System and method for modifying actions of a group of characters via group interactions

• US 20040029626A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Annunziata, Ed
• Granted Patent: US 7,452,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6623 for animating a group of characters

Abstract

Character behavior and action in a video game are driven by a character'"'"'s gene attributes and modified by a character'"'"'s emotional attributes. The character'"'"'s gene attributes are classified as static attributes, dynamic attributes, and meta attributes. A subset of the dynamic attributes include the character'"'"'s emotional attributes expressed as numerical hate/love (H/L) values stored in H/L tables. Game interactions modify a group of characters'"'"' H/L values and subsequent behavior.

Claims

1. A method for modifying actions of a group of characters, comprising the steps of:

representing behavior via genetic attributes and emotional attributes;

generating game interactions between at least two characters from the group of characters;

adjusting the emotional attributes of the at least two characters based upon the game interactions; and

using the emotional attributes in conjunction with the genetic attributes to modify the behavior of the at least two characters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the emotional attributes are represented numerically as hate/love (H/L) values.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a range of the numerical H/L values correspond to a range of emotions, the range of emotions spanning hatred to neutrality to unconditional love.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating game interactions further comprises conducting a communication between the at least two characters from the group of characters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating game interactions further comprises having one or more characters observing actions of other characters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating game interactions further comprises having a direct physical contact between the at least two characters from the group of characters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating game interactions further comprises having an indirect physical contact between the at least two characters from the group of characters.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of adjusting the emotional attributes further comprises averaging the H/L values corresponding to the at least two characters involved in the game interactions to produce adjusted H/L values corresponding to the at least two characters involved in the game interactions.

9. An electronic-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a machine to perform method steps for modifying actions of a group of characters, the method steps comprising:

representing behavior via genetic attributes and emotional attributes;

generating game interactions between at least two characters from the group of characters;

adjusting the emotional attributes of the at least two characters based upon the game interactions; and

using the emotional attributes in conjunction with the genetic attributes to modify the behavior of the at least two characters.

10. The electronic-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the emotional attributes are represented numerically as hate/love (H/L) values.

11. The electronic-readable medium of claim 10, wherein a range of the numerical H/L values correspond to a range of emotions, the range of emotions spanning hatred to neutrality to unconditional love.

12. The electronic-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the step of generating game interactions further comprises conducting a communication between the at least two characters from the group of characters.

13. The electronic-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the step of generating game interactions further comprises having one or more characters observing actions of other characters.

14. The electronic-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the step of generating game interactions further comprises having a direct physical contact between the at least two characters from the group of characters.

15. The electronic-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the step of generating game interactions further comprises having an indirect physical contact between the at least two characters from the group of characters.

16. The electronic-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the step of adjusting the emotional attributes further comprises averaging the H/L values corresponding to the at least two characters involved in the game interactions to produce adjusted H/L values corresponding to the at least two characters involved in the game interactions.

17. An electronic system for modifying actions of a group of characters, comprising:

a processor;

a data storage coupled to the processor for storing genetic attributes and emotional attributes;

an action generator executable by the processor for generating interactions between at least two characters from the group of characters; and

a data table adjuster executable by the processor for adjusting the emotional attributes of the at least two characters from the group of characters based upon the interactions.

18. The electronic system of claim 17, wherein the action generator uses the emotional attributes and genetic attributes of the at least two characters from the group of characters to determine behavior of the at least two characters from the group of characters.

19. The electronic system of claim 17, wherein the emotional attributes are represented numerically as hate/love (H/L) values.

20. The electronic system of claim 17, wherein the interactions between the at least two characters include communications between the at least two characters.

21. A system for modifying actions of a group of characters, comprising:

means for representing behavior via genetic attributes and emotional attributes;

means for generating interactions between at least two characters from the group of characters;

means for adjusting the emotional attributes of the at least two characters based upon the interactions; and

41 means for using the emotional attributes in conjunction with the genetic attributes to modify the behavior of the at least two characters.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for generating interactions includes a means for generating a communication between the at least two characters from the group of characters.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for adjusting the emotional attributes includes a means for averaging the emotional attributes corresponding to the at least two characters involved in the interactions to produce adjusted emotional attributes corresponding to the at least two characters involved in the interactions.