Automatic game comparison and recommendation

• US 9,044,676 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Inventors: Webster, Matthew, Ross, Paul, Cuss, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US13/076,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20120225723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 463/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• 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 2300/5533 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 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking

Abstract

Game players are connected to each other through comparisons of information associated with events in which the game players and their friends have competed. Competition information such as game play results, leader board positions, game attributes, and entitlements are used to compare players and players'"'"' friends to each other, and the comparison information is used to recommend additional events to the players in such a way as to enhance social networking and asynchronous game play among the game players and their friends in the game.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving first game play results of a first user playing a game;

retrieving other game play results of at least one other user playing the game;

comparing, by the processor, the first game play results with the other game play results, wherein comparing the first game play results with the other game play results comprises comparing a first game play experience timeline of the first user with a second game play experience timeline of the at least one other user; and

producing a message based on the comparison, the message comprising a recommendation for the first user to improve future game play results over the first game play results, the recommendation based on the game play of the other user, wherein the message further comprises a reference to performance in the game of the at least one other user being in social competition with the first user, wherein the recommendation is based on a similar skill level of the first user and the at least one other user.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor to perform a following comprising:

receive first game play results of a first user playing a game;

retrieve other game play results of at least one other user playing the game;

compare the first game play results with the other game play results producing a message based on the comparison, the message comprising a recommendation for the first user to improve future game play results over the first game play results, the recommendation based on the game play of the other user, wherein the message further comprises a reference to the other game play result of the at least one other user being in social competition with the first user; and

generate a story based on the comparison;

create a comparison tree for each of a plurality of event types of the game associated with the story.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the story is a friend story that relates to the game play of the other user.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the story is a you story that relates to the first game play results of a first user playing the game.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the processor is further to display the story to game players associated with a leader board.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the story is based on information associated with where the game players are in relation to each other on the leader board.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the processor is further to generate additional stories and prioritize the stories based on where the game players are on the leader board.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, where the processor is further to suggest an event in the game to the least one other user playing the game, that the at least one other user has not played, based on the comparison.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, where the processor is further to save the recommendation and display the recommendation to the at least one other user through a message wall that links to the game.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving first game play results of a first user playing a game;

retrieving other game play results of at least one other user playing the game;

comparing, by a processor, the first game play results with the other game play results, wherein comparing the first game play results with the other game play results comprises comparing a first game play experience timeline of the first user with a second game play experience timeline of the at least one other user; and

producing a message based on the comparison, the message comprising a recommendation for the first user to improve future game play results over the first game play results, the recommendation based on the game play of the other user, wherein the message further comprises a reference to performance in the game of the at least one other user being in social competition with the first user, wherein the recommendation is based on a similar skill level of the first user and the at least one other user.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving first game play results of a first user playing a game;

retrieving other game play results of at least one other user playing the game;

compare the first game play results with the other game play results producing a message based on the comparison, the message comprising a recommendation for the first user to improve future game play results over the first game play results, the recommendation based on the game play of the other user, wherein the message further comprises a reference to the other game play result of the at least one other user being in social competition with the first user;

generating a story based on the comparison; and

create a comparison tree for each of a plurality of event types of the game associated with the story.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the story is a friend story that relates to the game play of the other user.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the story is a you story that relates to the first game play results of a first user playing the game.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the story to game players associated with a leader board.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the story is based on information associated with where the game players are in relation to each other on the leader board.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating additional stories and prioritizing the stories based on where the game players are on the leader board.