Method for avatar wandering in a computer based interactive environment

• US 8,134,560 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary L., Logan, Bryan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L
• Application Number:
  US12/179,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20100020085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 345/474
• US Class Current: 345/474
• 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 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

A method for avatar wandering in a computer based interactive environment including for each avatar within a range of a current avatar, obtaining profiles of a user represented by the avatar, for each profile of the user represented by the avatar that has a same profile type as a profile of a user represented by the current avatar, comparing the profiles for matching data, computing a match score for the avatar based on the matching data, and moving the current avatar toward the avatar that has a greatest match score.

Claims

1. A method for avatar wandering in a computer based interactive environment, comprising:

for each avatar within a range of a current avatar, obtaining profiles of a user represented by the avatar;

for each profile of the user represented by the avatar that has a same profile type as a profile of a user represented by the current avatar, comparing the profiles for matching data;

computing a match score for the avatar based on the matching data;

moving the current avatar toward the avatar that has a greatest match score; and

computing the match score for each avatar within the range of the current avatar after moving the current avatar a distance or for a period of time, wherein the match score of the avatar is reduced if the avatar is located in a position that is more than an angular distance from a direction in which the current avatar is moving.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the match score of the avatar is reduced if the avatar is facing away from the current avatar or if the avatar is interacting with another avatar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the range is a radial distance from the current avatar or an extent to a boundary adjacent to the current avatar; and

the profile type is dating, genealogical, socializing, or gaming.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the avatar that has the greatest match score is highlighted.