JPH0451984A - Computer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reproduce the passage of processing a program by time-sequentially writing an operation data, which is generated by a manual operation, into a memory and reading the operation data stored in the memory in the order of writing it suitably according to a command from a source. CONSTITUTION:An input means 24 transmits the operation data generated based on the manual operation to a main body 2 of a computer and time- sequentially writes the operation data into a memory 13. While responding to a command signal transmitted from the suitable source, an output means 25 reads the operation data stored in the memory 13 according to the order of writing it by the input means 24 and transmits the data to the main body 2 of the computer. As the result, even without repeatedly executing the same operation input, the passage of processing the program in the past can be reproduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention provides a computer system in which an input means to a computer main body is provided with a memory for storing a history of operation inputs, so that the progress of operation inputs can be reproduced at any time. Regarding.

[Prior Art] A TV game machine 1 shown in FIG. 3 includes a game machine main body 2 that operates according to game software that is converted into hardware and is commercially available, and a receiver 3 such as a television receiver for image monitoring. By connecting the input device 4 and operating the input device 4 connected to the game console main body 2 with a dedicated cable, the player can easily enjoy a game against an enemy character that moves on the screen in accordance with the operation input. There is. The input device 4 is equipped with operation input means such as a joystick and a shoot button so that the most appropriate manual operation can be selected as the game progresses, but in addition to these basic operation input means, there are also jog dials and throttle levers. Furthermore, some devices are equipped with operation input means such as handles that are turned into tools for different purposes, and players can gain an upper hand in the game by selecting the most suitable means for the game situation from among these operation input means. You can proceed to However, even when players try the same game software, there are individual differences in the level of proficiency among players, and the time it takes to reach a certain skill level and the time it takes to overcome a difficult situation in the middle of a game can vary widely. However, various instruction manuals have been published about the so-called virtuosic operation methods that require advanced finger movements and intuition, and are aimed at how to achieve the game goal in the shortest distance and in the shortest amount of time. This is because this is the player's biggest concern.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional TV game machine 1 described above, if the user who purchased the game software has normal reflexes, it is not possible to reach a certain level of proficiency with a certain amount of effort. can.

However, as the game progresses beyond a certain stage, the difficulty of the game increases and a higher level of skill is required, so players may inevitably hit a wall in the game where they cannot progress any further. The only way to break through the walls of this game is to master the skills to break through the impasse, but this requires a great deal of dedication, and inevitably the number of times you have to try the game again. I will do it.

However, the conventional TV game machine 1 is configured so that when the player loses during the game and the game is over, the player can try again by starting the game from the beginning. Even if the game can be progressed with some ease, by the time the player reaches the immediate goal, their patience and concentration are often running out, even if they are not aware of it, and this makes it difficult to break the deadlock. The game is over immediately without being able to grasp the clues to play, or when you try again, you are forced to perform redundant operation inputs such as playing the game from the basic level when you are already proficient, so it is difficult to improve your skills. Fatigue from repeating basic operation inputs that seem unrelated to
There are many cases in which players tend to lose their desire to play due to the feeling of frustration when faced with a difficult situation, and each time they hit a wall, they gradually lose their desire to try again, eventually losing interest in the game itself and getting bored. The game software distribution market was also faced with problems such as a decline in the desire to purchase similar game software, causing the game software distribution market to lose its vitality.

There are also computer systems in which the game console body 2 is equipped with a memory that stores the history of operation inputs; As a result, the manufacturing cost of the game console 2 is high, and even users who think that such a history storage function is unnecessary have to prepare for the high purchase cost corresponding to the memory included. I was faced with the issue of

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention solves the above problems, and transmits operation data generated based on manual operations to a computer main body, and also stores the operation data in a memory in chronological order. It is characterized by comprising an input means for writing, and an output means for reading out the operation data stored in the memory according to the writing order of the input means in response to a command signal sent from an appropriate source, and sending it to the computer main body. That is.

