Game program and game device

Abstract

To enhance a feeling of devotion by an effective sound in a virtual space.SOLUTION: A game progressing unit 561 operates a character in a virtual space in response to an operation of a user. An acoustic processing unit 562 receives a sound production signal showing first sound production related to a first event generated by a game medium present in the virtual space and a sound production signal showing second sound production related to a second event generated in the virtual space. In the case where the second event is an event generated after the generation of the first event, the acoustic processing unit executes correction to delay a sound production timing of the second sound production determined on the basis of the generation time of the second event according to a distance between the position that the first event is generated and the position that the second event is generated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a game program and a game device. [Background technology]

[0002] Some game programs reproduce sound effects in a virtual space (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the example of Patent Document 1, in a shooting game, gunshot sounds and the like are reproduced during the game. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-156589 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In games, sound effects can make or break your sense of immersion.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to improve the sense of immersion provided by sound effects in a virtual space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In the first aspect, a computer is caused to function as a game progression unit and a sound processing unit, The game progression unit: In response to user input, the character moves in the virtual space. The acoustic processing unit includes: receiving a sound signal indicating a first sound related to a first event generated by a game medium present in the virtual space and a sound signal indicating a second sound related to a second event generated in the virtual space; In the case where the second event occurs after the occurrence of the first event, A correction is made to delay the timing of the second sound to be generated, which is determined based on the time when the second event occurs, according to the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred. It is a game program.

[0007] In a first aspect, The acoustic processing unit may perform the correction only when the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0008] In the above aspect, The acoustic processing unit may determine the amount of delay based on a value that is inversely proportional to the distance.

[0009] A second aspect is a game program according to the above aspect, comprising: a storage unit that stores the game program; a control unit that executes the game program; It is a game device equipped with the above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the sense of immersion in a virtual space through sound effects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the concept of sound generation timing correction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, embodiments of a game program and a game device will be described.

[0013] A game based on this game program is played in a virtual space (three-dimensional). There are no limitations on the type of game. For example, the game may be a fighting action game in which a player character attacks and defeats enemy characters.

[0014] <<Configuration of the Game Device>> <Hardware configuration> 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game device 5. The game device 5 executes a predetermined game based on user operations. The game device 5 has a display 61, a speaker 62, and a controller 63 either externally connected or built-in.

[0015] The game device 5 may be a commercially available device such as a personal computer, PlayStation (registered trademark), XBox (registered trademark), PlayStation Vita (registered trademark), or Nintendo Switch (registered trademark).

[0016] The game progresses on the game device 5 based on the installed game program and game data. Game devices 5 can also communicate data with each other using a communication network (not shown) or a short-range wireless communication device (not shown).

[0017] The game device 5 has a network interface 51, a graphics processing unit 52, an audio processing unit 53, an operation unit 54, a storage unit 55, and a control unit 56. The network interface 51, the graphics processing unit 52, the audio processing unit 53, the operation unit 54, and the storage unit 55 are electrically connected to the control unit 56 via a bus 59.

[0018] The network interface 51 is communicably connected to the communication network in order to transmit and receive various data to and from, for example, other game devices 5 and external server devices (not shown).

[0019] The graphics processing unit 52 renders game images including the player character and various objects in the virtual space in a moving image format in accordance with game image information output from the control unit 56. The graphics processing unit 52 is connected to a display 61 (e.g., a liquid crystal display). The game images rendered in a moving image format are displayed on the display 61 as a game screen.

[0020] The audio processing unit 53 is connected to the speaker 62. The audio processing unit 53 plays digital game sounds in accordance with instructions from the control unit 56. Specifically, the audio processing unit 53 converts the sound data output by the control unit 56 into an analog signal and outputs it to the speaker 62.

[0021] The audio processing unit 53 is configured to be capable of multi-channel audio output in order to reproduce three-dimensional sound. Accordingly, a plurality of speakers 62 are connected to the game device 5. These speakers 62 may be placed to the left and right, front and rear, or above a listener (e.g., a game player) in order to reproduce three-dimensional sound.

