HK1171395A - Gaming system, control method used for same, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

Game system, control method for the same, and computer program

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a game system that instructs an operation timing of an operation unit included in an input device through a game screen, a control method for the game system, and a computer program.

Background

There are game machines in which a plurality of players alternately operate an operation portion in accordance with the rhythm of music. Among such gaming machines, the following gaming machines are known: a plurality of players play the game, and each player alternately operates the operation unit while determining a player who will operate the operation unit next by the operation of the operation unit (see, for example, patent document 1). Further, patent document 2 is also known as a prior art document relating to the present invention.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2003-236243

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2000-155543

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the game machine of patent document 1, a photo-bullet as an operation instruction mark for instructing an operation timing of the operation portion is moved toward a control area as a reference portion. Each player operates the operation unit in response to the intrusion of the photo bomb into the control area. In the game machine of patent document 1, as means for improving the difficulty level of the game, a means for increasing the number of operation indication marks is used. However, in such a unit, the difficulty level of the game of each player increases together. Further, the number of operation indication marks displayable on the game screen is limited by the visibility of the operation indication marks.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a game system, a control method used for the game system, and a computer program, which can change the difficulty level of a game by changing the position of a reference portion to which an operation instruction mark should reach.

Means for solving the problems

The game system of the present invention includes: a display device that displays and outputs a game screen; an input device having at least one operation section; a sequence data storage unit that stores sequence data in which a reference timing of the operation unit in the game is described; a game area presenting means for displaying a game area in which a plurality of reference portions are set at a predetermined interval from each other and at least one specific reference portion is set as a part of the plurality of reference portions at a position spaced apart from other reference portions by a distance different from the predetermined interval on the game screen; a mark display control unit that displays an operation instruction mark for instructing an operation on the operation unit, the operation instruction mark being moved along any one of a plurality of paths within the game area so that the operation instruction mark reaches at least one of the plurality of reference units at an operation timing indicated by the sequence data; and a path control unit that controls a movement path of the operation instruction mark so that the movement path of the operation instruction mark is limited to a certain path.

According to the present invention, the specific reference portion is provided with a spacing different from a constant spacing between the other reference portions and a spacing different from a spacing between the plurality of reference portions. The game screen can also display an operation instruction mark that moves so that the operation timing described in the sequence data reaches the specific reference portion. Therefore, the position of the reference part that the player should consider varies between the other reference parts and the specific reference part. This enables the position and viewpoint to be changed, which the player should consider, and thus the difficulty level of the game can be changed.

Further, since the distance between the specific reference portion and the other reference portion is different from the fixed distance between the specific reference portion and the other reference portion, the moving distance between the reference portions other than the specific reference portion is different from the moving distance from the other reference portion to the specific reference portion. Therefore, when the operation instruction mark moves toward the specific reference portion, the operation instruction mark may move on a path unsuitable for an instruction of the operation timing, such as a moving speed and a moving path, as compared with a case where the operation instruction mark moves toward a reference portion other than the specific reference portion. According to the present invention, since the movement path of the operation instruction mark can be limited to a fixed path, the movement of the operation instruction mark on such an inappropriate path can be suppressed.

In one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the path control means may control a moving path of the operation indication mark such that a path in which a moving speed of the operation indication mark falls within a predetermined range is moved by the operation indication mark as the fixed path. In this case, the moving speed of the operation instruction mark can be suppressed from becoming a speed unsuitable for the instruction of the operation timing. In this aspect, the game system may further include a speed calculation unit that calculates a moving speed of the operation instruction marker based on a distance from an appearance position to an arrival position of the operation instruction marker set in the game screen and the operation timing indicated by the sequence data, and the path control unit may control a moving path of the operation instruction marker such that a path in which the moving speed calculated by the speed calculation unit falls within a predetermined range is moved as the fixed path by the operation instruction marker.

In one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the game area presenting means may display a linear reference portion as at least one of the plurality of reference portions, and the path control means may control a movement path of the operation instruction mark such that a path in which an angle formed between a traveling direction of the operation instruction mark toward the linear reference portion and the linear reference portion falls within a predetermined range is moved as the fixed path. In this case, the operation instruction mark can be prevented from moving on a path at an angle not suitable for the instruction of the operation timing.

In one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the path control means may control the movement path of the operation instruction marker so that the movement path of the operation instruction marker that moves so as to reach the specific reference portion at the operation timing indicated by the sequence data is limited to the fixed path. In this case, the movement path of the operation instruction mark moving toward the specific reference portion can be limited to an appropriate path.

The specific reference portion may be provided at any position as long as it is spaced apart from the other reference portions by a distance different from a certain distance spaced apart from the other reference portions. For example, in one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the game area presenting means may display, as the game area, a game area in which the specific reference portion is set at a position closer to at least one of the plurality of reference portions than to reference portions other than the reference portion, on the game screen. In this case, since the distance between the specific reference portion and the other reference portion is varied, the variation in distance can be used as information indicating the relationship between the specific reference portion and the other reference portion. In this aspect, the game area presenting means may display, as the game area on the game screen, a game area in which an interval shorter than an interval between the reference portion to which the specific reference portion is set and the other reference portion is set at a position closer to the game screen is set as the different interval, and the specific reference portion is set at a position spaced apart from the other reference portion by the interval.

In one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the marker display control means may cause the operation instruction marker, which is moved from the other reference portion side so as to reach the specific reference portion at the operation timing indicated by the sequence data, to disappear from the game screen after passing through the specific reference portion. In this case, the operation instruction flag indicating the operation timing in the specific reference portion can be prevented from reaching the reference portion in the vicinity. Thereby, the induction of erroneous operation can be suppressed.

Any particular reference portion may be employed. For example, in one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the game area presenting means may display a game area in which two specific reference portions are set as the specific reference portions on the game screen as the game area.

As the game area, any area may be adopted. For example, in one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the game area presenting means may display an area formed in a quadrangle on the game screen as the game area, and the area may be set such that 2 reference portions extending linearly face each other at one end of the quadrangle.

Any input device may be used. For example, in one aspect of the game system of the present invention, a touch panel arranged on the display device so as to cover the game area may be used as the input device.

In one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the game system may further include an evaluation unit that evaluates an operation in at least one of the plurality of reference units based on a timing of an operation on the operation unit and an operation timing specified by the sequence data. In this case, the timing of the operation on the operation unit can be evaluated based on the operation timing described in the sequence data. This can improve the interest of the game.

In one aspect of the game system of the present invention, the game system may further include: a sound output device that reproduces an output sound; a music data storage unit that stores music data for reproducing music; and a music reproduction unit that reproduces the music from the audio output device based on the music data, wherein the sequence data describes operation timing of the operation unit during reproduction of the music. In this case, a music game in which the operation instruction mark moves so as to reach at least one reference portion at the operation timing corresponding to the music tempo can be realized.

In a control method of a game system of the present invention, the game system includes: a display device that displays and outputs a game screen; an input device having at least one operation section; and a sequence data storage unit that stores sequence data in which a reference timing of the operation unit in the game is described, the control method of the game system causing a computer built in the game system to execute: a game area presenting step of displaying a game area in which a plurality of reference portions are set at a predetermined interval from each other and at least one specific reference portion is set as a part of the plurality of reference portions at a position spaced apart from other reference portions by an interval different from the predetermined interval on the game screen; a mark display control step of moving and displaying an operation instruction mark for instructing an operation on the operation unit along any one of a plurality of paths within the game area so that the operation instruction mark reaches at least one of the plurality of reference units at an operation timing indicated by the sequence data; and a path control step of controlling a movement path of the operation instruction mark so that the movement path of the operation instruction mark is limited to a certain path.

Further, in a computer program for a game system according to the present invention, the game system includes: a display device that displays and outputs a game screen; an input device having at least one operation section; and sequence data storage means for storing sequence data in which a reference timing of the operation unit in the game is described, the computer program for the game system causing a computer built in the game system to function as: a game area presenting means for displaying a game area in which a plurality of reference portions are set at a predetermined interval from each other and at least one specific reference portion is set as a part of the plurality of reference portions at a position spaced apart from other reference portions by a distance different from the predetermined interval on the game screen; a mark display control unit that displays an operation instruction mark for instructing an operation on the operation unit, the operation instruction mark being moved along any one of a plurality of paths within the game area so that the operation instruction mark reaches at least one of the plurality of reference units at an operation timing indicated by the sequence data; and a path control unit that controls a movement path of the operation instruction mark so that the movement path of the operation instruction mark is limited to a certain path. The game system of the present invention can be realized by executing the control method or the computer program of the present invention. Effects of the invention

As described above, according to the present invention, the difficulty level of the game can be changed by changing the position of the reference portion to which the operation instruction mark should reach.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a profit gaming machine to which a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a gaming machine.

Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the region of the object.

Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen image when the difficulty level is set.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of an object for explaining a region corresponding to a specific movement path.

Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen for explaining an object appearance region.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the content of sequence data.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of the sequence processing routine.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of the route determination processing routine.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of the operation evaluation routine.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of a path correction processing routine.

