JP2001145778A - Game system, and computer readable storage medium for effecting the system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a music game system allowing even a person unaccustomed to playing of a musical instrument to enjoy an operation satisfying the feeling of attainment of performance. SOLUTION: This game system includes an input device 7 having many white keys 7a and black keys 7b arranged according to a keyed instrument, an operation guide device 21 for guiding a series of operation of the input device 7 set corresponding to the performance of a designated music through a guide screen 100, and a sounding control device for performing sounding with a pitch corresponding to each key in response to key pressing of the input device 7. In the game system, the correlation between each key of the input device 7 and pitch corresponding to each key is varied so that when keys 7a, 7b in a range narrower than the operating range of the keyboard in actually playing a musical instrument are operated, the same music can be played. The relationship between the arranging order of the key pressing positions and the pitch of sound is made to agree with that of the musical instrument.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game system and the like for enjoying an operation according to music.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A game system for enjoying an operation according to music is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-151380. In this game system, the operation of an operation member provided on the input device is guided through a screen, and when the input device is operated according to the guidance, an appropriate sound effect or the like is superimposed on the music being reproduced as BGM. Guidance on operation is provided through an indicator provided in the game screen. Different passages are set inside the indicator for each operation member of the input device, and a stationary mark representing the external characteristic of the operation member corresponding to each passage is arranged at the lower end of each passage. From the upper end of the indicator, a predetermined moving mark descends toward the still mark at a tempo corresponding to the music. Each movement mark has a length corresponding to the duration of the operation in the up-down direction (moving direction). The player is required to operate the operation member until the movement mark reaches the reference position set at the lower end of the indicator and passes through the reference position.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned game system, it is necessary to increase the number of input members in order to enhance the realism of playing a musical instrument. However, the more operation members, the more difficult it is to play, and even if a player who is good at playing musical instruments is satisfied, an unfamiliar person may not enjoy the game. If a song that can be played by operating only a part of a large number of operation members (for example, a song that can be played within one octave) is prepared, the difficulty of the operation is reduced. However, such songs are less attractive and do not give a sense of accomplishment even if they can be played as directed by the game console.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a music game system in which even a person who is unfamiliar with playing a musical instrument can enjoy the operation and can feel a sense of accomplishment of the performance.

[0005]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are added in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

The present invention relates to a specific musical instrument (for example, a keyboard instrument).
Input device (7) having a plurality of operating members (7a, 7b) arranged according to operators (white keys and black keys in the case of keyboard instruments), and set in association with a predetermined music performance A series of operations of the input device is performed on a predetermined guidance screen (10
0), and a sound control device (21, 2) for generating a pitch corresponding to each operation member in response to an operation of each operation member of the input device.
8, 25C), wherein the sound control device determines the relationship between the arrangement order of the plurality of operation members and the pitch of sound output in response to the operation of each operation member by using the control element in an actual musical instrument. And the operation range of the control when the predetermined music is played by the musical instrument, while matching the relationship between the arrangement order of the controls and the pitch of the sound output in response to the operation of each control. Complementary to change the correlation between each operation member of the input device and the pitch associated with each operation member so that the operation range of the operation member when playing the predetermined music on the device is narrowed. The above-mentioned problem is solved by a game system having means.

According to the present invention, the same music as when playing a musical instrument can be played simply by operating an operating member within an operation range narrower than when playing an actual musical instrument. For example, in an actual musical instrument, music played using an operator in a range of about three octaves can be played only by operating an operation member in a range of two octaves or less.
Therefore, even a person unfamiliar with playing a musical instrument can easily perform. The output music is attractive enough for the player because it contains the same pitch change as when operating a wider range of controls on the actual instrument, and the player can fully enjoy the performance .

Further, since the relationship between the arrangement order of the operation members and the pitch of the sound matches that of an actual musical instrument, the operation does not feel unnatural. For example, when an input device similar to a keyboard is provided, the relationship between the operation of each operation member and the pitch is maintained so that the higher the operation member on the right side as viewed from the player, the higher the sound is emitted. There is no unnaturalness that the sound drops even though it is changing.

Note that the input device is not limited to a keyboard corresponding to an actual musical instrument, but may be configured to conform to various musical instruments in which operators are arranged in accordance with musical scales. It is preferable from the viewpoint of the present invention that the range of the operation range in the present invention is compared based on the number of controls and operation members included in the range. When comparing the width of the operation range using the physical length unit, even if the operation range of the input device is narrower than the actual operation range of the musical instrument, the operation members of the input device This is because, if the number is equal to or greater than the actual number of operators of the musical instrument, the difficulty of the operation does not decrease after all. When a control corresponding to a chromatic scale is included, such as a black key of a keyboard instrument, the control and the operation member corresponding to the chromatic scale may be ignored in the comparison of the operation ranges.

In the game system according to the present invention, the complementing means is operated in accordance with a ratio of intervals according to an operation order of a series of operation positions of the operator when playing the musical instrument and an instruction of the operation guide device. The correlation may be changed while making a ratio of intervals of a series of operation positions of the operation member of the input device according to the operation order coincide with each other in at least a part of the operation range.

[0011] Here, the interval according to the operation order of a series of operation positions of the operators refers to a pair of adjacent operators (n-th) in the order of operation (playing order) when playing a predetermined music by a musical instrument. , And the (n + 1) th operator) can be defined based on the number of operators included between them. Similarly, the interval according to the operation order of a series of operation positions related to the operation member means a pair of adjacent operation members (an operation member operated nth and an n + 1 operation member) when playing the predetermined music. (The operation member to be operated second). Also in this case, the controls and operating members corresponding to the chromatic scale may be ignored. The ratio of the interval is, for example, when playing a phrase that raises or lowers the sound in order, the interval between the operator to be operated first and the operator to be operated second is A, the operator to be operated second When the interval between the operator and the third operator is B, the interval between the third operator and the fourth operator is C, and the interval between the operators is A: B: C. It refers to the mutual ratio of the intervals when the intervals are arranged according to the operation order. The operation member is similarly defined.

As described above, the operating range of the input device is set to be smaller than that of the actual musical instrument while making the ratio of the operating position intervals of the operating device of the musical instrument and the operating position of the operating member of the input device coincide with each other. If the operating position of the actual musical instrument is small, the change of the operating position of the input device is small, and if the operating position of the actual musical instrument is large, the change of the operating position of the device is large. Thus, the tendency of the change of the operation position is matched between the musical instrument and the input device. Therefore, it is possible to narrow the operation range and reduce the difficulty of the operation while enhancing the feeling of actually playing the instrument.

[0013] The supplementary means may be arranged such that the interval between a series of operation positions related to the operation member is smaller than the interval between a series of operation positions related to the operation element only in a portion where the difficulty level in operating the operation member is higher than a predetermined level. The correlation may be changed in such a way that the correlation is reduced.

In this case, since the intervals between the operation positions are narrowed only in the portion where the difficulty level is high, the feeling of playing the instrument is enhanced while leaving the portion where the input device is operated in the same manner as the performance of the instrument. By removing the unnecessarily high parts, players who are unfamiliar with the instrument can fully enjoy playing.

[0015] The supplementary means may be arranged such that in a portion where the interval between the operation positions is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, the interval between a series of operation positions related to the operation member matches the interval between the corresponding operation positions of the operation element. In a portion where the interval is larger than a predetermined reference value, the correlation is changed so that the interval between a series of operation positions for the operating member is smaller than the interval between a series of operation positions for the corresponding operating element. Is also good.

With this arrangement, the interval between the operation positions of the input device is narrowed at places where the operation positions change greatly when playing a musical instrument, and the difficulty level is maintained at a level lower than a predetermined level. This allows a person who is not accustomed to playing musical instruments to fully enjoy the game. Further, in the part where the interval between the operation positions is equal to or less than the predetermined reference value, the operation position changes like the musical instrument, so that the feeling of playing the musical instrument is enhanced.

