JP5147253B2 - GAME DEVICE, GAME PROGRAM, AND STORAGE MEDIUM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game device, a game program that drives the game device, and a storage medium that stores the game program, and more particularly, to an improvement in a control system for game sound effects.

  Conventionally, video game machines using an information processing function of a CPU such as a video game machine, a personal computer, and a portable video game machine have been widely used (see Non-Patent Document 1).

  The video game machine has a game screen display function for displaying the content and progress of the game, and generates sound (game sound) corresponding to the progress of the game. Conventionally, the game sound has been about a simple sound effect, but in recent years, with the improvement of the accuracy of the game screen, game sound with a sense of reality has been demanded.

“PlayStation Portable” information, [online], PlayStation.com (Japan), [Search January 10, 2007], Internet <URL: http://www.jp.playstation.com/psp/>

  The game space, which is a virtual space where the game progresses, is not uniform as a whole. For example, the sea, sand beach, and jungle may be mixed in one game space. When a game sound is generated in such a game space, if the sound is made to have a sense of reality, even if it is the same sound (for example, a footstep of a character), the sound is made different depending on the place where the sound is generated. Is preferred.

  However, it is practically impossible to generate and generate a game sound according to a place in the game space with high acoustic accuracy during game execution. On the other hand, it is difficult to calculate and store the game sound to be generated at each point in the game space in advance for each point due to the limitation of the storage capacity of the game media that stores the game program data. At the same time, since it is necessary to load a large amount of audio data into the game machine, there is a problem that it takes a long time to start the game and change the scene of the game.

  The present invention relates to a game apparatus capable of generating high-quality sound with a small amount of data and simple processing, particularly a game apparatus capable of performing real-time effect control, a storage medium storing a game program, a game program, and the like. The purpose is to provide.

The game device of the present invention sets a virtual game space, generates a sounding event in which sound is generated at a predetermined position in the game space according to the progress of the game, and a sound signal corresponding to the sounding event A sound signal generating unit that generates a sound signal, and a sound signal processing unit that inputs the sound signal generated by the sound signal generating unit and outputs the sound signal with an effect of changing the timbre of the sound signal. And
The audio signal processing unit controls the degree of effect to be applied to the audio signal by an effect control value, and the control unit sets a dotted or linear reference position at a predetermined position in the game space. When a sounding event occurs, calculate the distance from the reference position of the sounding event occurrence position, determine an effect control value according to the calculated distance, and transmit to the audio signal processing unit ,
Furthermore, the first table in which the maximum value and the minimum value of the distance range for controlling the effect control value according to the distance, and the distance of each boundary point that divides this distance range are written, and for each boundary point A storage unit that stores a second table in which an effect control value is written, and the control unit refers to the first table to which boundary point the calculated distance belongs. Indexing and determining an effect control value to be transmitted to the audio signal processing unit based on a value obtained by reading an effect control value corresponding to a boundary point at one or both ends of the calculated section from the second table. It is characterized by.

In the above invention, the storage unit stores a plurality of different first tables, and the control unit switches the first table to be used in accordance with the progress of the game.

According to the game program of the present invention, a virtual game space, a game space setting procedure for setting a dotted or linear reference position at a predetermined position in the game space, and the game space according to the progress of the game. An audio signal generation procedure for generating an audio signal at a predetermined position in the position, a distance calculation procedure for calculating a distance from the reference position of the generation position of the audio signal, and a control value for determining an effect control value according to the calculated distance A game program for executing a determination procedure, an effect applying procedure for applying a predetermined effect to the generated audio signal and controlling the degree of the effect with the effect control value, the control value determining procedure Refers to the first table in which the maximum value and minimum value of the distance range for controlling the effect control value according to the distance and the distance of each boundary point that divides this distance range are written. Then, it is determined which boundary point the calculated distance belongs to, and corresponds to the boundary point at one or both ends of the calculated section from the second table in which the effect control value for each boundary point is written. The effect control value is determined based on a value obtained by reading the effect control value .

A computer-readable storage medium according to the present invention stores the above game program.

  According to the present invention, since the reference position is set in the game space and the effect is controlled according to the distance from the reference position, the sound generation position (pronunciation event of the sound event in the game space is not increased without increasing the data amount or the processing load. Real-time effect control according to the generation position) becomes possible.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of a portable video game machine to which the present invention is applied. The portable video game machine has a color liquid crystal display 4 in the center, a direction key 3 on the left side, and a button group 2 (Δ ○ × □ button) on the right side. A game medium in which a game program and game data are recorded is set in a media mounting unit (not shown), and the game starts when the power is turned on. The player operates the direction key 4 with the left hand and the button group 2 with the right hand to operate the characters in the game. In addition, a built-in speaker and an earphone terminal are also provided as an audio signal output unit (see FIG. 2).

