System and method for providing virtual items to users of a virtual space

• US 10,279,271 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2018
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsao, Bryan, Kim, John, McNeill, David, Wei, Albert, Yu, Christopher, Chanthasiriphan, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US15/976,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20180256988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 463 42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A system and method for providing virtual items to users of an online game operated in a virtual space. Multiple users may participate in affiliations or alliances of discrete groups of users in an online game and may access the online game through client computing platforms associated with the users. The affiliations may have affiliation game units associated with affiliations which provide a benefit to the members of the online game. Affiliation members may cumulatively obtain affiliation game units and/or upgrade affiliation game units by providing one or more virtual items. Upgrading affiliation game units may require the cooperation of multiple members of the affiliation.

Claims

1. A system that provides increased benefits to virtual items that are controllable and/or accessible by multiple users of a virtual space by virtue of the multiple users being included in an affiliation of users within an online game taking place in the virtual space, the system comprising:

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

receive commands over a network from client computing platforms associated with the users;

perform operations in the virtual space associated with the online game in response to the commands received over the network from the client computing platforms associated with the users, wherein receiving the commands and performing the operations facilitates participation by the users in the online game;

manage one or more affiliations within the online game, wherein managing the one or more affiliations includes receiving affiliation information over the network from the client computing platforms associated with the users requesting and/or accepting association with the one or more affiliations, a given affiliation within the online game comprising a discrete group of users with a relationship having a functional significance within the online game that has an impact on game play, wherein the affiliations include a first affiliation between a group of users including a first user and a second user, wherein the first affiliation is associated with a first affiliation game unit, wherein the first affiliation game unit is controllable and/or accessible by both the first user and the second user by virtue of their inclusion in the first affiliation;

receive, from a first client computing platform associated with the first user, information regarding the first user providing one or more virtual items to increase a first level value of a first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit; and

increase the first level value of the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit in response to receiving the information regarding the first user providing the one or more virtual items.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein an amount of increase in the first level value is based on one or more of a number of users having the first affiliation that provide one or more virtual items to increase the level of the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit and/or a number of the one or more virtual items provided by the users having the first affiliation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit has one or more discrete benefit level values and the system is configured to promote the first benefit metric from a first benefit level value to a second benefit level value in response to a threshold number of the users having the first affiliation providing a threshold number of one or more virtual items to promote the first affiliation game unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the individual ones of the discrete group of users in the first affiliation that are able to control and/or access the first affiliation game unit have a relationship having a functional significance with the other users of the discrete group of users in the first affiliation.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the relationship having a functional significance includes one or more of a leadership role, a controller role, a mentorship role, and/or an administrator role.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the individual ones of the discrete group of users in the first affiliation able to control and/or access the first affiliation game unit includes users having an indication of a priority for controlling and/or accessing the first affiliation game unit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to effectuate presentation of an offer to the users of the first affiliation to provide one or more virtual items for increasing the first benefit level of the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit associated with the first affiliation.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to effectuate presentation of the offer to the users having the first affiliation to purchase one or more virtual items for increasing the first benefit level of the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit associated with the first affiliation.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit includes one or more of a defense metric, an attack metric, a skill metric, a loyalty metric, a moral metric, an energy metric, and/or a speed metric.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit includes one or more of a resource metric and/or a production attack metric.

11. A method for providing increased benefits to virtual items that are controllable and/or accessible by multiple users of a virtual space by virtue of the multiple users being included in an affiliation of users within an online game taking place in the virtual space, the method to be performed using one or more physical computer processors, the method comprising:

receive commands over a network from client computing platforms associated with the users;

perform operations in the virtual space associated with the online game in response to the commands received over the network from the client computing platforms associated with the users, wherein receiving the commands and performing the operations facilitates participation by the users in the online game;

managing one or more affiliations within the online games, wherein managing the one or more affiliations includes receiving affiliation information over the network from the client computing platforms associated with the users requesting and/or accepting association with the one or more affiliations, a given affiliation within the online game comprising a discrete group of users with a relationship having a functional significance within the online game that has an impact on game play, wherein the affiliations include a first affiliation between a group of users including a first user and a second user, wherein the first affiliation is associated with a first affiliation game unit, and wherein the first affiliation game unit is controllable and/or accessible by both the first user and the second user by virtue of their inclusion in the first affiliation;

receiving, from a first client computing platform associated with the first user, information regarding the first user providing one or more virtual items to increase a first level value of a first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit; and

increasing the first level value of the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit in response to receiving the information regarding the first user providing the one or more virtual items.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein an amount of increase in the first level value is based on one or more of a number of users having the first affiliation that provide one or more virtual items to increase the level of the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit and/or a number of the one or more virtual items provided by the users having the first affiliation.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit has one or more discrete benefit level values and the system is configured to promote the first benefit metric from a first benefit level value to a second benefit level value in response to a threshold number of the users having the first affiliation providing a threshold number of one or more virtual items to promote the first affiliation game unit.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the individual ones of the discrete group of users in the first affiliation that are able to control and/or access the first affiliation game unit have a relationship having a functional significance with the other users of the discrete group of users in the first affiliation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the relationship having a functional significance includes one or more of a leadership role, a controller role, a mentorship role, and/or an administrator role.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the individual ones of the discrete group of users in the first affiliation able to control and/or access the first affiliation game unit includes users having an indication of a priority for controlling and/or accessing the first affiliation game unit.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

effectuating presentation of an offer to the users of the first affiliation to provide one or more virtual items for increasing the first benefit level of the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit associated with the first affiliation.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

effectuating presentation of the offer to the users having the first affiliation to purchase one or more virtual items for increasing the first benefit level of the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit associated with the first affiliation.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first benefit metric of the first affiliation game unit includes one or more of a defense metric, an attack metric, a skill metric, a loyalty metric, a moral metric, an energy metric, and/or a speed metric.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first benefit metrics of the first affiliation game unit includes one or more of a resource metric and/or a production attack metric.