Game strategy analysis tool

• US 20080096663A1
• Filed: 11/07/2005
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Russell, Zachary Lewis, Gioconda, Thomas George, Lieberman, Aaron David, Timmins, Luke Wilson
• Granted Patent: US 7,500,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• 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 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/634 for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game

Abstract

Methods and systems for recording and analyzing game session telemetry data are disclosed. A game console records telemetry data during a game session of a video game. The telemetry data may include location and time information for a player character performing various events in the video game. The telemetry data is sent to a title server corresponding to the video game, and the title server analyzes the data and stores the data in a database. A user, via a web site, can subsequently query the telemetry data stored in the database for user-specified criteria. A two-dimensional image of a view of the simulated environment within the video game is generated, overlaid with the location and time-based telemetry data, and is sent to the user for review and analysis.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method for analyzing telemetry data recorded during a game session of a video game, wherein said video game comprises a simulated environment in which the game is played, and said telemetry data comprises location information corresponding to one or more events occurring within the simulated environment, said method comprising steps of:

(i) receiving from a game playing device, game session telemetry data corresponding to a first player-character, said first player-character controlled by a user of the game playing device;

(ii) storing the game session telemetry data in a database;

(iii) querying the database for telemetry data matching specified criteria; and

(iv) generating a two dimensional image comprising a first view of the simulated environment overlaid with the queried telemetry data, wherein the overlaid telemetry data is placed in the two dimensional image at an approximate location of each event to which the overlaid telemetry data corresponds.

2. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the one or more events comprises a first player character killing a second character in the simulated environment of the video game, and

wherein the overlaid location information further indicates an identity of a killer and an identity of a victim.

3. The computer readable media of claim 2, wherein the game session telemetry data further comprises a weapon used by the first player character to kill the second character, and wherein the overlaid location information further comprises an indication of the weapon used.

4. The computer readable media of claim 2, wherein the second character comprises a second player character.

5. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein in the querying step the specified criteria comprises a game session.

6. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein in the querying step the specified criteria comprises a user.

7. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein in the querying step the specified criteria comprises a map.

8. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein in the querying step the specified criteria comprises an identification of an allied group of users.

9. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the one or more events comprises the player character carrying an object usable in the video game to complete an objective.

10. The computer readable media of claim 9, wherein the telemetry data comprises a location of the player character, once per predetermined amount of time, while the player character is carrying the object usable in the video game to complete the objective.

11. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method for recording telemetry data during a game session of a video game, wherein said video game comprises a simulated environment in which the game is played, said method comprising steps of:

(i) in response to the occurrence of a predefined event within the game session, storing telemetry data comprising an identification of a player character performing the predefined event, a location within the simulated environment of the player character, and a time at which the predefined event occurred within the game session; and

(ii) upon completion of the game session, uploading the stored telemetry data to a title server corresponding to the video game.

12. The computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the predefined event comprises the player character killing a second character in the video game, and wherein said telemetry data further comprises a location of the second character at the time of the kill.

13. The computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the telemetry data further comprises an identification of a weapon used by the player character to kill the second character.

14. The computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the telemetry data further comprises an indication of a map on which the game session is played.

15. The computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the predefined event comprises the player character carrying an object usable in the video game to complete an objective.

16. The computer readable media of claim 15, further comprising repeating step (i) in regular intervals while the player character is carrying the object usable in the video game to complete the objective.

17. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method for analyzing telemetry data recorded during a game session of a video game, wherein said video game comprises a simulated environment in which the game is played, said method comprising steps of:

(i) receiving from a game playing device, game session telemetry data corresponding to a player-character, said player-character controlled by a user of the game playing device, and said game session telemetry data comprising location information over time, each location corresponding to one or more events occurring during the game session;

(ii) storing the game session telemetry data in a database;

(iii) comparing the stored game session telemetry data against the physics of a game engine of the video game; and

(iv) determining that a user corresponding to the telemetry data is a cheater when the stored game session telemetry data is adverse to the physics of the game engine.

18. The computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the game session telemetry data comprises location information over time as the player character carries an object usable in the video game to complete an objective.

19. The computer readable media of claim 17, said method further comprising steps of:

(v) detecting when the user is attempting to log in to a web server; and

(vi) when the user has been determined to be a cheater in step (iv), causing a cookie indicating a cheater status to be stored on a computer corresponding to the user.

20. The computer readable media of claim 19, said method further comprising steps of:

(vii) checking for the presence of the cookie on a computer attempting to log in to the web site; and

(viii) when the cookie is present, preventing anyone from logging in to the web site from the computer on which the cookie is stored.