System and method for modifying a game state of a player of a social game

• US 9,354,700 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Rohrl, David, Mooney, William Henry Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weatherford, Syvila
• Application Number:
  US13/485,715
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 462/42, 715/757
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

A system, computer-readable storage medium, and a method for modifying a game state of a player of a social game are presented. A first location of a first virtual object and a second location of a second virtual object in a virtual world of the social game are identified. The first virtual object is associated with a first social contact of the player of the social game and the second virtual object is associated with a second social contact of the player of the social game. A location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object is determined using the first location and the second location. A social adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object is determined. A game state for the player is modified using the location adjacency metric and the social adjacency metric.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining, by a hardware-implemented communication module from a communicatively coupled social network server over a network, social network information for a player of an online social game, the social network server providing a social network external to the online social game;

identifying, by game logic for the player of the online social game, a first social contact of the player from the social network external to the online social game and a second social contact of the player from the social network external to the online social game, the identifying of the first and second social contact based on the social network information obtained for the player from the social network server of the social network, the first social contact and second social contact being different from the player;

in a virtual world of the online social game, identifying, by a hardware-implemented location module, a first location of a first virtual object that represents the first social contact of the player and a second location of a second virtual object that represents the second social contact of the player;

determining, by the hardware-implemented location module, a location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object within the online social game, the location adjacency metric being a function of a definable distance between the first location of the first virtual object that represents the first social contact and the second location of the second virtual object that represents the second social contact in the virtual world of the online social game;

determining, by a hardware-implemented social module, a social adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object, the social adjacency metric being a function of a max value divided by a social distance value corresponding to a social degree of separation between the first social contact and the second social contact in the social network external to the online social game; and

modifying, by a processor of a machine, a game state of the player of the online social game based on a combination of whether the location adjacency metric indicates that the first location and the second location are within a first predetermined distance and whether the social adjacency metric indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance, the game state corresponding to a numerical value.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social adjacency metric for the first social contact and the second social contact is based on the social network to which the player, the first social contact, and the second social contact belong.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the social network is established in connection with at least one of a social networking system or the online social game.

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

determining whether the first social contact and the second social contact of the player have an explicitly identified social connection within the online social game in addition to the social connection in the social network external to the online social game, the explicitly identified social connection within the social game having been previously identified by one of the first social contact or the second social contact; and

based on the first social contact and the second social content having the explicitly identified social connection within the online social game and the social connection in the social network external to the social game, weighting the social adjacency metric higher.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first location of the first virtual object and the second location of the second virtual object in the virtual world are selected by the player.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the numerical value is a score, and the modifying of the game state comprises increasing the score for the player based on the location adjacency metric indicating that the first location and the second location are within the first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and based on the social adjacency metric indicating that the first social contact and the second social contact are within the second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the numerical value is a score, and the modifying of the game state comprises decreasing the score for the player based on the location adjacency metric indicating that the first location and the second location are not within the first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and based on the social adjacency metric indicating that the first social contact and the second social contact are within the second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the numerical value is a happiness metric, and the modifying of the game state comprises increasing the happiness metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object based on the location adjacency metric indicating that the first location and the second location are within the first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and based on the social adjacency metric indicating that the first social contact and the second social contact are within the second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the numerical value is a happiness metric, and the modifying of the game state comprises decreasing the happiness metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object based on the location adjacency metric indicating that the first location and the second location are not within the first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and based on the social adjacency metric indicating that the first social contact and the second social contact are within the second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a happiness metric using the location adjacency metric and the social adjacency metric of the first virtual object and the second virtual object, the happiness metric being used as an input for a game mechanic that controls the online social game.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual object is a first character representing the first social contact in the virtual world and the second virtual object is a second character representing the second social contact in the virtual world.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a friend adjacency metric based on the location adjacency metric and the social adjacency metric, the friend adjacency metric being a function of the location adjacency metric times the social adjacency metric, the friend adjacency metric being used to modify the game state.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location adjacency metric is calculated by dividing a predetermined value representing a maximum distance between any two characters in the virtual world by the definable distance between the first virtual object and the second virtual object in the online social game.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the max value divided by the social distance value comprises a social adjacency max value divided by the social distance value.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the definable distance is defined relative to a grid or a matrix.

13. A system, comprising:

a processor of a machine;

a communication module to obtain, from a communicatively coupled social network server, social network information for a player of an online social game, the social network server providing a social network external to the online social game;

game logic to identify, for the player of the online social game, a first social contact of the player from the social network external to the online social game and a second social contact of the player from the social network external to the online social game, the identifying of the first and second social contact based on the social network information obtained for the player from the social network server of the social network, the first social contact and second social contact being different from the player;

a location module configured to;

in a virtual world of the online social game, identify a first location of a first virtual object that represents the first social contact of the player and a second location of a second virtual object that represents the second social contact of the player;

determine a location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object within the online social game, the location adjacency metric being a function of a definable distance between the first location of the first virtual object that represents the first social contact and the second location of the second virtual object that represents the second social contact in the virtual world of the online social game;

a social module configured to determine a social adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object, the social adjacency metric being a function of a max value divided by a social distance value corresponding to a social degree of separation between the first social contact and the second social contact in the social network external to the online social game; and

a game module configured to modify, using the processor, a game state of the player based on a combination of whether the location adjacency metric indicates that the first location and the second location are within a first predetermined distance and based on the social adjacency metric indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance, the game state corresponding to a numerical value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the social adjacency metric for the first social contact and the second social contact is based on the social network to which the player, the first social contact, and the second social contact belong.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the social network is established in connection with at least one of a social networking system or the online social game, and wherein the social adjacency metric is weighted higher based on the first social contact and the second social contact having a connection in both the online social game and in the at least one social network system.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the numerical value is a score, and the game module is configured to increase the score for the player based on the location adjacency metric indicating that the first location and the second location are within the first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and based on the social adjacency metric indicating that the first social contact and the second social contact are within the second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the numerical value is a score, and the game module is configured to decrease the score for the player based on the location adjacency metric indicating that the first location and the second location are not within the first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and based on the social adjacency metric indicating that the first social contact and the second social contact are within the second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the numerical value is a happiness metric, and the game module is configured to increase the happiness metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object based on the location adjacency metric indicating that the first location and the second location are within the first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and based on the social adjacency metric indicating that the first social contact and the second social contact are within the second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the numerical value is a happiness metric, and the game module is configured to decrease the happiness metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object based on the location adjacency metric indicating that the first location and the second location are not within the first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and based on the social adjacency metric indicating that the first social contact and the second social contact are within the second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

20. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, from a communicatively coupled social network server, social network information for a player of an online social game, the social network server providing a social network external to the online social game;

identifying, for the player of the online social game, a first social contact of the player from the social network external to the online social game and a second social contact of the player from the social network external to the online social game, the identifying of the first and second social contact based on the social network information for the player from the social network server of the social network, the first social contact and second social contact being different from the player;

in a virtual world of the online social game, identifying a first location of a first virtual object that represents the first social contact of the player and a second location of a second virtual object that represents the second social contact of the player;

determining a location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object within the online social game, the location adjacency metric being a function of a definable distance between the first location of the first virtual object that represents the first social contact and the second location of the second virtual object that represents the second social contact in the virtual world of the online social game;

determining a social adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object, the social adjacency metric being a function of a max value divided by a social distance value corresponding to a social degree of separation between the first social contact and the second social contact in the social network external to the online social game; and

modifying a game state of the player of the online social game based on a combination of whether the location adjacency metric indicates that the first location and the second location are within a first predetermined distance and whether the social adjacency metric indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance, the game state corresponding to a numerical value.