U.S. patent application number 11/279877 was filed with the patent office on 2007-10-18 for a method and apparatus for providing a simulated band experience including online interaction and downloaded content.
Invention is credited to Eran Egozy, Alex Rigopulos.
Application Number | 20070243915 11/279877 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38605453 |
Filed Date | 2007-10-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070243915 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Egozy; Eran ; et
al. |
October 18, 2007 |
A Method and Apparatus For Providing A Simulated Band Experience
Including Online Interaction and Downloaded Content
Abstract
A method for facilitating real-time interaction between a first
and second player of a music-based video game via a network having
unpredictable delivery latency includes displaying to a first
player target musical data associated with a musical composition
downloaded from an online venue, receiving music performance input
from the first player via a controller resembling a first musical
instrument, displaying to a second player, the second player
located remotely from the first player, target musical data
associated with the musical composition, and receiving music
performance input from the second player.
Inventors: |
Egozy; Eran; (Cambridge,
MA) ; Rigopulos; Alex; (Cambridge, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CHOATE, HALL & STEWART LLP
TWO INTERNATIONAL PLACE
BOSTON
MA
02110
US
|
Family ID: |
38605453 |
Appl. No.: |
11/279877 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B 15/00 20130101;
G09B 5/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/007 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A method for facilitating real-time interaction between a first
and second player of a music-based video game via a network
comprising: a. displaying to a first player target musical data
associated with a downloaded musical composition; b. receiving
music performance input from the first player, the received music
performance input associated with a first instrument present in the
musical composition; c. displaying to a second player target
musical data associated with the downloaded musical composition,
the second player located remotely from the first player; and d.
receiving music performance input from the second player, the
received music performance input associated with a second
instrument present in the musical composition.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises displaying to a
first player target musical data associated with a downloaded
musical composition, the target musical data disposed along a
musical time axis that does not lie in the image plane of a display
associated with the first player.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises receiving music
performance input from the first player via a controller resembling
a first musical instrument.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) comprises receiving music
performance input from the second player, the received music
performance input associated with a second instrument present in
the musical composition, wherein the first player and second player
cooperate to provide music performance input.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of a.
displaying to a third player target musical data associated with a
musical composition, the third player physically proximate to the
first player; and b. receiving music performance input from the
third player, the received music performance input associated with
a third instrument present in the musical composition.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving
emulation data representing music performance input from the second
player.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of generating
a local approximation of the second player's music performance
input using the emulation data, the local approximation synchronous
with a local musical performance.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of downloading
content usable with the game.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of downloading
an avatar for display to the first player.
10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading a play arena for the game.
11. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading an instrument for display with an avatar.
12. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading an outfit for an avatar.
13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading an accessory for an avatar.
14. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading an avatar action for execution.
15. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading a new style of musical instrument for display with an
avatar.
16. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading a new type of instrument for display with an
avatar.
17. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading a banner associated with a plurality of avatars for
display.
18. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading stage equipment associated with a plurality of
avatars.
19. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of
downloading pyrotechnic stage equipment associated with a plurality
of avatars.
20. A system for facilitating real-time interaction between a first
and second player of a music-based video game via a network, the
system comprising: a. means for displaying to a first player target
musical data associated with a musical composition downloaded from
an online venue; b. means for receiving music performance input
from the first player, the received music performance input
associated with a first instrument present in the musical
composition; c. means for displaying to a second player, the second
player located remotely from the first player, target musical data
associated with the downloaded musical composition; and d. means
for receiving music performance input from the second player.
21. The system of claim 20 further comprising means for displaying
to a first player target musical data associated with a musical
composition downloaded from an online venue, the target musical
data disposed along a musical time axis that does not lie in the
image plane of a display associated with the first player.
22. The system of claim 20 wherein the means for receiving music
performance input comprises a controller resembling a first musical
instrument.
23. The system of claim 20 further comprising means for assigning a
single score to the first player and the second player responsive
to the music performance input received from the first and second
player in cooperation.
24. The system of claim 20 further comprising: a. means for
displaying to a third player target musical data associated with a
downloaded musical composition, the third player physically
proximate to the first player; and b. means for receiving music
performance input from the third player, the received music
performance input associated with a third instrument present in the
musical composition.
25. The system of claim 20 further comprising means for receiving
emulation data representing music performance input from the second
player.
26. The system of claim 25 further comprising means for generating
a local approximation of the second player's music performance
input using the emulation data, the local approximation synchronous
with a local musical performance.
27. The system of claim 20 further comprising means for downloading
content associated with game.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to video games and, more
particularly, to video games in which game players emulate a
musical performance using musical instrument simulators and
interact musically, either cooperatively or competitively, with one
another in real-time using content downloaded from an online
venue.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Music is a temporal medium, the organization of sound in
time. Accordingly, music making is highly timing sensitive. When a
musician presses a key on a piano, the musician expects the result
to be immediately audible. Any delay in hearing the sound, even as
brief as few milliseconds, produces a perceived sluggishness that
impedes the ability of the musician to use the instrument.
[0003] Music making is also often a collaborative effort among many
musicians who interact with each other. One form of musical
interaction popular among non-musicians is provided by a video game
genre known as "rhythm-action," which requires a player to perform
phrases from a pre-recorded musical composition using the video
game's input device. An example of this genre is the BEATMANIA
series of games published by Konami Co., Ltd. of Japan. In this
series of games, notes in musical phrases are graphically displayed
to the player as a series of visual markers spaced along one or
more timeliness each marker corresponds to one note in the phrase.
