KR20010054404A - A dance simulation game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: Provided is a dance simulation game machine which also uses hand to dance so that it produces the same atmosphere as real dance. CONSTITUTION: The dance simulation game machine comprises the parts of: a memory which memorizes the generation sequence of direction characters and background music data; a character display(130) which displays the direction characters as regular sequence; a foot switch input tool which uses foot to select one direction among the directions displayed; a player which plays background music; a matching evaluation tool which checks whether gamers' foot is located on the same direction as displayed direction; and an evaluation display which informs the matching results of gamers.

Description

Dance simulation game machine {A DANCE SIMULATION GAME MACHINE}

The present invention relates to a dance simulation game machine that allows the user to enjoy dancing using the whole body in accordance with the background music, and more particularly, to a game device that can implement the same motion as the actual dance using both hands and feet.

Recently, the concept of computer games has changed completely. The classic games that just sit and press the joystick and buttons are obsolete, and multimedia games that use the whole body such as hands, feet, head, and senses are gaining sensation among young people.

DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) drives this mood. Developed by Japanese game machine maker Konami Co., Ltd, DDR (trade name) is a dance simulation game machine that can move your body to match the background music.

1 shows the appearance of a conventional dance simulation game machine (aka DDR).

The game machine 1 is constructed by mounting various components inside the main body 2. The main body 2 has main bodies 110 and 3 and an upper box 4 attached to the upper portion. The upper part of the main body 110, 3 is provided with a screen display unit (5). The monitor 6 using a CRT is provided in the screen display part 5, and long decorative lamps 7A and 7A are provided on both sides of the monitor 6, respectively. The control panel 7 is interposed between the screen display unit 5 and the main body 3. A large-capacity speaker 8 is provided on both sides of the front part of the main body 3, and a coin inlet 9 and a coin return port 10 are provided in the center thereof.

The control panel 7 is adjusted in height so as to be positioned where the player's hand can easily reach when the player stands facing the monitor 6. On both sides of the control panel 7, left and right selection buttons 11 and decision and start buttons 12 are provided to form a pair.

A footrest 13 is installed in front of the main body 3 so that the player can dance freely, and two footswitch panels 14 are disposed on the footrest 13. The footrest 13 and the main body 3 are connected by the flexible wired cable 15.

The upper box 4 is supported by two support frames 16 on the upper portion of the screen display unit 5. The upper box 4 has a decorative panel 17 at the center thereof, and a small speaker 18 and a plurality of decorative lamps 19 are disposed at each end thereof.

2 shows a detailed configuration of the footswitch panel 14 provided on the upper surface of the scaffold.

As shown in FIG. 2, the footswitch panel 14 is partitioned horizontally and vertically in a matrix form. Four footswitches indicating east, west, south, and north are arranged at the centers of rows and columns except the center part 22. The direction indication character 21 (arrow) is displayed. Under the foot switch panel 14, a touch signal generation circuit (not shown in the figure) is generated to generate a switching signal when the player steps on the direction display character 21. This touch signal is transmitted to the microprocessor built in the main body 3 through the above-mentioned wired cable 15.

3 shows a game description displayed through a monitor during game play.

A pair of groover gauge display sections 31 are provided above the game screen, and a pair of score display sections 32 are provided below. On the desktop of the monitor, a video 33 or the like for enhancing the mood of the game is displayed. For example, the dancing that matches the music played on the game machine is displayed.

The grubber gauge display unit 31 is displayed with a gauge frame 34 and a gauge bar 35 (hatching part in the drawing) which expands and contracts based on the left end of the gauge frame 34 in accordance with the right and left play. The score display unit 32 displays game scores corresponding to the footsteps of the player.

Under the groove gauge display part 31, the character accommodation zone 38 for accommodating the some direction indication character 36 (arrow) rising from the bottom of a screen is respectively arrange | positioned. The character accommodation zone 38 is composed of four arrow accommodation zones 37a to 37d pointing east, west, south and north.

The plurality of dynamic characters 36 generated at the bottom of the monitor screen move at a constant speed from the bottom of the screen toward the top of the screen, and are accommodated in the corresponding zones of the character receiving zone 38.

