Game controller simulating a musical instrument

• US 8,079,901 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brosius, Eric, Egozy, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US11/929,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20080220864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 463/37, 463/7, 463 42- 43, 846/09, 846/10, 847/43
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

A simulated musical instrument may be used to alter the audio of a video game, the video aspects of video game, or both. Use of a controller simulating a musical instrument allows a rhythm-action game can be enjoyed in a manner closer to a realistic state of playing an instrument.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating interaction with a music-based video game using a game controller simulating a guitar, the method comprising:

a) receiving music performance input from a game controller comprising a body portion having a strum bar and a neck portion extending outwardly from the body portion and including a first plurality of fret buttons disposed on the neck and a second plurality of fret buttons disposed on the neck portion between the body portion of the game controller and the first plurality of fret buttons, wherein each of the second plurality of fret buttons corresponds to one of the first plurality of fret buttons;

b) preparing to display a first target musical data associated with a musical composition that includes a target musical cue;

c) receiving a first music performance input from the first plurality of fret buttons of the game controller, wherein activation of one of the first plurality of buttons satisfies the target musical cue;

d) preparing to display a second target musical data associated with the musical composition that includes at least the target musical cue; and

e) receiving a second music performance input from the second plurality of fret buttons of the game controller, wherein activation of a corresponding one of the second plurality of buttons satisfies the target musical cue.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises preparing to display first target musical data associated with one of a verse and a chorus of a musical composition.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) comprises preparing to display the second target musical data indicating that the data represents a solo of a musical composition and detecting whether the second plurality of fret buttons are activated during the solo of the musical composition.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving a portion of the solo performed on the second plurality of fret buttons and identifying at least one button activation of the second plurality of fret buttons without requiring that a strum bar be activated.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises preparing to display target musical data associated with a musical composition, the target musical data disposed along a musical time axis that does not lie in the image plane of a display.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising altering gameplay characteristics in response to the second music performance input from the second plurality of fret buttons.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the altered gameplay characteristic is selected from the group consisting of score bonus, star power, player score, character health, character money, in-game power-ups, and crowd excitement.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising altering graphical characteristics of the game in response to the second musical performance input from the second plurality of fret buttons.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the graphical characteristic to be altered is selected from the group consisting of venue lighting, venue brightness, venue animation, crowd animation, crowd excitement, brightness, avatar animation, sustain tail, note brightness, sustain tail brightness, note size, note shape, sustain tail pulsation, and sustain tail size.

10. A method for facilitating interaction with a music-based video game using a game controller simulating a guitar, the method comprising:

a) receiving music performance input from a game controller comprising a body portion having a strum bar and a neck portion extending outwardly from the body portion and including a first plurality of fret buttons disposed on the neck and a second plurality of fret buttons disposed on the neck portion between the body portion of the game controller and the first plurality of fret buttons;

b) establishing, for each of the second plurality of fret button inputs, a correspondence to one of the first plurality of fret button inputs, such that the activation of one of the second plurality produces an equivalent fret output to the output produced by activating the corresponding fret button of the first plurality;

c) preparing to display target musical data associated with the musical composition, the target musical data identifying at least a first fret button of the first plurality of fret buttons;

d) receiving music performance input from a second fret button of the second plurality of fret buttons; and

e) evaluating the music performance input based at least in part on whether the second fret button of the second plurality of fret buttons corresponds to the identified first fret button of the first plurality of fret buttons.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein step (c) comprises displaying target musical data associated with the musical composition, the target musical data identifying at least a first button of the first plurality of buttons, and the target musical data also indicating that the second plurality of fret buttons may be used.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the target musical data indicates that the data corresponds to a solo in the musical composition and detecting whether the second plurality of fret buttons are activated during the solo of the musical composition.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising receiving a portion of the solo performed on the second plurality of fret buttons and identifying at least one button activation of the second plurality of fret buttons as a hammer on.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein step (e) further comprises evaluating said music performance input without a requirement that the user activate the strum bar.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein step (e) further comprises evaluating said music performance input based at least in part on whether the target musical data indicated that the second plurality of fret buttons should be used.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising altering at least one gameplay characteristic in response to the evaluating of the music performance input.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the altered gameplay characteristic is selected from the group consisting of score bonus, star power, player score, character health, character money, in-game power-ups, and crowd excitement.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the gameplay characteristic is altered in a different manner for music performance input received from one of the second plurality of fret buttons than for music performance input received from a corresponding one of the first plurality of fret buttons.

19. The method of claim 10 further comprising altering graphical characteristics of the game in response to the evaluating of the musical performance input.

20. A game controller simulating a guitar, the controller comprising:

a body portion including a strum bar;

a neck portion extending outwardly away from the body portion along an axis, the neck portion comprising one or more frets;

a first set of fret buttons disposed on the neck portion; and

a second set of fret buttons disposed on the neck portion, wherein the second set of fret buttons are horizontally positioned along the axis of said neck portion to the first plurality of fret buttons and correspond to each other such that upon activation of each of the second set of fret buttons produces an equivalent fret output to the corresponding one of the first set of fret buttons.

21. The game controller of claim 20 wherein each one of the first set of fret buttons is electrically connected with the corresponding one of the second set of fret buttons.

22. The game controller of claim 20 wherein each one of the first set of fret buttons is electrically independent from the corresponding one of the second set of fret buttons.

23. The game controller of claim 20 wherein activation of each of the second set of fret buttons produces an output distinguishable from the corresponding one of the first set of fret buttons.

24. The game controller of claim 20 wherein each of the first set of fret buttons has a color indicator matching a color indicator of the corresponding one of the second set of fret buttons.

25. The game controller of claim 24 wherein each of the color indicators comprises a colored stripe on a fret button.

26. The game controller of claim 20 wherein activation of one of the first or the second set of fret buttons triggers a guitar effect in a game.

27. The game controller of claim 26 wherein the guitar effect is selected from the group consisting of a pick slide, a screech, and feedback.

28. The game controller of claim 20 wherein activation of each of the second set of fret buttons produces an output identical to the corresponding one of the first set of fret buttons.

29. The game controller of claim 20 wherein activation of one of the first set of fret button satisfies a different target musical cue from the corresponding button from the second set of fret buttons.

30. Software encoded on one or more computer-readable media and when executed operable to:

receive music performance input from a game controller comprising a body portion having a strum bar and a neck portion extending outwardly from the body portion and including a first plurality of fret buttons disposed on the neck and a second plurality of fret buttons disposed on the neck portion between the body portion of the game controller and the first plurality of fret buttons;

establish, for each of the second plurality of fret button inputs, a correspondence to one of the first plurality of fret button inputs, such that the activation of one of the second plurality produces an equivalent fret output to the output produced by activating the corresponding fret button of the first plurality;

prepare a graphical display of target musical data associated with the musical composition, the target musical data identifying at least a first fret button of the first plurality of fret buttons;

receive music performance input from a second fret button of the second plurality of fret buttons; and

evaluate the music performance input based at least in part on whether the second fret button of the second plurality of fret buttons corresponds to the identified first fret button of the first plurality of fret buttons.

31. The software of claim 30 further comprising evaluating said music performance input based at least in part on whether the target musical data indicated that the second plurality of fret buttons should be used.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising altering at least one gameplay characteristic in response to the evaluating of the music performance input.

33. The software of claim 32 wherein the gameplay characteristic is altered in a different manner for music performance input received from one of the second plurality of fret buttons than for music performance input received from a corresponding one of the first plurality of fret buttons.

34. The software of claim 32 wherein the altered gameplay characteristic is at least one of score bonus, star power, player score, character health, character money, in-game power-ups, and crowd excitement.