[0017] The operation member of the input device may be arranged in accordance with an arrangement of keys as the operation elements of a keyboard as the specific musical instrument. In this case, the complementing means may change the correlation so as to avoid a black key of the keyboard. Generally, when playing a keyboard, it is more difficult to operate a black key than a white key. By avoiding this and changing the correlation, there is no danger that the difficulty of the operation will undesirably increase. In particular, as described above, when the interval between the operation positions is reduced while the ratio between the operation positions is matched, the operation position may shift to the black key, but this is further changed from the black key to the adjacent white key. By moving, the difficulty of the operation can be reliably reduced.

According to another game system of the present invention, a plurality of operating members (7) arranged in accordance with operators (white keys and black keys in the case of a keyboard instrument) of a specific instrument (eg, a keyboard instrument) are provided.
an input device (7) having a, 7b), and an operation guide device (21) for guiding a series of operations of the input device set in association with a predetermined music performance through a predetermined guide screen (100). A sound generation control device (21, 28, 25C) for generating a pitch corresponding to each operation member in response to operation of each operation member of the input device; A chord can be generated in response to one operation of one operation member.

According to this game system, a chord that cannot be obtained by operating a plurality of operators at the same time with an original musical instrument can be obtained by operating a single operation member only once. It is possible to make the player feel a sufficient sense of accomplishment while reducing the difficulty level.

Still another game system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of operating members (7a, 7a, 7b, 7b, 7b) arranged according to operators (white keys and black keys in the case of a keyboard instrument) of a specific instrument (for example, a keyboard instrument). An input device (7) having 7b), an operation guide device (21) for guiding a series of operations of the input device set in association with a predetermined music performance through a predetermined guide screen (100); A sound control device (21, 28, 25C) for generating a pitch corresponding to each operation member in response to an operation of each operation member of the input device; At least two musical tones can be generated continuously in response to one operation of the operating member.

According to this game system, a plurality of musical tones that cannot be obtained unless a plurality of operators are operated in succession with an original musical instrument can be obtained by operating a single operating member once. Thus, it is possible to make the player feel a sufficient sense of accomplishment while reducing the difficulty of the operation. The plurality of musical tones may be selected so that a particular phrase in the song is reproduced.

The game system according to the present invention is an evaluation device for evaluating a player's operation based on a correlation between an operation guided by the operation guide device and an operation actually performed by the player in response to the guidance of the operation. 21), the evaluation device includes an operation member to be operated in accordance with the guidance of the operation guide device, an operation member adjacent to the operation member to be operated within a predetermined range, and an operation instruction from the operation guide device. It may be determined that a correct operation has been performed when another operation member that has not been operated is operated simultaneously. When the processing by the above-described supplemental means is performed, the interval between the operation members becomes narrower and the operation becomes easier, but on the other hand, the opportunity to continuously operate the adjacent operation members within a predetermined range increases, and the operation member adjacent to the operation member Operation may occur. However, in the case where the above-described evaluation device is provided, as long as the operation member instructed by the operation guide device is correctly operated, the evaluation device is adjacent to the operation member (not necessarily one adjacent, but two or more predetermined ranges are defined. If it is determined that the correct operation is performed even if the operation member is operated, the difficulty level of play is reduced, and even a player unfamiliar with the musical instrument can easily enjoy the game. Here, the term “simultaneous” is not limited to the same time as viewed from the game control device, and a range that may be regarded as simultaneous may be treated as simultaneous. That is, simultaneous words include certain tolerances.

Further, when a plurality of operating members are simultaneously operated, all musical tones corresponding to all of the simultaneously operated operating members are simultaneously generated, and only the operating member to be operated is operated. Since different pronunciation is performed, it is possible to make the player recognize the operation error and call attention to try the correct operation next time.

The present invention may be configured as a storage medium. That is, the storage medium of the present invention includes a plurality of operating members (7a, 7b) arranged in accordance with operators of a specific musical instrument (for example, a keyboard instrument) (white and black keys for a keyboard instrument).
A storage medium (10) in which a computer-executable program of a game system provided with an input device (7) having a program is stored, the program setting the computer in association with a predetermined music performance. Operation guide means for guiding the series of operations of the input device through a predetermined guidance screen (100), and responding to the operation of each operation member of the input device, the pitch of the pitch associated with each operation member. Each of which is configured to function as sounding control means for sounding, wherein the sounding control means determines a relationship between an arrangement order of the plurality of operation members and a pitch of a sound output corresponding to the operation of each operation member. Playing a predetermined music by the musical instrument while matching the relationship between the arrangement order of the controls in the musical instrument and the pitch of the sound output corresponding to the operation of each of the controls. Each operation member of the input device is associated with each operation member such that the operation range of the operation member when playing the predetermined music on the input device is narrower than the operation range of the operation device. It is characterized in that the correlation with the given pitch can be changed.

According to another storage medium of the present invention, a plurality of operating members (7a, 7b) arranged in accordance with operators (white keys and black keys in the case of a keyboard instrument) of a specific musical instrument (for example, a keyboard instrument). )
A storage medium storing a program executable by a computer of a game system provided with an input device (7) having the program, wherein the program causes the computer to be set in association with a predetermined music performance. An operation guide unit that guides a series of operations of the input device through a predetermined guidance screen (100), and generates a pitch corresponding to each operation member in response to an operation of each operation member of the input device. It is configured to function as sound control means, and the sound control means can generate a chord in response to one operation of a single operation member.

Still another storage medium of the present invention includes a plurality of operating members (7a, 7a, 4b) arranged in accordance with operators of a specific musical instrument (for example, a keyboard instrument) (white keys and black keys in the case of a keyboard instrument).
A storage medium storing a program executable by a computer of a game system provided with an input device (7) having 7b), wherein the program is set by associating the computer with a predetermined music performance. Operation guide means for guiding a series of operations of the input device through a predetermined guidance screen (100), and generation of a pitch corresponding to each operation member in response to operation of each operation member of the input device. Sounding control means for performing at least two musical tones in response to a single operation of a single operating member. And

By reading and executing the programs recorded on these storage media by a computer of the game system, the game system of the present invention described above can be constituted. In the present invention, the storage medium includes various storage media such as a magnetic storage device, a magneto-optical storage device, and a semiconductor storage device.

The operation guide device of the present invention can have various structures. As an example, the operation guide device includes a continuous operation guide unit that guides a continuous operation longer than a predetermined unit time on the input device as a kind of operation included in the series of operations, and the continuous operation The guidance means may, for at least one continuous operation,
According to the guidance of the timing of starting the continuous operation, the timing of ending the continuous operation after the player starts operating the input device may be guided.

In this case, after the player starts the continuous operation according to the guidance of the operation guide device, the player is notified of the timing of ending the continuous operation. Therefore, until the continuous operation is started, it becomes impossible or difficult for the player to predict when to end the operation. As a result, unexpectedness is given to the game, and the interest of the player is stimulated.

The operation guide device includes a movable marker (115) that moves in a predetermined direction in the guidance screen at a tempo corresponding to the performance of the music, and a reference displayed at a predetermined position on the moving path of the movable marker. Each of the operations included in the series of operations can be guided by the positional relationship with the sign (116). Then, the continuous operation guide means is configured such that the movable marker reaches the reference marker in synchronization with the timing of starting the continuous operation, and the movable marker is synchronized with the timing of ending the continuous operation. Controlling the position and length of the movable sign or the control target sign selected from the reference sign in the predetermined direction so as to pass through the reference sign, and for at least a part of the continuous operation, the continuous operation Until the continuous operation is started in response to the guidance of the timing to start the operation, the length of the control target marker is set to a different length from the original length corresponding to the duration of the continuous operation Then, after the continuous operation is started, it is possible to guide the timing of changing the control target marker to the original length and ending the continuous operation. In this case, when the operation of the input device is started according to the guidance of the continuous operation, the movable sign or the reference sign is extended or contracted, so that the player is notified of the correct operation end timing.

