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

• US 10,252,168 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Inventors: Desanti, Brian, Ernst, Tim, Hawk, Travis, Kawahata, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US15/469,271
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• 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 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface

Abstract

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

Claims

1. A method, executed at least in part on a computing platform, for granting bonuses to a user'"'"'s in-game persona, wherein the computing platform is associated with the user, the method comprising:

presenting an interface to the user via the computing platform, wherein the interface is configured to enable the user to place a first virtual item in a first slot within the interface, the first virtual item comprising a first quality value and a first level value;

establishing, responsive to the user placing the first virtual item in the first slot within the interface, one or more quality bonuses based on the first quality value;

establishing a level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses;

causing the interface to offer the user an opportunity to risk whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken;

determining whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken;

responsive to the first virtual item being upgraded, increasing the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses;

responsive to the first virtual item being broken, decreasing the one or more quality bonuses and the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses;

modifying the one or more quality bonuses and the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses based in part on a bonus weighting value associated with the first slot; and

providing (i) the one or more quality bonuses, and (ii) the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses to the user'"'"'s in-game persona.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input by the user over a network from the computing platform, to place the first virtual item in the first slot within the interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses is based on the first level value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the interface to offer the user the ability to increase a likelihood of the first virtual item being upgraded by providing a second virtual item, wherein determining whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken is performed responsive to an acceptance by the user of the offer to increase the likelihood of the first virtual object being upgraded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more quality bonuses form a set of quality bonuses, wherein the set of quality bonuses is associated with the first virtual item, and wherein establishing the level bonus is performed for each of the one or more quality bonuses in the set of quality bonuses.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the interface to offer a second offer to the user the ability to enhance the one or more quality bonuses;

responsive to an acceptance of the second offer and a determination that the first virtual item is enhanced, adding an additional quality bonus to the one or more quality bonuses; and

responsive to the acceptance of the second offer and a determination that the first virtual item is being broken, decreasing the one or more quality bonuses and the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken comprises:

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

generating a random number; and

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

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer to risk whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken includes a requirement that the user pay an amount of virtual currency to accept the offer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer to risk whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken includes an option for the user to prevent the first virtual item from breaking by providing a second virtual item.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

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

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

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

offering, to the user, the ability to repair the first virtual item if it is broken, wherein the offer to repair the first virtual item includes a requirement that the user pay an amount of virtual currency or virtual items to accept the offer;

repairing the broken item responsive to an acceptance of the offer to repair the broken item; and

increasing the one or more quality bonuses and the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses.

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

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

present an interface to the user via a computing platform associated with the user, wherein the interface is configured to enable the user to place a first virtual item in a first slot within the interface, the first virtual item comprising a first quality value and a first level value;

establish, responsive to the user placing the first virtual item in the first slot within the interface, one or more quality bonuses based on the first quality value;

establish a level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses;

cause the interface to offer the user an opportunity to risk whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken;

determine whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken;

responsive to the first virtual item being upgraded, increase the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses;

responsive to the first virtual item being broken, decrease the one or more quality bonuses and the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses;

modify the one or more quality bonuses and the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses based at least in part on a bonus weighting value associated with the first slot; and

provide (i) the one or more quality bonuses, and (ii) the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses to the user'"'"'s in-game persona.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to receive input by the user over a network from the computing platform to place the first virtual item in the first slot within the interface.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to establish the level bonus for the one or more quality bonuses based on the first level value.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:

cause the interface to offer the user the ability to increase a likelihood of the first virtual item being upgraded by providing a second virtual item,

wherein determining whether the first virtual item is upgraded or broken is performed responsive to an acceptance by the user of the offer to increase the likelihood of the first virtual object being upgraded.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to provide an option for the user to prevent the first virtual item from breaking by providing virtual currency or a second virtual item.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to provide an option for the user to increase the likelihood of the first virtual item being upgraded by providing a virtual currency or a second virtual item.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:

determine a percentage likelihood of the upgrade being successful;

generate a random number;

upgrade the first virtual item if the random number is less than or equal to the percentage likelihood of the level value or the quality value being increased; and

break the first virtual item if the random number is greater than the percentage likelihood of the upgrade being successful.