System and method for providing speed-up quest offers to users during idle time

• US 9,457,264 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Yu, Chris, Chanthasiriphan, Kevin, Tsao, Bryan, Kim, John, Chyou, Wynne
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US14/203,411
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• 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 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• 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 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

A system and method for executing an instance of an online game to facilitate participation of the user in the online game. The system and method include executing actions in the instance of the online game that are delayed from reception of corresponding action requests by wait times associated with the actions. The system and method include effectuating presentation of speed-up quest offers to the user for wait times that are open. The system and method include detecting successful performance of speed-up quests by the user in the online game and implementing speed-ups associated with the speed-up quest offers on open wait times in the online game in response to successful performance of offered speed-up quests by the user in the online game. The system and method include in response to detection of successful performance of the first quest in the online game during the first open wait time implementing a first speed-up by reducing the first open wait time.

Claims

1. A system configured to speed up game actions requiring a wait time in an online game, the system comprising:

one or more physical computer processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

manage user profiles of one or more users of the online game;

execute an instance of the online game, and to implement the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of the user in the online game via a client computing platform, wherein facilitating participation in the online game includes executing actions in the instance of the online game in response to receiving action requests from the user, and wherein execution of the actions are delayed from reception of corresponding action requests by wait times associated with the actions;

effectuate presentation on the client computing platform of speed-up quest offers to the user for wait times that are open, wherein a first speed-up quest offer sets forth a first quest performable by the user in the online game during a first open wait time for an associated first action requested by the user;

generate a speed-up quest offer notification to be presented on the client computing platform, wherein the notification includes a first quest activity type and a first quest speed-up factor or a first quest speed-up time configured to advance the first action requiring the first open wait time within the instance of the online game;

detect successful performance of speed-up quests by the user in the online game; and

implement speed-ups associated with the speed-up quest offers on open wait times in the online game in response to successful performance of offered speed-up quests by the user in the online game such that in response to detection of successful performance of the first quest in the online game during the first open wait time, a first speed-up is implemented by reducing the first open wait time.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured to manage one or more speed-up quest offers per user.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured to manage more than one speed-up quest offer per user, and to effectuate presentation of a speed-up quest offer wall rendering on the client computing platform, the speed-up quest offer wall rendering including detailed information about individual ones of the multiple speed-up quest offers.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the online game is a strategy game and the speed-up quest offer is not configured to be activated by payment or use of game resources or hovering over an icon or watching advertising or winning a luck game.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the online game is a strategy game and the game action that requires an associated game wait time is building a base.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the online game is a strategy game and the game action that requires an associated game wait time is training troops.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the game action that requires an associated game wait time is performing an upgrade.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions such that a single queue exists for the game action that requires an associated game wait time.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions such that multiple queues exist for the game action that requires a respective game wait time.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions such that multiple queues for multiple game actions exist, each of which requires a respective game wait time.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the speed-up quest offer includes an option for the user to select engagement in a quest that is separate from the game action that requires an associated game wait time.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to determine whether to generate a speed-up quest offer, based upon the instance of the online game.

13. The system of claim 1 further wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to determine whether to generate a speed-up quest offer, based upon a level associated with a game entity associated with and/or controlled by the user.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to track a remaining action time of the game wait time.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to generate a speed-up quest offer based upon a remaining action time of the game wait time.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to educate the user of what a speed-up quest offer feature is.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to:

generate a speed-up quest offer that is automatically issued to the game entity when the game entity performs the speed-up quest activity unbeknownst to the user until the speed-up quest activity is completed;

generate a notification that the game entity has achieved the speed-up quest; and

generate a notification of an amount of speed-up time gained.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the speed-up quest offer includes an option for the user to select engagement in a quest that is separate from the game action that requires an associated game wait time, and the quest includes defeating a player or helping an alliance member.

19. A system configured to speed up game actions requiring a wait time in an online game, the system comprising:

one or more physical computer processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

manage user profiles of one or more users of the online game;

execute an instance of the online game, and to implement the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of the user in the online game via a client computing platform, wherein facilitating participation in the online game includes executing actions in the instance of the online game in response to receiving action requests from the user, and wherein execution of the actions are delayed from reception of corresponding action requests by wait times associated with the actions;

effectuate presentation on the client computing platform of speed-up quest offers to the user for wait times that are open, wherein a first speed-up quest offer sets forth a first quest performable by the user in the online game during a first open wait time for an associated first action requested by the user;

generate a speed-up quest offer notification to be presented on the client computing platform, wherein the notification includes information that includes a speed-up time amount notification configured to notify the user that the first action that requires a respective game wait time including the first open wait time may be sped up or has been sped up by a time that is scaled depending on difficulty of a mission of the first quest, and the speed-up time amount roughly represents about 5-10% of the first open wait time; and

implement speed-ups associated with the speed-up quest offers on open wait times in the online game in response to successful performance of offered speed-up quests by the user in the online game such that in response to detection of successful performance of the first quest in the online game during the first open wait time, a first speed-up is implemented by reducing the first open wait time.