[0031] The operation guide device (21) may include a single operation guide means for guiding a single operation ending within the unit time as a kind of operation included in the series of operations. The one-shot operation guide unit is configured to control the target marker selected from the movable marker or the reference marker so that the movable marker reaches the reference marker in synchronization with a timing at which the single operation is to be performed. The position in the predetermined direction can be controlled, and the length of the control target marker corresponding to the one-time operation can be set to a predetermined reference length. In this case, the one-time operation and the continuous operation will be mixed and guided, and the types of operations will increase, so that the user can experience a feeling similar to that of actually operating a keyboard or other musical instrument. Can be.

The control target marker corresponding to the one-time operation and the control target marker corresponding to the continuous operation set to a length different from the original length can be identified in the guide screen. You may. In this case, the player can easily recognize the control target marker corresponding to the continuous operation before the length is changed, and can prepare for the change in the length after the start of the continuous operation.

The control target marker corresponding to the continuous operation set to a length different from the original length may be displayed longer than the reference length of the control target marker corresponding to the single operation. Good. When the control target sign is displayed with a different length in this way, the player can easily determine whether the control target sign corresponds to a one-time operation or a continuous operation. Become like

The movable sign is selected as the control target sign, and the continuous operation guide means extends the movable sign to a side opposite to the moving direction after the continuous operation is started, and performs the continuous operation. The end timing may be indicated. In this case, when the movable sign reaches a predetermined position on the guidance screen and the player starts a continuous operation guided by the movable sign, the movable sign extends to the opposite side to the moving direction and the actual sign is moved. The player is notified that the operation end timing is later than the position indicated by the movable sign.

The operation guide device includes a movable marker (115) that moves in a predetermined direction in the guidance screen at a tempo corresponding to the performance of the music, and a reference displayed at a predetermined position on a moving path of the movable marker. Each operation included in the series of operations may be guided based on the positional relationship with the sign (116). Then, after at least one operation guided by the movable marker and the reference marker has been started on the input device, the operation guide device includes:
The information processing apparatus may include a length control unit that changes a length of one of the movable sign and the reference sign for guiding the operation in the predetermined direction.

In this way, since the length of the movable marker or the reference marker is changed after the operation is performed, the guidance of the operation to be indicated by their positional relationship changes, and the game is given unexpectedness. Is done.

[0037] In this case, the operation guide device may be configured such that the movable marker reaches the reference marker in synchronization with the timing of starting the operation, and the movable marker is synchronized with the reference marker in timing of ending the operation. To pass
The positional relationship between the movable marker and the reference marker may be controlled, and the length control means may change the length of the movable marker or the reference marker such that the timing of ending the operation changes. Further, the length control means may extend the movable marker in a direction opposite to the moving direction.

The continuous operation in the above is, for example, an operation of continuously pressing a key as an operation member, a continuous hit of repeatedly pressing the same key in a short cycle, a plurality of keys being pressed in a predetermined order, or an arbitrary order. An operation, such as an operation, is an operation directed to the player to be aware of the continuity of the operation.One-shot operation that does not need to be conscious of the continuity is, for example, whether the duration of the operation exceeds a predetermined unit time Are distinguished by

In each of the above embodiments, the guided operation and
Means may be provided for evaluating the player's operation based on the correlation with the operation actually performed by the player in response to the operation guidance (for example, the degree of coincidence of the operation). The evaluation of the operation for a single operation can be performed based on, for example, the degree of coincidence between the timing of the guided operation and the timing of the actually performed operation, and the higher the degree of coincidence, the higher the evaluation. . On the other hand, the evaluation of the continuous operation includes, for example, the correlation (for example, the degree of coincidence) between the timing of the start of the guided operation and the timing at which the player actually starts the operation, the timing of the end of the guided operation, and the actual timing of the player. Can be performed based on both or one of the correlations (for example, the degree of coincidence) with the timing at which the operation is completed. Only the correlation between the guided operation start timing and the actual operation start timing is evaluated, and then no evaluation is performed until the operation end timing is reached, or only the evaluation that results in a deduction is performed It may not be necessary. In this case, after the continuous operation is started, the player can freely operate the input device without worrying about a decrease in the evaluation until the end timing of the continuous operation comes. Thus, for example, a free session of music can be simulated.

[0040]

1 to 4 show the appearance of an arcade game machine (business game machine) to which the present invention is applied. This game machine 1 includes a housing 2, a pair of left and right monitors 3, 3 attached to the front side of the housing 2, and speaker units 4 respectively disposed on the upper side and the side of the housing 2.
A, 4B, 4B, and lighting devices 5... 5 such as spotlights arranged around the housing 2. Each monitor 3
Are mounted in a vertical position with their long sides aligned with the vertical direction. However, instead of the two monitors 3 and 3, one horizontally long monitor may be installed.

In a portion of the housing 2 below the monitor 3,
A control panel 2a is provided so as to protrude forward. The upper surface of the control panel 2a is substantially horizontal, and a pair of operation units 6 and 6 are provided in association with each monitor 3. Each of the operation units 6 and 6 is provided as a place where one player plays. However, one player can enjoy the play by operating both operation units 6 and 6 at the same time.

Each operation section 6 is provided with a keyboard 7 and a wheel control switch 8 as input devices. The keyboard 7 is an MI in the field of electronic musical instruments.
DI (Musical Instruments Digital Interface)
A key equivalent to two octaves, that is, 14 white keys 7a.
a and 10 black keys 7b... 7b (see FIG. 5). In the following, when there is no need to distinguish the white key 7a and the black key 7b, they are simply referred to as keys. The number of keys is not limited to two octaves, and may be one octave or three octaves or more.

The MIDI mentioned here is a standard that defines a communication protocol on a MIDI cable connecting a MIDI output and a MIDI input. According to the MIDI standard, 16 channels are defined, and different timbres, in other words, different types of musical instruments can be assigned to each channel. When a key on the keyboard 7 is pressed, a note-on message is output, and when the key is released, a note-off message is output. The note-on message includes information on the type of message, channel number, note number, and velocity. The channel number information is information for specifying which of the 16 channels is to be controlled. The note number information indicates which pitch (pitch)
Is to be output, in other words, which key has been pressed. The velocity information is information for designating the pressed strength of the key in, for example, 128 steps. Similarly, the note-off message includes information on the message type, channel number, note number, and velocity. The channel number information is information for specifying which of the 16 channels is to be controlled. The note number information indicates which pitch (pitch) should be silenced, in other words, which key has been released. Is information that specifies The velocity information is information for designating the key release strength in, for example, 128 steps.

As shown in FIG. 6, the wheel control switch 8 has a shaft 8a extending in the left-right direction of the control panel 2a (equal to the direction in which the keys of the keyboard 7 are arranged).
And a wheel 8b as a half-moon-shaped operation member rotatable around a shaft 8a within a certain range as indicated by an arrow in the figure. Wheel control switch 8
Outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation direction of the wheel 8b. The operation member of the wheel control switch 8 is not limited to a half-moon shape, but may be a disk type or the like. Instead of the wheel control switch 8, an input device capable of sliding operation may be provided.

