Information storage medium, computer terminal, and change method

• US 8,656,307 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
• Inventors: Miura, Yohei, Kohara, Takashi, Kurosawa, Kaori
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US12/574,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 715/727, 715/728, 715/729, 715/770, 715/771, 715/772, 715/802, 715/803, 715/805, 715/821, 715705-712, 715/790, 715/860, 715/862, 715/823, 844/78, 846/09, 846/36, 434/307, 704/278, 345473-474
• US Class Current: 715/823
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0016 Means for indicating which keys, frets or strings are to be actuated, e.g. using lights or leds
• 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 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: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A computer terminal changes the non-evaluation property of one of the reference timings to the evaluation property based on a result of the evaluation conducted by comparing one of the reference timings having the evaluation property with the timing of the input performed by the operator.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable information storage medium storing a program that performs processing for reproducing music data and evaluating an input performed by an operator, the program causing a computer to function as:

a storage section that stores a plurality of musical reference timings each having an evaluation property or a non-evaluation property for the music data, the musical reference timings including a first musical reference timing having an evaluation property and a plurality of second musical reference timings having a non-evaluation property for the music data, wherein the evaluation property allows an associated musical reference timing to be evaluated against the input performed by the operator;

a display control section that displays an instruction mark representing a musical reference timing having an evaluation property including more than two non-overlapping evaluation time periods, each musical reference timing including a center that is included in one of the evaluation time periods;

an evaluation section that conducts an evaluation of the input performed by the operator by comparing the first musical reference timing having the evaluation property with a timing of the input performed by the operator, the input performed by the operator falling within one of the non-overlapping evaluation periods; and

for each second musical reference timing, a change section that changes the non-evaluation property of the second musical reference timing to an evaluation property based on a result of the evaluation of within which of the non-overlapping evaluation periods the input falls, and

wherein;

the number of instructions marks to be displayed increases in real-time based on the evaluation result for the input performed by the operator,

the display control section sets an instruction mark of a second musical reference timing to the display state from the non-display state when the non-evaluation property of the second musical reference timing is changed to the evaluation property, and

a feedback is provided to the operator based on the evaluation.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable information storage medium as defined in claim 1, the program causing the computer to further function as:

a display control section that moves instruction marks respectively representing a plurality of musical reference timings having the evaluation property along a moving path toward a predetermined point on the moving path,

wherein the display control section provides the feedback by moving one of the instruction marks representing the second musical reference timing radially from around the predetermined point and then along the moving path.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable information storage medium as defined in claim 1, the program causing the computer to further function as:

a display control section that moves instruction marks respectively representing a plurality of musical reference timings having the evaluation property along a moving path toward a predetermined point on the moving path,

wherein the display control section provides the feedback by moving one of the instruction marks representing the second musical reference timing from around the predetermined lined point to a placement point on the moving path and then along the moving path, the placement point corresponding to the one of the instruction marks.

4. A computer terminal that reproduces music data and evaluates an input performed by an operator, the computer terminal comprising:

a storage section that stores a plurality of musical reference timings each having an evaluation property or a non-evaluation property for the music data, the musical reference timings including a first musical reference timing having the evaluation property and a plurality of second musical reference timings having the non-evaluation property for the music, wherein the evaluation property allows an associated musical reference timing to be evaluated against the input performed by the operator;

a display control section that displays an instruction mark representing a musical reference timing having an evaluation property including more than two non-overlapping evaluation time periods, each musical reference timing including a center that is included in one of the evaluation time periods;

an evaluation section that conducts an evaluation of the input performed by the operator by comparing the first musical reference timing having the evaluation property with a timing of the input performed by the operator, the input performed by the operator falling within one of the non-overlapping evaluation periods; and

for each second musical reference timing, a change section that changes the non-evaluation property of the second musical reference timing to the evaluation property based on a result of the evaluation of within which of the non-overlapping evaluation periods the input falls, and

wherein;

the number of instructions marks to be displayed increases in real-time based on the evaluation result for the input performed by the operator,

the display control section sets an instruction mark of a second musical reference timing to the display state from the non-display state when the non-evaluation property of the second musical reference timing is changed to the evaluation property,

a feedback is provided to the operator based on the evaluation.

5. A change method that is implemented by a computer terminal that reproduces music data, evaluates an input performed by an operator, and includes a processor, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of musical reference timings having an evaluation property or a non-evaluation property for the music data, the musical reference timings including a first musical reference timing having the evaluation property and a plurality of second musical reference timings having the non-evaluation property for the music, wherein the evaluation property allows an associated musical reference timing to be evaluated against the input performed by the operator;

displaying an instruction mark representing a musical reference timing having an evaluation property including more than two non-overlapping evaluation time periods, each musical reference timing including a center that is included in one of the evaluation time periods;

conducting an evaluation of the input performed by the operator by comparing the first musical reference timing having the evaluation property with a timing of the input performed by the operator, the input performed by the operator falling within one of the non-overlapping evaluation periods;

for each second musical reference timing, changing the non-evaluation property of the second musical reference timing to the evaluation property based on a result of the evaluation of within which of the non-overlapping evaluation periods the input falls; and

providing a feedback to the operator based on the evaluation,

wherein;

the number of instructions marks to be displayed increases in real-time based on the evaluation result for the input performed by the operator, and

the displaying step sets an instruction mark of a second musical reference timing to the display state from the non-display state when the non-evaluation property of the second musical reference timing is changed to the evaluation property.