  For example, game media such as Monster Hunter (registered trademark) and game data are stored in the game media. The game “Monster Hunter (registered trademark)” is a game in which a hunter as a main character operated by a player fights against a monster as an enemy character in a plurality of game spaces such as a cave and a coast. In accordance with the progress of the game, in addition to BGM, various sounds (game sounds) such as footsteps of each character walking, sounds of weapons, and waves are generated.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the portable video game machine 1.

  The portable video game machine 1 includes a CPU 11, a drawing data generation processor 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 14, a drawing processing processor 15, a VRAM (Video-RAM) 16, a display unit 17, an audio. A processing processor 18, an amplifier 19, a speaker 20, an earphone terminal 21, an operation unit 22, a media interface 23, a wireless LAN module 24, and a bus 25 are included.

  Among these, the CPU 11, the drawing data generation processor 12, the RAM 13, the ROM 14, the drawing processing processor 15, the voice processing processor 18, the operation unit 22, the media interface 23, and the wireless LAN module 24 are connected by a bus 25 so as to be able to transmit data to each other. ing.

  The media interface 23 is a functional unit that accesses the game media 5 set in a media mounting unit (not shown) and reads out a game program and the like. The game media 5 stores the game program and game data as described above. The game data includes character and background image data, image data for displaying information such as status, sound data such as sound effects and BGM, message data using characters and symbols, and various tables shown in FIGS. It is out. The CPU 11 reads all or part of the game program and game data recorded in the game media 5 into the RAM 13 and executes them according to the operation of the operation unit 22 by the player.

  In the RAM 13, a load area for storing the game program and game data read from the game media 5 by the media interface 23 and a work area for the CPU 11 to process the game program are set. In the load area of the RAM 13, necessary game programs and game data are read from the game media 5 as the game progresses.

  The ROM 14 stores basic functions of the game apparatus 1 such as a disk loading function, a game program stored in the game media 5, and a basic program for controlling reading of game data.

  The CPU 11 controls the progress of the game by executing the game program read from the game media 5 into the RAM 13 as described above. More specifically, when a player's operation signal is input from the operation unit 22, the CPU 11 performs a predetermined game progress process on the operation signal in accordance with the game program, and displays the processing result as an image indicating the game progress (hereinafter referred to as game progress). , “Game image”) is displayed on the display unit 17 and a sound signal indicating the progress of the game (hereinafter referred to as “game sound”) is output to the speaker 20 and the earphone terminal 21.

  Drawing of the game image as the game progresses is performed by the drawing processor 15 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 11. The CPU 11 determines the content of the game image to be displayed on the display unit 17 based on the player's operation signal input from the operation unit 22, and generates necessary drawing data for the content in the drawing data generation processor 12. Then, the drawing data is transferred to the drawing processor 15 to perform drawing processing. The drawing processor 15 draws and generates a game image every 1/60 seconds, and writes the generated game image in the VRAM 16. The display unit 17 includes a transflective color liquid crystal display and a backlight LED (Light Emitting Diode), and displays a game image written in the VRAM 16.

  Further, the CPU 11 determines sound effects such as sound effects and BGM to be output from the speaker 20 in accordance with the progress of the game, reads out sound data for generating the sound from the RAM 13, and inputs the sound data to the sound processor 18. To do. The audio data stored in the RAM 13 is loaded from the game media 5.

  The audio processor 18 gives a predetermined effect to the audio data input from the CPU 11, converts it into an analog signal, and outputs it to the amplifier 19. The amplifier 19 amplifies the audio signal input from the audio processor 18 and then outputs it to the speaker 20 and the earphone terminal 21. One speaker 20 is provided at each of the left and right ends of the apparatus main body, and stereo output is possible. Note that the audio data stored in the RAM 13 may be read by the CPU 11 and supplied to the audio processor 18, or the audio processor 18 may directly access the RAM 13 to read the audio data.

