TRANSFER OF ATTRIBUTES BETWEEN GENERATIONS OF CHARACTERS

• US 20170232347A1
• Filed: 04/28/2017
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Scott, James William, Zhang, Haiyan, Villar, Nicolas, Bunting, Alexandra Keeley, Venables, Jonathan Leslie, Carter, Simon Jay
• Granted Patent: US 10,500,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• 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 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment

Abstract

A system in which attributes are transferred between generations of characters in an interactive software experience is described. In an embodiment, data identifying one or more hardware attributes for a virtual entity are determined based on a physical user device associated with that virtual entity. One or more virtual attributes for the virtual entity are accessed and one or more behaviors of the virtual entity within the interactive software experience are modified based on a combination of the hardware and virtual attributes.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a virtual entity in an interactive software experience, wherein;

the virtual entity has one or more virtual attributes that are managed within the interactive software experience; and

the virtual entity is capable of one or more virtual behaviors, wherein an individual behavior is affected by one or more of the virtual attributes of the virtual entity;

determining one or more hardware attributes for the virtual entity in the interactive software experience based at least on hardware attributes associated with a physical user device; and

modifying the individual behavior of the virtual entity within the interactive software experience based on a combination of the hardware attributes and the virtual attributes.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the physical user device is a wearable device or a part thereof.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the physical user device is a smart bead.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the virtual entity is a virtual character.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a second virtual entity in the interactive software experience, the second virtual entity having a second set of one or more virtual attributes that are managed within the interactive software experience;

associating the second virtual entity in the interactive software experience with the physical user device;

determining one or more hardware attributes for the second virtual entity based at least on the hardware attributes associated with the physical user device; and

modifying one or more behaviors of the second virtual entity within the interactive software experience based on a combination of the virtual attributes for the second virtual entity and the hardware attributes.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising, in response to the virtual entity ceasing to exist:

resetting the virtual attributes for the virtual entity to default virtual attribute values within the interactive software experience.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating updated hardware attributes for the virtual entity.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the updated hardware attributes are generated in response to the virtual entity ceasing to exist within the interactive software experience.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the updated hardware attributes are generated using the virtual attributes for the virtual entity.

10. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the updated hardware attributes are generated based on real world activity of a user.

11. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the updated hardware attributes are generated based on tasks specified by the interactive software experience and performed by a user.

12. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting the updated hardware attributes to a data store associated with the physical user device.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining further hardware attributes for the virtual entity in the interactive software experience based at least on hardware attributes associated with one or more additional physical user devices,

and wherein modifying one or more behaviors of the virtual entity in the interactive software experience is based on a combination of the hardware attributes, the further hardware attributes, and the virtual attributes.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more additional physical user devices are also associated with the virtual entity.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more additional physical user devices are in proximity to the physical user device which is associated with the virtual entity.

16. A method as recited in claim 1 at least partially carried out using hardware logic.

17. One or more computer storage media storing executable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, direct the computing system to:

identify a virtual entity within an interactive software experience, the virtual entity having associated therewith;

virtual attributes that are maintained within the interactive software experience; and

behaviors, wherein one or more behaviors are affected based on the virtual attributes;

determine a set of hardware attributes for the virtual entity within the interactive software experience based on stored data that identifies hardware attributes associated with a physical hardware device;

modify at least one behavior of the virtual entity based on a combination of the hardware attributes and the virtual attributes; and

in response to the virtual entity ceasing to exist within the interactive software experience, reset the virtual attributes to default values and determine a set of hardware attributes for a second virtual entity based on the stored data that identifies the hardware attributes associated with the physical hardware device.

18. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 17, wherein the stored data is stored on the physical user device.

19. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 17, wherein the stored data is stored separate from the physical hardware device.

20. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 19, wherein the physical hardware device stores an identifier that is associated with the stored data.