Sequencing and locations of selected virtual objects to trigger targeted game actions

• US 9,757,650 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Mehra, Sumit, Patel, Sagar, Lai, Peter Pao, Bai, Sora, Baack, David, Lee, Katherine
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US14/572,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20160067601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/67 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 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence

Abstract

A system, a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method are described herein for a Game Action Trigger Module (GATM) for trigger game actions. The GATM generates a virtual gaming environment comprising a concurrent display of a tile board and a game world separate from the tile board. The GATM receives a selection of a sequence of tile board virtual objects. The GATM identifies a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence. The GATM identifies a target game world virtual object based on the location of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence. The GATM applies a game action to the target game world virtual object.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating, via at least one processor, a virtual gaming environment comprising concurrent display of a tile board and a game world separate from the tile board, the tile board comprising a plurality of tile board virtual objects, wherein a first game engine for the tile board differs from a second game engine for the game world;

receiving from a player in the virtual gaming environment, via the tile board, a selection of a sequence of tile board virtual objects;

identifying, by operation of the first game engine, a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence;

identifying, by operation of the second game engine, a target game world virtual object based on the location of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence; and

applying, by operation of the second game engine, a game action to the target game world virtual object, wherein applying the game action comprises;

generating animation data representative of the game action, the animation data for display of an animation beginning at a target game world character and completing at the target game world virtual object, the animation rendered along an axis common to the location of the particular tile board virtual object and a location of the target game world virtual object in the game world; and

causing display of the animation data representative of the game action.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying a target game world virtual object based on the location of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a target game world virtual object having a position in alignment with a position of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein generating a virtual gaming environment comprising concurrent display of a tile board and a game world separate from the tile board comprises:

rendering the tile board and the game world within a shared grid.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein identifying a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a horizontal identifier on the shared grid of the particular tile board virtual object; and

wherein identifying a target game world virtual object having a position in alignment with a position of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises;

identifying the target game world virtual object based on the target game world virtual object being positioned at a same horizontal identifier on the shared grid as the horizontal identifier of the particular tile board virtual object.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a location of a last tile board virtual objected selected for inclusion in the selected sequence; and

identifying the axis based on the location of the last tile board object selected for inclusion.

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

receiving a player skill level for the player, the player skill level based at least on a plurality of game moves in a first game level of the virtual gaming environment completed by the player;

modifying at least one attribute of a second game level of the virtual gaming environment based on the player skill level prior to game play of the player in the second game level;

identifying a difference between a current rate of progression of the player through the second game level and a reference rate of progression for the second game level; and

triggering the modified attribute of the second game level according to an extent of the difference between the current rate of progression and the reference rate of progression.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein modifying at least one attribute of a second game level of the virtual gaming environment based on the player skill level prior to game play of the player in the second game level comprises at least one of:

modifying at least one attribute of the tile board; and

modifying at last one attribute of the game world.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

generating a virtual gaming environment comprising concurrent display of a tile board and a game world separate from the tile board, the tile board comprising a plurality of tile board virtual objects, wherein a first game engine for the tile board differs from a second game engine for the game world;

receiving from a player in the virtual gaming environment, via the tile board, a selection of a sequence of tile board virtual objects;

identifying, by operation of the first game engine, a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence;

identifying, by operation of the second game engine, a target game world virtual object based on the location of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence; and

applying, by operation of the second game engine, a game action to the target game world virtual object, wherein applying the game action comprises;

generating animation data representative of the game action, the animation data for display of an animation beginning at a target game world character and completing at the target game world virtual object, the animation rendered along an axis common to the location of the particular tile board virtual object and a location of the target game world virtual object in the game world; and

causing display of the animation data representative of the game action.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein identifying a target game world virtual object based on the location of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a target game world virtual object having a position in alignment with a position of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein generating a virtual gaming environment comprising concurrent display of a tile board and a game world separate from the tile board comprises:

rendering the tile board and the game world within a shared grid.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein identifying a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a horizontal identifier on the shared grid of the particular tile board virtual object; and

wherein identifying a target game world virtual object having a position in alignment with a position of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises;

identifying the target game world virtual object based on the target game world virtual object being positioned at a same horizontal identifier on the shared grid as the horizontal identifier of the particular tile board virtual object.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein identifying a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a location of a last tile board virtual objected selected for inclusion in the selected sequence.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying the axis based on the location of the last tile board object selected for inclusion.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, comprising:

modifying a game state of the virtual gaming environment based on the game action; and

sending the modified game state to a server computing device.

15. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory device holding an instruction set executable on the processor to cause the computer system to perform operations comprising;

generating a virtual gaming environment comprising concurrent display of a tile board and a game world separate from the tile board, the tile board comprising a plurality of tile board virtual objects, wherein a first game engine for the tile board differs from a second game engine for the game world;

receiving from a player in the virtual gaming environment, via the tile board, a selection of a sequence of tile board virtual objects;

identifying, by operation of the first game engine, a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence;

identifying, by operation of the second game engine, a target game world virtual object based on the location of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence;

applying, by operation of the second game engine, a game action to the target game world virtual object, wherein applying the game action comprises;

generating animation data representative of the game action, the animation data for display of an animation beginning at a target game world character and completing at the target game world virtual object, the animation rendered along an axis common to the location of the particular tile board virtual object and a location of the target game world virtual object in the game world; and

causing display of the animation data representative of the game action.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein identifying a target game world virtual object based on the location of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a target game world virtual object having a position in alignment with a position of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein generating a virtual gaming environment comprising concurrent display of a tile board and a game world separate from the tile board comprises:

rendering the tile board and the game world within a shared grid.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein identifying a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a horizontal identifier on the shared grid of the particular tile board virtual object; and

wherein identifying a target game world virtual object having a position in alignment with a position of the particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises;

identifying the target game world virtual object based on the target game world virtual object being positioned at a same horizontal identifier on the shared grid as the horizontal identifier of the particular tile board virtual object.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein identifying a location of a particular tile board virtual object in the selected sequence comprises:

identifying a location of a last tile board virtual objected selected for inclusion in the selected sequence.

20. The computer system of claim 19, further comprising:

identifying the axis based on the location of the last tile board object selected for inclusion.