Detailed Description

Next, one embodiment of the game system of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a profit gaming machine to which a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in fig. 1, the game machine 1 includes a casing 2, and a monitor 3 as a display device disposed on an upper surface of the casing 2 so as to be inclined toward the player P. A transparent touch panel 5 as an input device is superimposed on the surface of the monitor 3. The touch panel 5 is a known input device that outputs a signal corresponding to a contact position when the player P touches with a finger or the like. In addition, various input devices and output devices that are provided in a general profit game machine such as buttons, a power switch, a volume operation switch, and a power lamp for selection or determination are provided in the game machine 1, but these are not illustrated in fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the gaming machine 1. As shown in fig. 2, a control unit 10 as a computer is provided inside the housing 2. The control unit 10 has: a game control unit 11 as a control subject, a display control unit 12 that operates in accordance with an output from the game control unit 11, and a sound output control unit 13. The game control unit 11 is a unit in which a microprocessor and various peripheral devices such as an internal storage device (for example, ROM and RAM) necessary for the operation of the microprocessor are combined. The display control unit 12 causes the monitor 3 to display a predetermined image by drawing an image corresponding to the image data given by the game control unit 11 in the frame buffer and outputting a video signal corresponding to the drawn image to the monitor 3. The audio output control unit 13 generates an audio reproduction signal corresponding to the audio reproduction data given from the game control unit 11, and outputs the audio reproduction signal to a speaker 14, which is an audio output device connected to the control unit 10, thereby reproducing a predetermined audio (including musical tones and the like) from the speaker 14.

An external storage device 20 is connected to the game control unit 11. The external storage device 20 uses a storage medium that can hold a memory even without power supply, such as an optical storage medium such as a DVDROM or a CDROM, or a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device such as an EEPROM.

The external storage device 20 stores a game program 21 and game data 22. The game program 21 is a computer program required for executing a music game in a predetermined order by the game machine 1, and includes a sequence control block 23 and an evaluation block 24 for realizing the functions of the present invention. When the game machine 1 is started, the game control unit 11 executes the operation program stored in the internal storage device thereof, thereby executing various initial settings necessary for the operation of the game machine 1, and then reads and executes the game program 21 from the external storage device 20, thereby setting an environment for executing the music game in accordance with the game program 21. The sequence processing unit 15 is generated in the game control unit 11 by the game control unit 11 executing the sequence control module 23 of the game program 21. Then, the game control unit 11 executes the evaluation module 24 of the game program 21, thereby generating the operation evaluation unit 16 in the game control unit 11. The sequence processing unit 15 and the operation evaluation unit 16 are logical devices realized by a combination of computer hardware and a computer program. The sequence processing section 15 executes the following music game processing: the player is instructed to perform an operation in accordance with the reproduction of the music (musical composition) selected by the player, or an effect sound is generated in accordance with the operation by the player. The operation evaluation unit 16 evaluates the operation of the player and executes a process of game control corresponding to the evaluation result. In addition to the above-described blocks 23 and 24, various program blocks necessary for executing the music game are included in the game program 21, and logic devices corresponding to these blocks are generated in the game control unit 11.

The game data 22 includes various data to be referred to when executing the music game in accordance with the game program 21. For example, the game data 22 includes music data 25, sound effect data 26, and image data 27. The music data 25 is data necessary for reproducing and outputting music as a game target from the speaker 14. In fig. 2, one kind of music data 25 is shown, but in reality, a player can select a music to be played from among a plurality of music. The game data 22 has a plurality of pieces of music data 25 recorded therein with information for identifying each piece of music. The sound effect data 26 is data in which a plurality of kinds of sound effects to be output from the speaker 14 in response to the operation of the player are recorded in association with a unique code for each sound effect. The effect sound includes musical instruments and other various kinds of sounds. The sound effect data may prepare a prescribed number of octaves for each kind of change interval. The image data 27 is data for displaying a background image, various objects, icons, and the like in the game screen on the monitor 3.

Sequence data 28 is also included in the game data 22. The sequence data 28 is data defining an operation or the like to be instructed by the player. At least one sequence data 28 is prepared for a piece of music data. The sequence data 28 will be described in detail later.

Next, an outline of the music game executed by the game machine 1 will be described. The game machine 1 is a competitive music game machine including: two players (including a case where the game machine 1 functions as one player) perform operations in accordance with music, and evaluate the operation timings of the two players to perform a game. Although fig. 1 shows only 1 game machine, a game may be executed by a plurality of game machines 1 connected so that a game situation can be shared. Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen. The game screen 50A includes a game area 52 for guiding the operation timing to the player and an information area 53 for displaying the score of each player. The play area 52 is formed in a rectangular shape. At both ends in the longitudinal direction of the game area 52, a 1 st reference portion 55A and a 2 nd reference portion 55B as reference portions are arranged so as to face each other. The reference portions 55A and 55B extend linearly in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the play field 52.

The reference portions 55A and 55B are used by the players of the game as references of the current time on the game. Specifically, the 1 st reference part 55A is used as a reference for the current time of the 1 st player, and the 2 nd reference part 55B is used as a reference for the current time of the 2 nd player. The reference portions 55A and 55B are different colors for distinguishing players from each other. In the example of fig. 3, the 1 st reference portion 55A uses a red straight line, and the 2 nd reference portion 55B uses a blue straight line. The information area 53 is disposed around the game area 52, and one end side in the longitudinal direction of the game area 52 displays the score of one player and the like, and the other end side displays the score of the other player and the like.

Each of the reference portions 55A and 55B includes a plurality of jump points arranged at predetermined intervals. The plurality of jump points R1 included in the 1 st reference segment 55A and the plurality of jump points R2 included in the 2 nd reference segment are connected to each other by a plurality of paths W, respectively. Specifically, a plurality of paths W are provided from one jump point R1 of the 1 st reference segment 55A to a plurality of jump points R2 included in the 2 nd reference segment 55B, and similarly, a plurality of paths W are provided from one jump point R2 of the 2 nd reference segment 55B to a plurality of jump points R1 included in the 1 st reference segment 55A. The paths W extending from the rebound point R1 of the 1 st reference segment 55A extend to the upper end 52U on the 2 nd reference segment 55B side while passing through the rebound point R2. The paths W extending from the jump back point R2 of the 2 nd reference segment 55B extend to the lower end 52B on the 1 st reference segment 55A side while passing through the jump back point R1. In the example of fig. 3, a plurality of paths W are shown in dashed lines. As shown in fig. 3, in this example, 3 paths W1, W2, and W3 extending from the jump point R1 to the 3 jump points R2 included in the 2 nd reference segment 55B are provided as the plurality of paths W at any one of the jump points R1 of the 1 st reference segment 55A. In the execution of the music game, that is, in the progress of music reproduction, on the path W connecting the jump-back point R1 and the jump-back point R2, the object 60 as an operation indication mark for indicating an operation is displayed in the order data 28. In fig. 3, for convenience of explanation, the paths W1, W2, and W3 are shown by broken lines, but a plurality of paths W are not shown on the actual game screen 50A.

The object 60 appears at the jump-back point R1 or the jump-back point R2 at an appropriate time in the music piece, and moves from the respective jump-back points R1, R2 that have appeared toward the respective jump-back points R1, R2 located on the opposite side, on the path W extending from the respective jump-back points R1, R2 that have appeared, as the music piece progresses. Then, in a case where an appropriate operation is performed as the object 60 arrives, the object 60 disappears. As this object 60 disappears, the next object 60 appears at the jump points R1, R2 of the reference parts 55A, 55B, which have performed the appropriate operation. That is, the arrival position of the object 60 functions as the appearance position of the next object 60. The object 60 appearing at the appearance position moves from the appearance position toward the jump points R1 and R2 located on the opposite side. Therefore, when the appropriate operation is performed, the object 60 alternately and repeatedly moves between the reference portions 55A and 55B as if it jumps back at the jump back points R1 and R2. On the other hand, when the appropriate operation is not performed, the object 60 moves to the upper end portion 52U or the lower end portion 52B along each path W through each reference portion 55A, 55B. The position where the object 60 of each end portion 52U, 52B reaches functions as the appearance position of the next object 60. Therefore, in the case where an appropriate operation is not performed, the object 60 changes the moving direction from each end portion 52U, 52B toward the reference portion located on the opposite side as if it jumps back at each end portion 52U, 52B.

As an appropriate operation, each player is requested to perform a touch operation in which the object 60 reaches a position where the object 60 touches each of the reference portions 55A and 55B as the object 60 reaches each of the reference portions 55A and 55B. When each player performs a touch operation, the time difference between the time when the detection object 60 matches each of the reference portions 55A and 55B and the time when each player performs the touch operation is detected. The smaller the deviation time, the higher the evaluation of the operation by the player. Then, the effect sound is reproduced from the speaker 14 in accordance with the touch operation. As a method of reproducing the effect sound, a known method can be applied. For example, as a known method of reproducing an effect sound, there are a method of reproducing a music piece and adding an effect sound to the music piece, and a method of canceling a music piece sound and reproducing an effect sound corresponding to an erroneous operation in the case where an error occurs. Further, for example, there are the following methods: the music is divided and distributed to each operation time, and when an appropriate operation is performed, the sound part of the music distributed to the operation time is played (a method of forming music by an appropriate operation for each operation time.

In the example of fig. 3, while the object 60 moves on the path W1 toward the jump-back point R2 of the 2 nd reference part 55B, the 2 nd player using the 2 nd reference part 55B as a reference of the current time may touch the position where the object 60 of the 2 nd reference part 55B arrives as the 2 nd reference part 55B arrives. Then, the object 60 is displayed in a color corresponding to the reference portions 55A and 55B of the destination to which the object is directed. That is, in the example of fig. 3, the object 60 is displayed in blue before reaching the jump-back point R2 of the 2 nd reference part 55B, and the next object 60 appearing at the reached jump-back point R2 is displayed in red. In the present embodiment, a plurality of operation units are formed by a combination of the reference units 55A and 55B on the monitor 3 and the touch panel 5 superposed thereon. In the following, the reference portions 55A and 55B may be used as terms representing operation portions.

