Spectator mode for a game

• US 7,632,186 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Spanton, Brian, Babale, Bachir
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Masud
• Application Number:
  US11/282,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20070117617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/29, 463/40
• US Class Current: 463/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• 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 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• 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 2300/577 for watching a game played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6669 using a plurality of virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character change rooms

Abstract

Methods and systems for broadcasting game sessions to be viewable by spectators are disclosed. In addition to sending telemetry data to other game clients participating in a game session, one or more game clients in the game session also sends the game telemetry data to a title server for the video game being played. The title server analyzes and repackages the received telemetry data and rebroadcasts the repackaged telemetry as a spectator feed to non-participant spectator client devices for viewing by users of the spectator client devices. Each spectator client device can analyze and manipulate the received telemetry data using a copy of the video game executing on the spectator client device, or may simply playback the feed when the feed includes a complete audiovisual file.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media storing computer executable instructions for performing a method of distributing game telemetry data corresponding to a game session of a video game to a spectator client to allow a user of the spectator client to spectate the game session, said method comprising steps of:

receiving at a network location not joined in the game session, game telemetry data generated by one or more participant clients of the game session of the video game, each participant client executing the video game under the control of a corresponding participant player;

the network location creating a spectator feed by aggregating the received game telemetry data;

receiving a request for the spectator feed from a spectator client not participating in the game session;

the network location sending the spectator feed over the computer network to the spectator client;

executing the video game on the spectator client using the received game telemetry data wherein the game telemetry data comprises projectile information and wherein the executing step comprises;

establishing a ghost character representation for the spectator at the camera position; and

applying the received game telemetry data against the ghost character wherein the applying step comprises the ghost character taking damage as a result of being hit by a projectile.

2. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the one or more participant clients and the spectator client each comprise a game console.

3. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein creating the spectator feed comprises chronologically synchronizing the received game telemetry data when there are more than one participant clients.

4. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein creating the spectator feed comprises capturing a video output from a game engine executing a copy of the video game based on the received game telemetry data.

5. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the received game telemetry data comprises a game checkpoint comprising a complete game state.

6. The computer storage media of claim 5, wherein the complete game state comprises metadata describing an event occurring in the video game at a time of the complete game state.

7. The computer storage media of claim 6, further comprising, prior to sending the spectator feed, verifying that the spectator client is authorized to receive the spectator feed.

8. The computer storage media of claim 7, wherein the verifying step comprises verifying that the spectator client submitted payment for the spectator feed.

9. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the participant clients and the spectator client comprises a game console, and at least one other of the participant clients and the spectator client comprises a desktop computer.

10. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the game session comprises a multiplayer game session, and wherein the one or more participant clients comprise a plurality of participant clients.

11. One or more computer storage media storing computer executable instructions for performing a method for a non-participating spectator client to spectate a multiplayer game session of a video game title, said method comprising steps of:

the spectator client sending over a computer network to a title server corresponding to the video game title a request to spectate the game session;

receiving from the title server over the computer network, game telemetry data corresponding to a plurality of participant clients in the multiplayer game session; and

executing the video game title on the spectator client using the received game telemetry data, wherein the executing step comprises;

establishing a ghost character representation for the spectator at the camera position; and

applying the received game telemetry data against the ghost character wherein the game telemetry data comprises projectile information, and wherein the applying comprises the ghost character taking damage as a result of being hit by a projectile.

12. The computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the executing step comprises outputting for display a rendering of the video game title following a location of a participating player of the game session.

13. The computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the executing step comprises outputting for display a rendering of the video game title according to one or more prepositioned cameras in a simulated environment defined by the video game title.

14. The computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the game telemetry data comprises projectile information, and wherein the applying step comprises the ghost character taking damage as a result of being hit by a projectile.

15. The computer storage media of claim 12, wherein the participating player is selectable by a user of the spectator client.

16. The computer storage media of claim 12, said rendering being selectable by a user of the spectator client to be in either of a first-person and third-person perspective.

17. The computer storage media of claim 12, further comprising providing a user of the spectator client profile information corresponding to the participating player upon receiving predefined input from the user of the spectator client.

18. The computer storage media of claim 11, the method further comprising steps of:

receiving a request from a user of the spectator client to join the game session; and

joining the spectator device to the game session.

19. The computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the executing step comprises outputting for display a rendering of the video game title according to a camera position selected by a user of the spectator client, the camera position in a simulated environment defined by the video game title.

20. The computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the executing step comprises receiving movement input from the user of the spectator client, and wherein the method further comprises moving the camera position based on the received movement input.