U.S. patent application number 10/364951 was filed with the patent office on 2004-02-12 for group behavioral modification using external stimuli.
Invention is credited to Annunziata, Ed.
Application Number | 20040029625 10/364951 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30448236 |
Filed Date | 2004-02-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040029625 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Annunziata, Ed |
February 12, 2004 |
Group behavioral modification using external stimuli
Abstract
Character behavior in a video game is driven by a character's
attributes. The character's attributes are classified as static
attributes, dynamic attributes, meta attributes, and emotional
attributes. A user issues external stimuli, such as voice commands,
to a group of characters. One or more attributes associated with
each character are adjusted based upon the external stimuli. Thus,
the user may issue external stimuli to affect the behavior and
actions of a group of characters.
Inventors: |
Annunziata, Ed; (Montara,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CARR & FERRELL LLP
2200 GENG ROAD
PALO ALTO
CA
94303
US
|
Family ID: |
30448236 |
Appl. No.: |
10/364951 |
Filed: |
February 11, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60401940 |
Aug 7, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/10 20130101;
A63F 2300/1081 20130101; A63F 2300/65 20130101; A63F 2300/6623
20130101; A63F 13/424 20140902; A63F 13/58 20140902 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/1 |
International
Class: |
A63F 009/24 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for behavioral modification of a group of characters
using external stimuli, comprising the steps of: receiving an
external stimulus; temporarily adjusting at least one attribute of
each character from the group of characters based upon the external
stimulus; and responding to the external stimulus based upon the at
least one attribute of each character.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the external stimulus is a voice
command.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute of
each character affects behavior of each character.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the temporarily
adjusted attributes reverts to a pre-adjusted value after a
predefined time delay T.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute
includes hate/love (H/L) values.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute
includes static attributes.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute
includes dynamic attributes.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute
includes meta attributes.
9. An electronic-readable medium having embodied thereon a program,
the program being executable by a machine to perform method steps
for behavioral modification of a group of characters, the method
steps comprising: receiving an external stimulus; temporarily
adjusting at least one attribute of each character from the group
of characters based upon the external stimulus; and responding to
the external stimulus based upon the at least one attribute of each
character.
10. The electronic-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the external
stimulus is a voice command.
11. The electronic-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the at least
one attribute of each character affects behavior of each
character.
12. The electronic-readable medium of claim 9, wherein at least one
of the temporarily adjusted attributes reverts to a pre-adjusted
value after a predefined time delay T.
13. A method for behavioral modification of a group of characters
using external stimuli, comprising the steps of: representing
behavior of each character from the group of characters via
attributes associated with each character from the group of
characters; receiving an external stimulus; temporarily adjusting
one or more attributes associated with each character based upon
the external stimulus; and having each character respond to the
external stimulus based upon the one or more adjusted
attributes.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the external stimulus is a
voice command.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of adjusting one or
more attributes further comprises the step of adjusting one or more
emotional attributes associated with each character based upon the
external stimulus.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more emotional
attributes are hate/love (H/L) values.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of having
each character respond to the external stimulus based upon the one
or more adjusted emotional attributes.
18. An electronic-readable medium having embodied thereon a
program, the program being executable by a machine to perform
method steps for behavioral modification of a group of characters
using external stimuli, the method steps comprising: representing
behavior of each character from the group of characters via
attributes associated with each character from the group of
characters; receiving an external stimulus; temporarily adjusting
one or more attributes associated with each character based upon
the external stimulus; and having each character respond to the
external stimulus based upon the one or more adjusted
attributes.
19. The electronic-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the step of
adjusting one or more attributes further comprises the step of
adjusting one or more emotional attributes associated with each
character based upon the external stimulus.
20. The electronic-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising
the step of having each character respond to the external stimulus
based upon the one or more adjusted emotional attributes.
21. A system for behavioral modification of a group of characters,
comprising: means for receiving an external stimulus; means for
temporarily adjusting at least one attribute of each character from
the group of characters based upon the external stimulus; and means
for responding to the external stimulus based upon the at least one
attribute of each character.
22. An electronic system for behavioral modification of a group of
characters, comprising: a processor; a input device coupled to the
processor for receiving commands and converting the received
commands into electrical signals; a data storage coupled to the
processor for storing attributes of each character from the group
of characters; and a data table adjuster executable by the
processor for adjusting each character's attributes based upon the
electrical signals.
23. The electronic system of claim 22, wherein the input device is
a microphone and the commands are voice commands.
24. The electronic system of claim 22, wherein the commands are
external stimuli.
25. The electronic system of claim 22, further comprising an action
generator executable by the processor for processing the attributes
in response to the commands.
