Enhanced method and apparatus for selecting and rendering performance data

• US 20070060359A1
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Smith, Darren
• Granted Patent: US 8,696,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• 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 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• 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 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 : server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 : by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 : Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/634 : for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 : Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 : Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/22 : Games, e.g. card games

Abstract

Enhanced methodology and apparatus for use in a multi-player video game for generating a array of user selectable options for choosing real or computer generated users to play with and/or compete against. For example, in a simulated multiple driver racing game application, the user of a computing device is presented with an option for selecting any of various “ghost data” packages for downloading over a communication network such as the Internet. For example, the user may be presented with the option of selecting one of an array of ghost data packages to race against such as the top five buddies of the user with highest scores, five buddies with scores similar to a user'"'"'s own score, and teams/groups of various varieties. A simulated race in a computing device initially occurs with objects and a playing field of relatively low graphic complexity, limited by constraints of the system'"'"'s processing power and the associated limited number of polygons that can be processed per second, the resolution of the screen, etc. A more powerful rendering of such objects/playing field thereafter takes place in a server after the ghost/performance data is collected and uploaded.

Claims

1. A method for simulating multiple user performance sequences comprising the steps of:

a) recording the performance sequence of at least a first user by a first computing device;

b) connecting said first computing device to at least one server computer via a communication network;

c) transmitting identification data for authenticating the first user to at least one server;

d) transmitting other user identification data over said communication network, where said other user identification data identifies at least one other user of a second computing device which has recorded a performance sequence of the other user;

e) transmitting a search query to at least one server over said communication network by said first computing device requesting a package of other user performance data that matches the query.

2. A method according to claim 1, further including the step of specifying by said first user characteristics of a performance sequence.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step transmitting a search query includes the step of formulating said search query using the characteristics of a performance sequence.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step of specifying characteristics includes the step of specifying a race course for use in a racing video game.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step of specifying characteristics includes the step of specifying weather conditions for use in a video game.

6. A method according to claim 1, further including the step of receiving over a communications network a package of other user performance data responsive to said query.

7. A method according to claim 1, further including the step of rendering the performance sequence of at least a first user by a second computing device using objects having more polygons per object than the objects recorded by said first computing device.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting a query includes the step of building said search query so as to include an identification of other users with whom the first user wants to compete.

9. A method according to claim 1, further including the step of receiving an identification of other users from a server via said communications network.

10. A method according to claim 1, where said other user identification data includes the identification of a plurality of the first user'"'"'s friends.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting a search query includes the step of transmitting a request for a plurality of the user'"'"'s friends having a performance above a threshold.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting a search query includes the step of transmitting a request for a plurality of friends of the first user having a performance similar to the first user'"'"'s performance.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting a search query includes the step of transmitting a request for a plurality of individuals with a performance above a threshold.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting a search query includes the step of transmitting a request for a plurality of individuals comprising a predetermined related set of other users.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting a search query includes the step of transmitting a request for a plurality of individuals having a performance which has been highly rated by other users.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein said related set of individuals are members of the same team.

17. A method according to claim 1;

wherein said user performance sequences are simulated driving sequences.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein said user performance sequences are video game performance sequences.

19. A method for simulating multiple user performance sequences comprising the steps of:

a) recording the performance sequence of at least a first user by a first computing device;

b) connecting said first computing device to a server computer via a communication network;

c) transmitting identification data for authenticating the first user to at least one server;

d) receiving other user identification data over said communication network, where other user identification data identities at least one other user of a device for simulating a performance sequence; and

e) displaying on the first user'"'"'s display a plurality of other user performance package options from which first user may select for downloading.

20. A method according to claim 19, further including the step of identifying performance parameters based upon selections by said first user;

and

selecting said other user performance package options in response to at least one of said parameters.

21. A method according to claim 19, wherein said other performance package options includes performance data of a plurality of the first user'"'"'s friends.

22. A method according to claim 19, wherein said other performance package options includes performance data of a plurality of the first user'"'"'s friends above a performance threshold.

23. A method according to claim 19, wherein said other performance package options includes performance data of a plurality of the first user'"'"'s friends similar to the first users performance data.

24. A method according to claim 19, wherein said other performance package options includes performance data of a plurality of individuals comprising a related set of individuals.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said related set of individuals are members of the same team.

26. A method for simulating the performance of a task involving at least one competitor comprising the steps of:

a) simulating the performance of the task by at least one user on a first computing device having a relatively low computing power;

b) recording the performance of the task;

c) transmitting data indicative of the performance of the task to a second computer having a relatively high processing power; and

d) modifying the performance data indicative of the task by said second computer; and

e) generating a display simulating the performance of said task in a three dimensional world with objects having more polygons than were generated in real time by said first computing device.

27. A method according to claim 26, further including the step of rendering said performance data by said second computer into a movie file.

28. A method according to claim 26, further including the step of rendering said performance data by said second computer into an AVI file.

29. A method according to claim 26, further including the step of generating a display by said second computing device utilizing a background of a higher degree of complexity than was recorded by said first computing device.

30. A method according to claim 26, further including the step of compiling by said second computing device the modified performance data into a movie file of the type the first computing device is capable of downloading.

31. A method according to claim 26, further including the step of storing the data indicative of the performance of said task in a three dimensional world with objects having more polygons than were generated in real time by said first computing device in a data base accessible by said second computing device.

32. A method according to claim 26, wherein said performance of a task is the performance of a race in a racing video game.

33. A system for simulating multiple user performance sequences comprising:

a first computing device for recording the performance sequence of at least a first user, said first computing device having an associated display device and being operable to generate a display identifying at least one performance sequence parameter;

a communication network;

an authentication server for receiving identification data from said first computing device and for authenticating the first user;

a buddy server for providing access to the identity of other users that the first user may compete against; and

wherein

said first computing device includes a performance package display generator for displaying on the first user'"'"'s display a plurality of other user performance package options from which first user may select for downloading in response to user'"'"'s specification of said at least one performance sequence parameter.

34. A system according to claim 33, further including a scores and results server for downloading performance data packages in response to selections by said first user.

35. A system according to claim 34, further including a performance data database for storing performance data of other users operatively coupled to said scores and results server.

36. A system according to claim 34, further including a scores and results database operatively coupled to said scores and results server performance data database for storing performance data of other users.

37. A system according to claim 36, wherein said scores and results database includes at least one pointer to said performance data database.

38. A system according to claim 33, wherein said other performance package options includes performance data of a plurality of the first user'"'"'s friends.

39. A system according to claim 33, wherein said other performance package options includes performance data of a plurality of the first user'"'"'s friends above a performance threshold.

40. A system according to claim 33, wherein said other performance package options includes performance data of a plurality of the first user'"'"'s friends similar to the first users performance data.

41. A system according to claim 33, wherein said other performance package options includes performance data of a plurality of individuals comprising a related set of individuals.

42. A system according to claim 41, wherein said related set of individuals are members of the same team.

43. A system according to claim 33, wherein said performance sequence is a race in a racing video game.

44. A system according to claim 33, wherein said performance sequence is a task for completion in a video game.