SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING VIRTUAL WORLDS MAPPED TO REAL LOCATIONS IN A MOBILE-ENABLED MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE PLAYING GAME (MMORPG)

• US 20080146338A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bernard, Christophe, Chmaytelli, Mazen, Kenagy, Jason B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,555,334 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 13/10 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 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

Apparatus and methods provide a player of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) to participate in at least one aspect of the MMORPG while using a wireless device. The wireless device executes a mobile MMORPG client, which interfaces with the game server(s) of the MMORPG via a mobile MMORPG server. A location based gaming mode for use with the wireless device is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for location based gaming in a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) supporting a virtual world, comprising:

administrating a travel task portion of a quest by a player character in said MMORPG, said travel task requiring said player character to travel from a virtual world location A to a virtual world location B, said administrating comprising;

receiving a real world location of a player of said player character;

mapping, based on said real world location of said player a real world location A′

corresponding to said virtual world location A, and a real world location B′

corresponding to said virtual world location B, wherein said locations A′ and

B′

satisfies a distance criteria associated with said question;

monitoring said real world location of said player until said real world location of said player corresponds to said real world location A′

;

notifying said MMORPG that said player has reached real world location A′

.

monitoring said real world location of said player until said real world location of said player corresponds to said real world location B′

;

notifying said MMORPG that said player has reached real world location B′

.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating said quest, wherein said quest comprises at least one task, said at least one task comprising said travel task;

creating said distance criteria; and

associating said distance criteria with said quest.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said distance criteria comprises a parameter relating to a range requirement in the real world between location A′

and B′

.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said distance criteria comprises a parameter relating to a range requirement in the real world between location A′

and said real world location of said player.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said distance criteria comprises a parameter relating to a range requirement in the real world between location B′

and said real world location of said player.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said real world locations A′

and B′

are selected from publicly accessible points-of-interests.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said points-of-interest are selected from at least one of:

coffee houses, restaurants, malls, stores, parks, libraries, museums, and publicly accessible government facilities.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a location of said player character to location A when said real world location of said player corresponds to said real world location A′

.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a location of said player character to location B when said real world location of said player corresponds to said real world location B′

.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said player character is offered said quest when said player character travels to a predetermined location in said virtual world for initiating location based gaming.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said player character is not visible to other player characters in said MMORPG who are not participating in location based gaming.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said player character is visible but marked as participating in location based gaming.

13. A method for location based gaming in a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) supporting a virtual world, comprising:

performing a travel task portion of a quest by a player character in said MMORPG, said travel task requiring said player character to travel from a virtual world location A to a virtual world location B, said performing comprising;

determining a real world location of a player of said player character;

sending said real world location of said player to a server;

receiving from said server, a real world location A′

mapped to virtual world location A;

traveling toward said real world location A′

while periodically determining a real world location of said player and sending said real world location of said player to said server, until receiving a message from said server indicating that the player has traveled to location A′

;

receiving from said server, a real world location B′

mapped to virtual world location B;

traveling to real world location B′

while periodically determining a real world location of said player and sending said real world location of said player to said server, until receiving a message from said server indicating that the player has traveled to location B′

.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said real world locations A′

and B′

satisfies a distance criteria associated with said quest.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said real world locations A′

and B′

are selected from publicly accessible points-of-interests.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said points-of-interest are selected from at least one of:

coffee houses, restaurants, malls, stores, parks, libraries, museums, and publicly accessible government facilities.

17. A system for supporting a mobile mode to a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) supporting a virtual world, comprising:

a game server, for maintaining said virtual world;

an authentication server, for validating players of said MMORPG;

a messaging server, for providing communications services for players of said MMORPG;

a billing server, for providing billing services for players of said MMORPG; and

a mobile mode server, for supporting mobile mode players of said MMORPG, said mobile server comprising;

a mobile MMORPG interface, for communicating with wireless devices of said mobile mode players and for communicating with said game server;

a real world geography of database;

a virtual world geography database;

a location mapper, coupled to said real world geography database and said virtual world geography database, for mapping virtual world locations to real world locations;

a mobile MMORPG quest database, coupled to said location mapper, for storing quests; and

a game master interface, coupled to said mobile MMORPG quest database, for inputting, editing, and deleting quests from said mobile MMORPG quest database;

wherein said game server, said authentication server, said messaging server, said billing server, and said mobile mode server are each coupled via a network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said mobile MMORPG quest database also stores a distance criteria associated with each quest.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said location mapper uses said distance criteria when mapping virtual locations to real world locations.

20. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

instructions to administrate a travel task portion of a quest by a player character in said MMORPG, said travel task requiring said player character to travel from a virtual world location A to a virtual world location B, said instructions to administrate comprising;

instructions to receive a real world location of a player of said player character;

instructions to map, based on said real world location of said player a real world location A′

corresponding to said virtual world location A, and a real world location B′

corresponding to said virtual world location B, wherein said locations A′ and

B′

satisfies a distance criteria associated with said question;

instructions to monitor said real world location of said player until said real world location of said player corresponds to said real world location A′

;

instructions to notify said MMORPG that said player has reached real world location A′

.

instructions to monitor said real world location of said player until said real world location of said player corresponds to said real world location B′

;

instructions to notify said MMORPG that said player has reached real world location B′

.

21. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

instructions to perform a travel task portion of a quest by a player character in an massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) supporting a virtual world, said travel task requiring said player character to travel from a virtual world location A to a virtual world location B, said instructions to perform comprising;

instructions to determine a real world location of a player of said player character;

instructions to send said real world location of said player to a server;

instructions to receive from said server, a real world location A′

mapped to virtual world location A;

instructions to travel toward said real world location A′

while periodically determining a real world location of said player and sending said real world location of said player to said server, until receiving a message from said server indicating that the player has traveled to location A′

;

instructions to receive from said server, a real world location B′

mapped to virtual world location B;

instructions to travel to real world location B′

while periodically determining a real world location of said player and sending said real world location of said player to said server, until receiving a message from said server indicating that the player has traveled to location B′

.