The path W for moving from the jump points R1 and R2 reached by the object 60 to the jump points R1 and R2 on the opposite side is determined based on the position of the object 60 when the reference portions 55A and 55B are touched. The object 60 is divided into a plurality of regions for ease of position comparison. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the region of the object 60. The broken lines in fig. 4 show paths W1, W2, and W3, respectively, and the one-dot chain lines 62 show the boundaries of the respective regions, respectively. In the example of fig. 4, the object 60 is divided into 4 areas, i.e., a contact area S near the contact point with which the reference portions 55A and 55B are first brought into contact, a right area R and a left area L which are defined by the contact area S, and another area O. Further, as the path along which the object 60 moves, in the path W from the jumping point R2 to the jumping point R1, when a touch operation is performed in the vicinity of the contact region S and the other region O (including these regions), the straight path W2 directed toward R1 at the shortest distance is selected, and when a touch operation is performed in the vicinity of the left region L (including this region), the 1 st right path W3 directed toward R1 via the right side wall 52R in the longitudinal direction of the game region 52 is selected, and when a touch operation is performed in the vicinity of the right region R (including this region), the 1 st left path W1 directed toward R1 via the left side wall 52L in the longitudinal direction of the game region 52 is selected. That is, the movement path of the object 60 when the object 60 moves to the next reference portion 55A or 55B is determined based on the positional relationship between the touched operation position and the position of the object 60. Since the movement distance differs depending on the movement path, a difference occurs in the movement distance for moving the object 60 to the next reference portions 55A and 55B depending on the positional relationship between the operation position and the position of the object 60. On the other hand, regardless of the movement path, the operation timing at which the touch operation should be performed on the object 60, that is, the timing at which the object 60 should reach the reference portions 55A and 55B is fixed. Therefore, a difference is generated in the moving speed of the object 60 according to the moving path. That is, the path W and the moving speed of the object 60 moving toward the other player according to the touch operation of the one player change. This changes the difficulty level of the game, and each player realizes the influence on the opponent player and executes the operation of the player.

The music game executed by the game machine 1 can set the difficulty level before play. Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen image when a higher difficulty level than the game screen image of fig. 3 is set as the difficulty level of the game before play. As shown in fig. 5, on the game screen 50B when the difficulty level is set, 2 top reference portions 55T as specific reference portions are provided in the vicinity of each of the reference portions 55A and 55B, as compared with the game screen 50A of fig. 3. Each top reference portion 55T is disposed at a position where the interval to the reference portion located on the opposite side is different from the interval between the reference portions 55A and 55B. In the example of fig. 5, the top reference portions 55T are arranged at positions where the interval is shorter than the interval between the reference portions 55A and 55B. That is, 21 st top reference portions 55TA on the 1 st reference portion 55A side are provided above the 1 st reference portion 55A so as to be close to the 2 nd reference portion 55B, and 2 nd top reference portions 55TB on the 2 nd reference portion 55B side are provided below the 2 nd reference portion 55B so as to be close to the 1 st reference portion 55A.

In the example of fig. 5, each top reference portion 55T is formed in a circular shape having the same shape and size as the object 60. Each top reference portion 55T is provided with a determination straight line TL extending in the center so as to be parallel to each reference portion 55A, 55B. The determination straight lines TL are each subjected to the same color matching as the reference portion located in the vicinity. That is, the determination straight line TL of each 1 st top level reference portion 55TA located in the vicinity of the 1 st reference portion 55A is red, and the determination straight line TL of each 2 nd top level reference portion 55TB located in the vicinity of the 2 nd reference portion 55B is blue.

Then, on the game screen 50B when the difficulty level is set, the specific object 60S moving toward each top level reference portion 55T appears at an appropriate timing in the tune. The appearing specific object 60S moves toward any one of the top-level reference portions 55T. The moving path W of the specific object 60S is determined in accordance with the immediately preceding operation. However, the moving path W is limited to the specific moving path WS which is a fixed path so as not to make the movement of the specific object 60S unsuitable for the instruction of the operation period.

As an appropriate operation corresponding to the specific object 60S, each player is required to perform a touch operation of touching the determination straight line TL as the specific object 60S reaches the determination straight line TL of each top level reference portion 55T. After the touch operation is performed, the time difference between the time when the specific object 60S matches the determination straight line TL and the time when each player touches the determination straight line TL is detected, as in the case where the object 60 matches the reference portions 55A and 55B. The smaller the deviation time, the higher the evaluation of the operation by the player. In this case, the determination straight line TL of each top reference portion 55T may be used as a reference of the current time instead of each of the reference portions 55A and 55B. In addition, the specific object 60S is colored differently from the object 60 in order to be distinguished from the normal object 60.

In the example of fig. 5, the specific object 60S shown by the two-dot chain line indicates the appearance position of the specific object 60S. As shown in fig. 5, in this example, the specific object 60S appears in the 2 nd reference portion 55B, and the 1 st specific route WS1 directed to the 1 st top reference portion 55TA arranged on the left side and the 2 nd specific route WS2 directed to the 1 st top reference portion 55TA arranged on the right side are provided as candidates for the movement route WS of the specific object 60S appearing. That is, the movement path WS of the specific object 60S is limited to 2.

Also, the moving path WS of the specific object 60S is decided according to the touch operation with respect to the object 60 that reaches the appearance position immediately before the appearance of the specific object 60S. Specifically, the determination is made based on which area of the object 60 that has reached the appearance position immediately before the touch operation is performed. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the object 60 for explaining an area corresponding to a specific movement path. The dashed line in fig. 6 indicates a center line CL that equally divides the object 60 into 2 regions. The center line CL extends in a direction perpendicular to the reference portions 55A and 55B. The object 60 is equally divided into 2 regions, i.e., a 1 st region OR1 as a right region and a 2 nd region OR2 as a left region, by the center line CL. When a touch operation is performed on the vicinity of (including) the 1 st area OR1, the movement path is determined to be the 1 st specific path WS1, and when a touch operation is performed on the vicinity of (including) the 2 nd area OR2, the movement path is determined to be the 2 nd specific path WS 2. When a touch operation is performed on the center line CL, the movement path is randomly determined to be any one of the specific paths WS1 and WS 2.

In the example of fig. 5, as the operation immediately before, a case is shown in which the 2 nd area OR2 of the object 60 reaching the appearance position of the specific object 60S immediately before is touch-operated. Therefore, in this example, the specific object 60S moves on the 2 nd specific path WS2 toward the 1 st top reference part 55TA disposed on the right side in accordance with the touch operation. In this case, each player may touch the determination straight line TL of the 1 st top reference part 55TA as the specific object 60S reaches the 1 st top reference part 55TA disposed on the right side. In the example of fig. 5, 2 colors, i.e., a color corresponding to the determination straight line TL arranged at the destination in the center and a green color arranged around the determination straight line TL, are used as the color scheme of the specific object 60S. Specifically, in the example of fig. 5, green is selected for a range indicated by a right slope line HR, and red is selected for a range indicated by a left slope line HL which is a central portion surrounded by the right slope line HR, the red being a color selected for the determination straight line TL of the 1 st top reference portion 55TA of the destination.

In the example of fig. 5, after the determination straight line TL is passed when no appropriate operation is performed, that is, when an operation error occurs, the specific object 60S disappears at a fixed position in front of the 1 st reference part 55A or the 2 nd reference part 55B. The specific object 60S shown by a broken line in fig. 5 indicates a disappearing position of the specific object 60S. That is, as shown in fig. 5, the specific paths WS1 and WS2 are set only at positions that do not reach the reference portions 55A and 55B, unlike the movement path W of the normal object 60 extending to the both end portions 52U and 52B. Therefore, the specific object 60S disappears without reaching the 1 st reference part 55A or the 2 nd reference part 55B.

On the game screen 50B when the difficulty level is set, the object appearance region CR in which the object 60 appears is also set differently from the reference portions 55A and 55B or the end portions 52U and 52B. The object appearance region CR is used when the next object appears at a position which is not continuous with the arrival position of the object or the position after the appropriate operation. For example, the object appearance region CR serves as an appearance position of the next object 60 that should appear where the specific object 60S disappearing due to the operation error should arrive.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the object 60 appears in the object appearance region CR. In the example of fig. 7, each region between each top level reference portion 55T and each reference portion 55A, 55B is set as the object appearance region CR. Specifically, the 1 st object appearance region CR1 is set between the extension line of the determination straight line TL of the 1 st top standard part 55TA and the 1 st standard part 55A, and the 2 nd object appearance region CR2 is set between the extension line of the determination straight line TL of the 2 nd top standard part 55TB and the 2 nd standard part 55B. In the example of fig. 7, the extension line of each determination straight line TL is indicated by a broken line RL. In addition, the broken lines RL representing the respective extension lines are not displayed on the actual game screen.

Also, in the example of fig. 7, the next object 60 corresponding to the specific object 60S that disappeared in fig. 5 appears in the 1 st object appearance region CR 1. The object 60 appearing in the 1 st object appearance region CR1 moves along the predetermined path WC toward the 2 nd reference part 55B. The predetermined path WC is set in advance for each appearance position of the object appearance region CR. As shown in fig. 7, when the specific object 60S disappears after moving toward the 1 st top reference part 55TA, the appearance area of the next object 60 becomes the 1 st object appearance area CR1, and the appearing object 60 moves toward the 2 nd reference part 55B. In contrast, when the specific object 60S disappears after moving toward the 2 nd top-level reference part 55TB, the appearance area of the next object 60 becomes the 2 nd object appearance area CR2, and the appearing object 60 moves toward the 1 st reference part 55A. The appearance position within each object appearance region CR is randomly determined.

