METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING PLAYER CHARACTER DIALOG IN A VIDEO GAME LOCATED ON A COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100267450A1
• Filed: 05/16/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael P. Mcmain
• Original Assignee: Michael P. Mcmain
• Inventors: McMain, Michael P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,262,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• 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 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

In a computing machine having a processing unit, memory and a display device for playing a video game, the video game comprising at least one or more game characters, the at least one or more game character being controlled by a special purpose computing input device connected to said computer and operable by a game player, the video game further comprising character dialog between or among the at least one or more game characters, the character dialog comprising vignettes of dialog wherein movement from one vignette to another is determined by the game player introducing emotion into the dialog by means of the special purpose computing input device. The special purpose computing input device introduces emotion into the video game during a character dialog or character encounter along an axis of a joystick or other game controller element.

Claims

1. A method for controlling character dialog in a video game displayed in a video game space, the steps of the method comprising:

a) providing at least two game characters within said video game,

b) displaying said at least two game characters in said video game space,

c) permitting said at least two game characters in said video game space to interact in at least one dialog encounter,

c) permitting a game player of said video game to control attributes of one of said at least two game characters,

d) providing a computing input device in communication with said video game space, and

e) activating said computing input device by said game player to control an emotional attribute of said one at least two game characters for affecting a sequence of character dialog events that occur between said at least two game characters during said at least one dialog encounter, the step of activating the computing input device by said game player triggering forward momentum of one of a plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences for said at least one dialog encounter, wherein each one of said plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences reaches at least one end point of said at least one dialog encounter by a different pathway.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said video game space is chosen from the group consisting of a gaming console and display screen, a personal computer, a hand held computing device, a laptop computer and a tablet computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said video game is executable within said video game space.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said video game is executable within said video game space over a computing network chosen from the group consisting of a local area network, a wide area network or a world-wide system of interconnected networks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying said at least two game characters in said video game space comprises the step of providing a display screen in communication with a computing device having a computer-readable medium, said computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for activating said video game.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said computing input device is chosen from the group consisting of a gaming console controller, a computer keyboard, a computer mouse, a voice-activated response device, a heat or pressure sensitive control mechanism, a natural user interface and a 3-D body reactive imaging mechanism.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said emotional attribute comprises two opposing emotions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said two opposing emotions include anger and placation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of activating said computing input device by said game player comprises the step of applying pressure on a mechanical device of said computing input device on at least a single axis of said mechanical device.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said computing input device is a gaming console controller having at least one joystick moveable along at least one axis in a forward and backward direction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said emotional attribute comprises two opposing emotions including anger and placation, said anger emotion inputted into said character dialog of said one of said at least two game characters by said game player by applying pressure in either said forward or said backward direction on said joystick, and said placation emotion inputted into said character dialog of said one of said at least two game characters by said game player by applying pressure on said joystick in said opposing direction to that of said anger emotion.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said sequence of character dialog events comprises a multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions, each of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions having varying exit emotional multiplier values and exit additive modifier values, which are used to calculate an emotional score value in combination with a value attributed to said emotional attribute activated by said game player with said computing input device, which controls said forward momentum of said one of a plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences from one of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions to a subsequent one of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions until said at least one end point is reached.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a video game program, said video game program executable by a computing device for performing steps of a method for controlling character dialog in said video game displayed in a video game space, the steps comprising:

a) providing at least two game characters within said video game,

b) displaying said at least two game characters in said video game space,

c) permitting said at least two game characters in said video game space to interact in at least one dialog encounter,

c) permitting a game player of said video game to control attributes of one of said at least two game characters,

d) providing a computing input device in communication with said video game space, and

