JP2019103728A - Program and game system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide highly entertaining program and game system in which animation of a moving object on the basis of a player operation is in accordance with timing of sound.SOLUTION: A game system includes: an animation processing unit 108 for performing animation processing of a moving object on the basis of player's operation information; and a timing processing unit 110 for determining reference timing on the basis of the player's operation information and for determining timing information on sound which is output during the game on the basis of the reference timing. The animation processing unit 108 performs animation processing of the moving object in accordance with timing information of sound.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a program, a game system and the like.

  BACKGROUND Conventionally, a game system for a player to play a music game is known. In this game system, music is output from the sound output unit, and an instruction mark (note note) for instructing the operation timing of the player is displayed on the display unit. The player enjoys the music game by performing the operation according to the displayed instruction mark while listening to the outputted music. As a prior art of such a game system, there exists a technique disclosed by patent document 1, for example.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of generating a moving image in which a character object operates according to music as a method of making the user enjoy music appreciation.

JP 2008-61764 A International Publication No. 2015/194509

  In the conventional music game, the player needs to perform an appropriate operation according to the timing of the sound, and the degree of difficulty is high. On the other hand, it is conceivable to combine elements of a widely known action game with a music game. In the game system, a character is moved based on a player operation, and output control of sounds such as music is performed according to the movement of the character. In this way, the player can feel like playing a music just by operating the character, and can get an uplifting feeling.

  In the motion of the character, it is possible to define the characteristic timing of the motion, such as landing or crossing in the jumping motion. If the characteristic timing and the timing of the sound are out of sync, it is difficult for the player to get a sense of playing music, and the player lacks interest. In addition, since the timing of the movement of the character and the content of the movement are determined by the player operation, it is difficult to create in advance the character movement (animation) matched to the music as in the method of Patent Document 2 is there.

  According to some aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly entertaining program and game system and the like by matching the animation of the moving body based on the player operation with the timing of the sound.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a reference timing is determined based on operation information of a moving object based on operation information of a player, and operation information of the player, and a game is played based on the reference timing. A timing processing unit that determines timing information of the sound to be output, and the animation processing unit relates to a game system that performs the animation processing of the moving object in accordance with the timing information of the sound. The present invention also relates to a program that causes a computer to function as the above-described sections or a computer-readable information storage medium storing the program.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the reference timing and the timing information of the sound are determined, and the animation processing of the moving object is performed so as to match the timing information of the sound. When animation processing is performed based on operation information, it is difficult to associate the animation of the moving object with the timing of the sound in advance. In that respect, according to one aspect of the present invention, by performing the animation process after appropriately determining the timing of the sound, it is possible to realize the animation of the moving object matched to the sound.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the animation processing unit may perform adjustment processing of animation information of the moving object used for the animation processing based on timing information of the sound.

  In this way, it is possible to realize the animation of the moving object matched to the sound by adjusting the animation information.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the animation processing unit may perform the adjustment processing such that the moving body operates in accordance with timing information of the sound.

  In this way, it is possible to operate the moving object in time with the timing of the sound by adjusting the animation information.

  Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, key frame information representing a key frame is associated with the animation information, and the animation processing unit determines timing represented by timing information of the sound, and the key frame information. The adjustment process may be performed such that the reproduction timing of the key frame represented by

  In this way, it is possible to perform adjustment processing based on key frame information.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the reference timing may be the reproduction timing of the key frame.

  In this way, it is possible to use the key frame reproduction timing as the reference timing.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the animation processing unit may perform determination processing of the animation information to be an object of the animation processing, and perform the adjustment processing on the determined animation information.

  In this way, it is possible to select appropriate animation information from among a plurality of pieces of animation information.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the animation processing unit may perform the determination process of the animation information based on timing information of the sound.

  In this way, it is possible to perform the process of determining the animation information based on the timing information of the sound.

  In one aspect of the present invention, a parameter may be associated with the timing information of the sound, and the animation processing unit may perform the determination process of the animation information based on the parameter.

  In this way, it is possible to perform the process of determining animation information based on the parameters of the music.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the sound reproduced in the game may be music represented by music information, and the parameter may be a parameter relating to at least one of volume, pitch, and timbre.

  In this way, the determination process can be performed based on parameters relating to the volume, pitch, and timbre of the music.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the sound reproduced in the game is music represented by music information, and the animation processing unit moves the music information, operation information of the player, and the moving body. The determination process of the animation information may be performed based on at least one of information of a field and state information indicating the state of the moving object.

  In this way, it is possible to perform the process of determining animation information based on various information.

The structural example of the game system of this embodiment. FIGS. 2A to 2E show examples of various devices for realizing the game system of this embodiment. FIG. 3A shows an example of a three-dimensional map used in the game system of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3B shows an example of a game screen displayed on the display unit. Example of jumping action of character. FIGS. 5A to 5C are examples of game screens corresponding to jumping operations. Example of a sliding operation of a character. FIGS. 7A to 7C show examples of game screens corresponding to the sliding operation. Explanatory drawing of a music part. An example of the association of the area and the time series music part. The example of matching of a determination result (beat parameter) and a part music part. FIGS. 11A and 11B are flowcharts for explaining the process of this embodiment. Object control example. 3 is a flowchart illustrating object control. Model object, example of skeleton structure. Explanatory drawing of the parent-child relationship of a bone. Specific example of animation information. Explanatory drawing of the timing of a beat. Relation example of reference timing and timing of sound. Explanatory drawing of the adjustment process with respect to animation information. The flowchart explaining animation processing. An example of data stored in an animation information storage unit. 22 (A) to 22 (F) show examples of character rotation operation. FIGS. 23A to 23C are explanatory diagrams of adjustment processing for animation information including a plurality of key frames. The other flowchart explaining animation processing.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims. Further, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily essential configuration requirements of the present invention.

1. Configuration FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a game system (game device, image generation system, server system) of the present embodiment. The configuration of the game system according to this embodiment is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1, and various modifications may be made such as omitting some of the components (each part) or adding other components.

  The operation unit 160 is for the player (user) to input operation data, and the function thereof is an operation button, a direction indication key, an analog stick, a lever, various sensors (angular velocity sensor, acceleration sensor, etc.), an imaging unit This can be realized by a (camera), a microphone, or a touch panel display.

  The storage unit 170 is a work area such as the processing unit 100 and the communication unit 196, and the function thereof can be realized by a RAM, an SSD, an HDD, or the like.

  The storage unit 170 stores a music information storage unit 171 storing music information (BGM, music), and game progress history storage storing game progress history information (elapsed time, in-game parameters, character movement history, movement direction, etc.) The unit 172 includes a field / object information storage unit 173 storing information of a field in which the moving object moves and an object disposed on the field, and an animation information storage unit 174 storing animation information of the moving object (character). The configuration of the storage unit 170 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1, and the storage unit 170 may include a not-shown configuration such as a buffer for storing information of operation input by the player and a drawing buffer used for object drawing processing. Good.

  A storage medium 180 (a computer readable medium) stores various types of information such as data and programs. The storage medium 180 may be a semiconductor memory such as SRAM or DRAM, may be a register, or may be a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), or an optical disk drive or the like. It may be a formula storage device. For example, the storage medium 180 stores an instruction readable by a computer, and the instruction is executed by the processing unit 100 (processor) to realize the function of each unit (communication unit, processing unit) of the game system. It will be The instruction here may be an instruction of an instruction set that configures a program, or may be an instruction that instructs a hardware circuit of the processing unit 100 (processor) to operate.

  The display unit 190 outputs an image generated according to the present embodiment, and the function thereof can be realized by an LCD, an organic EL display, a CRT, various projector-type displays, an HMD, or the like. The sound output unit 192 outputs the sound generated according to the present embodiment, and the function thereof can be realized by a speaker, headphones, or the like.

  An I / F (interface) unit 194 performs interface processing with the portable information storage medium 195, and the function thereof can be realized by an ASIC or the like for I / F processing. The portable information storage medium 195 stores various information for the player to play a game, and can be realized by an IC card (memory card), a USB memory, a magnetic card or the like.

  The communication unit 196 performs communication with an external device (for example, another game device, management device, server system, etc.) via a wired or wireless network, and the function thereof is communication ASIC or for communication It can be realized by hardware such as a processor or firmware for communication.

  A program (data) for causing a computer to function as each part of this embodiment is distributed from the information storage medium included in the server system (host device) to the storage medium 180 (or storage part 170) via the network and the communication part 196. You may The use of storage media by such server systems can also be included within the scope of the present invention.

  The processing unit 100 (processor) performs game processing, display processing, sound processing, and the like based on operation information and a program from the operation unit 160. The processing unit 100 performs various processing with the storage unit 170 as a work area. Each process (each function) of this embodiment which processing part 110 performs is realizable with a processor (processor containing hardware). For example, each process of the present embodiment can be realized by a processor that operates based on information such as a program and a memory (storage device) that stores information such as a program. The processor in this case may realize, for example, the function of each unit by separate hardware, or the function of each unit may be realized by integral hardware. For example, the processor may include hardware, which may include at least one of circuitry for processing digital signals and circuitry for processing analog signals. For example, the processor can be configured by one or more circuit devices (for example, an IC or the like) or one or more circuit elements (for example, a resistor, a capacitor or the like) mounted on a circuit board. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, the processor is not limited to the CPU, and various processors such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP) can be used. The processor may also be a hardware circuit with an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor may be configured by a plurality of CPUs, or may be configured by a hardware circuit of a plurality of ASICs. The processor may be configured by a combination of a plurality of CPUs and a hardware circuit of a plurality of ASICs.

  The processing unit 100 includes an input receiving unit 102, a game processing unit 104, a character processing unit 106, a music reproduction unit 112, an object control unit 114, a determination unit 116, and a display processing unit 120. Also, the character processing unit 106 includes an animation processing unit 108 and a timing processing unit 110. Note that modifications may be made such as omitting some of these components or adding other components.

  The input receiving unit 102 performs processing of receiving operation information (input information) of the player. For example, using the operation unit 160, processing for receiving an operation input by the player is performed. For example, data from the operation unit 160 is sampled, subjected to A / D conversion and the like, and accepted as operation information.

  The game processing unit 104 performs game processing (game operation processing). Here, the game processing includes processing for starting the game when the game start condition is satisfied, processing for advancing the game, and processing for ending the game when the game end condition is satisfied. In addition, the game processing unit 104 performs calculation processing of the game score (score, point) of the player.

