System and method of vehicle competition with enhanced ghosting features

• US 6,488,505 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2000
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Midway Games West, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hightower, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John
• Application Number:
  US09/615,665
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 434/69, 434/350, 434/322, 434/323, 434/118, 434/119, 434/307.R
• US Class Current: 434/69
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/634 for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/643 by determining the impact between objects, e.g. collision detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

A system and method for computerized competition useful for rewarding a player. The system and method may be utilized in arcade games, personal computer games, dedicated video games, networked games, and simulators. The method may include selecting a target reward level or threshold such as by selecting a score from a list of past scores, and dynamically adjusting the reward level according to the ability of the players of the system. The method may further include adjusting the playback of a previous competition sequence according to the adjusted reward level. In one embodiment, a previous vehicle race sequence is stored and played back as a ghost or phantom vehicle simultaneously with a present vehicle of a player.

Claims

1. A simulated vehicle system, comprising:

a simulated vehicle configured to traverse a simulated course;

a data structure holding a plurality of course finish times;

a present course buffer configured to store a present course path of the simulated vehicle and a course finish time of the simulated vehicle as it traverses the simulated course;

a recorded course storage configured to store a recorded course path; and

a playback adjuster configured to adjust the speed of playback of the recorded course path when a course finish time in the data structure which corresponds to the recorded course path is different than a selected one of the course finish times which is based on an adjusting ratio.

2. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the playback adjuster adjusts the speed of playback of the recorded course path to the selected one of the course finish times.

3. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the data structure comprises a circular queue.

4. The system defined in claim 1, wherein each one of the present course path and the recorded course path includes parameters for a position and an orientation of the simulated vehicle.

5. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the recorded course path is displayed simultaneously with the present course path.

6. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the playback adjuster adjusts the speed of playback of the recorded course path according to the adjusting ratio of the selected one of the course finish times to the course finish time corresponding to the recorded course path.

7. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the data structure holds a preselected number of course finish times.

8. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the recorded course storage stores a previous present course path as the recorded course path.

9. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the present course path is stored in the recorded course storage as the recorded course path if the course finish time corresponding to the present course path is faster than the course finish time corresponding to the recorded course path.

10. The system defined in claim 9, wherein the selected one of the course finish times changes over time as additional instances of traversing the simulated course are performed by users of the system.

11. The system defined in claim 10, wherein an instance of traversing the simulated course by a user of the system comprises a game, and the user is awarded a free game if the course finish time corresponding to the present course path is faster than the course finish time corresponding to the recorded course path.

12. The system defined in claim 11, wherein the selected one of the course finish times changes over time based on a relationship between a percentage of free games to allow and a percentage of prior free games.

13. A method of playing a simulated vehicle racing system, the method comprising:

a) storing vehicle race parameters of past players on a particular track in a memory;

b) tagging each stored vehicle race parameter with a date of storage and a time of storage;

c) storing a target vehicle path;

d) selecting one of the stored vehicle race parameters as a target race parameter;

e) playing the stored target vehicle path as a function of the target race parameter and a new vehicle path by a player vehicle of a present player;

f) recording spatial data of the player vehicle on the particular track in a buffer as the new vehicle path of the present player;

g) storing a vehicle race parameter of the present player in the memory;

h) removing a vehicle race parameter tagged with the oldest date and time from the memory when a new vehicle race parameter is added to the memory;

i) selecting the recorded new vehicle path as a new target vehicle path if the stored vehicle race parameter of the present player is an improvement over the target race parameter;

j) adjusting the stored vehicle race parameter associated with the new target vehicle path based on the target race parameter, thereby generating a new target race parameter; and

k) repeating e)-j) at least one time.