U.S. patent application number 11/542416 was filed with the patent office on 2007-04-12 for self-organizing turn base games and social activities on a computer network.
This patent application is currently assigned to Game Driven Corporation. Invention is credited to Kurt Dale Fickie, Michael Allen Ortwein.
Application Number | 20070082738 11/542416 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37911621 |
Filed Date | 2007-04-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070082738 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fickie; Kurt Dale ; et
al. |
April 12, 2007 |
Self-organizing turn base games and social activities on a computer
network
Abstract
In accordance with the present invention, a method for creating
a system of self-organizing colonies of players engaged in turn
based games and other social activities performed within a web
browser is provided. The approach described here partitions the
game site population into distinct colonies with the appropriate
activities and design such that the players create a community
environment. Playing online games and chatting are examples of
social networking activities; therefore, an invention that combines
self-organizing capabilities to these activities will enhance the
social experience. Essentially, the notion becomes a game within a
game where the players change aspects of the rules governing the
site and the games themselves. In particular, tests have
demonstrated that game players create their own distinct
communities just as thermodynamic theory predicts.
Inventors: |
Fickie; Kurt Dale; (Austin,
TX) ; Ortwein; Michael Allen; (Atlanta, GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Kurt D. Fickie
15 Yellow Tail Cove
Austin
TX
78745-2563
US
|
Assignee: |
Game Driven Corporation
Austin
TX
|
Family ID: |
37911621 |
Appl. No.: |
11/542416 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60723963 |
Oct 6, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2300/572 20130101;
A63F 2300/575 20130101; A63F 13/87 20140902; A63F 2300/50 20130101;
A63F 13/795 20140902; A63F 13/335 20140902; A63F 2300/5546
20130101; A63F 2300/6036 20130101; A63F 13/12 20130101; A63F
2300/407 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/042 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A method for managing online user community comprising of: (a)
providing asynchronous access to social networking activities
viewed on client software connecting said population to a plurality
of compute servers, (b) regulating said activities by means of a
rules engine that controls interactions among a user membership,
(c) adapting rules of said engine based on user preferences or
behaviors captured over time, whereby users self-organize into a
cohesive, stable population.
2. Asynchronous access of claim 1 wherein comprises of
communication between a plurality of client devices and online
servers by means of XML messaging to Javascript objects.
3. Social networking activities of claim 1 wherein are selected
from the group consisting of game rooms, chat rooms, and
combination game/chat rooms populated with a plurality of avatars
and chatbots.
4. Users self-organize of claim 1 wherein by means of software that
compiles user preferences into rules that govern the user
community's operational characteristics.
5. The method of compiling user preferences set forth of claim 4
wherein may be gathered from users directly by polling or
indirectly through statistical analysis of user behavior.
6. The term online of claim 1 wherein generally extends to all
communication by means of network protocols between a compute
server and consumer electronic devices to include IP television,
voice over IP, and wireless/mobile devices.
7. Client software of claim 1 wherein generally extends to include
any device software, such as a Web browser, that transfers
information to and from said servers by means communication
protocols.
Description
REFERENCES CITED
Related U.S. Application Data
[0001] Provisional Application 60/723,963 filed on Oct. 6,
2005.
PRIORITY CLAIM
[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application 60/723,963 filed on Oct. 6, 2005, entitled
"Self-Organizing Turn Based Games and Social Activities on a
Computer Network."
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
[0003] Ashby W. R. (1962): "Principles of the Self-Organizing
System," in: Principles of Self-Organization. von Foerster H. &
Zopf G. W. (eds.) (Pergamon, Oxford), p. 255-278. [0004] Eigen M.
and Schuster P. (1979): The Hypercycle: A principle of natural
self-organization (Springer, Berlin). [0005] Lendaris G. (1964):
"On the Definition of Self-Organizing Systems," IEEE Proceedings
52, p. 324-325. [0006] Nicolis G. and Prigogine I. (1985):
Self-Organization in Non-Equilibrium Systems (Wiley, New York).
