JP7769229B2 - Game program and game device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a game program and a game device.

Some game programs play sound effects in virtual space (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the example of Patent Document 1, in a shooting game, gunshot sounds and the like are played during the game.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-156589

In games, sound effects can make or break your sense of immersion.

The purpose of this disclosure is to improve the sense of immersion through sound effects in virtual spaces.

In the first aspect, a computer is caused to function as a game progression unit and a sound processing unit,
The game progression unit:
In response to user input, the character moves in the virtual space.
The acoustic processing unit includes:
receiving a sound signal indicating a first sound related to a first event generated by a game medium present in the virtual space and a sound signal indicating a second sound related to a second event generated in the virtual space;
In the case where the second event is an event that occurs after the occurrence of the first event,
The game program performs a correction to delay the timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the time when the second event occurs, depending on the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred.

In a first aspect,
The acoustic processing unit may perform the correction only when the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

In the above aspect,
The acoustic processing unit may determine the amount of delay based on a value that is inversely proportional to the distance.

A second aspect is a game device including: a storage unit that stores the game program of the above aspect;
a control unit that executes the game program;
It is a game device equipped with the above.

This disclosure makes it possible to enhance the sense of immersion through sound effects in virtual spaces.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the concept of sound generation timing correction.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of a game program and a game device will be described.

A game based on this game program is played in a virtual space (three-dimensional). There are no limitations on the type of game. For example, the game could be a competitive action game in which a player character attacks and defeats enemy characters.

<<Configuration of the Game Device>>
<Hardware configuration>
1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game device 5. The game device 5 executes a predetermined game based on user operations. The game device 5 is equipped with a display 61, a speaker 62, and a controller 63, which may be externally connected or built in.

The game device 5 can be a commercially available device such as a personal computer, PlayStation (registered trademark), XBox (registered trademark), PlayStation Vita (registered trademark), or Nintendo Switch (registered trademark).

On the game device 5, the game progresses based on the installed game program and game data. Game devices 5 can also communicate data with each other using a communication network (not shown) or a short-range wireless communication device (not shown).

The game device 5 has a network interface 51, a graphics processing unit 52, an audio processing unit 53, an operation unit 54, a memory unit 55, and a control unit 56. The network interface 51, the graphics processing unit 52, the audio processing unit 53, the operation unit 54, and the memory unit 55 are electrically connected to the control unit 56 via a bus 59.

The network interface 51 is communicatively connected to the communication network to transmit and receive various data, for example, to and from other game devices 5 or external server devices (not shown).

The graphics processing unit 52 renders game images, including the player character and various objects in the virtual space, in a moving image format in accordance with the game image information output from the control unit 56. The graphics processing unit 52 is connected to a display 61 (e.g., a liquid crystal display). The game images rendered in a moving image format are displayed on the display 61 as a game screen.

The audio processing unit 53 is connected to the speaker 62. The audio processing unit 53 plays digital game audio in accordance with instructions from the control unit 56. Specifically, the audio processing unit 53 converts the audio data output by the control unit 56 into an analog signal and outputs it to the speaker 62.

The audio processing unit 53 is configured to output multi-channel audio in order to reproduce three-dimensional sound. Accordingly, multiple speakers 62 are connected to the game device 5. These speakers 62 may be positioned to the left and right, front and rear, or above the listener (e.g., the game player) to reproduce three-dimensional sound.

The operation unit 54 is connected to the controller 63. The operation unit 54 sends and receives signals to and from the controller 63. The game player operates various controls, such as buttons, on the controller 63 to input signals (commands, data, etc.) to the game device 5.

The storage unit 55 is composed of a HDD, SSD, RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit 55 stores game data, various programs including game programs, etc. Examples of game data include game media and user account information.

The control unit 56 controls the operation of the game device 5. The control unit 56 is equipped with a CPU (microcomputer) and semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory stores programs and data for operating the CPU.

<Functional Configuration of Control Unit 56>
The control unit 56 executes the game program to function as a game progression unit 561 and a sound processing unit 562 (see FIG. 1).

-Game Progression Section 561-
The game progression unit 561 causes player characters to move within a virtual space in response to operations by a user (here, a game player). The game progression unit 561 also causes non-player characters and predetermined objects (such as vehicles) to move within the virtual space.

The game progression unit 561 controls the actions of non-player characters and predetermined objects using, for example, AI (artificial intelligence). The game progression unit 561 progresses the game in accordance with the actions of the player characters and non-player characters.

In this game program, a character such as a player character may possess game media within the game screen. "Possession" here means, for example, that the character and game media are displayed together on the display 61. Depending on the game, this "possession" may be expressed as "equipping."

In this game, the game media held by the characters can become virtual sound sources in the virtual space. In other words, in this game, sounds are played as sounds emitted by the game media. In the following, the playback of sounds as sounds emitted by the game media may be expressed as "the game media making a sound."

An example of a game medium that a character possesses is a weapon. In the following, it is assumed that the player character possesses a firearm (e.g., a shotgun) as the game medium.

