Patent Application
20100304865
This invention relates to video game controllers and, more particularly, to video game controllers that emulate a guitar or bass guitar musical instrument to provide game input.
“Rhythm-action” is a popular video game genre which requires a player to perform phrases from a pre-recorded musical composition using the video game's input device. In this series of games the notes in musical phrases are graphically displayed to the player as a series of visual markers spaced along one or more timelines; each marker corresponds to one note in the phrase. In the block diagram environment shown in
Video game controllers for “rhythm-action” games are designed to allow players to provide inputs to the game console in a life-like fashion. However, the controller is limited by the ability of the player to manipulate the buttons or components of the controller as well as the ability of the controller to accept the inputs from players with a variety of skill levels. In addition, simulated game controllers, including guitar controllers, are often designed to be as realistic in appearance and function as possible. The design of a game controller must therefore include aspects of a “real” guitar while also maintaining a look and feel that is unique to a video game controller and video game operations. Finally, a simulated game controller must also be useable by players who have minimal experience playing or maneuvering real instruments. Developing a simulated game controller that is too similar to a real instrument may discourage players who have no experience playing musical instruments.
A simulated game controller is desired that can be manipulated similarly to a “real” musical instrument, for example a guitar, while also maintaining a simplicity of operation such that musical beginners are able to participate and enjoy using the simulated instrument controller.
In one aspect of the present invention, the invention includes a game controller for simulating a guitar which facilitates a player using multiple fingers to strum notes. In one embodiment, the controller includes a body portion, a plurality of strum bars disposed on a front face of the body portion, a neck portion extending outwardly away from the body portion, and a plurality of fret buttons disposed on the neck portion.
In another aspect of the invention, the invention includes a method for facilitating interaction of a video game player with a game controller that simulates a guitar. In some embodiments, a game controller comprising a body portion can be provided wherein a neck portion extends outwardly from the body portion and a plurality of strum bars are positioned on a front face of the body portion. Further, a first target musical data associate with a musical composition can be displayed to the player. Finally, an input generated by the player strumming at least one of the plurality of strum bars can be detected that that corresponds to the first target musical data.
Any of the aspects can also include one or more of the following features. In some embodiments the game controller includes a thumb rest positioned on the front face of the body portion. Some embodiments can also include a whammy knob or whammy bar disposed on the front face of the body portion of the guitar. And in some embodiments the game controller can include a plurality of strum bars that pivot with respect to a single axis. In some embodiments, the plurality of strum bars pivot with respect to a plurality of axis. The plurality of strum bars can correspond to a plurality of pivot bars. The plurality of pivot bars can be arranged in parallel on the body portion. The plurality of strum bars can be connected electrically in common. And in some embodiments, the plurality of strum bars shares a common pivot bar. In some embodiments, the plurality of strum bars comprises three or four strum bars.
Any of the aspects above can also include one or more of the following features. The activation of each of the plurality of strum bars can cause the controller to produce a unique output. And in some embodiments activation of each of the plurality of strum bars can cause the controller to produce an identical output.
Any of the aspects above can also include one or more of the following features. An input generated by the player strumming more than one of the plurality of strum bars during a particular time period can be detected as a single strum. And in some embodiments the input generated by the player can be evaluated with the first target musical data to provide a player score.
The invention is pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. The advantages of the invention described above, as well as further advantages of the invention, may be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Game controllers simulating instruments may provide a note-producing mechanism different from that usually associated with a simulated instrument. Referring now to
In some embodiments, the fret buttons 220 and 220′ may be colored to indicate that the buttons correspond to a particular note, chord, or fret. In some embodiments, a fret button 220 may indicate color by the color of the entire fret button. In other embodiments, only a portion of the fret button may be colored. For example, a fret button may be mostly black, but contain a colored dot or stripe indicating color. Or for example, the fret button may be clear, and one or more lights underneath the fret button may indicate the color.