[0007] Turing, A. M., (1950): "Computing Machinery and
Intelligence," Mind, 59:433-460, reprinted in E. A. Feigenbaum and
J. Feldman eds. (1960): Computers and Thought (McGraw Hill: N.Y.).
See also http://www.loebner.net/Prizef/TuringArticle.html (Dec. 8,
1998). [0008] Winston Patrick Henry (1984): Artificial
Intelligence, 2nd ed. (Addison Wesley: Reading Mass.). [0009] Bigus
Joseph P., Bigus Jennifer, and Bigus Joe (2001): Constructing
Intelligent Agents Using Java, 2nd ed. (Wiley: New York).
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0010] This invention relates to the improvement of online
turn-based, browser games and the social networking activities such
as online chat rooms. A more evolved player community results by
applying the principles of self-organizing systems to a social
networking framework.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Turn-based gaming (sometimes known as turn-based strategy)
is a term of art used within the online Internet community. Players
agree to a game, set up the initial state of the game, and agree
upon a timeout period. Each participant plays in turn according to
the game rules. Once each player has taken his or her turn that
round of play is over, and any shared processing is performed. This
procedure repeats to the next round of play. The cycle continues
until a winner is declared.
Internet Games
[0012] Internet games are games that are played online via the
Internet. They are distinct from video and computer games in that
they are normally platform independent, except those games that
rely on client-side technologies (often called `plug-ins`).
Normally, all that is required to play Internet games are a web
browser and the appropriate plug-in (frequently available for free
via the plug-in maker's website). A game played within a browser is
often called a browser-based game.
[0013] There are many different plug-ins used to play online games.
The Java virtual machine (JVM), Shockwave, and Flash are examples
of plug-in technology. There are specialized tools used to create
games employing these technologies. Games that require plug-ins are
usually based on the client-side; that is, much of the processing
is done by the player's computer instead of the server hosting the
game.
[0014] Server-side games occupy the opposite side of the software
spectrum. They process game play on a server instead of the
player's computer. Server-side games are typically not as visually
appealing as client-side based games, but easily compensate with
more advanced functionality. The server can apply complex rules,
compute scores, and record all manner of player interactions.
Furthermore, it is easier to implement multiplayer games with
server software.
Browser Limitations
[0015] The elusive goal of online gaming is to create a dynamic,
responsive interface that allows players to interact as if they
were playing cards at the kitchen table. It is hard to attain the
real-time responsiveness one needs to support a social function
like chatting with all the advantages that client-server computing
brings. The problem essentially boils down to limitations of the
Internet as viewed by Web browsers.
[0016] Though rich in content and media, the Web tends to be a
traditional one-way broadcast medium, like radio and TV, with the
largest number of people being passive information consumers.
Sharing or publishing information from the client side is another
matter. People currently use Web browsers to find and read
information. Publishing information is relatively rare but the
requirements are growing. The rapid acceptance of web logs
indicates need. Web logs (frequently called blogs) follows a
bulletin board technique where the users post a message to a server
that eventually gets added to a common Web page for others to view.
Most online gaming sites that try to incorporate social networking
features like chatting adopt a blog approach. Unfortunately, the
delays inherent to blogging fall well short of the dynamics of
human conversation.
[0017] The problem with browsers supporting chat rooms and
responsive server-side games is the fact that the Web was not
designed to support real-time, peer-to-peer communication. Web
technology essentially follows a pull model. Web browsers send HTTP
requests (GET, POST) to the Web servers and receive contents in
response. The model of push feeds contents directly from Web
servers to Web clients. RSS, for example, is a push protocol for
headline news. Generic push, however, has never come to be a
protocol for the Web. For many people, push went quiet during the
last few years when systems like Marimba and Castanet
disappeared.
[0018] Instant messaging (IM) comes closest to approximating human
conversation responsive enough for online games. Web browsers were
not designed to synchronize real-time events and manipulate
communication sockets in the way that instant messaging
applications do.