26. The electronic system of claim 22, wherein the attributes
include emotional attributes.
27. The electronic system of claim 22, wherein the attributes
include static attributes.
28. The electronic system of claim 22, wherein the attributes
include dynamic attributes.
29. The electronic system of claim 22, wherein the attributes
include meta attributes.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 60/401,940, filed Aug. 7, 2002, entitled
"Group Coaching with External Stimuli," which is incorporated
herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates generally to electronic entertainment
systems and more particularly to a system and method for modifying
group behavior via external stimuli.
[0004] 2. Description of the Background Art
[0005] In electronic systems, particularly entertainment and gaming
systems, a user typically controls the behavior or actions of at
least one character in a game program using some type of manually
activated controller device. Conventional controller devices
include joysticks, switches, buttons, and keyboards. Further, some
gaming systems use specifically designed control devices, such as a
steering wheel and pedals for driving simulations, or a stick and
pedals for flight simulations. Yet more advanced gaming systems may
use voice controls or human movements in a virtual reality
game.
[0006] In gaming systems using manually activated controller
devices, a controller device, typically, utilizes buttons and
keystrokes assigned with different meanings according to the
requirements of the particular game. As an example, a game may have
a particular button corresponding to a punch, while in another game
the same button may correspond to firing a gun. In many games, a
user can only control the actions of a single character. Although
games may allow the user to control a group of characters, the
characters typically act as a unit, so the group of characters
effectively acts as a single character. Virtually all conventional
games allow for manual user control of at least one character.
[0007] As game players become more sophisticated, the players are
demanding more advanced forms of gaming. Early forms of electronic
games consisted of simple blocks and moving targets (e.g.,
Breakout, Space Invaders, Centipede). Over time, the games became
graphically more detailed and intricate. More recently, virtual
reality games have become popular. Virtual reality games allow for
the player to immerse themselves into the gaming environment and
interact with various elements of the environment. However, all of
these types of games require a large amount of manual control over
character actions during the game play.
[0008] Furthermore, conventional games do not normally create any
form of attachment or emotion between game characters and a human
player. The game character is considered just an element of the
game used for entertainment value. This lack of attachment or
caring for the character is partly due to the perception that the
character is not "alive." However, if the character projects
life-like features and human characteristics, such as having
feelings, the player is more likely to form an emotional attachment
to the character.
[0009] In addition, users of conventional games do not typically
utilize game character emotions as strategic game elements that may
train or affect groups of characters via game play interactions.
Emotions add a level of complexity and unpredictability to
character behavior, and further add to a user's arsenal of
strategic weapons to enhance game play enjoyment.
[0010] Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for
dynamic behavioral modification of a group of characters via user
participation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] A system and method for behavioral modification of a group
of characters via external stimuli is disclosed. According to the
present invention, character behavior in a video game is driven by
a character's attributes. The character's attributes are classified
as static attributes, dynamic attributes, and meta attributes. A
subset of the dynamic attributes include the character's emotional
attributes expressed as numerical hate/love (H/L) values stored in
H/L tables. In one embodiment of the present invention, a user
issues an external stimulus directed towards a group of characters
associated with the user. Preferably, the external stimulus is a
voice command. The video game module processes the external
stimulus and adjusts one or more attributes of each character based
upon the external stimulus. Then, each character of the group of
characters responds to the external stimulus based on each
character's adjusted attributes.
[0012] In one embodiment of the invention, an electronic
entertainment system includes a microphone for receiving voice
commands and converting the received voice commands to electrical
signals, a processor coupled to the microphone, and a memory
coupled to the processor and configured to store a game module. The
game module includes a data storage for storing each character's
attributes, voice recognition software executable by the processor
for processing the electrical signals, and a data table adjuster
executable by the processor for adjusting each character's
attributes based upon the processed electrical signals. In
addition, the game module further includes an action generator
executable by the processor for processing each character's
adjusted and non-adjusted attributes to respond to the voice
commands.
