Generating game configurations

• US 10,363,484 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Graham, M. Ian, Chu, Ya-Bing
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US15/637,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20170296921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6027 using adaptive systems learning from user actions, e.g. for skill level adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32

Abstract

A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for generating game configurations are presented. For example, a system may receive a game configuration request message from a client device being operated by a player playing a virtual game. The game configuration request message may be sent, for example, in response to the player initiating a new game of the virtual game. The system may then select a game configuration based at least in part on historical performance data associated with the selected game configuration. The historical performance data may accumulate performance data from a group of players that previously played the virtual game using the selected game configuration. The system then communicates the selected game configuration to the client device. The player may play the virtual game using the selected game configuration as the initial game configuration for the virtual game.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory device holding an instruction set executable on the processor to cause the computer system to perform operations comprising;

generating a new game configuration by;

accessing, in a game configuration library, a set of rules for a prior game configuration of a word forming game, the set of rules defining operations for composing a gameboard comprising a set of selectable tiles, the set of rules being applicable to the set of selectable letter tiles; and

changing at least a portion of the set of rules based at least in part on a range of scores of a group of players that previously played the virtual game according to the prior game configuration;

generating a game configuration quality score for the new game configuration, the generating of the game configuration quality score comprising calculating a game configuration heuristic based at least in part on the range of scores of the group of players and based at least in part on a plurality of word counts for respective words, wherein each word count represents how many times the group of players have played the corresponding word; and

adding the new game configuration to a set of game configurations in the game configuration library data structure.

2. The computer system as in claim 1, wherein the set of rules comprises:

a first subset of rules for placing a first grouping of selectable letter tiles at respective tile positions in the prior game configuration, the first grouping comprising sequences of letter tiles previously selected by players associated with a first range of scores; and

a second subset of rules for placing a second grouping of selectable letter tiles at the respective tile positions in the prior game configuration, the second grouping comprising sequences of letter tiles previously selected by players associated with a second range of scores, the first range of scores different than the second range of scores.

3. The computer system as in claim 1, wherein the word forming game in which respective players of the word forming game have respective social network connections in a social network system.

4. The computer system as in claim 1, wherein calculating a game configuration heuristic comprises:

calculating the game configuration heuristic based on a word play ratio for the respective word that corresponds to the particular word count, wherein the word play ratio is based on how many times the respective word was played and how many times it was available to be played.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

generating a new game configuration by;

accessing, in a game configuration library, a set of rules for a prior game configuration of a word forming game, the set of rules defining operations for composing a gameboard comprising a set of selectable tiles, the set of rules being applicable to the set of selectable letter tiles; and

changing at least a portion of the set of rules based at least in part on a range of scores of a group of players that previously played the virtual game according to the prior game configuration;

generating a game configuration quality score for the new game configuration, the generating of the game configuration quality score comprising calculating a game configuration heuristic based at least in part on the range of scores of the group of players and based at least in part on a plurality of word counts for respective words, wherein each word count represents how many times the group of players have played the corresponding word; and

adding the new game configuration to a set of game configurations in the game configuration library data structure.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 5, wherein the set of rules comprises:

a first subset of rules for placing a first grouping of selectable letter tiles at respective tile positions in the prior game configuration, the first grouping comprising sequences of letter tiles previously selected by players associated with a first range of scores; and

a second subset of rules for placing a second grouping of selectable letter tiles at the respective tile positions in the prior game configuration, the second grouping comprising sequences of letter tiles previously selected by players associated with a second range of scores, the first range of scores different than the second range of scores.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 5, wherein the word forming game in which respective players of the word forming game have respective social network connections in a social network system.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 5, wherein calculating a game configuration heuristic comprises:

calculating the game configuration heuristic based on a word play ratio for the respective word that corresponds to the particular word count, wherein the word play ratio is based on how many times the respective word was played and how many times it was available to be played.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating a new game configuration by;

accessing, in a game configuration library, a set of rules for a prior game configuration of a word forming game, the set of rules defining operations for composing a gameboard comprising a set of selectable tiles, the set of rules being applicable to the set of selectable letter tiles; and

changing at least a portion of the set of rules based at least in part on a range of scores of a group of players that previously played the virtual game according to the prior game configuration;

generating a game configuration quality score for the new game configuration, the generating of the game configuration quality score comprising calculating a game configuration heuristic based at least in part on the range of scores of the group of players and based at least in part on a plurality of word counts for respective words, wherein each word count represents how many times the group of players have played the corresponding word; and

adding the new game configuration to a set of game configurations in the game configuration library data structure.

10. The computer-implemented method as in claim 9, wherein the set of rules comprises:

a first subset of rules for placing a first grouping of selectable letter tiles at respective tile positions in the prior game configuration, the first grouping comprising sequences of letter tiles previously selected by players associated with a first range of scores; and

a second subset of rules for placing a second grouping of selectable letter tiles at the respective tile positions in the prior game configuration, the second grouping comprising sequences of letter tiles previously selected by players associated with a second range of scores, the first range of scores different than the second range of scores.

11. The computer-implemented method as in claim 9, wherein the word forming game in which respective players of the word forming game have respective social network connections in a social network system.

12. The computer-implemented method as in claim 9, wherein the calculating of the game configuration heuristic comprises:

calculating the game configuration heuristic based on a word play ratio for the respective word that corresponds to the particular word count, wherein the word play ratio is based on how many times the respective word was played and how many times it was available to be played.