  The operation unit 22 includes the button group 2 (Δ ○ × □ button) and the direction key 3, receives the player's operation, and inputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation content to the CPU 11. The direction key 3 is an operator for instructing a moving direction of a main character that is a character mainly operated by an operator. In addition, a button group 2 including four buttons “◯”, “△”, “×”, and “□” is used for instructing a specific action (for example, jumping, bending, running, etc.) of the main character. It is an operator. The operation unit 22 includes a power switch for turning on / off the power in addition to these operators.

The media interface 23 is an interface for accessing the game media 5 attached to the media attachment unit. The game media 5 is a UMD which is a kind of optical disc in addition to a semiconductor memory.
(Universal Media Disc) (registered trademark) can be adopted.

  The wireless LAN module 24 is a communication module for configuring a network by performing data communication with another game device 1 through a wireless LAN compliant with the communication standard IEEE802.11b (used frequency band 2.4 GHz, communication speed 11 Mbps). .

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of the audio processor 18. The audio processor 18 is constituted by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and functionally has a configuration shown in FIG. The audio processor 18 branches the audio signal 30 input from the CPU 11 into two systems, and one system (direct sound system) inputs the audio signal 30 directly to the amplifier 19 via the synthesis unit 34. The other system (effect imparting system) processes the audio signal 30 with the effector 32 to provide a predetermined effect, and then inputs the signal to the amplifier 19 via the synthesis unit 34. The effect imparting system is configured by connecting an on / off switching unit 31, the effector 32, and an effect volume 33 in series. The synthesizer 34 adds and synthesizes the direct sound and the effect imparting sound and outputs the result to the amplifier 19.

  The on / off switching unit 31 is a switching unit that turns on / off the effect applying system. When the effect applying system is turned off, the sound signal output from the sound processor 18 becomes a (simple) sound signal of only direct sound. For example, announcement voices such as operation guides are made clear only as direct sound by turning off the effect imparting system. On the other hand, the game sound generated in the game is turned on the effect imparting system and the effect according to the scene is given.

  The effector 32 can be set as an effector that imparts various effects by setting microprograms and parameters. For example, a reverb that gives a reverberation effect to an audio signal, a chorus that gives thickness to the audio signal, a limiter that distorts the audio signal, and the like. Moreover, even if the reverb is the same, it can be set as an effector that provides a plurality of types of reverb effects having different lengths and densities.

  In the following description, in order to simplify the description, the effect of reverb will be described as an example. As described above, a plurality of effects having different lengths, densities, and the like can be set as the reverb, which are expressed as reverb 1, reverb 2, reverb 3,.

  The effector 32 can control the degree of the effect in real time by the effect level parameter input from the CPU 11. For example, in the case of reverberation using feedback, by controlling the magnitude of the feedback gain, the attenuation level of the reverb can be controlled, and thereby the reverb length can be controlled.

  In addition, an effect volume 33 is connected to the subsequent stage of the effector 32 for controlling how much the effect-applied sound to which the effect is applied is mixed with the direct sound. The effect volume 33 can control the gain in real time by the effect volume setting value input from the CPU 11. The audio signal to which the effect is applied by the effector 32 is input to the synthesis unit 34 after the level (volume) as the audio signal is controlled by the effect volume 33.

  Since both the effect level parameter and the effect volume setting value may be numerical parameters of several bits, the CPU 11 may generate the value in real time in accordance with the game progress control and transmit it to the sound processing processor 18. it can.

  One or both of the effect level parameter and the effect volume setting value are used as the effect control value of the present invention. That is, when a later-described sounding event occurs in the game progress control, the CPU 11 reads out sound data corresponding to the sounding event from the RAM 13 and inputs the sound data to the sound processing processor 18 and responds to the contents of the sounding event. An effect control value is generated and input to the audio processor 18 to control the effect to be given to the audio data in real time.

  In this portable video game machine 1, when a sounding event occurs in the game progress control, the position in the game space where the sounding event occurred, more specifically, the position where the sounding event occurred is the game space. An effect control value is generated depending on how far away from the reference position, and the effect given to the game sound corresponding to the sounding event is controlled.

  Here, an example of the game space will be described with reference to FIG. The game space is a space that is virtually generated by the CPU 11 in the game progress process based on the game program and game data. The CPU 11 activates the character in the game space and generates a game sound.

  In the case of the game “Monster Hunter (registered trademark)” described above, the game space is characterized, for example, as a cave, a desert, a jungle, a snowy mountain, a coast, etc., and the game data corresponds to the characterization of the game space. Drawing data for displaying the background on the game screen and game sound that expresses the characteristics of the game space are stored. For example, the game sound is a sound of a wave in the case of a coast, a sound of a wind of snowstorm in the case of a snowy mountain, and the like.