[0022] The operation unit 54 is connected to the controller 63. The operation unit 54 transmits and receives signals to and from the controller 63. A game player operates various controls such as buttons on the controller 63 to input signals (commands, data, etc.) to the game device 5.

[0023] The storage unit 55 is composed of an HDD, SSD, RAM, ROM, etc. Game data, various programs including game programs, etc. are stored in the storage unit 55. Examples of game data include game media and user account information.

[0024] The control unit 56 controls the operation of the game device 5. The control unit 56 includes a CPU (microcomputer) and a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory stores programs and data for operating the CPU.

[0025] <Functional Configuration of Control Unit 56> The control unit 56 executes the game program to function as a game progression unit 561 and a sound processing unit 562 (see FIG. 1).

[0026] -Game Progression Section 561- The game progression unit 561 moves player characters within a virtual space in response to operations by a user (here, a game player). The game progression unit 561 also moves non-player characters and predetermined objects (such as vehicles) within the virtual space.

[0027] The game progression unit 561 controls the actions of non-player characters and predetermined objects using, for example, AI (artificial intelligence). The game progression unit 561 progresses the game in accordance with the actions of the player characters and non-player characters.

[0028] In this game program, a character such as a player character may possess game content within the game screen. "Possession" here means, for example, that the character and the game content are displayed together on the display 61. In some games, this "possession" may be expressed as "equipping."

[0029] In this game, the game media possessed by the character can be a virtual sound source in the virtual space. In other words, in this game, sounds are reproduced as sounds emitted by the game media. Hereinafter, the reproduction of sounds as sounds emitted by the game media may be expressed as "the game media making a sound."

[0030] An example of the game medium possessed by a character is a weapon. In the following description, it is assumed that the player character possesses a firearm (e.g., a shotgun) as the game medium.

[0031] In this game, the firearm may emit a gunshot sound (more precisely, a sound simulating the sound of a gunshot may be reproduced). For example, in this game program, the user can instruct the player character to fire a firearm held by the player character by operating a control on the controller 63. In response to the user's instruction to fire, the game progression unit 561 outputs a signal indicating that the game medium (firearm) will make a sound (hereinafter referred to as a sound generation signal) to the sound processing unit 562.

[0032] In this game, a firearm may fire a bullet (ammunition) in a virtual space. In this game, the bullet lands somewhere in the virtual space and emits an impact sound. In response to a user's command to fire, the game progression unit 561 outputs a sound signal indicating that an impact sound will be emitted to the sound processing unit 562.

[0033] -Audio Processing Unit 562- In this game program, various sound data are prepared in advance. For example, in this game program, sounds such as the sound of a gun being fired and the sound of a bullet hitting the ground are prepared. The sound processing unit 562 plays back the sound data in accordance with the progress of the game. Specifically, the sound processing unit 562 selects sound data in accordance with the progress of the game and outputs the selected sound data to the audio processing unit 53.

[0034] When outputting audio data, the sound processing unit 562 instructs the volume of the audio data to the audio processing unit 53. The audio processing unit 53 converts the audio data output by the sound processing unit 562 into an analog signal of the instructed volume and outputs it to the speaker 62.

[0035] The sound processing unit 562 performs sound image localization when reproducing sound. In order to perform sound image localization, the sound processing unit 562 sets a virtual sound receiving point (hereinafter referred to as a virtual microphone L) in the virtual space where sound is heard. In this example, the virtual microphone L is set near the player character. The virtual microphone L has directionality. The virtual microphone L moves in accordance with the movement of the player character.

[0036] In this game, acoustic effects are produced so that sounds appear to be coming from a virtual sound source existing in the virtual space. The sound processor 562 outputs sounds emitted from virtual sound sources (such as weapons held by the player character) to the speaker 62 in an acoustic representation that makes it appear as if the sounds were collected by a virtual microphone L. The virtual microphone L is a virtual listener and is the reference point for sound image localization by the sound processor 562.

