System and method configured to provide a location-based vehicular racing videogame

• US 8,506,372 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2009
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Chudley, Martyn Richard, Howard, Craig, Kerby, Paul, Wilson, Gareth George, Talbot, Gerard-Lee, Ward, Ben James
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEN, JASON TAHAI
• Application Number:
  US12/481,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20100216530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 463/6, 463 42- 43, 703/8
• US Class Current: 463/6
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/609 for unlocking hidden game elements, e.g. features, items, levels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6623 for animating a group of characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

A system and method are configured to provide a videogame to one or more players. The videogame may involve a series of different virtual geographic locations at which players perform activities. A group of players may be associated with each location. The players may include virtual players controlled by artificial intelligence and one or more real world players. Players may progress through the videogame by moving from location to location, performing objectives at the various locations, and interacting with the players at the locations.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide a player with a vehicular racing videogame, the system comprising:

a game platform configured to implement one or more computer program modules to provide a player with a vehicular racing videogame, the one or more computer program modules comprising;

a location module configured to manage a plurality of virtual geographic locations within the vehicular racing videogame, wherein the plurality of virtual geographic locations comprise a first virtual geographic location that is accessible to the player engaging in the vehicular racing videogame and a second virtual geographic location that is not accessible to the player initially within the vehicular racing videogame, wherein the second virtual geographic location is associated with a first set of criteria, wherein the location module is configured to unlock the second virtual geographic location for the player to enable the player to access the second virtual geographic location responsive to the player fulfilling the set of criteria, wherein the first set of criteria includes performance of one or more tasks in the first virtual geographic location that are not sufficient to pass the first virtual geographic location, successful participation in one or more events associated with the first virtual geographic location, and achieving a first disposition mode for a social relationship between the player and one or more virtual players in the vehicular racing videogame, and wherein the first geographic location and the second virtual geographic location must be passed to complete the videogame; and

an event module configured to manage a first set of events associated with the first virtual geographic location that the player participates in within the first virtual geographic location, and to determine if the player has successfully participated in individual events in the first set of events, and wherein the first set of criteria associated with the first virtual geographic location require successful performance of some subset of the first set of events as determined by the event module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of events includes a final event associated with a second set of criteria, wherein the event module locks the final event for the player until the second set of criteria are fulfilled, wherein the second set of criteria requires successful performance of some subset of the first set of events as determined by the event module, wherein successful participation in the final event is required to pass the first virtual geographic location, and wherein the first set of criteria can be fulfilled by the player within the first virtual geographic location prior to fulfilling the second set of criteria.

3. A system configured to provide a player with a vehicular racing videogame, the system comprising:

a game platform configured to implement one or more computer program modules to provide a player with a vehicular racing videogame, the one or more computer program modules comprising;

a location module configured to manage a plurality of virtual geographic locations within the vehicular racing videogame, wherein the plurality of virtual geographic locations comprise a first virtual geographic location that is accessible to the player engaging in the vehicular racing videogame and a second virtual geographic location that is not accessible to the player initially within the vehicular racing videogame, wherein the second virtual geographic location is associated with a first set of criteria, wherein the location module is configured to unlock the second virtual geographic location for the player to enable the player to access the second virtual geographic location responsive to the player fulfilling the set of criteria, wherein the first set of criteria includes performance of one or more tasks in the first virtual geographic location that are not sufficient to pass the first virtual geographic location, successful participation in one or more events associated with the first virtual geographic location, and achieving a first disposition mode for a social relationship between the player and one or more virtual players in the vehicular racing videogame, and wherein the first geographic location and the second virtual geographic location must be passed to complete the videogame