Next, the sequence data 28 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 8. As shown in fig. 8, the sequence data 28 includes a condition defining section 28a and an operation sequence section 28 b. The condition definition unit 28a describes information for specifying execution conditions of different games for each music piece, for example, information for specifying tempo, beat, and vocal tract of music, and sound effects to be generated when the object 60 is touched. In fig. 8, the condition defining unit 28a is provided only at the head of the sequence data 28, but the condition defining unit 28a may be added at an appropriate position in the middle of the operation sequence unit 28 b. This enables processing such as speed change in music and distribution change of effect sound.

On the other hand, the operation sequence unit 28b describes, for each object 60, the timing at which the object 60 should be touched and information indicating on which player side the display of the object should be started. Further, information indicating the correspondence relationship between the objects 60 is described in the operation sequence unit 28 b.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the content of sequence data. As partially illustrated in fig. 8, the operation sequence unit 28b includes: an operation timing section 28c for instructing a timing (operation timing) at which an operation should be performed on a music piece, a player instruction section 28e for instructing a player to start displaying the objects 60, a mark information section 28f for instructing the objects 60 to be displayed, a relationship instruction section 28g for instructing a correspondence relationship between the objects 60, and a record information section 28h for distinguishing the respective records. Thus, the operation sequencing unit 28b is configured as a set of a plurality of records in which the operation timing to be operated in the music and the position of the object 60 to be displayed are described in association with each object 60 to be displayed.

The operation timing is described by dividing a value indicating a bar number, a beat number, and a time in a beat in a music piece by commas. The time in one beat is an elapsed time from the beginning of one beat, and is represented by the number of units from the beginning of the beat when the time length of one beat is equally divided into n unit times. For example, when n is 100, and the second beat of the first bar of the music and the time at which 1/4 has elapsed since the beginning of the beat are designated as the operation timing, "01, 2, 025" is described.

The player instruction section 28e describes an instruction on which player side the display object 60 starts. Specifically, "P1" is described when the 1 st reference segment 55A side corresponding to the 1 st player is instructed, and "P2" is described when the 2 nd reference segment 55B side corresponding to the 2 nd player is instructed. Further, since the object 60 moves between the reference portions 55A and 55B, the instruction of the player to start displaying corresponds to the instruction of the reference portion that requests the touch operation. Specifically, when the 1 st reference portion 55A side is instructed as a place to start displaying, the object 60 to start displaying moves toward the 2 nd reference portion 55B on the opposite side, and thus corresponds to an instruction to touch the 2 nd reference portion 55B. Similarly, when the 2 nd reference portion 55B side is instructed as a place to start display, it corresponds to an instruction to perform a touch operation on the 1 st reference portion 55A located on the opposite side, that is, in the moving direction of the object 60 to start display. The instruction of the player to start displaying the object 60 corresponds to the instruction of the color of the object 60 to be displayed, and the blue object 60 is displayed in the case of "P1", and the red object 60 is displayed in the case of "P2".

The player instruction unit 28e includes information indicating the object appearance region CR as the appearance position of the object 60. Specifically, "R1" is described in the player indication section 28e in the case where the 1 st object appearance region CR1 is indicated as the appearance place of the object 60, and "R2" is described in the player indication section 28e in the case where the 2 nd object appearance region CR2 is indicated as the appearance place of the object 60. The timing at which the object 60 appears in each object appearance region CR is set before 1 bar of the operation timing. The specific appearance position of each object 60, 60S in each object appearance region is determined at random. In addition, the timing at which the object 60 appears in each object appearance region CR may be set as appropriate. Further, another time may be set for each object. Further, information indicating the timing at which the object 60 should appear in each object appearance region CR may be included in the operation sequence unit 28 b.

The sign information portion 28f has information indicating the object 60 to be displayed written in a letter such as "a". "a" is used as a letter corresponding to the 1 st object 60 displayed in the game area 52, "B" is used as a letter corresponding to the 2 nd object 60, and "C" is used as a letter corresponding to the 3 rd object 60. That is, as the information indicating the objects 60 to be displayed, the kinds of letters corresponding to the number of objects 60 displayed in the game area 52 are used.

The flag information section 28f includes information indicating the use of the specific object 60S. In the example of fig. 8, the indication of the specific object 60S uses "SS". The broken line 28S of fig. 8 represents a record indicating the start of displaying the specific object 60S.

The record information section 28h has a number corresponding to the arrangement order in each record. That is, as the record information, "1" is added to the first record, and then, unique numbers such as "2" and "3" are added to the respective records in the order from top to bottom.

The relationship instruction unit 28g has information specifying a record number described therein. In other words, the information indicating the correspondence relationship includes the numbers "1", "2", and "3". When "1" is described in the relation instruction unit 28g, it instructs a correspondence relation with the record to which "1" is added in the record information unit 28 h. Specifically, the position where the touch operation is appropriately performed on the object 60 corresponding to the number 1 of the record information section 28h or the position where the object 60 arrives due to the erroneous operation is instructed to be used as the appearance position of the object 60 corresponding to the record described as "1" in the relation instruction section 28 g. Similarly, when "2" is described in the relation instruction section 28g, the instruction is to use, as the appearance position, a position where the object 60 corresponding to the record to which "2" is added in the record information section 28h is touched or reached as appropriate; when "3" is described in the relation instruction section 28g, it is instructed to use, as the appearance position, a position where the object 60 corresponding to the record to which "3" is added in the record information section 28h is touched or reached as appropriate. According to the description of the record information section 28h and the relationship indication section 28g, the object corresponding to the record to which a certain number is added in the record information section 28h corresponds to one operation indication mark of the present invention, and the operation indication mark corresponding to the record to which the certain number is described in the relationship indication section 28g corresponds to the next operation indication mark of the present invention.

The instruction of the relationship instruction unit 28g also corresponds to an instruction of the appearance timing. Specifically, at the time (or arrival time) when the touch operation is appropriately performed on the object 60 corresponding to the record to which "1" is added in the record information section 28h, the object 60 corresponding to the record described as "1" in the relation instruction section 28g starts to be displayed. That is, in order to express the continuity of the object 60, the relation instruction unit 28g describes an instruction to associate one record with the record corresponding to the next object 60 so that, when the object 60 corresponding to one record arrives (or when the touch operation is appropriately performed), the next object 60 starts to be displayed at the position where the object 60 arrives (or when the touch operation is appropriately performed).

In the example of fig. 8, "S" indicating an initial display (for starting a display at a fixed position at a fixed timing in advance) is described in the initial record. When the player instruction unit 28e instructs the object appearance region CR, the description of the information of the relationship instruction unit 28g is not used. Therefore, the description of the information of the relation indicator 28g may be omitted. Alternatively, some information may be described in the relationship indicating unit 28g and used to determine the appearance position in the target appearance region CR.

In the example of fig. 8, the operation timing and the reference portion to be touched are instructed by performing the touch operation on the 2 nd reference portion 55B at a timing corresponding to "010" from the start point of the fourth beat in the first bar and performing the touch operation on the 1 st reference portion at a timing corresponding to "016" from the start point of the fourth beat in the first bar. Then, at a position where the object 60 corresponding to the record with the number 1 is appropriately touched or reached, the object 60 corresponding to the record with the number 2 appears, and when the object 60 moves along the path W corresponding to the operation of the player so as to reach the 1 st reference part 55A after a time corresponding to "016" from the start of the fourth beat in the first bar, the correspondence relationship between the objects is also indicated.

In the example of fig. 8, the object 60 corresponding to the record with the number 21 appears at a position where the object 60 corresponding to the record with the number 20 (not shown) is appropriately operated or a position where the object has arrived, and moves so as to reach the 1 st reference portion 55A after a time corresponding to "030" from the start point of the second beat of the second bar. Before a lapse of one bar corresponding to the period of "036" from the start point of the second beat of the second bar, that is, a lapse of the period corresponding to "036" from the start point of the second beat of the first bar, the object 60 appears in the 2 nd object appearance region CR2, and moves so as to reach the 1 st reference part 55A through the period corresponding to "036" from the start point of the second beat of the second bar. Further, the object 60 and the specific object 60S appear at a position where the object 60 corresponding to the record to which the number 23 is added is appropriately operated or reached. The appearing object 60 moves so as to reach the 2 nd reference portion 55B after a time period corresponding to "040" from the start point of the second beat of the second bar. On the other hand, the appearing specific object 60S moves so as to reach the 2 nd top level reference portion 55TB after a period equivalent to "040" has elapsed from the start point of the second beat of the second bar. In any case, the operation timing and the reference portion to which the operation object is touched are instructed by performing a touch operation on the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T reached as the objects 60 and 60S reach the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T.

Next, a process of the game control unit 11 when the music game is executed by the game device 1 will be described. The game control unit 11 reads the game program 21, finishes the initial setting necessary for executing the music game, and then stands by until an instruction from the player to start the game is given. The instruction to start the game includes, for example, the following operations: data used in a game, such as selection of a musical composition to be played in the game or a difficulty level, is determined. The order of receiving these instructions may be the same as a known game or the like.

