Client-side prediction of a local game object to reduce apparent network lag of multiplayer simulations

• US 8,678,929 B1
• Filed: 08/01/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Inventors: Shahjahan, Asim, Nishimura, Hitoshi, Hai, Wu, Chaput, Harold, Venhola, Wilson
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Application Number:
  US12/184,975
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/31, 463/4, 463/6, 463/7
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• 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 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction

Abstract

A method for operating a networked interactive game system is provided. An input command generated by a local user of a local game system that controls a local object of an interactive game may be received. A state for the local object in the present game frame may be predicted based on the input command. State data of a first object of the interactive game that was determined in a network simulation of a previous game frame may be retrieved. A global object of the interactive game in the present game frame may be course-corrected to be aligned with the global object in the previous game frame using the predicted state for the local object in the present game frame and the state data of the first object of the previous game frame. The present game frame may be rendered with the course-corrected global object.

Claims

1. A method for operating a networked interactive game system comprising at least one local game system and at least one remote game system, wherein a network is interposed between the local and remote game systems, thereby allowing for distributed game play of an interactive game that includes a display of game events with a series of game frames at least at the local game system, the method comprising:

receiving an input command generated by a local user of the local game system that controls a local object of the interactive game that is displayed in a present game frame;

predicting a state with a local simulation for the local object in the present game frame based on the input command;

retrieving state data of a first object of the interactive game that was determined in a network simulation of a previous game frame, wherein the network simulation is run on the local game system and receives states of objects from at least two remote game systems, and at least determines states of objects of the interactive game from the at least two remote game systems for use in game processing;

course-correcting a global object of the interactive game in the present game frame to be aligned with the global object in the previous game frame using the predicted state for the local object in the present game frame from the local simulation and the state data of the first object of the previous game frame from the network simulation; and

rendering the present game frame comprising the course-corrected global object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first object is the local object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame and/or a remote object of the interactive game that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame and/or the global object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interpolating the state for the local object in the present game frame with state data for the local object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame; and

determining a blended state for the local object in the present game frame.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

predicting a state for the global object in the present game frame based on a blended state for the local object in the present game frame;

interpolating the state for the global object in the present game frame with state data for the global object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame; and

determining a blended state for the global object in the present game frame.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the present game frame depends on the blended state for the global object and the predicted state for the local object in the present game frame.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the present game frame depends on the blended state for the global object and the blended state for the local object in the present game frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the present game frame depends on state data of one or more remote objects in the interactive game that were determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein alignment includes scaling the global object of the interactive game in the present game frame with the global object in the previous game frame by a blend weight.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the blend weight is dynamically adjusted based on a game state.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

predicting a state of one or more remote objects of the interactive game in the present game frame only if state data for the local object that was determined in the network simulation is deemed unreliable.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the course-corrector is further configured to:

scale the global object of the interactive game in the present game frame with the global object in the previous game frame by a blend weight.

11. A system for operating a networked interactive game system comprising at least one local game system and at least one remote game system, wherein a network is interposed between the local and remote game systems, thereby allowing for distributed game play of an interactive game that includes a display of game events with a series of game frames at least at the local game system, the system comprising:

a local simulator configured to receive an input command generated by a local user of the local game system that controls a local object of the interactive game that is displayed in a present game frame and to predict a state for the local object in the present game frame based on the input command;

a network simulator run on the local game system configured to determine the state data of a first object of the interactive game of a previous game frame, wherein network simulator at least determines states of objects of the interactive game received from at least two remote game systems for use in game processing;

course-corrector configured to course correct a global object of the interactive game in the present game frame to be aligned with the global object in the previous game frame using the predicted state for the local object in the present game frame from the local simulator and the state data of the first object of the previous game frame from the network simulator; and

a renderer configured to render the present game frame comprising the course-corrected global object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first object is the local object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame and/or a remote object of the interactive game that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame and/or the global object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the course-corrector is further configured to:

interpolate the state for the local object in the present game frame with state data for the local object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame; and

determine a blended state for the local object in the present game frame.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the course-corrector is further configured to:

predict a state for the global object in the present game frame based on a blended state for the local object in the present game frame;

interpolate the state for the global object in the present game frame with state data for the global object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame; and

determine a blended state for the global object in the present game frame.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system operating a networked interactive game system comprising at least one local game system and at least one remote game system, wherein a network is interposed between the local and remote game systems, thereby allowing for distributed game play of an interactive game that includes a display of game events with a series of game frames at least at the local game system, to:

receive an input command generated by a local user of the local game system that controls a local object of the interactive game that is displayed in a present game frame;

predict a state with a local simulation for the local object in the present game frame based on the input command;

retrieve state data of a first object of the interactive game that was determined in a network simulation of a previous game frame, wherein the network simulation is run on the local game system and receives states of objects from at least two remote game systems, and at least determines states of objects of the interactive game from the at least two remote game systems for use in game processing;

course-correct a global object of the interactive game in the present game frame to be aligned with the global object in the previous game frame using the predicted state for the local object in the present game frame from the local simulation and the state data of the first object of the previous game frame from the network simulation; and

render the present game frame comprising the course-corrected global object.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first object is the local object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame and/or a remote object of the interactive game that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame and/or the global object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

interpolate the state for the local object in the present game frame with state data for the local object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame; and

determine a blended state for the local object in the present game frame.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

predict a state for the global object in the present game frame based on a blended state for the local object in the present game frame;

interpolate the state for the global object in the present game frame with state data for the global object that was determined in the network simulation of the previous game frame; and

determine a blended state for the global object in the present game frame.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein alignment includes scaling the global object of the interactive game in the present game frame with the global object in the previous game frame by a blend weight.