a virtual player control module configured to implement artificial intelligence to control a plurality of virtual players within the vehicular racing videogame including a first group of virtual players associated with the first virtual geographic location and a second group of virtual players, separate from the first group of virtual players, associated with the second virtual geographic location.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the location module is configured such that unlocking the second virtual geographic location enables the player to interact with vehicular racing videogame content associated with the second virtual geographic location, and wherein the location module enables the player, once the second virtual geographic location has been unlocked, to participate in at least one event associated with the second virtual geographic location without passing the first virtual geographic location and then to participate in at least one event associated with the first virtual geographic location without passing the second virtual geographic location.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the virtual player control module is further configured to determine relative social statuses of the plurality of virtual players within the first group of the virtual players and relative social statuses of the virtual players within the second group of virtual players, and to determine the relative social status of the player within the first group of virtual players and the relative social status of the player within the second group of virtual players.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the virtual player control module is further configured to dynamically and adaptively determine disposition modes of relationships between the plurality of virtual players in the first group of virtual players and the player based on interactions between the player and the virtual players, and wherein social status of the player within the first group of virtual players depends on the disposition modes of the relationships between the virtual players in the first group of virtual players and the player.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the first group of virtual players includes virtual players that the player competes with at the first virtual geographic location and the second group of virtual players includes virtual players that the player competes against at the second virtual geographic location.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the virtual player control module is further configured to dynamically and adaptively determine disposition modes of the relationships between the plurality of virtual players in the first group of virtual players and the player based on interactions between the player and the virtual players.

9. A computer-implemented method for providing a player with a vehicular racing videogame, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more processors, the method comprising:

executing, on the one or more processors, one or more computer program modules to provide the vehicular racing videogame, the one or more computer program modules, when executed by the one or more processors, resulting in;

providing a player access to a first virtual geographic location in the vehicular racing videogame;

monitoring performance of the player within the first virtual geographic location;

comparing the performance of the player within the first virtual geographic location with a first set of criteria to determine if the player has fulfilled the first set of criteria, the first set of criteria including performance of one or more tasks in the first virtual geographic location, successful participation in one or more events associated with the first virtual geographic location, and achieving a first disposition mode for a social relationship between the player and one or more virtual players in the vehicular racing videogame, wherein fulfilling the first set of criteria is not sufficient to pass the first virtual geographic location, and wherein completing the vehicular racing videogame requires the player to pass the first virtual geographic location;

unlocking a second virtual geographic location for the player by making the second virtual geographic location accessible to the player responsive to the first set of criteria being determined fulfilled, wherein completing the videogame requires the player to pass the second virtual geographic location; and

implementing artificial intelligence to control a plurality of virtual players within the vehicular racing videogame including a first group of virtual players associated with the first virtual geographic location and a second group of virtual players, separate from the first group of virtual players, associated with the second virtual geographic location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the player access to the first virtual geographic location comprises enabling the player to participate in one or more of a first set of events associated with the first virtual geographic location, wherein monitoring performance of the player within the first virtual geographic location comprises determining if the player has successfully participated in individual events in the first set of events, and wherein fulfilling the first set of criteria requires successful participation in some subset of the first set of events.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first set of events includes a final event associated with a second set of criteria, the method further comprising unlocking the final event for the player by making the final event accessible to the player if the second set of criteria is determined to have been fulfilled, wherein the first set of criteria can be fulfilled by the player within the first virtual geographic location prior to fulfilling the second set of criteria, and wherein the final event is required to pass the first virtual geographic location.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein making the second virtual geographic location accessible to the player comprises enabling the player to participate in at least one event associated with the second virtual geographic location, and wherein the method comprises:

enabling the player to participate in at least one event associated with the second virtual geographic location prior to the player passing the first virtual geographic location; and

subsequent to enabling the player to participate in at least one event associated with the second virtual geographic location, enabling the player to participate in at least one event associated with the first virtual geographic location prior to the player passing the second virtual geographic location.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining relative social statuses of the plurality of virtual players within the first group of the virtual players;

determining relative social statuses of the plurality of virtual players within the second group of virtual players;

determining relative social status of the player within the first group of virtual players; and

determining relative social status of the player within the second group of virtual players.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising dynamically and adaptively determining disposition modes of relationships between the plurality of virtual players in the first group of virtual players and the player based on interactions between the player and the virtual players, wherein the relative social status of the player within the first group of virtual players depends on the disposition modes of the relationships between the virtual players in the first group of virtual players and the player.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first group of virtual players includes virtual players that the player competes with at the first virtual geographic location and the second group of virtual players includes virtual players that the player competes against at the second virtual geographic location.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising dynamically and adaptively determining disposition modules of relationships between the virtual players in the first group of virtual players and the player based on interactions between the player and the virtual players.