20. A computer-implemented method for speeding up game activity requiring a wait time in an online game, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical processors and storage media storing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

managing user profiles of one or more users of the online game;

executing an instance of the online game;

implementing the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of the user in the online game;

executing actions in the instance of the online game in response to receiving action requests from the user, wherein execution of the actions are delayed from reception of corresponding action requests by wait times associated with the actions;

effectuating presentation on the client computing platform of speed-up quest offers to the user for wait times that are open, wherein a first speed-up quest offer sets forth a first quest performable by the user in the online game during a open first wait time for an associated first action requested by the user;

generating a speed-up quest offer notification to be presented on the client computing platform, wherein the notification includes a first quest activity type and a first quest speed-up factor or a first quest speed-up time configured to advance the first action requiring the first wait time within the instance of the online game;

detecting successful performance of speed-up quests by the user in the online game; and

implementing speed-ups associated with the speed-up quest offers on open wait times in the online game in response to successful performance of offered speed-up quests by the user in the online game such that in response to detection of successful performance of the first quest in the online game during the first open wait time, implementing a first speed-up by reducing the first open wait time.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising managing one or more speed-up quest offers per user.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising managing more than one speed-up quest offer per user, and to effectuate presentation of a speed-up quest offer wall rendering on the client computing platform, the speed-up quest offer wall rendering including detailed information about individual ones of the multiple speed-up quest offers.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the online game is a strategy game and the speed-up quest offer is not configured to be activated by payment or use of game resources or hovering over an icon or watching advertising or winning a luck game.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the online game is a strategy game and the game action that requires an associated game wait time is building a base.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the online game is a strategy game and the game action that requires an associated game wait time is training troops.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the game action that requires an associated game wait time is performing an upgrade.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein a single queue exists for the game action that requires an associated game wait time.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein multiple queues exist for the game action that requires a respective game wait time.

29. The method of claim 20 wherein multiple queues exist for multiple game actions, each of which requires a respective game wait time.

30. The method of claim 20 wherein the speed-up quest offer includes an option for the user to select engagement in a quest that is separate from the game action that requires an associated game wait time.

31. The method of claim 20 further comprising determining whether to generate a speed-up quest offer, based upon a level associated with a game entity associated with and/or controlled by the user.

32. The method of claim 20 further comprising determining whether to generate a speed-up quest offer, based upon a level associated with a character of the user.

33. The method of claim 20 further comprising tracking a remaining action time of the game wait time.

34. The method of claim 20 further comprising generating a speed-up quest offer based upon a remaining action time of the game wait time.

35. The method of claim 20 further comprising educating the user of what a speed-up quest offer feature is.

36. The method of claim 20 further comprising generating a speed-up quest offer that is automatically issued to the game entity when the game entity performs the speed-up quest activity unbeknownst to the user until the speed-up quest activity is completed, and wherein the method further comprises:

generating a notification that the game entity has achieved the speed-up quest; and

generating a notification of an amount of speed-up time gained.

37. The method of claim 20 wherein the speed-up quest offer includes an option for the user to select engagement in a quest that is separate from the game action that requires an associated game wait time, and the quest includes defeating a player or helping an alliance member.

38. A method for speeding up game activity requiring a wait time in an online game, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical processors and storage media storing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

managing user profiles of one or more users of the online game;

executing an instance of the online game;

implementing the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of the user in the online game;

executing actions in the instance of the online game in response to receiving action requests from the user, wherein execution of the actions are delayed from reception of corresponding action requests by wait times associated with the actions;

effectuating presentation on the client computing platform of speed-up quest offers to the user for wait times that are open, wherein a first speed-up quest offer sets forth a first quest performable by the user in the online game during a open first wait time for an associated first action requested by the user;

generating a speed-up quest offer notification to be presented on the client computing platform, wherein the notification includes information that includes a speed-up time amount notification configured to notify the user that the first action that requires a respective game wait time including the first open wait time may be sped up or has been sped up by a time that is scaled depending on difficulty of a mission of the first quest, and the speed-up time amount roughly represents about 5-10% of the first open wait time; and

detecting successful performance of speed-up quests by the user in the online game; and

implementing speed-ups associated with the speed-up quest offers on open wait times in the online game in response to successful performance of offered speed-up quests by the user in the online game such that in response to detection of successful performance of the first quest in the online game during the first open wait time, implementing a first speed-up by reducing the first open wait time.