  FIG. 4A shows a desert game space that leads to a cave. The CPU 11 virtually sets a three-dimensional game space. This figure is a plan view (xz plane) of the game space. Since the game screen is rendered and displayed on the display 4 of the game machine with a horizontal line of sight as shown in FIG. 5, the height direction is the y-axis, and the plan view shown in FIG. It becomes.

  In the figure, a passage 101 on the right side (east side) and a passage 103 on the lower left side (southwest side) are connected to the cave, and the upper passage 102 is connected to another desert. In the desert 100, since sound is diffused, there is almost no reverberation. However, as the cave is approached, the sound transmitted in the direction of the cave is reverberated and heard as reverberation. Therefore, a reference point P1, which is a point-like reference position, is set at the entrance of the cave of the passage 101, and a reference point P2 is set at the entrance of the same entrance of the passage 103. An effect control value for controlling the degree of reverberation (effect) is generated according to the distance from these reference points, and is transmitted to the audio control processor 18.

  The range of the double arrow line R1 in the figure is the change range of the effect control value. When a sound generation event occurs in this range, an effect control value determined according to the distance between the generation position and P1 is generated. The effect control value increases as it approaches the reference point P1 at the entrance of the cave (maximum value max when the distance is 0), and the effect control value decreases as the distance increases. The minimum value is min at a position on the arc centered on the reference point P1 and the radius is the double-arrow line R1, and the effect control value does not change according to the distance at a position farther from the reference point P1. Control value = min. Since the reference point P2 is the same as the reference point P1, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 2B shows a cave game space. This figure is also a plan view of the game space, like FIG. 8A, and shows an xz plane. In the cave 110, the wall surface and ceiling surface are surrounded by rocks, and when a game sound is generated inside, the cave 110 becomes a sound with a long and large reverberation. For this reason, the reverb preset (set) in the effector 32 when the cave game space is displayed is longer and larger than the reverb preset in the effector 32 when the desert game space is displayed. The default value is large.

  The cave 110 has exits 111, 112, and 113 on the lower side (south side), the upper side (north side), and the left side (west side), respectively. As described above, the reverberation is long and large inside the cave, but as the sound gets closer to the exit, the reverberation decreases. Therefore, reference points P11, P12, and P13 are set at the exits 111, 112, and 113, and when a sound generation event occurs, the degree of reverberation (effect) is controlled according to the distance from the reference point of the sound generation position. The effect control value is generated and transmitted to the voice control processor 18.

  At the reference point P11, the range of the double arrow line R11 in the figure is the change range of the effect control value. When a sounding event occurs in this range, the effect control determined according to the distance between the generation position and P11. Generate a value. The effect control value decreases as it approaches the reference point P11 at the cave exit, and the effect control value increases as it moves away. When the distance from the reference point P11 is d, the minimum value is min. Even if the distance from the reference point P11 is equal to or less than d, the minimum value remains. Further, the maximum value max is obtained at a position on the arc centered on the reference point P11 and the radius of the double arrow line R11 + d, and an effect control value corresponding to the distance is obtained at a position farther from the reference point P11 (ie, inside the cave). There is no change, and the effect control value is equal to max. Since the reference points P12 and P13 are the same as the reference point P11, the description thereof is omitted.

  In the game spaces shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a plurality of reference points are set. Depending on the sound generation event occurrence position (sound generation position), the effect control value depends on the reference point to be applied. May be different. In this case, “Set the boundary line of the range to apply each reference point in advance”, “Use the larger (or smaller) calculated effect control value”, “ The effect control value may be determined by a method such as “apply reference point”.

In the above-mentioned game “Monster Hunter (registered trademark)”, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of game spaces K1 to K10 characterized by caves, deserts, jungles , snowy mountains, coasts, etc. are connected via a passage. The hunter as the main character hunts the monster as the enemy character while moving in the game space. Each time the game space is moved, a reverb preset setting corresponding to the game space, and a setting change such as a reference point and a change amount are performed.

  Since the capacity of the RAM 13 of the portable video game machine is limited, a game program and game data for executing a game in the game space are loaded from the game media 5 for each game space.