[0037] In the real world, suppose a bullet is fired from a firearm at a close distance (say 50 cm) towards a wall. In this case, the sound of the gunshot and the sound of the bullet hitting the wall will be heard (or heard) at roughly the same time. Generally, the volume level of the gunshot sound is louder than the volume level of the bullet hitting the wall, so the impact sound is masked by the gunshot sound and is difficult to hear.

[0038] In the world of games, even when a bullet is fired at close range, if the user can hear both the gunshot sound and the impact sound, it will lead to increased interest. The sound processing unit 562 adjusts (sets) the timing of the impact sound so that the impact sound can be recognized.

[0039] Here, it is assumed that the sound processing unit 562 receives a sound signal indicating a sound (first sound) related to an event (first event) of gunfire, and further assumes that the sound processing unit 562 receives a sound signal indicating a sound (second sound) related to an event (second event) of bullet impact occurring in the virtual space.

[0040] In this example, the second event (the shot) occurs after the first event (the shot). In particular, in this example, the second event (the shot) occurs as a result of the first event (the shot).

[0041] The sound processing unit 562 performs a correction to delay the timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the time at which the second event occurred, according to the distance between the position in virtual space where the first event occurred and the position in virtual space where the second event occurred. The "timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the time at which the second event occurred" is the timing at which the hypothetical sound reaches the virtual microphone L, assuming that the sound of a bullet impact occurs at the same time as the bullet impact (second event). Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the "timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the time at which the second event occurred" is referred to as the "logical timing."

[0042] The sound processing unit 562 performs the following process to correct the sound generation timing.

[0043] (1) Record the timing of the first main event (2) Obtain the logical timing of the secondary event (3) Calculate the delay time The sound processing unit 562 calculates a delay time that is inversely proportional to the time from the sound generation start timing of the first event to the logical timing of the second event (or the distance between the occurrence positions of the first event and the second event).

[0044] The logical timing can be calculated as follows.

[0045] (3-1) The distance between the location where the first event occurs and the location where the second event occurs is calculated.

[0046] (3-2) Determine the logical timing based on the calculated distance, bullet speed, and speed of sound.

[0047] The speed of a bullet is considered to be a constant determined by the firearm. The speed of sound may also be treated as a constant. In other words, it can be said that acoustic processing unit 562 determines the delay time (correction amount) according to the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred.

[0048] When the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred is sufficiently large, there is little need to adjust the timing of the second sound. The sound processor 562 performs correction only when the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold (referred to as the distance threshold).

[0049] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the concept of sound generation timing correction. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis of the graph represents the distance from the firearm (game media) to the impact point (e.g., a wall). The vertical axis of the graph represents the sound generation time (the time when sound reaches virtual microphone L) for the second event. The first event occurs at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal axes.

[0050] The dashed line in Figure 2 shows the occurrence time of the second event in the absence of correction, i.e., the logical timing.

[0051] In this game program, the minimum distance between the firearm and the target (hereinafter referred to as the closest distance) is set for each type of firearm. In the example of Figure 2, the closest distance is set to a value greater than zero.

[0052] As shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, if the onset time is not corrected, the sound related to the second event will be produced immediately after the first event. On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in Figure 2, if the onset time is corrected, the sound related to the second event will be produced later than in the case without correction.

[0053] In this game program, the sound processor 562 does not correct the sound generation timing when the occurrence position of the second event is farther than the distance range indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 2. When the occurrence position of the second event is farther than the distance range indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 2, the sound is generated at the logical timing.

[0054] <<Example of operation>> When the game starts, the game progression unit 561 moves the player character within the virtual space in response to the user's (the game player's) operation of the controller 63. The game progression unit 561 also moves objects such as non-player characters within the virtual space as necessary.

[0055] As the game progresses, let us assume that the player character encounters an enemy character. At this time, the distance between the player character and the enemy character is equal to or less than the distance threshold. Furthermore, let us assume that the enemy character is facing the player character with its back to the wall.

