JP2019000457A - Computer system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a computer system which makes a player more easily feel refreshed and satisfied when the player is playing well in a timing game.SOLUTION: Evaluation results of operation inputs for the latest four measures are stored and subjected to statistical processing while a game is played. It is determined whether or not support control is required to temporarily ease the difficulty in playing the game. When it is determined that the support control is required, the criterial timings and their indicators 25a, 25b that are set in a non-displayed measure (non-displayed measure 42) on the game screen are deleted or thinned out from the original configuration to temporarily ease the difficulty in playing the game such that conditions to allow the player to achieve good results are prepared.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a computer system that executes a timing game.

  There is a timing game as a popular video game genre. A timing game is a game genre based on the theme of inputting a predetermined type of operation (hereinafter referred to as a reference operation) in accordance with a reference timing (hereinafter referred to as a reference timing). is there.

  The game genre is subdivided according to the standard timing and standard operation presentation format. For example, there is a “music game” in which a virtual performance is performed in accordance with notes that are displayed along with the played music, and an “action game” in which obstacles approaching the player character are continuously avoided. .

  Among them, music games are popular. In a music game, musical score data for each play difficulty level is prepared in advance for each piece of music that can be played. In the musical score data, the display order of one or more kinds of indicators (display bodies corresponding to notes) corresponding to the notes is determined. At the time of play, the indicator is sequentially displayed based on the musical score data of the selected play difficulty level of the selected music piece.

  In order to display a typical indicator, that is, to show the score, the indicator appears on the game screen according to the display order defined by the score data and moves toward a predetermined reference position in the game screen. There is a method to display. The reference timing (in other words, the best timing for the operation input timing) is presented at the timing when the moving indicator reaches the reference position, and the reference operation (in other words, the operation to be input) depends on the type of the indicator or the reference position to reach Type, correct answer operation). Such a way of showing a score is an important element in a music game, and game providers have improved the attractiveness of the game and adjusted the difficulty of playing by applying various ideas here.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, although the player selects the play difficulty level before the start of play, the accuracy of the player's operation timing is automatically determined during play, and the play difficulty level that matches the player's actual skill level. A technique for switching control so as to use musical score data is disclosed. According to Patent Document 1, it is possible to prevent a sad situation in which the player himself / herself has selected the play difficulty level but the selected play difficulty level is too higher than the actual skill level and the user cannot enjoy the game. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique that can adjust the level of difficulty of playing while adjusting the interval of the pointers that are displayed in flow, while suppressing the amount of musical score data stored in advance. .

JP 2001-170354 A JP 2007-181650 A

  In the timing game, it is important how to provide the player with refreshing feeling and satisfaction. For example, consider the case where a player plays a music game in a dedicated game case that has parts that can be operated using arms and legs. After the game, the player feels refreshed and satisfied after a slight exercise. A feeling is obtained. Further, in the case of a music game, the refreshing feeling and satisfaction that the operation input suitable for the rhythm and tempo of the music to be played is successful are difficult to obtain in games of other genres.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for making it easy to obtain a refreshing feeling and satisfaction that can be realized when a player can play well in a timing game.

1st invention for solving the subject mentioned above has the design according to the kind of standard operation, and moves the indicator which shows the timing which arrives at a standard position as standard timing of operation input along the same movement course A computer system that executes a timing game by controlling display of a game screen to be displayed and evaluating a type and timing of a player's operation input in comparison with the type of reference operation and the reference timing;
Statistical processing means (for example, the control board 1350 in FIG. 1 and the processing in FIG. 5) that statistically processes the result of the evaluation in a given evaluation period in which a predetermined number or more of the indicators set as statistical objects are moved and displayed. Unit 200, game management unit 220, statistical processing unit 226, input evaluation statistical data 720 in FIG. 11, step S18 in FIG. 12,
Based on the result of the statistical processing, support control means for executing support control for reducing the reference timing (for example, the control board 1350 in FIG. 1, the processing unit 200 in FIG. 5, the game management unit 220, the support control unit 230, Step S20) of FIG. 12,
Is a computer system.

  The “computer system” referred to here may be a system composed of a single computer, or of course, a system composed of a plurality of computers connected to each other via a communication line so that data communication is possible. May be.

  According to the first invention, it is possible to statistically process an evaluation result relating to a play result in a given evaluation period, and to reduce the reference timing based on the result of the statistical processing. By reducing the reference timing, the number of times that the player should input an operation is reduced. That is, the play difficulty level is lower than that of the original. The player can easily input an operation in accordance with the reference timing, and can easily perform a correct reference operation and leave good results. As a result, at the end of play, the player can be given a refreshing feeling and satisfaction that the game creator wants to taste.

  Also, by taking statistics during play, it is possible to monitor during play whether the player is playing well, in other words, whether the play is refreshing or satisfying. Then, based on the result of statistical processing, the initial setting of the reference timing (that is, the setting of the original reference timing) can be further simplified, that is, the player can be automatically supported, and the player can play well. The refreshing feeling and the satisfaction that can be felt at the time can be easily obtained.

  A second invention is the computer system of the first invention, wherein the support control means executes the support control by thinning out the indicator.

  One of the factors that determine the game difficulty level in the timing game is how dense the reference timing is in time, in other words, how dense the pointers are. According to the second invention, it is possible to thin out the indicator whose reference timing is dense. Therefore, it is possible to temporarily adjust the difficulty level of the game while maintaining the arrangement of the indicators when viewed in the whole play. In addition, since there is only one original data, for example, in the case of a music game, the quantity prepared as musical score data of music that can be played can be reduced, and the storage area does not have to be pressed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the support control unit determines whether or not the indicator is to be thinned based on whether or not the reference timing of the indicator corresponds to a given fixed cycle period. This is a computer system of the second invention.

  In the timing game, a reference timing may be prepared in accordance with a periodic timing of a constant period or a substantially constant period so that the player can easily take the timing. For example, in a music game, the arrangement of reference timings according to the time signature and rhythm of the music to be played corresponds to this. Even if it is an action-type timing game that avoids obstacles, the arrangement of the reference timing corresponding to the period change of BGM and effect display corresponds to this.

  For example, in the case of a music game, the timing of one beat in a four-beat musical piece corresponds to the reference timing corresponding to this cycle timing. In a music game, an operation input that matches the time signature of a music piece is one of the important elements for learning the exhilaration of game play, so it is often not desirable to delete this.

  However, according to the third aspect of the invention, the reference timing of the indicator to be thinned out can be determined based on whether or not the reference timing corresponds to the cycle timing. On the other hand, if the reference timing indicators are alternately set to be left and thinned, it is possible to make the timing easier while reducing the number of operation inputs.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the reference timing includes a first type reference timing corresponding to a given fixed cycle period timing, and a short cycle period other than the first type reference timing and shorter than the fixed cycle. The second type standard timing corresponding to
The support control means is the computer system according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein all or part of the indicator according to the second type reference timing is the target of the thinning.

For example, in the case of a music game, the time signature and tempo of the music to be played correspond to the first type reference timing. If the music has four beats, it corresponds to the timing of one beat. The second type standard timing with a shorter period corresponds to a half of one beat or even a half of the timing if the music has the same time signature.
From the point of view of an important factor for learning the exhilaration of game play in a timing game, the first type standard timing is much more important than the second type standard timing. It may be better not to reduce as much as possible.

  According to the fourth invention, it is possible to preferentially delete the indicator related to the second type reference timing while leaving the indicator related to the first type reference timing. Therefore, it is preferable because the game difficulty level can be adjusted in a natural manner while leaving an important element for remembering the exhilaration of game play as it is.

  In a fifth aspect of the invention, the support control means executes the support control stepwise by increasing / decreasing the number of reductions of the indicator coming in the future based on the result of the statistical processing during game play. A computer system according to any one of the first to fourth inventions.

  According to the fifth aspect, the degree of support control can be adjusted in stages. Therefore, it is possible to realize an appropriate level of support according to the skills of various players.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the reference timing of the indicator corresponds to any of N types (N ≧ 2) of cycle timings having different cycle lengths, and is classified preferentially from cycle timings of relatively long cycles. The support control means determines the indicator to be thinned out step by step based on the classification related to the reference timing of the indicator, It is a computer system of the 2nd invention which performs the support control stepwise based on the result of the statistical processing.

  For example, in the case of a music game, the time signature and tempo of the music to be played correspond to the first type reference timing, and in the case of music of 4 time, this corresponds to the timing of one beat. Then, half the timing of one beat and further half the timing correspond to the second type reference timing. From the viewpoint of an important factor for learning the exhilaration of game play in a timing game, the first type reference timing indicator is much more important than the second type reference timing indicator. It may be better not to reduce as much as possible.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the thinning target can be determined step by step according to the type of reference timing corresponding to such an indicator, so that an appropriate level of support according to the skills of various players is realized. This is preferable because it is possible.