Hereinafter, a process in which a player enjoys a dance simulation game using the game machine having the above-described configuration will be described in detail.

In the state where the player has climbed on the footrest 13, the game player inputs an appropriate coin through the coin inlet 9 of the main body 3. When the coin is inserted, the monitor 6 of the screen display unit displays three play modes for selecting the difficulty level. The play mode has three modes: easy, normal, and hard.

When the play mode is displayed on the screen, the player selects a mode to be played by using the selection button 11 of the control panel 7 and then presses the decision button 12.

When the selection of the play mode is completed, the song to be played is selected. This is also determined through the same process as selecting the play mode. When the selection of the playing music is completed, the player presses the start button 11 of the control panel 7 and enters a full-scale dance simulation game.

That is, the user watches the dynamic character 36 generated at the bottom of the monitor screen while standing in the neutral region 22 of the footswitch panel 14. When the dynamic character 36 moves to the upper end of the screen and enters the corresponding accommodation zones 37a to 37b, the same direction indication character 21 of the footswitch panel 14 may be stepped on accurately. At this time, if the footswitch panel 14 is correctly stepped on, the capacity of the gauge bar 35 of the grubber gauge display unit 31 is increased, and if the touch of the footswitch panel 14 is incorrect, Gauge bar 35 capacity is reduced. The game ends when the gauge bar 35 of the groover gauge indicator 31 is used up.

In this way, the player can reproduce an operation such as actually dancing by stepping the footswitch panel 14 back and forth in accordance with the rhythm of the background music ringing through the speakers 8 and 18 of the game machine.

However, this conventional rhythm dance game machine does not satisfy the desire of game enthusiasts to reproduce the actual dance almost identically because only the feet reproduce the dance suitable for the background music. Therefore, a simulation game machine that can reproduce the actual dance as it is required.

The present invention was devised to satisfy the demands of these game enthusiasts.

That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a new dance simulation game machine capable of operating both hands and feet in accordance with the rhythm.

In particular, the present invention is divided into play mode (hand mode), foot mode (foot mode), dual mode (dual mode) to the rhythm dance game machine that can implement a variety of dances according to the choice of the player to provide.

The dance simulation game machine of the present invention includes: memory means for storing a generation procedure and background music data of a plurality of direction characters indicating at least four directions to be displayed on a display screen; Display movement means for displaying the direction character on the display screen and moving at a constant speed according to the generation procedure thereof; A foot switch input means for allowing the player to select any one of the direction indicated by the direction character displayed on the display screen using his foot; Playing means for playing the background music; Matching evaluation means for evaluating whether or not the player's foot selected the same direction as the direction indicated by the matched direction character when the predetermined direction character moving on the display screen matches the fixed zone on the screen; In a dance simulation game machine having evaluation display means for displaying information corresponding to the evaluation result of the evaluation means to a game player, the player uses his or her hand in any of the directions indicated by the direction character displayed on the display screen. It further includes a hand switch input means for selecting by.

In addition, in the game machine of the present invention, the plurality of direction characters stored in the storage means also indicates the type of input means for the player to select the direction of instruction in addition to the direction of instruction, and the matching evaluation means determines whether the direction and the viewpoint match. It also evaluates whether the input means represented by the character and the input means executed by the player are the same.

In addition, the foot switch input means is disposed in the form of a touch switch on the footrest installed in front of the game machine so that the player can move freely to move the body, the hand switch input means can be easily touched while the player is on the footrest It is installed to adjust the height and angle at the top of the game machine.

In addition, the hand switch input means is attached to the upper portion of the game machine by a flexible support freely adjustable height and angle, the inside of the flexible support is provided with a wired cable for transmitting a signal.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be described below and will be appreciated by the practice of the invention. Furthermore, the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by means and combinations indicated in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description of the following preferred embodiments, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

1 is an external perspective view of a conventional dance simulation game machine.

2 is a diagram illustrating a foot switch panel applied to a conventional dance simulation game machine.

3 shows a game description displayed through a monitor during game play.