[0013] For example, a user issues a "run away" command to a group
of characters. The video game processes the "run away" command, and
adjusts each character's fight/flight attribute based upon the
processed voice command and a predefined "flee" adjustment. In
other words, the user issues a voice command to instantaneously and
temporarily adjust each character's fight/flight attribute, causing
each character of the group of characters to run away from enemy
characters. In effect, the group is running across the terrain at
some average group speed, although each character runs at a speed
identified by the character's speed attribute.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic
entertainment system, according to the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the main
memory of FIG. 1, according to the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 3A is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of
data storage of FIG. 2;
[0017] FIG. 3B is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the
character A data storage module of FIG. 3A;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the
static parameter table of FIG. 3B;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the
dynamic parameter table of FIG. 3B;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the
meta parameter table of FIG. 3B;
[0021] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the
emotion tables of FIG. 3B; and
[0022] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of method steps for group behavioral
modification using external stimuli, according to one embodiment of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic
entertainment system 100 according to the present invention. The
entertainment system 100 includes a main memory 102, a central
processing unit (CPU) 104, at least one vector unit 106, a graphics
processing unit 108, an input/output (I/O) processor 110, an I/O
processor memory 112, a controller interface 114, a memory card
116, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface 118, and an IEEE 1394
interface 120, although other bus standards and interfaces may be
utilized. The entertainment system 100 further includes an
operating system read-only memory (OS ROM) 122, a sound processing
unit 124, an optical disc control unit 126, and a hard disc drive
128, which are connected via a bus 130 to the I/O processor 110.
Preferably, the entertainment system 100 is an electronic gaming
console. Alternatively, the entertainment system 100 may be
implemented as a general-purpose computer, a set-top box, or a
hand-held gaming device. Further, similar entertainment systems may
contain more or less operating components.
[0024] The CPU 104, the vector unit 106, the graphics processing
unit 108, and the I/O processor 110 communicate via a system bus
132. Further, the CPU 104 communicates with the main memory 102 via
a dedicated bus 134, while the vector unit 106 and the graphics
processing unit 108 may communicate through a dedicated bus 136.
The CPU 104 executes programs stored in the OS ROM 122 and the main
memory 102. The main memory 102 may contain prestored programs and
programs transferred through the I/O processor 110 from a CD-ROM,
DVD-ROM, or other optical disc (not shown) using the optical disc
control unit 126. The I/O processor 110 primarily controls data
exchanges between the various devices of the entertainment system
100 including the CPU 104, the vector unit 106, the graphics
processing unit 108, and the controller interface 114.
[0025] The graphics processing unit 108 executes graphics
instructions received from the CPU 104 and the vector unit 106 to
produce images for display on a display device (not shown). For
example, the vector unit 106 may transform objects from
three-dimensional coordinates to two-dimensional coordinates, and
send the two-dimensional coordinates to the graphics processing
unit 108. Furthermore, the sound processing unit 124 executes
instructions to produce sound signals that are outputted to an
audio device such as speakers (not shown).
[0026] A user of the entertainment system 100 provides instructions
via the controller interface 114 to the CPU 104. For example, the
user may instruct the CPU 104 to store certain game information on
the memory card 116 or instruct a character in a game to perform
some specified action. The controller interface 1 14 may include a
transducer (not shown) to convert acoustic signals to electrical
signals. In other embodiments, the transducer may be a separate
element of the electronic entertainment system 100. As discussed
below in conjunction with FIG. 2, voice recognition software stored
in the main memory 102 is executable by the CPU 104 to process the
electrical signals. Further, other devices may be connected to the
entertainment system 100 via the USB interface 118 and the IEEE
1394 interface 120.
[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the main
memory 102 of FIG. 1 according to the present invention. The main
memory 102 is shown containing a game module 200 which is loaded
into the main memory 102 from an optical disc in the optical disc
control unit 126 (FIG. 1). The game module 200 contains
instructions executable by the CPU 104, the vector unit 106, and
the sound processing unit 124 of FIG. 1 that allows a user of the
entertainment system 100 (FIG. 1) to play a game. In the exemplary
embodiment of FIG. 2, the game module 200 includes data storage
202, an action generator 204, a characteristic generator 206, a
data table adjuster 208, and a voice recognition module 210.
[0028] In one embodiment, the action generator 204, the
characteristic generator 206, and the data table adjuster 208 may
be modules executable by the CPU 104. For example, the action
generator 204 is executable by the CPU 104 to produce game play,
including character motion and character response; the
characteristic generator 206 is executable by the CPU 104 to
generate a character's expressions as displayed on a monitor (not
shown); the data table adjuster 208 is executable by the CPU 104 to
update data in data storage 202 during game play; and the voice
recognition module 210 is executable by the CPU 104 to convert the
electrical signals received via the controller interface 114 (FIG.
1) to game instructions. In addition, the CPU 104 accesses data in
data storage 202 as instructed by the action generator 204, the
characteristic generator 206, the data table adjuster 208, and the
voice recognition module 210.