  In a seventh aspect, the support control means relates to the reference timing based on a relative position in the period where the reference timing is located in each period when the game progress is divided at a given time interval. It is the computer system of the 5th or 6th invention which determines stepwise whether an indicator is made into the candidate for reduction.

  Here, “each period when the game progress is divided at a given time interval” corresponds to, for example, a musical score measure in the case of a music game. Alternatively, it may be a part composed of a plurality of measures. If it is an action timing game such as avoiding an obstacle, the game stage corresponds to this.

  If we look at the effect of the reference timing on the difficulty level of the game in terms of the relative position in each period when the game progress is divided at a given time interval, for example, in the case of a music game, the first half of the measure (specifically (In the case of music with a 4-time signature, until the second beat), when the standard timing is dense and when it is dense in the second half, the former tends to be harder to perform the operation input that matches the timing. It is in. Thus, for example, if the aim is to effectively reduce the game difficulty by reducing the reference timing indicators, the reference timing in the first half of “each period when the game progress is divided at a given time interval” It is considered preferable to reduce the number of indicators.

  Therefore, according to the seventh aspect, it becomes possible to select the reference timing of the indicator to be reduced at the relative position in “each period when the game progress is divided at a given time interval”. The accuracy of the degree adjustment is improved.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the support control means changes the support control stage toward a state where the support control is not performed when the result of the statistical processing satisfies a predetermined good condition. 7 is a computer system according to any one of the inventions.

  According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to reduce the stage of support control when the result of statistical processing is good, and it is possible to approach the initial state where support is not performed. As a result, it is possible to realize a mechanism that helps improve the play skill while achieving the object of the invention.

  A ninth invention is the computer system according to any one of the fifth to eighth inventions, wherein the statistical processing means resets the result of the statistical processing every time the support control stage is changed.

  According to the ninth aspect, if the support control stage is changed, whether the support control stage needs to be changed further by evaluating the influence of the change based on the result of the statistical processing after the change. It will be possible to properly determine whether or not.

  The tenth aspect of the present invention is a difficulty level accepting unit (e.g., a control board 1350 in FIG. 1, a processing unit 200 in FIG. 5, a game management unit 220, a difficulty level acceptance control unit 224) that accepts a difficulty level selection input before the start of play. 11 and the step S10) of FIG. 12, and the support control means changes the start stage of the support control according to the selected difficulty level. A computer system according to any one of the inventions.

  According to the tenth aspect, the support start stage can be changed according to the degree of difficulty selected by the player before play. For example, it is possible to perform support control such that a player who has selected a low difficulty level is provided with generous support from the beginning, and a player who has selected a high difficulty level is provided with support at an insurance level and hardly assists.

  The eleventh aspect of the invention relates to setting means (for example, the control board 1350 in FIG. 1, the processing unit 200 in FIG. 5, the game, and the like) for setting a player character or a use item (hereinafter collectively referred to as “character etc.”) before the start of play. Based on the management unit 220, the support character setting unit 222, the use support character type 713 in FIG. 11, the step S12 in FIG. 12, and the set character and the like, the activation determining means for determining whether the support control should be activated or not. (For example, the control board 1350 in FIG. 1, the processing unit 200 in FIG. 19, the game management unit 220, and the support activation determining unit 228), and the support control unit is determined to be activated by the activation determining unit In addition, the support control is executed (for example, steps S48 to S50 in FIG. 20). It is a computer system.

  According to the eleventh aspect, the support control activation state changes based on the character used by the player in the game play. Therefore, the support control can be further diversified and the interest of the game can be enhanced.

  In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, when displaying the game result of the timing game, game result display control means for displaying at least whether or not the support control has been executed (for example, the control board 1350 in FIG. 1, FIG. 5). The computer system according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects of the invention including the processing unit 200, the game management unit 220, the game result display control unit 232, and step S132 of FIG.

  According to the twelfth aspect, it can be notified after the game whether support has been performed during play.

  A thirteenth aspect of the invention is the computer system according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the evaluation period is a period in which a display density of the indicator that is moved and displayed satisfies a predetermined high density condition.

  According to the thirteenth aspect, the target of support control can be limited to a period in which the display density of the indicator that is moved and displayed that is relatively difficult to play satisfies a predetermined high density condition. .

  In a fourteenth aspect of the invention, the computer system has a design corresponding to the type of the reference operation, and the game screen displays the indicator indicating the timing of arrival at the reference position as the reference timing of the operation input along the same movement path. Is a program for executing a timing game that evaluates a player's operation input type and timing in comparison with the standard operation type and the standard timing, and includes a plurality of types of instructions set as statistical objects. Statistical processing means for statistically processing the result of the evaluation in a given evaluation period in which the body is moved and displayed more than a predetermined number, and support control means for executing support control for reducing the reference timing based on the result of the statistical processing , A program for causing the computer system to function.

  According to the fourteenth aspect, a program that obtains the same effect as the first aspect can be realized.

The figure which shows the structural example of an arcade game device. The figure for demonstrating the game content. The figure for demonstrating the principle of support control. The figure for demonstrating the step of support control. The functional block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of an arcade game device. The figure which shows the example of the program and data which a memory | storage part memorize | stores. The figure which shows the data structural example of music definition data. The figure which shows the data structural example of support improvement condition definition data. The figure which shows the data structural example of support degradation condition definition data. The figure which shows the data structural example of support content definition data. The figure which shows the data structural example of play data. The flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a process in an arcade game device. The flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a process about a support process. The flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a game card process. The figure for demonstrating the modification of a computer system structure. The figure which shows the structural example of the game screen in the case of employ | adopting a touch panel for operation input. The figure which shows the example of the game screen of the action game to which this invention is applied. The figure for demonstrating the structure which employ | adopts the operation input by motion recognition. The functional block diagram which shows the modification of a function structure of a game device for business use. The figure for demonstrating the modification of a support process. The figure for demonstrating the modification of the reduction method of a reference | standard timing. The figure which shows the modification of music definition data. The flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a process in case statistical processing and support control are limited to the period when the setting density of reference | standard timing satisfy | fills a predetermined high-density condition.

  Hereinafter, as an example of an embodiment of the present invention, an example in which a music game is executed by an arcade game device will be described. However, it is needless to say that embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the arcade game apparatus 1300 according to the present embodiment.
The arcade game apparatus 1300 is a computer system to which the present invention is applied, and is a dedicated case for a music game with a percussion instrument playing motif.
The arcade game apparatus 1300 includes an operation input device 1306 that imitates a percussion instrument for a player to input various operations on an operation console 1304 that projects in front of the game main body device 1301. In the present embodiment, two operation input devices 1306 are provided so that a plurality of players can play a game simultaneously, but the number can be set as appropriate.

  In addition, the arcade game apparatus 1300 has a video monitor 1322 realized by a flat panel display or the like for displaying a game image on the upper part of the game main body apparatus 1301, a speaker 1324 that emits game sounds and sound effects, Is provided. Furthermore, a card reader 1330 that reads data from the game card 3, which is a portable card-type storage medium, a coin input device 1340, and a control board 1350 are provided below and inside the game main body device 1301.

  The operation input device 1306 according to the present embodiment has an outer shape imitating a Japanese drum and incorporates pressure-sensitive sensors and vibration sensors in various places. When the player 2 hits the operation input device 1306 in the manner of hitting a Japanese drum with a dedicated operation rod 1308, an operation input signal is output from the sensor at the hit location to the control board 1350.

  The game card 3 is a card-type information carrier medium and corresponds to a so-called “trading card”. Any one type of support character is assigned to one game card 3, an image of the support character is printed on the surface, and identification information (character ID) of the support character is carried. In the example of FIG. 1, the game card 3 carries card identification information (card ID) by a printed bar code. Therefore, the card reader 1330 reads this bar code and outputs the read information to the control board 1350.

  Each support character has a unique support skill that assists the player during the game play (for example, if a different type of operation input from the standard operation is input, it is corrected only a predetermined number of times). The player can cause the card reader 1330 to read a predetermined number of game cards 3 owned by the player and use it in a play to be executed from now on.

  Note that the game card 3 is not limited to a card as an entity, and may be a virtual card. That is, the virtual card identification information obtained by online shopping purchase or distribution by a member site or the like is linked / registered with a user account unique to the player at the member site managed by the server system 1100, and contactless IC card Alternatively, the identification information may be stored in a wearable computer, a smartphone, or the like and used as a substitute for the game card 3. At that time, it is preferable that they are provided with an electronic money function and a prepaid point function, and also serve as a payment function for play consideration. Further, an item associated with the game card 3 is not limited to a character but may be an item.

  The coin insertion device 1340 is a means for collecting play consideration in the present embodiment. The collection of play consideration is not limited to cash such as coins, but may be a collection form using electronic money or prepaid points.

