System and method for granting in-game bonuses to a user

• US 9,675,891 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aftershock Services, Inc. (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Baxter, Thomas, Pieron, Luc, Rull, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US14/265,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20150306494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 463 31, 463 42
• 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 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence

Abstract

Disclosed herein is technology for providing in-game bonuses to a user'"'"'s in-game persona. The technology involves affiliation virtual items that provide quality-based bonuses and level based bonuses. The technology provides systems and methods for upgrading an affiliation virtual item'"'"'s level and/or enhancing the affiliation virtual item'"'"'s quality. If an upgrade or enhancement is unsuccessful, the affiliation virtual item may be broken and the quality bonuses and/or level bonuses may be decreased until the item is repaired.

Claims

1. A system for granting bonuses to a user'"'"'s in-game persona, the system comprising:

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

manage one or more affiliations within a game comprising a discrete group of users with a relationship having a functional significance within the game that has an impact on game play, wherein the affiliations have associated affiliation virtual items that provide a benefit to members of the affiliations, such that the one or more affiliations include a first affiliation having an associated first affiliation virtual item that provides a benefit to members of the first affiliation;

define an interface that allows a user to place the first affiliation virtual item in a first slot within the interface, the first affiliation virtual item comprising a first level value, wherein the first level value provides an associated first benefit level to the members of the first affiliation;

receive input by the user to place the first affiliation virtual item in the first slot;

establish, responsive to reception of the input, a set of one or more level bonuses based on the first level value;

cause the interface to offer the user the ability to upgrade the first affiliation virtual item;

determine, responsive to an acceptance of the offer, whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken;

increase each of the one or more level bonuses for the first affiliation virtual item responsive to the first affiliation virtual item being upgraded, wherein increasing each of the one or more level bonuses for the first affiliation virtual item increases each of the associated first benefit levels to the members of the first affiliation;

decrease each of the one or more level bonuses for the first affiliation virtual item responsive to the first affiliation virtual item being broken, wherein decreasing each of the one or more level bonuses for the first affiliation virtual item decreases each of the associated first benefit levels to the members of the first affiliation; and

,

provide each of the one or more level bonuses to the in-game personas of members of the first affiliation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the affiliation virtual item comprises a first quality value and the one or more physical computer processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to establish, responsive to reception of the input, a set of one or more quality bonuses based on the first quality value.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to establish, responsive to reception of the input, a level bonus for each of the one or more quality bonuses based on the first level value.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to increase the level bonus for each of the one or more quality bonuses responsive to the first virtual item being upgraded.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first affiliation virtual item is upgraded or broken requires:

assigning a percentage likelihood of the first affiliation virtual item being upgraded;

generating a random number; and

,

upgrading the first affiliation virtual item responsive to the random number being less than the percentage likelihood of the first affiliation virtual item being upgraded and breaking the first affiliation virtual item responsive to the random number being greater than the percentage likelihood.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to provide an offer to enhance the first affiliation virtual item to users, wherein the offer includes a requirement that the user pay an amount of virtual currency to accept the offer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to provide an option to the user to prevent the first affiliation virtual item from breaking by providing a second virtual item.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to provide an option to the user to increase the chance of the first affiliation virtual item being upgraded by providing a second virtual item.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:

allow the user to place a second virtual item in a second clot within the interface, the second virtual item comprising a second level value; and

,

provide, responsive to the user placing the second virtual item in the second slot, a third bonus based on the second level value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second virtual item comprises a second quality value and the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:

provide, responsive to the user placing the second virtual item in the second slot, a fourth bonus based on the second quality value.

11. A method for granting bonuses to a user'"'"'s in-game persona, the method performed using one or more physical computer processors, the method comprising:

managing one or more affiliations within a game comprising a discrete group of users with a relationship having a functional significance within the game that has an impact on game play, wherein the affiliations have associated affiliation virtual items that provide a benefit to members of the affiliations, such that the one or more affiliations include a first affiliation having an associated first affiliation virtual item that provides a benefit to members of the first affiliation;

defining an interface that allows a user to place the first affiliation virtual item in a first slot within the interface, the first affiliation virtual item comprising a first level value, wherein the first level value provides an associated first benefit level to the members of the first affiliation;

receiving input by the user to place the first affiliation virtual item in the first slot;

establishing, responsive to reception of the input, a set of one or more level bonuses based on the first level value;

causing the interface to offer the user the ability to upgrade the first affiliation virtual item;

determining, responsive to an acceptance of the offer, whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken;

increasing each of the one or more level bonuses for the first affiliation virtual item responsive to the first affiliation virtual item being upgraded, wherein increasing each of the one or more level bonuses for the first affiliation virtual item increases each of the associated first benefit levels to the members of the first affiliation;

decreasing each of the one or more level bonuses for the first affiliation virtual item responsive to the first affiliation virtual item being broken, wherein decreasing each of the one or more level bonuses for the first affiliation virtual item decreases each of the associated first benefit levels to the members of the first affiliation; and

,

providing each of the one or more level bonuses to the in-game personas of members of the first affiliation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the affiliation virtual item comprises a first quality value and the method further comprises:

establishing responsive to reception of the input, a set of one or more quality bonuses based on the first quality value.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising establishing, responsive to reception of the input, a level bonus for each of the one or more quality bonuses based on the first level value.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising increasing the level bonus for each of the one or more quality bonuses responsive to the first virtual item being upgraded.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the first affiliation virtual item is upgraded or broken requires:

assigning a percentage likelihood of the first affiliation virtual item being upgraded;

generating a random number; and

,

upgrading the first affiliation virtual item responsive to the random number being less than the percentage likelihood of the first affiliation virtual item being upgraded and breaking the first affiliation virtual item responsive to the random number being greater than the percentage likelihood.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing an offer to enhance the first affiliation virtual item to users, wherein the offer includes a requirement that the user pay an amount of virtual currency to accept the offer.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing an option to the user to prevent the first affiliation virtual item from breaking by providing a second virtual item.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing an option to the user to increase the chance of the first affiliation virtual item being upgraded by providing a second virtual item.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

allowing the user to place a second virtual item in a second clot within the interface, the second virtual item comprising a second level value; and

,

providing, responsive to the user placing the second virtual item in the second slot, a third bonus based on the second level value.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the second virtual item comprises a second quality value and the method further comprises:

providing, responsive to the user placing the second virtual item in the second slot, a fourth bonus based on the second quality value.