Player-tracking video game
A rhythm-based video game (“game”) is disclosed. In the game, a player slashes blocks representing musical beats using a pair of energy blades resembling a lightsaber. A gaming console renders multiple digital objects, e.g., digital blocks, digital mines and digital obstacles, that are approaching a player in a virtual space. The gaming console also renders a digital representation of an instrument, e.g., a lightsaber (“digital saber”), using which the player slashes, cuts or otherwise interacts with the digital blocks to cause a digital collision between the digital saber and the digital blocks. The player can score by slashing the digital blocks, not hitting the digital mines and avoiding the digital obstacles. The game presents the player with a stream of approaching digital objects in synchronization with music, e.g., a song's beats, being played in the game. The pace at which the digital blocks approach the player increases with the beats.
1. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a process comprising:
instantiating a virtual space that includes a user location of a user;
rendering a plurality of digital targets that approach the user location, wherein one or more digital targets, of the plurality of digital targets, display an indication of a predetermined angle or orientation for effecting a first action in response to contacting the one or more digital targets; and
detecting contacts between the one or more digital targets and one or more digital interface elements controlled by the user, wherein control of the one or more digital interface elements is based on a position and orientation of a respective hand of the user,
wherein detected contacts that A) are between the one or more digital targets and a first digital interface element, of the one or more digital interface elements, and B) that occur at the predetermined angle or orientation, that the one or more targets display by the indication of the predetermined angle or orientation, effect the first action.
2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein detected contacts that A) are between the one or more digital targets and the first digital interface element, of the one or more digital interface elements, and B) that do not occur at the predetermined contact angle or orientation that the one or more targets display by the indication of the predetermined angle or orientation, effect a second action different from the first action.
3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined angle or orientation is based on a relative orientation of the first digital interface element as compared to a respective digital target of the one or more digital targets.
4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more digital interface elements further include a second digital interface element;
wherein a first subset of digital targets, of the one or more digital targets, are linked with the first digital interface element via graphical indicators and a second subset of digital targets, of the one or more digital targets, are linked with the second digital interface element via graphical indicators; and
wherein detected contacts that effect the first action further require that C) a colliding digital interface element and a corresponding digital target are linked.
5. A computing system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a process comprising:
instantiating a virtual space that includes a user location of a user;
rendering a plurality of digital targets that approach the user location, wherein one or more digital targets, of the plurality of digital targets, display an indication of a predetermined angle or orientation for effecting a first action in response to contacting the one or more digital targets; and
detecting contacts between the one or more digital targets and one or more digital interface elements controlled by the user, wherein control of the one or more digital interface elements is based on a position and orientation of a respective hand of the user,
wherein detected contacts that A) are between the one or more digital targets and a first digital interface element, of the one or more digital interface elements, and B) that occur at the predetermined angle or orientation, that the one or more targets display by the indication of the predetermined angle or orientation, effect the first action.
6. The computing system of claim 5 , wherein the first action is one of:
increasing a game score;
decreasing the game score;
effecting a pace of the approach of the one or more digital targets;
effecting a creation of the one or more digital targets;
effecting a rate of change in the game score; or
any combination thereof.
7. The computing system of claim 5 , wherein the process further comprises:
playing a musical score including musical notes, wherein a pace of movement of the plurality of digital targets approaching the user location is based on the musical notes.
8. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein a pace of generation of the plurality of digital targets is based on the musical notes.