  The control board 1350 includes various microprocessors such as a central processing unit (CPU) 1351, a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a digital signal processor (DSP), and electrical and electronic devices such as an IC memory 1352. In addition, the control board 1350 includes a communication device 1353 and is connected to a communication line 9 such as the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), and a WAN (Wide Area Network) by wire or wirelessly, and performs data communication with an external device. Is configured to be possible. Part or all of the control board 1350 may be realized by an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a system on a chip (SoC).

  Then, the control board 1350 reads a system program or game program from a storage medium such as an IC memory 1352 or a hard disk mounted thereon, performs arithmetic processing, controls each part of the arcade game apparatus 1300, and executes a music game. .

  In the present embodiment, the operation input form is an operation using the operation stick 1308, but other forms may be adopted according to the game content as the timing game. For example, a motion which is a physical movement of the player himself can be used as an operation input form. In that case, a motion recognition method for recognizing player-specific motion from a photographed image by the video camera 1326 or a distance measurement result by the distance sensor 1328 may be adopted, and a motion recognition chip 1356 may be appropriately mounted on the control board 1350. .

[Game description]
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the game content of the present embodiment, and shows an example of a game screen displayed on the video monitor 1322 of the arcade game apparatus 1300. The game screen is displayed in synchronization with the sound reproduction of a play song (music to be played), and provides the player with various information such as reference timing and reference operation.

  Specifically, at the upper part of the game screen W2, there are an elapsed time display unit 10 indicating the elapsed time from the start of playing the play song, the name of the song 12 being played, and the musical scores 20A and 20B for each player. Is displayed. Since the example of FIG. 2 is an example assuming two-player play, two musical scores 20A and 20B are drawn, but in the case of one-player play, only the musical score 20A is displayed.

  The design of the musical scores 20A and 20B can be set as appropriate. In this embodiment, the destination display 21 for indicating who the musical score is addressed to, the support character display section 22, and the selected game difficulty level. A difficulty level display unit 23, a reference position 24, an indicator 25 (25a, 25b, 25c), a bar dividing line 26, an evaluation notification unit 27, and a score display unit 28 are provided.

The destination display 21 may be anything as long as it identifies the player. In the present embodiment, the first player uses the upper score 20A, and the second player uses the lower score 20B.
The support character display unit 22 displays the appearance of the support character of the game card 3 read by the player before the start of play.
The difficulty level display unit 23 displays the level of play difficulty selected by the player from the game difficulty candidates before the start of play.

  The reference position 24 indicates a position serving as a reference for indicating the reference timing. In the present embodiment, only one musical score 20A, 20B is displayed at a predetermined position, but a plurality of places may be provided.

  The indicator 25 is prepared with a different design for each type of reference operation. In the present embodiment, the indicator 25 appears from the right side of the musical score 20A, 20B, and along the same movement path in a line toward the reference position 24 together with the bar dividing line 26. It is displayed moving toward the left side. One bar 40 is represented between the bar dividing lines 26. The timing at which the indicator 25 overlaps the reference position 24 is the reference timing in the present embodiment, and the type of the indicator 25 that overlaps indicates the type of reference operation.

A plurality of types of reference timings with different periods are prepared, and the period of each reference timing is set to a constant period based on the tempo and time signature of the music.
Specifically, 1) the first type reference timing set in the first type cycle that matches the beat of the time signature, and 2) the second type cycle set shorter than the first type cycle, and other than the first type reference timing 3) a third type reference timing which is set at a third type period shorter than the second type period and which is neither the first type reference timing nor the second type reference timing. .
In the present embodiment, the second type period is 1/2 of the first type period, and the third type period is 1/4 of the first type period.

  Thereafter, in order to make the standard timing easy to understand, as an example, it is assumed that the music to be played is 4/4 time signature, the first type standard timing is “quarter note grid”, and the second type standard timing is “8 minutes”. The “note grid” and the third type standard timing are called “16th note grid”.

Now, the indicator 25 of this embodiment is
1) Dong 25a (white circle in FIG. 2) which is a first type indicator representing an operation input for hitting the drum surface (striking surface) of the Japanese drum-shaped operation input device 1306;
2) A cutlet 25b (shaded square in FIG. 2) that is a second type indicator representing an operation input for hitting the outer edge of the hitting surface (which can also be said to be the outer edge of the drum face or the trunk) of the operation input device 1306;
3) A free continuous hitting cut 25c (shaded horizontal square in FIG. 2), which is a third type indicator that represents an operation input for hitting the outer edge of the hitting surface of the operation input device 1306 without reference timing determination;
including. Of course, other types of indicators can be included as appropriate.

  Note that “determination free” here means that a good evaluation can be made regardless of the time difference between the reference timing and the operation input as long as a part of the corresponding indicator 25 overlaps the reference position 24. The reference timing is substantially equivalent to a state in which the reference timing is extended to the entire width of the indicator.

  The evaluation notification unit 27 displays the input evaluation result for the latest operation input. The input evaluation is performed based on a time difference between the reference timing and the operation input timing, and a comparison result between the reference operation type and the operation input type. In this embodiment, there are four stages of “good”, “possible”, “impossible”, and “through” in order from the highest grade, but the number of stages and names can be set as appropriate. The evaluation is better as the standard operation type matches the operation input type and the time difference between the reference timing and the operation input timing is smaller. When the standard operation type and the operation input type do not match, “impossible” is set.

The score display unit 28 displays the score given / accumulated according to the result of the input evaluation. Specifically, points are set for each of “good”, “possible”, “impossible”, and “through”, and the result of adding the results of the input evaluation is displayed. Each score can be set as appropriate.
In the present embodiment, as an example, a value obtained by averaging the number of points given to one bar 40 (for example, 100 points) by the number of indicators 25 arranged in the bar is set to “OK”. “Good” is converted to 1.2 times, “impossible” is converted to 0.5 times, and “through” is converted to 0 times. Of course, other scoring methods may be used. For example, a value obtained by averaging the number of points given to one measure 40 by the number of indicators 25 arranged in the measure is set as a “good” score, 0.8 times conversion, “impossible” may be 0.5 times, and “through” may be 0 times.

  Each player plays a game while listening to a play song emitted from the speaker 1324 while referring to the musical score 20 (20A, 20B) to which the player is addressed in the game screen W2 displayed on the video monitor 1322. .

  As described above, the indicator 25 is set to any one of the first type reference timing, the second type reference timing, and the third type reference timing. Therefore, the player correctly inputs the type of operation associated with the indicator in accordance with the reference timing at which the indicator 25 overlaps the reference position 24, so that it matches the tempo and rhythm of the play song, as if You can feel refreshed as if you are playing virtual.

[Explanation about automatic adjustment of play difficulty]
Now, the arcade game apparatus 1300 of this embodiment can automatically adjust the play difficulty level during play according to the play situation of the player. In the present embodiment, this automatic adjustment control is referred to as “support control”.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the principle of support control.
The support control of this embodiment is realized by reducing the reference timing. Specifically, the result of the input evaluation of the operation input set as the statistical object is statistically processed during the game. This period for which statistical processing is performed is referred to as an “evaluation period”. Then, if the statistical result of the input evaluation in a given or predetermined evaluation period has reached the expected result, “the player is enjoying the exhilaration of the music game and goes to the end of the play as it is. "I will be able to leave a satisfactory result." On the other hand, if the statistical result of the input evaluation is not good, it is inferred that "The player does not enjoy the refreshing feeling as expected, and will feel dissatisfied with his play and results as it goes to the end of the play" Judged that support control is necessary.

  If it is determined that the support control is necessary, a part of the indicator 25 that should be displayed on the musical score 20 is deleted (also referred to as omission of display), and the reference timing is substantially deleted. That is, the arrangement of the indicator 25 displayed on the game screen is made coarser than that of the original in terms of density with respect to the time axis. As a result, the required frequency and number of operation inputs are reduced, and the player can calmly and reliably match the operation input timing and the type of operation input with the respective standards. That is, it is set as the situation where favorable evaluation is easy to be obtained.

  More specifically, the “evaluation period” can be a predetermined past time or a predetermined section of musical score data. In the evaluation period, a sufficient length of time is prepared so that a plurality of types of the indicator 25 are moved and displayed for a predetermined number or more. In the present embodiment, it is the last four measures (or the time corresponding thereto).

The evaluation period can be a predetermined evaluation portion of the musical score data.
For example, in a musical score display format in which an indicator that indicates the timing of arrival at the reference position as the reference timing of the operation input is moved and displayed along the same movement path, a relatively difficult arrangement in which the skill difference of the player is easily reflected in the evaluation It is also possible to use a predetermined section in which indicators are arranged in a pattern (indicator interval or indicator combination).