In this game, firearms may emit gunfire sounds (or, more accurately, sounds that simulate gunfire sounds may be played). For example, in this game program, the user can instruct the player character to fire a firearm by operating a control on the controller 63. In response to the user's command to fire, the game progression unit 561 outputs a signal indicating that the game medium (firearm) will make a sound (hereinafter referred to as a sound generation signal) to the sound processing unit 562.

In this game, a firearm may fire a bullet (ammunition) within the virtual space. In this game, the bullet will land somewhere in the virtual space and emit an impact sound. In response to a user's command to fire, the game progression unit 561 outputs a sound signal indicating that an impact sound will be emitted to the sound processing unit 562.

- Acoustic processing unit 562 -
In this game program, various kinds of sound data are prepared in advance. For example, in this game program, sounds such as the sound of a gun being fired and the sound of a bullet hitting the ground are prepared. The sound processing unit 562 plays back the sound data in accordance with the progress of the game. Specifically, the sound processing unit 562 selects sound data in accordance with the progress of the game and outputs the selected sound data to the audio processing unit 53.

When outputting audio data, the sound processing unit 562 instructs the audio processing unit 53 on the volume. The audio processing unit 53 converts the audio data output by the sound processing unit 562 into an analog signal at the instructed volume and outputs it to the speaker 62.

The sound processing unit 562 performs sound image localization when playing back sound. To perform sound image localization, the sound processing unit 562 sets a virtual sound-receiving point (hereinafter referred to as the virtual microphone L) in the virtual space where sound is heard. In this example, the virtual microphone L is set near the player character. The virtual microphone L has directionality. The virtual microphone L moves in accordance with the movement of the player character.

In this game, acoustic effects are produced to make it appear as if sound is coming from a virtual sound source existing in the virtual space. The sound processing unit 562 outputs sound emitted from a virtual sound source (such as a weapon held by the player character) to the speaker 62 in an acoustic representation that makes it appear as if the sound was collected by a virtual microphone L. The virtual microphone L is a virtual listener and a reference point for sound image localization by the sound processing unit 562.

In the real world, let's say a bullet is fired from a firearm at a close distance (say 50 cm) towards a wall. In this case, the sound of the gunshot and the sound of the bullet hitting the wall will be heard (or heard) at roughly the same time. Generally, the volume level of the gunshot sound is louder than the volume level of the sound of the bullet hitting the wall, so it is thought that the sound of the bullet hitting the wall will be masked by the gunshot sound and will be difficult to hear.

In the world of games, even when a bullet is fired at close range, being able to hear both the gunshot sound and the sound of the bullet hitting the target increases the game's interest. The sound processing unit 562 adjusts (sets) the timing of the sound of the bullet hitting the target so that the impact sound can be recognized.

Here, let's assume that the sound processing unit 562 receives a sound signal indicating a sound (first sound) related to the event of a gunshot (first event). Furthermore, let's assume that the sound processing unit 562 receives a sound signal indicating a sound (second sound) related to the event of a bullet hitting the ground in virtual space (second event).

In this example, the second event (the shot) occurs after the first event (the shot). In particular, in this example, the second event (the shot) occurs as a result of the first event (the shot).

The sound processing unit 562 performs a correction to delay the timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the time at which the second event occurred, depending on the distance between the position in virtual space where the first event occurred and the position in virtual space where the second event occurred. The "timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the time at which the second event occurred" is the timing at which the hypothetical sound would reach the virtual microphone L if it were assumed that the sound of a bullet impact occurred at the same time as the bullet impact (second event). Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, the "timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the time at which the second event occurred" will be referred to as the "logical timing."

The sound processing unit 562 performs the following processing when correcting the sound generation timing:

(1) Record the timing at which the first event, which is the main event, starts sounding. (2) Obtain the logical timing of the second event, which is the subordinate event. (3) Calculate the delay time. The acoustic processing unit 562 calculates the delay time, which is inversely proportional to the time from the timing at which the first event starts sounding to the logical timing of the second event (or the distance between the position at which the first event occurs and the position at which the second event occurs).

The logical timing can be calculated as follows:

(3-1) Determine the distance between the location where the first event occurred and the location where the second event occurred.

(3-2) Determine the logical timing based on the calculated distance, bullet speed, and speed of sound.

The speed of a bullet can be considered a constant determined by the firearm. The speed of sound can also be treated as a constant. In other words, the acoustic processing unit 562 determines the delay time (correction amount) according to the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred.

If the distance between the location where the first event occurred and the location where the second event occurred is sufficiently large, there is less need to adjust the timing of the second sound. The sound processing unit 562 only makes corrections when the distance between the location where the first event occurred and the location where the second event occurred is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (referred to as the distance threshold).

Figure 2 is a diagram explaining the concept of sound generation timing correction. In Figure 2, the horizontal axis of the graph represents the distance from the firearm (game media) to the point of impact (e.g., a wall). The vertical axis of the graph represents the sound generation time (the time when sound reaches virtual microphone L) associated with the second event. The first event occurs at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal axes.