When the start of the game is instructed, the game control unit 11 reads the music data 25 corresponding to the music selected by the player and outputs the read data to the audio output control unit 13, thereby starting the reproduction of the music from the speaker 8. Thereby, the control unit 10 functions as a music reproducing unit. The game control unit 11 reads the sequence data 28 corresponding to the player's selection in synchronization with the reproduction of the music, generates image data necessary for drawing the game area 52 and the information area 53 with reference to the image data 27, and outputs the image data to the display control unit 12, thereby displaying the game area 52 and the information area 53 on the monitor 3. Further, during execution of the music game, the game control unit 11 repeatedly executes the sequence processing routine shown in fig. 9, the route determination processing routine shown in fig. 10, and the operation evaluation routine shown in fig. 11 as necessary processes for displaying the game area 52 and the like at predetermined intervals. The routine of fig. 9 and 10 is carried by the sequence processing unit 15, and the operation evaluation routine of fig. 11 is carried by the operation evaluation unit 16.

Fig. 9 shows an example of a flowchart of a sequence processing routine executed by the sequence processing unit 15. When the routine of fig. 9 is started, the sequence processing unit 15 of the game control unit 11 first acquires the current time on the music at step S1. For example, the time is started by an internal clock of the game control unit 11 with reference to the reproduction start time of the music, and the current time is acquired based on the value of the internal clock. In the next step S2, the sequence processing unit 15 acquires data of operation timings existing within a time length corresponding to the display range of the game field 52 from the sequence data 28. As an example, the display range is set to a time range corresponding to 2 bars of music from the current time toward the future.

In the next step S3, the routes W of all the objects 60 to be displayed in accordance with the acquired operation times are determined. This determination is achieved, for example, by executing the routine of fig. 10 on each object. Fig. 10 shows an example of a flowchart of a route determination processing routine executed by the sequence processing unit 15. After the routine of fig. 10 is started, the sequence processing unit 15 first determines whether or not the game is started in step S11. If the answer in step S11 is yes, the process proceeds to step S22, and if the answer is no, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S22, a preset initial route is selected as the route to be displayed, and the process proceeds to step S21. As an example, a path W3 extending from the nth jump point R1 located on the left side included in the 1 st reference portion 55A is set in advance as the initial path.

On the other hand, in step S12, it is determined whether or not each object 60, 60S to be displayed has moved on the path W. If the determination in step S12 is positive, that is, if the object of the determination target is moving on the route W that has already been determined, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the current route, which is the route already selected as the route to be displayed, is selected, and the process proceeds to step S21.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S12 is negative, that is, if it is determined that the object targeted for determination has not moved on the route W, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the player instruction unit 28e of the sequence data 28 is referred to, and it is determined whether or not the object of the determination target has been instructed to be the object appearance region CR as the appearance place. If the determination is affirmative determination, that is, if there is an instruction to the object appearance region CR, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the appearance position is randomly determined from within any of the indicated 1 st object appearance region CR1 or2 nd object appearance region CR2, the route WC set at the determined appearance position is selected as the predetermined route, and the process proceeds to step S21.

If the determination in step S13 is negative, that is, if there is no instruction for the object appearance region CR, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, it is determined whether or not the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T have been touched with reference to the output signal of the touch panel 5. If the determination at step S14 is negative, the routine proceeds to step S25, and if the determination is positive, the routine proceeds to step S15.

In step S25, it is determined whether or not the object to be determined has a correspondence relationship with the specific object 60S, that is, whether or not the object that functions as an instruction for the appearance position of the object to be determined is the specific object 60S. If the determination is affirmative determination, that is, if it is determined that the object functioning as the instruction of the appearance position of the object to be determined is the specific object 60S, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, first, it is determined which region of each object appearance region CR is instructed based on the order data 28 of the determination target. Then, as described above, the appearance position is randomly determined from the respective indicated regions CR, the route WC set at the determined appearance position is selected as the predetermined route, and the process proceeds to step S21.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S25 is negative, that is, if it is determined that the object that functions as an instruction for the appearance position of the object to be determined is not the specific object 60S, the process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, the predetermined route is selected as the route to be displayed, and the process proceeds to step S21. As the predetermined route in step S26, for example, a route adjacent to the movement route of the object whose relationship is indicated by the sequence data 28 and which has been moved on the determined route, or a route having the shortest distance extending from the arrival position of the object is set. When the target object to be determined is the specific object 60S, the predetermined route may be set to use a route randomly selected from the specific routes WS.

On the other hand, in step S15, the reference portion on which the touch operation was performed and the timing (time on music) at which the touch operation was performed are determined based on the signal output from the touch panel 5. In the next step S16, the most recent operation timing described in the sequence data 28 is determined for the reference portion in which the touch operation was performed, that is, the operation timing closest in time to the object in which the touch operation was performed is determined for the sequence data 28, and the time difference between the operation timing and the time at which the touch operation was performed is obtained.

In the next step S17, the sequence processing unit 15 determines whether or not the operation of each player is appropriate by determining whether or not the deviation time is within a certain range. A fixed range is set within a predetermined time range in front and rear with the operation timing of the comparison target as the center. If the determination at step S17 is negative, the process proceeds to step S26, and the predetermined route is selected as the route to be displayed, as described above, and the process proceeds to step S21. On the other hand, if the determination in step S17 is positive, the process proceeds to step S18.

In step S18, it is determined whether or not the target object is the specific object 60S with reference to the flag information unit 28f of the sequence data 28. If the determination is affirmative determination, that is, if the object of the determination target is the specific object 60S, the process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, the positional relationship between the operation position where the touch operation has been performed on each top level reference portion 55T and the position of the object 60 is determined based on the signal output from the touch panel 5. Specifically, it is determined which region of the object having a correspondence relationship with the object to be determined, that is, the object functioning as an instruction for the appearance position of the object to be determined, the position where the touch operation is performed belongs to. In this case, it is determined which region of the regions OR1 and OR2, which is divided into equal parts by the center line CL in fig. 6, is adjacent. In the next step S28, the specific route WS on which the specific object 60S is to be placed is selected in accordance with the positional relationship determined in step S27. For this selection, for example, the 1 st specific path WS1 assigned in advance to the 1 st area OR1 is selected when the position where the touch operation is performed is in the vicinity of (includes) the 1 st area OR1, and the 2 nd specific path WS2 assigned in advance to the 2 nd area OR2 is selected when the position where the touch operation is performed is in the vicinity of (includes) the 2 nd area OR 2. When the position where the touch operation is performed is on the center line CL, one of the specific paths WS1 and WS2 is randomly selected.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S18 is negative, that is, if it is determined that the target object is not the specific object 60S, the process proceeds to step S19. In step S19, the positional relationship between the operation position where the touch operation has been performed on each of the reference portions 55A and 55B and the position of the object is determined based on the signal output from the touch panel 5. The respective regions S, O, R, L described with reference to fig. 4 are used to determine the positional relationship. Specifically, it is determined which region of the contact region S, the right region R, the left region L, and the other regions (including the region) of the object 60 that has a correspondence relationship with the object of the determination target, that is, the object that has recently reached the appearance position of the object of the determination target is in the vicinity of.

In the next step S20, a route on which the object 60 is to be placed is selected based on the positional relationship determined in step S19. For example, the path is selected as follows. First, any one of the right area R, the left area L, the contact area S, and the other area O is assigned to each path W set at the appearance position in advance. Next, based on the determination result in step S19, a path assigned to the position where the touch operation has been performed is selected from the paths W extending from the appearance position. In the example of fig. 3, at the jumping point R1, the straight path W2 is assigned to the contact area S and the other areas O, the 1 st right path W3 is assigned to the left area L, and the 1 st left path W1 is assigned to the right area R. Then, the straight path W2 is selected when a touch operation is performed in the vicinity of the contact region S or the other region O of the object, the 1 st left path W1 is selected when a touch operation is performed in the vicinity of the right region R, and the 1 st right path W3 is selected when a touch operation is performed in the vicinity of the left region L.

In the next step S21, the route selected in each of steps S20, S22, S23, S24, S26, and S28 is determined as the route to be displayed, and the routine of this time is ended.

Returning to the routine of fig. 9, in step S4, the sequence processing unit 15 calculates the coordinates of all the objects 60, 60S to be displayed on each path W in the game area 52. This operation is performed as follows, for example. First, the route W of each object 60, 60S to be displayed in the display range is determined based on the processing result of step S3. Next, the positions of the objects 60, 60S in the time axis direction from the reference portions 55A, 55B, 55T (i.e., the moving direction of the object 60) are determined based on the moving direction (the reference portions 55A, 55B, 55T to be reached) corresponding to the objects 60, 60S and the time difference between the operation time and the current time. This makes it possible to obtain a path W on which the objects 60 and 60S are to be arranged and the coordinates of the objects 60 and 60S required for arranging the objects 60 and 60S along the time axis from the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T on the path W.

In the next step S5, the sequence processing unit 15 generates image data necessary for drawing the game area 52 based on the coordinates of the objects 60 and 60S calculated in step S4. Specifically, the image data is generated such that the objects 60 and 60S are arranged at the calculated coordinates. An image of the object 60 or the like may be acquired from the image data 27. In the next step S6, the sequence processing section 15 outputs the image data to the display control section 12. Thereby, the game area 52 is displayed on the monitor 3. After the process of step S6 is completed, the sequence processing unit 15 ends the present sequence processing routine. By repeating the above-described processing, the objects 60 and 60S are moved among the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T while maintaining the continuity of movement, so that the objects 60 and 60S reach the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T specified at the operation timing described in the sequence data 28. When the specific object 60S is erroneously operated, the next object having a correspondence relationship with the object 60S appears in the object appearance region CR after the object 60S disappears, and the object moves toward the reference portion to be reached.