[Function] This invention sends the operation data generated by manual operation to the computer main body, writes it into the memory in chronological order, and writes the operation data stored in the memory into the input means in accordance with instructions from the source as appropriate. By sequentially reading out the read operation inputs and sending the read operation inputs to the computer main body, it is possible to reproduce the progress of program digestion performed in the past without repeatedly performing the same operation inputs.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of a TV game machine to which the computer system of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is an external view of the input device shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, a TV game machine 11 is provided with a memory 13 within an input device 12 as an operation input storage means.
By reading out the operation inputs stored in the game console 2 according to the history in response to commands from the outside, and sending the read operation inputs to the game console 2, the progress of past operation inputs can be updated as the game progresses. It is made so that it can be reproduced.

An input device 12 having an input means and an output means has an appearance shown in FIG. 2, and is connected to a game machine main body 2, which corresponds to a computer main body, with a dedicated cable. At the bottom center of the panel of the input device 12, a Lancel button 14, which is necessary for starting the game or selecting a screen, is arranged. Above the Lancel button 14, there is a handle 15 for selecting the direction of movement on the screen. A throttle lever 16 for changing gears is provided. Reference numeral 17 denotes a trigger button, which is used for firing a bullet or delivering a punch to defeat an opponent. In addition, there is a joystick 18 used for specifying the direction of movement such as left, right, front, back, diagonal, etc.
Jog dials 19, which are used to input operations with forward and reverse directionality, are arranged below and above the panel with the throttle lever 16 in between.

The input device 12 shown in the embodiment is also provided with a numeric keypad 21 in which 16 numeric keys 20 are arranged, in addition to the above-mentioned various operation input means with fixed uses, as will be described later. By replacing the numeric keypad 20 with function keys, a time-series operation input group that is a composite of a series of operation inputs can be substituted and input using key operations. In addition, a total of 16 types of numeric keypad 20 are available, including numerical input keys from 40'' to 9'', four arithmetic operation keys ``÷'', ``±'', and clear/all clear keys C/AC''. has been done.

Furthermore, the input device 12 includes a display panel 22 using a light emitting diode and a display panel 23 using a liquid crystal.
However, the three display panels 22 provided above the handle 15 on the left and right sides have 32 LEDs arranged along a semicircle, and can display the direction and the amount of memory used. The display panel 23 includes a 7-segment liquid crystal display element that displays 8-digit numerical values, and a liquid crystal display element that displays four types of input modes: emulation, clock, calculation, and native, which will be described later. It has a liquid crystal display element that shows the selection status of five types of macro functions. The input modes include an emulation mode in which you can only use the joystick 18 or handle 15, which is a typical boat operation input means (however, you cannot use the handle 15 when you are using the joystick 18), and the throttle lever 16. There are three modes: a native mode that can be used in conjunction with other operation input means such as the jog dial 19 or the handle 15, and a calculation mode that uses the numeric keyboard 21 for calculations.
There is a street. In addition, the macro functions are REC, which records the history of operation inputs, PLAY, which plays back the history of stored operation inputs, and EDI, which adds functions to the numeric keypad.
T.

MEMORY to know the memory contents of the memory 13, P to record the subsequent operation input after replaying the operation input that has already been recorded.
There are LAY-REC, etc.

By the way, the operation input means 24 such as the joystick 18
and the numeric keyboard 21 are connected to a control section 25 for bus control.
The memory 13 is connected to the CPU 26 inside the input device 12 and the external game machine main body 2 via the bus, and the memory 13 is branch-connected in the middle of the bus connecting the CPU 2B and the control section 25, which is an output means. The CPU 26 centrally controls all the circuits inside the input device 12, and writing and reading data to and from the memory 13 is also controlled by the CPU 26.

Here, the input device 12 is powered on and either emulation mode or native mode is selected. Next, in order to provide the numeric keypad 20 with an operation input complex function, the user selects the edit mode from among the macro functions while pressing the numeric keypad "AC". Therefore, for example, in order to assign the input necessary for an upward movement operation input using the joystick 18 to the operation input "55" in which "5" on the numeric keypad 20 is input twice in succession, the numeric keypad 20
Use relative address e.g. 0000 (initial value is oo
oo) and specify the storage location in the memory 13. Next, input an upward operation using the joystick 18, then press the numeric keypad 20 and input r5517J. However, "55" followed by <r17J indicates that the upward movement operation is performed 17 times in a row. In this way, multiple operation inputs that you want to execute in a certain sequence within a certain period of time are shortened to operation inputs using "0" to "9" on the numeric keypad 20 to which a series of operation contents are assigned and registered, and stored in the memory 13. This allows the player to easily perform multiple operation inputs desired at various stages of the game.