[0029] For the purposes of this exemplary embodiment, the game
module 200 is a tribal simulation game in which a player creates
and trains tribes of characters. A tribe of characters is
preferably a group (or team) of characters associated with a given
game user. Preferably, the tribal simulation game includes a
plurality of character species, and each team of characters may
include any combination of characters from any of the character
species. A character reacts to internal stimuli and external
stimuli based upon the character's genetic makeup as expressed by
gene attributes. According to the present invention, internal
stimuli are internal to the gaming environment, such as
character/character interactions, character/group interactions,
character/environment interactions, and character/game situation
interactions. Typically, a user does not have direct control over
internal stimuli. In contrast, a user has direct control over
external stimuli. For example, the external stimuli which are
external to the gaming environment, may be voice commands issued by
a user, received by the controller interface 114, and directed to
modify the behavior of a group of characters. Other forms of
external stimuli are also contemplated by the present invention,
such as keyboard or mouse initiated stimuli.
[0030] Typically, each character's behavior depends upon one or
more gene attributes. Gene attributes that typically remain
constant throughout a character's life are called static
attributes; gene attributes that change during game play in
response to internal and external stimuli are called dynamic
attributes; and gene attributes that are functions of the static
and/or dynamic attributes are called meta attributes. Those meta
attributes that are based in part, or in whole, on the dynamic
attributes are also dynamic in nature. In addition, a character's
dynamic and meta attributes may be modified by emotional attributes
as quantified by hate/love (H/L) values. A character's emotional
attributes are dynamic and change during game play in response to
internal and external stimuli and correspond to other species,
teams, and characters. A character's static attributes, dynamic
attributes, meta attributes, and H/L values are described further
below in conjunction with FIGS. 3-7.
[0031] FIG. 3A is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of
data storage 202 of FIG. 2 according to the present invention. The
data storage 202 includes a character A database 302a, a character
B database 302b, and a character C database 302c. Although the FIG.
3A embodiment of data storage 202 shows three character databases
302a, 302b, and 302c, the scope of the present invention includes
any number of character databases 302.
[0032] FIG. 3B is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the
character A database 302a of FIG. 3A. The character A database 302a
includes a static parameter table 308, a dynamic parameter table
310, a meta parameter table 312, and emotion tables 314. Character
A's static attributes are stored in the static parameter table 308;
character A's dynamic attributes (preferably not including H/L
values) are stored in the dynamic parameter table 310; character
A's meta attributes are stored in the meta parameter table 312; and
character A's H/L values are stored in the emotion tables 314.
Herein, attributes are also referred to as parameters. Although the
static attributes stored in the static parameter table 308
typically remain constant throughout character A's life, in an
alternate embodiment of the invention, the static attributes may be
changed through character training or user generated external
stimuli. For example, a user may have a character train on a
treadmill to increase the character's speed. Likewise, the user may
have the character train with weights to increase the character's
strength. Further, a user generated external stimuli may
temporarily modify one or more static attributes. In one embodiment
of the invention, a temporarily modified static attribute reverts
back to its unmodified value after a time delay T, dependent upon
the video game and the static attribute. Referring back to FIG. 3A,
the character B database 302b and the character C database 302c are
similar to the character A database 302a.
[0033] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the
static parameter table 308 of FIG. 3B. The static parameter table
308 includes a plurality of static parameters, such as, but not
entirely inclusive of or limited to, a strength parameter 402, a
speed parameter 404, a sight parameter 406, a hearing parameter
408, a maximum hit point parameter 410, a hunger point parameter
412, a healing urge parameter 414, a self-healing rate parameter
416, and an aggressive base parameter 418. The scope of the
invention may include other static parameters as well. Typically,
the strength parameter 402 corresponds to a character's strength;
the speed parameter 404 corresponds to how fast a character walks
or runs across terrain; the sight parameter 406 corresponds to a
character's viewing distance; and the hearing parameter 408
corresponds to a character's hearing distance. The maximum hit
point parameter 410 is, preferably, a health parameter threshold
value, which is discussed further below in conjunction with FIG. 5.
The hunger point parameter 412 is a reference value to which a
character's energy is measured to compute a character's hunger
parameter, as will be described further below in conjunction with
FIG. 6. Further, the healing urge parameter 414 corresponds to a
character's desire to heal another character, while the
self-healing rate parameter 416 corresponds to a time rate at which
a character heals itself. Finally, the aggressive base parameter
418 is a reference value that represents a character's base
aggression level, and is described further below in conjunction
with FIG. 6. As previously indicated, not all of these parameters
are required, and other parameters may be contemplated for use in
the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the
dynamic parameter table 310 of FIG. 3B. The dynamic parameter table
310 includes a plurality of dynamic parameters, such as an energy
parameter 502, a health parameter 504, an irritation parameter 506,
and a game experience parameter 508. However, the scope of the
present invention may not include all of the above listed
parameters and/or include other dynamic parameters. These dynamic
parameters change during game play. For example, the character's
energy parameter 502 is a function of the character's consumption
of food and the rate at which the character uses energy. When the
character eats, the character's energy parameter 502 increases.