Next, the operation evaluation routine of fig. 11 is explained. After the operation evaluation routine of fig. 11 is started, the operation evaluation unit 16 first determines whether or not there is a touch operation on each of the reference units 55A, 55B, and 55T by referring to the output signal of the touch panel 5 in step S31. At this time, when a position other than the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T is touched, it is determined that there is no touch operation. If there is no touch operation, the operation evaluation unit 16 ends the routine of this time, and if there is a touch operation, the operation evaluation unit 16 proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the operation evaluation unit 16 determines the timing (time on music) at which the touch operation was performed, based on the position signal output from the touch panel 5. In the next step S33, the operation evaluation unit 16 specifies the most recent operation timing described in the sequence data 28 with respect to the reference portion that has performed the touch operation, that is, specifies the operation timing that is closest in time to the reference portion that has performed the touch operation on the sequence data 28, and acquires the offset time between the operation timing and the time at which the touch operation has been performed.

In the next step S34, the operation evaluation unit 16 determines whether or not the operation of the player is appropriate by determining whether or not the deviation time is within the evaluation range. The evaluation range is set within a predetermined time range before and after the operation time of the comparison object. For example, a plurality of levels are set around the operation time, and a time range in which these levels are set is treated as an evaluation range. When the deviation time is outside the evaluation range in step S34, the operation evaluation unit 16 ends the routine of this time, and when the deviation time is within the evaluation range, the routine proceeds to step S35. In step S35, the operation evaluation unit 16 obtains a positional deviation between the operation position where the touch operation is performed on each of the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T and the arrival position of the object that specifies the operation timing closest in time on the sequence data 28 with respect to the reference portion where the touch operation is performed and indicates the operation timing.

In the next step S36, the operation evaluation unit 16 determines an evaluation of the touch operation by the player based on the deviation time acquired in step S34 and the positional deviation acquired in step S35. These evaluations are performed as follows, for example. First, the offset time is determined to which of a plurality of levels set within a time range the timing of the touch operation belongs. The plurality of levels are set so that the evaluation is higher for each fixed period division time range as the division belongs to the operation time period close to the respective division. The offset position is realized by comparing the center position of each object 60, 60S with the touch operation position. For the evaluation of the deviation position, for example, a region 2 times or less the diameter of each object 60, 60S is evaluated as "GOOD", and the other regions are evaluated as "MISS". Alternatively, a constant evaluation range is set so that the evaluation is lowered every certain distance from the outer periphery with the inner side of the outer periphery of the object 60, 60S being the highest evaluation, and the position of the touch operation is determined to which position of the evaluation range the position belongs. In this case, the difficulty level of the game is improved.

Since the evaluation ranges for the deviation time and the deviation position are set according to the time ranges, the evaluation target area on the game screen differs according to the moving speed of each object 60, 60S to be evaluated. Specifically, when the moving speed of each object 60, 60S is high, the evaluation target area on each game screen 50A, 50B is set to a wide range. On the other hand, when the moving speed of each object 60, 60S is slow, the evaluation target area on each game screen 50A, 50B is set to a narrow range. Further, since the moving speeds of the objects 60 and 60S are different from each other, the evaluation target areas of the objects 60 and 60S on the game screens 50A and 50B are also set for each object.

After step S36 is executed, the operation evaluation unit 16 proceeds to step S37, and controls the output to the display control unit 12 so that the evaluation result is displayed in at least one of the game area 52 and the information area 53. After the process of step S37 is completed, the operation evaluation unit 16 ends the routine of this time. The step of acquiring the deviation between the target position and the touch operation position in the example of fig. 11 may be performed before the step of acquiring the deviation between the latest operation timing of the reference portion and the time when the touch operation is performed. In the example of fig. 11, the evaluation of the deviation position is configured to evaluate as "GOOD" or "MISS" depending on the region, but when the deviation position is out of the fixed range, the routine of this time may be configured to skip the subsequent process and end the process, as in the process of step S34. In this case, for example, when an operation is requested with respect to the 1 st reference part 55A, an operation with respect to an inappropriate position outside a certain range, such as an operation performed with respect to the 2 nd reference part 55B, may be excluded from the evaluation targets.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the top reference portion 55T is provided in the vicinity of each of the reference portions 55A and 55B, in addition to the reference portions 55A and 55B to which the object 60 is to be reached, on the game screen 50B having a high difficulty level. The specific object 60S moving toward each top reference portion 55T appears at an appropriate timing. Therefore, the player must consider not only the 2 reference portions 55A and 55B disposed at the both end portions 52U and 52B of the game area 52, but also each top reference portion 55T. This makes it possible to change the number of positions that the player should consider, and to suppress the viewpoint of the player from being fixed at a fixed position. Therefore, it is possible to change the difficulty level of the game without increasing the number of objects 60 displayed on the game screen all at once or increasing the moving speed of all the objects displayed on the game screen not for each object but all at once.

The moving paths of the specific object 60 to the top reference portions 55T are limited to 2 specific paths WS1 and WS 2. When a path in which the left and right walls 52L and 52R jump back is selected as the movement path of the specific object 60S, the arrival time is fixed and the movement distance is extended, and therefore, the improper movement speed may be increased as the operation instruction is. When the top reference portion 55T jumps back to the right or left wall 52L, 52R immediately before, the approach angle to the top reference portion 55T may be too fast. Such a sharp approach angle is visually indistinct and is not suitable for display of an operation. According to this aspect, the paths of the left and right walls 52L, 52R jumping back at the inappropriate approach angle or movement speed are excluded, and the movement path WS of the specific object 60S is limited to only the 2 specific paths WS1, WS2 toward the top-level reference portions 55T. This can suppress the movement of the specific object 60S from becoming a moving speed or display unsuitable for the instruction of the operation timing.

The specific object 60S disappears after passing through each top reference portion 55T, and does not reach the 1 st reference portion 55A or the 2 nd reference portion 55B. As in the case of the erroneous operation of the object 60, when the specific object 60S moves until reaching the respective end portions 52U, 52B, the moving speed of the object appearing next is faster than the moving speed of the specific object 60S. Specifically, first, since the top reference portions 55T are disposed close to the reference portions on the opposite side, the top reference portions 55T are spaced apart from the end portions 52U and 52B relative to the reference portions 55A and 55B. On the other hand, the operation timing indicated at the next object having a correspondence relationship with the specific object 60S, that is, the object that should appear at the arrival position of the specific object 60S is fixed. Therefore, regarding the moving distance of the next object when the erroneous operation is performed, the erroneous operation is performed on the specific object 60S for a longer time period than the object 60. That is, the speed difference between when the erroneous operation is generated and when the appropriate operation is performed is more significant in the case of the erroneous operation on the specific object 60S than in the case of the erroneous operation on the object 60. Such a speed difference is larger the slower the moving speed of the specific object 60S is. In the example of fig. 5, the movement path WS of the specific object 60S is limited to 2, but in the case where the left and right walls 52L, 52R move on a long distance path that jumps back multiple times and the movement speed of the specific object 60S is slow, the speed difference becomes larger.

Even if the specific object 60S that is the operation error does not move to the end portions 52U and 52B, the specific object reaches the 1 st reference portion 55A or the 2 nd reference portion 55B as long as the specific object continues to move along the movement path WS. The touch operation on the specific object 60S has been requested when each top level reference part 55T is reached. Therefore, the player does not need to be required to perform the touch operation as the specific object 60S reaches the reference portions 55A and 55B. When the specific object 60S reaches the reference portions 55A and 55B, there is a possibility that a touch operation by the player is induced, and therefore, it is necessary to prevent such an operation from being induced. According to the present embodiment, since the specific object 60S disappears after passing through each top reference portion 55T, it is prevented from reaching the 1 st reference portion 55A or the 2 nd reference portion 55B. This prevents the induction of the unnecessary operation or the occurrence of a large speed difference.

Further, a subject appearance region CR capable of allowing each of the subjects 60 and 60S to appear is separately set. When the normal object 60 is erroneously operated, the normal object moves to the end portions 52U and 52B, the position where the object 60 arrives becomes the appearance position of the next object, and the path W extending from the appearance position is used as the movement path of the next object. However, as described above, when the specific object 60S disappears due to an erroneous operation, the specific object 60S does not reach the end portions 52U and 52B. Therefore, there is no appropriate position where the next object corresponding to the specific object 60S should appear. According to this aspect, since the object appearance region CR is separately set, even if there is no object having such an appropriate appearance position, the next object can be made to appear in a relatively natural expression using this region CR. When the object appears according to an appropriate operation, the object appearance region CR may be used as the appearance position of the object whose moving speed is too slow according to the relationship with the time to arrive. This can suppress the game from becoming monotonous.

As described above, if the object appearance region CR is used, it is possible to make a position unrelated to the arrival position of an object that functions as an instruction of the appearance position of the object to appear as the appearance position. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the appearance position and appearance timing of the object can be expanded. This enables the object to appear without being limited by the appearance position and appearance timing, and thus enables the instruction of continuous operation, the expression of an event, and the like for one player. That is, if the object appearance region CR is used, the interest of the game can be increased.

In the above-described embodiment, the external storage device 20 of the game machine 1 functions as a music data storage unit and a sequence data storage unit. The control unit 10 causes the sequence processing unit 15 to execute the routines of fig. 9 and 10, thereby functioning as a game area presenting unit, a flag display control unit, and a route control unit. Further, the control unit 10 causes the operation evaluation unit 16 to execute the routine of fig. 11, thereby functioning as an evaluation unit.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in an appropriate manner. In the above embodiment, the specific reference portion is disposed at a position close to each of the reference portions 55A and 55B disposed on the opposite side, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the specific reference portion may be disposed at a position distant from the reference portion disposed on the opposite side of the reference portion disposed on the same end portion side, that is, at a position spaced apart from the reference portion on the opposite side by a distance larger than the distance between the reference portions 55A and 55B.

