Open grid navigational system

• US 20040150675A1
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Roman, Jan Andreas, Chen, Christina Summer, Gruvman, Mattias J., Murphy, Gregory Edmund
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,715 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/854
• 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 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

To assist a player in navigating an open grid within a game or virtual environment, a global indicator and a local indicator are displayed within the virtual environment. The global indicator continuously indicates a straight line direction between an object controlled by the player and a next goal unattained within the virtual environment. As the object approaches within a predefined distance from a turn that should be taken to reach the next unattained goal, a local indicator is displayed showing the direction that the object should be turned to reach the goal. The local indicator is removed from the display after a predefined time has elapsed. Preferably, the local indicator is not displayed before a turn so long as continuing to move the object along a current path without turning at the next turn will permit the object to reach the next unattained goal.

Claims

1. A method for providing assistance in navigating an object to a goal in an open grid virtual environment, comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a global indicator that generally points in a direction directly from the object toward the goal in the virtual environment, without regard to following a path through the open grid;

(b) providing a local indicator that generally points to indicate a direction of a next turn to be taken in the virtual environment, to follow the open grid in reaching the goal; and

(c) displaying the local indicator in the virtual environment at least before the next turn that can be taken by the object to reach the goal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the local indicator includes the step of enabling the display of the local indicator only when the object is within a predefined distance from the next turn.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of varying the predefined distance as a function of a speed of the object within the virtual environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the goal is one of a plurality of goals that are to be reached by the object within the virtual environment, further comprising the steps of pointing the global indicator in the direction of each successive goal that is yet to be reached by the object after a previous goal is reached.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of displaying the local indicator so as to indicate successive turns on the open grid that should be taken in the virtual environment to reach each successive goal after the previous goal is reached.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the global indicator and the local indicator only respond to the location of a current goal in the virtual environment.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of deleting a goal from the plurality of goals after the goal is reached by the object, even if not in a predefined order, said global indicator and said local indicator not responding to a goal that has been deleted.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the local indicator is not displayed before the next turn that could be taken to reach the goal, if continuing on a current path without turning will still enable the object to reach the goal in the virtual environment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the local indicator indicates one of a left turn, a right turn, and a U-turn.

10. A memory medium storing machine instructions for carrying out the steps of claim 1.

11. A method for providing navigational hints to a player who is controlling an object to reach a goal within a virtual environment defined by an open grid, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) continuously displaying a global indicator proximate the object in the virtual environment, while the player is controlling the object to navigate to the goal, said global indicator generally indicating a straight-line direction to the goal from the object; and

(b) prior to a next turn that can be taken by the object on the open grid to reach the goal, displaying a local indicator proximate the object in the virtual environment, to suggest that the player take the next turn to continue toward the goal, said global indicator being clearly distinguishable from said local indicator.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the local indicator is not displayed until the object is within a predefined distance from the next turn.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of varying the predefined distance as a function of a speed of the object as it approaches the next turn, said predefined distance being greater for a higher speed of the object than for a lower speed of the object.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of only displaying the local indicator if a current direction in which the object is traveling will not enable the object to reach the goal.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of maintaining a list of successive goals to be reached by the object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each goal in the list of successive goals that is reached by the object is removed from the list, said global indicator and said local indicator only providing navigational hints for reaching a next successive goal remaining on the list of successive goals.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the local indicator indicates an orthogonal turn relative to a present direction of travel.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the local indicator is able to indicate a U-turn.

19. A memory medium storing machine instructions for carrying out the steps of claim 11.

20. A system for providing assistance in controlling an object to reach a goal in an open grid of a virtual environment, comprising:

(a) a display on which the virtual environment is visually apparent;

(b) a memory in which machine instructions are stored;

(c) a user control for providing input to control the object in the virtual environment;

(d) a processor coupled to the display, the user control, and the memory, said processor executing the machine instructions which cause the processor to carry out a plurality of functions, including;

(i) displaying a global indicator on the display within the virtual environment, said global indicator generally pointing in a straight-line direction from the object toward the goal that is included in the virtual environment; and

(ii) displaying a local indicator in the virtual environment before a next turn on the open grid, to indicate that the next turn can be taken by the object to reach the goal, said global indicator and said local indicator thereby providing navigational assistance in reaching the goal.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to display the local indicator on the display only when the object is within a predefined distance from the next turn.

22. The system claim 21, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to vary the predefined distance as a function of a speed of the object within the virtual environment.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the goal is one of a plurality of goals that are to be reached by the object within the virtual environment, and wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to display the global indicator pointing in a direction of a successive goal that is yet to be reached by the object after a previous goal is reached.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to display the local indicator on the display so as to indicate successive turns on the open grid that should be taken in the virtual environment to reach a goal that is yet to be reached by the object, after a previous goal is reached.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to control the global indicator and the local indicator to only respond to the location of a current goal in the virtual environment.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to delete a goal from the plurality of goals after the goal is reached by the object, even if the goal was not reached in a predefined order, said global indicator and said local indicator no longer responding to reaching a goal that has been deleted.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the machine instructions further cause the local indicator hot to be displayed before the next turn that could be taken to reach the goal, if continuing to move the object on a current path without turning will still enable the object to reach the goal in the virtual environment.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to employ the local indicator to indicate one of a left turn, a right turn, and a U-turn.