However, the character is continuously using energy as defined by
the character's metabolic rate. The metabolic rate is a meta
parameter dependant upon several static parameters and is further
discussed below in conjunction with FIG. 6.
[0035] In the present embodiment, the health parameter 504 is less
than or equal to the maximum hit point parameter 410 (FIG. 4), and
is a function of the character's energy parameter 502, the
character's self-healing rate parameter 416 (FIG. 4), and a number
of character hits. For example, a character is assigned a health
parameter 504 equal to the maximum hit point parameter 410 upon
game initialization. Each time the character is hit by another
character via a physical blow or weapons fire, the character's
health parameter 504 decreases. In addition, whenever a character's
energy parameter 502 falls below a predefined threshold value, the
character's health parameter 504 decreases. Furthermore, the
character's health parameter 504 increases at the character's
self-healing rate 416. Thus, although static and dynamic parameters
are stored in separate tables, these parameters are closely
related. For example, the health parameter 504 is based in part on
the self-healing rate parameter 416, which is a static
parameter.
[0036] Preferably, the character's irritation parameter 506
increases if the character is exposed to irritating stimuli, such
as the presence of enemies or weapons fire within the character's
range of sight, specified by the sight parameter 406 (FIG. 4). The
irritation parameter 506 decreases over time at a predefined
rate.
[0037] Finally, the character's game experience parameter 508
quantifies a character's game experiences, particularly in
association with character participation in tribal games and
fighting. For example, an experienced character has accumulated
wisdom, and is less likely to be surprised by game situations and
more adept at making game decisions.
[0038] FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the
meta parameter table 312 of FIG. 3B. The meta parameter table 312
includes a plurality of meta parameters, such as, but not
necessarily completely inclusive of or limited to, a hunger
parameter 602, a metabolic rate parameter 604, an aggression
parameter 606, and a fight/flight parameter 608. The meta
parameters are typically changeable, and are based upon the static
and dynamic parameters. For example, a character's desire to eat is
dependent upon the hunger parameter 602. In one embodiment of the
invention, the hunger parameter 602 is a signed value defined by
the energy parameter 502 (FIG. 5) less the hunger point parameter
412 (FIG. 4). If the character's hunger parameter 602 is greater
than zero, then the character is not hungry. However, if the
character's hunger parameter 602 is less than zero, then the
character is hungry. As the negative hunger parameter 602 decreases
(i.e., becomes more negative), the character's desire to eat
increases. This desire to eat may then be balanced with other
desires, such as a desire to attack an enemy or to search for a
weapons cache. The weighting of these parameters may determine a
character's behaviors and actions.
[0039] Typically, the metabolic rate parameter 604 is directly
proportional to the character's speed parameter 404 (FIG. 4), the
strength parameter 402 (FIG. 4), and the maximum hit point
parameter 410 (FIG. 4), while indirectly proportional to the
character's hunger point parameter 412 (FIG. 4) and healing urge
parameter 414 (FIG. 4). For example, if the character's healing
urge parameter 414 is large, the character is likely a calm,
non-excitable individual. Therefore the character's metabolic rate
parameter 604 would be small. Alternatively, if the character's
healing urge parameter 414 is small, the character is likely a
highly-strung, excitable individual. Consequently, the character's
metabolic rate parameter 604 would be large.
[0040] Finally, the aggression parameter 606 is defined as the
aggressive base parameter 418 (FIG. 4) plus the irritation
parameter 506 (FIG. 5). As the aggression parameter 606 increases,
the character becomes more aggressive and is more likely to be
engaged in fights.
[0041] A character uses the fight/flight parameter 608 to determine
whether, when faced with an enemy or other dangerous situations, to
fight or flee the enemy. The fight/flight parameter 608 is
preferably based upon the hunger parameter 602, the aggression
parameter 606, the game experience parameter 508 (FIG. 5), and the
energy parameter 502 (FIG. 5). In one embodiment of the invention,
a large value for the fight/flight parameter 608 corresponds to a
character's desire to fight, whereas a small value for the
fight/flight parameter 608 corresponds to a character's desire to
flee. For example, as the character's hunger or aggression
increases, as measured by the character's hunger parameter 602 and
aggression parameter 606, respectively, the character is more
likely to engage in fights.