In the above-described embodiment, 2 top reference portions 55T are provided in the vicinity of each of the 1 st reference portion 55A and the 2 nd reference portion 55B as the specific reference portion, but the number is not limited to 2. For example, 1 specific reference portion may be provided in the vicinity of each of the reference portions 55A and 55B, or 3 or more specific reference portions may be provided. In the above-described aspect, the specific reference portion corresponding to each player is provided in the vicinity of the reference portion on the player side, but the present invention is not limited to this aspect. For example, a specific reference portion corresponding to each player may be provided in the vicinity of a reference portion on the opposite side of the reference portion used by each player. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments: the specific reference portion may be disposed in the vicinity of another reference portion such as the 1 st reference portion 55A or the 2 nd reference portion 55B, that is, in a position closer to one reference portion than to other reference portions. For example, the specific reference portion may be disposed at the center position between the 1 st reference portion 55A and the 2 nd reference portion 55B, that is, at a position where the distance to the 1 st reference portion 55A and the distance to the 2 nd reference portion 55B are equal. In this case, the specific reference part may be shared by the players on the 1 st reference part 55A side and the 2 nd reference part 55B side, or may be provided for each player.

The form of specifying the reference portion is not limited to the shape and size described above, and may be, for example, a rectangle or an ellipse and larger than the object, or may be only a straight line corresponding to the determination straight line TL. Further, for example, the specific reference portion may be set by the expression of the positional shift of the 1 st reference portion 55A or the 2 nd reference portion 55B. Further, the 1 st reference part 55A and the 2 nd reference part 55B may be faded out from the game screen, and an expression may be performed in which only a specific reference part is displayed as a reference part or the like. By such a fade-out expression, it is possible to prevent an unnecessary operation from being induced without causing the specific object 60S to disappear. In particular, when the specific reference portion is disposed at a position distant from the reference portion disposed on the opposite side of the reference portion disposed on the same end portion side, the specific object 60S first reaches another reference portion before reaching the specific reference portion. In this case, even if an operation instruction is given to a specific reference portion, there is a high possibility that an erroneous operation is induced to another reference portion. However, according to the above-described mode in which the 1 st reference part 55A and the 2 nd reference part 55B fade out, the 1 st reference part 55A or the 2 nd reference part 55B can be faded out from the game screen when the specific object 60S passes, and therefore, it is possible to prevent such an erroneous operation from being induced.

In the above-described aspect, the difficulty level is set before the game is played, and the specific reference portion is displayed in the game area. As the predetermined condition, for example, a specific operation in a game such as a case where a touch operation is performed in a predetermined direction and at a predetermined speed, or an event or other selection in a game may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the object appearance region CR is set between the 1 st reference portion 55A and the 1 st top level reference portion 55TA and between the 2 nd reference portion 55B and the 2 nd top level reference portion 55TB, but the present invention is not limited to such a position. For example, one area near the center of the game area may be set as the object appearance area CR and used in common in the reference units 55A and 55B. In the above-described embodiment, the object oriented toward the 2 nd reference cell 55B appears in the 1 st object appearance region CR1, and the object oriented toward the 1 st reference cell 55A appears in the 2 nd object appearance region CR2, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, it may be set to be the opposite that the object moving to the 1 st reference part 55A side appears in the 1 st object appearance region CR1 and the object moving to the 2 nd reference part 55B side appears in the 2 nd object appearance region CR 2. This makes it possible to change the difficulty level of the game.

In the above-described aspect, when the specific object 60S is erroneously operated, the specific object disappears after the operation time has elapsed, and the next object having a correspondence relationship with the specific object 60S is caused to appear in the object appearance region CR. For example, when the moving speed of the object is slower than a predetermined range, the object may be disappeared after the operation time has elapsed without being limited to the specific object 60S, and the next object having a correspondence relationship with the object may be made to appear in the object appearance region CR. In this case, monotonicity of the game can be eliminated, and a speed difference with the moving speed of the next object, which may be generated by adding the distance to each of the end portions 52U and 52B to the moving distance, can be suppressed. Alternatively, a velocity difference between the object reaching each end portion 52U, 52B and the next object may be calculated, and in the case where the velocity difference exceeds a certain range, extinction and appearance in the object appearance region CR are achieved. The present invention is not limited to the method in which the disappearance timing of the specific object 60S and the appearance timing of the next object having a correspondence relationship with the disappearance timing are synchronized, and the disappearance timing and the appearance timing may be preceded or succeeded. That is, the disappearance period may come first and then the appearance period comes, or the appearance period may come first and then the disappearance period comes.

In the above-described embodiment, the specific object 60S is distinguished from the normal object 60 by using a color difference, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, as the specific object 60S, a shape, a pattern, or the like different from the object 60 may be used.

In each of the above embodiments, the movement path for the object to move to the next reference portion is determined in accordance with the positional relationship between the position of the touch operation and the position of the object, but the determination of the movement path is not limited to the one corresponding to such positional relationship. For example, the movement path may be determined in accordance with an operation for specifying a direction in which the position of the touch operation changes continuously, or the movement speed may be determined in accordance with a change speed of such continuous change.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the number of paths W extending from one each of the jumping points R1 and R2 is 3 is exemplified, but the number of paths extending from each jumping point is not limited. Therefore, a plurality of paths extending in all directions from the jump points can be set. Further, the return points R1 and R2 included in the plurality of reference portions 55A and 55B may be provided. In other words, the plurality of paths may be provided such that the operation indication mark is movable in all directions between all positions of the respective reference portions. Further, a plurality of bounce points and paths from the bounce points may be provided between the two side walls 52R and 52L of the play area 52. This enables setting of a plurality of paths to the bounce point and a plurality of paths after the bounce.

The region set in each object 60, 60S (assigned to each path) is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The operation indication mark may be divided into a plurality of areas corresponding to a plurality of paths set to the game area. This allows the operation instruction mark to be moved on a free path between the reference portions in accordance with the touch operation. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment in which the operation instruction mark is divided into a plurality of regions, and the movement path of the operation instruction mark may be determined by comparing a fixed position such as the center position of the operation instruction mark with the touch operation position.

Similarly, in the above-described embodiment, the movement path of the specific object 60S is limited to 2 specific paths toward the top reference portions 55T on the left and right sides, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. As the path along which the specific object 60S moves, various paths including paths that bounce off the left and right walls and a plurality of paths that respectively go to the left and right top-level reference portions may be employed unless a speed, an approach angle, or the like that is not suitable for the instruction of the operation timing is generated. As an example of the movement path of the specific object 60S in which the approach angle is not suitable while the left and right walls are not rebounded, a path in which the walls 52L and 52R rebound on the front side in the advancing direction of the object from the center position between the 1 st reference part 55A and the 2 nd reference part 55B may be used. In addition, in a mode in which the movement paths of the objects 60 and 60S can be freely selected, the sequence processing unit 15 may be configured to execute a path correction processing routine, which is an example shown in fig. 12, so that a path that is not suitable for an instruction of the operation timing is not used as the movement path of the objects 60 and 60S.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of a path correction processing routine. The path correction processing of fig. 12 may be executed, for example, between step S3 and step S4 of the sequence processing routine of fig. 9, that is, after the path is decided in the path decision processing of step S3. After the routine of fig. 12 is started, first, in step S51, the control unit 10 acquires the determined route and the operation timing to be instructed by the target object, and calculates the moving speed of the object 60 based on the distance between the acquired route and the operation timing. In the next step S52, it is determined whether or not the moving speed calculated in step S51 is within a predetermined range. If the determination in step S52 is affirmative, the subsequent processing is skipped and the routine of this time is ended. On the other hand, if the determination in step S52 is negative, the process proceeds to step S53. In step S53, the determined route is corrected to a route in which the moving speed of the object 60 falls within a predetermined range, and the routine of this time is ended. When the route is corrected in the route correction processing, the routine of fig. 9 may be configured to use the route corrected in the route correction processing after step S4 of fig. 9.

In the routine of fig. 12, it is determined whether or not the moving speed is within a fixed range, but the routine of fig. 12 may be configured to calculate the approach angle from the selected moving path to each of the reference portions 55A, 55B, and 55T as a determination target and determine whether or not the approach angle is within a fixed range. The routine of fig. 12 may be configured to determine whether the moving speed is within a predetermined range or whether the approach angle is within a fixed range. The routine of fig. 12 may be configured to calculate a route after an operation error, and correct the route in consideration of the moving speed of the object after the operation error (for example, by comparing the speed of the operation instruction flag before reaching each of the end portions 52U and 52B due to the operation error with the speed of the operation instruction flag appearing next at the arrival position of each of the end portions 52U and 52B so that the speed difference falls within a certain range).