  More specifically, it is preferable that the display density of the indicator 25 that is moved and displayed satisfies a predetermined high density condition. In the musical score 20 of the present embodiment, since a plurality of types of indicators 25 are moved and displayed on one line from one to the next, in a portion where a relatively large number of indicators 25 are displayed at high density, the indicator 25 However, compared to the music score display format in which the line is prepared separately depending on the type of indicator, the player is more likely to be confused without visual information arrangement, and the skill difference of the player is clearly reflected in the results It is because it is reflected. In the present embodiment, for example, an arrangement pattern of “don don cutlet cutlet don cutlet cutlet” corresponds to this.

  The statistics of the input evaluation can be the ratio of the total number evaluated as the stage in the evaluation period to the total reference timing in the evaluation period for each stage of the input evaluation to be statistics. Further, when viewed over the entire evaluation period, the average value, median value, variation, etc. of the evaluation results (evaluated stages) for each reference timing can be used, or a combination thereof.

  The reference timing and the reduction of the indicator 25 are reduced in the original musical score 20 in the future bar (undisplayed bar 42; a period (bar) in which the game progress is divided by a given time interval) and in the future. This is realized by “thinning” the indicator 25 arranged at the reference timing to be reduced from the indicator 25 during the period of arrival). In short, at least a part of the indicator 25 of the reference timing that will not be displayed on the musical score 20 and that will come in the future is reduced and thinned out.

  In the example of FIG. 3, the 16th note grid 66 (short dashed line) that does not overlap the quarter note grid 64 (solid line) and the eighth note grid 68 (long dashed line) of the indicator 25 of the undisplayed measure 42 in the original musical score. ) Is cut out. In this example, only one measure is shown as the undisplayed measure 42, but the number of undisplayed measures 42 to be reduced can be set as appropriate. Further, the second type indicator (cutlet 25b) is deleted, but even the first type indicator (don 25a) can be deleted.

  In the present embodiment, it is possible to change which part of the original musical score 20 is to be thinned, which note grid is to be thinned, and how many indicators 25 are thinned. Specifically, it is possible to change them step by step according to the play difficulty level selected before the start of play for each player.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the support control stage.
In this embodiment, six levels of support control “0” to “5” are prepared, and this is called a “support level”. The initial support level at the start of play is determined according to the play difficulty level selected by the player, and is raised or lowered according to the statistical result of the evaluation period.

At the support level “0”, support control is not executed. As shown in FIG. 4 (0), the arrangement of the indicator 25 displayed on the musical score 20 (see FIG. 2) remains the original.
On the other hand, support control is executed at support levels “1” to “5”. As the support level increases, the support level and the thinning level increase.

  At the support level “1”, thinning is performed only for the reference timing of a given priority range defined based on the relative position of the undisplayed measure 42. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 (1), a criterion corresponding to a sixteenth note grid 66 between the first beat and the second beat and not overlapping with the quarter note grid 64 or the eighth note grid 68. Reduce timing. In other words, in a given priority range of a period (measure) obtained by dividing the game progress by a given time interval, a short cycle reference timing that does not overlap with a long cycle reference timing is reduced as a reduction target. In practice, the data of the undisplayed measure 42 is generated by thinning out the indicator 25 arranged at the reference timing, and the display control of the music score 20 is performed based on the data, thereby reducing the music score 20 from the score 20. The target reference timing indicator 25 is reduced or omitted. At this time, how many reference timings are to be reduced, that is, how many indicators 25 are to be reduced, is set according to the play difficulty level selected by the player.

  At the support level “2”, in addition to the content of the support level “1”, the reference timing of the period to be reduced at the support level “1” is reduced over the entire range of the undisplayed measures 42. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the reference timing corresponding to the 16th note grid 66 that does not overlap with the quarter note grid 64 or the 8th note grid 68 is reduced in the entire range of the undisplayed measure 42. set to target.

  Support level “3” is applied to cases where support level “2” decimation is not sufficient as support, so other reference timings with a shorter cycle than the reference timing targeted for reduction at support level “2” are also reduced. Be targeted. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 (3), in addition to the contents of the support levels “1” to “2”, the eighth note that does not overlap with the quarter note grid 64 in the entire range of the undisplayed measure 42. The reference timing corresponding to the grid 68 is also targeted for reduction. At this time, the number of reference timings (corresponding to the indicator 25) to be reduced is set according to the play difficulty level selected by the player.

  Support level “4” is applied to cases where the support level “3” decimation is not sufficient as support, so other reference timings with a shorter cycle than the reference timing targeted for reduction at support level “3” are also available. Target for reduction.

In this embodiment, in addition to the contents of the support levels “1” to “3”, the reference timing corresponding to the quarter note grid 64 in the entire range of the undisplayed measure 42 is also targeted for reduction. The number of reference timings (corresponding to the indicator 25) to be reduced is set according to the play difficulty level selected by the player.
At this time, the selection priority of the reference timing to be reduced is
1) If the number of reference timings remaining in the measure is an even number, the order is the last grid, the even-numbered grid, and the first grid.
2) If the number of remaining reference timings in the bar is an odd number, the order of the final grid, the intermediate grid between the final grid and the central grid, the intermediate grid between the first grid and the central grid, and the first grid To do.

  In the example of FIG. 4 (4), since the undisplayed measure 42 is set to 4/4 time signature, the quarter note grid 64 in one measure is the quarter note first grid 64a (first grid) and the quarter note second. The grid 64b (second grid), the quarter note third grid 64c (third grid), and the quarter note fourth grid 64d (final grid) are shown in FIG. From the reduced state, the reference timing of the fourth note fourth grid 64d (final grid) is further reduced.

  Since the support level “5” is applied to a case where the thinning of the support level “4” is insufficient as support, all of the reference levels having the same period as the beat of the undisplayed measure 42 are left as reduction targets. In the example of FIG. 4 (5), the undisplayed measure 42 is also set to 4/4 time signature, and is set to two as the predetermined number, leaving two reference timings corresponding to the first beat and the third beat. , Everything else is deleted.

  By performing the support control, the player can more easily perform operation input. As a result, the player can play focusing on the timing adjustment, so that the player who is supported gives better results, and it is easier to obtain exhilaration and satisfaction.

  In the present embodiment, even if support control is being executed during game play, this is not clearly indicated on the game screen. However, after the play ends, for example, display of the game result, that is, the final play result, etc. It is specified at the timing. For example, the presence / absence of support is displayed for each player. Further, the supported support level may be displayed together with the presence or absence of support.

[Description of functional configuration]
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the arcade game apparatus 1300 according to the present embodiment. The arcade game apparatus 1300 in the present embodiment includes an operation input unit 100, a medium reading unit 110, a processing unit 200, a sound output unit 390, an image display unit 392, a communication unit 394, and a storage unit 500. .

  The operation input unit 100 is a means for inputting various operations. In the present embodiment, the first detection unit 102 for detecting the type of operation input associated with the first type indicator, and the type of operation input associated with the second type and the third type indicator are detected. A second detection unit 104. In the configuration of FIG. 1, the operation input device 1306 corresponds to this.

  The medium reading unit 110 is a means for reading and writing information from the information carrying medium. It is realized by hardware corresponding to the type of information carrier medium, for example, a barcode reader, an IC card reader / writer, a magnetic card reader, a non-contact communication device, or the like. In the example of FIG. 1, the card reader 1330 corresponds to this.

  The processing unit 200 is realized by, for example, a microprocessor such as a CPU or GPU, or an electronic component such as an ASIC, FPGA, or IC memory, and inputs / outputs data to / from each function unit including the operation input unit 100 and the storage unit 500. Take control. Then, various arithmetic processes are executed based on a predetermined program and data, an operation input signal from the operation input unit 100, and the operation of the arcade game apparatus 1300 is integratedly controlled. In the example of FIG. 1, the control board 1350 corresponds to this.

  The processing unit 200 according to the present embodiment includes a game management unit 220, a timing unit 280, a sound generation unit 290, an image generation unit 292, and a communication control unit 294. Of course, functional units other than these can be included as appropriate.

  The game management unit 220 performs various processes related to game execution management. In the present embodiment, the game management unit 220 includes a support character setting unit 222, a difficulty level reception control unit 224, a statistical processing unit 226, a support control unit 230, and a game result display control unit 232.

  The support character setting unit 222 sets a player character (also referred to as a use character) or a use item before the start of play. In the present embodiment, this corresponds to the setting of the support character associated with the information carried by the game card 3 (see FIG. 1) read before starting the game for each player.

  The difficulty level acceptance control unit 224 performs control to accept selection input of game difficulty level (play difficulty level) to be played for each player before the start of play.

The statistical processing unit 226 statistically processes a result of evaluation in a given evaluation period in which a plurality of types of indicators set as statistical objects are displayed in a predetermined number or more. In the present embodiment, the evaluation results of the operation input according to the musical score data are statistically analyzed using the entire period after the start of play and the evaluation period of the four bars from the present to the past in the past.
As statistical types, in this embodiment, 1) the ratio of the sum value of the reference timings that are evaluated as “impossible” or “through” to the total number of reference timings for each measure in the evaluation period, and 2) the measures in the evaluation period. The ratio of the sum of the reference timings evaluated as “impossible” with respect to the total number of reference timings is adopted.

