TOUCH CONTROL WITH DYNAMIC ZONES AND DISPLAYED ELEMENTS

• US 20170113137A1
• Filed: 01/03/2017
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wargaming.Net Limited
• Original Assignee: Wargaming.Net LLP
• Inventors: Alexeev, Alexey, Drozd, Stepan
• Granted Patent: US 10,029,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• 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 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing user control of objects or vehicles simulated in a simulated environment or virtual world are described herein. The user control may include various types of touch controls that may be used by a player to move the object or vehicle in a direction and/or at a velocity. The user, in some embodiments, may be able to select which type of touch control is used in the user interface. In some arrangements, the touch control may include a touch zone arrangement that can be changed based on a condition of the virtual world or a player interaction with a user interface. Additionally, in some embodiments, the user control may include one or more controls for removing one or more statuses that may be received by the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a user interface for a virtual world that includes a touch control having a touch zone arrangement in which a user may press to control an object of the virtual world; and

changing, responsive to one of a condition of the virtual world and a user interaction with the user interface, the touch control to have a different touch zone arrangement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the condition of the virtual world and the user interaction with the user interface includes a change from a first viewing mode to a second viewing mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the condition of the virtual world and the user interaction with the user interface the user pressing within a touch zone of the touch zone arrangement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the touch control to have the different touch zone arrangement includes increasing a size of a touch zone of the touch zone arrangement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the touch control to have the different touch zone arrangement includes decreasing a size of a dead zone of the touch zone arrangement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, settings that specify a type of the touch control and the placement of the touch control; and

wherein generating the user interface comprises generating the touch control based on the settings.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch control comprises a plurality of touch control elements of which only one is displayed at a given time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch control comprises a dissected touch control.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a visual indicator indicating a direction and velocity the object is moving.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying the visual indicator if in a first viewing mode;

changing from the first viewing mode to a second viewing mode; and

displaying another visual indicator indicating the direction and velocity the object is moving if in the second viewing mode.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving a first gesture input from a user;

responsive to receiving the first gesture input, generating, as part of a user interface for a virtual world, a first touch control element of a dissected touch control at a first location;

controlling an object of the virtual world based on the first touch control element;

receiving a second gesture input from the user;

responsive to receiving the second gesture input, generating, as part of the user interface, a second touch control element of the dissected touch control at a second location different from the first location; and

controlling the object based on the first touch control element.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

changing, responsive to one of a condition of the virtual world and user interaction with the user interface, the touch control to have a different touch zone arrangement

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one of the condition of the virtual world and user interaction with the user interface includes (a) a change from a first viewing mode to a second viewing mode or (b) the user pressing within one or more touch zones associated with the first touch control element or the second touch control element.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein changing the touch control to have the different touch zone arrangement includes (a) increasing a size of one or more touch zones associated with the first touch control element or the second touch control element or (b) decreasing a size of a dead zone.