System and method for providing limited-time events to users in an online game

• US 10,058,783 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2017
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Pieron, Luc, Yoo, Byung Gon, Baxter, Thomas, Swift, Dylan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US15/813,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20180071635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 463 25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/10 Arrangements for initial synchronisation

Abstract

A system and method configured to provide limited-time events to users in an online game. The system and method may include executing an instance of an online game and effectuating presentation of offers to users to activate a limited-time event within the online game. Activation of the limited-time event may enable users to perform event runs through the limited-time event for a duration. The execution of event runs through the limited-time event in response to user commands received from a client computing platform associated with the user may deplete the virtual resource in an inventory of the user. The system and method may maintain inventories of the users and recharge the virtual resource as a function of time. The performance of users may be assessed and awards may be distributed to the users based on the assessment of their performance during the event runs. The system and method may include effectuating exchanges by the users of virtual items for the first virtual resource.

Claims

1. A system for providing limited-time events to users in an online game, the system comprising:

one or more physical computer processors configured by machine readable instructions to;

effectuate presentation of offers to the users to activate a limited-time event within an online game, the users including a first user, wherein the offers include a first offer to the first user, wherein activation of the limited-time event enables the users to participate in the limited-time event for a duration having a duration length, the durations for individual users beginning in response to offer activations by the individual users such that a first duration having the duration length begins in response to a first offer activation by the first user of the first offer;

maintain inventories of the users, wherein the inventories include a first inventory of the first user;

execute an instance of the online game to facilitate user participation in the online game by executing actions in the instance of the online game in response to user commands received from client computing platforms associated with the users, wherein execution of actions in the instance of the online game depletes a first virtual resource in the inventories of the users requesting the actions such that participation in the limited-time event in response to one or more user commands received from a first client computing platform associated with the first user depletes the first virtual resource in the first inventory;

recharge the first virtual resource in the inventories of the users at a recharge rate, wherein the recharge rate is a function of time;

assess performance of the users during participation in the limited-time event;

distribute awards to the users based on the assessed performance; and

effectuate exchanges by the users, wherein the users exchange virtual items for an additional amount of the first virtual resource,

wherein at least (i) the recharge rate of the first virtual resource, (ii) the depletion of the first virtual resource due to participation in the limited-time event, and (iii) the duration length of the first duration limit an amount of participation by the first user during the first duration without exchanging one or more virtual items for the additional amount of the first virtual resource because absent such exchange the first user would not have enough of the first virtual resource to achieve a maximum amount of participation during the limited-time event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual items exchanged for the additional amount of the first virtual resource include a virtual hard currency.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the awards distributed to the users based on the assessed performance include one or both of a virtual hard currency and/or a virtual soft currency.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the presentation of offers to the users to activate the limited-time event within the online game is effectuated during an offer period, wherein the offer period includes a period of time during which the first user is able to accept the first offer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein acceptance of the first offer to activate the limited-time event by the first user only occurs once during the offer period such that the first user is only able to participate in the limited-time event for one duration per offer period.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to effectuate presentation of one or more notifications to one or more users, including the first user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more notifications are presented to the one or more users, including the first user, with the offers to activate the limited-time event, and wherein the one or more notifications include one or more of a notice that activating the first offer will begin the duration, a notice that once the duration has begun it cannot be paused or re-started, a notice indicating the duration length, and/or a notice indicating an offer period during which the first user is able to accept the first offer.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more notifications are presented to the one or more users, including the first user, after activation of the limited-time event by the first user, and wherein the one or more notifications include one or more of a remaining length of the duration, a passed length of the duration, a remaining amount of the first virtual resource, and/or a prompt for an exchange by the first user of virtual items for the additional amount of the first virtual resource.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more notifications are presented to the one or more users, including the first user, based on the assessed performance of individual ones of the one or more users during event runs through the limited-time event;

wherein the one or more notifications include one or more of a notice of the assessed performance of another user, a notice of the assessed performance of the first user, a notice of the assessed performance of the first user compared to the assessed performance of one or more other users, and/or a notice of one or more of the awards.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to effectuate presentation of one or more leaderboards, wherein the one or more leaderboards include a performance assessment metric of one or more users during participation in the limited-time event.

11. A method for providing limited-time events to users in an online game, the method performed using one or more physical computer processors, the method comprising:

effectuating presentation of offers to the users to activate a limited-time event within an online game, the users including a first user, wherein the offers include a first offer to the first user, wherein activation of the limited-time event enables the users to participate in the limited-time event for a duration having a duration length, the durations for individual users beginning in response to offer activations by the individual users such that a first duration having the duration length begins in response to a first offer activation by the first user of the first offer;

maintaining inventories of the users, wherein the inventories include a first inventory of the first user;

executing an instance of the online game to facilitate user participation in the online game by executing actions in the instance of the online game in response to user commands received from client computing platforms associated with the users, wherein execution of actions in the instance of the online game depletes a first virtual resource in the inventories of the users requesting the actions such that participation in the limited-time event in response to one or more user commands received from a first client computing platform associated with the first user depletes the first virtual resource in the first inventory;

recharging the first virtual resource in the inventories of the users at a recharge rate, wherein the recharge rate is a function of time;

assessing performance of the users during participation in the limited-time event;

distributing awards to the users based on the assessed performance; and

effectuating exchanges by the users, wherein the users exchange virtual items for an additional amount of the first virtual resource,

wherein at least (i) the recharge rate of the first virtual resource, (ii) the depletion of the first virtual resource due to participation in the limited-time event, and (iii) the duration length of the first duration limit an amount of participation by the first user during the first duration without exchanging one or more virtual items for the additional amount of the first virtual resource because absent such exchange the first user would not have enough of the first virtual resource to achieve a maximum amount of participation during the limited-time event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual items exchanged for the additional amount of the first virtual resource include a virtual hard currency.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the awards distributed to the users based on the assessed performance include one or both of a virtual hard currency and/or a virtual soft currency.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising effectuating presentation of the offers to the users to activate the limited-time event within the online game during an offer period, wherein the offer period includes a period of time during which the first user is able to accept the first offer.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein acceptance of the first offer to activate the limited-time event by the first user only occurs once during the offer period such that the first user is only able to participate in the limited-time event for one duration per offer period.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising effectuating presentation of one or more notifications to users including the first user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more notifications are presented to the one or more users, including the first user, with the offers to activate the limited-time event, and wherein the one or more notifications include one or more of a notice that activating the first offer will begin the duration, a notice that once the duration has begun it cannot be paused or re-started, a notice indicating the duration length, and/or a notice indicating an offer period during which the first user is able to accept the first offer.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more notifications are presented to the one or more users, including the first user, after activation of the limited-time event by the first user, and wherein the one or more notifications include one or more of a remaining length of the duration, a passed length of the duration, a remaining amount of the first virtual resource, and/or a prompt for an exchange by the first user of virtual items for the additional amount of the first virtual resource.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more notifications are presented to the one or more users, including the first user, based on the assessed performance of individual ones of the one or more users during event runs through the limited-time event;

wherein the one or more notifications include one or more of a notice of the assessed performance of another user, a notice of the assessed performance of the first user, a notice of the assessed performance of the first user compared to the assessed performance of one or more other users, and/or a notice of one or more of the awards.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising effectuating presentation of one or more leaderboards, wherein the one or more leaderboards include a performance assessment metric of one or more users during participation in the limited-time event.