  Of course, the statistical type is not limited to this, and it is assumed that the player's performance is good or bad, more specifically, assuming that the player has continued to play as it is and whether refreshment or satisfaction can be obtained at the end of play. Any content can be set as appropriate. For example, the ratio of the total value of the reference timing that is evaluated as “impossible” or “through” with respect to the total number of reference timings in all periods after the start of play, and input evaluation for a specific indicator (eg, cutlet 25b) in the evaluation period. The number of consecutive times of being unsuccessful / through, the ratio of being good / possible input evaluation for the specific indicator after the start of play, and the like may be statistics.

  The support control unit 230 executes support control for reducing the reference timing based on the result of the statistical processing. Specifically, the support control unit 230 realizes the reference timing indicator to be displayed on the game screen from the original setting.

In the reduction, which reference timing indicator is to be thinned is determined based on whether or not it is the reference timing corresponding to a given fixed cycle period.
The reference timing of the present embodiment includes a first type reference timing corresponding to a given periodic cycle timing and another reference timing other than the first type reference timing and corresponding to a shorter short cycle timing ( In the present embodiment, the second type standard timing and the third type standard timing) are included. The support control unit 230 performs stepwise support control based on the result of statistical processing by determining the reference timing of the indicator to be thinned out stepwise based on the category. More specifically, another reference timing with a relatively short cycle and its indicator are preferentially targeted for thinning, and all or a part thereof is thinned. In other words, an indicator with a short cycle reference timing that does not overlap with other reference timings with a relatively long cycle is preferentially thinned, and an indicator with the first type reference timing is most difficult to be thinned out.

  In addition, during the game play, the support control unit 230 can execute stepwise support control by increasing or decreasing the number of indicators that will be read in the future based on the result of statistical processing. This corresponds to the step-by-step setting change of the support level and the implementation of the support content corresponding to the level (see FIG. 4).

  In the stepwise setting change, first, an initial support level is set according to the selection result of the play difficulty level received before the start of play for each player, and every time it is determined that support is required from the result of statistical processing. Change to a state where more levels of support are implemented at higher levels. When the result of statistical processing satisfies a predetermined good condition, the level is lowered and changed to a state where support control is not performed. In addition, the result of statistical processing can be reset accompanying the change of the support level.

  Further, the support control unit 230 divides the progress of the game at a given time interval (corresponding to a measure of the music to be played), which of the reference timing indicators to be thinned out in the same cycle is thinned out. In each period, it can be determined in a stepwise manner based on the relative position during the period in which the indicator of the reference timing to be thinned is located. For example, it is possible to take stages such as an initial part of a bar, a later part, or a gradual spread from the initial part toward the later part.

  When the game result display control unit 232 displays the game result of the timing game, the game result display control unit 232 displays at least whether or not support control is executed.

  The time measuring unit 280 measures the current date and time, the elapsed time from the start of play, the time limit, etc. using the system clock.

  The sound generation unit 290 is realized by execution of an IC or software that generates and decodes sound data, and generates or decodes sound data such as sound and BGM related to game play. Then, the audio signal is output to the sound output unit 390. In the present embodiment, reproduction / sound emission control based on music data of music to be played can be executed. In addition, it is possible to control the reproduction / sound emission of the beating effect sound for each type of operation input.

  The sound output unit 390 emits sound based on the input audio signal. In the example of FIG. 1, the speaker 1324 corresponds to this.

  The image generation unit 292 can generate image data of various display screens such as the game screen W2 (see FIG. 2). Then, an image signal based on the image data can be output to the image display unit 392.

  The image display unit 392 displays various images based on the image signal input from the image generation unit 292. For example, it can be realized by an image display device such as a flat panel display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a projector, or a head mounted display. In the example of FIG. 1, the video monitor 1322 corresponds to this.

  The communication control unit 294 executes data processing related to data communication, and realizes data exchange with an external device via the communication unit 394. In the present embodiment, processing related to data communication with the server system 1100 and online storage can be executed.

  The communication unit 394 is connected to the communication line 9 to realize communication. For example, it is realized by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA (terminal adapter), a cable communication cable jack, a control circuit, or the like. In the example of FIG. 1, the communication device 1353 is applicable.

  The storage unit 500 stores programs, various data, and the like for realizing various functions for causing the processing unit 200 to control the arcade game device 1300 in an integrated manner. Further, it is used as a work area of the processing unit 200, and temporarily stores calculation results and the like executed by the processing unit 200 according to various programs. This function is realized by, for example, an IC memory such as a RAM or a ROM, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM or DVD, an online storage, or the like. In the example of FIG. 1, a storage medium such as an IC memory 1352 or a hard disk mounted on the control board 1350 corresponds to this.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of programs and data stored in the storage unit 500 according to the present embodiment. The storage unit 500 stores a game program 503 and game initial setting data 510 in advance. In addition, the storage unit 500 stores play data 700 and the current date and time 800 as data that are sequentially generated and managed. In addition, information such as a timer, a counter, and various flags can be stored as appropriate.

  The game program 503 is a program for realizing the function as the game management unit 220 by being read and executed by the processing unit 200 (see FIG. 5). A program for causing the timer 280, the sound generator 290, the image generator 292, and the communication controller 294 to function can be included as appropriate.

The game initial setting data 510 stores various initial setting data for executing the game. In this embodiment,
1) background data 511 for displaying a background effect of the game screen W2 (see FIG. 2);
2) Indicator data 512 for each indicator that is moved and displayed in the musical scores 20A and 20B,
3) support character definition data 514;
4) Play song candidate list 516,
5) Play difficulty candidate list 518,
6) Music definition data 520;
7) Support improvement condition definition data 560;
8) Support degradation condition definition data 570,
9) Support content definition data 600;
including. Of course, data other than these can be included as appropriate.

  The support character definition data 514 is prepared for each type of support character (or item; see FIG. 1) assigned to the game card 3, and stores various initial setting data of the support character. Specifically, one support character definition data 514 includes a character type, support content definition data corresponding to the support content, support activation conditions, and a support activation probability initial value.

  The music definition data 520 is prepared for each playable music and stores various initial setting data related to the music. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, one music definition data 520 includes a unique music name 521, music audio data 523, and initial setting music data 530 that defines the original of the music. Of course, data other than these can be included as appropriate.

  The initial music score data 530 is original data for displaying various indicators on the music scores 20A and 20B (see FIG. 2). The initial musical score data 530 is prepared for each level of play difficulty, and defines the arrangement order and arrangement position of various indicators, the arrangement position of the bar dividing line 26, and the like.

  Specifically, one initially set musical score data 530 includes an applied play difficulty level 531 indicating which play difficulty level the definition data is prepared for, and a tempo that is a reference for the time length of one beat. BPM (Beats Per Minute) 533, time signature 535, and bar-specific indicator configuration data 540 are included. Of course, data other than these can be included as appropriate.

  The bar-specific indicator configuration data 540 is prepared for each bar constituting the original musical score, and defines the order and position of various indicators in the bar, the position of the bar dividing line 26, and the like. One bar-specific indicator configuration data 540 includes a bar number 541, a playback time range 543 indicating where and where the bar corresponds to the playback time, an indicator type 545 associated with the position 544, Have

  The position 544 is a position where the indicator is arranged based on the time signature 535 in the measure, and the reference timing of the indicator to be associated is determined. Specifically, it indicates what position (grid) is the position when a measure is divided by a quarter note, an eighth note, and a sixteenth note. In the example of FIG. 7, the quarter note first grid 64a (the first grid of the quarter note grid), the quarter note second grid 64b, the quarter note third grid 64c, and the quarter note fourth grid 64d (quarter note An example of the last grid of the grid),..., A sixteenth note 15th grid 66f) is shown, but it is of course not limited thereto.

The indicator type 545 is an indicator 25 arranged at a corresponding position (standard timing).
The type (see FIG. 2) is defined.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the support improvement condition definition data 560 defines conditions for determining that support is necessary. In other words, conditions for increasing the support level in stages are defined. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the target play difficulty level 561 and the support improvement condition 562 are stored in association with each other. Although the content of the support improvement condition 562 can be set as appropriate, in this embodiment, the total number of input evaluations “impossible” or “through” in each measure in the evaluation period is a ratio of the total number of all reference timings in the measure. Are determined to be determined as “need support” when each of them reaches a predetermined ratio.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the support reduction condition definition data 570 defines a condition for determining that the support content may be reduced or that it may be brought closer to the unsupported state. In other words, a condition for lowering the support level in stages is defined. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the target play difficulty level 571 and the support reduction condition 572 are stored in association with each other.

