Interactive hybrid asynchronous computer game infrastructure with dynamic difficulty adjustment

• US 8,496,531 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tetris Online, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tetris Online, Inc.
• Inventors: Youm, Eui-Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEN, JASON TAHAI
• Application Number:
  US13/012,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20120010734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/4, 463/29, 463/40
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• 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 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/634 for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a gaming method, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving, from a live participant, a request for game play, the request including desired opponent information; (b) in response to the request, evaluating prior game play data associated with the live participant to assess the live participant'"'"'s recent success in gaming, forming a satisfaction score; (c) in further response to the request, causing another user'"'"'s prior game play data to be selected and retrieved based on the following (i) a substantial match with the desired opponent information; and (ii) a substantial match with the satisfaction score; and presenting a multi-player game environment where the live gaming participant can play against and have two-way interactions with an apparently live opponent, the apparently live opponent'"'"'s interaction being based on the other user'"'"'s prior game play data.

Claims

1. A gaming method operable by a computer apparatus, comprising the steps of:

a. receiving, from a live gaming participant, a request for game play enabled through a social networking interface, the request including information indicative of a desired opponent;

b. in response to the request, evaluating first prior game play data associated with the live gaming participant to form a satisfaction score that is indicative of an assessment of success in recent game play by the live gaming participant;

c. in further response to the request, causing second prior game play data associated with another gaming participant, and having a skill level, to be selected and retrieved as facilitated by the computer apparatus based upon;

i. indicia associated with the another gaming participant matching with the information; and

ii. the skill level matching with the satisfaction score;

d. presenting a computer generated multi-player game environment by way of a user interface where the live gaming participant can have the game play against and have two-way interactions with an apparently live opponent that is representative of the another gaming participant, the two-way interactions attributed to the apparently live opponent being based on but different from replay of the second prior game play data;

e. deriving game parameters from the two-way interactions associated with performance of the live gaming participant so as to detect game play ability of the live gaming participant on-the-fly; and

f. responsive to the game play ability detected, causing the game parameters corresponding to the second prior game play data to change so as to adjust the skill level of the replay towards the game play ability of the live gaming participant,

wherein the replay is adapted to dynamically change with and be responsive to the game play by the live gaming participant, and

wherein replay of recorded portions of the second prior game play data, when desynchronized, is adapted with adjustments to simulate a change in consequence of the recorded portions so as to affect the game play.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is a specified individual.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is a skill level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is an age.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the social networking interface comprises a social networking website, and the information is a friend list associated with the social networking website.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the satisfaction score is based on success in gaming in relation to a skill level.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the two-way interactions are adapted to cause a change in progress of the apparently live opponent, said change in progress being responsive to the adjustments comprising the replay of recorded portions being adapted to be slowed down so as to affect the game play.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the change in progress is due in part to synthesizing consequences of the second prior game play data.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the change in progress is due in part to synthesizing preferences of the live gaming participant.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising, simulating consequences of the second prior game play data to effectuate reaction by the apparently live opponent in response to game play by the live gaming participant, said consequences resulting from the adjustments comprising the replay of recorded portions being adapted to be stopped temporarily so as to affect the game play.

7. A gaming system, comprising:

a computer game facility adapted to receive, from a live gaming participant, a request for game play enabled through a social networking interface, the request including information indicative of a desired opponent;

in response to the request, the computer game facility evaluating first prior game play data associated with the live gaming participant to form a satisfaction score that is indicative of an assessment of success in recent gaming by the live gaming participant;

in further response to the request, causing second prior game play data associated with another gaming participant, and having a skill level, to be selected and retrieved based upon;

i. indicia associated with the another gaming participant matching with the information; and

ii. the skill level matching with the satisfaction score;

the computer game facility presenting a multi-player game environment where the live gaming participant can have the game play against and have two-way interactions with an apparently live opponent that is representative of the another gaming participant, the two-way interactions attributed to the apparently live opponent being based on but different from replay of the second prior game play data;

the computer game facility deriving game parameters from the two-way interactions associated with the live gaming participant so as to detect game play ability of the live gaming participant on-the-fly; and

the computer game facility in response to the game play ability detected, causing the game parameters corresponding to the second prior game play data to change so as to adjust the skill level of the replay towards the game play ability of the live gaming participant,

wherein the replay is adapted to dynamically change with and be responsive to the game play by the live gaming participant, and

wherein replay of recorded portions of the second prior game play data, when desynchronized, is adapted with adjustments to simulate a change in consequences of the recorded portions so as to affect the game play.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the information is a specified individual.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the information is a skill level.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the information is an age.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the information is a friend list.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the satisfaction score is based on success in gaming in relation to a skill level.

23. The system of claim 7, further comprising the computer game facility collecting data about the live gaming participant in order to synthesize consequences of the second prior game play data so that the two-way interactions cause the live gaming participant to perceive that the apparently live opponent is a live opponent in real-time.

24. The system of claim 7, further comprising the computer game facility being configured to simulate consequences of the second prior game play data to effectuate reaction by the apparently live opponent in response to the game play by the live gaming participant, said consequences resulting from the adjustments comprising the replay of recorded portions being adapted to be slowed down so as to affect the game play.

25. The system of claim 7, wherein the two-way interactions are adapted to cause a change in progress of the apparently live opponent, said change in progress being responsive to the adjustments comprising the replay of recorded portions being adapted to be stopped temporarily so as to affect the game play.

13. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, performs the steps of:

a. receiving, from a live gaming participant, a request for game play enabled through a social network interface, the request including information indicative of a desired opponent;

b. in response to the request, evaluating prior game play data associated with the live gaming participant to form a satisfaction score that is indicative of an assessment of success in recent gaming by the live gaming participant;

c. in further response to the request, causing second prior game play data associated with another gaming participant, and having a skill level, to be selected and retrieved based upon;

i. indicia associated with the another gaming participant matching with the information; and

ii. the skill level matching with the satisfaction score;

d. presenting a multi-player game environment where the live gaming participant can have the game play against and have two-way interactions with an apparently live opponent that is representative of the another gaming participant, the two-way interactions attributed to the apparently live opponent being based on but different from replay of the second prior game play data;

e. deriving game parameters from the two-way interactions associated with performance of the live gaming participant so as to detect game play ability of the live gaming participant on-the-fly; and

f. responsive to the game play ability detected, causing the game parameters corresponding to the second prior game play data to change so as to adjust the skill level of the replay towards the game play ability of the live gaming participant,

wherein the replay is adapted to dynamically change with and be responsive to the game play by the live gaming participant, and

wherein replay of recorded portions of the second prior game play data, when desynchronized, is adapted with adjustments to simulate a change in consequence of the recorded portions so as to affect the game play.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the information is a specified individual.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the information is a skill level.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the information is an age.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the information is a friend list.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the satisfaction score is based on success in gaming in relation to a skill level.

26. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the two-way interactions are adapted to cause a change in progress of the apparently live opponent, said change in progress being responsive to the adjustments comprising the replay of recorded portions being adapted to be stopped temporarily so as to affect the game play.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the change in progress is due in part to synthesizing consequences of the second prior game play data.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the change in progress is due in part to synthesizing preferences of the live gaming participant.

29. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising, simulating consequences of the second prior game play data to effectuate reaction by the apparently live opponent in response to the game play by the live gaming participant, said consequences resulting from the adjustments comprising the replay of recorded portions being adapted to be slowed down so as to affect the game play.