  As described above, in this game, in the game space, the effect control value is determined according to the distance from the reference point, and the effect imparted to the game sound is controlled in real time. In some cases, it is better to control the effect control value in a multi-order function than simply determining the effect control value in a linear function with respect to the distance. However, the processing load on the CPU 11 increases if an effect control value is calculated using a multi-order function each time a sounding event occurs. Therefore, various tables are provided so that the effect control value according to the distance to the reference point can be easily calculated, and even when the effect control value is controlled in a multi-order function, this table is referred to. In addition, the effect control value can be simply determined by a simple calculation. In this table, a column is set for each game space, and an effect control value can be set in accordance with the characteristics of each game space.

  7 and 8 are diagrams showing the various tables. This table group is recorded in the game media 5 as game data, and is loaded into the RAM 13 when the game is started.

  The table shown in FIG. 7 is a table for designating a reverb preset in the effector 32 for each game space. FIG. 2A shows an effect assignment table. FIG. 5B shows a default value table.

  In the effect assignment table of FIG. 6A, an area number and a default table for designating data for drawing the shape of the game space for each game space 0, 1, 2,. )) Is written in correspondence. The default table in FIG. 6B shows the type of effect (reverb) preset in the effector 32, the “hunter” that is the main character operated by the player, and general enemies when the game in this game space is executed. It is a table storing the effect control value default values of the character “enemy” and the most prominent boss character “boss” among the enemy characters. That is, in the default table column 1, column 2, etc., even if the game sound is the same, the sound generated by the hunter or boss character is controlled so as to be more effective than the sound generated by a general enemy character. The Depending on the magnitude of this effect, the game sound generated by the character is characterized.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a table group for effect control according to the sound event occurrence position (sound generation position). FIG. 4A shows an effect control setting table. FIG. 5B shows a control scale table. FIG. 3C shows an effect change amount table.

  The effect control setting table in FIG. 6A determines the type of reference position (reference point (point) or reference line (line)), the coordinates of the reference position in the game space, and the effect control value for each game space. Information for designating a control scale table (FIG. 5B) and an effect change amount table (FIG. 3C) are stored in association with each other. In the table of this figure, two coordinates of the reference point are registered, but the number of reference points is not limited to two. Further, when there are a plurality of reference points as shown in FIG. 4, separate columns may be provided in the effect control setting table for each reference point. The same applies to the reference line. The reference line will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  The control scale table in FIG. 5B is a table for determining the distance range for controlling the effect and the section distance for changing the effect control value. For example, in the 0th column of this table, distance 0 to distance 400 (this numerical value may be applied to an actual distance scale such as a meter, or may be based on a unit of virtual distance in the game space. It is shown that the effect control value is changed for each section of the distance 100 in the range of (good). Further, the first column indicates that the effect control value is changed for each section of the distance 200 in the range of the distance 100 to 700.

  The effect change amount table in FIG. 10C is a table for designating a correction value of the effect control value for each section of the control range designated by the control scale table. For example, in the 0th column of this table, the effect control value is incremented by +127 in the section of the control range closest to the reference position. Thereafter, the effect control value is controlled to +100, +80, +40, +10, 0 for each section as the distance from the reference position increases. This effect control value, +127, +100,... Is a value added to the default value set in the above-described default table (FIG. 7B). For example, the default value is 20. If this effect control value is +100, the effect control value input to the effector 32 is 120. When the value obtained by adding the effect control value calculated from the table to the default value exceeds the maximum value (for example, 127) of the effect control value, the maximum value is then input to the effector 32. Determined as a value.

  The control scale table corresponds to the first table of the present invention, and the effect change amount table corresponds to the second table of the present invention. The table configuration is not limited to that shown in FIGS.

