Online game with animal-breeding mechanic for combining visual display parameters

• US 9,186,582 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Janis, Sean, Wang, Tim, Vadlamudi, Vasudev, Harlick, Bruce, Omi, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Application Number:
  US13/244,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20120238361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 463/31, 463/1, 463/30, 463 40- 42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• 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 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• 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 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• 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 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi

Abstract

An animal-breeding mechanic enables the generation of an offspring virtual animal in an online game system by combining features of a male virtual animal and a female virtual animal. Multiple candidates for the offspring virtual animal may be generated, and a selection or identification can then be made from the multiple candidates. Relevant features may include a base color and optional pattern markings with a corresponding pattern color. Additional game aspects may include options for enhancing the likelihood of generating a successful offspring, decreasing the time for generating the offspring, and nurturing the offspring to maturity. Parameterized color values for a specific virtual animal may be substituted into source artwork to generate a variety of distinctive displays.

Claims

1. A method of breeding virtual animals in an online game that is accessed through a website of game networking system that supports the online game, the method comprising:

receiving instructions for initiating an animal breeding in the online game, the instructions being received through a game interface of a user machine corresponding to a player in the online game, the game interface being enabled by communications with the website of the game networking system that supports the online game, the instructions including a selection of a male animal and a female animal of a virtual animal type, and each of the selected animals being visually characterized by a corresponding parameter set that includes one or more color parameters;

generating, with at least one computer, a plurality of potential-offspring-animal parameter sets from the male-animal parameter set and the female-animal parameter set, the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets visually characterizing a corresponding plurality of potential offspring animals of the virtual animal type;

selecting from the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets an offspring-animal parameter set that visually characterizes an offspring animal of the virtual animal type;

changing at least one parameter in the offspring-animal parameter set based on a comparison of the at least one parameter with a parameter record that includes a predetermined number of parameters corresponding to previously generated offspring-animal parameter sets, the at least one parameter being changed in response to a threshold test for a number of occurrences of the at least one parameter within the parameter record, and the parameter record being stored in a computer-readable medium in the at least one computer;

providing values from the offspring-animal parameter set to the user machine corresponding to the player in the online game after changing the at least one parameter in the offspring-animal parameter set; and

providing a source artwork for the offspring animal to the user machine to enable generating a display of the offspring animal at the game interface of the user machine by substituting combinations of color-channel values corresponding to the offspring-animal parameter set for color-channel values in the source artwork.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing values from the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets to the user machine;

receiving from the user machine an identifier of an offspring animal selected from the plurality of potential offspring animals; and

using the potential-offspring-animal parameter set that corresponds to the identifier as the selected offspring-animal parameter set.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each parameter set corresponding to the virtual animal type includes a gender parameter to specify male or female, at least one base color parameter to specify a base color, and at least one pattern color parameter to specify a presence or an absence of animal markings with an associated pattern color.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before receiving the instructions for initiating the animal breeding, receiving instructions to satisfy preliminary conditions for the animal breeding, the preliminary conditions including a specification of a shelter in the online game for the offspring animal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions for initiating the animal breeding include an enhancement value for the animal breeding, and the method further comprises:

using the enhancement value to increase a likelihood of success for generating the offspring-animal parameter set.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating one of the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets includes generating a random number to select values from the male-animal parameter set or the female-animal parameter set.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating one of the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets includes:

generating a first random number to select color parameters for the one offspring parameter set from one of the male-animal parameter set or the female-animal parameter set; and

generating a second random number to determine a random variation about the selected color parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving instructions to satisfy a nourishment requirement for the offspring animal; and

in response to the satisfied nourishment requirement, changing a status of the offspring animal from an offspring status to an adult status so that the offspring-animal parameter set corresponds to one of a second male-animal parameter set that visually characterizes a second male animal of the virtual animal type or a second female-animal parameter set that visually characterizes a second female animal of the virtual animal type.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one source artwork for the potential-offspring animals to the user machine to enable generating a display of the potential-offspring animals by substituting combinations of color-channel values corresponding to the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets for color-channel values in the at least one source artwork.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an adult-animal parameter set corresponding to one of the male-animal parameter set or the female-animal parameter set to the user machine; and

providing a source artwork for an adult animal corresponding to the adult-animal parameter set to the user machine to enable generating a display of the adult animal by substituting combinations of color-channel values corresponding to the adult-animal parameter set for color-channel values in the source artwork.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the color-channel values corresponding to the source artwork identify a base-color field for a base color in the source artwork and a pattern-color field for a pattern color in the source artwork, a first combination of the color-channel values corresponding to the offspring-animal parameter set being mapped to the base-color field in the source artwork and a second combination of the color-channel values corresponding to the offspring-animal parameter set being mapped to the pattern-color field in the source artwork.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the color-channel values corresponding to the offspring-animal parameter set include three color-parameter values for a base color and three color-parameter values for a pattern color.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is changed to avoid a repetition corresponding to a parameter sequence included in the parameter record.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is changed to avoid a specified outcome based on the parameter record.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter record includes a sequential arrangement of the parameters corresponding to the previously generated offspring-animal parameter sets.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a computer program for breeding virtual animals in an online game that is accessed through a website of game networking system that supports the online game, the computer program including computer-program instructions that, when executed by at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving instructions for initiating an animal breeding in the online game, the instructions being received through a game interface of a user machine corresponding to a player in the online game, the game interface being enabled by communications with the website of the game networking system that supports the online game, the instructions including a selection of a male animal and a female animal of a virtual animal type, and each of the selected animals being visually characterized by a corresponding parameter set that includes one or more color parameters;