The routine of fig. 12 may be applied to a next object having a correspondence relationship with an object that has reached a reference portion or the like or an object that has performed an appropriate operation. As a specific example, the moving path of the next object may be limited to a fixed path so that the moving speed of the next object falls within a predetermined range. For example, it is effective to apply such a manner to: in particular, in such a manner that the specific reference portion is disposed at a position which is farther from the reference portion disposed on the opposite side than the reference portion disposed on the same end portion side, that is, at a position which is spaced apart from the reference portion on the opposite side by a distance larger than the distance between the reference portions 55A and 55B, the specific object 60S does not disappear and moves to the end portions 52U and 52B even if passing through the specific reference portion. That is, in such an aspect, the specific reference portion is disposed at a distant position, and therefore, the moving distance of the specific object 60S becomes long. Therefore, when a long distance path that bounces many times on the left and right walls or the like is used as the moving path of the next object, the moving path becomes significantly faster than when the next object appears in another reference portion. By applying the routine of fig. 12 to the next object, the movement path of the next object can be limited to a certain path in which the movement speed of the next object falls within the predetermined range. Thus, a path from the appearance position to the reference portion on the opposite side at the shortest distance, a path from the left and right walls to the opposite side at a speed within a predetermined range while bouncing back, and the like can be used as the movement path of the next object without fixing the movement path of the next object. In addition, this embodiment is effective not only in the above embodiment but also in the embodiment in which the distance between each reference portion 55A, 55B and each end portion 52U, 52B is large. By executing the routine of fig. 12 described above, the control unit 10 functions as a speed calculation unit.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the object 60 moves as if it bounces between the reference portions 55A and 55B by the object 60 disappearing at the arrival position and the arrival position functioning as the appearance position of the object 60 corresponding to the operation timing of instructing the common object 60, but the movement of the object 60 is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, instead of disappearing at each arrival at the jump-back point at which the operation instruction mark arrives, the common object 60 may be directly used to actually jump back at the jump-back point. In this case, for example, the reference portion toward which the operation instruction mark is directed can be indicated by changing the color after the jumping point jumps to the color corresponding to the reference portion to be reached next.

In the above embodiment, the game area 52 is a rectangular area, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Various shapes such as a polygon or a circle may be used as the game area. In the above embodiment, 2 reference portions 55A and 55B corresponding to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the game area 52 are provided, but the number of these reference portions is not limited to 2. For example, an area around which 3 or more reference portions are set may be used as a game area so that three or more players can play the game.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 10 functioning as the evaluation unit evaluates the touch operation by comparing the operation timing with the operation timing described in the sequence data, but the function as the evaluation unit may be omitted. In this case, it is possible to use the player as a battle type game machine that operates at the rhythm of music and induces an error in the opponent player.

In the above-described embodiment, the touch panel is used as the input device, but the input device is not limited to this embodiment. As long as the input device has a plurality of operation portions, for example, a controller provided with a plurality of buttons as the operation portions, a plurality of controllers including one button as the operation portion, or the like, various configurations of the input device can be used. For example, when a device provided with a direction selection button and an operation determination button is used as the input device, the operation determination button may be associated with each reference portion, and the movement path of the operation instruction mark when the device moves to the next reference portion may be selected by the direction selection button.

In the above-described embodiment, only one game machine 1 is illustrated in fig. 1, but a plurality of game machines 1 may be connected so that game contents can be shared. For example, 2 game machines connected to be able to share game content may be arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. For example, the game machine 1 may be attached to the back of 2 connected game machines so that the game content can be shared, that is, the game machine 1 may be attached to the back of 2. In this case, since the players are located at positions facing each other to execute the game, the feeling of each player in play can be further improved. In the above-described embodiment, the monitor 3 is disposed obliquely on the player P side, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the monitor may be arranged substantially horizontally. In this case, the two players use one monitor, and the two players can use the 1 st reference unit and the 2 nd reference unit as the plurality of operation units through the common monitor and touch panel.

In the above-described embodiment, the game machine 1 executes a match-up type game, but the game executed by the game machine 1 is not limited to the match-up type game. For example, the following game of the gaming machine 1 may also be executed: only one 1 st reference portion 55A is set to correspond to the operation portion, and the 2 nd reference portion 55B is only disposed to function as a wall for bouncing the operation instruction mark. Further, a game may be executed in which the operation instruction flag is moved so as to jump back at the 2 nd reference portion 55B and the both walls 52L and 52R and reach only the 1 st reference portion 55A or reach the 1 st reference portion 55A and the 2 nd reference portion 55B at the timing described in the sequence data. In such a game, the operation instruction mark is configured to jump back at the upper end portion 52U, and therefore the display of the 2 nd reference portion 55B may be omitted. In this case, a single-player game in which the difficulty level of the game can be variously changed can be realized. In this case, the 1 st reference portion 55A, the 2 nd reference portion 55B, the walls, and the like function as a plurality of reference portions in the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the game device 1 is configured as a music game device that reproduces a music piece and moves the operation instruction flag toward the reference portion in accordance with the playing time of the music piece, but the configuration is not limited to this. In the game machine 1, a plurality of games can be executed as long as the operation timing is indicated by video. Further, the game system according to the present invention can be realized in an appropriate form such as a profit game machine installed in a commercial establishment, a home-use desktop game machine, a portable game machine, and a game system realized by a network.

Claims (15)

1. A game system, wherein the game system has:

a display device that displays and outputs a game screen;

an input device having at least one operation section;

a sequence data storage unit that stores sequence data in which operation timings of the operation units in the game are described;

a game area presenting means for displaying a game area in which a plurality of reference portions are set at a predetermined interval from each other and at least one specific reference portion is set as a part of the plurality of reference portions at a position spaced apart from other reference portions by a distance different from the predetermined interval, on the game screen;

a mark display control unit that displays an operation instruction mark for instructing an operation on the operation unit so that the operation instruction mark reaches at least one of the plurality of reference units at an operation timing indicated by the sequence data, while moving along any one of a plurality of paths within the game area; and

a path control unit that controls a movement path of the operation instruction mark so that the movement path of the operation instruction mark is limited to a certain path.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the path control unit controls a movement path of the operation indication mark such that a path in which a movement speed of the operation indication mark falls within a prescribed range is moved as the certain path by the operation indication mark.

3. The gaming system of claim 2,

the game system further has a speed calculation unit that calculates a moving speed of the operation indication mark based on a distance from an appearance position to an arrival position of the operation indication mark set in the game screen and the operation time period indicated by the sequence data,

the path control unit controls the movement path of the operation indication mark such that the path in which the movement speed calculated by the speed calculation unit falls within a prescribed range is moved by the operation indication mark as the certain path.

4. The gaming system of claim 1,

the game area presenting means displays a linear reference portion as at least one of the plurality of reference portions,

the path control unit controls a moving path of the operation indication mark such that a path in which an angle formed between a traveling direction of the operation indication mark toward the linear reference portion and the linear reference portion falls within a certain range is moved as the certain path.

5. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the path control unit controls the movement path of the operation indication mark so that the movement path of the operation indication mark that moves so as to reach the specific reference part at the operation timing indicated by the sequence data is limited to the certain path.

6. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the game area presentation means displays, as the game area, a game area in which the specific reference portion is set at a position closer to at least one of the plurality of reference portions than to reference portions other than the reference portion, on the game screen.

7. The game system according to claim 6, wherein the game area presentation means displays, as the game area on the game screen, a game area in which an interval shorter than an interval between the reference portion to which the specific reference portion is set at a position closer to the reference portion and the other reference portion is set as the different interval, and the specific reference portion is set at a position spaced apart from the other reference portion by the interval.

8. The game system according to claim 7, wherein the mark display control unit causes the operation instruction mark that moves from the other reference portion side so as to reach the specific reference portion at the operation timing indicated by the sequence data to disappear from the game screen after passing through the specific reference portion.

9. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the game area presentation means displays a game area in which two specific reference portions are set as the specific reference portions on the game screen as the game area.

10. The game system according to claim 9, wherein the game area presenting unit displays, as the game area, an area formed in a quadrangle on the game screen, the area being set such that 2 operation reference portions extending linearly face each other at one both ends of the quadrangle.

11. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a touch panel arranged on the display device so as to cover the game area is used as the input device.

12. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising an evaluation unit that evaluates an operation of at least one of the plurality of reference parts based on a timing of an operation with respect to the operation part and an operation timing specified by the sequence data.

13. The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

the game system further has:

a sound output device that reproduces an output sound;

a music data storage unit that stores music data for reproducing music; and

a music piece reproducing unit that reproduces the music piece from the sound output device in accordance with the music piece data,

the sequence data describes operation timing of the operation unit during reproduction of the music.

14. A control method of a game system, wherein the game system has:

a display device that displays and outputs a game screen;

an input device having at least one operation section; and

sequence data storage means for storing sequence data in which operation timings of the operation units in the game are described,

the control method of the game system causes a computer built in the game system to execute the steps of:

a game area presenting step of displaying a game area in which a plurality of reference portions are set at a predetermined interval from each other and at least one specific reference portion is set as a part of the plurality of reference portions at a position spaced apart from other reference portions by an interval different from the predetermined interval on the game screen;

a mark display control step of moving and displaying an operation instruction mark for instructing an operation on the operation unit along any one of a plurality of paths within the game area so that the operation instruction mark reaches at least one of the plurality of reference units at an operation timing indicated by the sequence data; and

a path control step of controlling a movement path of the operation instruction mark so that the movement path of the operation instruction mark is limited to a certain path.

15. A computer program for a game system, wherein the game system has:

a display device that displays and outputs a game screen;

an input device having at least one operation section; and

sequence data storage means for storing sequence data in which a reference timing of the operation unit in the game is described,

the computer program for a game system causes a computer built in the game system to function as:

a game area presenting means for displaying a game area in which a plurality of reference portions are set at a predetermined interval from each other and at least one specific reference portion is set as a part of the plurality of reference portions at a position spaced apart from other reference portions by a distance different from the predetermined interval, on the game screen;

a mark display control unit that displays an operation instruction mark for instructing an operation on the operation unit so that the operation instruction mark reaches at least one of the plurality of reference units at an operation timing indicated by the sequence data, while moving along any one of a plurality of paths within the game area; and

a path control unit that controls a movement path of the operation instruction mark so that the movement path of the operation instruction mark is limited to a certain path.