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

• US 9,501,203 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• 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:
  US13/162,027
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 709/225
• 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 storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented 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 a social game are identified, where the first virtual object is associated with a first social contact of a 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 for modifying a game state of a player of a social game, comprising:

receiving, from a device of the player by a hardware-implemented communication module, a selection of a first location for a first virtual object and a second location for a second virtual object in a virtual world of a social game, the first virtual object representing a first social contact of the player of the social game and the second virtual object representing a second social contact of the player of the social game;

positioning, on a user interface of the social game, the first virtual object representing the first social contact at the first location and the second virtual object representing the second social contact at the second location;

determining, by a hardware-implemented location module, a location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object using the first location and the second location, the location adjacency metric being a function of a distance between the first location and the second location in the virtual world;

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 social distance of a social connection in a social network external to the social game between the first social contact and the second social contact of the player;

determining whether the first social contact and the second social contact of the player have an explicitly identified social connection within the social game in addition to the social connection in the social network external to the 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;

based on the first social contact and the second social contact having the explicitly identified social connection within the social game and the social connection in the social network external to the social game, weighting the social adjacency metric to reflect existence of both the explicitly identified social connection within the social game and the social connection in the social network external to the social game; and

modifying, by a processor of a machine, the game state of the player of the social game, the modifying comprising updating the user interface to reflect adjusting of a game score of the player based on the location adjacency metric and the social adjacency metric.

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 1, wherein the social network is established in connection with a social networking system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social network is established within the social game.

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 is determined by the player.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the score of the player comprises increasing the game score of the player when the location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object indicates that the first location and the second location are within a first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and when the social adjacency metric for the first social contact and the second social contact indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the score of the player comprises decreasing the game score of the player when the location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object indicates that the first location and the second location are not within a first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and when the social adjacency metric for the first social contact and the second social contact indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

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

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

10. 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.

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

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the social connection in the social network external to the social game is different from the explicitly identified social connection within the social game.

13. A system to modify a game state of a player of a social game, comprising:

a processor of a machine;

a communication module configured to receive, from a device of the player, a selection of a first location for a first virtual object and a second location for a second virtual object in a virtual world of a social game, the first virtual object representing a first social contact of the player of the social game and the second virtual object representing a second social contact of the player of the social game, the first virtual object being positioned at the first location and the second virtual object being positioned at the second location on a user interface of the social game;

a location module configured to

determine a location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object using the first location and the second location, the location adjacency metric being a function of a distance between the first location and the second location in the virtual world;

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 social distance of a social connection in a social network external to the social game between the first social contact and the second social contact of the player;

determine whether the first social contact and the second social contact of the player have an explicitly identified social connection within the social game in addition to the social connection in the social network external to the 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;

based on the first social contact and the second social contact having the explicitly identified social connection within the social game and the social connection in the social network external to the social game, weigh the social adjacency metric to reflect existence of both the explicitly identified social connection within the social game and the social connection in the social network external to the social game, and

a game module configured to modify, using the processor of the machine, the game state of the player, the modifying comprising updating the user interface to reflect adjusting of a game score of the player based on the location adjacency metric and the social adjacency metrics.

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 13, wherein the social network is established in connection with a social networking system.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first location of the first virtual object and the second location of the second virtual object in the virtual world is determined by the player.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the adjusting of the score of for the player comprises increasing the game score of the player when the location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object indicates that the first location and the second location are within a first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and when the social adjacency metric for the first social contact and the second social contact indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the adjusting of the score of the player comprises decreasing the game score of the player when the location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object indicates that the first location and the second location are not within a first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and when the social adjacency metric for the first social contact and the second social contact indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein when modifying the game state of the player based on the location adjacency metric and the social adjacency metric, the game module is further configured to increase the value by increasing a happiness metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object when the location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object indicates that the first location and the second location are within a first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and when the social adjacency metric for the first social contact and the second social contact indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein when modifying the game state for the player based on the location adjacency metric and the social adjacency metric, the game module is further configured to decrease the value by decreasing a happiness metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object when the location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object indicates that the first location and the second location are not within a first predetermined distance of each other in the virtual world and when the social adjacency metric for the first social contact and the second social contact indicates that the first social contact and the second social contact are within a second predetermined social distance of each other in the social network.

21. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a device of player, a selection of a first location for a first virtual object and a second location for a second virtual object in a virtual world of a social game, the first virtual object representing a first social contact of a player of the social game and the second virtual object representing a second social contact of the player of the social game;

positioning, on a user interface of the social game, the first virtual object representing the first social contact at the first location and the second virtual object representing the second social contact at the second location;

determining a location adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object using the first location and the second location, the location adjacency metric being a function of a distance between the first location and the second location in the virtual world;

determining a social adjacency metric for the first virtual object and the second virtual object, the social adjacency metric being a function of a social distance of a social connection in a social network external to the social game between the first social contact and the second social contact of the player;

determining whether the first social contact and the second social contact of the player have an explicitly identified social connection within the social game in addition to the social connection in the social network external to the 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;

based on the first social contact and the second social contact having the explicitly identified social connection within the social game and the social connection in the social network external to the social game, weighting the social adjacency metric to reflect existence of both the explicitly identified social connection within the social game and the social connection in the social network external to the social game; and

modifying a game state for the player, the modifying comprising updating the user interface to reflect adjusting of a game score of the player based on the location adjacency metric and the social adjacency metric.