Splitting avatars in a virtual world

• US 8,850,342 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, Oberhofer, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/629,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 715/706, 715/757
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar

Abstract

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for splitting an avatar a split point in a virtual world. In one embodiment, a location in the virtual world may be designated as the split point. It may be determined that a first avatar has encountered the split point. The user may be prompted to specify whether to split the first avatar in a virtual world. Responsive to a request to split the first avatar, a second avatar may be created from the first avatar. The first avatar and the second avatar may be controlled independently in the virtual world and in response to user input. A user may also request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar. A third avatar may be created from the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to merge. The third avatar may include assets of both the first avatar and the second avatar.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of splitting an avatar into multiple avatars at a split point in a virtual world, to allow independent control of the multiple avatars in the virtual world, the method comprising:

determining one or more split points within the virtual world, wherein each split point corresponds to a respective location in the virtual world, at which a first avatar is selectively split within the virtual world into multiple avatars;

monitoring presence of the first avatar within the virtual world;

wherein selection of whether to split the first avatar in the virtual world is precluded, in the event that the first avatar is at a first location not corresponding to any of the one or more split points;

upon determining that the first avatar is at a second location, different from the first location and corresponding to one of the one or more split points, issuing a prompt in order to permit selection of whether to split the first avatar in the virtual world;

responsive to the prompt, receiving a request to split the first avatar;

creating a second avatar from the first avatar by operation of one or more computer processors and responsive to the request to split the first avatar, thereby splitting the first avatar; and

controlling actions of the first avatar and the second avatar independently of one another in the virtual world, based on avatar control input received subsequent to splitting the first avatar.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein controlling the actions of the first avatar and the second avatar is done responsive to user input and comprises:

moving the first avatar in the virtual world in response to input from a user; and

moving the second avatar in the virtual world independently of the first avatar and in response to input from a second user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar; and

creating a third avatar from the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein creating the third avatar from the first avatar and the second avatar comprises combining assets of the first avatar and of the second avatar, and wherein assets is selected from at least one of:

(i) experiences;

(ii) achievements;

(iii) virtual possessions; and

(iv) attributes of the first avatar and of the second avatar.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to remove one of the first avatar and the second avatar; and

removing the one of the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to remove.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an event the occurrence of which causes the prompt to issue to split the first avatar, wherein the event is selected from one of a location in the virtual world and a time of the virtual world.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, thereby permitting the first avatar to split at the second location while precluding the first avatar from splitting at the first location, based on the one or more split points determined in the virtual world, wherein the prompt is issued during gameplay, wherein the first avatar is split at the split point, such that both the first avatar and the second avatar are disposed at the split point upon being split, wherein the avatar control input received subsequent to splitting the first avatar includes:

(i) a first avatar control input specifying to control an action of the first avatar; and

(ii) a second avatar control input that is different from the first avatar control input and that specifies to control an action of the second avatar, different from the action of the first avatar.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the actions of the first and second avatars are controlled by a virtual world application in response to user input, wherein the virtual world application is configured to control actions of the first and second avatars based on each individual user input selected from:

(i) respective inputs from a first user and from a second user; and

(ii) input solely from the first user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the actions include moving the first and second avatars from the split point to distinct, respective locations in the virtual world, other than the split point, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, in a first instance, a request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar; and

creating a third avatar from the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein creating the third avatar from the first avatar and the second avatar comprises combining assets of the first avatar and of the second avatar, wherein the virtual world application is configured to independently combine each individual asset selected from:

(i) distinct, respective experiences of the first and second avatars;

(ii) distinct, respective achievements of the first and second avatars;

(iii) distinct, respective virtual possessions of the first and second avatars; and

(iv) distinct, respective attributes of the first and second avatars.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the assets are scaled down to an extent proportional to a total count of avatars split from the first avatar;

wherein the virtual world application is configured to, in respective instances, create the third avatar at each user-specified location selected from;

(i) a location of the first avatar in the virtual world;

