METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ADAPTIVE TUNING OF GAME EVENTS

• US 20150375120A1
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: LeTourneau, Tim, Chialtas, Alexi, Traverso, Joseph, Chen, Hao, Lim, Jack, Lou, Jean, Patton, Stan
• Granted Patent: US 10,456,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• 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 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46

Abstract

A system, a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method are described herein for a System Tuner for defining an in-game event requiring accumulation of a pre-defined set of virtual objects in a virtual game (or online game) prior to termination of the in-game event. The System Tuner determines a head-start subset from the pre-defined set of virtual objects for a target player account based on a difference between a reference player skill level for the virtual game and a player skill level of the target player account. The System Tuner determines, based on the player skill level of the target player account and a pre-defined duration of the in-game event, a drop rate for virtual objects remaining in the pre-defined set of virtual objects. The System Tuner sends the head-start subset and the drop rate to a client device associated with the target player account.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory device holding an instruction set executable on the processor to cause the computer system to perform operations comprising;

defining an in-game event requiring accumulation of a pre-defined set of virtual objects by a target player account in a virtual game during a predefined duration of the in-game event;

determining one or more player-specific accumulation parameters based at least in part on a comparison between a reference gameplay metric and a corresponding gameplay metric for the target player account in the virtual game; and

causing presentation on a client device associated with the target player account of the virtual game in accordance with the one or more player-specific accumulation parameters.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more player-specific accumulation parameters include a head-start subset from the pre-defined set of virtual objects, the head-start subset being provided to the target player account at an outset of the predefined duration of the in-game event.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more player-specific determination parameters include a drop rate for one or more respective types of virtual objects in the pre-defined set of virtual objects.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined set of virtual objects comprises a respective target number of objects for each of a plurality of different object types, wherein each object type has a respective drop rate at which corresponding objects are to become available for accumulation during the in-game event.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the gameplay metric comprises a skill level associated with the target player account.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the reference gameplay metric comprises a skill level of a reference player.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein gameplay metric comprises progress by the target player account in the in-game event.

8. The computer system of claim 3, wherein determining the drop rate comprises:

determining a frequency during the in-game event at which each type of respective virtual objects remaining to be accumulated in the pre-defined set of virtual objects becomes available in the virtual game for acquisition by the target player account.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, an indication of acquisition by the target player account of at least one respective virtual object in the pre-defined set of virtual objects; and

adjusting, at the server computing device, the drop-rate based at least on a total number of respective virtual objects in the pre-defined set of virtual objects acquired by the target player account, the head-start subset and a remaining duration until the termination of the in-game event; and

sending an adjusted drop-rate to the client device associated with the target player account.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein defining an in-game event comprises:

defining at least one task requiring, prior to termination of the in-game event, creation of one or more composite virtual objects based at least on combining a first virtual object and second virtual object from the pre-defined set of virtual objects.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein defining an in-game event requiring accumulation of a pre-defined set of virtual objects by a target player account in a virtual game during a predefined duration of the in-game event comprises:

defining an in-game event, in a farming simulation virtual gaming environment, requiring accumulation of a first amount of a first ingredient virtual object and a second amount of a second ingredient object; and

wherein a respective composite object comprises a combination of a plurality of first ingredient virtual objects and a plurality of second ingredient virtual objects according to a composite relationship.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

defining, at a server computing device, an in-game event requiring accumulation of a pre-defined set of virtual objects by a target player account in a virtual game during a predefined duration of the in-game event;

determining, at the server computing device, one or more player-specific accumulation parameters based at least in part on a comparison between a reference gameplay metric and a corresponding gameplay metric for the target player account in the virtual game; and

causing presentation on a client device associated with the target player account of the virtual game in accordance with the one or more player-specific accumulation parameters.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more player-specific accumulation parameters include a head-start subset from the pre-defined set of virtual objects, the head-start subset being provided to the target player account at an outset of the predefined duration of the in-game event.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more player-specific determination parameters include a drop rate for one or more respective types of virtual objects in the pre-defined set of virtual objects.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the pre-defined set of virtual objects comprises a respective target number of objects for each of a plurality of different object types, wherein each object type has a respective drop rate at which corresponding objects are to become available for accumulation during the in-game event.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the gameplay metric comprises a skill level associated with the target player account.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein gameplay metric comprises progress by the target player account in the in-game event.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining the drop rate comprises:

determining a frequency during the in-game event at which each type of respective virtual objects remaining to be accumulated in the pre-defined set of virtual objects becomes available in the virtual game for acquisition by the target player account;

receiving, from the client device, an indication of acquisition by the target player account of at least one respective virtual object in the pre-defined set of virtual objects; and

adjusting, at the server computing device, the drop-rate based at least on a total number of respective virtual objects in the pre-defined set of virtual objects acquired by the target player account, the head-start subset and a remaining duration until the termination of the in-game event; and

sending an adjusted drop-rate to the client device associated with the target player account.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein defining an in-game event comprises:

defining at least one task requiring, prior to termination of the in-game event, creation of one or more composite virtual objects based at least on combining a first virtual object and second virtual object from the pre-defined set of virtual objects.

wherein defining an in-game event further comprises;

defining an in-game event, in a farming simulation virtual gaming environment, requiring accumulation of a first amount of a first ingredient virtual object and a second amount of a second ingredient object; and

wherein a respective composite object comprises a combination of a plurality of first ingredient virtual objects and a plurality of second ingredient virtual objects according to a composite relationship.

20. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

defining, at a server computing device, an in-game event requiring accumulation of a pre-defined set of virtual objects by a target player account in a virtual game during a predefined duration of the in-game event;

determining, at the server computing device, one or more player-specific accumulation parameters based at least in part on a comparison between a reference gameplay metric and a corresponding gameplay metric for the target player account in the virtual game; and

causing presentation on a client device associated with the target player account of the virtual game in accordance with the one or more player-specific accumulation parameters.