Program, information storage medium, game system, and control method of the game system

• US 7,628,699 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• 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., 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:
  US10/935,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20050101364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 463/7, 463/36, 463/37, 463/40, 463/46
• US Class Current: 463/36
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• 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 game system includes: a direction mark storage section which stores image data of a direction mark that specifies a player'"'"'s maneuver; a display controller which controls display of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark; a timing fetch section which fetches a maneuver timing; and an evaluation section which evaluates player'"'"'s performance, based on a result of comparison between the fetched maneuver timing and a reference timing. The display controller displays the direction mark to specify a combination of a series of consecutive maneuvers by a single mark. When the player has input a series of consecutive maneuvers in accordance with a direction of the direction mark, the evaluation section compares the timing of the series of consecutive maneuvers with a reference timing, to evaluate the performance of the player.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium bearing a program for a music game which a player plays by operating a maneuver section, the program causing a computer to function as:

a direction mark storage section which stores image data of a direction mark that specifies a maneuver that the player is to perform, using the maneuver section;

a display controller which controls display of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark, based on the image data of the direction mark;

a timing fetch section which fetches a maneuver timing when the player has operated the maneuver section in accordance with a direction given by the direction mark; and

an evaluation section which evaluates performance of the player, based on a result of comparison between the fetched maneuver timing and a reference timing,

wherein the display controller displays the direction mark to specify a combination of a series of consecutive maneuvers to be input by the player, by a single mark; and

wherein the display controller changes the relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing determination to bring the direction mark and the reference position closer.

2. The program as defined in claim 1,

wherein, when the player has input a series of consecutive maneuvers in accordance with the direction of the direction mark, the evaluation section compares a timing of the series of the consecutive maneuvers with a reference timing, to evaluate the performance of the player.

3. The program as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the display controller displays a first direction mark to specify input of a first series of consecutive maneuvers, and displays a second direction mark that differs from the first direction mark to specify input of a second series of consecutive maneuvers; and

when the player has input the first series of consecutive maneuvers in accordance with the first direction mark, the evaluation section compares the timing of the first series of consecutive maneuvers with a first reference timing, to evaluate the performance of the player, and when the player has input the second series of consecutive maneuvers in accordance with the second direction mark, the evaluation section compares the timing of the second series of consecutive maneuvers with a second reference timing, to evaluate the performance of the player.

4. The program as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display controller controls the display of the direction mark in such a manner that the reference position for timing determination is positioned within the direction mark at both a timing at which a series of consecutive maneuvers specified by the direction mark is to start and a timing at which the series of consecutive maneuvers is to end.

5. The program as defined in claim 1,

wherein the display controller halts the movement of at least one of the reference position and the direction mark in an input reception time in which input of a series of consecutive maneuvers specified by the direction mark is received.

6. The program as defined in claim 5,

wherein the display controller displays a guide mark which is used to inform the player of the input reception time.

7. The program as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the display controller displays the direction mark so as to specify a plurality of repeats of a series of consecutive maneuvers; and

when the player has input a plurality of repeats of a series of consecutive maneuvers in accordance with the direction mark, the evaluation section compares a timing of the consecutive maneuvers performed a plurality of times with the reference timing.

8. The program as defined in claim 1, causing the computer to further function as:

a maneuver sound modification section which modifies a maneuver sound that is output in response to consecutive maneuvers that the player has input, in accordance with a game status.

9. The program as defined in claim 8,

wherein the maneuver sound modification section modifies the maneuver sound that is output in response to consecutive maneuvers that the player has input, based on at least one of the degree of game progress and a melody that is selected in the game.

10. The program as defined in claim 1, causing the computer to further function as:

an allocation modification section which performs processing to modify a combination of consecutive maneuvers that is allocated to the direction mark.