9 and 10 are diagrams showing examples of changes in the correction value of the effect control value by the effect control setting table.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of control by the 0th column of the effect control setting table. The 0th column of the effect control setting table designates the 0th column of the control scale table and the 0th column of the effect change amount table. In the 0th column of the control scale table, an effect control value is set for each boundary point every 100 m from 0 m to 400 m. In the 0th column of the effect change amount table, 127, 100, 80, 40, 10, 0 and 6 effect control values are set in order from the boundary point close to the control point, but the control between 0 m and 400 m is set. Since there are four sections and there are five boundary points, five effect control values 127, 100, 80, 40, and 10 are used, and the changes are as shown in FIG. That is, the effect control value is 127 at the boundary point of 0 m, the effect control value is 100 at the boundary point of 100 m, the effect control value is 80 at the boundary point of 200 m, and the effect control value is at the boundary point of 300 m. 40, and the effect control value is 10 at the boundary point of 400 m. Then, in the section between the boundary points, the effect control value is obtained by linear interpolation like a linear function. The effect control value changes from 127 to 100 in the section from 0 m to 100 m, the effect control value changes from 100 to 80 in the section from 100 m to 200 m, and the effect control value from 80 to 40 in the section from 200 m to 300 m. The effect control value changes from 40 to 10 in the section from 300 m to 400 m, and the effect control value becomes 10 from 400 m and beyond.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of control by the third column of the effect control setting table. The third column of the effect control setting table specifies the second column of the control scale table and the third column of the effect change amount table. In the second column of the control scale table, an effect control value is set for each boundary point every 400 m between 200 m and 1000 m. In the third column of the effect change amount table, six effect control values 70, 40, 10, 0, 0, 0 and 6 are set in order from the boundary point close to the control point. Since there are two sections and there are three boundary points, three effect control values 70, 40, and 10 are used. Thus, the effect control value is 70 at the boundary point of 200 m, the effect control value is 40 at the boundary point of 600 m, and the effect control value is 10 at the boundary point of 1000 m. The effect control value is 70 in the section outside the control range of 0 m to 200 m, the effect control value is changed to 70 to 40 in the section of 200 m to 600 m, and the effect control value is 40 to 10 in the section of 600 m to 1000 m. The effect control value becomes 10 at 1000 m or more.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the portable video game machine.
FIG. 4A is a flowchart for explaining the operation at the start of the game. When the power is turned on, the main program and main data are loaded from the game media 5 set in the media loading unit (S1), and the game is started (S2). The data loaded at this time includes the table groups shown in FIGS. When a game space is selected by the player's operation (S3), the game program and game data for the game space are loaded from the game media 5 to the RAM 13 (S4). The game data loaded at this time includes sound data generated in the game space.

  After that, the column corresponding to this game space is selected from the table group of FIGS. 7 and 8 (S5), and the effect (reverb) specified by the selected table is preset in the effector 32 (S6). Then, a game developed on the stage of this game space is started (S7). When the game set in this game space is completed (S8), the process returns to S3 to select the next game space.

  FIG. 5B is a flowchart showing a sounding event processing operation executed in response to a sounding event. This process is executed every time a pronunciation event occurs. The pronunciation event refers to a game progress process that should generate a sound in the game. For example, when a game progress process is performed in which a character walks and makes a foot on the ground, the game progresses to cut the enemy character with the player's weapon For example, when processing is performed.

  This sounding event processing operation is started as a subroutine by the main program when a sounding event occurs. Alternatively, the sounding event processing operation is repeatedly executed at regular intervals, and the sounding event register is checked at each execution. If there is a sounding event registered by the main program in the sounding event register, the sounding event is processed.

  In the sound event processing, first, the type of sound event that has occurred and its sound position are acquired (S10, S11). The event type is information indicating the type of sound generated such as footsteps and equipment sounds. The sound generation position is information for specifying the position where the sound generation event has occurred, and is obtained as x, y, z coordinate values in the game space. Such information is automatically generated when the main program progresses the game, and may be acquired from the main program. When the sound generation position is acquired, the distance between the sound generation position and the reference position (reference point or reference line) is obtained (S12). Then, the effect control value is obtained by referring to the table using this distance as an argument (S13). The table used is that selected in S5 of the game start process in FIG. The effect control value acquired in S13 is the default value + the effect control value obtained from the table.

  The effect control value acquired in S13 is transmitted to the effector 32 (S14), and the audio data corresponding to the event type is read from the RAM 13 and input to the audio processor 18 (S15).

  As a result, the effect control value corresponding to the sounding event occurrence position can be obtained by a simple process of simple linear interpolation of the value obtained by referring to the table, and the CPU 11 is burdened with real-time effect control. Can be done without.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 10A, the interval between the boundary points is linearly interpolated to determine the effect control value. Interpolation in the section between the boundary points is not limited to linear interpolation within a range that does not impair the gist of the present invention.

  In order to further simplify the processing, the interval set between the boundary points may not be interpolated, and the value set at one of the boundary points may be used as it is. In this case, the graphs of FIGS. 9A and 10A are stepped.

In the above description, only the dotted reference point P has been described as the reference position, but here, a game space in which a linear reference position (reference line) is set will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2A shows a game space on a sandy beach sandwiched between the jungle and the coast. In the jungle, sound is reflected by trees and reverberation occurs. However, since sound is diffused on the coastline, there is almost no reverberation. In this way, if the reference position for effect control is distributed linearly, such as the coastline or jungle boundary line, the reference position is set to a linear shape (reference line), and the distance from this reference line The effect control value is controlled according to the above.

