Apparatuses, methods and systems for an online game manager

• US 8,556,724 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Dale, Scott, McGuirk, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): CHO, HONG SOL
• Application Number:
  US12/894,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20110212783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 718/105, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

The APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A ONLINE GAME MANAGER (“OGM”) transform user social graph and online behavioral pattern data inputs via OGM components into optimized server computational load reports. In one embodiment, the OGM may process a user server migration request for a user by obtaining user social graph data identifying co-users, and social activity pattern data associated with the user and the co-users. The OGM may also obtain server load indices of servers associated with the co-users, and server load analysis rules. By analyzing the server load indices using the server load analysis rules, the OGM may identify a subset of the servers as non-overloaded transfer candidate servers. The OGM may calculate transfer candidate server scores for the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers using the user social graph data and the social activity pattern data. Also, the OGM may select one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers for migrating the user based on the transfer candidate server scores, and migrate data associated with the user to the selected non-overloaded transfer candidate server.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented user server migration method to transform user social graph data into user migration, comprising:

obtaining, for processing a user server migration request for a user having client data and state associated with a game being executed by a current server, at least;

user social graph data identifying co-users, and online activity pattern data associated with the user and the co-users; and

server load indices of servers associated with the co-users, and server load analysis rules;

identifying a subset of the servers as non-overloaded transfer candidate servers by analyzing the server load indices using the server load analysis rules;

calculating, via a processor, a transfer candidate server score for each of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers using the user social graph data and the online activity pattern data associated with the user and the co-users;

selecting, based on the transfer candidate server scores, one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers for migrating the user;

freezing client-server interaction for the game being executed by the current server and saving the client data and state of the user associated with the game;

migrating client data and state associated with the user to the selected non-overloaded transfer candidate server;

unfreezing client-server interaction for the game for execution at the selected non-overloaded transfer candidate server using the client data and state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the transfer candidate server scores comprises:

obtaining a co-user relationship strength score for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers;

calculating, for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers, a co-user online overlap score using the online activity pattern data;

calculating, for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers, a co-user weight derived from a product of their co-user online overlap score and their co-user relationship strength score; and

calculating, for each non-overloaded transfer candidate server, its associated transfer candidate server score as a summation of the co-user weights for each co-user associated with the transfer candidate server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the co-user relationship strength scores are included in the user social graph data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the co-user relationship strength scores are calculated using the online activity pattern data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein calculating the co-user relationship strength score for each co-user comprises:

calculating a co-user activity overlap score for each co-user using the online activity pattern data;

determining whether the user social graph data includes a relationship strength indicator;

calculating the co-user relationship strength score using the co-user activity overlap score and the relationship strength indicator, if it is determined that the user social graph data includes the relationship strength indicator; and

providing the co-user activity overlap score as the co-user relationship strength score, if it is determined that the user social graph data does not include the relationship strength indicator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user server migration request is provided by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user server migration request is provided by a server currently storing the data associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a server load index of a current server associated with the user;

analyzing the server load index of the current server using the server load analysis rules; and

generating the user server migration request based on analyzing the server load index of the current server.

9. A user server migration system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor disposed in communication with the memory and configured to issue processing instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor issues instructions to;

obtain, for processing a user server migration request for a user, at least;

user social graph data identifying co-users, and online activity pattern data associated with the user and the co-users; and

server load indices of servers associated with the co-users, and server load analysis rules;

identify a subset of the servers as non-overloaded transfer candidate servers by analyzing the server load indices using the server load analysis rules;

calculate a transfer candidate server score for each of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers using the user social graph data and the online activity pattern data associated with the user and the co-users;

select, based on the transfer candidate server scores, one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers for migrating the user; and

migrate data associated with the user to the selected non-overloaded transfer candidate server;

wherein the instructions to calculate the transfer candidate server scores comprise instructions to;

obtain a co-user relationship strength score for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers;

calculate, for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers, a co-user online overlap score using the online activity pattern data;

calculate, for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers, a co-user weight derived from a product of their co-user online overlap score and their co-user relationship strength score; and

calculate, for each non-overloaded transfer candidate server, its associated transfer candidate server score as a summation of the co-user weights for each co-user associated with the transfer candidate server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the co-user relationship strength scores are included in the user social graph data.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the co-user relationship strength scores are calculated using the online activity pattern data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions to calculate the co-user relationship strength score for each co-user comprise instructions to:

calculate a co-user activity overlap score for each co-user using the online activity pattern data;

determine whether the user social graph data includes a relationship strength indicator;

calculate the co-user relationship strength score using the co-user activity overlap score and the relationship strength indicator, if it is determined that the user social graph data includes the relationship strength indicator; and

provide the co-user activity overlap score as the co-user relationship strength score, if it is determined that the user social graph data does not include the relationship strength indicator.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the user server migration request is provided by the user.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the user server migration request is provided by a server currently storing the data associated with the user.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor further issues instructions to:

obtain a server load index of a current server associated with the user;

analyze the server load index of the current server using the server load analysis rules; and

generate the user server migration request based on analyzing the server load index of the current server.

16. A processor-readable non-transitory medium storing processor-issuable user server migration instructions to:

obtain, for processing a user server migration request for a user, at least;

user social graph data identifying co-users, and online activity pattern data associated with the user and the co-users; and

server load indices of servers associated with the co-users, and server load analysis rules;

identify a subset of the servers as non-overloaded transfer candidate servers by analyzing the server load indices using the server load analysis rules;

calculate a transfer candidate server score for each of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers using the user social graph data and the online activity pattern data associated with the user and the co-users;

select, based on the transfer candidate server scores, one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers for migrating the user; and

migrate data associated with the user to the selected non-overloaded transfer candidate server.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions to calculate the transfer candidate server scores comprise instructions to:

obtain a co-user relationship strength score for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers;

calculate, for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers, a co-user online overlap score using the online activity pattern data;

calculate, for each co-user associated with one of the non-overloaded transfer candidate servers, a co-user weight derived from a product of their co-user online overlap score and their co-user relationship strength score; and

calculate, for each non-overloaded transfer candidate server, its associated transfer candidate server score as a summation of the co-user weights for each co-user associated with the transfer candidate server.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the co-user relationship strength scores are included in the user social graph data.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the co-user relationship strength scores are calculated using the online activity pattern data.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions to calculate the co-user relationship strength score for each co-user comprise instructions to:

calculate a co-user activity overlap score for each co-user using the online activity pattern data;

determine whether the user social graph data includes a relationship strength indicator;

calculate the co-user relationship strength score using the co-user activity overlap score and the relationship strength indicator, if it is determined that the user social graph data includes the relationship strength indicator; and

provide the co-user activity overlap score as the co-user relationship strength score, if it is determined that the user social graph data does not include the relationship strength indicator.

21. The medium of claim 16, wherein the user server migration request is provided by the user.

22. The medium of claim 16, wherein the user server migration request is provided by a server currently storing the data associated with the user.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the medium further stores instructions to:

obtain a server load index of a current server associated with the user;

analyze the server load index of the current server using the server load analysis rules; and

generate the user server migration request based on analyzing the server load index of the current server.