Role-play simulation engine

• US 9,213,935 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Kalama, Asa K., Rouse, Cory J., Ilardi, Michael, Swanson, Reid
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Eunhee
• Application Number:
  US13/229,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20130066608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 703/6, 726/4, 345/633
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/828 Managing virtual sport teams
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/302 specially adapted for receiving control signals not targeted to a display device or game input means, e.g. vibrating driver's seat, scent dispenser
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5593 involving scheduling aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 7/00 Auxiliary apparatus for artistes
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A coordination processor receives data from a simulated role-play environment having a performer that is assigned a role. Further, the coordination processor composes an instruction to the performer to perform an action in the simulated role-play environment. The instruction is selected to implement a narrative possibility in a role-playing simulation. In addition, the instruction is sent to an interface that provides the instruction to the performer in the simulated role-play environment.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a coordination processor that receives data from a role-play environment indicating a state of the role-play environment and that composes an instruction to a performer that is assigned a role in the role-play environment to perform an action in the role-play environment, wherein the instruction comprises actions that implement a narrative possibility that is selected from a plurality of pre-authored narrative possibilities for a role-play experience in the role-play environment based upon the state of the role-play environment corresponding to the narrative possibility; and

an interface that receives the instruction from the coordination processor and provides the instruction to the performer to implement the narrative possibility in the role-play environment.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an authoring component that generates the plurality of pre-authored narrative possibilities.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordination processor receives the data from the role-play environment through at least one sensor.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one sensor is located within a device located on a participant in the role-play environment that participates in the role-play environment without receiving an instruction to perform any action from the coordination processor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor is a tracking device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor is a Global Positioning System device.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one sensor communicates with the coordination processor via a network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordination processor receives the data from the role-play environment through the interface.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the performer is human.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the performer is an autonomous character.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the performer is a three-dimensional generated character.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the performer is a robotic character.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is an electronic communication device.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer useable storage device having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

receive, at a coordination processor, data from a role-play environment indicating a state of the role-play environment;

compose, at the coordination processor, an instruction to a performer that is assigned a role in the role-play environment to perform an action in the role-play environment, wherein the instruction comprises actions that implement a narrative possibility that is selected from a plurality of pre-authored narrative possibilities for a role-play experience in the role-play environment based upon the state of the role-play environment corresponding to the narrative possibility; and

send the instruction to an interface that provides the instruction to the performer to implement the narrative possibility within the role-play environment.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer is further caused to generate the plurality of pre-authored narrative possibilities by encoding a plurality of narrative possibilities.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the data from the role-play environment is received through at least one sensor.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor is located within a device located on a participant in the role-play environment that participates in the role-play environment without receiving an instruction to perform any action.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the at least one sensor is a tracking device.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the at least one sensor is a Global Positioning System device.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor communicates with the coordination processor via a network.

21. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer is further caused to receive the data from the role-play environment through the interface.

22. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the performer is human.

23. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the performer is an autonomous character.

24. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the performer is a three-dimensional generated character.

25. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the performer is a robotic character.

26. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the interface is an electronic communication device.

27. A method comprising:

receive, at a coordination processor, data from a role-play environment indicating a state of the role-play environment;

compose, at the coordination processor, an instruction to a performer that is assigned a role in the role-play environment to perform an action in the role-play environment, wherein the instruction comprises actions that implement a narrative possibility that is selected from a plurality of pre-authored narrative possibilities for a role-play experience in the role-play environment based upon the state of the role-play environment corresponding to the narrative possibility; and

send the instruction to an interface that provides the instruction to the performer to implement the narrative possibility within the role-play environment.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising generating the plurality of pre-authored narrative possibilities by encoding a plurality of narrative possibilities.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the data from the role-play environment is received through at least one sensor.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one sensor is located within a device located on a participant in the role-play environment that participates in the role-play environment without receiving an instruction to perform any action from the coordination processor.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the at least one sensor is a tracking device.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the at least one sensor is a Global Positioning System device.

33. A system comprising:

a coordination processor that receives data from a role-play environment indicating a state of the role-play environment and that composes an instruction to a computing device to perform an action in the role-play environment, wherein the instruction comprises actions that implement a narrative possibility that is selected from a plurality of pre-authored narrative possibilities for a role-play experience in the role-play environment based upon the state of the role-play environment corresponding to the narrative possibility; and

an interface that receives the instruction from the coordination processor and provides the instruction to the computing device to implement the narrative possibility within the role-play environment.