Adaptive difficulty in a multiplayer gaming environment

• US 9,415,305 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cudak, Gary D., Hardee, Christopher J., Humes, Randall C., Roberts, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAY, BRANDON RAMON
• Application Number:
  US13/402,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20130225260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/23, 463/40, 463/42
• 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 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for adapting game difficulty through dynamic map generation in a multi-player gaming environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for adapting game difficulty through dynamic map generation in a multi-player gaming environment is provided. The method includes creating in memory of a computer a multi-player gaming environment. The method also includes identifying a player in the multi-player gaming environment, looking up performance data of the identified player and correlating the performance data of the identified player with a feature of the multi-player gaming environment. Finally, the method includes modifying the multi-player gaming environment to account for the correlated feature.

Claims

1. A method for adapting game difficulty through dynamic map generation in a multi-player gaming environment, the method comprising:

creating in memory of a computer a multi-player gaming environment;

dynamically generating portions of the multi-player gaming environment for individual ones of players relevant to a current position of the individual ones of the players in the multi-player gaming environment;

identifying a player in the multi-player gaming environment;

looking up performance data of the identified player and correlating the performance data of the identified player with a feature of a portion of a game map of the multi-player gaming environment relevant to a current position of the identified player; and

,

modifying the portion of the game map of the multi-player gaming environment in response to the correlated performance data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance data comprises an instance when the identified player is defeated in the multi-player gaming environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance data comprises an instance when the identified player is eliminated from playing in the multi-player gaming environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the feature is a topographical feature of a dynamically generated map for the multi-player gaming environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the feature is a geographical feature of a dynamically generated map for the multi-player gaming environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-player gaming environment is modified by removing the correlated feature from the multi-player gaming environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-player gaming environment is modified by weighting the correlated feature to reduce but not eliminate a presence of the feature from the multi-player gaming environment.

8. A multi-player gaming data processing system comprising:

a host computer with memory and at least one processor;

a game server executing in the memory of the host computer and providing a multi-player gaming environment for different players accessible over a computer communications network, wherein portions of the multi-player gaming environment are dynamically generated for individual ones of the players relevant to a current position of the individual ones of the players in the multi-player gaming environment; and

,

a game difficulty adaptation module coupled to the game server, the module comprising program code enabled to identify a player in the multi-player gaming environment, to look up performance data of the identified player and correlate the performance data of the identified player with a feature of a portion of a game map of the multi-player gaming environment relevant to a current position of the identified player, and to modify the portion of the game map of the multi-player gaming environment in response to the correlated performance data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the performance data comprises an instance when the identified player is defeated in the multi-player gaming environment.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the performance data comprises an instance when the identified player is eliminating from playing in the multi-player gaming environment.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the feature is a feature of a dynamically generated map for the multi-player gaming environment.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the multi-player gaming environment is modified by removing the correlated feature from the multi-player gaming environment.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the multi-player gaming environment is modified by weighting the correlated feature to reduce but not eliminate a presence of the feature from the multi-player gaming environment.

14. A computer program product for adapting game difficulty through dynamic map generation in a multi-player gaming environment, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage memory having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code for creating in memory of a computer a multi-player gaming environment;

computer readable program code for dynamically generating portions of the multi-player gaming environment for individual ones of players relevant to a current position of the individual ones of the players in the multi-player gaming environment;

computer readable program code for identifying a player in the multi-player gaming environment;

computer readable program code for looking up performance data of the identified player and correlating the performance data of the identified player with a feature of a portion of a game map of the multi-player gaming environment relevant to a current position of the identified player; and

,

computer readable program code for modifying the portion of the game map of the multi-player gaming environment in response to the correlated performance data.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the performance data comprises an instance when the identified player is defeated in the multi-player gaming environment.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the performance data comprises an instance when the identified player is eliminating from playing in the multi-player gaming environment.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the feature is a topographical feature of a dynamically generated map for the multi-player gaming environment.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the feature is a geographical feature of a dynamically generated map for the multi-player gaming environment.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the multi-player gaming environment is modified by removing the correlated feature from the multi-player gaming environment.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the multi-player gaming environment is modified by weighting the correlated feature to reduce but not eliminate a presence of the feature from the multi-player gaming environment.