Adjusting object adaptive modification or game level difficulty and physical gestures through level definition files

• US 10,561,944 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Ware, John Carlton, Haire, Christopher Vance, vanSuchtelen, John, Waite, Michael, Ntoulas, Alexandros, Zakrzewski, Jeffrey, Tabay, Oliver Attila, Yamazaki, Yuko, Chong, Paul Yih Yarng, Iyer, Sudhish, Tan, Xuyang, Vilankar, Ameya, Narang, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US14/849,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20160067611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• 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 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46

Abstract

A system, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method to adjust twitch response and collision determination to a player'"'"'s skill level is provided. Gameplay information of a computer-implemented game is accessed. The gameplay information including input information indicating one or more attributes of gameplay input provided by the player. A gameplay skill level of the player of the player is estimated based on the one or more gameplay input attributes. Based on the estimated gameplay skill level of the player, respective values of one or more gameplay parameters that determine on-screen behavior of virtual in-game objects are modified, thereby a gameplay difficulty level is modified.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors and a memory including instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

providing gameplay in a computer-implemented game via a gaming interface displayed on a user device of a player, the providing of the gameplay comprising receiving gameplay input from the player and, in response to the gameplay input, controlling on-screen behavior of one or more virtual in-game objects in the gaming interface based on one or more gameplay parameters;

estimating a gameplay skill level of the player;

based on the estimated gameplay skill level of the player, modifying respective values of one or more gameplay parameters in a level definition file that determine on-screen behavior of virtual in-game objects responsive to user input, thereby to modify a gameplay difficulty level by providing for modified gameplay parameters in the level definition file, the modifying of the one or more gameplay parameters including modifying one or more twitch response parameters, each twitch response parameter being a metric of a user input gesture adequate to cause movement of a corresponding controlled object in the game so that a user input that fails to satisfy the one or more twitch response parameters fails to cause movement of the corresponding controlled object, the one or more twitch response parameters including a smoothness of the user input gesture; and

controlling on-screen behavior of the one or more virtual in-game objects responsive to corresponding gameplay input based on the one or more modified gameplay parameters.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more twitch response parameters includes a required range of a size and a speed of the user input gesture to cause the corresponding controlled object to move.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more twitch response parameters includes a speed requirement of the user input gesture to cause the corresponding object to move.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more gameplay parameters further includes a tilt parameter defining a required tilt angle of a game play device to cause a virtual object to move.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein modifying the one or more gameplay parameters includes adjusting the tilt angle requirement.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the level definition file parameter includes a gameplay difficulty quotient, the gameplay difficulty quotient determining a required number of rendered frames of a bounding area overlap in order for an interaction between at least two virtual objects to be registered as a valid collision event, a bounding area overlap based on a first bounding area associated with a first virtual object intersecting with a second bounding area that is associated with a second virtual object.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the modified respective values includes adjusting the required number of rendered frames to be registered as a valid collision event based on the one or more gameplay input attributes.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the modified value includes adjusting the area size of the first bounding area or the second bounding area.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein estimating of the gameplay skill level is based on the gameplay input attribute of twitch responsiveness, which input attribute quantifies at least a smoothness of the user input gesture.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein estimating of the gameplay skill level is based on the gameplay input attribute of collision avoidance.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein estimating of the gameplay skill level is based on the gameplay input attributes of twitch responsiveness and collision avoidance.

12. A method comprising:

providing gameplay in a computer-implemented game via a gaming interface displayed on a user device of a player, the providing of the gameplay comprising receiving gameplay input from the player and, in response to the gameplay input, controlling on-screen behavior of one or more virtual in-game objects in the gaming interface based on one or more gameplay parameters;

estimating a gameplay skill level of the player;

based on the estimated gameplay skill level of the player, modifying respective values of one or more gameplay parameters in a level definition file that determine on-screen behavior of virtual in-game objects responsive to user input, thereby to modify a gameplay difficulty level by providing for modified gameplay parameters in the level definition file, the modifying of the one or more gameplay parameters including modifying one or more twitch response parameters, each twitch response parameter being a metric of a user input gesture adequate to cause movement of a corresponding controlled object in the game so that a user input that fails to satisfy the one or more twitch response parameters fails to cause movement of the corresponding controlled object, the one or more twitch response parameters including a smoothness of the user input gesture; and

controlling on-screen behavior of the one or more virtual in-game objects responsive to corresponding gameplay input based on the one or more modified gameplay parameters.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more twitch response parameters includes a required range of a size and a speed of the user input gesture to cause the corresponding controlled object to move.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more twitch response parameters includes a speed requirement of the user input gesture to cause the corresponding object to move.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more gameplay parameters further includes a tilt parameter defining a required tilt angle of a game play device to cause a virtual object to move.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein modifying the one or more gameplay parameters includes adjusting the tilt angle requirement.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the level definition file parameter includes a gameplay difficulty quotient, the gameplay difficulty quotient determining a required number of rendered frames of a bounding area overlap in order for an interaction between at least two virtual objects to be registered as a valid collision event, a bounding area overlap based on a first bounding area associated with a first virtual object intersecting with a second bounding area that is associated with a second virtual object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the modified respective values includes adjusting the required number of rendered frames to be registered as a valid collision event based on the one or more gameplay input attributes.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the modified value includes adjusting the area size of the first bounding area or the second bounding area.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein estimating of the gameplay skill level is based on the gameplay input attributes of twitch responsiveness and collision avoidance.

21. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

providing gameplay in a computer-implemented game via a gaming interface displayed on a user device of a player, the providing of the gameplay comprising receiving gameplay input from the player and, in response to the gameplay input, controlling on-screen behavior of one or more virtual in-game objects in the gaming interface based on one or more gameplay parameters;

estimating a gameplay skill level of the player;

based on the estimated gameplay skill level of the player, modifying respective values of one or more gameplay parameters in a level definition file that determine on-screen behavior of virtual in-game objects responsive to user input, thereby to modify a gameplay difficulty level by providing for modified gameplay parameters in the level definition file, the modifying of the one or more gameplay parameters including modifying one or more twitch response parameters, each twitch response parameter being a metric of a user input gesture adequate to cause movement of a corresponding controlled object in the game so that a user input that fails to satisfy the one or more twitch response parameters fails to cause movement of the corresponding controlled object, the one or more twitch response parameters including a smoothness of the user input gesture; and

controlling on-screen behavior of the one or more virtual in-game objects responsive to corresponding gameplay input based on the one or more modified gameplay parameters.