  The content of the support reduction condition 572 is when the result of statistical processing satisfies a predetermined good condition. In the present embodiment, it is determined that “the support level may be lowered” when the sum of the input evaluation “impossible” in the evaluation period does not reach the predetermined ratio for the total number of reference timings in the evaluation period. Is defined.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the support content definition data 600 is prepared for each level of support, and defines the content of support applied at that level. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, one support content definition data 600 includes an applied support level 601 and a difficulty level definition set 610 prepared for each level of play difficulty. Of course, information other than these can be included as appropriate.

  One difficulty level definition set 610 includes an applied play difficulty level 611 indicating a play difficulty level to which the set is applied, a thinning priority range 612, a thinning target grid 613, a thinning target indicator 614, and a thinning number 615. And including. Of course, data other than these can be included as appropriate.

  And the definition set 610 classified by difficulty in this embodiment shall define the specific support content by the application support level 601. FIG.

  Specifically, the thinning priority range 612 defines the priority range of the reference timing to be thinned. For example, not only the number of beats within a measure but also the time elapsed since the start of play can be defined and set so as to straddle other measures. For example, it is possible to set a specific range in which the play skill difference is reflected in the input evaluation, a rust portion of the music, a range specifically designated by the game provider, and the like. The thinning priority range 612 is set so as to include a portion with a relatively coarse grid arrangement as the applied play difficulty level 611 is relatively low difficulty level, and as the relatively high difficulty level is. It is preferable to set so as to be limited to a narrow portion where the grid arrangement is relatively dense. The priority range can be replaced with a limited range. No range can be set. Of course, it may be the same regardless of the applicable play difficulty level 611.

  The thinning target grid 613 defines the type of reference grid to be thinned. It is preferable that the thinning-out target grid 613 has more types as the applied play difficulty level 611 is relatively low. Of course, it may be the same regardless of the applicable play difficulty level 611.

  The thinning target indicator 614 is an indicator 25 (see FIG. 2) set and arranged in the reference grid to be thinned, and is defined when the type to be thinned is designated. It is preferable that the thinning target indicators 614 have more types as the applied play difficulty level 611 is relatively low. Of course, it may be the same regardless of the applicable play difficulty level 611.

  Note that there are a plurality of reference positions 24 (see FIG. 2) prepared for each player, and the type of instruction operation is not the type of the indicator 25 but the type of the reference position 24 reached by the indicator. In other words, in the configuration in which the type of instruction operation is indicated by the lane difference through which the indicator 25 flows, the thinning target indicator 604 may be read as “thinning target lane”.

  The thinning-out number 615 is a reference grid to be thinned out and designates how many pointers are to be reduced among the types of pointers to be thinned out. If you want to reduce the number of measures as a unit, you can define the rate of reduction. It is preferable that the number of thinning-out numbers 615 increases as the applied play difficulty level 611 is relatively low. Of course, it may be the same regardless of the applicable play difficulty level 611.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the play data 700 stores various data describing the game progress. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a play song name 701, the number of players 703, an elapsed time 705 from the start of play (corresponding to the playback time of the song to be played), and player management data 710 prepared for each player And including. Of course, data other than these can be included as appropriate.

One player management data 710 stores various data related to the game play of the player. For example,
1) player identification information 711;
2) Play difficulty level 712 selected by the player before play,
3) a use support character type 713 that is a type of support character associated with the game card 3 read by the player before play;
4) Support level 714,
5) Undisplayed bar indicator configuration 716 showing the configuration of the indicator 25 of the undisplayed bar 42 (see FIG. 3);
6) Music score display control data 717,
7) Input evaluation history data 718,
8) Input evaluation statistical data 720;
9) Score 730,
including. Of course, data other than these can be included as appropriate.

The input evaluation history data 718 stores the input evaluation results in time series in association with the elapsed time 705 from the start of play.
The input evaluation statistical data 720 stores various statistical results based on the input evaluation history data 718.

[Description of operation]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the arcade game apparatus 1300 of this embodiment. A series of flows described here is realized by executing the game program 503 in the processing unit 200. Note that the selection of the number of players and the payment of the play consideration are performed as before, and the description thereof is omitted. Each player has a game card 3.

  First, the arcade game apparatus 1300 receives selections of music to be played and play difficulty level for each player (step S10). The selection acceptance result is stored in the play song name 701 of the play data 700 and the play difficulty level 712 of the player management data 710.

  Next, the arcade game apparatus 1300 accepts a game card 3 (see FIG. 1) used for each player, that is, accepts selection of a support character to be used (step S12). The use support character type 713 of the player management data 710 is set according to the selection acceptance result (see FIG. 11).

Next, the arcade game apparatus 1300 initializes the support level 714 for each player (step S14; see FIG. 11).
Initialization can be set as appropriate, but in the present embodiment, the stage to be the start stage for performing support control is determined for each player according to the play difficulty level received in step S10. Specifically, the support level is initialized to “1” for the play difficulty levels “Easy” and “Normal”, and is set to “0” for the play difficulty levels “Difficult” and “Oni”. It should be noted that the step can be omitted and set to a predetermined level (for example, “0”).

  Next, the arcade game apparatus 1300 clears and initializes the input evaluation history, input evaluation statistics, and scores for each player (step S16), and starts game play (step S18).

  When the game play is started, the elapsed time 705 (see FIG. 11) is started. At the same time, the music audio data 523 is read from the music definition data 520 (see FIG. 7) of the music name 521 that matches the play music title 701. Also, the reproduction / sounding of the music is started from the prelude part, and the display of the musical scores 20A and 20B for each player is started. Further, input evaluation for each player, recording of input evaluation history, and statistical processing of input evaluation are started. Then, the score is updated according to the input evaluation.

  Specifically, with respect to the display of the musical score, the initial musical score data 530 (see FIG. 7) of the applied play difficulty level 531 conforming to the play difficulty level 712 is referred to, and an instruction to configure each measure in the order of the measure number 541 is provided. The body appears and moves on the game screen. Control data such as the display position coordinates of the indicator of the measure being displayed is stored and managed in the score display control data 717. For the bar to be displayed next, the position 544 and the indicator type 545 are sequentially copied from the initial setting musical score data 530 to the non-display bar indicator structure 716 (see FIG. 7), and the latest undisplayed bar instruction is displayed. A new appearance of the indicator 25 on the musical score 20 is performed in accordance with the body configuration 716.

  When the game play is started, the arcade game apparatus 1300 performs the support process (step S20), the game card process (step S100), and step S130 in a predetermined cycle (for example, the refresh rate of the video monitor 1322; 1 / 60 seconds).

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing for the support processing in this embodiment. In this process, the arcade game apparatus 1300 executes loop A for each player (steps S40 to S76).

  In the loop A, first, it is determined whether or not an input evaluation history for a predetermined evaluation period is accumulated (step S42). In the present embodiment, the input evaluation history data 718 is referred to, and if the input evaluation history for the last four measures is stored, the determination is affirmative.

  If the result is affirmative (YES in step S42), the arcade game apparatus 1300 refers to the support improvement condition definition data 560 (see FIG. 8), and the statistical result of the input evaluation of the processing target player in the evaluation period is the processing target. It is determined whether or not the support improvement condition 562 of the target play difficulty level 561 to which the player's play difficulty level 712 is satisfied is satisfied (step S44).

  If the result is affirmative (YES in step S44), the arcade game device 1300 sets the play difficulty level “On” in the present embodiment when the play difficulty level 712 of the processing target player does not match the predetermined advanced player recognition difficulty level. If it is not set (NO in step S46), the support level 714 of the processing target player is increased by “1” (step S54).

  That is, in step S46 to step S54, when it is determined that the player has selected the difficulty level of play “Easy”, “Normal”, or “Difficult”, the support level 714 is raised when it is determined that the play results in the evaluation period are not good. The setting is changed to provide a stronger support. On the other hand, the player who selects the play difficulty level “Oni” is not substantially supported.

  In this way, by providing step S46, it is possible to differentiate according to the level of play difficulty in which the number of stages that is the upper limit of progress is selected and accepted for each player. Step S46 can be omitted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the level is increased one step at a time, but a configuration in which the number of steps to be increased differs depending on the play difficulty level selected by the processing target player is also possible. For example, before step S46 or immediately after YES in step S46, a determination step of “appropriate for beginner recognition difficulty” is added in the same manner as in step S46, and the support level when the determination step is affirmative It is also possible to add a step of increasing 714 by two or more stages.

  Next, the arcade game apparatus 1300 refers to the support decrease condition definition data 570 (see FIG. 9), and the support decrease condition 572 of the target play difficulty level 571 that matches the play difficulty level 712 of the processing target player is satisfied. (Step S60). If the result is affirmative (YES in step S60), the arcade game apparatus 1300 lowers the support level 714 of the processing target player by one level (step S62).

  Then, the arcade game apparatus 1300 thins out the indicator 25 of the undisplayed measure 42 of the processing target player, that is, thins out the reference timing (step S64).

