Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-26
2002-02-19
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S030000, C463S035000, C463S036000, C463S037000, C463S043000, C273S14800B, C273S454000, C273S460000, C700S090000, C700S091000, C700S094000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06347998
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game system which is manipulated as entertainment in time to music.
2. Description of the Related Art
A game system manipulated as entertainment in time to music was for example disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (TOKU-KAI-HEI) No. 11-151380. In this type of game system, commands for a series of manipulations of an input apparatus are specified to a player on the game screen of a monitor in time with music which is reproduced as background music (BGM). When the player manipulates the input apparatus in accordance with the specified commands, sound effects corresponding to the manipulations are superimposed over the BGM. In addition, the player is evaluated based on the degree of accordance between the specified manipulation sequence and the actual manipulations carried out by the player.
In the musical game described above, data determining the manipulation sequence of the input apparatus is provided for each musical piece, but as the player repeatedly plays the game he or she gets accustomed to the manipulation and loses his or her interest in the game. In view of this, the player wants to change the manipulation sequence of the input apparatus as he or she desires and to arrange the sound effects allocated to the manipulations so as to suit his or her own tastes. However, the players might find it confusing to create the data by themselves and they may not be able to create the desired data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a game system wherein it is possible to practically set performance data specifying the procedure of manipulations and the allocation of sound effects to the manipulations.
A first aspect of this invention provides a game system comprising an input apparatus which is manipulated by a player; performance data memory device which stores performance data stipulating a series of manipulations of the input apparatus arranged in correspondence with a predetermined musical piece; manipulation guide device which specifies the series of manipulations of the input apparatus arranged in correspondence with the musical piece to the player based on the performance data; the performance data comprising information which specifies timings of manipulations relating to at least one timing manipulation member provided on the input apparatus, and information which specifies at least one selection manipulation member to be manipulated in correspondence with the manipulation of the timing manipulation member from a plurality of selection manipulation members provided on the input apparatus; and editing device which edits either one of the information specifying the manipulation timing of the performance data and the information specifying the selection manipulation member independently of the other based on a command supplied by a player via the input apparatus.
According to this aspect, it is possible to edit only the specifications of a selection manipulation member to be manipulated in correspondence with the manipulation of a timing manipulation member of an input apparatus as the player wants, and conversely to edit only the timing at which the timing manipulation member is manipulated, without changing the timings which control the timing manipulation member. Therefore, an operation of editing the performance data is easier to understand than when simultaneously changing the specifications relating to the manipulation timing and selection manipulation members, whereby even a person who is not familiar with the manipulation can create performance data as he or she desires without confusion.
In a second aspect of this invention, the game system according to the first aspect further comprises edit screen display device which displays an edit screen wherein note marks corresponding to manipulations of the timing manipulation members contained in a predetermined range of the musical piece are arranged so that their relationship with the selection manipulation members to be manipulated in correspondence with manipulation of the timing manipulation members is identifiable in a predetermined direction along a time axis based on the performance data; scrolling device which changes the correspondence relationship between the musical piece and the predetermined range in response to a predetermined scrolling manipulation of the input apparatus so that an editing position set in the edit screen moves forward or backward in relation to the musical piece; and edit executing device which changes the information specifying the selection manipulation member in response to a predetermined selection setting manipulation of the input apparatus so that the correspondence relationship between a note mark displayed at the editing position of the edit screen and the selection manipulation member changes.
According to this aspect, the player can use the scrolling device to move a desired note mark to the editing position, and change the selection manipulation member corresponding to that note mark. Therefore, it is possible to change the manipulation of the selection manipulation member while confirming this on the edit screen, without changing the timing of the manipulation of the timing manipulation member.
A third aspect of this invention comprises the game system according to the second aspect, wherein the editing device comprises timing adjusting device which changes the information specifying a timing of a manipulation of the timing manipulation member so that said timing corresponding to a note mark displayed at the editing position of the edit screen changes in response to a timing adjustment manipulation of the input apparatus.
According to this aspect, the timing at which the timing manipulation member is to be manipulated can be moved forward and backward in the musical piece as the player desires. Therefore, it is possible to intentionally adjust the manipulation so as to delay or advance it as a technique of performing the music.
A fourth aspect of this invention comprises the game system according to the second or third aspects, further comprising audio output device; and sound effect data recording device in which sound effect data for reproducing a plurality of sound effects via the audio output device are stored; the performance data comprising information specifying allocations of the sound effects to each manipulation of the input apparatus; and the editing device comprising sound effect setting device which changes the information specifying the allocations of the sound effects in response to a sound effect setting manipulation of the input apparatus so that the allocations of the sound effects to manipulations corresponding to note marks displayed at the editing position of the edit screen changes.
According to this aspect, the player can change the sound effects to be generated in compliance with the manipulation of the input apparatus as he or she desires.
A fifth aspect of this invention comprises the game system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the editing device further comprises a sample display device which displays a sample screen showing a correspondence relationship between manipulation of the input apparatus stipulated by performance data set as a sample and the allocations of the sound effects; and allocation executing device which allocates sound effects displayed in the sample screen as sound effects corresponding to note marks displayed at the editing position of the edit screen.
According to this aspect, the sound effect can be efficiently allocated while consulting already existing performance data.
A sixth aspect of this invention comprises the game system according to the fifth aspect, wherein performance data being edited can be set as the sample. In this case, a sound effect which was allocated earlier can be efficiently reallocated to another position, and the like.
A seventh aspect of this invention comprises the game system according to the fifth aspect, wherein a plurality of performance da
Miyauchi Fumihito
Omori Takahiro
Yoshitomi Kensuke
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
Martin-Wallace Valencia
Nguyen Binh-An D.
LandOfFree
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