  The character processing unit 106 performs processing on characters that the player operates in the game. The character is, for example, a human-shaped character CA described later. However, the operation target by the player can be extended to various moving objects, and the character processing unit 106 can be considered to be extended to a moving object processing unit that performs processing related to the moving object.

  The animation processing unit 108 of the character processing unit 106 performs animation processing of the character. Specifically, the animation information storage unit 174 of the storage unit 170 stores a plurality of animation information (motion information), and each animation information corresponds to a given action (action, motion, animation) of the character. Do. The animation processing unit 108 determines (selects) appropriate animation information based on the operation information and the object information, and performs a process of reproducing the animation information (motion reproduction process) to realize the animation of the character.

  Further, the animation processing unit 108 of the present embodiment performs adjustment processing to match the animation of the character with the sound (music). The timing processing unit 110 performs processing of specifying timing (reference timing, timing of sound) necessary for the adjustment processing based on the operation information and the music information. The animation processing unit 108 adjusts the animation information based on the timing specified by the timing processing unit 110.

  The music reproduction unit 112 performs sound processing based on the results of various processes performed by the processing unit 100, generates a music (BGM), and outputs the music (BGM) to the sound output unit 192. In the following description, although an example in which the target of reproduction processing in the music reproduction unit 112 is music (BGM) will be described, the music reproduction unit 112 generates game sounds other than music such as sound effects or sounds, It may be output to the sound output unit 192.

  The object control unit 114 is disposed in the field in which the character moves, and controls an object which is a target of an operation by the character. The object control unit 114 performs control relating to the arrangement of objects, etc., based on the game progress history.

  The determination unit 116 performs a determination process based on the player's operation information. For example, the determination unit 116 determines whether the motion of the character on the object has succeeded based on the information such as the position of the character corresponding to the player, the position of the object, and the type of operation input by the player.

  The display processing unit 120 performs processing (image generation processing and the like) for displaying an image such as a game image on the display unit 190. For example, drawing processing is performed based on the results of various processing (game processing, simulation processing) performed by the processing unit 100, and thereby an image is generated and output to the display unit 190. For example, when generating an image for a three-dimensional game, geometry processing such as coordinate conversion (world coordinate conversion, camera coordinate conversion), clipping processing, perspective conversion, or light source processing is performed, and based on the processing result, Drawing data (position coordinates of vertices of primitive surface, texture coordinates, color data, normal vector or α value, etc.) is created. Then, based on the drawing data (primitive plane data), the object (one or a plurality of primitive planes) after perspective conversion (after geometry processing) is stored with image information in pixel units such as a drawing buffer (frame buffer, work buffer, etc.) Can be drawn into the This generates an image viewed from a virtual camera (given viewpoint) in the object space.

  An example of the apparatus which implement | achieves the game system of this embodiment to FIG. 2 (A) is shown. FIG. 2A is an example of the case where the game system of this embodiment is realized by a portable game device. This portable game device is a display realized by the operation buttons 10, 11, 12, 13 functioning as the operation unit 160, the direction indication key 14, the analog sticks 16, 18, R, L keys 20, 22 or a liquid crystal display It has a section 190. The device for realizing the game system of the present embodiment is not limited to FIG. 2A, and various modifications can be made. For example, a device for realizing the game system according to the present embodiment includes a home-use game device (stationary type) shown in FIG. 2 (B), a portable communication terminal (smart phone, future phone, mobile phone) shown in FIG. It may be an arcade game device shown in FIG. 2 (D). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2E, the game system according to the present embodiment may be realized by a server system 500 or the like communicably connected to the terminal devices TM1 to TMn via the network 510. For example, each process of the game system of the present embodiment may be realized by distributed processing of the server system 500 and the terminal devices TM1 to TMn. Each terminal device of TM1 to TMn can be realized by, for example, various devices as shown in FIG. 2 (A) to FIG. 2 (D).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the game system of the present embodiment includes an animation processing unit 108 and a timing processing unit 110. The animation processing unit 108 performs animation processing of the moving object based on the operation information of the player. The timing processing unit 110 determines the reference timing based on the operation information of the player, and determines the timing information of the sound to be output during the game based on the reference timing. Furthermore, the animation processing unit 108 performs animation processing of the moving object in accordance with the timing information of the sound.

  The operation information is information representing the content (result) of the operation performed by the player on the operation unit 160. For example, the operation information is information indicating which of the operation buttons 10, 11, 12, and 13 in FIG. 2A, the direction indication key 14, and the analog sticks 16, 18, R, and L keys 20 and 22 are operated. It is. The operation information may also include information specifying the timing at which the player performed an operation.

  The moving object is an object that moves a game map (three-dimensional map in a narrow sense) based on operation information of the player in the game system. The moving body is a player moving body that moves in the virtual space corresponding to the player in the real space. The moving body is, in a narrow sense, a character CA (player character, avatar) described later. However, a vehicle such as a car, a motorcycle, or an airplane may be used as the moving body. That is, the moving body in the present embodiment can extend the virtual space formed in the game system to various movable objects. The image viewed from the virtual camera may be a third person viewpoint image or a first person viewpoint image. The player moving body (character), which is a moving body, may be an object displayed in the game image or a virtual object not displayed in the game image.

The reference timing is timing (or information representing the timing) as a reference of animation processing (in a narrow sense, reproduction processing of animation information). The reference timing is, for example, a characteristic timing in the animation information to be reproduced, and in a narrow sense, represents the reproduction timing of the key frame. The reference timing (t _K in FIG. 18 described later) can be specified by specifying the reproduction start timing (t _{S in} FIG. 18) of the animation information based on, for example, the operation information.

  The sound timing information is information that represents the characteristic timing of the sound output from the sound output unit 192. Hereinafter, the timing represented by the timing information of the sound is referred to as the timing of the sound. Here, the sound is a music in a narrow sense, and the timing of the sound is a timing corresponding to the reference timing among the characteristic timings of the music. The characteristic timing of the music is the timing characteristic of the music, for example, the timing of beats described later, or the timing at which the sound of a predetermined part is output. However, the sound here may be a sound whose characteristic timing can be defined. For example, it can be considered to be extended to various sounds such as sound effects (SE) outputted at constant intervals and rhythms. It is.

  According to the method of the present embodiment, when performing animation processing based on operation information, it is possible to improve the interlocking between animation and sound by matching the reference timing with the timing of the sound. As a result, it is possible to give the player the feeling of moving the moving object (character) in accordance with the sound, or the feeling of playing a sound by moving the moving object. According to the method of the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a game system that gives the player a feeling of exhilaration and a sense of exhilaration.

  Also, the animation processing unit 108 performs adjustment processing of animation information of a moving object used for animation processing based on timing information of sound. More specifically, the animation processing unit 108 performs adjustment processing so that the moving body operates in accordance with the timing information of the sound.

  The animation information is information for causing the moving object to perform a predetermined operation, and is a set of information representing the attitude of the moving object (the attitude of the skeleton) as described later with reference to FIG. 16, for example. In the present embodiment, since the timing at which the reproduction process of the animation information is executed is determined by the operation information of the player, the temporal relationship between the animation information and the sound (the relationship between the reference timing and the timing of the sound) Do not know until is entered. Therefore, in the present embodiment, adjustment processing is performed on animation information. In this way, it is possible to improve the interlocking between the sound and the animation regardless of the timing at which the operation information is input.

  In addition, key frame information representing a key frame is associated with the animation information, and the animation processing unit 108 determines the timing represented by the timing information of the sound and the reproduction timing of the key frame represented by the key frame information. Make adjustment processing so that. That is, the reference timing may be the key frame reproduction timing.

  The key frame represents a characteristic frame among a plurality of frames constituting the animation information. By performing processing of matching key frame playback timing and sound timing (reducing the time difference), it becomes possible to realize animation information adjustment processing that links the animation of the moving object with the sound.

  Further, the animation processing unit 108 performs determination processing of animation information to be an animation processing target, and performs adjustment processing on the determined animation information. In this way, it is possible to determine (select) appropriate animation information from various animation information.

  For example, the animation processing unit 108 performs a process of determining animation information based on timing information of a sound. The timing information of the sound is an element that determines the link between the animation of the moving object and the sound as described above. Therefore, by using the timing information of the sound, it is possible to realize the determination processing in consideration of the relationship between the sound and the animation, for example, the determination processing in which the animation information having high interlocking with the sound is reproduced.

  A parameter is associated with the timing information of the sound, and the animation processing unit 108 performs a process of determining animation information based on the parameter. In a narrow sense, the sound reproduced in the game is music represented by music information, and the parameters are parameters relating to at least one of volume, pitch, and timbre.

  Here, the volume refers to the size of the sound (signal level), the pitch refers to the pitch of the sound (frequency of the signal), and the timbre refers to the waveform of the sound (signal waveform, for example, an envelope). However, information representing a musical instrument (part) that is an output source of a sound may be used as a parameter related to timbre.

  In this way, animation information can be determined according to the parameters of the sound (music). For example, in the case of a quiet music, it is possible to make a decision on animation information with small motion, and in the case of a violent music, it is possible to make a process of deciding animation information with large motion.

  Also, the animation processing unit 108 may perform animation information determination processing based on at least one of music information, player operation information, information of a field in which the moving object moves, and state information indicating the state of the moving object. Good.

  The music information may be, for example, the information of the volume, the pitch, and the timbre described above, or may be other information such as a genre of music or a composer. The operation information is information (operation type information) indicating which input interface has become an operation target in the operation unit 160 having various input interfaces as shown in FIG. 2A, for example. Further, the field in which the mobile unit moves may be, for example, a field FE described later or may include the object OB. The state of the moving body is, for example, a history of the current position, attitude, moving speed, past position, attitude, moving speed of the moving body. When an in-game parameter such as strength and endurance is set to the moving object, the parameter may be used as state information of the moving object. In this way, it is possible to determine appropriate animation information as a target of reproduction processing based on various information used in the game.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the game system of the present embodiment includes a game processing unit 104, a music reproduction unit 112, a character processing unit 106, and a determination unit 116. The game processing unit 104 performs game progress processing. The music reproduction unit 112 reproduces music. The character processing unit 106 performs a process of moving a character corresponding to the player in the field of the game space based on the operation information of the player. The determination unit 116 determines whether or not the action of the character on the object arranged in the field is successful based on the operation information of the player. In the present embodiment, the music reproduction unit 112 performs control to reproduce the music portion which is a part of the music extracted according to the presence area of the character in the field. Furthermore, the music reproduction unit 112 performs control to change the reproduction mode of the music portion based on the determination result of the determination unit 116.

