Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-28
2001-05-01
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S609000, C084S635000, C084S649000, C084S651000, C084S667000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06225547
ABSTRACT:
This application is based on patent application Nos. 10-326145 and 11-214435 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by references.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rhythm game apparatus for performing a musical rhythm-matching game and a rhythm game method, a computer-readable storage medium wherein a rhythm game program thereof is stored, and an instrumental device used in a rhythm game apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are game systems wherein sounds are matched in rhythm with background music, or wherein a short playing of around one phrase or so is added and played.
Also, an instrument which generates a cardiogram-like rhythm, which performs rhythm matching while watching a cardiogram-like rhythm, has been proposed (refer to Japanese Patent Publication (by PCT Application) No. 8-510849).
However, with the above-described conventional rhythm-matching, the player cannot perform the rhythm-matching game in a manner closer to reality of an actual instrument by fully using the right hand and left hand. Also, it is foreseen that, in the event that a rhythm-matching game fully using the right hand and left hand is attempted in a manner closer to reality, the complexity will increase to an extreme degree, to where performing the rhythm-matching game becomes difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a rhythm game apparatus, a rhythm game method, a computereadable storage medium for storing a rhythm game program, an instrumental device for use in a rhythm game apparatus which have overcome the problems residing in the prior art.
According to an aspect of the invention, a rhythm game apparatus comprises a sound data storage device for storing at least data concerning sounds, the sounds being sorted into a plurality of selective sound groups, a display device for displaying occurrences of sounds in each of the plurality of selective sound groups in accordance with time passing, an instrumental unit to which a game player operates. The instrumental unit is provided with a sound group selector operable by the game player to select a sound group, and an instructor operable by the game player to instruct generation of a sound. The operation of the game player is evaluated based on a time gap between the instruction timing of the instructor and the predetermined timing of a sound in a selected sound group.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for producing a rhythm game, comprises the steps of giving a game player a visual display of occurrences of sounds in each of a plurality of selective sound groups in accordance with time passing; detecting a time gap between a predetermined generation timing of a sound in a selected sound group and an instruction timing of the game player to judge whether the sound is allowed to be generated; generating the particular sound based on the judgment; and evaluating the operation of the game player based on the detected time gap.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a computer-readable storage medium storing a program of executing the steps giving a game player a visual display of occurrences of sounds in each of a plurality of selective sound groups in accordance with time passing; detecting a time gap between a predetermined generation timing of a sound in a selected sound group and an instruction timing of the game player to judge whether the sound is allowed to be generated; generating the particular sound based on the judgment; and evaluating the operation of the game player based on the detected time gap.
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Mukasa Shigehito
Okubo Toru
Toyama Motoki
Yamano Tomoya
Fletcher Marlon
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
Nappi Robert E.
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