each sub-lane containing cues indicating a drum input element;

b. displaying via the screen display, to the player, an additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes and not confined to a distinct sub-lane, the additional cue indicating a foot pedal action; and

c. displaying via the screen display, to the player, a cue contained within a sub-lane and overlaid over the additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional cue spans all of the at least two sub-lanes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each sub-lane contains cues indicating a drum input element of a set of linearly arranged drum input elements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each sub-lane contains cues indicating a drum pad of a set of linearly arranged drum pads.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two sub-lanes contain cues of a set of colors, and the additional cue is a color not in the set of colors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cue contained within a sub-lane and overlaid over the additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes indicates a simultaneous drum pad strike and foot pedal action.

7. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, for rendering, on a screen display, a foot-pedal cue in a rhythm-action video game, the computer program product including executable instructions operable to cause a game platform to:

render on the screen display, to a player of the rhythm-action video game, a lane divided into at least two sub-lanes, each sub-lane containing cues indicating a drum input element;

render on the screen display, an additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes and not confined to a distinct sub-lane, the additional cue indicating a foot pedal action; and

render on the screen display a cue contained within a sub-lane and overlaid over the additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the additional cue spans all of the at least two sub-lanes.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein each sub-lane contains cues indicating a drum input element of a set of linearly arranged drum input elements.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein each sub-lane contains cues indicating a drum pad of a set of linearly arranged drum pads.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the at least two sub-lanes contain cues of a set of colors, and the additional cue is a color not in the set of colors.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the cue contained within a sub-lane and overlaid over the additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes indicates a simultaneous drum pad strike and foot pedal action.

13. A method executed by a game platform for rendering, on a screen display, cues in a rhythm-action video game to indicate a specific input element, the method comprising:

a. displaying, via the screen display, to a player of the rhythm-action video game, a lane divided into X sub-lanes, each sub-lane containing cues indicating a unique one of a set of X input actions; and

b. displaying, via the screen display, to the player, an additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes and not confined to a distinct sub-lane, the additional cue indicating a first input action not in the set of X input actions;

c. displaying via the screen display, to the player, a cue contained within one of the X sub-lane and overlaid over the additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the set of X input actions corresponds to an input element in a linear arrangement, and the first input action corresponds to an input element not in the linear arrangement.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the additional cue spans all of the X sub-lanes.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the set of X input actions identifies a fret button to be depressed in combination with a strum, and the first input action corresponds to an open strum.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the additional cue spans all of the X sub-lanes.

18. A system comprising:

a display device; and

a game platform comprising a processor, the processor configured to;

display, via the display device, a lane divided into at least two sub-lanes, each sub-lane containing cues indicating a drum input element;

display, via the display device, an additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes and not confined to a distinct sub-lane, the additional cue indicating a foot pedal action; and

display, via the display device, a cue contained within a sub-lane and overlaid over the additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes.

19. The game platform system of claim 18, wherein the additional cue spans all of the at least two sub-lanes.

20. The game platform system of claim 18, wherein each sub-lane contains cues indicating a drum input element of a set of linearly arranged drum input elements.

21. The game platform system of claim 18, wherein each sub-lane contains cues indicating a drum pad of a set of linearly arranged drum pads.

22. The game platform system of claim 18, wherein the at least two sub-lanes contain cues of a set of colors, and the additional cue is a color not in the set of colors.

23. The game platform system of claim 18, wherein the cue contained within a sub-lane and overlaid over the additional cue spanning a plurality of the sub-lanes indicates a simultaneous drum pad strike and foot pedal action.