MULTI-USER GAME SYSTEM WITH TRIGGER-BASED GENERATION OF PROJECTION VIEW

• US 20160279511A1
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Super League Gaming, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Super League Gaming, Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, John, Steigelfest, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,946,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing

Abstract

A game system is disclosed that enables users to play games on their respective devices while viewing associated information on a separate screen, such as that of a movie theater. One of the methods includes maintaining, by a system running a game server associated with an electronic game, communications with one or more user devices each running a game client associated with the electronic game. The communications include client game information from each user device that identifies user interactions with the respective game client. Display data that includes a projection view to be provided for presentation on a display, separate from the user devices, is generated to be viewed by the users of the user devices. The display data is generated by a camera game client, controlled by the system, from a location in a game world of the electronic game. The projection view is presented on the display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a system running a game server associated with an electronic game, communications with one or more user devices each running a game client associated with the electronic game, wherein the communications comprise client game information from each user device that identifies, at least, user interactions with the respective game client;

determining, by the system and using the client game information, that a trigger of a plurality of triggers is satisfied, wherein the trigger identifies particular game events predicted to be of interest or use to the users;

generating, by the system and based on the trigger, display data comprising a projection view to be provided for presentation on a display, separate from the user devices, for viewing by the users of the one or more user devices, wherein the display data is generated by a camera game client, controlled by the system, from a location in a game world of the electronic game that is associated with the trigger; and

providing, by the system, the projection view for presentation on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular trigger is a proximity trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that one or more user-controlled characters are within a threshold proximity of one or more items, goals, or locations.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied is based, at least in part, on information identifying importances of the items, goals, or locations.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the projection view is a top-down view of the game world and includes one or more user-controlled characters moving towards a particular item identified as important.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular trigger is an action trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that one or more user-controlled characters are performing one or more particular actions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular trigger is an aggregation trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that a first threshold number of user-controlled characters are within a second threshold proximity of each other.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating display data comprising the projection view comprises:

providing, by the game server, information identifying the location to the camera game client, wherein the camera game client is to place a camera character associated with the camera game client at the location; and

obtaining, from display data generated by the camera game client, the projection view.

8. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

maintaining, by a game server associated with an electronic game running on the system, communications with one or more user devices each running a game client associated with the electronic game, wherein the communications comprise client game information from each user device that identifies, at least, user interactions with the respective game client;

determining, using the client game information, that a trigger of a plurality of triggers is satisfied, wherein the trigger identifies particular game events predicted to be of interest or use to the users;

generating, based on the trigger, display data comprising a projection view to be provided for presentation on a display, separate from the user devices, for viewing by the users of the one or more user devices, wherein the display data is generated by a camera game client, controlled by the system, from a location in a game world of the electronic game that is associated with the trigger; and

providing the projection view for presentation on the display.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a particular trigger is a proximity trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that one or more user-controlled characters are within a threshold proximity of one or more items, goals, or locations.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied is based, at least in part, on information identifying importances of the items, goals, or locations.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein a particular trigger is an action trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that one or more user-controlled characters are performing one or more particular actions.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a particular trigger is an aggregation trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that a first threshold number of user-controlled characters are within a second threshold proximity of each other.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein obtaining the projection from view from display data comprises:

providing, by the game server, information identifying the location to the camera game client, wherein the camera game client is to place a camera character associated with the camera game client at the location; and

obtaining, from display data generated by the camera game client, the projection view.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the location in the game world of the electronic game that is associated with the trigger;

obtaining locations of game events in the multiplayer game that are associated with the trigger;

determining a location a threshold distance from an area encompassing at t least a portion of the game events; and

assigning the determined location as the location that is associated with the game trigger.

15. A computer program product encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

maintaining, by a game server associated with an electronic game, communications with one or more user devices each running a game client associated with the electronic game, wherein the communications comprise client game information from each user device that identifies, at least, user interactions with the respective game client;

determining, using the client game information, that a trigger of a plurality of triggers is satisfied, wherein the trigger identifies particular game events predicted to be of interest or use to the users;

generating, based on the trigger, display data comprising a projection view to be provided for presentation on a display, separate from the user devices, for viewing by the users of the one or more user devices, wherein the display data is generated by a camera game client, controlled by the system, from a location in a game world of the electronic game that is associated with the trigger; and

providing the projection view for presentation on the display.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein a particular trigger is a proximity trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that one or more user-controlled characters are within a threshold proximity of one or more items, goals, or locations.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied is based, at least in part, on information identifying importances of the items, goals, or locations.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the projection view is a top-down view of the game world and includes one or more user-controlled characters moving towards a particular item identified as important.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein a particular trigger is an action trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that one or more user-controlled characters are performing one or more particular actions.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein a particular trigger is an aggregation trigger, and wherein determining that the particular trigger is satisfied comprises determining that a first threshold number of user-controlled characters are within a second threshold proximity of each other.