  Here, the music part is at least one of a part obtained by dividing the music in the time axis direction of the performance (a time-series music part described later) and a part obtained by dividing the music for each music part (part music part described later) It is. As an example, a time-sequential music portion is associated with each area of a plurality of areas set in the field as described later, and the music reproduction unit 112 is a reproduction target based on the existence area of the character. Determine the time series music part. Then, as the control for changing the reproduction mode, the music reproduction unit 112 performs control for changing the part music part to be reproduced. However, a modification is also possible in which the part music part is associated with the area, for example, the guitar is associated with the predetermined area and the drum is associated with the other area.

  In this way, it becomes possible to reproduce music according to the operation of the character by the player. From the player's point of view, depending on which area the character is moved to, it is possible to select the music part (in a narrow sense, music control in the time series direction), and by making the operation on the object succeed, the reproduction mode Change (music control in the part direction) is possible. That is, by performing appropriate area movement and operation on an object, it is possible to realize a highly entertaining game system (program) that can naturally play music. The game system of the present embodiment does not require such a difficult operation as a conventional music game. Furthermore, the action on the object in the present embodiment is not a mere moving means as in the conventional action game, but an important factor in determining the performance (the thickness of the sound). Therefore, by making the operation itself acrobatic and stylish, it is possible to realize a game system that gives the player a sense of exhilaration.

  Further, the game system of the present embodiment includes an object control unit 114 that controls an object. The object control unit 114 controls the object different from the movement target of the character based on the determination result of the determination unit 116.

  Here, the control on the object may be control to switch the placement / non-placement of the object, or may be control to deform the placed object. Alternatively, control may be performed to dynamically determine the arrangement position of the object, the arrangement posture, and the type of the object to be arranged. Alternatively, control may be made to cause the object to emit light (flash) or to change the color.

  In this way, it becomes possible to use the result of the operation on the object not only for music control but also for object control. In the present embodiment, the action on the object serves as a trigger for music control. Therefore, it is considered necessary to prompt the player to perform an operation so that the character continuously performs an action on the object. Furthermore, if it is considered that appropriate area movement is necessary (because areas and music parts are associated) and that the game system is made more interesting, the same object is continuously targeted for operation. Instead, it is desirable that operations be performed on different objects one after another. In that respect, by using an operation on a given object as a trigger for control on a different object, it becomes possible to properly guide the player. More specifically, by performing control to make an object different from the current operation target stand out, it is possible to show the player that the different object is suitable for the next operation target.

  The object control unit 114 controls an object based on the game progress history. The game progress history here is at least one of the elapsed time of the game, the progress direction of the character, and the result of the player's operation input. Here, the elapsed time of the game may be an elapsed time from the start of the game, or may be an elapsed time from the start of playing a music, or a stay time in a given area. It is also good. The traveling direction of the character is information representing the displacement of the position of the character, and is, for example, vector information representing the difference in the position of the character between two different timings. The result of the operation input is, in a narrow sense, the determination result of the determination unit 116, and is information on success / failure of the past operation, information on the number of successes, and information on the number of failures. Alternatively, information such as how many times the jumping operation has been performed (“operation attribute” in FIG. 21 described later, the number of executions thereof, etc.) may be used as the result of the operation input.

  As described later with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, when a virtual camera is disposed on the back of the character (in the case of the third person viewpoint), the player moves the region of the character in the advancing direction on the game screen. It will be observed. Therefore, it is possible to clearly notify the player of the presence of the new object by performing control such that a new object is placed on the side of the advancing direction of the character rather than the object currently targeted for movement, and the game I can play smoothly. In addition, by using the elapsed time and the result of the operation input, flexible object control can be performed according to the situation in the game. Note that the game progress history is not limited to the above information, and can be extended to various information that can be acquired in the course of game processing by the game processing unit 104.

  The object control unit 114 also performs control of the object based on the rhythm of the music when a given condition is satisfied. In this way, it becomes possible to control the object in accordance with the music. For example, when the reference position of the object is set, the displacement amount of the object with respect to the reference position is changed in accordance with the rhythm of the music. In this way, the object moves in accordance with the music, and it becomes possible to improve the link between the behavior of the object and the music.

  The object control unit 114 causes the game processing unit 104 to move the character to an area different from the area where the character is present, or the determination unit 116 successfully moves the character to the object. If it is determined, it is determined that a given condition is established. In this way, the movement of the object and the music are interlocked when the movement restriction is canceled and the phase in the game progresses, or when the character movement is successful. That is, since it is a condition that the situation in the game has changed (in a narrow sense, it has changed in a preferable direction for the player), it is possible to match the behavior of the object with the excitement in the game.

  In addition, the game processing unit 104 may perform processing for enabling the character to move to an area different from the area in which the character is present, based on the determination result of the determination unit 116. In a narrow sense, the game processing unit 104 enables the character to move to another area by making the path through which the character is impassable passable.

  In this way, movement restriction of the area can be performed, and the movement restriction can be canceled based on the determination result, and cancellation of the movement restriction can be realized by switching the path between impassable and impassable. Becomes possible. Specifically, since the success of the action on the object is a condition for releasing the movement restriction, the player needs to perform an appropriate operation in order to advance to the previous area, and a highly entertaining game system can be realized. . In addition, the control which enables passage of the path | passage which was impassable may be implement | achieved by said object control. For example, control may be performed to place a scaffold object for movement on a path that is impassable due to the provision of a ditch and a ditch that can not be crossed and a dangling wall. The object control unit 114 executes the control, for example, based on an instruction from the game processing unit 104. In this way, by performing object control using the determination result of the determination unit 116, it is possible to realize control for releasing the movement restriction naturally.

  Further, the game processing unit 104 performs processing of controlling time restriction on the progress of the game, and performs time restriction for each area to which the music part is associated. When such a time limit is provided, it is necessary to pass each area within a predetermined time in order to increase the evaluation in the game, and a highly entertaining game system can be realized. In particular, when each area and the time series music portion are associated, by associating the playing time of the time series music portion and the time limit, it is possible to make the player naturally perform well.

  In addition, the character processing unit 106 may perform a process of moving the character at a moving speed associated with the reproduction speed of the music. Here, the reproduction speed of the music is, for example, the tempo (BPM value) of the music. In this way, the character moves fast for fast tempo music, and the character slowly moves for slow tempo music, so it is possible to realize character processing according to the music.

2. Method of this Embodiment Next, the method of this embodiment will be specifically described. In the conventional music game, the game system instructs the operation timing according to the rhythm of the music, and the player performs the operation in accordance with the instructed operation timing. However, in order to obtain a high rating in the conventional music game, it is necessary to perform appropriate operation at appropriate timing, and the degree of difficulty is very high.

  Also, conventionally, action games are widely known. For example, there are games in which characters are moved on a three-dimensional map. In the action game, there is also a game in which a character operated by the player performs parkour or free running. Parkour (free running) is a method of efficiently moving to the destination by combining the motions such as running, jumping, and climbing, making use of walls and topography. By causing the character to perform parkour, the character can move smoothly even with a complex terrain map (or a map in which an obstacle is placed).

  However, in conventional action games, parkour has only been a means of movement on the map. That is, the action such as jumping or climbing by the character is performed in the process of moving to the destination, and is not itself important in the game.

  So, in this embodiment, the game system which combined the music game and the action game is proposed. The outline of the game system will be described below. In addition, the method of this embodiment is not limited to what is applied to the following game system, It is applicable to various games, such as a martial arts game and a race game. Also, in the following, the description will be made by mainly taking a character as an example of a moving body.

2.1 Setting of Field / Object and Character Operation FIG. 3A is an overhead view of a three-dimensional map in the game system of this embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a game screen displayed on the display unit 190. An example of In the game system according to the present embodiment, a three-dimensional map representing terrain for moving the character CA (moving object in a broad sense) is constructed in a virtual three-dimensional space. The three-dimensional map includes, for example, a field FE and an object OB (OB1 and OB2 in the example of FIG. 3A).

  Field FE represents an area in which character CA can move. The field FE is, for example, a horizontal surface corresponding to the ground as shown in FIG. 3A, but the field FE may be configured to include a slope or the like. The object OB is an object (obstacle) disposed on the field FE. In the example of FIG. 3A, the object OB1 is a cylindrical object, and the object OB2 is an average trapezoidal object including beams and columns.

  In the following, the field FE will be described as an area in which the character can move (walk, run) without requiring a special action (jump, wall up, etc.). The object OB is an area (object) in which the character CA needs to perform a special action (action) in order to move on the path where the object OB exists. The object OB can be reworded as an area where passage by walking or traveling is not permitted.

  However, the distinction between the field FE and the object OB here is for convenience, and the processing of the three-dimensional map in the game processing unit 104 can be realized in any form. For example, the game processing unit 104 may process the field FE and the object OB together as one piece of three-dimensional map information. Alternatively, processing may be performed with the fixed part of the three-dimensional map as the field FE and the movable part as the object OB.

  The character CA moves on the three-dimensional map based on the operation of the player. For example, when an operation input for tilting the analog stick 18 in FIG. 2A in a predetermined direction is performed, the character CA walks (runs) on the field FE in the direction corresponding to the predetermined direction. Also, the character CA executes an operation on the object OB. For example, with the character CA in a predetermined positional relationship with the object OB1, the operation button (for example, any of 10, 11, 12, 13) of FIG. Perform jumping jump action.

  In addition, a virtual camera VC is disposed in the three-dimensional space. By each process of the display processing unit 120 described above, as shown in FIG. 3B, the display unit 190 displays an image as if a three-dimensional space was captured from the virtual camera VC.

  4 to 6C are examples of the operation of the character CA with respect to the object OB. The animation information storage unit 174 stores animation information of the character CA according to the motion, and the animation processing unit 108 causes the character CA to execute a predetermined motion by performing reproduction processing of the animation information.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the character CA with respect to the cylindrical object OB1. The character CA performs a jumping operation (vault) on the object OB1 to jump over the object OB1. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the jumping motion is performed from one side of the object OB1 (A1), the left hand is put on the upper surface of the object OB1, the legs are raised to the right (A2), and the left hand is released. Is achieved by successively performing each step of landing on the ground opposite to (A3). A1 to A3 in FIG. 4 are examples of representative postures of the jumping motion, and the posture of the character CA is continuously between A1 and A2 (for example, A4 and A5) and between A2 and A3. Change (to be smooth).