[0056] Here, let us assume that the user gives a command to fire the firearm held by the player character, in which case the game progression unit 561 outputs a sound output signal to the sound processing unit 562.

[0057] When the sound processing unit 562 receives the sound signal, it performs the following processing.

[0058] (1) Recording the timing of the start of the sound (first sound) associated with the gunshot (first event) (2) Obtain the logical timing of the sound (second sound) that occurs when the bullet hits the target (second event). (3) Calculating the delay time (4) Audio data output The sound processing unit 562 outputs the sound data of the gunfire sound (first pronunciation) to the audio processing unit 53. Furthermore, the sound processing unit 562 outputs the sound data of the impact sound (second pronunciation) to the audio processing unit 53 at a timing to which a delay time has been added. The audio processing unit 53 plays back the gunfire sound and the impact sound (outputs them to the speaker 62) in accordance with the instructions of the sound processing unit 562. The impact sound is played back with a delay from the pronunciation timing determined by the distance between the firearm and the wall.

[0059] To summarize the above, this aspect is a game program that causes a computer to function as a game progression unit 561 and an audio processing unit 562, wherein the game progression unit 561 moves a character in a virtual space in response to user operation, the audio processing unit 562 receives a sound signal indicating a first sound related to a first event generated by a game medium present in the virtual space, and a sound signal indicating a second sound related to a second event that occurred in the virtual space, and when the second event occurs after the occurrence of the first event, makes a correction to delay the sound timing of the second sound, which is determined based on the occurrence time of the second event, depending on the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred.

[0060] Effect of this embodiment As described above, according to this embodiment, the impact sound (second sound) is played later than the sound timing determined by the distance between the firearm and the wall (the distance between the position in virtual space where the first event occurred and the position in virtual space where the second event occurred).

[0061] Therefore, the second sound is less likely to be masked by the first sound. The user can recognize both the gunfire sound and the impact sound. In other words, this embodiment makes it possible to enhance the sense of immersion in the virtual space through sound effects.

[0062] [Other embodiments] The game medium is not limited to firearms. The pronunciation time correction mechanism can be applied to anything that produces two or more pronunciations that are related to each other.

[0063] The voice data does not necessarily have to be prepared in advance, but may be synthesized or generated each time based on some data or information.

[0064] The processing of this program may be performed by a server device to which a user device (game device 5) is connected, or may be shared between the user device and the server device. This is the form assumed when this program is implemented as a game program for an online game.

[0065] The effects of the present embodiment can be achieved even when these other embodiments are adopted. Furthermore, this embodiment can be combined with other embodiments, and other embodiments can be combined with each other as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 5. Gaming devices 55 Storage section 56 Control Unit (Computer) 561 Game Progression Department 562 Acoustic Processing Unit

Claims

1. The computer functions as the game progression and sound processing unit, The game progression unit: In response to user input, the character moves in the virtual space. The acoustic processing unit includes: receiving a sound signal indicating a first sound related to a first event generated by a game medium present in the virtual space and a sound signal indicating a second sound related to a second event generated in the virtual space; In the case where the second event is an event that occurs after the occurrence of the first event, a correction is made to delay the timing of the second sound generation, which is determined based on the time when the second event occurs, in accordance with the distance between the position where the first event occurred and the position where the second event occurred; If it is assumed that the second sound generation occurs simultaneously with the second event at the position where the second event occurs, and the timing at which the assumed sound reaches a virtual sound-receiving point is called logical timing, the correction is to delay the sound generation timing of the second sound generation from the logical timing in accordance with the distance between the position where the first event occurs and the position where the second event occurs, The acoustic processing unit performs the correction only when a distance between the occurrence position of the first event and the occurrence position of the second event is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. Game program.

2. The game program of claim 1, The acoustic processing unit performs the correction only when the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Game program.

3. In the game program of claim 1 or 2, The acoustic processing unit determines the amount of delay based on a value inversely proportional to the distance. Game program.

4. a storage unit that stores the game program of claim 1 or claim 2; a control unit that executes the game program; A game device comprising:

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