[0019] Many domain experts have come to the conclusion that Web
browsers and IM are incompatible because IM essentially follows a
push model. Some Instant Messaging systems do have browser
interfaces. For example, there is ICQ in Internet Explorer.
However, such IM implementations within a browser are essentially
coupling the IM program together with the browser via
remote-procedural calls from within a specific operating system
(Windows, Linux, etc.). They do not operate on, and exchange the
contents and media of, Web browsers.
Self-Organization
[0020] The study of order creation within open thermodynamic
systems gave rise to the notion of self-organizing systems (SOS)
and dissipative structures [Nicolis and Prigogine, 1989]. Ecology
provides illustrations of how a SOS perspective differs from
standard approaches. Scientists are interested in how spatial and
temporal patterns such as patches, boundaries, cycles, and
succession arise in complex, heterogeneous communities. Early
models of pattern formation use a `top-down` approach, meaning the
parameters describe the higher hierarchical levels of the system.
For instance, individual trees are not described explicitly, but
patches of trees are. Or predators are modeled as a homogeneous
population that uniformly impacts a homogeneous prey population. In
this way, the population dynamics are defined at the higher level
of the population, rather than being the results of activity at the
lower level of the individual [Ashby, 1962; Eigen and Schuster,
1979; Lendaris, 1964].
[0021] The problem with this top-down approach is that it violates
two basic features of biological (and many physiochemical)
phenomena: individuality and locality. Modeling a rodent population
as a group of rodents with some growth and behavior parameters
(so-called lumped parameter models), differences that might exist
between individual rodents become ignored. Some are big, some are
small, some reproduce more, and some get eaten more. These small
differences in the micro-scale can lead to larger differences in
the macro-scale. For example, changes in the population gene
frequencies, individual body size, or population densities might
have cascading effects at still higher levels of organization.
[0022] Humans also self-organize information while surfing the Web.
Harvesting hyperlinks within HTML pages of interest create valuable
information than can be further utilized. Google capitalizes on
this SOS behavior to create high quality Web searches. Hyperlinks
to information that have the high frequency among a world-wide
population reveal a measure of relevance. Google gages importance
of underlying information by finding the most frequently cited
hyperlinks related to a given phrase.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] In accordance with the present invention, a method for
creating a system of self-organizing colonies of players engaged in
turn based games and other socialization activities performed
within a web browser is provided. Most web sites catering to online
gaming are monolithic in nature servicing many thousands up to
several million players simultaneously. The approach described here
partitions the game site population into distinct colonies with the
appropriate activities and design such that the players create a
community environment. In the aggregate, the total gaming
population using the same machinery described here may be in the
millions, the size of the individual colonies will be restricted to
a few hundred.
[0024] Playing online games and chatting are examples of social
networking activities; therefore, an invention that combines
self-organizing capabilities to these activities will enhance the
social experience. Essentially, the notion becomes a game within a
game where the players change aspects of the rules governing the
site and the games themselves. In particular, tests have
demonstrated that game players create their own distinct
communities just as thermodynamic theory predicts.
Self-organization in the colonies can become manifested in several
ways. Selecting a colony might be based on player characteristics.
Possibilities for segregation are: [0025] Available games [0026]
games of chance versus strategy [0027] card games or board games
[0028] Competition versus sociability [0029] Demographic factors
such as age [0030] Common interests like sports, hobbies, or
politics [0031] Referral based membership [0032] Paid versus free
membership Players can adjust the rules of the colonies. Possible
examples: [0033] Maximum time between turns [0034] Specific game
rules or variations in games [0035] Tournament rules [0036]
Available shops/portals/blogs [0037] Maximum number of players
allowed within a game room [0038] Limits on player behavior The
ability to fashion online communities represents a powerful
attraction to Internet users. The game play becomes more intimate
where users get to know each other as in any other social club.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic of the invention comprising of a web
server, an image server, and a database server transferring chat
room content to a plurality of client web browsers.
