Reducing a display quality of an area in a virtual universe to conserve computing resources

• US 8,013,861 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, II, Rick A., Moskowitz, Paul A., O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROOME, SAID A
• Application Number:
  US11/932,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20090109229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/473
• 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• 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 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/28 involving image processing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/62 Semi-transparency

Abstract

Described herein are processes and devices that reduce a display quality of an area of a virtual universe to conserve computing resources. One of the devices described is a virtual resource conserver. The virtual resource conserver determines, or selects, an area in the virtual universe. A computing resource processes data for presenting the area in the virtual universe. The virtual resource conserver evaluates significance factors about the area to determine a significance of how the area is being used, or an extent to which an area is being viewed by an avatar. The virtual resource conserver reduces a display quality of the area based on the significance of how the area is being used or viewed. The virtual resource conserver thus reduces usage of the computing resource.

Claims

1. A method for modifying an appearance of a second area of a virtual universe, the method comprising the steps of:

a computer determining a first degree of significance of a first area that is being viewed by an avatar in a virtual universe, wherein the first degree of significance is based on an activity that occurs in the first area;

the computer determining that the first degree of significance is more significant than a second degree of significance of the second area, wherein the second area is adjacent to the first area and is in a peripheral view of the avatar, and wherein one or more computing resources process data for presenting the second area; and

the computer reducing a display quality of the second area in response to determining that the first degree of significance of the first area is more significant than the second degree of significance of the second area, wherein said reducing the display quality reduces usage of the one or more computing resources to process data for presenting the second area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the computer determining the first degree of significance of the first area further comprises the step of:

the computer evaluating characteristics of the activity within a direct field of vision of the avatar, the direct field of vision measured by a direct angle of view.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a width of the direct angle of view is calculated based on coordinates of one or more objects that the avatar is using.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the computer determining that the first degree of significance of the first area is more significant than the second degree of significance of the second area further comprises the step of:

the computer determining a section of the virtual universe, viewable to the avatar, that is outside of the first area.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the computer reducing the display quality of the second area further comprises the step of:

the computer reducing the display quality of displayable characteristics of virtual objects in the second area.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

the computer reducing the display quality of the second area corresponding to a degree of usage of the one or more computing resources.

7. A computer system for modifying an appearance of an area of a virtual universe, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to evaluate a significance of an activity that occurs in the area of the virtual universe;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to generate a significance value based on an evaluation of the significance of the activity that occurs in the area; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to reduce a display quality of the area using the significance value, to conserve use of a computing resource.

8. The computer system of claim 7 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to reduce the display quality of displayable characteristics of virtual objects within the area proportional to the significance value.

9. The computer system of claim 7 wherein the activity that occurs in the area is performed by one or more avatars in the area.

10. The computer system of claim 7 further comprising:

the computing resource, wherein the computing resource is configured to process data to present the area as part of the virtual universe.

11. The computer system of claim 7 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to provide a reward to one or more avatars in the area in response to the reduction of the display quality of the area using the significance value.

12. A computer program product for modifying an appearance of an area of a virtual universe, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to select the area, wherein a computing resource processes data for presenting the area;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to evaluate a significance of an activity that occurs within the area;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine a significance value;

based on an evaluation of the significance of the activity;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to reduce a display quality of the area by an amount that corresponds to the significance value; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to reduce usage of the computing resource to process data for presenting the area in response to a reduction of the display quality of the area.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the program instructions to evaluate the significance of the activity that occurs within the area evaluate one of more of a number of avatars in the area, actions performed by one or more avatars in the area, and a location of an object that one or more avatars are using in the area.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the program instructions to determine the significance value based on the evaluation of the significance of the activity calculate a number of avatars occupying the area and convert the number of avatars to the significance value according to a conversion scale.

15. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the program instructions to reduce usage of the computing resource reduce one or more of power usage of the computing resource, a rate of computer processor cycles of the computing resource, a rate of data transfer of the computing resource, and a rate of memory access by the computing resource.

16. A method for modifying an appearance of an area of a virtual universe, the method comprising the steps of:

a computer determining a number of avatars that occupy the area;

the computer determining a display quality of the area that can be reduced to conserve a computing resource that processes data for presenting the area;

the computer reducing the display quality of the area proportionally to the numbers of avatars that occupy the area; and

the computer reducing usage of the computing resource to process data for presenting the area in response to the reducing the display quality of the area.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

the computer selecting the area based on boundary lines that mark a section of the virtual universe controlled by the computing resource.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

the computer converting a first value that represents the number of avatars to a second value that represents a significance of an activity that occurs in the area.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of the computer reducing the display quality of the area comprises the step of:

the computer reducing the usage of the computing resource proportional to the second value.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of the computer reducing the display quality of the area comprises the steps of:

the computer determining that there are no avatars occupying the area; and

the computer removing a display of objects within the area in response to determining that there are no avatars occupying the area.