[0042] FIG. 7 is an illustration of one embodiment of the emotion
tables 314 of FIG. 3B, according to the present invention. The
emotion tables 314 include an individual's hate/love (H/L) table
702, a species H/L table 704, and a team H/L table 706. The
individual's H/L table 702 includes one or more character
identification (ID) numbers and one or more character H/L values,
wherein each character ID number is associated with a character H/L
value. For example, character A has a -900 character H/L value
corresponding to a character identified by character ID number
192993293. Thus, character A has high hate for the individual
having character ID number 192993293. Conversely, character A has a
100 character H/L value for character ID number 339399928. This
positive H/L value corresponds to a general liking of the
individual having ID number 339399928. The more negative or
positive the H/L value is, the more the particular individual is
hated or loved, respectively. In a further embodiment, the
individuals H/L table 702 may also include individual character
names corresponding to the character ID numbers.
[0043] The species H/L table 704 includes one or more species names
and one or more species H/L values. Each species name is associated
with a species H/L value which represents character A's
relationship with each species. Similar to the individuals H/L
table 702, the more negative or positive the H/L value, the more
the particular species is hated or loved, respectively. For
example, character A has a 100 species H/L value corresponding to
the Nids species which implies a general like of the Nids species.
Conversely, character A has a -500 species H/L value corresponding
to the Antenids species. Therefore, character A has a strong
dislike (i.e., hate) for the Antenids species.
[0044] Similarly, the team H/L table 706 includes one or more team
ID numbers, one or more team H/L values, and one or more team
names. Each team ID number is associated with a team H/L value and
a team name. For example, the character A has a 1000 team H/L value
corresponding to the Frosties team represented by ID number 139000.
Because the H/L value is so high, character A has a deep love for
the Frosties team. However, character A has a -500 H/L value
corresponding to the Slashers team represented by ID number 939992,
thereby representing a hate for this team.
[0045] In one embodiment of the invention, the character, species,
and team H/L values range from -1000 to 1000. A character, species,
or team H/L value of 1000 represents unconditional love directed
towards the character, species, or team, respectively, while a
character, species, or team H/L value of -1000 represents extreme
hatred directed towards the character, species, or team,
respectively. A H/L value of zero represents a neutral feeling. In
alternate embodiments, the H/L value ranges may be larger or
smaller, and may include other maximum and minimum values.
[0046] Any type of character interaction may cause changes to H/L
values. For example, character A initially has a 800 character H/L
value corresponding to character B and a -50 character H/L value
corresponding to character C. However, character A sees character C
hit character B, and thus character A's character H/L values are
adjusted accordingly. In this example, character A's character H/L
value corresponding to character B increases to 850 because of
feelings of sympathy towards character B, and character A's
character H/L value corresponding to character C may decrease to
-200 due to an increased hatred for character C. In addition, if
character C then attacks character A, character A develops more
hatred towards character C, and character A's character H/L value
corresponding to character C may further decrease to -275. However,
at some later time in the game, if character C communicates to
character A useful information on the operation of a weapon, then
character A's character H/L value corresponding to character C may
increase to -150.
[0047] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the
data table adjuster 208 (FIG. 2) initializes all character and team
H/L values to zero upon initiation of a new game. Furthermore, the
data table adjuster 208 initializes all species H/L values to zero
or to non-zero predefined values dependent upon game-defined
species compatibility. In an alternate embodiment, the data table
adjuster 208 initializes all species, character, and team H/L
values to zero upon initiation of a new game. In a further
embodiment, the data table adjuster 208 initializes some or all
character, species, and team H/L values to non-zero predefined
values dependent upon game-defined character, species, and team
compatibility. Upon game completion, a user may save all the H/L
values to the memory card 116 (FIG. 1) or the hard disc drive 128
(FIG. 1) for future game play. If the user has instructed the game
module 200 (FIG. 2) to save the H/L values, the data table adjuster
208 may use the saved H/L values to initialize all game H/L values
upon continuation of game play.
[0048] FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart 800 of method steps for
dynamic behavioral modification based upon game interactions,
according to one embodiment of the present invention. In step 802,
H/L values are initialized. Initially, a user (not shown) instructs
the game entertainment system 100 (FIG. 1) to execute the game
module 200 (FIG. 2) via user commands and the controller interface
114 (FIG. 1). The CPU 104 (FIG. 1) receives the user commands and
executes the data table adjuster 208 (FIG. 2). The data table
adjuster 208 accesses the character, species, and team H/L values
and stores the character, species, and team H/IL values in the
emotions table 314 (FIG. 3). These species H/L values are set to
predefined values dependent upon game-defined species compatibility
or results of a previous playing of the game. In an initial game
play, since characters and teams have not yet interacted via game
play, the data table adjuster 208, preferably, initializes all
character and team H/L values to zero, where a H/L value of zero
represents a neutral emotion.