By the way, the input device 12 uses the macro function to
The progress of operation input can be recorded along its history. In that case, first select the RFC mode before starting the game. After the start of the game, a series of operation inputs made as the game progresses are input from the operation input means 24, such as the joystick 18, or from the numeric keypad 20, which is converted into a function key, as data indicating input timing and input content. The data is sequentially loaded into the memory 13 via the control unit 25.

Therefore, even if you lose the game at a certain point and the game is over, the sequence of operation inputs up to that point will be
This is stored and saved in the memory 13 as an operation input history.

Therefore, when trying the game again after the game over,
When the PLAY mode is selected, the operation inputs input so far are read out from the memory 13 along the history. Therefore, the input device 12 will act on behalf of the player to reproduce the content of the game that was just played in its entirety, and the player will rely on the machine to proceed with the game for parts that the player is already sufficiently proficient at. can be done. By switching from the PLAY mode to the REC mode when the player reaches a point that is a barrier to game improvement, the player can proceed with the game by taking over the subsequent stages.

Therefore, in areas that you have already mastered, you will not have to repeat the same operations, and you will be able to put your full effort into the game from slightly before reaching the barrier that is blocking the wall. By practicing accurately and thoroughly, you will be able to enjoy the fun of the game until the end without giving up on the challenge mid-game.

In the above embodiment, the player himself switches to the REC mode in the middle of the PLAY mode, but the P
When the LAY/REC mode is selected, it is possible to select a mode in which a prerecorded operation input progress is played back and recording is automatically started at the end of playback.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, a TV game machine machine was used as an example, but the computer system of the present invention can be applied to a TV game machine as long as it is equipped with software whose program is digested in response to a purposeful operation input. It can be applied not only to mechanics 1 but also to all other machines and devices.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention sends operation data generated by manual operation to the computer main body, writes it in the memory in chronological order, and stores it in the memory in accordance with instructions from the source as appropriate. Since the configuration is such that the operation data is read out in the order in which it was written in the input means, and the read operation input is sent to the computer main body, it is possible to reproduce the progress of program digestion performed in the past without repeating the same operation input. For example, in a game where the progress of a game is controlled by a computer or game console according to game software, even if the player's skill hits a wall at a certain stage, the operation input means until the game is over. The input history can be automatically reproduced by reading out the memory contents of the operation input storage means, and as a result, the player himself can automatically reproduce the operation up to the barrier without using any direct effort. By switching from automatic reproduction to manual reproduction in the situation you are aiming for or in any situation you think is important, players can concentrate all their attention at once and play, allowing you to focus only on deadlocked situations or important situations. This allows users to practice systematically and thoroughly, allowing them to experience the fun of the game to the end without abandoning the challenge midway through the game, expanding the user's basic ability, and further improving the computer skills. Instead of forcing the user to incur a considerable burden when purchasing the main unit, as in the case of computer systems that are equipped with memory to store operation input history within the main unit or game console, we will ship a built-in memory type to the market as one of the multiple input devices. By doing so, excellent effects such as being able to provide a computer system with a wide range of options for a wide range of users with different purchasing motivations and purchase limits can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a TV game machine to which the computer system of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is an external view of the input device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a conventional 1 is a circuit configuration diagram showing an example of a TV game machine. 210. Game console body, 11. , TV game machine, i2.
,,input device,13. ,,memory. 20, , source (numeric keypad), 24. ,,input means (operation input means), 25. ,,output means (control unit).

Claims (1)

[Claims] input means for transmitting operation data generated based on manual operation to the computer main body and writing the operation data in a memory in chronological order; 1. A computer system comprising: an output means for reading the operation data written in the input means in accordance with the writing order of the input means and transmitting the read operation data to the computer main body.