Method and system for rendering the scenes of a role playing game in a metaverse

• US 8,113,959 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: de Judicibus, Dario
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US12/328,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20100144441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40, 463/42, 705/704, 705/731
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• 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 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• 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 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]

Abstract

In order to facilitate rendering of scenery elements in a role playing game, or in any other virtual universe (also known as a metaverse), there is provided a scenery container together with a play manager which cooperatively interact to achieve the loading, saving and storage of sets of scenery elements. Renderings are thus carried out more quickly and efficiently and with easier efforts on the part of the users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for saving a set of scenery elements on a stage in a virtual universe environment, said method comprising:

creating a set of scenery elements for said stage, said scenery elements comprising one or more active objects of a role playing game, wherein the one or more active objects interact with avatars in said role playing game during gameplay thereof, and wherein said one or more active objects change object states across a time sequence of said role playing game;

providing a scenery container for said scenery elements, said scenery container being linked to be part of said role playing game by a scene identifier of said role playing game, said scenery container facilitating managing storage and rendering of said one or more active objects in correct positions and object states on said stage;

responsive to breaking gameplay action of said role playing game, storing said scenery elements in said scenery container, said storing comprising storing indications as to said correct positions of said one or more active objects and indications as to how said one or more active objects change state in response to passage of time of said time sequence of said role playing game, wherein said storing facilitates, responsive to resuming gameplay action of said role playing game, rendering each active object of said one or more active objects in a respective same position and same state of said active object as when gameplay action was broken; and

loading said scenery container into inventory of a play manager, said play manager controlling a flow of action in said role playing game.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said creating includes placing said scenery elements on said stage and activating scripts within said play manager.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said providing includes the scenery container requesting a play name from said play manager and initializing itself, said initializing comprising defining a coordinate system to be used to store relative position and orientation for said one or more active objects.

4. The method of claim 1 in which said storing includes:

requesting and receiving act and scene numbers for said play name, said act and scene numbers corresponding to a current act and scene of said role playing game at which gameplay action is broken;

scanning said scenery elements on said stage and placing them in an inventory for said scenery container, said inventory corresponding to an inventory of elements for said current act and scene of said role playing game;

removing said scanned scenery elements from said stage and storing in said scenery container scenery element attributes of said scanned scenery elements; and

renaming said scenery container so as to correspond to said act and scene numbers for said play name.

5. The method of claim 1 in which said loading includes:

loading, by said play manager, said scenery container into an inventory for said play manager;

removing said scenery container from said stage; and

saving attributes of said scenery container by said play manager.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said creating includes placing said scenery elements on said stage and activating scripts within said play manager;

said providing includes the scenery container requesting a play name from said play manager and initializing itself, said initializing comprising defining a coordinate system to be used to store relative position and orientation for said one or more active objects;

said storing includes;

requesting and receiving act and scene numbers for said play name, said act and scene numbers corresponding to a current act and scene of said role playing game at which gameplay action is broken;

scanning said scenery elements on said stage and placing them in an inventory for said scenery container, said inventory corresponding to an inventory of elements for said current act and scene of said role playing game;

removing said scanned scenery elements from said stage and storing in said scenery container scenery element attributes of said scanned scenery elements; and

renaming said scenery container so as to correspond to said act and scene numbers for said play name; and

said loading includes;

loading, by said play manager, said scenery container into an inventory for said play manager;

removing said scenery container from said stage; and

saving attributes of said scenery container by said play manager.

7. A computer-implemented method for rendering a set of scenery elements on a stage in a virtual universe environment, said method comprising:

responsive to resuming gameplay action of a role playing game of said virtual universe environment, wherein said scenery elements comprise one or more active objects of a role playing game, wherein the one or more active objects interact with avatars in said role playing game during gameplay thereof and wherein said one or more active objects change object states across a time sequence of said role playing game;

requesting a play manager to load said set of scenery elements onto said stage;

loading said set of said scenery elements on said stage by a scenery container, said scenery container being linked to be part of said role playing game by a scene identifier of said role playing game, said scenery container facilitating managing storage and rendering of said one or more active objects in correct positions and object states on said stage, wherein storing said one or more active objects comprises, responsive to breaking gameplay action of said role playing game, storing indications as to said correct position of said one or more active objects and indications as to how said one or more active objects change state in response to passage of time of said time sequence of said role playing game, and said storing facilitating rendering each active object of said one or more active objects in a respective same position and same state of said active object as when gameplay action of said role playing was broken; and

causing said scenery container to remove itself and inform said play manager.

8. The method of claim 7 in which said requesting includes:

removing objects from a previous scene of said role playing game by said play manager;

resolving one or more references to said scenery container by said play manager;

activating said scenery container by said play manager; and

maintaining a copy of said scenery container by said play manager.