9. A method comprising:
instantiating a virtual space that includes a user location of a user and multiple digital interface elements, the multiple digital interface elements including a right-hand digital interface element and a left-hand hand digital interface element, wherein control of the multiple digital interface elements is based on a position and orientation of a respective pair of hands of the user;
rendering a plurality of digital targets viewable from and moving in relation to the user location, wherein the plurality of digital targets each include a graphic indicator, associating each respective digital target with one of the right-hand digital interface element or the left-hand digital interface element;
detecting contact between one of the multiple digital interface elements controlled by the user and a first digital target, wherein the graphic indicator of the first digital target corresponds to a first digital interface element of the multiple digital interface elements; and
performing one of:
effecting a first action where the detected contact is between the first digital interface element that corresponds to the graphic indicator of the first digital target; or
effecting a second action, different from the first action, where the detected contact is between a digital interface element other than the first digital interface element and does not correspond to the graphic indicator of the first digital target.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein rendering of the plurality of digital targets is timed to a musical track.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the process further comprises:
effecting the second action in response to the user failing to cause a hit on a given digital target of the plurality of digital targets within a predetermined period of time.
12. A computing system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a process comprising:
instantiating a virtual space that includes a user location of a user and multiple digital interface elements, the multiple digital interface elements including a right-hand digital interface element and a left-hand hand digital interface element, wherein control of the multiple digital interface elements is based on a position and orientation of a respective pair of hands of the user;
rendering a plurality of digital targets viewable from and moving in relation to the user location, wherein the plurality of digital targets each include a graphic indicator, associating each respective digital target with one of the right-hand digital interface element or the left-hand digital interface element;
detecting contact between one of the multiple digital interface elements controlled by the user and a first digital target, wherein the graphic indicator of the first digital target corresponds to a first digital interface element of the multiple digital interface elements; and
performing one of:
effecting a first action where the detected contact is between the first digital interface element that corresponds to the graphic indicator of the first digital target; or
effecting a second action, different from the first action, where the detected contact is between a digital interface element other than the first digital interface element and does not correspond to the graphic indicator of the first digital target.
13. The computing system of claim 12 ,
wherein the graphic indicator of the first digital target further indicates a rotational orientation associated with the multiple digital interface elements, and
wherein effecting the first action further requires that the first digital interface element is rotationally orientated, during the detected hit, according to the graphic indicator of the first digital target.
14. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the process further comprises:
rendering additional digital objects in the virtual space in addition to the plurality of digital targets, wherein the additional digital objects include a different interaction scheme than the plurality of digital targets.
15. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the first digital target includes a type criterion and the first action includes an effect style, wherein the effect style is based on the type criterion.
16. A method comprising:
instantiating a virtual space that includes a user location of a user and multiple digital interface elements (“elements”) including a right element and a left element, and wherein control of the multiple digital interface elements is based on a position and orientation of a respective pair of hands of a user;
rendering a plurality of digital targets that approach the user, timed to an audio track, wherein the plurality of digital targets each include a graphic indicator indicating an association between each respective digital target and one of the right element or the left element;
detecting a connection, on a first digital target by the right element controlled by the user, by identifying a match with the right element, wherein the match is based on the association indicated by the graphic indicator of the first digital target; and
effecting a first action in response to the detection of the connection.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
detecting a second hit on a second digital target by the left element controlled by the user; and
effecting the first action in response to the detection of the second hit, wherein the hit is a match with the left element, the match based on the association indicated by the graphic indicator of the second digital target.
18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
detecting a second hit on a second digital target by a first element of the multiple elements controlled by the user; and
effecting a second action in response to the detection of the second hit, wherein the second hit does not match with the first element, the lack of a match based on the association indicated by the graphic indicator of the second digital target.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a process comprising:
instantiating a virtual space that includes a user location of a user and multiple digital interface elements (“elements”) including a right element and a left element, and wherein control of the multiple digital interface elements is based on a position and orientation of a respective pair of hands of a user;
rendering a plurality of digital targets that approach the user, timed to an audio track, wherein the plurality of digital targets each include a graphic indicator indicating an association between each respective digital target and one of the right element or the left element;
detecting a connection, on a first digital target by the right element controlled by the user, by identifying a match with the right element, wherein the match is based on the association indicated by the graphic indicator of the first digital target; and
effecting a first action in response to the detection of the connection.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the process further comprises:
effecting the negative action in response to the user failing to cause a hit on a third digital target of the plurality of digital targets within a predetermined period of time of the third digital target approaching the user location.