  5A to 5C are examples of game screens corresponding to the jumping operation of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 (A) corresponds to A1, FIG. 5 (B) corresponds to A2, and FIG. 5 (C) corresponds to A3.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the character CA with respect to the average trapezoidal object OB2. The character CA performs a sliding motion on the object OB2 to go under the beam of the object OB2. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the sliding motion starts from one side of the object OB2 (B1), slides on the ground with both knees standing (B2), and stands on the other side of the object OB2 It implement | achieves by performing each process called (B3) continuously.

  FIGS. 7A to 7C are examples of game screens corresponding to the sliding operation of FIG. FIG. 7 (A) corresponds to B1, FIG. 7 (B) corresponds to B2, and FIG. 7 (C) corresponds to B3.

2.2 Music Part and Reproduction Process Hereinafter, an example in which a sound output in the game is a music represented by music information will be described. In the game system according to the present embodiment, sound output control is performed based on the operation of the character CA by the player. Specifically, the music is divided into music parts, and which music part is to be reproduced is determined based on the player's operation. The music part here is a part obtained by dividing the music in the time axis direction of the performance, or a part obtained by dividing the music for each music part.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a music portion. A music is generally composed of a plurality of parts having different tunes. For example, one music piece is composed of Intro, A Melo (1st Verse), B Melo (2nd Verse), Choi (Chorus) and the like. Depending on the music, each part may appear more than once, or a C ((Bridge) may be added, but here the intro, A メ ロ, B サ, and Sabi will be played sequentially in time series Now, an example in which one music piece is configured will be described. That is, each of the intro, A melody, B melody, and rust becomes a music portion in the time axis direction (hereinafter referred to as time axis music portion).

  Further, when focusing on one time axis music portion (for example, A melody), the time axis music portion can be further divided into parts. Hereinafter, the music part of each part will be referred to as a part music part. In the example of FIG. 8, the part music part is "accompaniment (rhythm)", "guitar", "drum", "keyboard", and "guitar" is further "guitar 1", "guitar 2", "guitar" It is subdivided into 3 guitars.

  By specifying both the time axis music part and the part music part, specific sound information (for example, note group information, melody) is specified. In the case of FIG. 8, for example, sound information is associated with each of “guitar part 1 of A melody,” “drum part of A melody,” “keyboard part of A melody,” and the like.

  The music reproduction unit 112 performs determination processing as to which of the music pieces in FIG. 8 is to be reproduced, and performs reproduction processing of the determined music part. Specifically, the music reproduction unit 112 performs a process of selecting any one of the time-series music parts and a process of selecting one or more of the part music parts. The details will be described below.

2.2.1 Selection Process of Time Series Music Pieces In the game system of this embodiment, the field FE is divided into a plurality of areas, and time axis music pieces are allocated to each area.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the correspondence between the area set in the field FE and the time axis music portion. In the example of FIG. 9, five areas AR1 to AR5 are set in the field FE. AR1 corresponds to the intro in the time-series music portion. AR2 corresponds to A mer, AR3 corresponds to B mer, and AR4 corresponds to rust. AR5 is a goal area, which is an area corresponding to the end of the music. Note that AR 5 may correspond to Outro (termination).

  The music reproduction unit 112 determines an area in which the character CA operated by the player is present, and performs processing of selecting a time-series music portion corresponding to the area as a reproduction target. In the example of FIG. 9, if it is determined that the character CA is present in the area AR1, the intro is the playback target, and if it is determined that the character CA is present in the AR2, the A melody is the playback target. The same applies to the other areas.

  Note that the specific reproduction position, for example, what second of the A melody should be reproduced is specified by, for example, information of elapsed time. For example, when the character CA is continuously present in AR 2 for x seconds, the music reproduction unit 112 instructs the sound output unit 192 to output the x second of the A melody.

  In the music, the length of each time-series music part is fixed. For example, in the music information, the intro is from the music start (0 seconds) to t1 seconds, the A melody is from t1 seconds to t2 seconds, the B melody is from t2 seconds to t3 seconds, and the rust is from t3 seconds to t4 seconds. It includes information on the reproduction timing (reproduction time) of the series music portion. Therefore, the “good performance” of the music is a performance that targets the intro to rust time-series music pieces for reproduction by a specified length.

  In other words, the operation to realize “good performance” is to move the character CA whose initial existence area is AR1 to AR2 when t1 seconds elapse, to AR3 when t2 seconds elapse, and to AR4 when t3 seconds elapse Operation is performed to move to AR 5 when t 4 seconds have elapsed. When such an operation is performed by the player, the transition of the time-series music portion is smoothly performed, and it is possible to give the player a sense of exhilaration.

  However, desirable transition timings (such as t1 to t4 mentioned above) are difficult to grasp unless the player memorizes the music itself or a player rich in musical knowledge, and the area movement is completely left to the player. Then the difficulty of the game gets higher. Therefore, in the game system of this embodiment, a guide character for guiding movement between areas may be displayed on the game screen. For example, the guide character is a flying object such as a bird flying in a high position which is easily visible on the game screen in the three-dimensional space shown in FIG. 3A.

  RO in FIG. 9 is an example of the movement path of the guide character. As indicated by RO, the guide character sequentially moves from AR1 to AR5. The movement control is performed so that the guide character passes the point P1 which is the boundary between AR1 and AR2 at the timing when t1 seconds have elapsed from the start of the music. Similarly, the guide character is controlled to pass P2 in t2 seconds, pass P3 in t3 seconds, and pass P4 in t4 seconds. By moving the character CA operated by the player according to the guide character, it is possible to realize "good performance" naturally.

  Here, it is assumed that movement between areas can be performed anytime. However, it is also possible to limit the movement between the areas and to release the restriction when a given condition is satisfied. Details will be described later.

2.2.2 Selection process of part music part (change control of reproduction mode)
When it is determined that the character CA is present in a predetermined area (for example, AR3) and the corresponding time-series music piece (for example, B melody) is reproduced, the guitar, the drum, It is considered that the better performance is achieved if the three parts of the keyboard are to be reproduced, because the thickness of the sound is increased. Alternatively, it is considered that playing a large number of sounds is more complicated and "good playing" than playing a small number of sounds in one measure on a guitar. Note that the number of sounds may be increased in the time-series direction (such as changing one half note to two quarter notes) or increasing the sound at one timing (such as changing a single note to a chord) ) May be.

  In the present embodiment, the determination unit 116 determines whether the operation on the object OB of the character CA is successful, and the music reproduction unit 112 performs a part music piece selection process based on the determination result. The more successful the operation on the object OB, the more parts to be selected, or the same music part as the number of sounds per unit time (for example, per bar) is the selection target.

  For example, in the present embodiment, a parameter (hereinafter referred to as a beat parameter) is updated based on the determination result of the determination unit 116. The beat parameter is a parameter that is increased when it is determined that the action on the object OB of the character CA is successful, and is decreased (or maintained) when it is determined that the operation is unsuccessful.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the correspondence between beat parameters and part music pieces to be selected for reproduction. As shown in FIG. 10, when the beat parameter is less than th1, only the accompaniment (rhythm) is to be reproduced. Here, the accompaniment (rhythm) may be a part on which a performance such as a bass is performed, or a part to which a sound is simply output at a beat timing (for example, C1 or C2 in FIG. 17 described later). It may be a part whose output timing is determined according to the type of music such as waltz or bolero.

  When the beat parameter becomes th1 or more, the guitar 1 is selected as a playback target in addition to the accompaniment (rhythm). The guitar 1 is a music portion having a relatively small number of sounds in the guitar part. If the beat parameter is greater than th1 and less than th2, a simple piece of music with accompaniment and a guitar part with less sound is output.

  When the beat parameter is th2 or more, the guitar 2 is selected as a playback target in addition to the accompaniment (rhythm). The guitar 2 is a music portion having a larger number of sounds than the guitar 1. When the beat parameter is not less than th2 and less than th3, the combination of accompaniment and guitar is the same as in the case of not less than th1 and less than th2, but the number of sounds of the guitar increases and the thickness increases.

  When the beat parameter is th3 or more, the accompaniment (rhythm), the guitar 3 and the drum are selected to be reproduced. The guitar 3 is a music portion having a larger number of sounds than the guitar 2. When the beat parameter is greater than th3 and less than th4, the sound of the guitar increases and the types of instruments further increase, so the thickness of the sound increases compared to the case of less than th3.

  When the beat parameter is th4 or more, the accompaniment (rhythm), the guitar 3, the drum and the keyboard are selected to be reproduced. In this case, since the types of instruments further increase, the thickness of the sound increases compared to the case of less than th4.

  Whether the motion of the character CA with respect to the object OB is successful may be determined by combining the type of the object OB and the operation input by the player (for example, the type of the button pressed by the player). For example, if the button corresponding to the operation of the jumping system is pressed in front of the object OB1, it is determined that the operation of FIG. 4 is successful, and if the button corresponding to the operation of the sliding system is pressed in front of the object OB2 The operation is successful. For example, the storage unit 170 stores association information that associates the type of object with an operation input determined to be successful, and the determination unit 116 executes the determination process with reference to the association information.

  If the button corresponding to the sliding system operation is pressed in front of the object OB1 having no space below or the object OB walks and collides, it is determined that the operation has failed. Since the object OB2 can jump over by jumping, it is not prevented that there are a plurality of operation inputs determined to be successful for a given type of object OB.

  Thus, the action of the character CA on the object OB can be made successful by the easy player operation. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, if the operation on the object OB is successful, the sound will be thick. That is, in the present embodiment, even a player who has no musical knowledge or a sense of rhythm can easily realize "good performance", and can realize a highly entertaining game system.

  Further, as can be understood from the above description, in order to realize “a good performance”, it is preferable to cause the character CA to perform an operation on a large number of objects OB. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the movement path RO of the guide character is set relatively simply. Therefore, for example, in the example of FIG. 9, it is conceivable that a wide area exists at a position relatively distant from the movement path RO of the guide character, as in AR21 and AR41. When the movement of the character CA is aligned with the movement route RO of the guide character, the object OB arranged in the area such as the AR 21 or AR 41 deviates from the target of the movement by the character CA.

  Considering only the transition of the time-series music part, it is sufficient to move the character CA so as not to leave the guide character, but considering the selection of the part music part, the user moves away from the guide character and dares to move away from the guide character. It is necessary to perform an operation on the area object OB. In this embodiment, a game system with high interest is caused by having the player decide whether to follow the guide character in consideration of safety or to take a risk and to move away from the guide character for further high evaluation. Can be realized.

