Facilitating group musical interaction over a network
View Patent ↗A method for providing real-time musical interaction among a plurality of players connected via a network includes the steps of receiving input from a local player representing a musical performance, generating audio output responsive to the received input, receiving second music performance data from a remote player representing a musical performance by the remote player, creating emulation data representing the remote musical performance, and using the emulation data to generate a local approximation of the remote musical performance.
1. A method for facilitating real-time interaction between players of a game, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving first music performance input data from a local player of a rhythm-action game, the first music performance input data representing a first musical performance;
(b) generating audio output responsive to the received first music performance input;
(c) receiving, via a network, second music performance input data from a remote player of a rhythm-action game, the received second music performance input data representing a non-emulated musical performance by the remote player;
(d) creating emulation data from the received second music performance input data; and
(e) generating a local approximation of the remote musical performance using the created emulation data, the local approximation synchronous with the local musical performance.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises receiving music performance input data from a local player using a gamepad.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises receiving music performance input data from a local player using one of a simulated musical instrument, simulated guitar, simulated drum, musical keyboard, simulated turntable, and a simulated microphone.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises playing a note to indicate a successful input.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises playing a stream of audio to indicate a successful input.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises playing an error tone to indicate unsuccessful input.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) comprises receiving from an interim server second music performance input data from a remote player, the received second music performance input data representing a musical performance by the remote player.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises playing a note to indicate a successful input.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises playing a stream of audio to indicate a successful input.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises playing an error tone to indicate unsuccessful input.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) comprises creating emulation data comprising a moving average of timing deltas between received second music performance events and expected timing of the second music performance events.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) comprises creating emulation data comprising a moving average of received second music performance events.
13. A method for facilitating real-time interaction between players of a game, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving, via a network, music performance input data from a remote player of a rhythm-action game, the received music performance input data representing a non-emulated musical performance by the remote player;
(b) creating emulation data from the received music performance input data; and
(c) generating a local approximation of the remote musical performance using the created emulation data, the local approximation synchronous with a local musical performance.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein step (a) comprises receiving from an interim server music performance input data from a remote player, the received music performance input data representing a musical performance by the remote player.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein step (b) comprises creating emulation data comprising a moving average of timing deltas between received music performance events.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein step (b) comprises creating emulation data comprising a moving average of received music performance events.
17. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, for facilitating real-time interaction between players of a game, the computer program product including instructions operable to cause a game platform to:
(a) receive, via a controller in communication with the game platform, first music performance input data from a local player of a rhythm-action game, the first music performance input data representing a first musical performance;
(b) generate, via a speaker in communication with the game platform, audio output responsive to the received first music performance input;
(c) receive, via a network connection of the game platform, second music performance input data from a remote player of a rhythm-action game, the received second music performance input data representing a non-emulated musical performance by the remote player;
(d) create emulation data from the received second music performance input data; and
(e) generate a local approximation of the remote musical performance using the created emulation data, the local approximation synchronous with the local musical performance.