4 is a side view of the dance simulation game machine according to the present invention.

5 is a view showing a hand switch panel applied to the dance simulation game machine according to the present invention.

6 is a diagram illustrating a foot switch panel applied to a dance simulation game machine according to the present invention.

7 shows a game description displayed on a monitor during game play using the game machine of the present invention.

8 is a block diagram of a control system applied to the game machine of the present invention.

9A shows the dance operation mode, and FIG. 9B shows the difficulty mode.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

110: main body 120: control panel

130: screen display unit 140: scaffold

150: upper box 155: flexible support

170: hand switch panel 180: foot switch panel

172a ~ 172d: direction indicator characters

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are shown in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, in the structure of this invention, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted about the structure similar to the conventional game machine in the range which does not impair the technical summary of this invention.

4 is a side view of the game machine according to the present invention. The perspective is omitted by referring to FIG. 1, which is a diagram of a conventional game machine.

The game machine 100 of the present invention includes a main body 101 composed of a main body 110, a control panel 120, and a screen display unit 130, and a flexible wired cable 145 installed in front of the main body 110. It is composed of a footrest 140 is connected by a) and the upper box 150 disposed on the upper end of the screen display unit 130.

The upper box 150 and the screen display unit 130 are connected by a flexible support 155 having a hollow therein. The flexible support 155 should be made of a flexible material (or corrugated waveform to have elasticity) so that the player can adjust the height and angle of the upper box 150 at will. In addition, the flexible support 155 should be made of a material having a strength enough to withstand the load of the upper box 150. In some cases, at least two flexible supporters 155 may be installed between the upper box 150 and the screen display unit 130. Therefore, the flexible support 155 is preferably molded from a plastic having both strength and elasticity. A hollow 156 is formed inside the flexible support 155, and a cable 157 capable of transmitting a signal through the hollow 156 is inserted therein.

The decorative panel unit disposed on the front of the upper box 150 is provided with a hand switch panel 170 having a shape as shown in FIG. 5. The hand switch panel 170 is partitioned horizontally and vertically in a matrix form, and four direction display characters 172a to 172d are referred to as east, west, south, and north at the centers of rows and columns except for the central portion 171. ) Is displayed. These direction indication characters 172a to 172d are fist-shaped hands pointing in the desired direction with the index finger while the thumb and the index finger are open.

A lower portion of the hand switch panel 170 includes a touch signal generation circuit (not shown in the figure) that generates a switching signal when the player steps on the corresponding direction display characters 172a to 172d. The touch signal is transmitted to the microprocessor embedded in the main body 110 through the wired cable 157 penetrating the inside of the flexible support 155 described above.

Since the rest of the configuration of the upper box 150 is the same as a conventional game machine, the description thereof is omitted by referring to FIG. 1.

The front of the game machine main body 110 is provided with the same footing 140 as in the prior art, the footing 140 is connected to the main body 110 by a flexible wired cable 145. A foot switch panel 180 as shown in FIG. 6 is installed on an upper surface of the foot plate 110.

The footswitch panel 180 is partitioned horizontally and vertically in a matrix form, and four direction display characters 182a to 182d are referred to as east, west, south, and north at the center of the rows and columns except for the central portion 181. ) Is displayed. These direction display characters 182a to 182d are foot shapes in which the toes point in a desired direction as shown in FIG.

A lower portion of the foot switch panel 180 includes a touch signal generation circuit (not shown) that generates a switching signal when the player presses the direction display characters 182a to 182d. The touch signal is transmitted to the microprocessor embedded in the main body 110 through the wired cable 145 described above.

A control panel 120 having the same configuration as that of FIG. 1 is interposed between the main body 110 and the screen display unit 130 of the game machine.

7 shows a game description displayed on the monitor during game play through the present game machine.

A pair of groover gauge display units 210 are provided above the game screen, and a pair of score display units 220 are provided below. On the background of the monitor 200, a video 230 or the like for enhancing the mood of the game is displayed. For example, the dancing that matches the music played on the game machine is displayed.