As is apparent from FIG. 4, each wheel control switch 8 is arranged outside each operation section 6, and keyboards 7, 7 are arranged inside the switch 8.
At the center of the control panel 2a in the left-right direction (between the keyboards 7, 7), push-button type panel switches 9, 9 used for stage selection and the like are provided. A coin slot 2 is provided on the front of the housing 2 and below the control panel 2a.
b and a coin return port 2c. The panel switch 9 is arranged at a position away from between the keyboards 7,
The keyboards 7, 7 may be continuous by filling the empty space.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system provided in game machine 1. As shown in FIG. The game machine 1 includes a CPU 21 mainly composed of a microprocessor, and a CPU 2.
22 and RAM as a main storage device for RAM 1
23, an image processing device 24 for displaying a desired image on the monitor 3 in accordance with a command from the CPU 21, and a CD-DA sound source 25A as a sound processing device for outputting a desired sound from the speaker units 4A and 4B. It has a sound source 25B and a MIDI sound source 25C, and a CD-ROM reader 27 for reading programs and data recorded on a CD-ROM 10 as a storage medium. Each element 21, 22, 23, 24, 25B, and 27
Are connected to each other via a bus 30.

In the ROM 22, a program necessary for basic operation control such as a start-up process of the game machine 1 is written. A game program and data read from the CD-ROM 10 are written in the RAM 23 as needed. The data recorded on the CD-ROM 10 includes song data for playing a song used as BGM during a game, and sound effect data for playing various effect sounds to be superimposed on the song. Song data is CD-D
A is recorded in the A format, and the sound effect data is recorded in the PCM format.

From the CPU 21 to the CD-ROM reader 27
Is instructed to reproduce a specific song on the CD-ROM 10, the CD-ROM reader 27 detects the leading sector of the designated song and starts reading song data from that sector. The read data is CD-ROM
The signal is passed from the reading device 27 to the CD-DA sound source 25A, where it is converted into an analog audio signal and output to the amplifier 26.

From the CPU 21 to the CD-ROM reader 27
Is instructed to reproduce a specific sound effect on the CD-ROM 10, the CD-ROM reader 27 reads the data of the specified sound effect and transfers it to the PCM sound source 25B. The read sound effect data is converted into an analog signal by the PCM sound source 25B and output to the amplifier 26. Note that the sound effect data on the CD-ROM 10
The sound effect data may be read into the AM 23 and the sound effect data may be passed from the RAM 23 to the PCM sound source 25B in accordance with a command from the CPU 21.

The MIDI sound source 25C is a MIDI control circuit 2
8 is connected. When the keyboard 7 is operated, a MIDI message corresponding to the operation is transmitted to the MIDI control circuit 28.
Is output to The MIDI control circuit 28 receives the received M
Information for determining the operation state of the keyboard 7 is output to the CPU 21 in response to the IDI message. The information for determining the operation state includes which key has been operated, and data for specifying whether the operation is a key press or a key release. CPU 21 is a MIDI control circuit 2
8 determines the operation of the keyboard 7 based on the information from
The sound data corresponding to the operation is transmitted to the MIDI control circuit 28.
To instruct the reproduction. By this processing, a tone different from the MIDI message output from the keyboard 7 is generated, but details will be described later.

The sound output from the MIDI sound source 25C is
In order to experience the feeling of playing the keyboard 7, the sound is mainly set to the musical instrument sound.
It is preferable that the sound generated by the IDI sound source 25C is superimposed so that one piece of music is played. In contrast, P
The sound effect output from the CM sound source 25B is an effect (atmosphere) more specific to the performance composed of the sound generated by the CD-DA sound source 25A and the sound generated by the MIDI sound source 25C.
Sound is desirable. For example, it is also possible to prepare the sound of a cheer, applause or the like as sound effect data and reproduce them at an appropriate timing to give the atmosphere of a live performance.

Further, wheel control switches 8, 8, a panel switch 9 and a money authentication device 31 are connected to the CPU 21 via a bus 30. When the wheel control switch 8 or the panel switch 9 is operated, a signal indicating the operation is output to the CPU 21,
U21 executes a process corresponding to the operation as, for example, an interrupt process. The money authentication device 31 determines the authenticity of the coin inserted from the coin insertion slot 2b, and outputs a predetermined insertion signal to the CPU 21 when the coin is determined to be true.

In the above configuration, the CD-ROM 10
Although the music data is recorded in the CD-DA format above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the music data may be recorded in various formats. For example, data compressed according to the MP3 (Mpeg Audio Layer-3) standard may be used as music data. In this case, the music data can be compressed to about 1/10 of that of the CD-DA format.
The number of songs that can be recorded on a CD
(16-bit stereo, kHz, stereo). As a storage medium for music data and the like, C
Instead of or in addition to the D-ROM 10, a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk or a DVD-ROM may be provided.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen displayed on the monitors 3 and 3 when a game is executed on the game machine 1. A left screen 100 is displayed on the left monitor 3 of the housing 2.
The screen 100 on the right is displayed on the monitor 3 on the right of the housing 2. As is clear from FIG. 8, the screen 100 is
An operation guide unit 110, an image display unit 120, and an evaluation display unit 130 are included.

The operation guide section 110 is provided to guide the player to operate the input devices 7 and 8 according to the music. At the lower end of the operation guide unit 110, a keyboard image 111 and a wheel image 112 indicating external characteristics of the keyboard 7 and the wheel control switch 8 are displayed. A portion above the images 111 and 112 is divided into a plurality of vertically long regions 114... 114 by dividing lines 113. The position of the dividing line 113 is the boundary between the white keys of the keyboard image 111 (however,
And the left end (left screen 100) or right end (right screen 100) of wheel 8b on wheel image 112. At the boundary between the white keys where no black key exists and the boundary between the keyboard image 111 and the wheel image 112, instead of displaying the dividing line 113, the background colors are switched (in FIG. 8, indicated by hatching differences), and the regions 114 and 114 are switched. 114 boundaries are shown.

In each area 114 and on the boundaries thereof, the short object 1 is used as a mark indicating the operation timing of the keys 7a, 7b of the keyboard 7 or the wheel 8b.
At least three types of images are displayed: 15A, long object 115B, and wheel object 115C. The short object 115A is for guiding an operation of hitting the keyboard 7 only once within a predetermined unit time (single-shot operation), and its vertical length is set to a minimum value corresponding to the unit time. . The long object 115B is for guiding the operation (continuous operation) of the keyboard 7 that is continued beyond the unit time, and has a longer vertical length than the short object 115A. The wheel object 115C guides the operation of the wheel 8b, and is different from the other objects 115A and 115B in that an arrow 117 indicating the operation direction of the wheel 8b is provided. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will be referred to as objects 115.

Of the objects 115... 115, the white key 7a
Alternatively, the one corresponding to the wheel 8b is displayed in the area 114, and the one corresponding to the black key 7b is displayed on the dividing line 113, respectively. In other words, the operation guide unit 110 includes, as a path of the object 115, a path in the area 114 corresponding to the white key 7a and the wheel 8b and an area 1 corresponding to the black key 7b.
Thus, a passage on the boundary between 14 is provided. The object corresponding to the white key and the object corresponding to the black key are displayed in different colors from each other and can be visually distinguished.

Each object 115 appears at a predetermined timing at the upper end of the operation guide unit 110 in accordance with the progress of the BGM reproduced during the play. The object 115 that appeared
It descends straight at a speed that matches the tempo of the song. At the lower end of the operation guide unit 110, images 111, 1 of the input devices 7, 8 are provided.
12, the judgment line 116 is displayed. The determination line 116 extends straight in the horizontal direction of the screen 100 and is displayed in a different color from the images 111 and 112. The operation timing of the keyboard 7 and the wheel control switch 8 is guided based on the relationship between the determination line 116 and the object 115. Further, the key depression position of the keyboard 7 is guided by the correspondence between the objects 115A and 115B and the keys on the image 111. For example, when the operation of the white key 7b on the right end of the keyboard 7 is requested, the object 115A or 115B is displayed in the area 114 on the image 110 that is linked to the right end key.

The lower end of the object 115A is the judgment line 11
When the player presses the key 7a or 7b at the key-depression position guided by the object 115A at the timing when the object 115A is reached, the answer is correct, and the sound associated with the object 115A is produced. In this case, object 1
The operation of the player is evaluated based on the difference between the timing when 15A reaches the determination line 116 and the timing when the key 7a or 7b corresponding to the object 115A is actually operated.