9. The method of claim 7 in which said loading includes:

resolving scenery elements present in said scenery container on said stage; and

maintaining a copy of said scenery elements by said scene container.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein:

said requesting includes;

removing objects from a previous scene of said role playing game by said play manager;

resolving one or more references to said scenery container by said play manager;

activating said scenery container by said play manager; and

maintaining a copy of said scenery container by said play manager; and

said loading includes;

resolving scenery elements present in said scenery container on said stage; and

maintaining a copy of said scenery elements by said scene container.

11. A computer program product to facilitate saving a set of scenery elements on a stage in a virtual universe environment, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

creating a set of scenery elements for said stage, said scenery elements comprising one or more active objects of a role playing game, wherein the one or more active objects interact with avatars in said role playing game during gameplay thereof, and wherein said one or more active objects change object states across a time sequence of said role playing game;

providing a scenery container for said scenery elements, said scenery container being linked to be part of said role playing game by a scene identifier of said role playing game, said scenery container facilitating managing storage and rendering of said one or more active objects in correct positions and object states on said stage;

responsive to breaking gameplay action of said role playing game, storing said scenery elements in said scenery container, said storing comprising storing indications as to said correct positions of said one or more active objects and indications as to how said one or more active objects change state in response to passage of time of said time sequence of said role playing game, wherein said storing facilitates, responsive to resuming gameplay action of said role playing game, rendering each active object of said one or more active objects in a respective same position and same state of said active object as when gameplay action was broken; and

loading said scenery container into inventory of a play manager, said play manager controlling a flow of action in said role playing game.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 in which said creating includes placing said scenery elements on said stage and activating scripts within said play manager.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 in which said providing includes the scenery container requesting a play name from said play manager and initializing itself, said initializing comprising defining a coordinate system to be used to store relative position and orientation for said one or more active objects.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 in which said storing includes:

requesting and receiving act and scene numbers for said play name, said act and scene numbers corresponding to a current act and scene of said role playing game at which gameplay action is broken;

scanning said scenery elements on said stage and placing them in an inventory for said scenery container, said inventory corresponding to an inventory of elements for said current act and scene of said role playing game;

removing said scanned scenery elements from said stage and storing in said scenery container scenery element attributes of said scanned scenery elements; and

renaming said scenery container so as to correspond to said act and scene numbers for said play name.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 in which said loading includes:

loading, by said play manager, said scenery container into an inventory for said play manager;

removing said scenery container from said stage; and

saving attributes of said scenery container by said play manager.

16. A computer system for saving a set of scenery elements on a stage in a virtual universe environment said computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communications with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform;

creating a set of scenery elements for said stage, said scenery elements comprising one or more active objects of a role playing game, wherein the one or more active objects interact with avatars in said role playing game during gameplay thereof, and wherein said one or more active objects change object states across a time sequence of said role playing game;

providing a scenery container for said scenery elements, said scenery container being linked to be part of said role playing game by a scene identifier of said role playing game, said scenery container facilitating managing storage and rendering of said one or more active objects in correct positions and object states on said stage;

responsive to breaking gameplay action of said role playing game, storing said scenery elements in said scenery container, said storing comprising storing indications as to said correct positions of said one or more active objects and indications as to how said one or more active objects change state in response to passage of time of said time sequence of said role playing game, wherein said storing facilitates, responsive to resuming gameplay action of said role playing game, rendering each active object of said one or more active objects in a respective same position and same state of said active object as when gameplay action was broken; and

loading said scenery container into inventory of a play manager, said play manager controlling a flow of action in said role playing game.

17. The computer system of claim 16 in which said creating includes placing said scenery elements on said stage and activating scripts within said play manager.

18. The computer system of claim 16 in which said providing includes the scenery container requesting a play name from said play manager and initializing itself, said initializing comprising defining a coordinate system to be used to store relative position and orientation for said one or more active objects.

19. The computer system of claim 16 in which said storing includes:

requesting and receiving act and scene numbers for said play name, said act and scene numbers corresponding to a current act and scene of said role playing game at which gameplay action is broken;

scanning said scenery elements on said stage and placing them in an inventory for said scenery container, said inventory corresponding to an inventory of elements for said current act and scene of said role playing game;

removing said scanned scenery elements from said stage and storing in said scenery container scenery element attributes of said scanned scenery elements; and

renaming said scenery container so as to correspond to said act and scene numbers for said play name.

20. The computer system of claim 16 in which said loading includes:

loading, by said play manager, said scenery container into an inventory for said play manager;

removing said scenery container from said stage; and

saving attributes of said scenery container by said play manager.