  In the case of repeatedly executing the operation on the same object OB, the increase width of the beat parameter may be reduced, and in the case of executing the operation on a new object OB, the increase width of the beat parameter may be increased. Alternatively, the increase width of the beat parameter is reduced when executing the action on the object OB close to the movement path RO of the guide character, and the increase width of the beat parameter is performed when the action is performed on the object OB far from the movement path RO. You may enlarge it. In this way, in order to increase the beat parameter efficiently, the need to move away from the guide character is increased, and a more interesting game system can be realized.

  FIG. 11A is a flowchart for explaining the process of this embodiment. FIG. 11A shows, for example, processing executed for each frame. When this process is started, the game processing unit 104 determines whether or not the player's operation input has been performed on the operation unit 160 (S101). When an operation input is performed (Yes in S101), the animation processing unit 108 performs an animation process for causing the character to execute an operation corresponding to the operation input (S102). Details of S102 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  After the process of S102, or in the case of No in S101, a beat parameter update process is performed (S103). FIG. 11B is a flowchart for describing the beat parameter update process. In this process, the motion of the object CA of the character CA is determined (S201). If the operation is successful, the beat parameter is increased (S202), and if the operation fails, the beat parameter is decreased (S203). If no operation is performed on the object OB (if there is no operation input itself, if the operation input is an operation that only walks and runs the field FE, etc.), the beat parameter is not changed (S204). As described above, the change width of the beat parameter may be adjusted according to the type and the arrangement of the object OB. Alternatively, when the operation is continuously successful (when the combo is established), a modification such as increasing the increase width as compared with the single-shot success is also possible.

  Since it is not preferable that the thick performance continues to be continued when the player does not operate at all, it is necessary to reduce the beat parameters by factors other than the operation failure. However, if the value of the beat parameter is rapidly changed (for example, returned to the initial value in a short time), the thick performance suddenly changes to only the accompaniment, which gives the player a sense of discomfort. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the beat parameter is changed based on the information on the elapsed time.

  For example, the game processing unit 104 decreases the beat parameter by a predetermined value each time a predetermined time elapses (S205). In this way, it is possible to manage beat parameters so as not to give the player a sense of discomfort. In addition, in order to maintain the beat parameter at a high value, it is necessary to continuously make the operation on the object OB succeed, so it is possible to realize a highly entertaining game system.

  Returning to FIG. 11A, the description will be continued. When the beat parameter update process is completed, the music reproduction unit 112 performs music control based on the updated beat parameter (S104). Specifically, the time-series music portion is determined based on the presence area of the character CA, and the part music portion is determined based on the beat parameter.

  The beat parameter may also be used to control the object OB placed in the field FE (S105).

2.3 Object Control An example of control of the object OB shown in S105 of FIG. 11 (A) will be described. The object OB is not prevented from being fixedly arranged at the predetermined position of the field FE. However, when the object OB is fixed in advance, it is difficult for the player to understand in what order the plurality of objects OB should be moved.

  Therefore, the object control unit 114 according to the present embodiment performs control on an object different from the object which is the operation target of the character CA based on the determination result of the determination unit 116. For example, when the operation on a given object OB is successful, control of the object OB (processing for updating the three-dimensional map) is performed so that the next object OB appears in the vicinity of the object.

  FIG. 12 shows a specific example of object control, and the objects OB1 and OB2 are the same as FIG. 3 (A) etc. In FIG. 12, the character CA performs an operation on the object OB1 and an operation on the object OB2 by the operation of the player, and the determination unit 116 determines that the operation is successful. In this case, the object control unit 114 newly arranges the objects OB3 and OB4 at a position on the moving direction Vm side of the character CA from the current position of the character CA at the end of the operation. The moving direction Vm is, for example, a vector representing the difference between the current position of the character CA and the past position. The new object OB (OB3, OB4) may appear instantaneously or may rise from the surface of the field FE. Alternatively, as will be described later as a modification, the movement of the object OB may be matched to the music.

  As described above, if the next object is placed so as to be within the field of view of the character (within the imaging range of the virtual camera VC, within the game screen), the player sequentially executes the action of the character CA for the objects OB appearing one after another. It suffices to move appropriately in the field FE. In the example of FIG. 12, the player can naturally perform the operation for the objects OB3 and OB4 after the operation for the object OB2.

  The area in which the object OB can be arranged in the field FE and the type (shape) of the object arranged in the area may be fixed in advance. In this case, the control of the object OB is control of whether or not the object OB appears for each area. In addition, a plurality of locatable objects OB are set for one area, and the object control unit 114 may control which type of object OB is to appear. Alternatively, the object control unit 114 may dynamically determine the type and the arrangement position of the object OB while enabling the arrangement of the object OB of an arbitrary type at an arbitrary position of the field FE.

  In a broad sense, game progress history is used to control objects. The game progress history includes the direction of movement of the character and the result of the player's operation input. In the above example, when the result of the operation input that the operation on the objects OB1 and OB2 is successful is acquired, object control is performed to arrange a new object (OB3, OB4) in the advancing direction of the character. However, control of the object OB may be performed using another progress history. For example, the object control unit 114 controls an object based on the elapsed time of the game.

  For example, in the example of FIG. 9, consider the case where the character CA is present in the area AR2. If the elapsed time T from the start of the performance is t1 <T <t2 and the difference between T and t2 is sufficiently large, the character CA has room to stay in the time area AR2 to a certain extent, and there is no need to hurry to move to AR3. . In this case, the object control unit 114 controls the placement of the next object OB at a position relatively far from the area AR3. In this way, it is possible to efficiently arrange the object OB in the area AR2 and to increase the number of times of operation of the character CA on the object OB.

  If the difference between T and t2 is small, the player should be made to execute the operation of the character CA with the movement to AR3 in mind, considering the transition of the time-series music portion. In this case, the object control unit 114 controls the placement of the next object OB at a position relatively close to the area AR3. In this way, it is possible to smoothly move the character CA to the area AR3. By controlling the object OB in consideration of the elapsed time as described above, even for a game beginner, it is possible to realize a preferable performance in which the transition of the time-series music portion and the selection of the part music portion are balanced. It will be possible.

  Alternatively, the object control unit 114 may perform control to eliminate (dispose of) the object OB that has once appeared, on the condition that the predetermined time has elapsed. In this way, the player can not execute an action unless the player immediately moves to the position of the object OB after the appearance of the object OB. In other words, when the player performs a character operation smoothly, it is possible to operate with a large number of objects OB to thicken the sound of the music, and a highly entertaining game system can be realized.

  Further, object control based on the result of the player's operation input is a simple control such as adding the next object OB when the operation on the object OB of the character CA is successful and not adding it when the operation fails. Good. However, more complex information, for example, the value of the beat parameter described above may be used as a result of the player's operation input.

  For example, when the beat parameter is high, the object control unit 114 increases the number of objects OB to be added compared with the case where the beat parameter is low, or complicates the shape of the object OB to be added. In this case, as the beat parameter is higher, the number of times of operation of the character CA with respect to the added object OB increases, and the operation to be performed becomes more complicated (flashy). In other words, the more successful the previous operation is, the more the character CA can make a more flashy motion, so that a highly entertaining game system can be realized.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the processing in the object control unit 114, and corresponds to the processing of S105 in FIG. When this process is started, the object control unit 114 acquires a game progress history (S301). Specifically, the elapsed time of the game, the advancing direction of the character, and the result of the operation input by the player are acquired.

  Next, the object control unit 114 determines the arrangement position of the object (S302) and the number and type of the objects OB to be additionally arranged based on the acquired game progress history (S303). Then, based on the contents determined in S302 and S303, the object control unit performs processing for actually arranging the object OB, that is, processing for updating the three-dimensional map (S304).

2.4 Animation Processing By making the character CA perform various operations according to the method described above, it is possible to give the player a feeling of playing music naturally. It is possible to give the player a strong exhilaration because the complicated operation is not necessary for "good performance" as in the conventional music game, and the action itself is acrobatic.

  However, in the operation performed by the character CA, there is a characteristic timing (frame, posture) in the operation. For example, in the case of the jumping operation shown in FIGS. 4 to 5C, a posture (A2) in which the left hand is attached to the upper surface of the object OB1 and the legs are raised is characteristic. Therefore, it is desirable that the characteristic timing (hereinafter, operation feature timing) in the operation of A2 (FIG. 5B) and the like coincide with the characteristic timing (hereinafter, music feature timing) in the music. If the time difference between the motion feature timing and the music feature timing is large, the link between the motion and the music is lost, and it becomes difficult to give the player a feeling that the music is played using the motion.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a character animation that operates in accordance with music. However, in Patent Document 2, since the action of the character and the player operation are not related, it is possible to determine an animation suitable for the song when the song is determined. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the motion of the character CA is determined based on the player's operation input. It is difficult to apply the method of Patent Document 2 because it is not possible to know in advance at what timing of the music what operation is to be executed.

  Hereinafter, animation processing for synchronizing the motion of the character and the music will be described.

2.4.1 Basic Animation Processing The animation processing unit 108 performs animation processing. That is, an animation reproduction process for causing the character CA to perform animation (motion) is performed. The animation reproduction processing can be realized by reproducing animation information stored in the animation information storage unit 174.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a model object MOB representing a character CA or the like includes a plurality of part objects (a waist 32, a chest 34, a neck 36, a head 38, an upper right arm 40, a right forearm 42, a right hand 44, an upper left arm 46, The left forearm 48, left hand 50, right crotch 52, right shin 54, right foot 56, left crotch 58, left shin 60, left foot 62). The positions and rotational angles (directions) of these part objects (portions) are determined by the positions of bones B0 to B19 (positions of joints J0 to J15) constituting the skeleton model and the rotational angles (positions of the bones of the child relative to the parent bones). Specified by relative rotation angle). Note that these bones and joints are virtual ones, not objects displayed in reality.

  In the animation information storage unit 174, for example, the positions and rotation angles of these bones (part objects, joints) are stored as animation information (motion information). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, rotation angles α, β, γ, etc. about the X axis, Y axis, Z axis of child bone BMC with respect to parent bone BMP are stored as animation information.

  In addition, the structure etc. of animation information are not limited to FIG. 14, FIG. 15, Various deformation | transformation implementation is possible. For example, only the rotation angle of the bone may be included in the animation information, and the position of the bone (the position of the joint) may be included in the model data of the model object. In addition to the bones B1 to B19 of FIG. 14, an auxiliary bone may be provided to assist the deformation of the model object by the motion bone.

