Time-shifted multiplayer game

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9259652-B2
Application number	US-201313787562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	Mar 6, 2013
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method provides a game for a first player. The method receives timing information for a second player that competed in a first instance of the game participated in by the second player and determines a set of parameters for an opponent in a second instance of the game based on the timing information. The second player started competing in the first instance of the game before the second instance of the game is started. Then, the opponent is created based on the set of parameters for the second instance of the game. After which, the method provides the second instance of the game in which the first player competes with the opponent. The opponent is automatically controlled in the second instance of the game by a game controller to perform according to the set of parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing a game for a first player, the method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, timing information for a second player that competed in a first instance of the game participated in by the second player, wherein the timing information is received based on the second player competing in a portion of the game, the portion comprising a subset of a completion of the game;
receiving, by a computing device, a skill level for the second player that competed in the first instance of the game participated in by the second player, wherein the skill level is based on characteristics of game play;
determining, by the computing device, a set of parameters for an artificial intelligence (AI) controlled opponent in a second instance of the game based on the timing information and the skill level, wherein the second player started competing in the first instance of the game before the second instance of the game is started;
creating, by the computing device, the AI controlled opponent based on the set of parameters for the second instance of the game; and
providing, by the computing device, the second instance of the game in which the first player competes with the AI controlled opponent, wherein a performance of the AI controlled opponent is automatically controlled during the second instance of the game, wherein providing the second instance of the game comprises dynamically altering the set of parameters during game play of the second instance of the game to configure the AI controlled opponent to achieve a same time in the second instance of the game as that received by the second player in the first instance of the game.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the second instance of the game comprises:
setting the set of parameters as an initial condition for the AI controlled opponent, wherein a time for the AI controlled opponent in the second instance of the game depends on game play of the second instance of the game.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the time for the AI controlled opponent in the second instance of the game is different from the time received by the second player in the first instance of the game.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the set of parameters comprises:
mapping the timing information for the second player to the skill level for the AI controlled opponent, wherein the skill level is based on a prediction that the AI controlled opponent will achieve a time received by the second player in the first instance of the game.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining a performance level used in the first instance of the game by the second player; and
applying the performance level in the mapping to determine the skill level such that the AI controlled opponent is performing at a similar performance level used in the first instance of the game.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the set of parameters comprises:
mapping skill levels in the timing information for a set of opponents in the first instance of the game to the skill level for the AI controlled opponent in the second instance of the game, wherein the skill level for the AI controlled opponent is based on a result of the first instance of the game between the set of opponents and the second player.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
simulating a plurality of opponents in a simulated game to determine a plurality of predicted times for completing the game for the plurality of opponents, wherein each of the plurality of opponents is associated with a different set of parameters; and
determining the set of parameters for the AI controlled opponent in the second instance of the game using at least a portion of the set of parameters associated with the plurality of opponents and at least a portion of the plurality of predicted times.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining the set of parameters comprises:
determining one or more opponents in the plurality of opponents based on a comparison of the timing information for the second player and the predicted times for the one or more opponents; and
interpolating the skill level for the AI controlled opponent in the second instance of the game based on the predicted times and the skill levels for the one or more opponents and the timing information for the second player.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
Receiving the characteristics of game play for the first instance of the first game; and
using the characteristics of game play to control the AI controlled opponent in the second instance of the game.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the game comprises a car racing game,
the second player raced a first car in the first instance of the car racing game,
the first player is racing a second car in the second instance of the car racing game; and
the AI controlled opponent is racing a third car in the second instance of the car racing game.

11. A method of providing a racing game for a first player, the method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, a second player's timing information for a race using a first racing entity in a first instance of the racing game participated in by the second player, wherein the timing information is received based on the second player competing in the portion of the racing game, the portion comprising a subset of the completion of the racing game;
mapping, by the computing device, the second player's time to the skill level for a second racing entity in a second instance of the racing game based on the characteristics of game play and a mapping table of skill levels to predicted times for the racing game for opponents in the racing game, wherein the first instance of the racing game is completed by the second player before the second instance of the racing game is started;
creating, by the computing device, the second racing entity for the second instance of the racing game based on the skill level, wherein creating comprises:
simulating a plurality of opponents in a simulated game to determine the predicted times for completing the racing game for the plurality of opponents, wherein each of the plurality of opponents is associated with a different skill level; and
determining a set of parameters for the second racing entity in the second instance of the game using the skill levels associated with the plurality of opponents and at least a portion of the predicted times for completing the racing game, wherein determining the set of parameters comprises:
determining one or more opponents in the plurality of opponents based on a comparison of the timing information for the second player's time and the predicted times for the one or more opponents; and
interpolating the skill level for the second racing entity in the second instance of the game based on the associated predicted times and skill levels for the one or more opponents and the second player's time; and

providing, by the computing device, the second instance of the racing game in which the first player races a third racing entity that competes with the second racing entity, wherein the second racing entity is automatically controlled in the second instance of the racing game by a game controller to perform according to the skill level, and wherein in providing the second instance of the game, the method further comprises dynamically altering the skill level of the second racing entity during game play of the second instance of the game such that the second racing entity achieves the second player's time in the second instance of the game.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein providing the second instance of the

Assignees

• Electronic Arts Inc
• Electronic Arts Inc

Inventors

• Woodman Kynan
• Uniacke Ian

Classifications

• A63F13/803

  Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks · CPC title

• A63F13/67 Primary

  adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use · CPC title

• A63F13/44 Primary

  involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot · CPC title

• A63F9/143

  electric · CPC title

• A63F13/95

  Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges · CPC title