When the player depresses the key 7a or 7b at the key depressing position guided by the object 115B at the timing when the lower end of the object 115B reaches the determination line 116, the answer becomes correct.
The pronunciation associated with B is started. Thereafter, sound generation is continued until the player releases the key or the upper end of the object 115B passes the determination line 116, whichever comes earlier. In this case, the difference between the timing when the lower end of the object 115B reaches the determination line 116 and the actual key-depression timing, and the difference between the timing when the upper end of the object 115B passes through the determination line 116 and the actual key-release timing. The operation of the player is evaluated based on the operation.

Further, the object 115C is set to the judgment line 1
As the player reaches 16, wheel 8b
Is operated in the direction indicated by the arrow 117, a process associated with the operation (for example, the process of superimposing the above-described sound effect) is performed. In this case, the object 115C
Reaches the decision line 116 and the wheel 8
The operation of the player is evaluated based on the deviation from the timing at which b is actually operated, and the operation direction indicated by the arrow 117 on the object 115C and the actual operation direction of the wheel 8b.

As shown in FIG. 9, the long object 115
B is displayed on the operation guide unit 110 with a length shorter than the original length. When the player presses a key at a key-depression position corresponding to the long object 115B while the short object 115B displayed short overlaps the determination line 116, the long object 115B extends upward as shown in FIG. , And the correct key release timing is presented to the player. Therefore, the player can know in advance the key-depression timing from the relationship between the lower end of the long object 115B and the determination line 116, but the key-release timing corresponding to the key-depression is not correct until after the key-depression. I can't figure out. This allows
Surprisingly, the guidance of the operation is generated, and the interest of the player is stimulated.

The long object 115 before the length is changed
B is displayed longer than the short object 115A.
As a result, even before the length change, the long object 1
15B and the short object 115A can be distinguished from each other, and the player can be reliably made aware that a continuous operation is required. The long object 115B before the length change may have the same length as the short object 115A, and means for distinguishing the two may be provided separately. For example, the colors may be changed, different animations may be displayed for the long object 115B and the short object 115A, or a sign for distinguishing the two may be displayed separately. In short,
What is necessary is just to allow the player to distinguish between the long object 115B and the short object 115A before the length change. On the contrary, the long object 115B before the length change and the short object 115A cannot be distinguished from each other, and the player can recognize the continuous operation for the first time by changing the length after pressing the key corresponding to the long object 115B. You may do so.

The image display section 120 displays an image that enhances the atmosphere of the game. A change according to the evaluation result of the operation of the player may be added to the image.
For example, in the image on the right side of FIG. 8, the English characters “MISS” are displayed to indicate a player's operation error, and the image is disturbed. The evaluation display unit 130 displays a gauge 131 that expands and contracts in accordance with the evaluation of the player's operation and a score 132 that digitizes the player's operation. Further, at the upper end of the evaluation display section 130, a title section 133 indicating the title of the music currently being played is provided.

The above object 115 is displayed on a CD-ROM.
It is controlled based on object data recorded on the ROM 10. Object data is prepared for each song. When different operations are required for the left and right operation units 6 and 6, object data is created for each operation unit 6. The object data describes the operation contents of the input device, specifically, how and when the keyboard 7 and the wheel 8b are to be operated in the music, respectively. 3 objects 115A ~
115C includes information which can specify the timing (position in the music) of the operation guided by the object 115 to be displayed. Further, data on the objects 115A and 115B is stored in each object 1A.
The information for specifying the key press position to be guided by 15A and 115B, and the data related to the object 115C are:
It contains information for specifying whether the arrow 117 is displayed upward or downward.

The CD-ROM 10 also records data describing what kind of sound should be generated corresponding to the object 115 described in the object data. Here, data corresponding to each of the objects 115A and 115B is recorded as sounding data described in a MIDI format. When the keyboard 7 is operated,
Instead of the MIDI message output from the keyboard 7, sound data associated with the object 115A or 115B is transmitted from the MIDI control circuit 28 to the MIDI sound source 25C.
, A sound different from the sound specified by the MIDI message from the keyboard 7 can be generated. The sound at this time may be, for example, a single tone having a height corresponding to a key different from the key pressing position, or a chord. A phrase in which a plurality of different sounds are linked may be produced. The data corresponding to the object 115C is the object 115A, 1
The data may be data described in the MIDI format as in the case of 15B, or may be data in a unique format for controlling the PCM sound source 25B to generate a predetermined sound effect.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an outline of the game processing executed by the game machine 1. When a signal indicating the insertion of a predetermined amount of coins is output from the cash authenticator 31 (see FIG. 7), the CPU 21 starts the game processing of FIG. In this process, first, various parameters and settings necessary for the game are initialized (step S1), and then stage selection is performed (step S2). Each stage is C
The songs are associated with different songs recorded on the D-ROM 10. The selection of the stage is performed by a procedure in which a list of selectable stages is displayed on the monitor 3 and the player operates one of the input devices of the operation unit 6 to select a desired stage.

When a stage is selected, data necessary for executing the selected stage is stored in a CD-ROM.
10 is read into the RAM 23 (step S3), and then the CD-ROM reader 27 is instructed to reproduce the music associated with the stage, and the performance is started (step S4). The processing shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is started in synchronization with this, which will be described later.

After the start of the performance, the current performance position (position in the music) is detected (step S5). For example, CD-R
In conjunction with the output of music data from the OM reader 27 to the CD-DA tone generator 25A, the CPU 21 reads the header information of the currently reproduced sector via the CD-ROM reader 27 by the CPU 21 so that the current playing position is obtained. Is detected. Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the stage has ended based on the detected playing position (step S6).
The process proceeds to 7.

In step S7, the current operation state of the keyboard 7 or the wheel control switch 8 is detected based on the outputs from the MIDI control circuit 28 and the wheel control switch 8. Then, the detected operation state is compared with the operation content described in the object data to calculate the degree of coincidence between them (step S8), and the evaluation result based on the calculation result is displayed on the monitor 3. (Step S9). The higher the degree of coincidence, the higher the evaluation. For example, the gauge 131 increases or the score 132 increases. After the display of the evaluation, the process returns to step S5.

If it is determined in step S6 that the stage has ended, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, evaluations from the start of the game are totaled. After that, the game results are displayed to the player based on the tally result (step S12), and it is determined whether the stage has been cleared according to a predetermined condition (for example, whether the remaining amount of the gauge 131 is equal to or more than a predetermined value) (step S12). Step S1
3). If the stage is clear, it is determined whether or not all the prepared stages have been cleared (step S).
14) If the stage still remains, the process returns to step S2. If there is no remaining stage, or if the stage has not been cleared in step S13, a predetermined end display is performed (step S15), and the game process ends. The game may be ended when a predetermined condition is satisfied even during the stage.

While steps S5 to S9 are repeated in the above game processing, the object display updating processing shown in FIG. 12 is executed in parallel with the processing. This processing is performed for the object 11
The object 115 is scrolled downward in the screen 100 by updating the position in the operation guide unit 110 at a predetermined cycle. When the object display update process is started, it is first determined whether or not a predetermined display update time has come (step S21). If the update time has come, the operation guide unit starts from the object data in use at that time. All objects 115 to be displayed on 110 are extracted and their display positions are calculated (step S22). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the long object 115B before the length change exists in the next display range of the operation guide unit 110 (step S23). Here, the long object 115B before the length change is the long object 115B before reaching the determination line 116, and the long object 115 whose corresponding key is not pressed even after reaching the determination line 116.
B. If there is a long object 115B before the change, the display position of the long object 115B is adjusted so that the length is changed to a false length (a length shorter than the original length) and displayed (step S24). However, the position of the lower end of the long object 115B is set to a position corresponding to the original key pressing timing. In other words, the lower end of the long object 115B is set at a position corresponding to the key pressing timing determined by the object data, but the upper end of the long object 115B is temporally shorter than the key release timing determined by the object data. Set earlier. If there is no long object 115B before the change, step S2
4 is skipped.