  FIG. 16 shows an example of the data structure of animation information used in the present embodiment. One piece of animation information is, for example, a set of a plurality of posture data arranged in time series, and the posture data is, for example, a set of data representing a rotation angle of each bone. FIG. 16 shows an example of animation information for realizing the jumping operation shown in FIG. 4. The jumping operation takes an attitude corresponding to the character CA in each frame of 0 to N (N is a positive integer). It is realized by For example, the 0th frame in FIG. 16 corresponds to A1 in FIG. 4, the k (k is an integer of 1 <k <N) frame corresponds to A2, and the Nth frame corresponds to A3.

  The animation information also includes key frame information. The key frame is a frame representing motion feature timing in the motion of the character CA corresponding to the animation information. For example, the animation information in FIG. 16 includes information that the k-th frame corresponding to A2 is a key frame. That is, if animation information to be processed (reproduction target) is determined, it is possible to specify the position of a key frame in the animation information, for example, the relative timing of “the kth frame from the start of animation reproduction”. .

  On the other hand, characteristic timing also exists on the music side. The music feature timing is, for example, the timing of the beat of the music. The beat is a basic rhythm in the music, and the timing of the beat is a timing called C1 in FIG. 17 or a timing called back beat shown in C2 in FIG. 17 in the example of 4/4 beats. . The specific timing interval (beat length, tempo) changes according to the speed of the music (BPM value). The characteristic timing depends on the composition of the music, but if the music is specified, the music feature timing in the music can be specified. In addition, the music which a music characteristic timing changes according to a time-sequential music part may be used, and a music characteristic timing may be specified based on a time-sequential music part.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the relationship between music feature timing and operation feature timing (key frame of animation information). The horizontal axis in FIG. 18 is real time, and is, for example, an elapsed time from the start of the game (unit: msec). Assuming that the reproduction of the music does not stop halfway, the position of the music feature timing on the elapsed time axis can be specified at the time when the reproduction of the music starts.

  Also, the animation processing unit 108 performs identification processing of animation information to be reproduced and identification processing of reproduction start timing of the animation information based on the operation input of the player. Specifically, animation information to be reproduced is specified based on the type of the object OB located in the vicinity of the character CA and the type of the operation input by the player (for example, the type of the pressed button). Further, the reproduction start timing of the animation information is specified based on the timing when the operation input by the player is performed.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example in which the specific process of reproducing the animation information illustrated in FIG. 16 is performed with the timing of t _S as the start timing. Since the frame rate is known in the design of the game system, it is easy to specify the position of each frame on the elapsed time axis. Alternatively, the animation information itself may hold posture data not on a frame basis but on a time basis (for example, a msec unit).

As shown in FIG. 18, the position (t _K ) of the key frame on the elapsed time axis does not coincide with the music feature timing (tm1 to tm5). Therefore, if the reproduction process of the animation information is performed as it is, the link between the operation and the music is lost.

  Therefore, the timing processing unit 110 of this embodiment performs processing for specifying reference timing and sound timing, and the animation processing unit 108 performs animation processing of the character CA (moving object in a broad sense) in accordance with the timing of the sound. Do. More specifically, the animation processing unit 108 performs adjustment processing of animation information used for animation processing based on the timing of the sound, so that the character CA operates according to the timing information of the sound. Perform adjustment processing.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the adjustment process. As shown in FIG. 18, when the reproduction process of the animation information of FIG. 16 is simply performed with t _S as the start timing, the reproduction timing of the key frame does not coincide with any of the music feature timings.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the timing processing unit 110 first specifies the reproduction timing of the key frame as the reference timing. Then, based on the reference timing, the timing processing unit 110 specifies the timing of the sound that is the music feature timing to be adjusted. In the example of FIG. 19, the reference timing is t _K which is the reproduction timing of the key frame before adjustment, and can be specified from the reproduction start timing t _S and the animation information (FIG. 16). The sound timing t _M is a music feature timing that is temporally after the reference timing and close to the reference timing, and is, for example, t _M = tm3. However, it does not prevent that tm4 and tm5 become the timing of sound.

The animation processing unit 108 performs adjustment processing to match the specified reference timing t _K with the timing t _M of the sound. Note that the process of matching here is not limited to the process of completely matching, but includes a process of reducing the time difference to the extent that the player does not feel uncomfortable.

  As simple adjustment processing, (1) processing of delaying the reproduction start timing of animation, (2) processing of slow reproduction of a predetermined range before key frame, (3) copying of a given frame before key frame Processing etc. can be considered. (1) to (3) are processing for shifting the reference timing backward in time, so that the reference timing and the timing of the sound are made to coincide by matching the deviation amount to the time difference between the reference timing and the timing of the sound. Be

  However, in the above processes (1) to (3), there are also situations where the motion of the character CA becomes unnatural. For example, in the process of (1), the time lag from when the player performs an operation to when the character CA starts moving becomes large. Further, in the process of (2), the motion of the character CA is delayed, and in the process of (3), the motion of the character CA is paused at a predetermined posture. For example, in a fighting game, when playing a punch animation in which the arm is punched forward, the action of swinging the arm forward is slow-played to lose the force of the punch, and the arm stops in the middle as the attack animation Clearly unnatural.

Therefore, it is desirable that the adjustment process of this embodiment be performed so that the animation after adjustment does not become unnatural. For example, used when (1) adjustment processing, when the time lag until the start moving is small, (the difference between the example before adjustment t _K and t _M) specifically on the time difference of the timing of the reference timing and sound is small to some extent .

  The adjustment process of (2) is executed for an operation range that does not give a sense of incongruity even when being slow-played. For example, in the punch animation, the takeback operation that shakes the arm does not matter even if it is somewhat slow. Therefore, it is preferable to execute the adjustment process (2) on the frame range corresponding to the takeback operation. The processing for slow reproduction can be specifically realized by processing of performing interpolation processing and adding a frame. For example, each piece of animation information may include the frame range that can be the target of the adjustment process of (2), and information of the adjustable width of each frame range. The adjustable width here is a parameter that broadly indicates how much the operation of the frame range does not become unnatural.

  The adjustment process (3) is performed on a frame that does not give a sense of incongruity even if the same posture is continued. For example, in the punch animation, stopping in a posture after taking back and before swinging out an arm is not unnatural because it is regarded as an operation of accumulating force and an operation of aiming. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the adjustment process (3) with the frame as a copy target. Further, the copy target is not limited to one frame, and a plurality of frames may be targeted. For example, in the case of the jumping operation shown in FIG. 4, the key frame playback timing can be delayed by increasing the number of steps of the approach, and it is not unnatural as the operation that the number of steps is increased. Therefore, the adjustment process of (3) may be performed with the frame section corresponding to two steps of the run as a target of copying. Taking into consideration the adjustment of the added part of the copied frame, the stepping foot, the foot to be taken at the start of the operation, etc., it is not disturbed to set the frame section corresponding to one step of the run as a copy target. Each piece of animation information may include information of a frame (frame range) that can be the target of the adjustment process (3).

  In addition, combining the adjustment processes of (2) and (3) is not hindered. For example, while performing the adjustment process of (3) to increase the number of steps of the approach, the adjustment process of (2) of changing the pitch of the approach is performed. In this way, it is possible to flexibly change the key frame reproduction timing while causing the character CA to perform a natural operation. Of course, the combination with the adjustment process of (1) is not hindered either.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating animation processing. FIG. 20 corresponds to the process of S102 of FIG. When this process is started, operation information based on the operation input in S101 is acquired (S401). The process in S401 is, for example, an acquisition process of information for identifying a button pressed by the player.

  Further, based on the presence area of the character CA, a time-series music portion to be reproduced is specified (S402). Although not shown in FIG. 20, part music pieces to be reproduced may be specified. This process is performed by the music reproduction unit 112. When the music feature timing can be identified from the music itself, the process of S402 can be omitted.

The animation processing unit 108 determines animation information to be processed based on the object OB located near the character CA and the operation information acquired in S401 (S403). The timing processing unit 110 determines the reference timing (t _K ) and the timing of the sound (t _M ) as shown in FIG. 18 (S 404, S 405).

  The animation processing unit 108 performs animation information adjustment processing so that the reference timing determined in S404 matches the timing of the sound determined in S405 (S406). As described above, the process of S406 can be realized by slow reproduction (interpolation process) or copying of a predetermined frame (frame section) such that the operation does not become unnatural. The animation processing unit 108 performs reproduction processing of the animation information after the adjustment processing (S407).

2.4.2 Decision Process of Animation Information In the above, as shown in S403 of FIG. 20, an example in which pieces of animation information to be processed are specified (determined) on the basis of the object OB and the operation information has been shown. . However, various modifications can be made to the process of determining animation information.

  FIG. 21 shows an example of animation information stored in the animation information storage unit 174, and one line corresponds to one piece of animation information. Each piece of animation information includes information on file name, operation attribute, and key frame. Although not shown in FIG. 21, each piece of animation information includes information on the posture (the position of the bone, the rotation angle) in each frame, as shown in FIG. Further, as described above in the adjustment process, the animation information may include information such as a frame that can be selected as a target of the adjustment process.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the animation for causing the character CA to jump is not limited to one, and a plurality of pieces of animation information exist as FA1, FA2,. For example, in Parkour, many jumping techniques are known, such as a safety vault that places one foot on the jumping object, a speed volto that enters the jumping object from the side direction, a congregation where both hands are passed between the hands for the jumping object, and so on. It is done. For example, the animation information storage unit 174 manages each jumping operation as one piece of animation information, such as the animation information for causing the character CA to perform the safety vault as FA1 and the animation information for performing the speed vault as FA2.

  The same applies to sliding, as well as sliding motion in which the knee is bent to bend the upper body as shown in FIG. 6, but also foot first sliding in which the foot is extended in the traveling direction, and head sliding in which both hands are moved forward in the traveling direction Etc. can be considered. The animation information storage unit 174 stores a plurality of pieces of animation information each representing one sliding motion (FB1, FB2, etc.).

  In addition, in the parkour, there are many operations for climbing the wall (climing up, wall running, etc.) and operations for landing safely from a high position (landing), and a plurality of operations are known. Therefore, the animation information storage unit 174 also stores animation information for realizing each of these operations. Furthermore, the animation information stored in the animation information storage unit 174 is not limited to the above, and may include animation information that performs other operations such as flipping.

  The animation processing unit 108 performs a determination process of determining one piece of animation information to be processed out of a large number of pieces of animation information as shown in FIG. The process of determining the motion attribute in FIG. 21 from the type of the object OB and the operation information is also included in the decision process of animation information, and if there is one piece of animation information of the motion attribute, the decision process is completed at that . However, when a plurality of pieces of animation information are included in one motion attribute, the animation processing unit 108 needs to determine one piece of animation information therefrom.