  In the figure, the coast line is set as the reference line L1, and the effect (reverb) is controlled to be the minimum value min on the reference line L1, and the effect is increased as the jungle is approached. Conversely, the boundary line between the jungle and the beach may be set as a reference line, and the effect control value may be controlled to decrease as the effect moves away from the reference line at the maximum value max in the coastline direction.

  In the case of a straight line (line segment), the reference line may be specified by xyz coordinates at both ends, or may be expressed by a linear (or higher-order) equation. The reference line may be a polygonal line or a curve, and can be specified by a plurality of plot coordinate values, higher order equations, or the like.

  FIG. 2B shows a game space composed of a stone temple and a square in front of the temple. In this figure, the game space is shown in a perspective view so that the temple can be easily understood. In this game space, a reference line L2 is set along the pillar at the back of the temple, and the effect (reverb) is set to the maximum value max at the position of the reference line L2, and the effect is controlled to decrease as the distance from the square increases. .

  Further, the reference position of the reference line or the reference point does not need to be fixed in the game space, and may be moved according to the progress of the game. Further, the control content such as the effect change amount may vary.

  FIG. 13 shows an example in which the reference line moves as the game progresses. FIG. 11A shows a sandy beach game space having a coastline similar to that in FIG. 12A, but shows an example in which the coastline moves due to the tide being full over time. As the coastline moves, the reference line L3 also moves. Although the reference line L3 may only move, since the width of the sandy beach (land) in the game space also changes when the reference line L3 moves, the control scale table and the effect change amount table may be switched accordingly. That is, as the coastline moves, the reference line L3 is moved and the selection of the control scale table and the effect change amount table is switched. In this case, a plurality of fields may be set in the effect control setting table of FIG. 8A corresponding to the tides of one game space.

  FIG. 5B shows an example in which the width of the land on the riverbed (reference line L4) varies due to the change in the river width. In this case, the change in the river width is not a change that simply depends on the passage of time, such as when the tide is full, but is changed depending on a change in weather such as rainfall.

  Further, FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a game space having a roof-type movable tent hung on the storefront of the store. This figure shows a side view. The front of the store is the reference line L5, and the effect control value is the maximum value max at the position of the reference line L5. The tip of the tent is the farthest position in the control range (the maximum value in FIG. 8B). In this case, the reference line L5 does not move on the basis of the insertion / extraction of the tent, but the selection of the control scale table (or the control scale table and the effect change amount table) is changed. Further, the variation of the control content of the effect control value does not depend on the passage of time or the weather, but can be generated according to the action of the main character, that is, the player's operation.

  As described above, by switching the reference line and the control scale table in the same game space, for example, it is possible to relatively easily change the sound accompanying the change in the weather or the terrain.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a more complicated effect control value determination method. This example shows a method for determining an effect control value in a game space in a canyon having a stepped slope.

  That is, in a canyon having such a stepped slope, the reverberation differs for each step, and the reverberation also varies depending on the distance from the slope (vertical surface) in each step. That is, the sound spreads in the sky near the top of the mountain and the reverberation is low, but the sound near the river and reflects off the canyon, so the reverberation is large. Also, even if the sound is generated at the same stage, the reverberation is larger in the sound generated near the slope (vertical surface) than in the sound generated on the valley side. In the hills at the summit, there is some reverberation due to the echoes of the surrounding mountains.

