Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-14
2001-11-20
Witkowski, Stanley J. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S609000, C084S644000, C434S30700R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320110
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a game system in which a user enjoys playing the game with music.
2. Description of Related Art
There is known a game system designed such that a user enjoys playing the game in conformity with music. Such a game system is disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent application No. 11-151380, for example. In a game system of such kind, instructions of successive operation or manipulation of an input device, which is in conformity with background music, is shown to the user as playing instruction. If the user manipulates the input device in accordance with the instruction, the sound effect corresponding to the manipulation is outputted in addition to background music, and the play by the user is evaluated based on the degree of coincidence between the manipulation instruction shown to the user and the actual manipulation performed by the user.
In the music game described above, the user needs to select a tune or tunes before starting the game. In some game systems, it is also necessary for the user to set difficulty level of play and/or various options and modes, in addition to the selection of tunes. In a conventional game system, the user needs to select tunes and set various setting as described above (hereinafter referred to as “play condition setting”) tune by tune for every tunes to play. Namely, the user sets play condition for a tune, then plays that tune, and sets play condition for another tune, and then plays that tune. However, it is troublesome and time-consuming to set play condition tune by tune. Particularly, in the music game of the above mentioned kind, a user feels uncomfortable or irritating if he or she has to set play condition of next tune after playing one tune because such a setting operation necessarily interrupts the user's enjoyable play. Generally, users desire to play tunes successively with lively feeling, without interruption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a game system with which a user can set play condition for several tunes at a time and successively play several tunes without interruption between tunes.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a music game device in which a player manipulates a manipulation unit in conformity with music, the device including: an input unit for setting play information including a plurality of tunes to be successively played and a play order of the plurality of tunes; a storage unit for collectively storing the play information; and a reproduction unit for successively reproducing the plurality of tunes in the play order based on the play information stored in the storage unit.
According to the same aspect, there is provided a method of controlling music game device including the steps of: receiving play information including a plurality of tunes to be successively played and a play order of the plurality of tunes; temporarily and collectively storing the play information; and successively reproducing the plurality of tunes in the play order based on the play information.
According to the same aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium which stores program for controlling a computer to execute music game, the program controls the computer as a computer game device including: an input unit for setting play information including a plurality of tunes to be successively played and a play order of the plurality of tunes; a storage unit for collectively storing the play information; and a reproduction unit for successively reproducing the plurality of tunes in the play order based on the play information stored in the storage unit.
In accordance with the music game device thus configured, the player sets his or her favorite tunes that he or she wants to play. At that time, the player uses the input unit to set the plurality of tunes to be played and the play order of those tunes as the play information. The storage unit collectively stores the play information. The reproduction unit successively reproduces the plurality of tunes in the play order. Therefore, the player can play the plurality of tunes without interruption.
The play information may include information of a number of players and play-difficulty of the plurality of tunes. By this, the play condition can be precisely set to meet player's favor.
The music game device may further include an automatic setting changing unit for automatically changing a part of the play information set by the player to a preset standard play information if the play information set by the player includes a setting which cannot be executed by the game device. Thus, the player can freely set the play information within the allowable range set by the game device provider, and game can be executed to meet the player's favor.
The storage unit may include a removable storage medium from and to which the play information is readable and writable by a different game device. Thus, the play information set by a game device may be used in another game device.
The storage unit may include a link storage unit for exchanging the play information between a plurality of different game devices, and the reproduction unit may perform reproduction based on the play information written into the link storage unit by a different game device. By this, the play information set in a game device can be transferred to and played by another game device.
The music game device may further include: a first display unit for displaying manipulation instruction instructing timings at which the player manipulates the manipulation unit in conformity of the music; and a second display unit for displaying various kinds of dance pictures. By this, the player can enjoy the dance game with manipulating the manipulating unit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game device in which a player manipulates a manipulation unit, the device including: an input unit for setting play information including a plurality of stages which are executed according to a progress degree of game and play conditions in the stages; a storage unit for collectively storing the play information set by the input unit; and a control unit for successively executing the plurality of stages according to the play condition based on the play information stored in the storage unit.
In accordance with the game device thus configured, the player sets the game which he or she wants to play. At that time, the player uses the input unit to set the play information including the plurality of stages to be executed in the game and the play condition in those stages. The storage unit stores the play information, and the control unit executes the stages according to the play condition. Thus, the player can play the plurality of stages without interruption.
The game device may further include an automatic setting changing unit for automatically changing a part of the play information set by the player to a preset standard play information if the play information set by the player includes a setting which cannot be executed by the game device. Thus, the player can freely set the play information within the allowable range set by the game device provider, and game can be executed to meet the player's favor.
The storage unit may include a link storage unit for exchanging the play information between a plurality of different game devices, and the control unit may control progress of the game based on the play information written into the link storage unit by the different game device. By this, the play information set in a game device can be transferred to and played by another game device.
The game device may further include: a standard play information storage unit for storing preset standard play information; and a rewriting unit for rewriting the standard play information in accordance with the play information set by the input unit. By this, the standard data is automatically used if the player does not set the play information, and it is
Ishikawa Hirotaka
Nagaoka Kei
Nishibori Takashi
Takahashi Kazuya
Takase Yasumi
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Corporation
Witkowski Stanley J.
LandOfFree
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