Thereafter, the newly calculated object 115
Is updated on the basis of the display position of (step S25). Subsequently, the object 115B before the length change and overlapping the determination line 116 is extracted as a monitoring target (step S26), and it is determined whether a key pressing operation corresponding to the monitoring target long object 115B has been performed. (Step S27). here,
An allowable range is set above and below the determination line 116, and the object 115B overlapping the allowable range is determined by the determination line 1
16 and is included in the monitoring target. Object 1 displayed at a timing slightly earlier than the lower end of object 115B coincides, or with a false length
This is because, when a key is pressed at a slightly later timing after the upper end of 15B passes the determination line 116, the length of the object 115B is changed in response to the key pressing. If it is not the update time in step S21, step S
22 to step S25 are skipped and step S26
The processing proceeds to

Next, it is determined whether or not the key corresponding to the object 115B extracted as the monitoring target has been pressed (step S27). If there is a key press, the object 11
5B is changed to the original length and displayed (step S2).
8) The object 115B is removed from the monitoring target (step S29), and thereafter, the process returns to step S21. Long object 1 to be monitored in step S27
If it is determined that there is no key press on 15B, steps S28 and S29 are omitted, and the process returns to step S21.

According to the above processing, the long object 11
5B is displayed shorter than the operation continuation time specified by the object data until the determination line 116 is reached. When the player presses the key 7a or 7b corresponding to the long object 115B at the timing when the long object 115B reaches the determination line 116, the object 115B extends upward and the correct key release timing is presented to the player. You. If the long object 115B has passed the determination line 116 without performing the key pressing operation corresponding to the long object 115B before the length change, the object 115B is not extracted as a monitoring target in step S26. Even if a key is pressed in the key pressing range on the object data, the long object 1
15B does not change to its original length. The length of the long object 115B before the change may be set at random or may be a fixed ratio (for example, 1/2) to the original length.
It may be set so that The change of the length may be immediately returned to the original length in response to the key depression, or may be gradually returned to the original length as the key depression is continued. It should be noted that the long object 115 </ b> B is
Even when the object passes through No. 6, when the key is pressed within the key pressing range on the object data, the upper end of the long object 115B may be extended to a position corresponding to the original key release timing defined on the object data. . At this time, the display of the long object 115B may be omitted only for a portion corresponding to a period from when the object 115B before the length change passes through the determination line 116 to when a key is pressed.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a tone generation process executed in parallel with steps S5 to S9 in the game process of FIG. 11 being repeated. In this sound generation process, it is determined whether the key 7a or 7b has been pressed (key on) or released (key off) (steps S51 and S5).
2) Whether or not the sounding period corresponding to the long object 115B has started (step S53);
It is repeatedly determined whether or not the sounding period corresponding to 15B has ended (step S54) and whether or not the wheel control switch 8 has been operated (step S55). Here, the sounding period corresponding to the long object 115B is the long object 115B (of the correct length) in the game screen 100 of FIG.
This is the period from when you reach 16 until you pass by.

As described above, the game machine 1 of the present embodiment
Then, the objects 115A and 115 related to the keyboard 7 will be described.
MIDI-format sound data is prepared which describes what sound is to be generated for each of B. FIG.
In the processing of (1), the sound generation for the keyboard 7 is controlled as follows in accordance with the determination results of steps S51 to S54.

First, when a key is depressed, step S51 is performed.
Is determined, and it is determined whether or not the key depression corresponds to the long object 115B (step S61). If the key does not correspond to the long object 115B, the tone generation data for the key depression is output to the MIDI tone generator 25C via the MIDI control circuit 28 (step S62), and the tone is generated according to the tone generation data. For example, if the key is a key pressed corresponding to the short object 115A, a sound is generated according to sound data assigned to the short object 115A in advance.

On the other hand, when the key is pressed corresponding to the long object 115B, the volume of the channel of the MIDI sound source 25C specified by the sound data corresponding to the long object 115B is turned on (step S63).
When the volume is on, the MI
Audio output from the DI sound source 25C to the amplifier 26 is permitted. When the volume is off, even if MIDI data is sent to the MIDI tone generator 25C, no sound is generated for the corresponding channel. After the process in step S62 or S63, the process proceeds to step S53.

Here, whether or not a key is pressed corresponding to the objects 115A and 115B is determined by, for example, the timing of actually pressing the key and the closest key pressing timing described in the object data with respect to the pressed key. The determination can be made based on whether the difference is within a predetermined range. When a key is pressed that does not correspond to any of the objects 115, it is conceivable that no sound is generated or a sound is generated in accordance with a MIDI message output from the keyboard 7.

Next, when there is a key release, step S52
Is affirmed, and it is determined whether or not the key release corresponds to the long object 115B (step S64). If the key does not correspond to the long object 115B, the tone generation data corresponding to the key release (however, in this case, the content for instructing mute) is transmitted to the MIDI control circuit 28 via the MIDI control circuit 28.
It is output to the DI sound source 25C (step S66). For example, if the key release corresponds to the short object 115A, the sound generation for the short object 115A is stopped.

On the other hand, when the key is released corresponding to the long object 115B, the volume of the channel of the MIDI sound source 25C specified by the sound data corresponding to the long object 115B is turned off (step S65).
The key release corresponding to the long object 115B here refers to an operation of releasing the key corresponding to the long object 115B despite the fact that the long object 115B overlaps the determination line 116. Step S65 or S6
After the process in step 6, the process proceeds to step S53.

In step S53, long object 115
If it is determined that the sounding period corresponding to B has started, the volume of the MIDI channel specified by the sounding data corresponding to the long object 115B is turned off (step S71), and then the long object is turned off. Output of the sound data corresponding to 115B to the MIDI tone generator 25C via the MIDI control circuit 28 is started (step S72). The sound data corresponding to the long object 115B is configured such that a predetermined phrase (for example, a drum loop) is automatically played for a length corresponding to a sound period corresponding to the long object 115B.
After the output of the sound data is started, the process proceeds to step S55.

In step S54, long object 115
If it is determined that the sounding period corresponding to B has ended, the output of the sounding data corresponding to the long object 115B is stopped (step S73), and the volume of the corresponding channel is turned on (step S74). .
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S55.

If it is determined in step S55 that the wheel control switch 8 has been turned on, an effect corresponding to the operation is added (step S81). The effects here include, for example, reproduction of a sound effect via the PCM sound source 25B, change of tone color and pitch (scale) with respect to the current tone generation from the MIDI sound source 25C, and the like. After the process in step S81, the process returns to step S51.

FIG. 14 shows an example of a sounding situation corresponding to the long object 115B realized by the above sounding control. Now, the sounding period corresponding to the long object 115B is set as shown in FIG. 14A, and after the key is pressed in accordance with the sounding period, the key is released halfway as shown in FIG. 14B. Then, it is assumed that the key is pressed again within the same sounding period as shown in FIG. The sound data corresponding to the long object 115B is sequentially supplied to the MIDI sound source 25C in synchronization with the start of the sound period. However, since the volume is off until a key is pressed (see step S71), the sound data corresponds to the sound data. The phrase does not play. When the key is pressed, the volume is turned on (step S63), and the phrase corresponding to the sound data is reproduced from a position corresponding to the key pressing timing. In other words, the phrase is not reproduced from the beginning when the key is pressed, but the phrase is reproduced from the middle when the key is deviated.

The volume is turned off from the key release until the key is pressed again, and the phrase is not reproduced. However, MIDI data (sound generation data) corresponding to the long object 115B continues to be supplied to the MIDI sound source 25C during that time. Then, when the key is pressed again, the phrase is output again from the point of time when the key is pressed.