Specifically, first, the position 544 of the undisplayed measure 42 and the indicator type 545 are determined from the initial setting musical score data 530 (see FIG. 7) suitable for the play difficulty 712 of the processing target player. Copy to display bar indicator structure 716 (see FIG. 11).
Further, the support content definition data 600 (see FIG. 10) that matches the processing target player support level 714 or lower is searched. For example, if the support level 714 is level “2”, the support content definition data 600 of level “1” is also searched. Then, from the retrieved support content definition data 600, a difficulty-specific definition set 610 that matches the applied play difficulty 611 to the play difficulty 712 of the processing target player is extracted, and each of the extracted difficulty-specific definition sets 610 is extracted. According to the definition, the contents of the undisplayed bar indicator structure 716 of the processing target player are changed. For example, if the play difficulty level 712 of the processing target player is level “2”, the support content at level “1” and the support content at level “2” are applied in multiple.

  As a result of executing step S64, the reference timing of the undisplayed measure 42 is sequentially reduced / decimated. In the musical score 20 (20A, 20B), the appearance control of the new indicator 25 is performed according to the latest undisplayed bar indicator configuration 716, so that the content of the musical score in a state where the indicator 25 is thinned out through this step. Will be changed.

  Note that since the support content definition data 600 in this embodiment defines unique support content at the applied support level 601, in step S64, all support content definition data 600 below the support level value of the processing target player. It is a multiple application configuration that executes all the contents. However, when the support content definition data 600 is defined so as to include support content of the application support level 601 or lower in the first place, it is not necessary to perform the multiple application of the support content definition data 600 in this step.

  Next, when the support level 714 of the processing target player is changed in the current loop processing (YES in step S70), and the support level 714 of the processing target player is “1” or more (YES in step S72). The arcade game device 1300 resets the input evaluation statistics during the evaluation period of the processing target player (step S74). By providing these step S56 to step S58 and step S42, as a result of the influence of the change of the support level, that is, the appearance of the support level after the change (the appearance of the play situation), further level change is necessary. Whether or not it is possible to judge appropriately. In addition, an effect of avoiding a situation in which the support level 714 fluctuates in a short period of time and the support level fluctuates can be expected.

Then, the arcade game apparatus 1300 ends the loop A (step S76).
If the loop A is executed for all the players, the support process is terminated, and then the process proceeds to step S100 to execute the game card process.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the game card process. In this process, the arcade game apparatus 1300 executes a loop C for each player (steps S110 to S118).

  In the loop C, first, it is determined whether or not the game progress condition satisfies the support activation condition (see support character definition data 514 in FIG. 6) of the support character used by the processing coping player. If it is satisfied (YES in step S112), the arcade game apparatus 1300 has a higher probability of higher support level based on the support activation probability initial value of the support character according to the support level 714 of the processing target player. The support activation probability is set so as to increase (step S114).

  Next, the arcade game apparatus 1300 executes a random lottery with the set support activation probability, and executes a control for realizing the support set for the support character if the win is selected (step S116), and ends the loop C. (Step S118). When the loop C is executed for all players, the game card process is terminated.

  Returning to FIG. 12, when the reproduction of the play song is completed (YES in step S <b> 130), the arcade game apparatus 1300 executes a play end process (step S <b> 132), and the series of processes ends.

  In the play end process, for example, display control for notifying whether or not support or support has been executed (whether or not support is provided) is performed together with the announcement of game results for each player, that is, play results. Further, a support level and a notification of the support level may be included. Furthermore, it is possible to determine whether or not to allow a bonus play (play that can be performed once again for free due to good or bad results), execute a bonus play, and the like. If a bonus play is to be executed, it may be repeated from step S12.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily obtain the refreshing feeling and satisfaction that can be realized when the player is playing well.

  That is, since the reference timing is reduced according to the play results of a predetermined evaluation period (for the last four bars in the present embodiment) and the play difficulty level is automatically changed according to the play situation at that time, for example, The play difficulty level can be lowered when a little operation has started. And if the play difficulty level is lowered and the grade starts to improve, the play difficulty level can be restored. As a player, you will feel as if you've picked up and beat yourself with your own power. As a result, if you look through gameplay, you will be able to overcome some difficult points and get a sense of exhilaration and satisfaction.

[Modification]
As mentioned above, although embodiment which applied this invention was described, the form which can apply this invention is not limited to the said form, A component can be added, abbreviate | omitted, and changed suitably.

[Part 1]
In the above-described embodiment, the game progress control is performed by the arcade game device 1300, but it is not limited to this. A mode is also possible in which the arcade game device 1300 is positioned as a controller and display device, that is, a player terminal, and the game progress control is executed by the server system 1100 (see FIG. 1). That is, a client / server system can be used.

[Part 2]
In addition, the arcade game device 1300 of the above embodiment can also be realized by other types of devices such as a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a portable game machine, and a home-use game machine. When a single device cannot be used by a plurality of people, the devices may be appropriately connected to form a communication battle type. The communication connection method does not matter.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a form in which an application program corresponding to the game program 503 is executed on a smartphone 1500 equipped with a touch panel 1506 is also possible.

  That is, the smartphone 1500 includes a direction input key 1502, a button switch 1504, a touch panel 1506 functioning as an image display device / contact position input device, a speaker 1510, a built-in battery 1509, a microphone 1512, a control board 1550, And a memory card reader 1542 that can read and write data from a memory card 1540 that is a computer-readable storage medium.

  The control board 1550 is used for wireless communication with various microprocessors such as a CPU 1551, a GPU, a DSP, various IC memories 1552 such as a VRAM, a RAM, and a ROM, and a mobile phone base station and a wireless LAN base station connected to the communication line 9. A wireless communication module 1553, an interface circuit 1557, and the like are mounted.

  The interface circuit 1557 includes a driver circuit of the touch panel 1506, a circuit that receives signals from the direction input key 1502 and the button switch 1504, an output amplifier circuit that outputs an audio signal to the speaker 1510, and an audio signal collected by the microphone 1512. An input signal generation circuit to be generated, a signal input / output circuit to the memory card reader 1542, and the like are included.

  These elements mounted on the control board 1550 are electrically connected via a bus circuit or the like so that data can be read and written and signals can be transmitted and received. Note that a part or all of the control board 1550 may be configured by ASIC, FPGA, or SoC. And the control board 1550 memorize | stores the program and various data which are memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 500 of the said embodiment in IC memory 1552. FIG.

  The program corresponding to the game program 503 in the above embodiment may be an application program that causes the smartphone 1500 to stand alone and function as a computer system to which the present invention is applied, or a computer to which the present invention is applied together with the server system 1100. It may be a client program that functions as a system. Necessary programs and various setting data may be downloaded from the server system 1100, or may be read from a storage medium such as a memory card 1540 obtained separately.

  In this configuration, as in the example of the game screen W4 in FIG. 16, instead of the operation input device 1306 of the above-described embodiment, in the game screen W4 displayed on the touch panel 1506, the standard for each type of standard operation is appropriately selected. It is preferable to display the operation input icons 70a and 70b and perform input evaluation according to the reference timing and which reference operation input icons 70a and 70b are touched.

[Part 3]
In the above embodiment, the timing game to which the present invention is applied is exemplified as a music game in which Japanese drums are virtually played. However, in addition to music games in which other musical instruments are virtually played, the game is of a different genre. May be.

  Further, for example, the present invention is similarly applied to a mode in which a touch panel is adopted for operation input, the indicator 25 corresponding to the type of reference operation is fixedly displayed on the screen, and the operation input is performed by touching the indicator. Applicable. That is, the indicator 25 that appears and displayed on the game screen does not move from the appearance position, the attached display moves toward the indicator 25, and the two overlap to indicate the reference timing, and then disappears from the game screen. . The player may play by touching the indicator in accordance with the timing when the attached display object overlaps the indicator 25.

[Part 4]
For example, the form of the timing game to which the present invention is applied is not limited to a music game, and may be an action game as shown in FIG. That is, the floating obstacle 50 or the ground obstacle 52 appears from the right side of the game screen W6 and approaches the player character 54 (54A, 54B) standing at the reference position 24 on the left side of the screen along the same movement path. come. The player causes the player character 54 to perform a punching action before the floating obstacle 50 collides with the player character 54 and destroys it. And play. If the destruction of the floating obstacle 50 or the jumping over the ground obstacle 52 is successful, the score is added.

  The floating obstacle 50 corresponds to the first type indicator as described in the above embodiment, and the ground obstacle 52 corresponds to the second type indicator. The player character 54 also serves as a support character in the above embodiment.