  In this way, in such a game space, as the reverb changes discontinuously as shown in the graph of FIG. 3C, it is possible to set the entire game space as an integrated space where the reverberation continuously changes. Can not. The change characteristic of the effect control value as shown in this graph is also registered in the effect control setting table of FIG.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, a plurality of reference lines L21, L22,... Are set along the vertical plane of the stepped slope, and a control scale table and an effect change amount table are set for each reference line. have. Then, a reference line, a control scale table and an effect change amount table corresponding to the reference line are selected according to the generation position of the game sound (position where the main character is present). In the case of a gorge game space, the effect control value is determined by selecting a reference line and an effect change amount table corresponding to the reference line along the vertical plane on the side closer to the summit as viewed from the sound generation position.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the sounding event processing operation in the game space shown in FIG. In the sound event processing, first, the type of sound event that has occurred and its sound position are acquired (S20, S21). The event type is information indicating the type of sound generated such as footsteps and equipment sounds. The sound generation position is information for specifying the position where the sound generation event has occurred, and is obtained as x, y, z coordinate values in the game space. Such information is automatically generated when the main program progresses the game, and may be acquired from the main program. When the sound generation position is acquired, the distance between the sound generation position and the summit is obtained (S22). Then, based on the distance from the summit, it is determined at which step on the slope of the canyon the sound generation position occurs (S23), and the reference line and the corresponding effect change amount table are selected (S24). Then, the distance from the reference line is obtained (S25). An effect control value is acquired with reference to the effect change amount table selected using this distance as an argument (S26). The effect control value acquired here is the default value + the effect control value obtained from the table. The effect control value is transmitted to the effector 32 (S27), and the audio data corresponding to the event type is read from the RAM 13 and input to the audio processor 18 (S28).

  In the above embodiment, the reverb is described as an example of the effect, but the effect (effect) to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the reverb. Further, the interpolation between the boundary points in the effect change amount table is not limited to the linear function.

Schematic external view of a portable video game machine to which the present invention is applied Block diagram showing the internal configuration of the portable video game machine The figure which shows the constitution of the voice processor A diagram explaining an example of a game space The figure which shows the example of the game image displayed on the display of a portable video game machine The figure explaining the form with which several game spaces are connected through the passage The figure which shows the table group which selects the effect preset to an effector The figure which shows the table group which sets effect control The figure which shows the example of a change of the effect control value according to distance The figure which shows the example of a change of the effect control value according to distance Flow chart explaining operation of portable video game machine The figure which shows the example of the game space in which a linear reference position (reference line) is set The figure which shows the example which a reference line moves according to progress of a game The figure which shows the example of the game space of the canyon which has a step-like slope Flow chart showing pronunciation event processing

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Portable video game machine 2 ... Button group 3 ... Direction key 4 ... Display 5 ... Game media 11 ... CPU
13 ... RAM
18 ... Audio processing processor 20 ... Speaker 21 ... Earphone terminal 32 ... Effector 33 ... Effect volume P1, P2, P11, P12, P13 ... Reference point L1, L2, L21, L22, L23, L24 ... Reference line

Claims (4)

A controller that sets a virtual game space and generates a sounding event in which sound is generated at a predetermined position in the game space according to the progress of the game;
An audio signal generator that generates an audio signal in response to a pronunciation event;
An audio signal processing unit that inputs an audio signal generated by the audio signal generation unit and outputs an effect of changing the timbre of the audio signal; and
A game device comprising:
The audio signal processing unit controls the degree of effect to be given to the audio signal by an effect control value,
The control unit sets a dotted or linear reference position at a predetermined position in the game space, and when a sounding event occurs, calculates a distance from the reference position of the sounding event occurrence position. The effect control value is determined according to the distance and transmitted to the audio signal processing unit ,
further,
The first table in which the maximum value and minimum value of the distance range for controlling the effect control value according to the distance, the distance of each boundary point that divides this distance range, and the effect control for each boundary point are written A storage unit storing a second table in which values are written;
The control unit refers to the first table to determine which boundary point the calculated distance belongs to, and sets the boundary point at one or both ends of the calculated interval from the second table. A game device that determines an effect control value to be transmitted to the audio signal processing unit based on a value obtained by reading a corresponding effect control value. The storage unit stores a plurality of different first tables,
The game device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches a first table to be used in accordance with the progress of the game. On the computer,
A virtual game space, and a game space setting procedure for setting a dotted or linear reference position at a predetermined position in the game space;
An audio signal generation procedure for generating an audio signal at a predetermined position in the game space according to the progress of the game;
A distance calculation procedure for calculating a distance from the reference position of the generation position of the audio signal;
A control value determination procedure for determining an effect control value according to the calculated distance;
An effect providing procedure for giving a predetermined effect to the generated audio signal and controlling the degree of the effect with the effect control value;
A game program for the execution,
The control value determination procedure refers to the first table in which the maximum value and minimum value of the distance range for controlling the effect control value according to the distance and the distance of each boundary point that divides this distance range are written. It is determined which boundary point the calculated distance belongs to, and corresponds to the boundary point at one or both ends of the calculated section from the second table in which the effect control value for each boundary point is written. A game program which is a procedure for determining an effect control value based on a value obtained by reading an effect control value.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the game program according to claim 3.

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