In the block diagram environment shown in FIG. 1, visual markers
104 move from the top of the display to the bottom of the display.
As each marker on the scrolling timelines 110, 120, 130, 140 passes
a graphical cursor 108 displayed along this timeline, the player
must simultaneously press a button on an input device (not shown)
corresponding to the correct timeline to play the sound of the
corresponding note at the correct time. If the player performs this
action successfully for a sufficient percentage of the notes, he
scores well and wins the game. If the player fails to perform this
action successfully for a sufficient percentage of the notes, he
scores poorly and loses the game. As shown in FIG. 1, two or more
players may compete against each other, typically by each one
attempting to play back different, parallel musical phrases from
the same song simultaneously. The player who plays the highest
percentage of notes correctly achieves the highest score and
wins.
[0004] Multiplayer gaming increasingly incorporates various
networking technologies that allow multiple players to compete
against each other from remote physical locations via networks, and
networked multiplayer gaming has become extremely popular.
Networked gaming is somewhat more difficult in the rhythm-action
genre because both players must have access to the same musical
content in order to play together. Although the same musical
content may be delivered to players with physical delivery of the
game, that solution has the drawback that players often tire of a
restricted subset of game levels.
[0005] It would be desirable to allow players to compete or
cooperate on game levels despite the fact that they may be located
remotely from one another. Further, it would be desirable to allow
players to download additional game levels and additional game
content in order to maintain their engagement with the game.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of the invention to provide a system and
method that a group of individuals connected to a network can use
to compete or collaborate with one another, in real time, in a
rhythm-action game. Players may use game controllers that simulate
musical instruments to enhance their enjoyment of the game. Players
can form one or more bands with other players and participate in
competitions in which their band attempts to perform musical
compositions better than a competing band. The other members of a
player's band may be physically proximate to a player or they may
interact over a network, such as the Internet. Accordingly, a
player is provided with the experience of being a member of a band.
Additionally, game levels, that is, musical compositions or songs,
may be available for download from an online venue to vary the game
experience and keep the player engaged with the game.
[0007] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for
facilitating real-time interaction between a first and second
player of a music-based video game, the first player located
remotely from the second player. Target musical data associated
with a downloaded musical composition is displayed to a first
player. Music performance input is received from the first player
via a controller resembling a first musical instrument. Target
musical data associated with the downloaded musical composition is
displayed to the second player, who is located remotely from the
first player. Music performance input is received from the second
player.
[0008] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a system
for facilitating real-time interaction between a first and second
player of a music-based video game, the first player located
remotely from the second player. The system includes means for
displaying to a first player target musical data associated with a
downloaded musical composition; means for receiving music
performance input from the first player via a controller resembling
a first musical instrument; means for displaying to a second
player, the second player located remotely from the first player,
target musical data associated with the downloaded musical
composition; and means for receiving music performance input from
the second player.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The invention is pointed out with particularity in the
appended claims. The advantages of the invention described above,
as well as further advantages of the invention, may be better
understood by reference to the following description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depiction of one embodiment of a
rhythm-action game environment;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a screen shot depicting one embodiment of a screen
display for a video game in which four players emulate a musical
performance;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a screen shot depicting one embodiment of a screen
display for a video game in which a player emulates a musical
performance by providing vocal input;
[0013] FIG. 4A is a screen shot depicting one embodiment of a
screen display for a video game in which a player emulates a
performance by providing dance input;
[0014] FIG. 4B is a screen shot depicting another embodiment of a
screen display for a video game in which a player emulates a
performance by providing dance input;
[0015] FIG. 5A is a screen shot depicting one embodiment of
competitive play;
[0016] FIG. 5B is a block diagram depicting one embodiment of a
system facilitating remote play for a rhythm-action video game;
and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a screen shot depicting one embodiment of a screen
display for remote head-to-head competition in a video game;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of a screen display
for a video game in which three players emulate a musical
performance is shown. Each player is represented on screen by an
avatar 210, 230, 250. Although FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment in
which three players participate, any number of players may
participate simultaneously. For example, a fourth player may join
the game as a keyboard player. In this case, the screen would be
further subdivided to make room to display a fourth avatar. In some
embodiments, the avatar 210, 230, 250 may be a computer-generated
image. In other embodiments, the avatar may be a digital image,
such as a video capture of a person. The avatar may be modeled on a
famous figure or, in some embodiments, the avatar may be modeled on
the game player associated with the avatar. As shown in FIG. 2,
each avatar 210, 230, 250 associated with a player is associated
with a "lane" 220, 240, 260 that appears to be three-dimensional,
that is, it appears to lie in a plane between the player of the
game and one of the avatars.
[0019] Although depicted in FIG. 2 as a lane, in some embodiments
(not shown), instead of a lane extending from a player's avatar
210, 230, 250, a three-dimensional "tunnel" comprising a number of
lanes extends from the a player's avatar. The tunnel may have any
number of lanes and, therefore, may be triangular, square,
pentagonal, sextagonal, septagonal, octagonal, nonanogal, or any
other closed shape. In still other embodiments, the lanes do not
form a closed shape. The sides may form a road, trough, or some
other complex shape that does not have its ends connected. For ease
of reference throughout the remainder of the document, the game
element extending from an avatar 210, 230, 250, whatever its
configuration, will be referred to as a "lane."