The groover gauge display unit 210 is displayed with a gauge frame 211 and a gauge bar 212 (hatching part in the drawing) which expands and contracts based on the left end of the gauge frame 211 according to the right and left play. The score display unit 220 displays game scores corresponding to the footsteps of the player.

Under each grooved gauge display unit 210, a character accommodation zone 250 for accommodating a plurality of direction display characters 240 coming up from the bottom of the screen is disposed. The character accommodation zone 250 is divided into two left and right areas. The hand character receiving zone 251 is disposed in the left zone, and the foot character receiving zone 252 is disposed in the right zone. In addition, the hand and foot character receiving zones 251 and 252 are formed of four hand-shaped and foot-shaped individual receiving zones respectively pointing east, west, south and north.

The plurality of dynamic characters 240 generated at the bottom of the monitor screen move at a constant speed toward the top of the screen from the bottom of the screen and are accommodated in the corresponding zones of the character accommodation zone 250. For example, a dynamic hand-shaped character pointing east (right side of the drawing) moves upward from the bottom of the screen and is accommodated in a hand-shaped foot character receiving zone pointing east in the hand character receiving zone of the left zone.

8 is a view showing the configuration of the control system of the game machine of the present invention. As is clear from this figure, the game machine is mainly composed of a microprocessor, and the CPU 310 performs various operations and motion control necessary for the progress of the game, and a desired image is displayed on the monitor according to the instructions from the CPU 310. The depiction control device 320 depicted, the sound control device 330 for outputting the desired sound through the speaker 335 according to the command from the CPU 310, and the decoration or the like according to the command from the CPU 310. An illuminance control device 340 for changing the brightness of the light source, a RAM 350 as a storage means, a ROM 360, and an auxiliary memory device 397. As a storage medium of the auxiliary storage device 397, a so-called hard disk storage device having a magnetic storage medium is used, and its storage capacity is set much larger than that of RAM and ROM. The sound control device 310 receives the PCM data or the ADPCM data recorded in the auxiliary memory device 397 according to the instruction from the CPU 310 and outputs the sound corresponding to the data through the speaker 335. Have

Each of the control devices 320, 330, 340, RAM 350, ROM 360, and auxiliary storage device 397 is connected to the CPU 310 via a bus 311. The CPU 310 is connected to a hand switch input device 380, a foot switch input device 370, an auxiliary input device 390, and a coin handling device 395 via a bus 311.

The hand switch input device 380 corresponds to the hand switch panel 170 of FIG. 4, the foot switch input device 370 corresponds to the foot switch panel 180 of FIG. 4, and the auxiliary input device 390 controls. Corresponds to the selection switch and the decision and start switch provided in the panel 120.

In addition, the coin management device 395 determines whether or not the coin that is determined to be appropriate to the coin inserted into the coin inlet on the front of the main body 110 is inappropriate to the collection container (not shown in the drawing) is a game machine Distribute each to the coin return sphere.

The ROM 360 records programs and data necessary for controlling basic operations and the like when the game machine starts up. The auxiliary memory device 397 records data on the generation sequence of the dynamic direction character displayed through the monitor, and performance data of various songs as BGM (Back Ground Music) used in the game machine. In particular, the performance data is loaded into a predetermined area of the RAM 350 in response to a command from the CPU 310. The performance data is created from PCM data or ADPCM data.

In addition, the screen drawing control device 320 of the present invention is a dynamic character 240 for indicating various directions based on the data of the generation sequence of the dynamic direction character 240 stored in the auxiliary memory device (397) It is generated according to the generation procedure and moved to the top of the screen to match the corresponding zone of the character accommodation zone 250 at the top of the screen.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the types of play modes a game player should select when executing a game.

FIG. 9A shows a dance operation mode in the play mode, and FIG. 9B shows a difficulty mode.

The dance operation mode is largely composed of a hand mode, a foot mode, and a dual mode. The hand mode is a mode for selecting when the player enjoys the rhythm dance using only the above-described hand switch panel, and the foot mode is a mode for selecting when enjoying the rhythm dance using only the foot switch panel as in a conventional game machine. In addition, the dual mode is a mode in which the player selects a rhythm dance using both the hand switch panel and the foot switch panel at the same time.

