Dynamic player activity environment response

• US 9,766,773 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Crocker, John, Heatherly, Christopher, Makofsky, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Fibbi, Christopher J
• Application Number:
  US13/956,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20150040036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 715757, 715863, 715850
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/60 Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program
• 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: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products to provide responses to emergent group activities in an interactive environment, by monitoring actions of one or more avatars in the interactive environment, the one or more avatars being controlled by a respective user, detecting a first action matching a first action property in a first group activity template for a first group activity, of a plurality of group activity templates, determining that the first group activity is occurring in the interactive environment, and issuing to one or more components of the interactive environment, an indication to perform a respective predefined operation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to provide responses to emergent group activities in an interactive environment having a plurality of avatars, comprising:

monitoring actions of one or more avatars in the interactive environment, the one or more avatars being controlled by a respective user;

detecting a first action matching a first action property in a first group activity template for a first group activity, of a plurality of group activity templates, wherein the group activity templates define at least one action property for each respective group activity, wherein at least two avatars in the interactive environment participate in the first group activity;

detecting a subsequent set of actions that match a respective action property specified in the first group activity template;

computing a respective score for;

(i) the first action, and (ii) each action in the subsequent set of actions, wherein each score reflects a respective likelihood that the first group activity is occurring;

computing a composite score based on the respective scores computed for the first action and each action of the subsequent set of actions;

determining that the first group activity is occurring based on the composite score exceeding a composite score threshold specified in the first group activity template; and

responsive to determining that the first group activity is occurring, issuing to one or more components of the interactive environment by operation of one or more computer processors, an indication to perform a respective predefined operation, wherein the predefined operations are related to the first group activity and modify the interactive environment to enhance the first group activity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first group activity template specifies a weight for the first action used to compute the score for the first action, wherein the first group activity template specifies a respective weight for the first action and each subsequent action used to compute the composite score.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first component of the interactive environment comprises a notification component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the notification component comprises notifying one or more users that the first group activity is occurring in the interactive environment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a second component of the interactive environment comprises an object generation component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the object generation component comprises generating an object at a first location in the interactive environment to be used by the one or more avatars during the first group activity, wherein the first group activity is occurring at the first location in the interactive environment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a third component of the interactive environment comprises a map component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the map component comprises providing a marker at a first location on a map of the interactive environment indicating that the group activity is occurring at the first location in the interactive environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a second action property in the first group activity template comprises a time threshold specifying a maximum amount of time that can elapse after detecting the first action before determining that the first group activity is occurring in the interactive environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of group activity templates are created by one of:

(i) user input, and (ii) machine learning used to detect new group activities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions are monitored by an activity manager of the interactive environment configured to subscribe to an activity feed which communicates all actions occurring in the interactive environment, the method further comprising:

deactivating the first group activity upon determining that one or more termination criteria specified in the first group activity template for ending the first group activity are met.

9. A system, comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors, performs an operation to provide responses to emergent group activities in an interactive environment having a plurality of avatars, the operation comprising;

monitoring actions of one or more avatars in the interactive environment, the one or more avatars being controlled by a respective user;

detecting a first action matching a first action property in a first group activity template for a first group activity, of a plurality of group activity templates, wherein the group activity templates define at least one action property for each respective group activity, wherein at least two avatars in the interactive environment participate in the first group activity;

detecting a subsequent set of actions that match a respective action property specified in the first group activity template;

computing a respective score for;

(i) the first action, and (ii) each action in the subsequent set of actions, wherein each score reflects a respective likelihood that the first group activity is occurring;

computing a composite score based on the respective scores computed for the first action and each action of the subsequent set of actions;

determining that the first group activity is occurring based on the composite score exceeding a composite score threshold specified in the first group activity template; and

responsive to determining that the first group activity is occurring, issuing to one or more components of the interactive environment by operation of one or more computer processors, an indication to perform a respective predefined operation, wherein the predefined operations are related to the first group activity and modify the interactive environment to enhance the first group activity.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first group activity template specifies a weight for the first action used to compute the score for the first action, wherein the composite score reflects a likelihood that the first group activity is occurring, wherein the first group activity template specifies a respective weight for the first action and each subsequent action used to compute the composite score.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a first component of the interactive environment comprises a notification component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the notification component comprises notifying one or more users that the first group activity is occurring in the interactive environment.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a second component of the interactive environment comprises an object generation component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the object generation component comprises generating an object at a first location in the interactive environment to be used by the one or more avatars during the first group activity, wherein the first group activity is occurring at the first location in the interactive environment.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a third component of the interactive environment comprises a map component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the map component comprises providing a marker at a first location on a map of the interactive environment indicating that the group activity is occurring at the first location in the interactive environment.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein a second action property in the first group activity template comprises a time threshold specifying a maximum amount of time that can elapse after detecting the first action before determining that the first group activity is occurring in the interactive environment.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of group activity templates are created by one of:

(i) user input, and (ii) machine learning used to detect new group activities.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the actions are monitored by an activity manager of the interactive environment configured to subscribe to an activity feed which communicates all actions occurring in the interactive environment, the operation further comprising:

deactivating the first group activity upon determining that one or more termination criteria specified in the first group activity template for ending the first group activity are met.

17. A computer program product to provide responses to emergent group activities in an interactive environment having a plurality of avatars, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by a processor to perform an operation comprising;

monitoring actions of one or more avatars in the interactive environment, the one or more avatars being controlled by a respective user;

detecting a first action matching a first action property in a first group activity template for a first group activity, of a plurality of group activity templates, wherein the group activity templates define at least one action property for each respective group activity, wherein at least two avatars in the interactive environment participate in the first group activity;

detecting a subsequent set of actions that match a respective action property specified in the first group activity template;

computing a respective score for;

(i) the first action, and (ii) each action in the subsequent set of actions, wherein each score reflects a respective likelihood that the first group activity is occurring;

computing a composite score based on the respective scores computed for the first action and each action of the subsequent set of actions;

determining that the first group activity is occurring based on the composite score exceeding a composite score threshold specified in the first group activity template; and

responsive to determining that the first group activity is occurring, issuing to one or more components of the interactive environment by operation of one or more computer processors, an indication to perform a respective predefined operation, wherein the predefined operations are related to the first group activity and modify the interactive environment to enhance the first group activity.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first group activity template specifies a weight for the first action used to compute the score for the first action, wherein the composite score reflects a likelihood that the first group activity is occurring, wherein the first group activity template specifies a respective weight for the first action and each subsequent action used to compute the composite score.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a first component of the interactive environment comprises a notification component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the notification component comprises notifying one or more users that the first group activity is occurring in the interactive environment.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein a second component of the interactive environment comprises an object generation component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the object generation component comprises generating an object at a first location in the interactive environment to be used by the one or more avatars during the first group activity, wherein the first group activity is occurring at the first location in the interactive environment.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a third component of the interactive environment comprises a map component, wherein the respective predefined operation of the map component comprises providing a marker at a first location on a map of the interactive environment indicating that the group activity is occurring at the first location in the interactive environment.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a second action property in the first group activity template comprises a time threshold specifying a maximum amount of time that can elapse after detecting the first action before determining that the first group activity is occurring in the interactive environment.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of group activity templates are created by one of:

(i) user input, and (ii) machine learning used to detect new group activities.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the actions are monitored by an activity manager of the interactive environment configured to subscribe to an activity feed which communicates all actions occurring in the interactive environment, the operation further comprising:

deactivating the first group activity upon determining that one or more termination criteria specified in the first group activity template for ending the first group activity are met.