[0049] Next in step 804, the CPU 104 executes the action generator
204 (FIG. 2) and the characteristic generator 206 (FIG. 2) to
generate game play and game interactions. Game interactions
typically include information exchange between characters, as well
as communication, observation, detection of sound, direct physical
contact, and indirect physical contact. For example, in one
embodiment of the invention, character A and character B may
interact and exchange information via a conversation. In another
embodiment of the invention, character A may receive information
via observations. For instance, character A may observe character B
engaged in direct physical contact with character C via a fist
fight, or character A may observe character B engage character C in
indirect physical contact via an exchange of weapons fire.
Alternatively, in another example, character A may observe
character B interact with an "inanimate" object. For example,
character B moves a rock and discovers a weapons cache. In a
further embodiment of the invention, character A may hear a
communication between character B and character C. In yet another
embodiment of the invention, character A may engage in direct
physical contact with character B. Finally, in another embodiment
of the invention, character A may engage in indirect physical
contact with character B. For example, character A may discharge a
weapon aimed at character B, or character A may receive fire from
character B's weapon. The above described game interactions are
meant as exemplary interactions, however, the scope of the present
invention covers all types of interactions.
[0050] Subsequently, the user issues an external stimulus to a
group of characters in a step 806. For example, the user may issue
a voice command via the controller interface 114 (FIG. 1), via a
microphone (not shown) integrated with the controller interface
114, or via a microphone electrically connected to the I/O
processor 110 (FIG. 1). Further, the user may issue a variety of
voice commands, such as "run away," "fight," "search for weapons,"
"eat," "spread out," "group together," "follow character A," "hate
species D," and "love species D." Depending on the design of the
game, other commands may be issued by the user, and alternative
forms of external stimuli may be utilized (e.g., keyboard or mouse
commands).
[0051] In step 808, the external stimulus issued by the user
modifies character attributes. More specifically, one or more of
each character's static, dynamic, meta, and/or emotional attributes
may be modified according to the issued stimulus. In one embodiment
of the invention, the game entertainment system 100 uses the issued
stimulus to temporarily modify a given attribute associated with
each character of the group of characters by a predefined amount.
After a predefined time delay T, dependent upon the video game and
the given attribute, the given attribute reverts back to its
pre-modified value.
[0052] In a first example, if the user issues the external
stimulus, "run away," to a user-associated group of characters
facing enemy characters via a voice command, the microphone (not
shown) converts the voice command to electrical signals and sends
the electrical signals to the CPU 104 via the I/O processor 110.
The voice recognition module 210 (FIG. 2), executable by the CPU
104, processes the electrical signals and instructs the data table
adjuster 208 to increment each character's fight/flight parameter
608 (FIG. 6) by a predefined "flee" amount.
[0053] For example, suppose the user-associated group of characters
comprise character A with a fight/flight parameter of 63, character
B with a fight/flight parameter of 86, and character C with a
fight/flight parameter of 35, where the fight/flight parameter
ranges from 0 (100% desire to flee) to 100 (100% desire to fight).
In addition, if the predefined "flee" amount is -20, then the data
table adjuster 208 decreases character A's fight/flight parameter
to 43, character B's fight/flight parameter to 66, and character
C's fight/flight parameter to 15. Subsequently, each character (A,
B, and C) of the group of characters have more of a desire to "run
away" from the enemy characters then before the external command
was issued, although each character's individual desire to flee
depends upon each character's modified fight/flight parameter.
Since each character's behavior depends upon each character's
attributes, and since many of the attributes are interdependent, an
external stimulus issued to a group of characters may have many
behavioral manifestations.
[0054] In another embodiment of the present invention, after a
predefined time delay T has elapsed from issuance of the external
stimulus, the data table adjuster 208 changes the characters'
fight/flight parameters to their pre-modified values. That is, the
data table adjuster changes character A's fight/flight parameter
back to 63, character B's fight/flight parameter to 86, and
character C's fight/flight parameter to 35.
[0055] Although the present example illustrates a modification of
the characters' fight/flight parameters upon issuance of the "run
away" external stimulus, the modification of the fight/flight
parameter is not inclusive, and the data table adjuster 208 may
modify alternate character attributes to elicit the desired
character response to the external stimulus.
[0056] In an alternate embodiment, the data table adjuster 208
adjusts each character's fight/flight parameter by an amount
dependent upon the strength of the voice command issued by the
user. As the strength of the voice command increases, the
adjustment increases. For example, a softly spoken "run away"
command may decrease each character's fight/flight parameter by 10,
whereas a loudly spoken "run away" command may decrease each
character's fight/flight parameter by 35.
