REDUCING A DISPLAY QUALITY OF AN AREA IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE TO CONSERVE COMPUTING RESOURCES

• US 20090109229A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W., Moskowitz, Paul A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,013,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/474
• 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/28 involving image processing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/62 Semi-transparency

Abstract

Described herein are processes and devices that reduce a display quality of an area of a virtual universe to conserve computing resources. One of the devices described is a virtual resource conserver. The virtual resource conserver determines, or selects, an area in the virtual universe. A computing resource processes data for presenting the area in the virtual universe. The virtual resource conserver evaluates significance factors about the area to determine a significance of how the area is being used, or an extent to which an area is being viewed by an avatar. The virtual resource conserver reduces a display quality of the area based on the significance of how the area is being used or viewed. The virtual resource conserver thus reduces usage of the computing resource.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first area that is being viewed by an avatar in a virtual universe;

determining a second area adjacent to the first area, the adjacent second area being in a peripheral view of the avatar, wherein one or more computing resources process data for presenting the adjacent second area; and

reducing a display quality of the adjacent second area comprising reducing usage of the one or more computing resources to process data for presenting the adjacent second area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first area comprises determining an area directly in front of the avatar within a direct field of vision of the avatar, the direct field of vision measured by a direct angle of view.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a width of the direct angle of view is calculated based on any one or more of a significance of use value of the area directly in front of the avatar, an importance of an activity performed by the avatar, and coordinates of one or more objects that the avatar is using.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a second area comprises a section of the virtual universe, viewable to the avatar, that is outside of the first area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing a display quality of the second area comprises reducing the display quality of displayable characteristics of virtual objects in the second area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

gradually reducing the display quality of the second area.

7. A network, comprising:

a machine configured to connect to a communication network, the machine configured to process data in a virtual universe; and

a virtual resource conserver device configured to connect to any one of the machine and the communication network, wherein the virtual resource conserver device comprises

a views computational unit configured to evaluate one or more significance factors in the virtual universe related to a significance of use of an area, and to utilize the one or more significance factors to calculate a size of the area viewed by one or more avatars, and

a virtual resource conservation controller configured to reduce a display quality of the area, to conserve use of the computing resource.

8. The network of claim 7, wherein the virtual resource conservation controller is configured to reduce a display quality of displayable characteristics of virtual objects within the area.

9. The network of claim 7, wherein the one or more significance factors comprise any one or more of a number of avatars in the area, a significance of an activity performed by the one or more avatars in the area, and the location of an object that the one or more avatars is using in the area.

10. The network of claim 7, further comprising:

a server comprising the first computing resource, wherein the server is configured to process data to present the area.

11. The network of claim 7, further comprising:

a compensator unit configured to provide a reward to any of the one or more avatars that occupy the area.

12. One or more machine-readable media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

selecting an area in a virtual universe, wherein a computing resource processes data for presenting the area;

evaluating one or more significance factors about the area, wherein the one or more significance factors relates to a significance of use of the area within the virtual universe;

determining a significance of use value, based on the one or more significance factors, representing a significance of use of the area; and

reducing a display quality of the area based on the significance of use value of the area, wherein reducing the display quality of the area comprises reducing usage of the computing resource to process data for presenting the first area.

13. The machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the significance factors comprise any one of more of a number of avatars in the area, a significance of an activity performed by the one or more avatars in the area, and the location of an object that one or more avatars are using in the area.

14. The machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the determining a significance of use value operation comprises calculating a number of avatars occupying the area and converting the number of avatars to the significance of use value according to a conversion scale.

15. The machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the reducing operation comprises reducing any one or more of turning off the computing resource, reducing a rate of computer processor cycles, reducing a rate of data transfer, and reducing a rate of memory access.

16. A method comprising:

determining a number of avatars occupying an area in a virtual universe;

determining a display quality of the area that can be reduced to conserve a computing resource that processes data for presenting the area; and

reducing the display quality of the area proportionally to the numbers of avatars that are occupying the area, wherein reducing the display quality of the area comprises reducing usage of the computing resource to process data for presenting the first area.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selecting the area based on boundary lines that mark a section of the virtual universe controlled by the computing resource

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining a display quality of the area comprises determining a value indicating a significance of how the area is being used, wherein determining the value comprises converting the number of avatars to a significance of use value according to a conversion scale.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein reducing the display quality of the area comprises reducing usage of the computing resource according to the significance of use value.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein reducing the display quality of the area comprises removing a display of objects within the area when there are no avatars occupying the area.