[0040] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a world map that provides a
gateway to a plurality of settlements and colonies that
self-organize.
[0041] FIG. 3 is a schematic of the components supporting a
self-organizing colony comprising of desktop, colony map, avatar
controls, messaging system, and rules engine.
[0042] FIG. 4 is a screen shot of the user's desktop.
[0043] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating how the desktop provides
access to a plurality of game rooms.
[0044] FIG. 6 is a screen shot of a typical game room
environment.
[0045] FIG. 7 is a screen shot of a colony map.
[0046] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustrating how the colony map
provides access to a plurality of chat room environments.
[0047] FIG. 9 is a screen shot of a chat room environment that
includes avatars, a virtual conference room, the message input
field, and a scrolled chat session transcript.
[0048] FIGS. 10a, 10b, and 10c are three screen shots demonstrating
the sequence of events for avatar movement: a) entering a chat
room, b) examining available locations for movement within said
chat room, and c) executing a move to the selected location.
[0049] FIGS. 11a and 11b are two screen shots illustrating how the
virtual environment can be populated with new objects such as
adding furniture to a house scenario.
[0050] FIGS. 12a and 12b are two screen shots illustrating an
avatar shopping: a) within a chat-enabled furniture store, b)
reviewing transactions of said purchases to include spit-screen
views of a bank account and a store's pricing catalog.
[0051] FIG. 13 is a screen shot of a chat room environment with
game play that includes a mixture avatars and chatbots.
[0052] FIGS. 14a and 14b are two screen shots of the interface for
customizing avatars.
[0053] FIG. 15 is a screen shot of a visual rolodex that maps the
avatar specifications to individual users.
[0054] FIGS. 16a and 16b are screen shots demonstrating the two
step process of posting a private note to another player.
[0055] FIGS. 17a and 17b are screen shots demonstrating the two
step process of reading a public note.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0056] FIG. 1 is a diagram that describes the software architecture
of this system. The system includes components on the server side
100 and the client side 101. The server side components comprise of
a database server 102, a web server 103, and an image server 104.
The diagram represents software functionality as opposed to
physical computer hardware. The server-side components could reside
on a single computer running all three software services or split
across two or three computers linked by an intranet. The database
102 stores information regarding the state of game and chat
environments. Typically, this data is stored in SQL relational
tables. The database server also stores settings of self-organizing
rules, player information, and player messages. The web server 103
provides the communication linkage to a plurality of client
browsers 101 by way of the Internet 106 via a network protocol such
as HTTP or HTTPS. The image server 104 transforms and composites
image combinations. These combinations include the game room
graphics, avatars, conversation balloons, non-avatar objects, and
chat room backgrounds and foregrounds.
[0057] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a world map 200 that provides a
gateway to a plurality of settlements 201 and colonies 202 that
self-organize. Users within their web browsers 105 view the world
map 200 which is an HTML image map. The server 103 directs users to
the appropriate online communities when they activate icons or hot
spots on the map. In FIG. 2, a settlement icon 203 and a colony
icon 204 serves up the settlement and colony environments,
respectively. The distinction between a settlement and a colony is
that the former is early in the process of self-organizing.
Settlements are pre-colonies that eventually transform into
distinct colonies.
[0058] Individual users can become members of more than one colony.
Each member has a home colony, but they can move between colonies
through passports (permissions granted within the database
server).
[0059] FIG. 3 is a schematic of the components supporting a
self-organizing colony comprising of desktop 301, colony map 302,
avatar controls 305, messaging system 306, and rules engine 307.