In other embodiments, other markings on the neck may indicate the “color” of a particular fret button. For example, colored dots may be placed on the neck of the guitar next to one or more fret buttons 220 indicating the color corresponding to the fret button. In another example, patterns of dots may be used to indicate the note, chord, or fret to which a given button corresponds, similar to the patterns of dots used on traditional guitars to designate frets by thirds and octaves. In these embodiments, the fret buttons themselves may be white, clear, black, or all colored a similar color. In still other embodiments, one set of fret buttons 220 may be colored, while a second set of fret buttons is colorless. For example, in an embodiment such as the one shown in
In some embodiments, a user of a guitar controller may be able to change the colors corresponding to one or more fret buttons, such as by using stickers, removable button colors, multiple colored LED's under the fret buttons, or otherwise. A game using the guitar controller may then have a configuration tool such that the user can configure the game to recognize the altered colors.
Although shown in
Referring ahead to
In some of these latter embodiments, the second set of fret buttons 220′ may be used for playing “solos” during gameplay. Use of the guitar controller in this manner provides a player with a more realistic gameplay experience, since guitar solos are often played very close to the body of the guitar. In some embodiments, the second set of fret buttons 220; may be the only set of fret buttons on which hammer-ons and pull-offs may be executed, as described below. In other embodiments, the second set of fret buttons 220′ may be used to trigger specific guitar effects, such as pick slides, screeches, or feedback. Alternatively, “performing” using the second set of fret buttons may alter game graphics (such as venue animation, venue lighting, crowd animation, brightness, avatar animation, game cue sustain tail, game cue brightness, game cue sustain tail brightness, game cue size, game cue shape, game cue sustain tail pulsation, and game cue sustain tail size), sound quality, or other gameplay characteristics, such as character health, character wealth in the game, the player's score, or in-game “powerups.”
Referring back to any one of
The whammy bar 260 of the controller resembles a whammy bar of a real guitar. As shown in
The whammy bar is typically manipulated by the guitarist's strumming hand, that is, the hand with which the player operates the strum bar 240. In a real guitar, manipulating the whammy bar directly affects the tension of the guitar strings, and therefore causes the pitch of the vibrating strings to rise and fall as the bar is pulled or pushed. The simulated whammy bar of the guitar controller, the vibrato bar, can be used as a continuous controlling actuator, much like a joystick. Typically, the vibrato bar has a single degree-of-freedom, but it may have more degrees of freedom. It may additionally be used as an on-off switch, instead of a continuous controller. The whammy bar 260 of the controller looks and feels like the whammy bar of a real guitar, and, therefore provides a much more enjoyable gaming experience for the player.
The guitar controller 200 also allows a player to use more sophisticated guitar playing techniques to interact with a game. Two such techniques are “hammer ons” and “pull offs.” Hammer-ons and pull-offs allow a guitarist to player notes in rapid succession. Typically, they only require the use of the player's fretting hand. To play a hammer-on note, the guitarist uses one of the free fingers of his fretting hand to strike the guitar string with high velocity. This results in the string vibrating due to the force of the string hitting a fret. As a result, the string need not be strummed by the strumming hand. Pull offs require the guitarist to tug slightly on the string when he releases it from a fret. This pulling action also causes the string to vibrate more, again, eliminating the need to strum the string with the strumming hand.
In the simulated guitar controller 200, hammer-ons may be simulated by allowing the player to press down fret buttons 220 without needing to simultaneously strum the strum bar 240. This is achieved by the manufacturer of the game authoring the game content to identify a note as amenable to hammering on or pulling off. For a hammer on, a player will generally need to capture a “lower” pitched note traditionally, that is, by holding down a fret button and simultaneously activating the strum bar. If the next note is identified as amenable to being played by a hammer technique, the player need only activates the “higher” pitched fret button to successfully capture the note.