The operation input in this configuration can be realized by providing the arcade game device 1300 with a pad-type switch for inputting a punch operation and a floor switch for inputting a jump operation. It is preferable to use motion recognition.
That is, as shown in FIG. 18, the arcade game apparatus 1300 recognizes motion from the image of the player taken by the video camera 1326 and recognizes whether the player 2 (2A, 2B) has punched or jumped on the spot. . In the former case, the player character 54 may perform a punching operation, and in the latter case, a jumping operation may be performed. Note that the distance sensor 1328 (see FIG. 1) may be used for motion recognition.

[Part 5]
Moreover, although the form which uses a support character was illustrated in the said embodiment, a support character can also be abbreviate | omitted.

[Part 6]
Alternatively, an element that associates the type of support character used with support control can be added. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19, a support activation determining unit 228 that determines whether support control should be activated is added to the game management unit 220 based on the support character set for each player. Then, the “support activation probability” of support is set in the support character definition data 514 (see FIG. 6).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20, the arcade game device 1300 determines whether or not to use the support activation probability according to the type of support character used by the processing target player between steps S46 and S54 in the support process. It is also possible to perform a random lottery to determine (step S48), and when it is determined that it can be activated by winning (YES in step S50), step S54 may be executed. In the support process, a configuration in which steps corresponding to step S48 and step S50 are added between step S60 and step S62 is also possible.

[Part 7]
In the above embodiment, the input evaluation set as the statistical target is a predetermined evaluation period (specifically, the last four bars) determined based on the present. It can be set and used together with or replaced with the evaluation period in the above embodiment.
As the predetermined location, for example, a predetermined measure, a range of reproduction time, a predetermined indicator arrangement, and the like can be set as a statistical target. In this case, it is assumed that definition data of a predetermined location is appropriately included in the initial musical score data 530 of the music definition data 520 (see FIG. 7).

[Part 8]
In the above embodiment, as an example of reduction of the reference timing, mainly, the “decimation” of the indicators displayed on the score is exemplified, but by “summarizing”, “merging”, and “merging” a plurality of indicators, The reference timing may be reduced.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the reference timing indicator that is targeted for reduction and the reference timing indicators that are not deleted before and after are collectively changed to one indicator that straddles both reference timings. You may do that.

  Specifically, at the support levels “1” and “2”, the cut 25b that is the second type indicator of the reference timing (reference timing of the sixteenth note grid 66) to be reduced, and the reference timing before The cutlet 25b, which is the second type indicator of the reference timing of the non-reduced target, is collected, combined, and fused into one free-type hit 25c, which is a third type indicator. In this case, instead of the above-mentioned “free-hitting cut” as the third type indicator, for example, a reference operation for setting the state of being “struck”, in other words, a reference operation for maintaining “press and hold” may be allocated. It may be a standard operation “must be operated somewhere in the meantime”.

  Moreover, even if it is a reduction target even if it is a reduction target even if it is a 3rd type indicator's free continuous hitting cut 25c, it can be put together with the 3rd type indicator's free continuous hitting cut 25c and the 2nd type indicator's cut 25b. . In other words, at the support level “3”, the free-running cut 25c of the third type indicator at the reference timing to be reduced (reference timing of the eighth note grid 68) is set to the first reference timing of the non-reduction target. The three-point indicator free continuous hitting cut 25c is grouped into a third-type indicator free repeated hitting cut 25c corresponding to the input period connecting the two indicators. The same applies to the support level “4”.

  Then, after the indicators are gathered and the number of indicators in one measure becomes “1”, the indicator to be displayed may be changed so as to shorten the operation input period. An example of the support level “5” corresponds to this.

[Part 9]
In the above-described embodiment, the evaluation period is set to the past four measures and the support process can be executed at all times while one piece of music is played. However, a configuration in which this is limited is also possible.
For example, the evaluation period can be limited to a period in which the set density of the reference timing with respect to the time axis satisfies a predetermined high density condition, in other words, a section in which musical notes are dense.

  In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 22, for example, the initial musical score data 530 of the music definition data 520 is provided with a note dense section list 537 that defines a time range of a section where notes are dense in time series. I decided to. Then, as shown in FIG. 23, the statistical processing is executed when the range defined in the note density interval list 537 is included in the evaluation period (step S18B), and is defined in the note density interval list 537 during the evaluation period. When the range is included (YES in step S19), support control may be executed (step S20).

20 (20A, 20B) ... Musical score 22 ... Supporting character display unit 23 ... Difficulty level display unit 24 ... Reference position 25 ... Indicator 26 ... Bar dividing line 27 ... Evaluation notification unit 40 ... Bar 42 ... Undisplayed bar 64 ... 4 minutes Note grid 66 ... 16th note grid 68 ... 8th note grid 100 ... Operation input unit 110 ... Medium reading unit 200 ... Processing unit 220 ... Game management unit 222 ... Support character setting unit 224 ... Difficulty level reception control unit 226 ... Statistical processing Unit 228 ... support activation determination unit 230 ... support control unit 232 ... game result display control unit 500 ... storage unit 503 ... game program 510 ... game initial setting data 512 ... indicator data 514 ... support character definition data 520 ... music definition data 530 ... Initial setting score data 531 ... Applicable play difficulty level 540 ... By measure Specified body composition data 560 ... Support improvement condition definition data 570 ... Support decrease condition definition data 600 ... Support content definition data 700 ... Play data 701 ... Play song name 705 ... Elapsed time 710 ... Player management data 712 ... Play difficulty 713 ... Usage support Character type 714 ... Support level 716 ... Undisplayed bar indicator configuration 717 ... Music score display control data 718 ... Input evaluation history data 720 ... Input evaluation statistical data 1300 ... Commercial game device 1306 ... Operation input device 1350 ... Control board

Claims (14)

The player's operation input is controlled by displaying a game screen that has a design corresponding to the type of reference operation, and moves and displays an indicator that shows the timing of arrival at the reference position as the reference timing of the operation input along the same movement path. A computer system that executes a timing game that evaluates the type and timing of the reference operation in comparison with the type of reference operation and the reference timing,
Statistical processing means for statistically processing the result of the evaluation in a given evaluation period in which a plurality of types of indicators set as statistical objects are displayed in a predetermined number or more,
Support control means for executing support control for reducing the reference timing based on the result of the statistical processing;
Computer system with The support control means executes the support control by thinning out the indicator.
The computer system according to claim 1. The support control means determines whether or not the indicator is to be thinned based on whether or not the reference timing of the indicator corresponds to a given fixed period cycle timing.
The computer system according to claim 2. The reference timing includes a first type reference timing corresponding to a given periodic cycle timing and a second type corresponding to a cycle timing other than the first reference timing and shorter than the predetermined cycle. Including reference timing,
The support control means uses all or part of the indicator according to the second type standard timing as a target of the thinning.
The computer system according to claim 2. The support control means executes the support control stepwise by increasing / decreasing the number of pointers coming in the future based on the result of the statistical processing during game play.
The computer system as described in any one of Claims 1-4. The reference timing of the indicator corresponds to any of N types (N ≧ 2) of periodic timings having different cycle lengths, and is classified into the first type to the first type classified with priority from relatively long cycle timings. There are N kinds of standard timing,
The support control means determines the indicator to be thinned out stepwise based on the classification related to the reference timing of the indicator, thereby performing the stepwise support control based on the result of the statistical processing. Run,
The computer system according to claim 2. The support control means, in each period when the game progress is divided at a given time interval, reduces the indicator related to the reference timing based on the relative position in the period where the reference timing is located. Step by step,
The computer system according to claim 5 or 6. The support control means, when the result of the statistical processing satisfies a predetermined good condition, changes the support control stage toward a state where the support control is not performed.
The computer system as described in any one of Claims 5-7. The statistical processing means resets the result of statistical processing every time the support control stage is changed.
The computer system as described in any one of Claims 5-8. Difficulty level accepting means for accepting a difficulty level selection input before the start of play,
With
The support control means changes the support control start stage according to the difficulty level selected and input,
The computer system as described in any one of Claims 5-9. A setting means for setting a player character or an item to be used (hereinafter collectively referred to as “character etc.”);
Based on the set character or the like, activation determining means for determining whether the support control should be activated,
With
The support control means executes the support control when it is determined to be activated by the activation determining means.
The computer system as described in any one of Claims 1-10. Game result display control means for displaying at least whether or not the support control is executed when displaying the game result of the timing game;
The computer system according to claim 1, comprising: The evaluation period is a period in which the display density of the indicator that is moved and displayed satisfies a predetermined high density condition,
The computer system according to claim 1. The computer system has a design according to the type of reference operation, and displays and controls a game screen for moving and displaying an indicator indicating the timing of arrival at the reference position as the reference timing of the operation input along the same movement path, A program for executing a timing game for evaluating a type and timing of a player's operation input in comparison with the type of standard operation and the standard timing,
A statistical processing means for statistically processing the result of the evaluation in a given evaluation period in which a plurality of types of indicators set as statistical objects are moved and displayed over a predetermined number;
Support control means for executing support control for reducing the reference timing based on the result of the statistical processing;
A program for causing the computer system to function as

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