[0020] In some embodiments, the spatial lane does not extend
perpendicularly from the image plane of the display but instead
extends obliquely from the image plane of the display. In further
embodiments, the lane may be curved or may be some combination of
curved portions and straight portions. In still further
embodiments, the lane may form a closed loop through which the
viewer may travel, such as a circular or ellipsoid loop.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, each lane may be subdivided into a
plurality of segments 222, 242, 262. Each segment may correspond to
some unit of musical time, such as a beat, a plurality of beats, a
measure, or a plurality of measures. Although the embodiment shown
in FIG. 2 show equally-sized segments, each segment may have a
different length depending on the particular musical data to be
displayed. As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to musical data, each
segment may be textured or colored to enhance the interactivity of
the display. For embodiments in which a lane comprises a tunnel or
other shape (as described above), a cursor is provided to indicate
which surface is "active," that is, with which lane surface a
player is currently interacting. In these embodiments, the viewer
can use an input device to move the cursor from one surface to
another.
[0022] It should be understood that the display of
three-dimensional "virtual" space is an illusion achieved by
mathematically "rendering" two-dimensional images from objects in a
three-dimensional "virtual space" using a "virtual camera," just as
a physical camera optically renders a two-dimensional view of real
three-dimensional objects. Animation may be achieved by displaying
a series of two-dimensional views in rapid succession, similar to
motion picture films that display multiple still photographs per
second.
[0023] To generate the three-dimensional space, each object in the
three-dimensional space is typically modeled as one or more
polygons, each of which has associated visual features such as
texture, transparency, lighting, shading, anti-aliasing,
z-buffering, and many other graphical attributes. The combination
of all the polygons with their associated visual features can be
used to model a three-dimensional scene. A virtual camera may be
positioned and oriented anywhere within the scene. In many cases,
the camera is under the control of the viewer, allowing the viewer
to scan objects. Movement of the camera through the
three-dimensional space results in the creation of animations that
give the appearance of navigation by the user through the
three-dimensional environment.
[0024] A software graphics engine may be provided which supports
three-dimensional scene creation and manipulation. A graphics
engine generally includes one or more software modules that perform
the mathematical operations necessary to "render" the
three-dimensional environment, which means that the graphics engine
applies texture, transparency, and other attributes to the polygons
that make up a scene. Graphic engines that may be used in
connection with the present invention include Gamebryo,
manufactured by Emergent Game Technologies of Calabasas, Calif.,
the Unreal Engine, manufactured by Epic Games, and Renderware,
manufactured by Criterion Software of Austin, Tex. In other
embodiments, a proprietary graphic engine may be used. In many
embodiments, a graphics hardware accelerator may be utilized to
improve performance. Generally, a graphics accelerator includes
video memory that is used to store image and environment data while
it is being manipulated by the accelerator.
[0025] In other embodiments, a three-dimensional engine may not be
used. Instead, a two-dimensional interface may be used. In such an
embodiment, video footage of a band can be used in the background
of the video game. In others of these embodiments, traditional
two-dimensional computer-generated representations of a band may be
used in the game. In still further embodiments, the background may
only slightly related, or unrelated, to the band. For example, the
background may be a still photograph or an abstract pattern of
colors. In these embodiments, the lane 220, 240, 260 may be
represented as a linear element of the display, such as a
horizontal, vertical or diagonal element.
[0026] Referring back to FIG. 2, a lane 220, 240, 260 has one or
more game "cues", "elements" or "gems" 224, 244, 264 corresponding
to musical events distributed along the lane 220, 240, 260. During
gameplay, the cues appear to flow away from an avatar 210, 230, 250
and toward a game player. The cues 224, 244, 264 are distributed on
the lane 220, 240, 260 in a manner having some relationship to
musical content associated with the game level. For example, the
cues may represent note information (gems spaced more closely
together for shorter notes and further apart for longer notes,
pitch (gems placed on the left side of the lane for notes having
lower pitch and the right side of the lane for higher pitch),
volume (gems may glow more brightly for louder tones), duration
(gems may be "stretched" to represent that a note or tone is
sustained), articulation, timbre or any other time-varying aspects
of the musical content. Although shown in FIG. 2 as a circular
element, the game elements 224, 244, 264 may be any geometric
shape, and may have other visual characteristics, such as
transparency, color, or variable brightness.
[0027] As the game elements 224, 244, 264 move along a respective
lane 220, 240, 260, musical data represented by the game elements
224, 244, 264 may be substantially simultaneously played as audible
music. In some embodiments, audible music represented by a game
element 224, 244, 264 is only played (or only played at full or
original fidelity) if a player successfully "performs the musical
content" by capturing or properly executing the game element 224,
244, 264. In certain embodiments, successfully performing the
musical content triggers or controls the animations of the avatars
210, 230, 250. In other embodiments, the audible music represented
by a game element 224, 244, 264 is modified, distorted, or
otherwise manipulated in response to the player's proficiency in
executing game elements associated with a lane 220, 240, 260. For
example, various digital filters can operate on the audible music
prior to being played by the game player. Various parameters of the
filters can be dynamically and automatically modified in response
the player capturing game elements associated with a lane 220, 240,
260, allowing the audible music to be degraded if the player
performs poorly or enhancing the audible music if the player
performs well. For example, if a player fails to execute a game
event, the audible music represented by the failed event may be
muted, played at less than full volume, or filtered to alter the
its sound. In certain embodiments, a "wrong note" sound may be
substituted for the music represented by the failed event.