11. The program as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the display controller displays a first direction mark that specifies to the player a maneuver to be performed by using the maneuver section and a second direction mark that specifies to the player a sound input maneuver to be detected by a sound detection section; and

when the timing fetch section judges that the player has operated both the maneuver section and the sound input maneuver within a given period, the timing fetch section determines that the operation of the maneuver section is valid and fetches a maneuver timing of the operation of the maneuver section, but when the timing fetch section judges that the player has not operated the maneuver section and the sound input maneuver within the same period, the timing fetch section determines that both the operation of the maneuver section and the sound input maneuver are valid and fetches maneuver timings of both the operation of the maneuver section and the sound input maneuver.

12. A computer readable storage medium bearing a program for a percussion-instrument game in which a player strikes percussion-instrument-shaped controller, the program causing a computer to function as:

a direction mark storage section which stores image data of a direction mark that specifies a striking maneuver that the player is to perform, using a percussion-instrument-shaped controller;

a display controller which controls display of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark, based on the image data of the direction mark;

a timing fetch section which fetches a strike timing when the player has struck the percussion-instrument-shaped controller in accordance with a direction given by the direction mark; and

an evaluation section which evaluates performance of the player, based on a result of comparison between the fetched strike timing and a reference timing,

wherein the display controller displays the direction mark to specify a combination of a series of consecutive maneuvers to be input by the player, by a single mark; and

wherein the display controller changes the relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing determination to bring the direction mark and the reference position closer.

13. A game system for a music game which a player plays by operating a maneuver section, the game system comprising:

a direction mark storage section which stores image data of a direction mark that specifies a maneuver that the player is to perform, using the maneuver section;

a display controller which controls display of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark, based on the image data of the direction mark;

a timing fetch section which fetches a maneuver timing when the player has operated the maneuver section in accordance with a direction given by the direction mark; and

an evaluation section which evaluates performance of the player, based on a result of comparison between the fetched maneuver timing and a reference timing,

wherein the display controller displays the direction mark to specify a combination of a series of consecutive maneuvers to be input by the player, by a single mark; and

wherein the display controller changes the relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing determination to bring the direction mark and the reference position closer.

14. A game system for a percussion-instrument game in which a player strikes a percussion-instrument-shaped controller, the game system comprising:

a direction mark storage section which stores image data of a direction mark that specifies a striking maneuver that the player is to perform, using a percussion-instrument-shaped controller;

a display controller which controls display of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark, based on the image data of the direction mark;

a timing fetch section which fetches a strike timing when the player has struck the percussion-instrument-shaped controller in accordance with a direction given by the direction mark; and

an evaluation section which evaluates performance of the player, based on a result of comparison between the fetched strike timing and a reference timing,

wherein the display controller displays the direction mark to specify a combination of a series of consecutive maneuvers to be input by the player, by a single mark; and

wherein the display controller changes the relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing determination to bring the direction mark and the reference position closer.

15. A method of controlling a game system for a music game which a player plays by operating a maneuver section, the method comprising:

storing image data of a direction mark that specifies a maneuver that the player is to perform, using the maneuver section, in a direction mark storage section;

controlling display of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark, based on the image data of the direction mark;

fetching a maneuver timing when the player has operated the maneuver section in accordance with a direction given by the direction mark;

evaluating performance of the player, based on a result of comparison between the fetched maneuver timing and a reference timing;

displaying the direction mark to specify a combination of a series of consecutive maneuvers to be input by the player, by a single mark; and

changing the relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing determination to bring the direction mark and the reference position closer.

16. A method of controlling a game system for a percussion-instrument game in which a player strikes a percussion-instrument-shaped controller, the method comprising:

storing image data of a direction mark that specifies a striking maneuver that the player is to perform, using a percussion-instrument-shaped controller, in a direction mark storage section;

controlling display of a plurality of display objects including the direction mark, based on the image data of the direction mark;

fetching a strike timing when the player has struck the percussion-instrument-shaped controller in accordance with a direction given by the direction mark;

evaluating performance of the player, based on a result of comparison between the fetched strike timing and a reference timing;

displaying the direction mark to specify a combination of a series of consecutive maneuvers to be input by the player, by a single mark; and

changing the relative positional relationship between the direction mark and a reference position for timing determination to bring the direction mark and the reference position closer.