The difficulty mode is a mode that determines the difficulty level of easy, normal, and hard games.

Hereinafter, a process in which a player enjoys a dance simulation game using the game machine of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9.

The player who wants to enjoy the game puts the appropriate coin through the coin entrance while standing on the platform. When the coin is input, the screen display unit 200 displays a command to select one of the dance operation mode among the hand mode, the foot mode, and the dual mode. At this time, the player selects the desired dance operation mode using the selection button on the control panel 120 and then presses the decision button. For example, when the player selects the hand mode or the dual mode, the height and angle of the upper box 150 are adjusted by moving the flexible support 155 according to his key so as to easily touch the hand switch panel. .

When the dance operation mode is determined, a command for selecting one of the difficulty modes of the easy mode, the normal mode, and the hard mode is displayed on the screen display unit. At this time, the player selects the desired difficulty mode using the selection button on the control panel 120 and then presses the decision button.

When the selection of the play mode is finally completed, the song to be played is selected. This is also determined through the same process as selecting the play mode. When the selection of the playing piece is completed, the player presses the start button of the control panel 120 and enters a full-scale dance simulation game.

That is, the user watches the dynamic character 240 generated at the bottom of the monitor screen while standing in the neutral region 181 of the footswitch panel 180. At the moment when the dynamic character 240 moves to the top of the screen and enters the corresponding accommodation zone 250, the same direction indication characters 172a to 172d and 182a to 182d of the hand switch panel 170 and the foot switch panel 180 are displayed. Touch). At this time, if the user presses the hand switch panel 170 or the foot switch panel 180 correctly, the capacity of the gauge bar 212 of the groove gauge display unit 210 is increased, and conversely, the hand switch panel 170 or the foot switch panel ( If the touch of 180 is incorrect, the capacity of the gauge bar 212 of the groover gauge display 210 is reduced. The game ends when the gauge bar 212 of the groover gauge display 210 runs out.

In this way, the game player can reproduce an operation such as actually dancing by touching the hand switch panel 170 or the foot switch panel 180 to the rhythm of the background music ringing through the speaker of the game machine.

In particular, when the dual mode is selected, you can dance with both hands and feet to match the background music, so you can have the same feeling and atmosphere as if you were actually performing a dance.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are made by those skilled in the art within the equivalent scope of the technical concept of the present invention and the claims to be described below. Of course it is possible.

Unlike the conventional game machine of the present invention, since the dance can be performed using not only the feet but also the hands, the game machine can produce the same atmosphere as the actual dance.

Claims (3)

Storage means for storing generation procedures and background music data of a plurality of direction characters indicative of at least four directions to be displayed on a display screen; Display movement means for displaying the direction character on the display screen and moving at a constant speed according to the generation procedure thereof; A foot switch input means for allowing the player to select any one of the direction indicated by the direction character displayed on the display screen by using his foot; Playing means for playing the background music; Matching evaluation means for evaluating whether or not the player's foot selected the same direction as the direction indicated by the matched direction character when the predetermined direction character moving on the display screen matches the fixed zone on the screen; In a dance simulation game machine having evaluation display means for displaying information corresponding to the evaluation result of the evaluation means to the game player, A hand switch input means for allowing a player to select any one of the directions indicated by the direction character displayed on the display screen using his hand; The plurality of direction characters stored in the storage means also shows information about the type of input means for which the game player will select the direction of indication as well as the direction of instruction. And the matching evaluating means evaluates not only whether the direction and the viewpoint match, but also whether the input means represented by the character and the input means executed by the player are the same. The method of claim 1, The footswitch input means is arranged in the form of a touch switch on the footrest installed in front of the game machine so that the player can move freely to move the body, the hand switch input means is a game machine so that the player can easily touch the state on the footrest Dance simulation game machine, characterized in that installed on top of the height and angle adjustable. The method of claim 2, The hand switch input means is attached to the upper portion of the game machine by a flexible support freely adjustable height and angle, the inside of the flexible support is a dance simulation game machine, characterized in that a wired cable for transmitting a signal is provided.