Similarly, in pull-offs, the player can “play a note” by releasing a fret button 220 without needing to simultaneously strum the strum bar 240. This is achieved, again, by the manufacturer of the game authoring the game content to identify a note as amenable to hammering on or pulling off For a pull off, a player will generally need to capture a pair of notes traditionally, that is, by holding down both fret buttons and simultaneously activating the strum bar. If the next note is identified as amenable to being played by a pull off technique, the player need only release the “higher” pitched fret button to successfully capture the note. As discussed above, when using the embodiment of a guitar controller 200 depicted in
In some embodiments,
The whammy bar 260 is not always included in every implementation, particularly with simulated bass guitar controllers to more realistically reflect the design of a real bass guitar. Rather, in some implementations,
Real guitarists often perform flamboyant motions on stage when playing guitar as part of their showmanship. One typical motion involves rotating the guitar vertically so that the neck of the guitar points up, while the body of the guitar is down, usually at waist level. In the simulated guitar controller 200, a mechanical “tilt sensor” can be included that monitors the guitar's physical orientation. This tilt sensor is typically a mercury switch or a ball-bearing switch which acts as a binary actuator, indicating whether the guitar has been rotated into a “neck up” position, or is in the normal playing position. Such tilt sensors have been included in guitar controllers manufactured by Konami and by Red Octane. Other secondary techniques for interacting with the controller include shaking the controller and slapping the controller.
Referring now to
As shown in
Each segment may correspond to some unit of musical time, such as a beat, a plurality of beats, a measure, or a plurality of measures. Although the embodiment shown in
Referring back to
As the game elements 350 move along a respective sublane, musical data represented by the game elements 350 may be substantially simultaneously played as audible music when the player successfully performs the event. To successfully perform an event, a player holds down the fret button 220 corresponding to the sublane on which the game element 350 appears while strumming the strum bar 240. The player must perform this action when the game element 350 passes under the target marker 375. In some embodiments, the player may hold down the corresponding fret button at any point in time before the moment when game element 350 passed under the target marker 375. In other embodiments, the player may successfully perform an event by performing a hammer on or pull off when the game element 350 passes under the target marker 375.
In some embodiments, audible music represented by a game element 350 is only played (or only played at full or original fidelity) if a player successfully “performs the musical content” by capturing or properly executing the game element 350. In other embodiments, the audible music represented by a game element 350 is modified, distorted, or otherwise manipulated in response to the player's proficiency in executing game elements associated with a sublane. For example, various digital filters can operate on the audible music prior to being played by the game player. Various parameters of the filters can be dynamically and automatically modified in response the player capturing game elements associated with sublane, allowing the audible music to be degraded if the player performs poorly or enhancing the audible music if the player performs well. For example, if a player fails to execute a game event, the audible music represented by the failed event may be muted, played at less than full volume, or filtered to alter the its sound. In certain embodiments, a “wrong note” sound may be substituted for the music represented by the failed event. Conversely, if a player successfully executes a game event, the audible music may be played normally. In some embodiments, if the player successfully executes several, successive game events, the audible music associated with those events may be enhanced, for example, by adding an echo or “reverb” to the audible music. The filters can be implemented as analog or digital filters in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. Further, application of the filter to the audible music output, which in many embodiments corresponds to musical events represented by game elements 350, can be done dynamically, that is, during play. Alternatively, the musical content may be processed before game play begins. In these embodiments, one or more files representing modified audible output may be created and musical events to output may be selected from an appropriate file responsive to the player's performance.
Referring now to
Still referring to
The method shown comprises displaying to a player first target musical data associated with a musical composition (step 303). This target musical data may comprise cues, elements, or gems as discussed herein. The first target musical data may indicate to the player that the player should use the first plurality of fret buttons 220 when playing the notes corresponding to the target musical data. For example, the first target musical data may correspond to a chorus or verse of a song which is meant to be played on the fret buttons 220 furthest from the body of the guitar. The method shown then comprises receiving first music performance input from the player using one of the first plurality of fret buttons (step 305).