  The determination process of animation information can be realized by various methods. For example, the animation processing unit 108 may perform the determination process based on the game progress history such as the beat parameter and the elapsed time. As one example, animation information in which the motion of the character CA is intense is determined as the processing target as the beat parameter is higher or as the elapsed time is longer. The term “intensified movement” may indicate that the amount of movement is large or may indicate that the amount of movement is fast (the amount of movement per unit time is large). In this way, if the operation succeeds and the beat parameter increases, the thickness of the sound increases and the operation of the character CA also becomes bright, so it is possible to excite the game and give the player a refreshing sensation. . Alternatively, since the probability that the character CA is approaching the goal becomes higher as the elapsed time becomes longer, it is possible to make the game more exciting by also making the operation of the character CA flash.

  Alternatively, the animation processing unit 108 may perform the determination process based on the information of the music. For example, the music information storage unit 171 stores music information associated with parameters such as volume, pitch, and timbre. Specifically, for each of the music feature timings (sound timings), information on the volume, pitch, and timbre at each characteristic timing is associated. The animation processing unit 108 determines what volume, pitch, and timbre of the music during the animation reproduction scheduled period. In this way, it is possible to operate the character CA in accordance with the state of the music to be reproduced.

  For example, as the volume is higher and the pitch is higher, animation information in which the movement of the character CA is intense is determined as the processing target. The volume (pitch) is not simply large and small (high and low), and volume change (pitch change) within a predetermined period may be used for processing. For example, when the volume change (pitch change) is large, animation information in which the movement of the character CA is intense is determined as the processing target. In this way, it is possible to make the game exciting by making the action of the character CA flash in a scene where the music is exciting. As for the timbre, an actual waveform of a sound or a result of Fourier transform may be used, but the process of determining animation information may be performed using information of a part (musical instrument) to be output. For example, when a guitar or a drum is output, animation information in which the movement of the character CA is intense is to be processed, and when a piano is output, animation information in which the movement of the character CA is small is to be processed. Conceivable.

  Alternatively, the animation processing unit 108 may perform the determination process based on the timing information of the sound. For example, when the determination processing that the movement attribute is “jumping” is performed, the timing processing unit 110 sets a criterion for each piece of animation information of a plurality of pieces of animation information (FA1, FA2,...) Corresponding to the jumping operation. Find the timing and timing of the sound. Then, the animation processing unit 108 determines animation information that easily matches the reference timing with the timing of the sound as a processing target. Here, “easy to match” simply indicates that the time difference between the reference timing and the sound timing is small. However, the determination criterion is not limited to this, and the animation information may be determined based on whether or not the motion of the character CA after the adjustment process is natural. In other words, the animation processing unit 108 (timing processing unit 110) tries adjustment processing on a plurality of candidate animation information to be candidates, and determines animation information that can be appropriately executed by the adjustment processing as a reproduction target.

  Also, in the above, for simplification, an example in which one key frame is included in one piece of animation information has been described. However, the characteristic timing (frame, operation) in the operation may be two or more, and the animation information in that case includes a plurality of key frames. For example, in the operation of FIG. 4, landing on each foot of the run, stepping off, landing after jumping, etc. may be considered as a key frame. In this case, animation information corresponding to the jumping motion of FIG. Containing keyframes.

  Alternatively, animation information that causes the character CA to perform a complex motion may be used. FIG. 22A to FIG. 22F show an example of an operation to perform side flipping (hereinafter referred to as “side floating”) of holding, but a jumping operation combining the side coupling may be used. For example, the character CA starts moving from the front side of the object OB1 and steps off from the approach and first lands on the upper surface of the object OB1, and from there the side of the holding shown in FIG. 22A to FIG. Take a flight and land on the back side of the object OB1. From the point of view that part of the character CA is in contact with the object OB1 or the field FE, both the landing on the top surface of the object OB1 and the landing on the field surface by the side air are characteristic timings. As the movement, it is natural to think separately from the movement up to OB1 and the movement down from OB1 due to the side, and the above-mentioned jumping movement has at least two features. That is, the animation information for causing the character CA to perform the jumping operation has a plurality of key frames. Besides, various kinds of animation information having a plurality of key frames can be considered.

  In animation information in which a plurality of key frames exist, a plurality of reference timings are also set. For example, the timing processing unit 110 determines a first reference timing corresponding to the first key frame and a second reference timing corresponding to the second key frame, and the first processing corresponding to the first reference timing. The timing of the second sound corresponding to the timing of the sound and the second reference timing is determined. The animation processing unit 108 executes processing of adjusting the first reference timing to the timing of the first sound and adjusting the second reference timing to the timing of the second sound as adjustment processing.

  FIGS. 23A to 23C illustrate adjustment processing for animation information including a plurality of key frames. As shown in FIG. 23A, when the reference timing and the timing of the sound are determined, the animation processing unit 108 performs the first adjustment period from the start timing to the first reference timing, and the first reference timing. The adjustment process described above is performed for the second adjustment period from the second to the second reference timing.

  For example, the animation processing unit 108 performs an adjustment process of extending the first adjustment period to match the first reference timing with the timing of the first sound (FIG. 23B), and then the second adjustment period. To adjust the second reference timing to the timing of the second sound (FIG. 23 (C)). However, as described above, the range over which each adjustment period can be extended is limited in terms of causing the character CA to perform a natural operation. Therefore, a situation in which at least one of the adjustment processes in FIG. 23B and FIG. 23C can not be realized is also conceivable. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to adjust the second reference timing successfully by not intentionally aligning the timing of the first reference timing with the timing of the first sound. Therefore, the adjustment process in the animation processing unit 108 is not limited to the process of determining the extension width sequentially from the previous adjustment period in time series, and the process of determining the optimum extension width of each adjustment period in consideration of the whole. It may be realized by For example, the animation processing unit 108 sets a given evaluation function, and determines the extension width of each adjustment period so that the evaluation value by the evaluation function becomes maximum.

  The animation processing unit 108 may perform processing of determining animation information to be reproduced based on, for example, the evaluation value of the evaluation function. The evaluation function is the number of key frames, the number of reference timings that could be adjusted to the timing of the sound (hereinafter referred to as the number of adjustment successes), the number of reference timings that could not be matched to the timing of the sound (hereinafter referred to as the number of adjustment failures ) Is a function that determines an evaluation value. For example, an evaluation function is used in which the value increases as the number of adjustment successes increases and decreases as the number of adjustment failures increases. There are various ways of thinking about how to use the number of key frames for evaluation. For example, considering that the number of key frames is related to the complexity of operation, an evaluation function whose value increases as the number of key frames increases. Use

  The animation information to be selected will change according to the specific form of the evaluation function. For example, when a plurality of pieces of animation information having the same original key frame number exist, the animation processing unit 108 determines animation information having a large number of successful adjustment as a processing target. Alternatively, the animation processing unit 108 may process animation information in which the ratio of the number of successful adjustment to the total number of key frames is high.

  Further, in the above, the beat timings shown in C1 and C2 of FIG. 17 are used as the music feature timings. However, the music feature timing is not limited to this. For example, the timing at which the sound of the predetermined part is output may be used as the music feature timing. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the output timing of the guitar part is taken as the feature timing of the music. In the guitar 1, since the number of sounds is relatively small, the music feature timing is also small (for example, one timing in one measure). In the guitar 3, since the number of sounds is relatively large, the music feature timing is also large (for example, 4 timings, 8 timings, etc. in one measure). In this case, the timing of the sound changes in accordance with the game progress history (the beat parameter in a narrow sense).

When the music feature timing is small, the selectable timing as the sound timing (t _M ) is limited. Therefore, the number of adjustment failures tends to increase with animation information having many reference timings (key frames). As a result, in the process of determining animation information, animation information with a small reference timing (key frame) is likely to be processed.

  On the other hand, when there are many music feature timings, there are more sound timing candidates, so even if there are many reference timings (key frames), the number of adjustment successes tends to increase, and animation information that performs complicated operations tends to be processed. As described above, by making the music feature timing (the timing of the sound) variable, it is possible to determine the animation information according to the situation.

  FIG. 24 is another flowchart explaining the animation processing. S501 and S502 are the same as S401 and S402 of FIG. In the example of FIG. 24, assuming that the music feature timing is changed according to the part, a process of determining the part music part is added (S503).

  In addition, the animation processing unit 108 determines a candidate set (candidate animation set) of animation information to be processed based on the object OB located in the vicinity of the character CA and the operation information acquired in S501 (S504). For example, when the motion attribute is determined to be "jumping" from the operation information and the object OB, the candidate animation set is a set of a plurality of pieces of animation information (FA1, FA2,...) Corresponding to the jumping operation.

  Then, the animation processing unit 108 selects one piece of animation information from the candidate animation set (S505), and the timing processing unit 110 determines the reference timing and the timing of the sound for the selected animation information (S506, S507). . The animation processing unit 108 calculates an evaluation value based on the reference timing and the timing of the sound (S508). The evaluation value here is, for example, the maximum value of the above-described evaluation function.

  The animation processing unit 108 determines whether or not unprocessed animation information remains in the candidate animation set (S509), and if there is unprocessed animation information, the process returns to S505 and continues processing. When evaluation values of all pieces of animation information of the candidate animation set are calculated (No in S509), animation information to be processed is determined based on the evaluation values (S510).

  The adjustment process (S511) and the reproduction process (S512) after determining the animation information are the same as S406 and S407 in FIG. In the example in which the evaluation value is set as the maximum value of the evaluation function, the adjustment processing of S511 may use the result of S508 as it is.

  Note that FIG. 24 shows an example in which all candidate animation sets are evaluated. However, it is desirable to execute the reproduction process of S512 as soon as possible after obtaining the operation information of S501 (strictly speaking, after the operation input of S101 of FIG. 11A). If it takes time until the reproduction processing, although the player operates, the animation does not start easily and gives a sense of discomfort.

  Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the processing load so that the process of determining and adjusting the animation information can be performed at high speed. Therefore, for example, it is possible to carry out a modification such that the determination processing is ended when animation information having an evaluation value equal to or more than a predetermined threshold is found, instead of setting all candidate animation sets as evaluation targets.

2.5 Modifications Hereinafter, some modifications will be described.

(Modification 1)
In the above description, the reproduction position in the time-series music portion has been determined by the elapsed time (area presence time). For example, when the character CA continuously exists in the area AR2 for x seconds, the x second of A melody is reproduced. That is, although there is a restriction of transition of the time-series music portion according to the area, the progression of the music in the time-series music portion is automatically performed with time.

