Customizable, adaptable, multiuser computer-based role-playing method and apparatus therefor

• US 8,876,611 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ryan Luecheen Yuan
• Original Assignee: Ryan Luecheen Yuan
• Inventors: Yuan, Ryan Luecheen
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US13/725,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20130109480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 463 39- 42, 463/31
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• 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 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/47 involving branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible scenarios at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• 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 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1081 Input via voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 : server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 : user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 : for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 : of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 : generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/609 : for unlocking hidden game elements, e.g. features, items, levels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 : by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 : Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 : Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 : by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 : Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 : Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 : Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 : Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/02 : Feature extraction for speech recognition; Selection of recognition unit
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 : Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 : Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 : Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 : Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Game client, game server, Web application server, and database server including database with data representative of a virtual world. Game client or server, or both, includes motifs, motif manager, character manager, scenes-a-faire manager, and display manager coupled to display, all in communication with game manager, and pseudorandomizer, which can instigate changing of a motif. Motifs are representative of a game character or environment. A user interface has mass sensor, accelerometer, haptic device, first device for visual input, output, or both, second device for audio input, output, or both, and tactile sensor, effector or both. Included may be automatic translator, or TTS/STT module. The online game can be virtual world representative of at least two of a northern continent, a western continent, a southern continent, a central continent, and an eastern continent. Methods provide game client, game server, and a database that manipulate character or environment motifs and scenes-a-faire.

Claims

1. An online game apparatus, comprising:

a game client including a plurality of motifs and a plurality of scenes-a-faire and including an HTTP client, a game network client, and coupled to a computer role playing game display;

a game server coupled to the game network client; and

a Web application server coupled to the game HTTP client, and to a database with data representative of a virtual world, wherein the game server manipulates at least one of the plurality of motifs or the plurality of scenes-a-faire on the game client, in response to data representative of the virtual world, wherein

the game server includes

a multidimensional motif manager,

a multidimensional display manager coupled to the computer role playing game display,

the managers in communication with

a computer role playing game manager, and

a pseudorandomizer that instigates a change in a preselected motif, wherein the plurality of motifs are representative of a game character, and

wherein the database manager is coupled to the virtual world in which the character is displayed.

3. The online game apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface having at least one of;

a mass sensor;

an accelerometer;

a haptic device;

a first device for visual input or visual output, or both;

a second device for audio input or audio output, or both;

a tactile sensor or a tactile effector or both.

4. The online game apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an automatic translator to a predetermined language, coupled to the computer role playing game manager and the database with data representative of a virtual world.

5. The online game apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one of a text-to-speech module or a speech-to-text module, coupled to the computer role playing game manager.

2. An online game apparatus, comprising:

a game client including a plurality of motifs and a plurality of scenes-a-faire and including an HTTP client, a game network client, and coupled to a computer role playing game display;

a game server coupled to the game network client; and

a Web application server coupled to the game HTTP client, and to a database with data representative of a virtual world, wherein the game server manipulates at least one of the plurality of motifs or the plurality of scenes-a-faire on the game client, in response to data representative of the virtual world, wherein

the game client includes

a pseudorandomizer that instigates a change in a preselected motif,

a multidimensional motif manager,

an avatar-character manager,

a scenes-a-faire manager,

a multidimensional display manager coupled to a computer role playing game display, and

at least two of the managers in communication with

the computer role playing game manager, and the Web application server.

6. An online game apparatus, comprising:

a game client including a plurality of motifs and a plurality of scenes-a-faire and including an HTTP client, a game network client, and coupled to a computer role playing game display;

a game server coupled to the game network client; and

a Web application server coupled to the game HTTP client, and to a database with data representative of a virtual world, wherein the game server manipulates at least one of the plurality of motifs or the plurality of scenes-a-faire on the game client, in response to data representative of the virtual world,

a plurality of predefined motif classes, each class describing at least one manipulable dimension, selected ones of the manipulable dimensions having a defined interaction therebetween;

a plurality of predetermined motifs representative of a predefined motif class, each motif being represented by at least one manipulable dimension and having at least one selectable characteristic, attribute, ambience, or action and selected ones of each motif being selectable, manipulable or customizable;

each class being representative of a characteristic, attribute, ambience, or action, of at least one of a character or an environment;

a multidimensional motif manager configured to select, manipulate, or customize the at least one manipulable dimension or the at least one selectable characteristic, attribute, ambience, or action,

wherein the role playing game is cooperatively executed on a game client and a game server as a massively multiplayer online role playing game.

