Method and System to Allow for Inheritance between Characters in a Virtual Environment

• US 20080090628A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Leviathan Entertainment, LLC
• Original Assignee: Leviathan Entertainment, LLC
• Inventors: Van Luchene, Andrew, Mueller, Raymond
• Application Number:
  US11/735,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20080090628A1
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence

Abstract

A method and system are provided to allow inheritance between player characters. The method provides a player character with an ability to designate one or more character attributes acquired in a virtual environment to one or more other player characters. The inheritance method and system includes multiple options for gameplay, e.g. will creation, debt satisfaction, taxation, distribution.

Claims

1. A method of providing gameplay in a virtual environment comprising:

providing a first player character with an ability to designate one or more character attributes acquired in the virtual environment to another player character upon death of the first player character by;

receiving a request to create a will from the first player character;

identifying at least one character attribute of the first player character;

receiving information from the first player character linking a second player character to a selected character attribute of the first player character, wherein the second player character becomes entitled to inherit the selected character attribute upon death of the first player character; and

saving the information to a database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes an attribute condition that must be fulfilled before the second player can inherit the selected character attribute.

3. The method of claim 1, whereby providing the first player character with the ability to distribute one or more character attributes further includes receiving information from the first player character linking a third player character to the selected character attribute, wherein the third player character is entitled to inherit the selected character attribute upon failure of the second player character to inherit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second player character is required to be related to the first player character.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second player character is related by a contractual relationship.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second player character is required to be from the same race as the first player character.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second player character is required to be from the same class as the first player character.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an ability to distribute one or more character attributes acquired in the virtual environment to another player character upon death of the first player character by creating a default will.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein creating a default will includes using a succession algorithm to determine inheritors.

10. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for providing a game environment comprising:

an inheritance module for allowing a player character to transfer one or more character attributes to at least one inheritor after death of the player character;

the inheritance module further comprising;

a will module for identifying one or more character attributes and determining at least one inheritor;

an accounting module for paying debts of the player character; and

an attribute distribution module for distributing one or more character attributes of the player character to at least one inheritor.

11. The computer program of claim 10, wherein the accounting module further includes liquidating character attributes to pay debts of the player character.

12. The computer program of claim 11, wherein the accounting module further includes determining an order of character attributes to liquidate to pay debts of the player character.

13. The computer program of claim 10, wherein paying debts of the player character occurs before distributing one or more character attributes of the player character to at least one inheritor.

14. The computer program of claim 10, wherein the accounting module further includes determining taxes.

15. The computer program of claim 10, wherein the will module further includes linking one or more character attributes to at least one inheritor.

16. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the will module further includes:

receiving at least one attribute condition specified for a selected character attribute linked with at least one inheritor; and

linking said at least one attribute condition to the selected character attribute linked with said at least one inheritor.

17. The computer program of claim 10, wherein the will module further includes linking a plurality of inheritors to one character attribute.

18. A method of providing gameplay in a virtual environment comprising:

allowing inheritance of character attributes between player characters;

upon death of a first player character, determining a second player character to be an inheritor entitled to receive at least one character attribute of the first player character;

determining taxes on said at least one character attribute based on tax rules and conditions; and

receiving taxes before releasing said at least one character attribute to the second player character.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining taxes includes determining a virtual equivalent cash value of said at least one character attribute.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein taxes are paid out of an account of the first player character.