Method and apparatus for dynamically adjusting game or other simulation difficulty

• US 8,475,274 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Jacob, Mark Lester
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Application Number:
  US12/105,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• Field of Search: 463/23, 463/7, 463/32, 463/42, 463/37
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6027 using adaptive systems learning from user actions, e.g. for skill level adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

A method for use with a simulation includes running the simulation, receiving information from a control interface used by a user to interact with the simulation, analyzing the received information, forming at least an indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill based on the analysis of the received information, and adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill. A storage medium storing a computer program executable by a processor based system and an apparatus for use with a simulation are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

running a simulation;

receiving information while the simulation is being played by a user from a motion sensing controller used by the user to interact with the simulation, wherein the received information comprises information relating to three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller;

analyzing the received information relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller while the simulation is being played by the user;

forming at least an indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill while the simulation is being played by the user based on the analysis of the received information relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller; and

adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation while the simulation is being played by the user based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises dynamically adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises gauging one or more of the user'"'"'s response times in the simulation.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the analyzing the received information further comprises compiling a history of the user'"'"'s response times in the simulation.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises compiling a history of accuracies of a plurality of the user'"'"'s responses in the simulation.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises compiling a history of the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises comparing the information relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller with information relating to an accuracy of one or more of the user'"'"'s responses in the simulation.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a display duration of one or more visual cues.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a volume of one or more auditory cues.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a display location of one or more visual cues.

11. A storage medium in accordance with claim 1, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises comparing the information relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller with information relating to an accuracy of one or more of the user'"'"'s responses in the simulation.

12. An method in accordance with claim 1, wherein adjusting the difficulty level of the simulation comprises lowering the difficulty level of the simulation while the simulation is being played by the user based on the indication the user'"'"'s level of skill is below a current difficulty level of the simulation and raising the difficulty level of the simulation while the simulation is being played by the user based on the indication the user'"'"'s level of skill is above the current difficulty level of the simulation.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein forming at least an indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill while the simulation is being played by the user comprises analyzing one or more of a user'"'"'s level of control of the motion sensing controller, a user'"'"'s response time in moving the motion sensing controller and/or a user'"'"'s accuracy in moving the motion sensing controller.

14. The method of claim 1 comprising detecting the age of the user based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill and adjusting the difficulty level of the simulation while the simulation is being played based on the detected age.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting the difficulty level of the simulation while the simulation is being played by the user based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill comprises adjusting one or more of a duration of length of time that a visual cue is displayed during play, a number of visual cues that are displayed during play, a volume of an audio cue used during play and/or a number of audio cues used during play.

16. A non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program executable by a processor based system, the computer program causing the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

running a simulation;

receiving information from a motion sensing controller used by a user to interact with the simulation while the user is interacting with the simulation, wherein the received information comprises information relating to three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller;

analyzing the received information relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller while the user is interacting with the simulation;

forming at least an indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill based on the analysis of the received information relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller while the user is interacting with the simulation; and

adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation while the user is interacting with the simulation based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill.

17. A storage medium in accordance with claim 16, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises dynamically adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation.

18. A storage medium in accordance with claim 16, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises gauging one or more of the user'"'"'s response times in the simulation.

19. A storage medium in accordance with claim 18, wherein the analyzing the received information further comprises compiling a history of the user'"'"'s response times in the simulation.

20. A storage medium accordance with claim 16, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises compiling a history of accuracies of a plurality of the user'"'"'s responses in the simulation.

21. A storage medium in accordance with claim 16, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises compiling a history of the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller.

22. A storage medium in accordance with claim 16, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a display duration of one or more visual cues.

23. A storage medium in accordance with claim 16, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a volume of one or more auditory cues.

24. A storage medium in accordance with claim 16, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a display location of one or more visual cues.

25. A non-transitory storage medium in accordance with claim 16, wherein adjusting the difficulty level of the simulation further comprises making the simulation easier based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill indicating that the user'"'"'s level of skill is lower than a current simulation level of difficulty setting and making the simulation harder based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill indicating the user'"'"'s level of skill is higher than the current simulation level of difficulty setting.

26. An apparatus comprising:

a motion sensing controller for use by a user to interact with the simulation, the motion sensing controller having an accelerometer for detecting three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller; and

a processor based system configured to run the simulation, receive information from the motion sensing controller relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller either continuously or periodically while the user is interacting with the simulation, analyze the received information either continuously or periodically while the user is interacting with the simulation, form at least an indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill based on the analysis of the received information relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller either continuously or periodically while the user is interacting with the simulation, and adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill either continuously or periodically while the user is interacting with the simulation.

27. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises dynamically adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation.

28. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises gauging one or more of the user'"'"'s response times in the simulation.

29. An apparatus in accordance with claim 28, wherein the analyzing the received information further comprises compiling a history of the user'"'"'s response times in the simulation.

30. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises compiling a history of accuracies of a plurality of the user'"'"'s responses in the simulation.

31. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises compiling a history of the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller.

32. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the analyzing the received information comprises comparing the information relating to the three-dimensional movements of the motion sensing controller with information relating to an accuracy of one or more of the user'"'"'s responses in the simulation.

33. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a display duration of one or more visual cues.

34. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a volume of one or more auditory cues.

35. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the adjusting a difficulty level of the simulation comprises adjusting a display location of one or more visual cues.

36. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the processor based system is configured to adjust the difficulty level of the simulation by making tasks easier to perform while the user is interacting with the simulation based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill indicating the user is having difficulty in performing the tasks and making tasks harder to perform while the user is interacting with the simulation based on the indication of the user'"'"'s level of skill indicating the user is having too much ease in performing the tasks.