[0057] In a second example, the user issues an external stimulus,
"fight," to a user-associated group of characters. Subsequently, in
one embodiment of the invention, the data table adjuster 208
temporarily increases each character's fight/flight parameter by a
predefined "fight" amount. Referring to the first example, if the
predefined "fight" amount is 10, then the data table adjuster 208
temporarily increases character A's fight/flight parameter to 73,
character B's fight/flight parameter to 96, and character C's
fight/flight parameter to 45. Subsequently, each character (A, B,
and C) of the group of characters have more of a desire to "fight"
the enemy characters than before the external command was
issued.
[0058] In another embodiment of the invention, upon issuance of the
"fight" command, the data table adjuster 208 adds a predefined
aggression adjustment to each character's aggressive base parameter
418 (FIG. 4). Since the fight/flight parameter 608 is based in part
on the aggression parameter 606 (FIG. 6), and since the aggression
parameter 606 is related to the aggressive base parameter 418 and
the irritation parameter 506 (FIG. 5), then as the aggressive base
parameter 418 increases, the fight/flight parameter 608 increases
and the character is more likely to be engaged in fights.
[0059] In a third example, the user issues an external stimulus,
"eat," to a user-associated group of characters. Subsequently, in
one embodiment of the invention, the data table adjuster 208
temporarily increases each character's hunger point parameter 412
(FIG. 4) by a predefined hunger point adjustment. Since each
character's hunger parameter 602 (FIG. 6) decreases as each
character's hunger point parameter 412 increases, each character
has a greater desire to eat after the user issues the "eat"
command. The scope of the present invention covers all character
actions and behaviors modified by a user-issued external stimulus,
such as the "eat" command. For example, as each character eats,
each character's energy parameter 502 (FIG. 5) increases, and each
character is more likely to be healthy as characterized by a large
character health parameter 504 (FIG. 5). Consequently, each
character will be more likely to fight enemy characters, since in
one embodiment of the invention, each character's fight/flight
parameter 608 (FIG. 6) increases as each character becomes more
healthy.
[0060] In a fourth example, the user issues an external stimulus,
"hate species D," to a user-associated group of characters.
Subsequently, the data table adjuster 208 subtracts a predefined
hate adjustment value from each character's species H/L value
corresponding to species D. For example, character A has a 100
species H/L value (stored in the species H/L table 704 (FIG. 7))
corresponding to the Nids species. In addition, suppose character B
has a -235 species H/L value corresponding to the Nids species, and
character C has a -800 species H/L value corresponding to the Nids
species. Furthermore, suppose that the predefined hate adjustment
value is 100. After the user issues a "hate Nids" voice command,
the data table adjuster 208 subtracts the predefined hate
adjustment value from each character's species H/L value
corresponding to the Nids species, resulting in character A having
a 0 species H/L value corresponding to the Nids species, character
B having a -335 species H/L value corresponding to the Nids
species, and character C having a -900 species H/L value
corresponding to the Nids species.
[0061] These above-described modifications to the character's
species H/L values corresponding to the Nids species may affect the
character's subsequent game actions, since the character's behavior
depends upon the character's static, dynamic, meta, and emotional
attributes. The above described external stimuli and adjustments to
character attributes are meant as exemplary interactions, however,
the scope of the present invention covers all types of external
stimuli and all types of adjustments to a character's
attributes.
[0062] In step 810, the user-associated group of characters
responds to the user-issued external stimulus. Referring back to
the first example of step 808, character A, character B, and
character C run across the terrain in response to the "run away"
voice command issued by the user. Alternatively, in the fourth
example of step 808, character A, character B, and character C may
not respond immediately to the "hate Nids" voice command issued by
the user, however the adjustment to characters A, B, and C's
species H/L values corresponding to the Nids species will influence
their behavior upon an encounter with the Nids. In this example, if
Nids characters are located near character A, B, or C, the
character A, B, or C may attack the Nids characters should the
character A, B, or C's H/L values modify other attributes of
character A, B, or C, causing character A, B, or C to be more
aggressive during a Nids encounter.
[0063] In another exemplary embodiment, if the external stimulus
issued by the user in step 808 is "follow character A," then
characters' flocking parameters (not shown) are adjusted such that
the characters have a greater desire to follow character A. Of
course not all characters may follow character A step by step, but
dependent upon each character's adjusted flocking parameter, each
of the characters will move in the same general direction as
character A.
[0064] Next in step 812, the CPU 104 determines if the game user(s)
have completed the game. If the CPU 104 determines that the game is
completed, then the method ends. However if in step 812 the CPU 104
determines that the game is not completed, then the method
continues at step 804. The scope of the invention includes method
steps in which step 804 is optional. That is, a user may issue two
or more external stimuli without an occurrence of any intervening
game interaction.
[0065] The invention has been described above with reference to
specific embodiments. It will, however, be evident that various
modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing
from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in
the appended claims. The foregoing description and drawings are,
accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a
restrictive sense.
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