The method shown comprises displaying to the player second target musical data associated with the musical composition (step 307). This target musical data may comprise cues, elements, or gems as discussed herein. The second target musical data may indicate to the player that the player should use the second plurality of fret buttons 220 when playing the notes corresponding to the target musical data. The second target musical data may differ from the first target musical data in shape, size color, transparency, and/or any other graphical property. For example, the second target musical data may correspond to a solo within a song that is meant to be played on the fret buttons 220′ close to the body of the guitar. The method then comprises receiving second music performance input from the player using one of the second plurality of fret buttons (step 309).
In some embodiments, the method comprises altering gameplay characteristics in response to the second music performance input (step 311). Examples of gameplay characteristics which may be altered include score bonus, star power, player score, character health, character money, in-game power-ups, and crowd excitement. For example, a player successfully playing a portion of a solo on the fret buttons 220′ close to the body of the guitar may result in increased crowd response, and an increased score. In other embodiments, the method comprises altering graphical characteristics of the game in response to the second musical performance input. Examples of graphical characteristics which may be altered include venue lighting, venue brightness, venue animation, crowd animation, crowd excitement, brightness, avatar animation, sustain tail, note brightness, sustain tail brightness, note size, note shape, sustain tail pulsation, and sustain tail size. For example, if a player successfully plays one or more notes using the fret buttons 220′ close to the body of the guitar, the notes may change color to indicate the success, and the crowd animations may be changed such that the crowd appears more enthusiastic about the performance.
Target music data associated with a musical composition can be displayed (step 360) to the player. In some embodiments, the musical composition will be preselected for the player, and in some embodiments the game player will have the opportunity to select the musical composition from a list of available options. The musical compositions may include any prerecorded, commercially available song, although in some embodiments, the player will select a musical composition that is simply a collection of musical notes that are arranged to allow the game player to practice or refine their game playing ability.
An input generated by the player strumming at least one of the plurality of strum bars that corresponds to the first target musical data can be detected (step 365). As discussed above, the input can be generated by strumming one or more of the plurality of strum bars. In some embodiments, strumming more than one of the plurality of strum bars during a particular time period can be detected as a single strum. After the input is provided by the player, the input can be evaluated (step 370) as compared to the target music data. A higher score can be awarded to the game player, the closer the input matches the target music data.
Referring now to
As shown in
In other embodiments, use of the whammy bar or knob may alter both the visual and auditory aspects of the game. For example, referring to
In other embodiments, manipulating the whammy bar or knob can affect other aspects of gameplay, such as the excitement of the simulated crowd, the number of points the player receives, the amount of “health” a player has, or, in general, the amount of any arbitrary game resource, such as points, score, health, money.
In some embodiments, the controller 200 may be used in conjunction with effects pedals that allow a player to activate certain audio effects. For example, a controller 200 may be provided with a socket for receiving input indicating activation of a flange pedal, fuzzbox, vocoder, distortion pedal, echo pedal, reverb pedal, chorus pedal, delay pedal, pedals that affect the attack and decay of a reproduced note and any other pedal typically used with real guitars.
The tilt sensor of controller 200 may be used as part of a gameplay mechanic. In one specific embodiment, tilting the guitar vertically causes “star power deployment” and is indicated by scoring, graphical, and sonic changes in the game. For example, tilting the guitar vertically changes the excitement of the simulated crowd, the number of points a player receives, the rate at which a player accumulates points, the overall reverberation of the music, the sound quality of the guitar notes, and other graphical and audio effects.
Although described in the context of a rhythm action game, the simulated guitar controller 200 may be used with any genre of game, including first-person shooter, survival horror, action adventure, fighting games, role playing games, real-time strategy games, platformers, puzzle games, racing games, sports games, and stealth action games, third-person shooters. The simulated guitar controller 200 may also be used with rhythm action games that do not center on performance of a musical work using an instrument, such as Dance Dance Revolution or Karaoke Revolution, both published by Konami.
Having described certain embodiments of the invention, it will now become apparent to one of skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating the concepts of the invention may be used. Although the described embodiments relate to the field of rhythm-action games, the principles of the invention can extend to other areas that involve musical collaboration or competition by two or more users connected to a network. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to certain embodiments, but rather should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.