generating from the male-animal parameter set and the female-animal parameter set a plurality of potential-offspring-animal parameter sets that visually characterize a corresponding plurality of potential offspring animals of the virtual animal type;

selecting from the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets an offspring-animal parameter set that visually characterizes an offspring animal of the virtual animal type;

changing at least one parameter in the offspring-animal parameter set based on a comparison of the at least one parameter with a parameter record that includes a predetermined number of parameters corresponding to previously generated offspring-animal parameter sets, the at least one parameter being changed in response to a threshold test for a number of occurrences of the at least one parameter within the parameter record, and the parameter record being stored in a computer-readable medium in the at least one computer;

providing values from the offspring-animal parameter set to the user machine corresponding to the player in the online game after changing the at least one parameter in the offspring-animal parameter set; and

providing a source artwork for the offspring animal to the user machine to enable generating a display of the offspring animal at the game interface of the user machine by substituting combinations of color-channel values corresponding to the offspring-animal parameter set for color-channel values in the source artwork.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program further includes computer-program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:

providing values from the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets to the user machine;

receiving from the user machine an identifier of an offspring animal selected from the plurality of potential offspring animals; and

using the potential-offspring-animal parameter set that corresponds to the identifier as the selected offspring-animal parameter set.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein each parameter set corresponding to the virtual animal type includes a gender parameter to specify male or female, at least one base color parameter to specify a base color, and at least one pattern color parameter to specify a presence or an absence of animal markings with an associated pattern color.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program further includes computer-program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:

before receiving the instructions for initiating the animal breeding, receiving instructions to satisfy preliminary conditions for the animal breeding, the preliminary conditions including a specification of a shelter in the online game for the offspring animal.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for initiating the animal breeding include an enhancement value for the animal breeding, and the computer program further includes computer-program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:

using the enhancement value to increase a likelihood of success for generating the offspring-animal parameter set.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein generating one of the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets includes generating a random number to select values from the male-animal parameter set or the female-animal parameter set.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein generating one of the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets includes:

generating a first random number to select color parameters for the one offspring parameter set from one of the male-animal parameter set or the female-animal parameter set; and

generating a second random number to determine a random variation about the selected color parameters.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program further includes computer-program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving instructions to satisfy a nourishment requirement for the offspring animal; and

in response to the satisfied nourishment requirement, changing a status of the offspring animal from an offspring status to an adult status so that the offspring-animal parameter set corresponds to one of a second male-animal parameter set that visually characterizes a second male animal of the virtual animal type or a second female-animal parameter set that visually characterizes a second female animal of the virtual animal type.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program further includes computer-program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:

providing at least one source artwork for the potential-offspring animals to the user machine to enable generating a display of the potential-offspring animals by substituting combinations of color-channel values corresponding to the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets for color-channel values in the at least one source artwork.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program further includes computer-program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:

providing an adult-animal parameter set corresponding to one of the male-animal parameter set or the female-animal parameter set to the user machine; and

providing a source artwork for an adult animal corresponding to the adult-animal parameter set to the user machine to enable generating a display of the adult animal by substituting combinations of color-channel values corresponding to the adult-animal parameter set for color-channel values in the source artwork.

26. An apparatus to breed virtual animals in an online game that is accessed through a website of game networking system that supports the online game, the apparatus comprising at least one computer configured to perform operations for computer-executable modules including:

an animal-breeding-instructions module configured to receive instructions for initiating an animal breeding in the online game, the instructions being received through a game interface of a user machine corresponding to a player in the online game, the game interface being enabled by communications with the website of the game networking system that supports the online game, the instructions including a selection of a male animal and a female animal of a virtual animal type, and each of the selected animals being visually characterized by a corresponding parameter set that includes one or more color parameters;

a parameter-generating module configured to generate from the male-animal parameter set and the female-animal parameter set a plurality of potential-offspring-animal parameter sets that visually characterize a corresponding plurality of potential offspring animals of the virtual animal type;

an offspring-selection module configured to select from the potential-offspring-animal parameter sets an offspring-animal parameter set that visually characterizes an offspring animal of the virtual animal type, and further configured to change at least one parameter in the offspring-animal parameter set based on a comparison of the at least one parameter with a parameter record that includes a predetermined number of parameters corresponding to previously generated offspring-animal parameter sets, the at least one parameter being changed in response to a threshold test for a number of occurrences of the at least one parameter within the parameter record, and the parameter record being stored in a computer-readable medium in the at least one computer; and

a value-providing module configured to provide values from the offspring-animal parameter set to the user machine corresponding to the player in the online game, and further configured to provide a source artwork for the offspring animal to the user machine to enable generating a display of the offspring animal at the game interface of the user machine by substituting combinations of color-channel values corresponding to the offspring-animal parameter set for color-channel values in the source artwork.