e) activating said computing input device by said game player to control an emotional attribute of said one at least two game characters for affecting a sequence of character dialog events that occur between said at least two game characters during said at least one dialog encounter, the step of activating the computing input device by said game player triggering forward momentum of one of a plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences for said at least one dialog encounter, wherein each one of said plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences reaches at least one end point of said at least one dialog encounter by a different pathway.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, located within a computing device chosen from the group consisting of a gaming console, a personal computer, a hand held personal computing device, a laptop computer and a tablet computer.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein said computing input device is chosen from the group consisting of a gaming console controller, a computer keyboard, a computer mouse, a voice-activated response device, a heat or pressure sensitive control mechanism, a natural user interface and a 3-D body reactive imaging mechanism.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein said emotional attribute comprises two opposing emotions.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein said two opposing emotions include anger and placation.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein said computing input device is a gaming console controller having a mechanical joystick moveable along at least a single axis in a forward and backward direction.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein said emotional attribute comprises two opposing emotions of anger and placation, said anger emotion inputted into said character dialog of said one of said at least two game characters by said game player by applying pressure in either said forward or said backward direction on said joystick, and said placation emotion inputted into said character dialog of said one of said at least two game characters by said game player by applying pressure on said joystick in an opposing direction to that of said anger emotion.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein each of said sequence of character dialog events comprises a multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions, each of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions having varying exit emotional multiplier values and exit additive modifier values, which are used to calculate an emotional score value in combination with a value attributed to said emotional attribute activated by said game player with said computing input device, which controls said forward momentum of said one of a plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences from one of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions to a subsequent one of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions until said at least one end point is reached.

21. An electronic entertainment system for controlling character dialog between at least two characters in a video game, said electronic entertainment system comprising:

a) a processor,

b) a data storage medium coupled to said processor for storing executable files for said video game including files containing a plurality of game character dialog encounters, each encounter comprising a multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions, each interaction having varying exit emotional multiplier values and exit additive modifier values, which are used to calculate an emotional score value in combination with an emotional attribute value activated by a game player of said video game through the use of a computing input device in communication with said processor,

c) said input computing device having a mechanical mechanism for controlling forward momentum of each said plurality of game character dialog encounters such that one of a plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences is affected for each said encounter and whereby movement from one of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions to a subsequent one of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions for each said encounter is affected based upon said emotional score value until an at least one end point for any particular said encounter is reached, and

d) a display means.

22. The electronic entertainment system of claim 21, wherein said exit emotional multiplier values, said exit additive modifiers and said emotional attributed values activated by said game player can have a value that is greater to, less than or equal to zero and each of said values can be integers or fractional values thereof.

23. The electronic entertainment system of claim 21, wherein said processor and said data storage medium are located within either a gaming console, a personal computer, a hand held personal computing device, a laptop computer or a tablet computing device.

24. The electronic entertainment system of claim 21, wherein said input computing device is chosen from the group consisting of a gaming console controller, a computer keyboard, a computer mouse, a voice-activated response device, a heat or pressure sensitive control mechanism, a natural user interface and a 3-D body reactive imaging mechanism.

25. The electronic entertainment system of claim 21, wherein said emotional score value is based upon one of two opposing emotions including anger and placation.

26. A video game machine permitting at least two game characters to appear in a game space of a video game displayed on a display means, the video game machine comprising:

a) a processor,

b) a computer-readable storage medium,

c) a computing input device for activating a emotional attribute value for one of the at least two game characters by a game player,

d) a plurality of executable files of said video game including files containing a plurality of game character dialog encounters, each encounter comprising a multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions, each interaction having varying exit emotional multiplier values and exit additive modifier values, which are used to calculate an emotional score value in combination with said emotional attribute value activated by said game player of said video game through the use of said computing input device in communication with said processor, and

e) said computing input device having a mechanical mechanism for controlling forward momentum of each said plurality of game character dialog encounters such that one of plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences is affected for each said encounter and whereby movement from one of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions to a subsequent one of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions for each said encounter is affected based upon said emotional score value until an at least one end point for any particular said encounter is reached.

27. The video game machine of claim 26, wherein each said plurality of game character dialog encounters has a plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences.

28. The video game machine of claim 26, wherein said emotional score value is based upon one of two opposing emotions including anger and placation.

29. The video game machine of claim 28, wherein said computing input device is a gaming console controller and said anger and placation emotions are inputted into said plurality of game character dialog encounters by a joystick moveable along a forward and backward axis.