Conversely, if a player successfully executes a game event, the
audible music may be played normally. In some embodiments, if the
player successfully executes several, successive game events, the
audible music associated with those events may be enhanced, for
example, by adding an echo or "reverb" to the audible music. The
filters can be implemented as analog or digital filters in
hardware, software, or any combination thereof. Further,
application of the filter to the audible music output, which in
many embodiments corresponds to musical events represented by game
elements 224, 244, 264, can be done dynamically, that is, during
play. Alternatively, the musical content may be processed before
game play begins. In these embodiments, one or more files
representing modified audible output may be created and musical
events to output may be selected from an appropriate file
responsive to the player's performance.
[0028] In addition to modification of the audio aspects of game
events based on the player's performance, the visual appearance of
those events may also be modified based on the player's proficiency
with the game. For example, failure to execute a game event
properly may cause game interface elements to appear more dimly.
Alternatively, successfully executing game events may cause game
interface elements to glow more brightly. Similarly, the player's
failure to execute game events may cause their associated avatar
210, 230, 250 to appear embarrassed or dejected, while successful
performance of game events may cause their associated avatar 210,
230, 250 to appear happy and confident. In other embodiments,
successfully executing game elements associated with a lane 220,
240, 260 causes the avatar 210, 230, 250 associated with that lane
220, 240, 260 to appear to play an instrument, for example, the
drummer avatar 230 will appear to strike the correct drum for
producing the audible music. Successful execution of a number of
successive game elements, or notes, may cause the corresponding
avatar 210, 230, 250 to execute a "flourish," such as kicking their
leg, pumping their fist, performing a guitar "windmill," spinning
around, winking at the "crowd," or throwing drum sticks.
[0029] Player interaction with the game element 224, 244, 264 may
be required in a number of different ways. In general, the player
is required to provide input when a game element 224, 244, 264
passes under or over a respective one of a set of target markers
228, 248, 268 disposed on the lane 220, 240, 260. For example, the
player associated with avatars 210 (lead guitar) or avatar 250
(bass guitar) may use a specialized controller to interact with the
game that simulates a guitar, such as a Guitar Hero SG Controller,
manufactured by RedOctane of Sunnyvale, Calif. In this embodiment,
the player executes the game element by activating the "strum bar"
while pressing the correct fret button of the controller when the
game element 224, 264 passes under the target markers 228, 268. In
other embodiments, the player may execute a game element by
performing a "hammer on" or "pull off," which requires quick
depression or release of a fret button without activation of the
strum bar. In other embodiments the player may be required to
perform a game element using a "whammy bar" provided by the guitar
controller. For example, the player may be required to bend the
pitch of note represented by a game element using the whammy bar.
In some embodiments, the guitar controller may also use one or more
"effects pedals," such as reverb or fuzz, to alter the sound
reproduced by the gaming platform.
[0030] The player associated with the middle avatar 230 (drummer)
may also use a specialized controller to interact with the game
that simulates a drum kit, such as the DrumMania drum controller,
manufactured by Topway Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd. of Shenzhen,
China In some embodiments, the drum controller provides four drum
pads and a kick drum. In other embodiments, the drum controller
surrounds the player, as a "real" drum kit would do. In still other
embodiments, the drum controller is designed to look and feel like
an analog drum kit. In these embodiments, a game element may be
associated with a particular drum. The player strikes the indicated
drum when the game element 244 passes under the target marker 248,
to successfully execute game element 244. In other embodiments, a
player may use a standard game controller to play, such as a
DualShock game controller, manufactured by Sony Corporation.
[0031] In some embodiments, a player is associated with a
"turntable" or "scratch" track. In these embodiments, the player
may provide input using a simulated turntable such as the turntable
controller sold by Konami Corporation.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 3, a screen shot depicting one
embodiment of a screen display for a video game in which a player
emulates a musical performance by providing vocal input is shown. A
player associated with avatar 270 provides vocal input matching the
pitch and duration of notes included in musical content associated
with the game. As shown in FIG. 3, the notes of a vocal track are
represented by "note tubes" 324. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3,
the note tubes 324 appear above the player's avatar 270 and flow
horizontally, from right to left, as the musical content
progresses. In this embodiment, vertical position of a note tube
324 represents the pitch to be sung by the player; the length of
the note tube indicates the duration for which the player must hold
that pitch. The arrow 328 provides the player with visual feedback
regarding the pitch of the note that is currently being sung. If
the arrow is above the note tube 324, the player needs to lower the
pitch of the note being sung. Similarly, if the arrow 328 is below
the note tube 324, the player needs to raise the pitch of the note
being sung. In these embodiments, the player associated with avatar
270 may provide vocal input using a USB microphone of the sort
manufactured by Logitech International of Switzerland. As shown in
FIG. 3, lyrics 350 may be provided to the player to assist their
performance.
[0033] In other embodiments, a player may interact with the game
and cooperate or compete with other players by executing specific
dance moves in synchrony with music content. As shown in FIG. 4A,
specific dance moves may be indicated to the player as directional
arrows 402 on the side of the game screen. Each directional arrow
represents a dance "step," such as step forward, step left, step
right or step back. In other embodiments, the directional arrows
appear on a lane associated with an on-screen avatar. In these
embodiments, a player is directed to execute the identified dance
step when the directional arrow 402 passes under a target marker
408. In this manner, the player "dances" with the musical content.
FIG. 4B depicts another embodiment of a screen display in which a
player instructed to execute specific dance moves in synchrony with
music content. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4B, directional
arrows 402 travel toward a player on a lane 450. The player must
execute the indicated dance step when directional arrow 402 passes
over or below target marker 408. As shown in FIG. 4B, the player's
avatar 470 may be animated to perform dance moves with the avatar's
upper body. Upper body movements may be controlled by how well the
player executes the indicated dance moves or they may be
predetermined for certain points in the music content. In
embodiments in which the gaming platform is provided with a camera,
the camera may be used to capture movements of the player. In other
embodiments, the player's steps are captured by a floor pad
connected to the gaming platform, such as the RedOctane Ignition
Pad 3.0, manufactured by RedOctane of Sunnyvale, Calif.
[0034] Although described above in the context of a single player
providing a single type of input, a single player may provide one
or more types of input simultaneously. For example, a single player
may provide dance and vocal input simultaneously. Another example
is a single player providing instrument-based input (such as for a
lead guitar track, bass guitar track, rhythm guitar track, keyboard
track, drum track, or other percussion track) and vocal input
simultaneously. As another example, a single player may provide
instrument-based input (such as for a lead guitar track, bass
guitar track, rhythm guitar track, keyboard track, drum track, or
other percussion track) and dance input simultaneously.
[0035] Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 3, each player uses a gaming
platform in order to participate in the game. In one embodiment,
the gaming platform is a dedicated game console, such as:
PLAYSTATION2, PLAYSTATION3, or PLAYSTATION PERSONAL, manufactured
by Sony Corporation; DREAMCAST, manufactured by Sega Corp.;
GAMECUBE, GAMEBOY, GAMEBOY ADVANCE, or REVOLUTION, manufactured by
Nintendo Corp.; or XBOX or XBOX360, manufactured by Microsoft Corp.
In other embodiments, the gaming platform comprises a personal
computer, personal digital assistant, or cellular telephone. In
some embodiments, the players associated with avatars 210, 230,
250, 270 may be physically proximate to one another. For example,
each of the players associated with the avatars 210, 230, 250, 270
may connect their respective game controllers into the same gaming
platform ("local play").
[0036] Local play may be competitive or it may be cooperative.
Cooperative play is when two or more players work together in an
attempt to earn a combined score. Competitive play is when a player
competes against another player in an attempt to earn a higher
score. In other embodiments, competitive play involves a team of
cooperating players competing against another team of competing
players in attempt to achieve a higher team score than the other
team. Competitive local play may be head-to-head competition using
the same instrument, head-to-head competition using separate
instruments, simultaneous competition using the same instrument, or
simultaneous competition using separate instruments.
[0037] In one embodiment, competition in local play occurs when two
or more players use the same type of instrument controller to play
the game, for example, guitar controllers. One embodiment of such
competition is depicted in FIG. 5A. In some embodiments, each
player associates themselves with a band in order to begin play. In
other embodiments, each player can simply play "solo," without
association with a band. In these embodiments, the other
instruments required for performance of a musical composition are
reproduced by the gaming platform. Each of the players has an
associated lane 510, 520 and each player is alternately required to
perform a predetermined portion of the musical composition. Each
player scores depending on how faithfully he or she reproduces
their portions of the musical composition. In some embodiments,
scores may be normalized to produce similar scores and promote
competition across different difficulty levels. For example, a
guitarist on a "medium" difficulty level may be required to perform
half of the notes as a guitarist on a "hard" difficulty level and,
as such, should get 100 points per note instead of 50. An
additional per-difficulty scalar may be required to make this feel
"fair."
[0038] This embodiment of head-to-head play may be extended to
allow the players to use different types of game controllers and,
therefore, to perform different portions of the musical
composition. For example, one player may elect to play using a
guitar-type controller while a second player may play using a
drum-type controller. Alternatively, each player may use a
guitar-type controller, but one player elects to play "lead guitar"
while the other player elects to play "rhythm guitar" or, in some
embodiments, "bass guitar." In these examples, the gaming platform
reproduces the instruments other than the guitar when it is the
first player's turn to play, and the lane associated with the first
player is populated with gems representing the guitar portion of
the composition. When it is time for the second player to compete,
the gaming platform reproduces the instruments other than, for
example, the drum part, and the second player's lane is populated
with gems representing the drum portion of the musical composition.
In some of these embodiments, a scalar factor may be applied to the
score of one of the player's to compensate for the differences in
the parts of the musical composition.
[0039] In still other embodiments, the players may compete
simultaneously, that is, each player may provide a musical
performance at the same time as the other player. In some
embodiments, both players may use the same type of controller. In
these embodiments, each player's lane provides the same pattern of
game elements and each player attempts to reproduce the musical
performance identified by those elements more faithfully than the
other player. In other embodiments, the players use different types
of controllers. In these embodiments, one player attempts to
reproduce one portion of a musical composition while the other
player tries to represent a different portion of the same
composition.
[0040] In any of these forms of competition, the relative
performance of a player may affect their associated avatar. For
example, the avatar of a player that is doing better than the
competition may, for example, smile, look confident, glow, swagger,
"pogo stick," etc. Conversely, the losing player's avatar may look
depressed, embarrassed, etc.
[0041] Instead of competing, the players may cooperate in an
attempt to achieve a combined score. In these embodiments, the
score of each player contributes to the score of the team, that is,
a single score is assigned to the team based on the performance of
all players. As described above, a scalar factor may be applied to
the score of one of the player's to compensate for the differences
in the parts of the musical composition.
[0042] In some embodiments, one or more of the players may
participate remotely. FIG. 5B depicts a block diagram of a system
facilitating network play of a rhythm action game. As shown in FIG.
5, a first gaming platform 510 and a second gaming platform 510'
communicate over a network 550, such as a local area network (LAN),
a metropolitan area network (MAN), or a wide area network (WAN)
such as the Internet or the World Wide Web. The gaming platforms
connect to the network through one of a variety of connections
including standard telephone lines, LAN or WAN links (e.g., T1, T3,
56 kb, X.25), broadband connections (e.g., ISDN, Frame Relay, ATM),
and wireless connections (e.g., 802.11a, 802.11g, Wi-Max). The
first gaming platform 510 and the second gaming platform 510' may
be any of the types of gaming platforms identified above. In some
embodiments, the first gaming platforms 510 and the second gaming
platform 510' are of different types.
[0043] When a networked multiplayer game session begins at the
direction of one of the players, that player's gaming platform 510
(the "host") transmits a "start" instruction to all other gaming
platforms participating in the networked game, and the game begins
on all platforms. A timer begins counting on each gaming platform,
each player's game cues are displayed, and each player begins
attempting to perform the musical composition.
[0044] Gameplay on gaming platform 510 is independent from game
play on gaming platform 510', except that each player's gaming
platform contains a local copy of the musical event data for all
other players. The timers on the various gaming platforms
communicate with each other via the network 550 to maintain
approximate synchrony using any number of the conventional means
known in the art.
[0045] The gaming platforms 510, 510' also continually transmit
game score data to each other, so that each system (and player)
remains aware of the game score of all other systems (and players).
Similarly, this is accomplished by any number of means known in the
art. Note that this data is not particularly timing sensitive,
because if there is momentary disagreement between any two gaming
platforms regarding the score (or similar game-related parameters),
the consequences to gameplay are negligible.
[0046] As each player plays the game at their respective location,
an analyzer module 580, 580' on that player's gaming platform 510,
510' continually extracts data from an event monitor 585, 585'
regarding the local player's performance, referred to hereafter as
"emulation data". Emulation data may include any number of
parameters that describe how well the player is performing. Some
examples of these parameters include: [0047] whether or not the
most recent event type was a correctly-played note or an
incorrectly-played noted; [0048] a moving average of the
distribution of event types (e.g., the recent ratio of correct to
incorrect notes); or [0049] a moving average of timing errors of
incorrect notes.
[0050] Each analyzer module 590, 590' continually transmits the
emulation data it extracts over the network 550 using transceiver
590, 590'; each event monitor 585, 585' continually receives the
other gaming platform's emulation data transmitted over the network
550.
[0051] The emulation data essentially contains a statistical
description of a player's performance in the recent past. The event
monitor 585, 585' uses received emulation data to create a
statistical approximation of the remote player's performance.
[0052] In one particular example, an incoming emulation parameter
from a remote player indicates that the most recent remote event
was correctly reproduced. When the local event monitor 585, 585'
reaches the next note in the local copy of the remote player's note
data, it will respond accordingly by "faking" a successfully played
note, triggering the appropriate sound. That is, the local event
monitor 585, 585' will perform the next musical event from the
other players' musical event data, even though that event was not
necessarily actually performed by the other player's event monitor
585, 585'. If instead the emulation parameter had indicated that
the most recent remote event was a miss, no sound would be
triggered.
[0053] In another particular example, an incoming emulation
parameter from a remote player indicates that during the last 8
beats, 75% of events were correctly reproduced and 25% were not
correctly reproduced. When the local event monitor 585 reaches the
next note in the local copy of the remote player's note data, it
will respond accordingly by randomly reproducing the event
correctly 75% of the time and not reproducing it correctly 25% of
the time.
[0054] In another particular example, an incoming emulation
parameter from a remote player indicates that during the last 4
beats, 2 events were incorrectly performed, with an average timing
error of 50 "ticks." The local event monitor 585, 585' will respond
accordingly by randomly generating incorrect events at a rate of
0.5 misses-per-beat, displacing them in time from nearby notes by
the specified average timing error.
[0055] The above three cases are merely examples of the many types
of emulation parameters that may be used. In essence, the remote
player performances are only emulated (rather than exactly
reproduced) on each local machine.
[0056] One unusual side effect of this technique is that each local
player does not hear an exact reproduction of the remote players'
performances; only a statistical approximation. However, these
statistical approximations have two countervailing positive
attributes: because they are synchronized to the local player's
timer and the local copy of the remote players' note data, they are
synchronous with the local player's performance; and while not
exact reproductions, they are "close enough" to effectively
communicate to the local player the essence of how well the remote
players are performing musically.
[0057] In this model, delays in the transmission of the emulation
data over the network 550 do not have the intolerable side effect
of causing cacophonous asynchronicity between the note streams
triggering sounds on each player's local system.
[0058] An analyzer module 590, 590' may extract musical parameters
from the input and transmits them over a network 550 to a remote
gaming platform. For example, the analyzer module 590, 590' may
simply transmit the input stream over a network 550 or it may
extract the information into a more abstract form, such as "faster"
or "lower." Although described in the context of a two-player game,
the technique may be used with any number of players.
[0059] FIG. 5C depicts a block diagram of another embodiment of a
system facilitating network play of a rhythm action game. As shown
in FIG. 5C a central server 560 may be used to facilitate
communication between the gaming platforms 510, 510'. Extraction of
emulation parameters is performed on each gaming platform, as
described above. Emulation parameters are sent to the server 560,
which distributes the emulation parameter to all other gaming
platforms participating in the current game. In other embodiments,
the server 560 may store received emulation parameters for use
later. For example, a band may elect to use the stored emulation
parameters for the performance of a band member who is unavailable
to play in a specific game.
[0060] Referring now to FIG. 6, one embodiment of a screen display
for remote single player play is shown. As shown in FIG. 6, the
local player's avatar 630 is highlighted, in FIG. 6 by a bright,
box 635 cocked at an angle to other elements on the screen. The
avatars 610, 650 for remote players appear normally. As shown in
FIG. 6, the lanes 620, 660 associated with the remote players are
shown smaller than the local player's lane 640. The embodiment of
the screen display shown in FIG. 6 may be used for head-to-head
play, for simultaneous competition, and for cooperative play.
[0061] In some embodiments, multiple players participate in an
online face-off between two bands. A "band" is two or more players
that play in a cooperative mode. In some embodiments, the two bands
need to have the same types of instruments at the same difficulty
level selection, i.e., a guitarist playing on "hard" and a bassist
playing on "medium" playing against a guitarist playing on "hard"
and a bassist playing on "medium." In other embodiments, the two
bands still need to have the same types of instruments but the
difficulty selections can be different: Players participating at a
lower difficulty level simply have fewer gems to contribute to the
overall score. The song to be played may be selected after the
teams have been paired up. Alternatively, a band may publish a
challenge to play a particular song and a team may accept the
challenge.
[0062] Referring back to FIG. 3, one embodiment of competitive
online play is depicted. In this embodiment, the local group of
players has formed a band called "The Freqs." As shown in FIG. 3,
each of the four players in the "The Freqs" is local to one
another. They are competing against a team of players located
remotely, who have formed a band called "The Champs." As shown in
FIG. 3, each of the "The Freqs" is represented by one of the
avatars 210, 230, 250, 270. As shown in FIG. 3, their score 380 is
displayed, as is the score of the competing band 385, "The Champs."
In some embodiments, the bands "trade" alternating portions of the
musical composition to perform, that is, the performance of the
song alternates between bands. In these embodiments, musical;
performance output from "The Champs" is reproduced locally at the
gaming platform used by "The Freqs" when "The Champs" are
performing. Similarly, the musical performance of "The Freqs" is
reproduced remotely (using the emulation parameter technique
described above) at the gaming platform of "The Champs" when "The
Freqs" are performing. In other embodiments, the bands play
simultaneously. In these embodiments, the displayed score may be
the only feedback that "The Freqs" are provided regarding how well
"The Champs" are performing.
[0063] In some particular embodiments, members of cooperating bands
may be local to one another or remote from one another. Similarly,
members of competing bands may be local to one another or remote
from one another. In an extreme example, each player is remote from
every other player.
[0064] In some embodiments, players may form persistent bands. In
these embodiments, those bands may only compete when at least a
majority of the band in available online. In some of these
embodiments, if a member of a persistent band in not online, and
the other band members want to compete, a gaming platform may
substitute for the missing band member. Alternatively, a player
unaffiliated with the band may substitute for the missing band
member. In still other embodiments, a stream of emulation
parameters stored during a previous performance by the missing band
member may be substituted for the player.
[0065] In other embodiments, an online venue may be provided, such
as the Xbox Live venue operated by Microsoft Corp. of Redmond,
Wash., that allows players to compete or cooperate with one another
online. In some of these embodiments, players may form impromptu
bands in order to cooperate with one another to play a song or to
compete with other bands. Impromptu bands may dissolve quickly or
they may become persistent bands that have a persistent existence
in the online community hosted by the online venue. Players may
comment on bands that exist within the online community and a
band's status within the community may change depending on
longevity of the band, skill with which the band plays, amount that
the band plays, or other similar factors.
[0066] The players may access an online venue and select content to
download based on any number of criteria. In one embodiment,
downloading content requires payment of "points," which may be
earned by participation in connection with the online venue. In
some embodiments, only points earned by participating in the game
for which the player wants to download content may be used. In
other embodiments, points accrued by the player by online
participation in any game available on the online venue may be used
to "pay" for downloadable content. Alternatively, the player may
purchase additional content using currency, via a credit card or
via debit to an account that may be billed on a monthly basis. In
other embodiments, downloading content requires certain player
attributes, for example, certain songs may be available only once a
player has achieved a certain status with respect to the game. In
still other embodiments, certain game content may be available to a
player for purchase only once a persistent band of which the player
is a member reaches a certain status.
[0067] Content that may be downloaded includes new songs, new play
arenas, avatars, skins for online instruments, outfits and outfit
accessories for avatars, avatar actions or "flourishes," new styles
or types of instruments, instrument modifications, banners, stage
equipment, pyrotechnic stage equipment, band groupies, band
engineers, band member history events, and game "power ups."