  However, in the present embodiment, the motion of the character CA with respect to the object OB is used for playing. That is, it is preferable to associate the progression of the music with the operation of the player (the movement of the character CA), and it is not preferable that the music progresses even though the character CA is stationary.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the reproduction position in the time-series music portion may be determined based on the motion of the character CA. For example, a parameter (hereinafter referred to as melody parameter) that increases as the operation of the character CA is set is set, and the reproduction position in the time-series music portion is determined based on the presence area of the character CA and the melody parameter. Here, the motion of the character CA may be a motion on the object OB or a motion of walking and traveling in the field FE. Also, the melody parameter may be a parameter that is initialized when the character CA moves to the next area, that is, when the transition of the time-series music portion is performed.

  In this way, when the character CA is not moving, the progression of the music is stopped, so it is possible to increase the degree of interlocking between the motion of the character CA and the music.

(Modification 2)
As shown in FIG. 12, the object control unit 114 controls the object OB different from the movement target of the character CA based on the determination result of the determination unit 116. Here, the object control unit 114 may perform control to match the behavior of the object OB with the music (in a narrow sense, the tempo, rhythm of the music).

  For example, the object control unit 114 vibrates the object OB in accordance with the beat cycle of the music. Alternatively, the object control unit 114 causes the object OB to perform a motion simulating an equalizer screen. An equalizer is a device that divides music into a plurality of frequency components and adjusts the signal level of each frequency component, but a screen that displays the signal level of each frequency component as a graph is widely used as an interface. For example, the object control unit 114 controls the position (the amount of movement with respect to the reference position) of the object OB in accordance with the signal level of a given frequency component. Alternatively, a plurality of objects OB may be arranged in a predetermined direction, and each object may be assigned to different frequency components. In this way, the objects will function as if they were the interface of the equalizer.

  Furthermore, although an example of controlling the position and movement of the object OB is shown here, controlling the color and texture of the object OB is not hindered either.

  In the present embodiment, the movement of the character CA and the interlocking of the music (FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) and the interlocking of the operation of the character CA and the object control (FIG. 12) were possible. It becomes possible to link the behavior of the object OB and the music. In this way, by increasing the interlocking degree of character movement (player operation), music, and objects, it is possible to give the player a sense of controlling music and fields in the game. become.

  Note that music-based object control may be performed when a given condition is satisfied. The given condition is when it is determined that the motion of the character on the object is successful, or when the value of the beat parameter becomes equal to or more than a predetermined threshold. That is, when the operation by the player is appropriately performed and the music is excited, the object OB and the music interlock with each other, so that it is possible to realize a more interesting game system. In the case of the embodiment in which the movement between areas is restricted as in the modification 5 to be described later, the cancellation of the restriction of the movement may be set as the condition of the object control based on the music.

(Modification 3)
The operation used for music control and object control has been described as an example for the object OB. However, music control or the like may be performed based on the movement of the character CA in the field FE (ground, floor).

  For example, in Parkour, in addition to the sides shown in FIG. 22 (A) to FIG. 22 (F), rotation techniques such as sideways, back somersaults, and somersaults may be used. It can also be implemented in planar areas where there are no obstacles or wall surfaces. These motions also look better than simple motions such as walking and running, and give the player a refreshing sensation.

  For example, the game processing unit 104 performs processing to increase the beat parameter when a specific operation not targeting the object OB is performed. In this way, the operation result is reflected in the control of the music or the object OB, as in the case of the operation on the object OB, with respect to the specific operation.

(Modification 4)
In the above, an example has been described in which the moving object to be subjected to the adjustment processing of animation information is a human-shaped character CA. However, the moving body is not limited to this, and for example, a car or a motorbike in a racing game, or an airplane may be a vehicle such as a ship. In this case, the music feature timing can be matched with the timing at which a characteristic operation (a change of direction, a spin, a jump by riding on an obstacle, etc.) of a vehicle or the like is performed.

  Alternatively, the virtual camera VC shown in FIG. 3 may be a mobile. Although FIG. 3 shows an example in which the virtual camera VC is disposed behind the character CA, various display screens can be generated by making the camera angle (the position of the virtual camera, the optical axis direction) variable. Become. As camerawork, various techniques such as pan, tilt, zoom in and zoom out are known, and it is possible to define characteristic timings from the movement of the virtual camera VC itself or in relation to the object.

  By using the virtual camera VC as a moving object, it is possible to match the timing at which the characteristic display image is displayed and the feature timing of the music.

(Modification 5)
In the example described above with reference to FIG. 9, the movement between the areas (AR1 to AR5) set in the field FE is free, and by using the guide object or the like, the movement at an appropriate timing for the player is performed. I was urging. However, movement between areas may be limited in advance.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the player from ignoring the progress of the music itself and proceeding to the next area. For example, it is possible to suppress entry into the area AR3 corresponding to the B melody even though the performance of the A melody is not finished.

  In this case, it is necessary to set a condition for canceling the restriction. Simply, the movement restriction is released based on the elapsed time. For example, the movement restriction from AR2 to AR3 is released when it is time to finish playing A melody. Alternatively, as a result of the player's operation input, more specifically, the value of the beat parameter may be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold as the condition for releasing the restriction. For example, if an operation is performed to a certain extent by AR2 and the A melody can be played thick, it is possible to move to AR3. The release of the movement restriction is realized, for example, by control for switching between passable and impassable of the movement route between the areas.

  In addition, the game processing unit 104 may set a time limit in each area. The time limit here is, for example, the upper limit of the time that it is permitted to continuously exist in each area. Then, when the character CA is staying in a given area beyond the above time limit, the game processing unit 104 performs processing to lower the in-game evaluation.

  The movement restriction has an effect of suppressing movement to the next area before completion of the performance of the time-series music portion. In addition, the time limit has an effect of preventing the user from staying in the area (prompting movement to the next area) when the performance of the time-series music portion is completed. Therefore, by combining the movement restriction and the time restriction, it is possible to prompt the player to move the area (transition of the time-series music piece part) at an appropriate timing.

(Modification 6)
Further, the moving speed of the character CA may be changed in accordance with the information of the music. The information on the music here is, for example, the tempo of the music (a beat timing interval, a BPM value, etc.). Specifically, if the tempo of the music is fast, the moving speed of the character is increased, and if the tempo is slow, the moving speed is decreased. Alternatively, the music information may be the rhythm of the music. For example, the moving speed of the character changes depending on whether the music is waltz or bolero. The quieter the tune is, the lower the moving speed is set, and the stronger the tune is the higher the moving speed.

  In this way, it is possible to make the moving speed of the character CA match the music. As described above, it may be combined with the embodiment in which animation information determination processing is performed according to the music (volume, pitch, timbre). In this case, the character CA moves slowly while moving slowly if it has a quiet tune. In the case of a violent tune, the character CA moves rapidly while moving rapidly.

  It should be understood by those skilled in the art that although the present embodiment has been described in detail as described above, many modifications can be made without departing substantially from the novel matters and effects of the present invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the specification or drawings, the term (character or the like) described at least once along with a broader or synonymous different term (mobile or the like) may be replaced with the different term at any place in the specification or the drawing. Can. In addition, determination processing of motion to an object, music control, object control, animation processing (including determination processing and adjustment processing) are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and methods and processing equivalent to these are also the present invention Included in the scope of The present invention is also applicable to various games. Further, the present invention can be applied to various game systems such as a business game system, a home game system, a large attraction system in which a large number of players participate, a simulator, a multimedia terminal, a system board for generating game images, and a mobile phone. . For example, the game system may be a mobile phone or a portable information terminal on which a game program is installed and executed.

10, 11, 12, 13 ... operation button, 14 ... direction instruction key,
16, 18 ... analog stick, 20, 22 ... R, L button, 100 ... processing unit,
102: input reception unit 104: game processing unit 106: character processing unit
108: animation processing unit 110: timing processing unit 112: music reproduction unit
114 ... object control unit, 116 ... determination unit, 120 ... display processing unit, 160 ... operation unit,
170 ... storage unit, 171 ... music information storage unit, 172 ... game progress history storage unit,
173: field object information storage unit 174: animation information storage unit
180 ... storage medium, 190 ... display unit, 192 ... sound output unit, 194 ... I / F unit,
195 ... portable information storage medium, 196 ... communication unit, 500 ... server system,
510: Network, AR1 to AR5: Area, CA: Character,
FE ... field, OB (OB1 to OB4) ... object, RO ... movement path,
TM1 to TMn: Terminal device, VC: Virtual camera, Vm: Movement direction

Claims (11)

An animation processing unit that performs animation processing of a moving object based on operation information of the player;
As a timing processing unit that determines a reference timing based on operation information of the player, and determines timing information of sounds output during a game based on the reference timing.
Make the computer work
The animation processing unit
A program characterized by performing the animation processing of the moving object in accordance with timing information of the sound. In claim 1,
The animation processing unit
A program for performing adjustment processing of animation information of the moving object used for the animation processing based on timing information of the sound. In claim 2,
The animation processing unit
The program is characterized in that the adjustment process is performed such that the moving body operates in accordance with the timing information of the sound. In claim 2 or 3,
The animation information is associated with key frame information representing a key frame,
The animation processing unit
The program is characterized in that the adjustment process is performed such that the timing represented by the timing information of the sound matches the reproduction timing of the key frame represented by the key frame information. In claim 4,
The program characterized in that the reference timing is the reproduction timing of the key frame. In any one of claims 2 to 5,
The animation processing unit
A program characterized by performing determination processing of the animation information to be an object of the animation processing, and performing the adjustment processing on the determined animation information. In claim 6,
The animation processing unit
A program characterized in that the decision processing of the animation information is performed based on timing information of the sound. In claim 7,
Parameters are associated with the timing information of the sound,
The animation processing unit
The program which performs the decision processing of the animation information based on the parameter. In claim 8,
The sound reproduced in the game is music represented by music information,
The program is characterized in that the parameters are parameters relating to at least one of volume, pitch, and timbre. In claim 6,
The sound reproduced in the game is music represented by music information,
The animation processing unit
The determination process of the animation information is performed based on at least one of the music information, operation information of the player, information of a field in which the moving body moves, and state information indicating a state of the moving body. And the program to be. An animation processing unit that performs animation processing of a moving object based on operation information of the player;
A timing processing unit that determines a reference timing based on operation information of the player, and determines timing information of a sound to be output during a game based on the reference timing;
Including
The animation processing unit
A game system characterized in that the animation processing of the moving object is performed according to timing information of the sound.

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