The dashed line in Figure 2 shows the occurrence time of the second event without correction. In other words, the dashed line shows the logical timing.

In this game program, the minimum distance between the firearm and the target (hereinafter referred to as the closest distance) is set for each type of firearm. In the example in Figure 2, the closest distance is set to a value greater than zero.

As shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, for example, if no onset time correction is performed, the sound related to the second event will be produced immediately after the first event. On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in Figure 2, if onset time correction is performed, the sound related to the second event will be produced later than in the case without correction.

In this game program, the sound processing unit 562 does not correct the sound generation timing if the location where the second event occurs is farther than the distance range indicated by the dashed line. If the location where the second event occurs is farther than the distance range indicated by the dashed line in Figure 2, the sound is generated at the logical timing.

<<Example of operation>>
When the game starts, the game progression unit 561 moves the player character within the virtual space in response to the user's (the game player's) operation of the controller 63. The game progression unit 561 also moves objects such as non-player characters within the virtual space as necessary.

As the game progresses, let's say the player character encounters an enemy character. At this time, the distance between the player character and the enemy character is less than the distance threshold. Also, let's assume that the enemy character has its back to the wall and is facing the player character.

Now, let's say the user gives a command to fire the firearm held by the player character. In response, the game progression unit 561 outputs a sound signal to the sound processing unit 562.

When the sound processing unit 562 receives a sound signal, it performs the following processing:

(1) Recording the start timing of the sound (first sound) associated with a gunshot (first event) (2) Obtaining the logical timing of the sound (second sound) associated with a bullet impact (second event) (3) Calculating the delay time (4) Outputting audio data The sound processing unit 562 outputs the sound data of the gunshot sound (first sound) to the audio processing unit 53. Furthermore, the sound processing unit 562 outputs the sound data of the bullet impact sound (second sound) to the audio processing unit 53 at a timing to which a delay time has been added. The audio processing unit 53 plays the gunshot sound and the bullet impact sound (outputs to the speaker 62) in accordance with the instructions of the sound processing unit 562. The bullet impact sound is played with a delay from the sound timing determined by the distance between the firearm and the wall.

In summary, this aspect of the invention is a game program that causes a computer to function as a game progression unit 561 and a sound processing unit 562, wherein the game progression unit 561 moves a character in a virtual space in response to user operation, the sound processing unit 562 receives a sound signal indicating a first sound related to a first event generated by game media present in the virtual space, and a sound signal indicating a second sound related to a second event that occurred in the virtual space, and, when the second event occurs after the first event, corrects the sound by delaying the sound timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the time the second event occurred, depending on the distance between the location where the first event occurred and the location where the second event occurred.

Effect of this embodiment
As described above, according to this embodiment, the impact sound (second sound) is played back later than the sound timing determined by the distance between the firearm and the wall (the distance between the position in virtual space where the first event occurred and the position in virtual space where the second event occurred).

As a result, the second sound is less likely to be masked by the first sound. The user will be able to recognize both the sound of the gunfire and the sound of the bullet hitting the ground. In other words, this embodiment makes it possible to enhance the sense of immersion in the virtual space through sound effects.

[Other embodiments]
The game media is not limited to firearms. The pronunciation time correction mechanism can be applied to any game media that produces two or more pronunciations that are related to each other.

Audio data does not necessarily need to be prepared in advance. It can be synthesized or generated each time based on some data or information.

Processing by this program may be performed by a server device to which the user device (game device 5) is connected, or may be shared between the user device and the server device. This is the form that is expected when this program is implemented as a game program for an online game.

The effects of this aspect can be achieved even when these other embodiments are adopted. Furthermore, this embodiment can be combined with other embodiments, and other embodiments can be combined with each other, as appropriate.

5. Gaming devices
55 Storage section
56 Control Unit (Computer)
561 Game Progression Department
562 Acoustic Processing Unit

Claims (4)

The computer functions as the game progression and sound processing unit,
The game progression unit:
In response to user input, the character moves in the virtual space.
The acoustic processing unit includes:
receiving a sound signal indicating a first sound related to a first event generated by a game medium present in the virtual space and a sound signal indicating a second sound related to a second event generated in the virtual space;
In the case where the second event is an event that occurs after the occurrence of the first event,
a correction is made to delay the timing of the second sound generation, which is determined based on the time when the second event occurs, in accordance with the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred;
If it is assumed that the second sound generation occurs simultaneously with the second event at the position where the second event occurs, and the timing at which the assumed sound reaches a virtual sound-receiving point is called logical timing, the correction is to delay the sound generation timing of the second sound generation from the logical timing in accordance with the distance between the position where the first event occurs and the position where the second event occurs,
The acoustic processing unit performs the correction only when a distance between the occurrence position of the first event and the occurrence position of the second event is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.
Game program. The game program of claim 1,
The sound processing unit performs the correction only when the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value. In the game program of claim 1 or 2,
The sound processing unit determines the amount of delay based on a value that is inversely proportional to the distance. a storage unit that stores the game program of claim 1 or claim 2;
a control unit that executes the game program;
A game device comprising: