JP2007020659A - Control method of game and game device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use data for karaoke in games. <P>SOLUTION: A communication part 20 inputs lyric information including timing information for displaying respective characters to be sounded according to the progress of a musical piece on a screen and play information related to the timing information included in the lyric information. A target display part 34 extracts the timing information for playing the respective characters to be sounded according to the progress of the musical piece from the play information and successively displays a target at the timings of the respective characters to be sounded according to the progress of the musical piece. A judgement part 36 for the game successively receives input from a user for each of the successively displayed targets through an operation part 30. Further, the judgement part 36 for the game judges the matching degree of the timing of the received input and the timing of the display of the target. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game control technique, and more particularly to a game control method and a game apparatus for inputting character timing according to the progress of music.

  In the karaoke apparatus, the accompaniment music excluding the singing portion of the song is reproduced, and the singer sings along with the reproduced accompaniment music. In the karaoke apparatus, in order to inform the singer of the lyrics, the lyrics are generally displayed on a display device such as a monitor. Furthermore, among the lyrics displayed on the display device, in order to clarify the character that the singer should utter, the karaoke device changes the color of the character displayed in advance to another color for the character to be uttered. .

  Under such circumstances, the present inventor has come to recognize the following problems. The user enjoys using the karaoke device by performing a song. However, if the karaoke apparatus can be used for other purposes, the gameability of the karaoke apparatus may be further improved for the user. In particular, if another application is realized while using data used for karaoke, the gameability can be improved while suppressing an increase in processing for the other application.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game control method and game apparatus using data used in karaoke.

  In order to solve the above problems, a program according to an aspect of the present invention extracts timing information for playing each character to be uttered according to the progress of a song from the performance information, and follows the progress of the song. At each timing of the character to be uttered, a step of sequentially displaying images for prompting the user's input on the screen, a step of sequentially receiving the input from the user for each of the sequentially displayed images, and the received input And the step of determining the degree of coincidence between the timing of displaying the image and the timing of displaying the image.

  According to this aspect, since the performance information created for karaoke is used in order to execute a game function that sequentially receives input from the user as the music progresses, a game using data used in karaoke Can be realized.

  Via the network, input lyrics information including timing information for displaying each character to be uttered on the screen according to the progress of the song, and performance information associated with the timing information included in the lyrics information The step of performing may be further provided. The method may further include a step of displaying the lyrics included in the lyrics information input in the inputting step on the screen while associating with the images displayed by the step of sequentially displaying the images on the screen. In this case, since the lyrics are displayed on the screen, the user can execute the game while checking the lyrics.

  The step of sequentially displaying images on the screen scrolls the image to a part of the screen according to the progress of the song, and the step of displaying lyrics on the screen scrolls the lyrics according to the progress of the song. In the step of sequentially displaying images on the screen, a character corresponding to the image displayed by the step of sequentially displaying images on the screen may be brought close to an area that is the end point of image scrolling. In this case, since the characters are scrolled so as to approach the area where the image is displayed, the correspondence between the image display and the lyrics can be clarified.

  In the step of sequentially displaying images on the screen, the pitch information for playing each character to be uttered according to the progress of the song is extracted from the performance information input in the inputting step, and each character to be uttered is extracted. The step of sequentially displaying and determining the image on the screen while corresponding to the pitch of the pitch is the pitch corresponding to the input accepted in the step of accepting and the pitch corresponding to the image displayed in the step of sequentially displaying the image on the screen. The degree of matching may also be determined. In this case, since the input according to the pitch is also required, the difficulty of the game can be increased and the game playability can be improved.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a game device. This apparatus extracts timing information for playing each character to be uttered according to the progress of the song from the performance information, and the user input at each timing of the character to be uttered according to the progression of the song. An image display unit that sequentially displays images for prompting on the screen, a reception unit that sequentially receives input from the user for each of the images that are sequentially displayed by the image display unit, and timing of input received by the reception unit; A determination unit that determines the degree of coincidence with the timing at which the image display unit displays the image.

  According to this aspect, since the performance information created for karaoke is used to execute the game function of sequentially receiving responses from the user as the music progresses, the game uses data used in karaoke. Can be realized.

  Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a game control method. This method extracts an image for prompting a user to input at each timing of a character to be uttered according to the progress of the music while extracting timing information for playing each of the characters to be uttered according to the progress of the music. Are sequentially displayed on the screen, input from the user corresponding to the image is sequentially received, and the degree of coincidence between the display timing and the input timing is determined.

  Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a storage medium. This storage medium extracts timing information for playing each character to be uttered in accordance with the progress of the song from the performance information, and at each timing of the character to be uttered in accordance with the progression of the song, The step of sequentially displaying images for prompting on the screen, the step of sequentially receiving input from the user for each of the sequentially displayed images, the timing of the received input, and the timing of displaying the image And a program for causing the computer to execute the step of determining the degree of the above.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the control method and game device of a game using the data used in karaoke can be provided.

  Before describing the present invention in detail, an outline will be described. The embodiment of the present invention relates to a karaoke apparatus with a game for providing a game function in addition to a karaoke function for displaying lyrics corresponding to the accompaniment music on a display device while outputting the accompaniment music. The karaoke apparatus with a game according to the present embodiment is connected to a network, and the karaoke apparatus with a game downloads karaoke data from the network in order to realize the karaoke function. The karaoke data includes accompaniment music for reproducing accompaniment, lyric information for displaying lyrics on a monitor, and performance information for evaluating the degree of singing by the user. Further, when providing the game function, if the data for karaoke can be used, the processing of the business providing the karaoke and the game is simplified. The karaoke apparatus with game according to the present embodiment is configured as follows in order to simplify the processing of the business operator.

  A karaoke apparatus with a game acquires the timing at which each of a plurality of characters included in lyrics is to be uttered from performance information in the karaoke data. Subsequently, an image for prompting the user to input (hereinafter referred to as “target”) is displayed on the screen at each timing when the character should be uttered. The user uses the operation unit in accordance with the displayed target. For example, the user depresses a button. The karaoke device with game evaluates the degree of coincidence between the timing when the button is pressed and the timing when the target is displayed. Furthermore, the karaoke apparatus with a game performs performance of accompaniment music and display of lyrics while matching the timing with the display of the target in order to enhance the effect of production.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a karaoke apparatus with game 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The karaoke apparatus with game 100 includes a network 10, a microphone 12, a speaker 14, a monitor 16, a communication unit 20, a storage unit 22, a reproduction unit 24, a lyrics display unit 26, a monitor control unit 28, a karaoke determination unit 32, and a target display unit. 34. The game determination unit 36 is included.

  The microphone 12 captures the voice uttered by the singer when performing the karaoke function. The speaker 14 reproduces accompaniment music and utterances by a singer input to the microphone 12. The speaker 14 may only reproduce the accompaniment music when executing the game function. The monitor 16 displays the lyrics of the song. The monitor 16 displays a screen corresponding to the game function when executing the game function. The screen will be described later.

  The network 10 is connected to the karaoke apparatus with game 100, and the karaoke apparatus with game 100 inputs predetermined data from a server (not shown) via the network 10. In that case, the communication part 20 performs a communication process in the karaoke apparatus 100 with a game. The storage unit 22 stores data acquired from the server through communication by the communication unit 20. In addition, pre-input data is also stored. The storage unit 22 may be configured by a hard disk for storing data, may be configured by a RAM (Random Access Memory) capable of temporarily storing data, or may be configured by a combination thereof. Good.

  Here, the data input to the storage unit 22 includes lyric information, performance information, and accompaniment music, and the data is commonly used when executing a karaoke function or a game function. The The lyrics information includes timing information for displaying on the screen the lyrics corresponding to the song and the characters to be uttered as the song progresses. The performance information has a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data format, which is associated with timing information included in the lyrics information. Accompaniment music has a data format such as Advanced Transform Acoustic Coding (ATRAC) and MPEG3 (MPEG Audio Layer-3), and is associated with each other so as to be used for reproducing the accompaniment of a song.

  2A to 2B show the relationship between the lyrics information input to the storage unit 22 and the performance information. FIG. 2A shows the lyrics information, and FIG. 2B shows the performance information. In the figure, the horizontal direction corresponds to the time axis, and time elapses toward the right. In the lyrics information, “Title” is arranged at the beginning of the time axis, and “Lyrics” is arranged subsequently. In the performance information, a “silence period” is arranged at the head portion, and a “MIDI sound generation period” is arranged subsequently to the performance information. The head of the “title” of the lyrics information is arranged at a position advanced from the head of the “MIDI sound generation period” by the time “t1”.

  FIG. 3 shows the data structure of the lyric information input to the storage unit 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the lyrics information includes a block number field 70, a character string field 72, a display time field 74, an erasing time field 76, and a start time and end time field 78. Have a parallel format. The “block number column 70” is a number for identifying a plurality of blocks generated by dividing the lyrics, and is indicated by a number such that the block corresponding to the head of the lyrics is “1”. . Here, the “block” corresponds to one phrase in the lyrics such as one phrase in the lyrics or one line when displayed on the monitor 16. Therefore, the “block” generally includes a plurality of characters. The blocks are sequentially switched in accordance with the progress of the music, but the lyrics information and the like are input before the blocks are switched. The “character string column 72” corresponds to a plurality of characters obtained by dividing the lyrics so as to correspond to the block number column 70.

  The “display time column 74”, “erase time column 76”, and “start time and end time column 78” correspond to “display time”, “erase time”, “start time”, and “end time”, respectively. The “display time” indicates a time for displaying a plurality of characters included in the block on the monitor 16. The game karaoke apparatus 100 is provided with a clock generator (not shown). For example, when accompaniment music is started, the clock of the clock generator is reset, and the clock counts as the accompaniment music progresses. Is up. The “display time” is defined by the clock, and the same applies to other “erase times” and the like. That is, “time” is defined based on the clock. “Erase time” indicates a time when a plurality of characters displayed on the monitor 16 should be erased.

  “Start time” indicates the time at which each of the displayed characters should be sung by the singer. Here, since the block includes a plurality of characters, a plurality of start times are included for one block. The “end time” indicates the time at which each of the displayed characters is to be ended, and is defined so as to correspond to the “start time”. The numbers shown in the figure are defined by the aforementioned clock. Since there are a plurality of characters in each of the character string columns 72, the start time and the end time in the start time and end time column 78 are defined corresponding to each of the plurality of characters.

  FIG. 4 shows the data structure of the performance information input to the storage unit 22. The performance information includes a data number column 80, a time column 82, a pitch column 84, and a strength column 86. Here, the data number column 80 corresponds to the number assigned to each piece of data included in the performance information. For example, the data corresponds to each character included in the lyrics and each sound played. The time column 82 indicates the timing at which each data in the data number column 80 should be played. The timing to perform may be the timing to start the performance. The timing in the time column 82 is defined with reference to the beginning of the silent period in FIG. A pitch column 84 indicates a pitch when performing each data in the data number column 80. Here, “do”, “re” and the like are shown, but octave information may be further included. The strength column 86 indicates the strength of sound when each data in the data number column 80 is played. Here, “A” corresponds to a state where the sound is weakest, and the sound becomes stronger as “B” and “C”. With the above data structure, the performance information includes information on when, how long, and what pitch should be uttered.

  Returning to FIG. The description so far is common regardless of either the karaoke function or the game function in the karaoke apparatus with game 100. In the following, the karaoke function will be described first. The lyric display unit 26 erases the displayed characters and the display time for displaying the plurality of characters included in each block for each of the plurality of blocks into which the lyrics are divided based on the lyric information. The erasing time to be input, a plurality of start times for the singer to utter each of the displayed characters, and a plurality of end times for the singer to end the utterance are input. The lyrics display unit 26 causes the monitor 16 to display a plurality of characters included in the block when the display time is reached while sequentially switching the block according to the progress of the song. For example, when the block number column 70 in FIG. 2 is “1”, the character string “the track continues” is displayed. Here, the character to be displayed is defined by the size, color, shape, etc. of the predetermined character. The lyrics display unit 26 outputs a display instruction to the monitor control unit 28.

  The monitor control unit 28 displays a plurality of characters on the monitor 16 in accordance with instructions from the lyrics display unit 26. At that time, the monitor control unit 28 defines the coordinates so that the first character of one block is displayed at a predetermined position on the monitor 16. For example, when the character string of the block is “the line continues”, a plurality of characters included in the block so that the upper left portion of the first “line” character is a predetermined coordinate of the monitor 16 Each coordinate is defined. Here, the coordinates are defined with a predetermined position of the monitor 16 as an origin. Further, the coordinates of the reference character may be adjusted according to the number of characters included in the block.

  Further, the lyrics display unit 26 changes the display format of the characters that the singer should utter at the current timing among the plurality of characters displayed on the monitor 16. The change of the character display may be realized by changing the size of the character, the color, or the shape. For example, the size of the character to be sung is larger than the size of the displayed character. At that time, the characters may increase stepwise according to the time interval corresponding to the refresh rate in the monitor 16. As a result, the karaoke apparatus with game 100 informs the singer of the character to be sung by the enlarged character. The above instruction by the lyrics display unit 26 is also output to the monitor 16 via the monitor control unit 28 as described above.

  The reproducing unit 24 inputs accompaniment music data from the storage unit 22 and decodes it. The playback unit 24 outputs the decoded accompaniment music from the speaker 14. Further, the playback unit 24 also inputs a song uttered by the singer from the microphone 12, synthesizes it with the accompaniment music, and outputs it from the speaker 14.

  The determination unit for karaoke 32 inputs voice data that should correspond to a plurality of characters displayed on the monitor 16 and is sung by a singer from the microphone 12. Here, voice data is sequentially input in units of one character while corresponding to the sung character. As described above, the audio data corresponds to each of a plurality of characters, but is further sampled at a plurality of points for one character. Note that audio data is generally composed of a pitch, tone color, and volume, but here the pitch is the target. The karaoke determination unit 32 inputs pitch data that should correspond to a plurality of characters displayed on the monitor 16 and should be compared with the pitch of the input voice data. Here, like the voice data, the pitch data is sequentially input in units of one character while corresponding to the sung character. Note that pitch data is included in the performance information described above.

  The karaoke determination unit 32 derives a pitch error between voice data and pitch data in units of sung characters. Here, the voice data is subjected to FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) to extract a fundamental frequency, and this is compared with the pitch data to derive a pitch error. As described above, the voice data is obtained by sampling one sung character by a plurality of points. Therefore, a plurality of FFT windows are defined for one sung character, and the fundamental frequency may be derived so as to correspond to each of the plurality of FFT windows. In that case, a pitch error is derived for each fundamental frequency, and these pitch errors are integrated to derive a pitch error for one character.

  The lyric display unit 26 deletes characters from the monitor 16 at a timing determined according to the degree of the derived pitch error. That is, the character whose pitch error is larger than the threshold value is erased from the screen based on the timing at which the display is switched in units of blocks, that is, the erase time. At that time, from the end time to the erasing time, the lyrics display unit 26 returns the character display format to the initial state and displays the character. On the other hand, a character whose pitch error is equal to or less than a threshold value is erased from the screen based on the end time of the timing at which the character should be uttered, that is, the end time. By such processing, when the singing of one block is completed, characters that were not sung with the correct pitch are displayed.

  The above instructions are also output to the monitor 16 via the monitor control unit 28. The monitor control unit 28 uses the coordinates for the character grasped in advance when executing the image processing in accordance with the instruction of the lyrics display unit 26. For example, a predetermined process is performed on the data on the coordinates corresponding to the corresponding character. The operation unit 30 receives a predetermined instruction from the singer. Here, singers include users who are not singing. The predetermined instruction includes selection of a song and a change in pitch. The operation unit 30 includes a remote controller, a keyboard, buttons, and the like.

  Next, the game function in the karaoke apparatus with game 100 will be described. The playback unit 24 plays back the accompaniment music in the storage unit 22. The target display unit 34 extracts timing information for playing each character to be uttered from the performance information in the storage unit 22 as the music progresses. As described above, the performance information includes the timing for playing a predetermined sound. This corresponds to the timing for starting utterance. Further, the target display unit 34 sequentially displays targets at respective timings of characters to be uttered as the music progresses. At that time, the target display unit 34 displays the target in a partial area on the screen of the monitor 16.

  If it demonstrates concretely, the target display part 34 will display a target on the monitor 16 corresponding to each of a character. Further, the target display unit 34 moves each of the targets on the monitor 16. For example, each of the targets displayed on the right side of the monitor 16 sequentially moves to the left side as the music progresses. The target display unit 34 prompts the user to input at a timing when the target reaches a partial area on the left side of the monitor 16. In order to perform the above operation, the target display unit 34 specifies the timing at which the target is to be displayed in the left partial region based on the timing information. Further, the speed at which the target is moved is defined in advance, and the timing for displaying the target on the right side of the monitor 16 is specified by performing a reverse calculation based on the speed. Based on these identified timings, the target display unit 34 displays the target on the right side of the monitor 16 as described above. Furthermore, the target display unit 34 extracts pitch information for playing each character to be uttered from the performance information in the storage unit 22 according to the progress of the song. When the target display unit 34 sequentially displays the target at each timing of the character to be uttered, the target display unit 34 associates it with each pitch of the character to be uttered.

  That is, when three types of “normal sound”, “semitone high sound”, and “semitone low sound” are defined, the target display unit 34 displays another type of target described later for each sound. . At that time, the targets displayed on the monitor 16 are displayed in parallel so as to correspond to the respective sounds. For example, a target corresponding to “semitone higher sound” is displayed in the upper row, a target corresponding to “normal sound” is displayed in the middle row, and a target corresponding to “sound lower in semitone” is displayed in the lower row. Such association is fixed. That is, this relationship is always maintained when the sound of octave 4 “do” is associated. Moreover, the target display part 34 produces | generates a target with respect to all the characters which should be uttered fundamentally. However, when the interval between the character to be uttered and the next character is short, any character may be excluded from the target generation target.

  The lyric display unit 26 displays the lyric on the screen of the monitor 16 in accordance with the timing information included in the lyric information in the storage unit 22 while corresponding to the display of the target by the target display unit 34. At that time, the lyrics display section 26 scrolls the lyrics on the monitor 16 according to the progress of the song, and at the timing when the target should reach the partial area on the left side of the monitor 16, Move the character corresponding to to closer. That is, the target moves from the right side of the monitor 16 to the left side, but in the lower stage, the characters included in the lyrics move from the right side of the monitor 16 to the left side. Further, when the target enters the left side of the monitor 16, the character corresponding to the target approaches the left side of the monitor 16 even in the lower stage. In order to perform the above operation, the lyrics display unit 26 specifies the timing at which characters should be displayed in a partial region on the left side based on the start time and end time column 78 of FIG. Moreover, the speed at which the character is moved is defined in advance, and the timing for displaying the character on the right side of the monitor 16 is specified by performing a reverse calculation based on the speed. Note that the speed at which the character is moved is defined to be equal to the speed at which the target is moved. The lyric display unit 26 displays characters on the monitor 16 as described above based on the identified timing.

  The user presses the button of the operation unit 30 while viewing the display on the monitor 16, particularly the target. That is, the user presses the button at the timing when the target reaches the above-described region. At this time, the operation unit 30 is provided with a plurality of buttons corresponding to the plurality of sounds defined in the target display unit 34. For example, “semitone high sound” is associated with a button with a triangle symbol, and “normal sound” is associated with a button with a circle symbol. "Is associated with a button displaying a cross symbol.

  The game determination unit 36 sequentially receives input from the user through the operation unit 30 for each of the targets sequentially displayed by the target display unit 34. Here, the input corresponds to pressing a button as described above. The game determination unit 36 determines the degree of coincidence between the received input timing and the target display timing. At this time, the game determination unit 36 receives the target display timing from the target display unit 34. The game determination unit 36 also determines the degree of coincidence between the received input pitch and the pitch corresponding to the target. That is, the game determination unit 36 determines whether the correct button is pressed with respect to the button requested in the target display unit 34.

  Here, the determination made by the game determination unit 36 will be specifically described. Multiple levels of scores are defined according to the received input timing and the degree of deviation in target display timing. For example, when the timing deviation is small, “30” points are added, and when the timing deviation is slightly increased, “20” points are added. When the timing deviation is further increased, “10” points are added. The above score is based on the premise that the types of buttons to be pressed also match. If the timing error is continuously small, the game determination unit 36 adds bonus points. For example, if the timing error is small twice or more, “10” bonus points are added. Further, if the timing error is small continuously for 50 times or more, the bonus point increases to “30” point, and if the timing error is small continuously for 100 times or more, the bonus point increases to “60” point. The game determination unit 36 displays the above determination result on the monitor 16 via the monitor control unit 28.

  The above configuration can be realized by a CPU, memory, or other LSI of an arbitrary computer in terms of hardware, and can be realized by a program loaded in the memory in terms of software. It depicts the functional blocks that are realized. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

  FIG. 5 shows a game screen displayed on the monitor 16. An upper lane 50, a middle lane 52, and a lower lane 54 for displaying the target 60 are provided over the left and right sides of the screen. The targets displayed in each of the upper lane 50, the middle lane 52, and the lower lane 54 correspond to the different types of targets described above. As described above, the upper lane 50 is assigned for “semitone higher sound”, the middle lane 52 is assigned for “normal sound”, and the lower lane 54 is assigned for “semitone lower sound”. In each of the upper lane 50, the middle lane 52, and the lower lane 54, the target 60 moves from the right side to the left side as the music progresses. An input area 58 is provided for a part of the upper lane 50, the middle lane 52, and the lower lane 54. When the target 60 enters the input area 58, the target display unit 34 of FIG. In addition, in the input area 58, a symbol shown on a button requesting the user to press is displayed. The lyrics lane 56 is provided below the lower lane 54. In the lyrics lane 56, the characters included in the lyrics move from the right side to the left side as the music progresses. Further, when the target 60 enters the input area 58, the characters corresponding to the target 60 are displayed so as to reach the lower side of the input area 58.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a game process performed by the karaoke apparatus with game 100. Here, for simplification of explanation, it is assumed that the operation unit 30 does not assign buttons according to the pitch. The communication unit 20 inputs lyrics information, performance information, and accompaniment music (S10). The reproducing unit 24 reproduces the accompaniment music (S12) and outputs it from the speaker 14. The lyrics display unit 26 displays the lyrics while scrolling on the monitor 16 (S14). The target display unit 34 displays the target while scrolling on the monitor 16 (S16). Here, the processing from step 12 to step 16 is executed while matching the timing. The button of the operation unit 30 is pushed down by the user (S18). If the timing error is equal to or smaller than the threshold value (Y in S20), the game determination unit 36 determines that the display and input timings match (S22). On the other hand, if the timing error is not equal to or less than the threshold value (N in S20), the game determination unit 36 determines that the display and input timing do not match (S24). If the song has not ended (N in S26), the processing from step 12 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the music ends (Y in S26), the process ends.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an assignment procedure of the operation units 30 by the karaoke apparatus with game 100. Based on the pitch information included in the performance information, if the pitch corresponding to the predetermined character is a semitone higher (Y in S40), the target display unit 34 determines the assignment to the button on which the triangle symbol is displayed. (S48). On the other hand, based on the pitch information included in the performance information, if the pitch corresponding to the predetermined character is not a semitone high (N in S40) and is a semitone low (Y in S42), the target display section 34 The assignment to the button on which the symbol is displayed is determined (S46). Further, based on the pitch information included in the performance information, if the pitch corresponding to the predetermined character is not a semitone lower (N in S42), the target display unit 34 applies to the button on which the circle symbol is displayed. The allocation is determined (S44).

  The operation of the karaoke apparatus with game 100 having the above configuration will be described. Accompaniment music is output from the speaker 14. Further, the target 60 moves from the right side to the left side on the monitor 16 in accordance with the accompaniment music. Further, on the monitor 16, the lyrics move from the right side to the left side in accordance with the movement of the target 60. The user presses the button of the operation unit 30 at the timing when the target 60 enters the input area 58. At this time, if the target 60 corresponds to any of the plurality of buttons, the user presses down the corresponding button. The karaoke apparatus with game 100 determines that the button has been pressed correctly if the type of the button pressed by the user is correct and the timing error of pressing the button is small. Finally, the monitor 16 displays the game result.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, the lyric information and performance information created for karaoke are used to execute a game function that sequentially accepts input from the user according to the progress of the song. A game using the data to be used can be realized. Further, since the game function can be realized together with the karaoke function, the added value of karaoke can be improved. Moreover, since the data acquired via a network is used for a game as it is, it can respond to addition of a new music. In addition, since the game progresses in accordance with the reproduction of the accompaniment music, the gameability can be improved. In addition, since the user can execute the game while checking the lyrics, the game playability can be improved. In addition, since the characters are scrolled so as to be associated with the display of the target, the correspondence between the target and the lyrics becomes clear and the game playability can be improved. In addition, since input by a plurality of buttons is requested, the difficulty of the game can be increased, and the game playability can be improved.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. .

  In the present embodiment, the karaoke apparatus with game 100 has a game function in addition to the karaoke function. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, it may have only a game function. In that case, it becomes a game device. According to this modification, the game function can be executed even if the karaoke function is not provided. That is, it is only necessary that data for use in karaoke can be acquired and processed.

  In the present embodiment, the monitor 16 displays lyrics even when the game is being executed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the monitor 16 may display the target 60 without displaying the lyrics when the game is being executed. Further, the movement of the target 60 on the monitor 16 may not be in the direction from the right side to the left side. For example, it may be a direction from the left side to the right side, or may be a vertical movement. According to this modification, various formats can be defined as the game screen displayed on the monitor 16. That is, it suffices if the user can be notified of the timing of pressing the button of the operation unit 30.