7. An online game apparatus, comprising:

a game client including a plurality of motifs and a plurality of scenes-a-faire and including an HTTP client, a game network client, and coupled to a computer role playing game display;

a game server coupled to the game network client; and

a Web application server coupled to the game HTTP client, and to a database with data representative of a virtual world, wherein the game server manipulates at least one of the plurality of motifs or the plurality of scenes-a-faire on the game client, in response to data representative of the virtual world,

a scenes-a-faire manager interactively coupled to the multiple dimension motif manager, wherein the scenes-a-faire manager manipulates at least one of a preselected number of predetermined motifs representative of scenes-a-faire, wherein the scenes-a-faire are representative of a characteristic of at least one of a character or an environment; and

at least one of the game client or the game server cooperatively executing using one of a multi-core processor or a multi-processor module as a cRPG processor,

wherein at least one of the game client or the game server, is managed by a game master.

8. A method of operating an online game, comprising:

providing a game client and a game server;

in the game client;

selecting a game to be played;

selecting a character for the game;

selecting a virtual era for the game;

selecting a virtual environment for the game;

selecting virtual scenes-a-faire for the era;

in the game server;

selecting at least one motif for the character;

selecting at least one motif for the virtual environment;

selecting at least one motif for the virtual scenes-a-faire;

initializing an instantiation of the game in the game server in communication with the game client, the character and the corresponding at least one interactive motif thereof, the virtual era, the virtual environment and the corresponding at least one motif thereof, and the scenes-a-faire and the corresponding at least one motif thereof; and

playing the selected game thereof in the game client, wherein the selected game interacts with a database to create persistence of the virtual environment and a game server to manage communication from the database, and wherein the selected game is a massively multiplayer role-playing online game.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising at least one of:

modifying the character;

modifying the environment;

modifying the era;

or

modifying the scenes-a-faire

of the online game.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

modifying the game after selecting the game.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

coupling a game server to the game client such that the instantiation joins a virtual world hosted on the game server; and

coupling a database having data pertaining to the state of the virtual world to the game server and to the game client.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the character adapting a selected motif advantageously.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising

the character having a behavior;

and

the character adapting a behavior advantageously.

14. A massively muliplayer online role playing game system, comprising:

a computer system configured to give a player access to data pertaining to a virtual world through a publicly accessible network and to execute software embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium linked to the data pertaining to a virtual world;

a motif manager module embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium and running on a system that

interacts with a player;

identifies a character to be controlled by the player;

receives commands pertaining to an interactive motif of the character or of a virtual world environment;

manipulates the interactive motif in accordance with commands from the player; and

communicates with the player interactively in a selected language chosen by the player;

at least one of a game client or a game server cooperatively executing using one of a multi-core processor or a multi-processor module as a cRPG processor;

and

a first processing module embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium and running on a system that

manipulates the operation of the motif manager,

manipulates the operation of a scenes-a-faire manager,

manipulates the operation of a display manager,

manipulates a pseudorandomizer influencing the operation of the motif manager or the scenes-a-faire manager,

cooperates with a game server having a cooperating motif manager, a cooperating scenes-a-faire manager, and

cooperates with the computer system executing software embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium linked to the data pertaining to the virtual world.

15. A massively muliplayer online role playing game system, comprising:

a computer system configured to give a player access to data pertaining to a virtual world through a publicly accessible network and to execute software embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium linked to the data pertaining to a virtual world;

a motif manager module embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium and running on a system that

interacts with a player;

identifies a character to be controlled by the player;

receives commands pertaining to an interactive motif of the character or of a virtual world environment;

manipulates the interactive motif in accordance with commands from the player; and

communicates with the player interactively in a selected language chosen by the player;

at least one of a game client or a game server cooperatively executing using one of a multi-core processor or a multi-processor module as a cRPG processor;

and

a first processing module embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium and running on a system that

manipulates the operation of the motif manager,

manipulates the operation of a scenes-a-faire manager,

manipulates the operation of a display manager,

manipulates a pseudorandomizer influencing the operation of the motif manager or the scenes-a-faire manager,

cooperates with a game server having a cooperating motif manager, a cooperating scenes-a-faire manager, and

cooperates with the computer system executing software embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium linked to the data pertaining to the virtual world

a processing module embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium that executes code as a game server that cooperates with the computer system linked to the data pertaining to a virtual world and with the motif manager interacting with the player;

a computer system configured to give a player access to data pertaining to a virtual world through a publicly accessible network and to execute software embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium linked to the data pertaining to a virtual world;

a motif manager module embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium and running on a system that

interacts with a player;

identifies a character to be controlled by the player;

receives commands pertaining to a motif of the character or of a virtual world environment;

manipulates the motif in accordance with commands from the player; and

communicates with the player interactively in a selected language chosen by the player.