Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Perceptible output or display
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-05
2003-04-08
Cheng, Joe H. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Perceptible output or display
C463S030000, C463S031000, C381S016000, C381S017000, C381S018000, C381S061000, C381S123000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06544122
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a background-sound control apparatus, a background-sound control method, and a readable recording medium containing a background-sound control program is recorded, which control background sounds created corresponding to variations of events to be displayed in display means.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, a system for displaying variation of an event, for example, in a video game, has been known. In this system, generally, background sounds created corresponding to images to be displayed on display means are outputted through a speaker so as to improve effectiveness of the images displayed on the display means. For example, in a video game, background sounds produced corresponding to game images are outputted through a speaker so as to improve the simulation realism of the game. Generally, these background sounds are composed using multiple channels, and various quasisounds defined for the individual channels are combined into composite sounds and outputted through the speaker.
In the conventional system described above, however, the number of channels for composing the background sound cannot be infinitely increased because it relates to the number of output ports, control load, and the like in a CPU, which is control means. Generally, the number of channels is predetermined, and the background sound is composed using quasisounds of the predetermined number of channels; therefore, effectiveness of the background sound must be improved within the restricted number of the channels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a background-sound control apparatus, a background-sound control method, a readable recording medium containing a background-sound control program, and a video game apparatus which allow effectiveness of the background sound to be improved within the predetermined number of channels.
To achieve the above, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a background-sound control apparatus that has display means for displaying variations of events, the events displayed in the display means varying according to operations performed on operating means; sound-generating means for generating background sounds; background-sound-data storing means containing background-sound data including data of sound levels corresponding to the event; output control means for outputting the background-sound data to the sound-generating means to generate the background sound; and sound-level control means for varying output ratios of the sound levels of the background sound corresponding to variations of the events.
According to this configuration, the event variations are displayed on the display means, background-sound data is outputted to the sound-generating means, and the background sound is generated therein. At this time, since the output ratios of the sound levels of the background sound are varied corresponding to the variation of the event, effectiveness of the background sound can be improved without increasing the number of channels for the background sound.
According to this configuration in which the event variations are displayed on the display means, the background-sound data corresponding to the events are concurrently outputted to the sound-generating means, resulting in generation of the background sound. In this, since output ratios of sound levels of the background sound vary corresponding to the event variations, effectiveness of the background sound can be improved without increasing the number of channels for the background sound.
Also, in the background-sound control apparatus as described above, the events displayed in the display means may vary according to operations performed on operating means.
According to this arrangement, since the output ratios of the levels of the background sound vary according to the variation in the operations performed on the operating means, effectiveness of the background sound corresponding to the operation can be improved.
Also, in the above-described background-sound control apparatus, the background-sound data may be composed of multiple channels, and the sound-level control means may vary the output ratios for the individual channels.
According to this configuration in which the output ratios are varied for the individual channels, effectiveness of the background sound can be further improved without increasing the number of channels for the background sound.
Also, in the above-described background-sound control apparatus, the display means may display images of various types, and the sound-level control means may vary the output ratios according to variations of display images.
According to this configuration in which the output ratios are varied according to the variations of the display images, effectiveness such as the background sound varying according to the variations of the display images can be obtained, by which effectiveness of the background sound can be further improved without increasing the number of channels for the background sound.
Also, in the above-described background-sound control apparatus, the sound-level control means may vary the output ratios as time passes.
According to this configuration in which the output ratios are varied as time passes, for example, the output ratios are gradually varied, by which the background sound provides effectiveness to notify a game player of the passing time, and effectiveness of the background sound can be further improved.
Also, the above-described background-sound control apparatus may have start-instruction means for outputting a predetermined start signal, in which the sound-level control means inverts highness/lowness of the output ratios of a predetermined number of channels and other channels among the plurality of channels as time passes from a moment when the start signal is outputted.
According to this configuration, in which highness/lowness of the output ratios of a predetermined number of channels and other channels among the plurality of channels is inverted as time passes from a moment when the start signal is outputted, the background sound provides effectiveness to notify the game player of the passing time, and effectiveness of the background sound can be further improved.
Also, in the above-described background-sound control apparatus, the sound-level control means may maintain the output ratios of the predetermined number of channels at a first level and maintain the output ratios of the other channels at a second level which is higher than the first level until the start signal is outputted.
According to this arrangement in which, until the start signal is outputted, the output ratios of the predetermined number of channels are maintained at a first level, for example, at 0%, and the output ratios of the other channels are maintained at a second level, for example, at 100%, which is higher than the first level. This provides effectiveness such as the background sound pieces being increased by a predetermined number of the channels within the predetermined multiple channels. Therefore, effectiveness of the background sound can be further improved.
Also, the background-sound control apparatus may further have function-storing means containing a first function representing a value increasing sharply from 0% as time passes and a second function representing a value decreasing gradually from 100% as time passes, in which the sound-level control means increases the output ratios of the predetermined number of channels according to the first function and decreases the output ratios of the other channels according to the second function.
According to this configuration, the output ratios of the predetermined number of channels increase sharply, for example, from 0% as time passes; the output ratios of the other channels decrease gradually from, for example, from 100% as time passes. This allows switching of the background sound to be clearly perceived by the ear.
Als
Araki Shigeru
Inoue Hideto
Uehara Kazuhiko
Cheng Joe H.
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
White Carmen D.
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