[0068] In some embodiments, game levels, that is, musical
compositions or songs, and other content associated with the game
may be downloaded and used by players or bands during competitive
or cooperative play. In certain of these embodiments the musical
compositions, that is, the collection of data that allows a player
to "perform" the song as described above may be downloaded from the
online venue. In other embodiments, the game level may be
downloaded from another venue accessible using a network
connection, such as a web site or electronic music source, e.g.,
the iTunes Store, operated by Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif.
The game level may include: [0069] one or more tracks or samples of
digital audio data, stored either as uncompressed PCM data, or in
any of the compressed audio formats known in the art such as mp3,
ogg-vorbis, WMA, etc; [0070] gem/cue placement data; [0071]
descriptive data about the song such as name, average tempo,
original artist, etc. In some embodiments, this information is
stored in a tag associated with an mp3 file; [0072] song lyric
data; [0073] animation data; [0074] script or command data that can
influence aspects of the game's graphical or audio properties.
[0075] Downloading musical content may occur in a number of ways.
In some embodiments, players must agree on a song to be downloaded
and performed. In still other embodiments, the players may select a
song to download from a list of popular songs, as determined by
traditional methods such as SoundScan or as determined by the
number of times a song has been downloaded from the online venue.
In still other embodiments the players may download a song
suggested by a third party on the online venue. In still further
embodiments, one player may transmit a game level, or song, to
another player so that they may both play the song. In other
embodiments, a player may download a game level for the purpose on
playing in a solitary fashion.
[0076] For embodiments in which the players are remote from one
another, a first player may post a challenge for competition, or a
request for cooperation, with respect to a specific musical
composition. In these embodiments, when a second player accepts the
challenge or answers the request, the online venue determines if
the second player already has a copy of the challenge song. If not,
the second player downloads the song from the online venue or from
the challenging player. In still others of these embodiments, two
players can meet in the online venue, agree on a song to play, and
both download the song to their respective gaming platforms if they
do not already have it.
[0077] In still other embodiments, songs may be created and
uploaded to an online venue site by musical artists for download by
players. In these embodiments, downloading a song from the online
venue may require that the player purchase the song before it is
downloaded to their gaming platform. Alternatively, the game level
may be downloaded to a player's gaming platform and an audio
version of the file may be made available for purchase in the event
the player enjoys the song. The song may be made available for
purchase directly from the online venue, or the online venue may
direct the player to a different site in order to purchase the
audio version of the song. In other embodiments, song may be
uploaded to an online venue by labels representing musical
artists.
[0078] As an example, two players competing or cooperating with one
another using the same gaming platform may download a musical
composition to the gaming platform and then perform the musical
composition, as described above. As described above, when two or
more players perform the same musical part, each of the players is
alternately required to perform a predetermined portion of the
musical composition. Each player scores depending on how faithfully
he or she reproduces their portions of the downloaded musical
composition. In these embodiments, the rest of the instruments
present in a musical composition are provided by the gaming
platform. For embodiments in which players perform different
portions of the downloaded musical composition, the gaming platform
reproduces the instruments other than the instrument played by a
player during his turn.
[0079] As another example, a player may visit a particular part of
an online venue that offers for "sale" to the player downloadable
content. In one embodiment, the particular part of the online venue
may style itself as a "shop," such as the "unlock shop" featured in
the game Guitar Hero published by RedOctane of Sunnyvale, Calif. In
one example, a player may "buy" a new guitar style to use during
performances. Once the player purchases that guitar, the content
associated with that guitar is downloaded to the gaming platform,
making it available for use by the player any time the player plays
the game, whether connected to the online venue or not.
[0080] In another example, the player visits the online shop to
purchase a different avatar, a different costume for an avatar, or
accessories for an avatar, such as jewelry, hairstyles, glasses,
shoes, etc. As before, once purchased, those items are downloaded
to the gaming platform and made available for use whether the
player is connected to the online venue or not.
[0081] In another example, a band is able to purchase outfits or
stage props for the band's use during play. A band may purchase,
for example, banners that can appear to hang behind the band during
play. Other possibilities include pyrotechnic effects that occur
during specific parts of songs. In still other examples, a band may
purchase other non-playing characters that enhance the band's
performance or image, such as an engineer or band "groupies."
[0082] Content associated with a "band" may be used only by the
band, that is, only when a majority of the members of a band are
present and playing together. In other embodiments, any member of
the band may use the band's downloaded content. For example, it may
be desirable to allow band members to wear band outfits even when
not performing with the band in order to remind others of that
player's affiliation.
[0083] The present invention (including without limitation, the
timer 340, and the event monitor 320) may be provided as one or
more computer-readable programs embodied on or in one or more
articles of manufacture. The article of manufacture may be a floppy
disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a flash memory card, a PROM, a RAM, a
ROM, or a magnetic tape. In general, the computer-readable readable
programs may be implemented in any programming language, LISP,
PERL, C, C++, PROLOG, or any byte code language such as JAVA. The
software programs may be stored on or in one or more articles of
manufacture as object code.
[0084] Having described certain embodiments of the invention, it
will now become apparent to one of skill in the art that other
embodiments incorporating the concepts of the invention may be
used. Although the described embodiments relate to the field of
rhythm-action games, the principles of the invention can extend to
other areas that involve musical collaboration or competition by
two or more users connected to a network. Therefore, the invention
should not be limited to certain embodiments, but rather should be
limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.
* * * * *