System and method for dynamically altering an in-game experience based on a user's connection to the game

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9744454-B1
Application number	US-201715402179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 9, 2017
Priority date	Oct 24, 2013
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

One aspect of the disclosure relates to dynamically altering an in-game experience based on a user's connection to the online game. The online game may monitor connection strength of a device of the user to a network via which the user may access the online game. The online game may dynamically alter the user's experience based on the connection strength of the device. The online game may make available or remove the availability of one or more modes of game play to the user based on the connection strength of the user's device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for dynamically altering an in-game experience based on a user's connection to the online game, the system comprising:
one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:
execute a game instance of a game space, and to facilitate presentation of views of the game space to users via client computing devices associated with the users, and to facilitate interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received from the client computing platforms due to inputs to the client computing platforms from the users and wherein the one or more users comprises a first user associated with a first client computing platform;
determine a connection strength of a device of the first client computing platform to a network; and
regardless of the geographical location of the first client computing platform perform a mode of gameplay determination by determining one or more modes of gameplay to be made available to the first user from a set of modes of gameplay in which individual ones of the modes of gameplay include different types of operations performable in the game instance in response to commands from the first client computing platform, the mode of gameplay determination being made based on the determined connection strength; and
enable and/or disable individual ones of the potential modes of gameplay for the first client computing platform in accordance with the mode of gameplay determination.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a non-transitory electronic storage media configured to store a threshold connection strength,
wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to perform the mode of gameplay determination responsive to the determined connection strength changing from being equal to or greater than the threshold connection strength to being less than the threshold connection strength.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:
increase emphasis of one or more features related to an available mode of gameplay in the online game in the views of the game space presented via the first client computing platform responsive to the change in the determined connection strength.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to alter availability of the determined by:
automatically changing from a user-versus-user mode of gameplay to a user-versus environment mode of gameplay responsive to the determined threshold connection strength changing from being equal to or greater than the threshold connection strength to being less than the threshold connection strength.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:
notify the user responsive to the determined connection strength changing from below the threshold connection strength to equal to or greater than the threshold connection strength.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to notify the user responsive to the determined connection strength being equal to or above threshold connection strength for a predetermined amount of time.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the determined connection strength is equal to or above the threshold connection strength, and wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to notify the first user that at least one of the modes of gameplay will not be available responsive to connection strength decreasing a predetermined amount in a predetermined amount of time.

8. The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:
determine latency of an operation in the game instance based on response time until a response is presented through the views of the game space to the user;
store information related to the determined connection strength during the user action;
responsive to one or more of: the latency exceeding a predetermined threshold, or the latency being outside a normal range of latencies, determine whether the determined connection strength associated with the user action is less than the threshold connection strength; and
responsive to the determined connection strength being less than the threshold connection strength, change the threshold connection strength to be the determined connection strength.

9. A computer-implemented method of dynamically altering an in-game experience based on a user's connection to the online game, the method being implemented on a computer system that includes one or more physical processors, the method comprising:
executing a game instance of a game space;
facilitating presentation of views of the game space to users via client computing devices associated with the users;
facilitating interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received from the client computing platforms due to inputs to the client computing platforms from the users, wherein the one or more users comprises a first user associated with a first client computing platform;
determining a connection strength of the first client computing platform to a network; and
regardless of the geographical location of the first client computing platform performing a mode of gameplay determination by determining one or more modes of gameplay to be made available to the first user from a set of modes of gameplay in which individual ones of the modes of gameplay include different types of operations performable in the game instance in response to commands from the first client computing platform, the mode of gameplay determination being made based on the determined connection strength; and
enabling and/or disabling individual ones of the potential modes of gameplay for the first client computing platform in accordance with the mode of gameplay determination.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
storing a threshold connection strength,
wherein performing the mode of gameplay determination comprises: determining individual ones of the modes of gameplay to be made available to the user responsive to the determined connection strength changing from being equal to or greater than the threshold connection strength to being less than the threshold connection strength.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
increasing emphasis of one or more features related to an available mode of gameplay in the views of the game space presented via the first client computing platform responsive to the change in the determined connection strength.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
notifying the user responsive to the determined connection strength changing from below the threshold connection strength to equal to or greater than the threshold connection strength.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
notifying the user responsive to the determined connection strength being equal to or above threshold connection strength for a predetermined amount of time.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the determined connection strength is equal to or above the threshold connection strength, wherein the method further comprises:
notifying the user that at least one mode of gameplay will not be available responsive to connection strength decreasing a predetermined amount in a predetermined amount of time.

1

Assignees

• Kabam Inc

Inventors

• Delaet Michael C

Classifications

• A63F13/358 Primary

  Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients · CPC title

• H04L43/0811

  by checking connectivity · CPC title

• A63F13/30

  Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers · CPC title

• A63F13/80

  Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode · CPC title