(ii) a location of the second avatar in the virtual world; and

(iii) a location where the second avatar is split from the first avatar in the virtual world.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining an event the occurrence of which causes the prompt to issue to split the first avatar, wherein the event is selected from one of a location in the virtual world and a time of the virtual world;

receiving, in a second instance, a request to remove one of the first avatar and the second avatar; and

removing the one of the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to remove.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a program, which, when executed on a processor, performs an operation to split an avatar into multiple avatars at a split point in a virtual world, to allow independent control of the multiple avatars in the virtual world, the operation comprising:

determining one or more split points within the virtual world, wherein each split point corresponds to a respective location in the virtual world, at which a first avatar is selectively split within the virtual world into multiple avatars;

monitoring presence of the first avatar within the virtual world;

wherein selection of whether to split the first avatar in the virtual world is precluded, in the event that the first avatar is at a first location not corresponding to any of the one or more split points;

upon determining that the first avatar is at a second location, different from the first location and corresponding to one of the one or more split points, issuing a prompt in order to permit selection of whether to split the first avatar in the virtual world;

responsive to the prompt, receiving a request to split the first avatar;

creating a second avatar from the first avatar by operation of one or more computer processors when executing the program and responsive to the request to split the first avatar, thereby splitting the first avatar; and

controlling actions of the first avatar and the second avatar independently of one another in the virtual world, based on avatar control input received subsequent to splitting the first avatar.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein controlling the actions of the first avatar and the second avatar is done responsive to user input and comprises:

moving the first avatar in the virtual world in response to input from a user; and

moving the second avatar in the virtual world independently of the first avatar and in response to input from a second user.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving a request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar; and

creating a third avatar from the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein creating the third avatar from the first avatar and the second avatar comprises combining assets of the first avatar and of the second avatar, and wherein assets is selected from at least one of:

(i) experiences;

(ii) achievements;

(iii) virtual possessions; and

(iv) attributes of the first avatar and of the second avatar.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving a request to remove one of the first avatar and the second avatar; and

removing the one of the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to remove.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises:

determining an event the occurrence of which causes the prompt to issue to split the first avatar, wherein the event is selected from one of a location in the virtual world and a time of the virtual world.

19. A system to split an avatar into multiple avatars at a split point in a virtual world, to allow independent control of the multiple avatars in the virtual world, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a non-transitory memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors is configured to perform an operation comprising;

determining one or more split points within the virtual world, wherein each split point corresponds to a respective location in the virtual world, at which a first avatar is selectively split within the virtual world into multiple avatars;

monitoring presence of the first avatar within the virtual world;

wherein selection of whether to split the first avatar in the virtual world is precluded, in the event that the first avatar is at a first location not corresponding to any of the one or more split points;

upon determining that the first avatar is at a second location, different from the first location and corresponding to one of the one or more split points, issuing a prompt in order to permit selection of whether to split the first avatar in the virtual world;

responsive to the prompt, receiving a request to split the first avatar;

creating a second avatar from the first avatar, responsive to the request to split the first avatar, thereby splitting the first avatar; and

controlling actions of the first avatar and the second avatar independently of one another in the virtual world, based on avatar control input received subsequent to splitting the first avatar.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein controlling the actions of the first avatar and the second avatar is done responsive to user input and comprises:

moving the first avatar in the virtual world in response to input from a user; and

moving the second avatar in the virtual world independently of the first avatar and in response to input from a second user.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving a request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar; and

creating a third avatar from the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to merge the first avatar and the second avatar.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein creating the third avatar from the first avatar and the second avatar comprises combining assets of the first avatar and of the second avatar, and wherein assets is selected from at least one of:

(i) experiences;

(ii) achievements;

(iii) virtual possessions; and

(iv) attributes of the first avatar and of the second avatar.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving a request to remove one of the first avatar and the second avatar; and

removing the one of the first avatar and the second avatar, responsive to the request to remove.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the operation further comprises:

determining an event the occurrence of which causes the prompt to issue to split the first avatar, wherein the event is selected from one of a location in the virtual world and a time of the virtual world.