  In this embodiment, the operation unit 30 is a button in order to realize a game function. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the operation unit 30 may be an interface such as a lever. According to this modification, various interfaces can be used as the operation unit 30. That is, it is only necessary that an input from the user can be input to the game determination unit 36.

  In this embodiment, the target display unit 34 associates the three buttons on the operation unit 30 with “normal sound”, “semitone high sound”, and “semitone low sound”, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the target display unit 34 corresponds to each of the three buttons on the operation unit 30 from “Do” to “Mi”, “Fa” and “So”, “La” and “Shi”. It may be attached. At that time, the correspondence is made independent of the octave. Also according to this modification, regular button assignments are made, so that the target is displayed in the same pattern according to the music, and the gameability of the user can be improved. Further, the target display unit 34 does not have to assign a predetermined sound to the button when performing sound assignment to the three buttons on the operation unit 30. That is, the target may not be displayed for all sounds. According to this modification, the difficulty level of the game can be adjusted.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the karaoke apparatus with a game which concerns on the Example of this invention. FIGS. 2A to 2B are diagrams showing the relationship between the lyrics information input to the storage unit of FIG. 1 and the performance information. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the lyric information input into the memory | storage part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the performance information input into the memory | storage part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the game screen displayed on the monitor of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the game process by the karaoke apparatus with a game of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the allocation procedure of the operation part by the karaoke apparatus with a game of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  10 network, 12 microphone, 14 speaker, 16 monitor, 20 communication unit, 22 storage unit, 24 playback unit, 26 lyrics display unit, 28 monitor control unit, 30 operation unit, 32 karaoke determination unit, 34 target display unit, 36 A game determination unit, 100 karaoke equipment with game.

Claims (7)

Timing information for playing each of the characters to be uttered according to the progress of the song is extracted from the performance information, and prompting the user to input at each timing of the characters to be uttered according to the progression of the song Sequentially displaying images on the screen;
Sequentially accepting input from the user for each of the sequentially displayed images;
Determining the degree of coincidence between the received input timing and the image display timing;
A program that causes a computer to execute. Via the network, input lyrics information including timing information for displaying each character to be uttered on the screen as the song progresses, and performance information associated with the timing information included in the lyrics information Further comprising the step of:
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying, on the screen, lyrics included in the lyrics information input in the inputting step while associating with the images displayed by the step of sequentially displaying the images on the screen. The listed program. The step of sequentially displaying the image on the screen is to scroll the image to a partial area on the screen as the music progresses,
In the step of displaying the lyrics on the screen, the lyrics are scrolled in accordance with the progress of the song, and the images are sequentially displayed on the screen in a region where the image scrolling ends in the step of sequentially displaying the images on the screen. The program according to claim 2, wherein a character corresponding to the image displayed in the step is brought closer. The step of sequentially displaying the image on the screen extracts the pitch information for playing each of the characters to be uttered according to the progress of the music from the performance information input in the inputting step, and the characters to be uttered The images are displayed sequentially on the screen while being associated with each pitch of
The determining step also determines a degree of coincidence between a pitch corresponding to the input received in the receiving step and a pitch corresponding to the image displayed in the step of sequentially displaying the image on a screen. Item 4. The program according to each of items 1 to 3. Timing information for playing each of the characters to be uttered according to the progress of the song is extracted from the performance information, and prompting the user to input at each timing of the characters to be uttered according to the progression of the song An image display unit for sequentially displaying images on the screen;
A reception unit that sequentially receives input from a user for each of the images sequentially displayed by the image display unit;
A determination unit that determines the degree of coincidence between the timing of input received by the reception unit and the timing at which the image display unit displays an image;
A game apparatus comprising:   While extracting timing information for playing each character to be uttered according to the progress of the song, images for prompting the user's input are sequentially displayed on the screen at each timing of the character to be uttered according to the progression of the song. A method for controlling a game, characterized by sequentially receiving input from a user corresponding to an image and determining a degree of coincidence between the display timing and the input timing. Timing information for playing each of the characters to be uttered according to the progress of the song is extracted from the performance information, and prompting the user to input at each timing of the characters to be uttered according to the progression of the song Sequentially displaying images on the screen;
Sequentially accepting input from the user for each of the sequentially displayed images;
Determining the degree of coincidence between the received input timing and the image display timing;
A storage medium for storing a program for causing a computer to execute the program.

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