As described above, the output of the sound data corresponding to the long object 115B is not started in response to the actual key depression, but the sound data is output in accordance with the start of the sound generation period. The long object 115B is set to the judgment line 1
16 and the long object 115
The period during which the phrase is reproduced in accordance with the pronunciation data corresponding to B always matches. Even if the long object 115B and the determination line 116 do not overlap, the unnaturalness that the phrase is reproduced in response to the key depression is avoided.

Further, according to the above processing, the phrase is automatically reproduced by assigning the phrase to the long object 115B and continuing to press the key corresponding to the long object 115B. In addition to the instantaneous and one-time operation of pressing the key at the time specified by the user, the continuity of keeping pressing a specific key of the keyboard 7 is added to the play element, giving the player the feeling of playing the instrument. You can feel stronger. Further, the player requests the operation of the wheel control switch 8 while the key is being continuously depressed, and adds an effect such as a pitch change in response to the operation, thereby further adding an element for operating the sound. You can experience a more authentic playing feeling. Furthermore, if the sound is generated at the scale corresponding to the arrangement order of the keys 7a and 7b in correspondence with the short object 115A, the sense of playing the keyboard as the electronic musical instrument can be more strongly felt.

In the present embodiment, each operation unit 6
Since there are provided 24 keys 7a... 7a, 7b... 7b corresponding to an octave, it is not impossible to play an actual song with fingering according to the musical score using these keys.
However, if a performance according to a musical score using 24 keys is requested, the object 115 is scattered to the left and right of the operation guide unit 110, complicating the operation guide, and a sufficient operation may not be performed unless a person who is proficient in keyboard operation is used. There is. This is not a game.

Therefore, while changing the arrangement and the number of the objects 115 displayed on the operation guide unit 110 to simpler ones, the sound contents corresponding to the objects 115 are assumed to be the same as those actually playing the music, and It is desirable to set the correspondence between the object 115 and the sound data so that a full-scale performance can be performed by a simple operation. Such adjustment is referred to herein as complementation. Various methods can be considered for complementation,
It is important to take care not to impair the feeling of playing the keyboard. To do so, as mentioned above,
It is necessary to match the relationship between the key arrangement order and the pitch of the sound. In other words, the higher the right key is, the higher the tone is produced. For example, if the objects 115 are lined up from left to right of the operation guide unit 110 when the sound gradually increases, the direction in which the pitch changes and the direction in which the key pressing position on the keyboard 7 changes match. Without it, the feeling of playing the keyboard is impaired. Hereinafter, an example of the complementing method will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 15 shows an example of the complementing method. 15A in FIG. 15A indicate keying positions required based on the original musical score, and in FIG. 15B, indicate keying positions after complementation. This complementing method compresses the interval between key pressing positions while maintaining the ratio between key pressing positions. That is, assuming that the distance between adjacent white keys is 1, the key depression position in the case of FIG.
Are sequentially set to 2, 4, 6, and 8, respectively, and are compressed to 1/2, and are reduced to 1, 2, 3, and 4 intervals. The object 115 is displayed on the operation guide unit 110 corresponding to the key press position after the complementation.
It is assumed that the pronunciation corresponding to the key corresponds to the key pressing position before the complementation. The objects 115 are displayed on the operation guide unit 110 in correspondence with the key depression positions after the complementation.
It is assumed that the pronunciation corresponding to the key corresponds to the key pressing position before the complementation. The compression ratio of the interval is not limited to 1/2, but may be more or less.

In the case where the degree of difficulty is still high even after complementing as described above, the irregular compression method shown in FIG. 16 may be used. In the irregular compression method A shown in FIG. 16A, all of the key pressing positions shown in FIG. 15A whose intervals are smaller than a predetermined reference value (for example, 4) are compressed to the minimum interval (for example, 1). The interval exceeding the reference value is an example of compression to 1/2.
In addition, the irregular compression method B of FIG.
In the key-depressing positions shown in (1), all the portions whose intervals are equal to or less than a predetermined reference value (for example, 8) are compressed to the minimum interval (for example, 1), and all the intervals exceeding the reference value are larger than the minimum interval and This is an example of compression to a value smaller than the reference value (for example, 2).

When the black key is assigned as a new key depression position by performing the above-described complementation, the difficulty level is further reduced by changing the key depression position to a further adjacent white key. be able to. Especially for beginners, the range where one hand can play (for example, 1 octave range)
It is desirable to perform the complementation so that the object 115 is within.

When all key depression positions are complemented, the feeling of playing the keyboard may be impaired. Therefore,
It is desirable to maintain the same interval for portions where the difficulty level is low even if the original key pressing position remains, and to narrow the interval between key pressing positions only for portions where the difficulty level is higher than a predetermined level. FIG.
7 shows an example. FIG. 17A shows a key pressing position before complementation, and FIG. 17B shows a key pressing position after complementation. In this example, a key-depression position whose interval falls below a predetermined reference value (for example, 2) is not complemented, and an interval exceeding the reference value is compressed according to the above-described complementing method. That is, in the range indicated by α and β in FIG. 17A, the interval between the key pressing positions is 2 or less, so that the interval is maintained as it is. Then, complementation is performed so that the interval between key pressing positions is 3 or more, all of which are 2. Range β
Since the interval between the leftmost key depressing position and the key depressing position adjacent thereto is 4, the value is reduced to 2 and the interval between the key depressing positions within the range β is maintained as it is. .

FIGS. 18 to 21 show actual examples of complementation by musical scores. "Real score" at the bottom of each figure
Indicates the score before completion, and the upper “playing score” indicates the score after completion. The object 115 of the operation guide unit 110 is displayed at a position corresponding to the upper score.
The tone control via the CPU 21 and the MIDI control circuit 28 is performed according to the lower musical score. In other words, the actual musical instrument must perform in accordance with the lower musical score, but in the present game machine, when performing in accordance with the upper musical score, a musical tone corresponding to the lower musical score is output.

FIG. 18 shows an example in which a musical piece to be played includes a scale exceeding two octaves, and this is complemented so as to fall within a range of two octaves. Is being done. In part A and part B, although the pitch difference between the notes is the same before and after interpolation, all the notes before interpolation are shifted equally to the high side or low side, and all notes are shifted by two octaves. Within the range.

In FIG. 19, complementation is performed so that the change in pitch between notes in each of the A section, the B section, and the C section is small. Further, in part B, a note with a semitone symbol (flat) is included, but since this is a black key operation, the key depression position is changed to an adjacent white key.

In FIG. 20, all chords in the lower musical score are changed to single tones in the upper musical score. Therefore,
The chord is pronounced simply by the player operating a single key according to the upper musical score.

In FIG. 21, parts A, B, and C of the lower score are shown.
A plurality of notes respectively included in the section and the section D are complemented by single notes in the upper musical score, respectively. Therefore, each time the player operates each key in accordance with the upper musical score, a plurality of sounds are continuously generated.

In the above, the embodiment in which the present invention is embodied as an arcade game machine has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured as a home game machine, a personal computer, or a game system using a network. The input device is not limited to a keyboard, but may be a device based on various electronic musical instruments such as a guitar and a drum. The object 115 may be stopped at a predetermined position in the screen to function as a reference marker, and the determination line 116 may be moved to function as a movable marker. The example of complementation is not limited to the above, and may be implemented by various methods. The input device is not limited to two octaves, but may include less than two octaves or more than two octaves.

[0102]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation range of the operator when playing the predetermined music with the musical instrument is more than the operating range of the operating element when playing the music with the input device of the game system. The correlation between each operation member of the input device and the pitch associated with each operation member is changed so that the operation range of the operation members is narrowed. You can enjoy it, and you can fully feel the sense of accomplishment of the performance. In addition, the relationship between the arrangement order of the plurality of operation members and the pitch of the sound output corresponding to the operation of each operation member is determined in accordance with the arrangement order of the operators in the actual musical instrument and the operation of each operation member. Since the relationship with the pitch of the output sound is matched, there is no unnatural change in the pitch with respect to the change in the operation position, and there is no possibility that the operation of the complementing means impairs the feeling of playing the musical instrument.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an arcade game machine to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the game machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the game machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the game machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing a left operation unit of a pair of operation units provided in the game machine of FIG. 1;

6 is a perspective view of a wheel control switch provided in the operation unit of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system provided in the game machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed on a monitor when a game is executed on the game machine shown in FIG. 1;

9 is a view showing a state before the length of a long object displayed on the game screen of FIG. 8 is changed.

FIG. 10 is a view showing how the length of a long object displayed on the game screen of FIG. 8 is changed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a game process executed by the game machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an object display updating process executed in parallel during the game process of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a tone generation process executed in parallel during the game process of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a sounding situation corresponding to a continuous operation realized by the sounding processing of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of complementation performed to facilitate keyboard operation.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another example of complementation performed to facilitate keyboard operation.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing still another example of complementation performed to facilitate keyboard operation.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of complementation using a musical score.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another example of complementation by a musical score.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing still another example of complementation by a musical score.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing still another example of complementation by a musical score.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 game machine 2 housing 3 monitor (display device) 6 operation unit 7 keyboard (input device) 8 wheel control switch 8b wheel 9 panel switch 10 CD-ROM (storage medium) 21 CPU (operation guide device, sound control device) 25A CD-DA sound source 25B PCM sound source 25C MIDI sound source (sound control device) 28 MIDI control circuit (sound control device) 100 Game screen (operation guide screen) 110 Operation guide section 111 Keyboard image 112 Wheel image 113 Separation line 114 Area 115A Short object (Movable sign corresponding to one-time operation) 115B Long object (movable sign corresponding to continuous operation) 115C Wheel object 116 Judgment line (reference mark)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G10H 1/32 G10H 1/32 Z G10K 15/04 302 G10K 15/04 302G (72) Inventor Yoichi Iwata Hyogo 7-3-3 Minatojima-Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan (72) Inventor Takayuki Akita 7-3-3 Minatojima-Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Pref. 7-3-3 Minatojima-Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi F-term (reference) in Konami Corporation 2C001 AA00 AA16 AA17 BA00 BA06 BA07 BB00 BB04 BB06 BC00 BC09 CA00 CA01 CA02 CA03 CB01 CB06 CC02 CC08 5D082 AA03 AA22 MM MM MM MM96 NN03 NN12 NN19 NN20 NN23 TT04 TT22 9A001 EE04 HH18 JJ76 KK62

Claims (12)

[Claims] An input device having a plurality of operation members arranged in accordance with operators of a specific musical instrument, and a predetermined guide for a series of operations of the input device set in association with a predetermined music performance An operation guidance device that guides through a screen, and a sound control device that generates a pitch corresponding to each operation member in response to an operation of each operation member of the input device,
The sound generation control device, the relationship between the arrangement order of the plurality of operation members and the pitch of the sound output corresponding to the operation of each operation member, the arrangement order of the operation element in the actual musical instrument and each The input device performs the predetermined operation on the input device more than the operation range of the operation device when playing the predetermined music with the musical instrument while matching the relationship with the pitch of the sound output in response to the operation of the operation device. Complementary means for changing the correlation between each operation member of the input device and the pitch associated with each operation member so that the operation range of the operation member when playing the music is narrowed. A game system, characterized in that: 2. The input means to be operated in accordance with an instruction of the operation guide device, wherein a ratio of an interval according to an operation order of a series of operation positions of the operator when playing the musical instrument is provided. 2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the correlation is changed while matching a ratio of intervals of a series of operation positions of the operation member according to the operation order with each other at least in a part of the operation range. 3. 3. The interval between a series of operation positions related to the operation element is a distance between a series of operation positions related to the operation member only in a portion where the degree of difficulty in operating the operation member is higher than a predetermined level. 3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein the correlation is changed so that the correlation is reduced. 4. In a portion where the interval between the operation positions is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, the interval between a series of operation positions related to the operation member is equal to the interval between operation positions corresponding to the corresponding operating element, and the interval between the operation positions is smaller. In a portion larger than a predetermined reference value, the complementing means changes the correlation so that an interval between a series of operation positions related to the operation member is narrower than an interval between a series of operation positions related to the corresponding operation element. 3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein: 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the operation members of the input device are arranged in accordance with an arrangement of keys as the operation elements of a keyboard as the specific musical instrument.
A game system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The game system according to claim 5, wherein the complementing means changes the correlation so as to avoid a black key of the keyboard. 7. An input device having a plurality of operation members arranged in accordance with operators of a specific musical instrument, and a predetermined guide for a series of operations of the input device set in association with a predetermined music performance An operation guidance device that guides through a screen, and a sound control device that generates a pitch corresponding to each operation member in response to an operation of each operation member of the input device,
A game system, characterized in that the sound control device is capable of generating a chord in response to a single operation of a single operation member. 8. An input device having a plurality of operation members arranged according to operators of a specific musical instrument, and a series of predetermined operations of the input device set in association with a predetermined music performance by a predetermined guide An operation guidance device that guides through a screen, and a sound control device that generates a pitch corresponding to each operation member in response to an operation of each operation member of the input device,
A game system comprising: a sound generation control device capable of continuously generating at least two musical tones in response to a single operation of a single operation member. 9. An evaluation device for evaluating a player's operation based on a correlation between an operation guided by the operation guide device and an operation actually performed by a player in response to the guidance of the operation, the evaluation device comprising: The device includes an operation member to be operated according to the guidance of the operation guide device, and another operation member that is adjacent to the operation member to be operated within a predetermined range and whose operation is not instructed from the operation guide device. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein it is determined that a correct operation has been performed when are simultaneously operated. 10. A storage medium storing a program executable by a computer of a game system provided with an input device having a plurality of operation members arranged according to operators of a specific musical instrument, wherein the program is Operating guidance means for guiding a series of operations of the input device set in association with a predetermined music performance through a predetermined guidance screen, and responding to the operation of each operation member of the input device. , Each of which is configured to function as sound generation control means for generating a pitch corresponding to each operation member, wherein the sound generation control means corresponds to the arrangement order of the plurality of operation members and the operation of each operation member. The relationship between the pitch of the output sound and the pitch of the output sound corresponding to the operation of each of the controls in the musical instrument is made to match the relationship between the arrangement order of the controls and the pitch of the sound output in response to the operation of each of the controls. However, the input range is such that the operation range of the operation member when playing the predetermined music with the input device is narrower than the operation range of the operation element when playing the predetermined music with the musical instrument. A computer-readable storage medium capable of changing a correlation between each operation member of the apparatus and a pitch associated with each operation member. 11. A storage medium storing a program executable by a computer of a game system provided with an input device having a plurality of operation members arranged according to operators of a specific musical instrument, wherein the program is Operating guidance means for guiding a series of operations of the input device set in association with a predetermined music performance through a predetermined guidance screen, and responding to the operation of each operation member of the input device. , Each of which is configured to function as sound control means for sounding a pitch corresponding to each operation member, wherein the sound control means generates a chord in response to one operation of a single operation member. A computer-readable storage medium capable of pronunciation. 12. A storage medium storing a program executable by a computer of a game system provided with an input device having a plurality of operation members arranged according to operators of a specific musical instrument, wherein the program is Operating guidance means for guiding a series of operations of the input device set in association with a predetermined music performance through a predetermined guidance screen, and responding to the operation of each operation member of the input device. And sound generation control means for generating a pitch corresponding to each operation member, wherein the sound generation control means responds to a single operation of a single operation member by at least two times. A computer readable storage medium capable of continuously producing two musical tones.