The desktop 301 provides a gateway to a plurality of game rooms
303. Similarly, the colony map 302 provides a gateway to a
plurality of chat rooms 304. Users can customize the visual
characteristics of their avatars using the avatar control 305
component. The self-organizing colonies support integrated
messaging capabilities throughout the environments such as the
desktop 301, the game rooms 303, and the chat rooms 304. The
messaging system 306 supports both electronic mail [Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to user's external e-mail addresses] 308
and instant messaging 309. The rules engine 307 is the module that
allows users to impose their collective preferences into the online
self-organizing colony environment 202. The preference information
is stored in the database 102. The effect of the parameter settings
and modified rules governing user behavior are what provides each
colony 202 its unique character. To continue the metaphor of local
government, the rules engine and its settings are like local laws
or ordinances enacted to govern behavior of its citizens.
[0060] A screen shot of the user's desktop 301 is shown in FIG. 4.
This screen forms the center of the gaming environment within a
self-organizing colony 202. The games currently available are shown
as icons on the desktop. For example, one enters the backgammon
game room by activating the icon image of a backgammon board and
dice 400. Each game icon on the desktop is associated with a
specific game room 303. FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating how the
desktop 301 provides access to a plurality of game rooms 303. The
icons are arranged in a manner resembling a car dashboard.
Underneath each game icon is the number of turns awaiting the
player in open boards of that particular game type. As an
illustration, in this sample screen shot, the icon label 412 shows
that the user has one turn among five active boards within the Gold
Card game room.
[0061] The desktop 301 is active in the sense that views within
each browser 105 changes dynamically without reloading the entire
HTML page. For example, the icon label 412 will change within the
affected user's browser 105 when the turn information requires
updating. The methodology, commonly called Ajax, involves embedding
certain Javascript constructs such as (XMLHttpRequest objects
within game boards and inside chat room interfaces. The Javascript
can both send and receive XML messages which allows for a duplex
communication channel. The net effect is asynchronous communication
between a client browser and a Web server. In other words, with the
web flow engine, online games and chat rooms support a push from
within a client browser.
[0062] The Waiting Room 401 is like a game room except here users
post their preferences for games they desire to play. Other users
can enter that room and claim game challenges. Button controls
include Refresh 402, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) 403, Help
404, and Logout 405. Refresh activates the HTTP request to the web
server 103 to reload the HTML page. FAQ loads HTML instructions
with overview questions and answers to assist new users. Help
activates game rules in effect with this particular colony. Logout
eliminates a user from the active list and returns a validation
screen to re-login at a future time.
[0063] To the right of the game icons is a Who's Online region 406
and Point Leaders region 407. These scrollable windows list of game
players presently active and the game point leaders of this colony,
respectively. The lower part of the desktop 301 addresses the
messaging system 306. Private Notes 408 on the lower right involve
instant messaging between two users within the colony. Public Notes
410 on the lower left allow users to both post and view general
interest comments or announcements to a bulletin board. These
Public Notes are visible to everyone in a colony. The user's
desktop 301 also includes his associated avatar image 411 and other
cumulative statistics related to that user such as points earned
during the month, total points, balance, and the like.
[0064] The colony map 302 is activated when users activate the
colony map icon 409 (shown here for colony "Atlantis") on the
desktop 301. This screen forms the center of the role-playing
activities within a self-organizing colony 202. The function of the
colony map is to provide access to the various chat rooms 304. FIG.
7 is a screen shot of a typical colony map. For example, activating
the "Shop 1" icon 700 allows a user to enter a storefront chat room
304 like the one shown in FIG. 8.
[0065] FIG. 6 is a screen shot of a typical game room environment.
Although this particular illustration involves backgammon, the look
and feel remains the same for all of the game rooms. On the right
is the game board 600. This is where players make their moves for a
specific game with an opponent. Each game has its own unique
characteristics for making moves which depend on context and state
of the game. Captured in this instance are a Roll Dice button 601
and a current scoreboard marquee 602. On the left is the Open Games
region 605 that indicates the active games within the backgammon
game room 303. Three games are shown here with three different
opponents. A line highlighted in bold 604 signals that it is the
user's turn for the game indicated. In this instance, the user's
turn awaits in a backgammon game with `mutt` that has a timeout set
for October 4th. Game Notes 603 is the portion of the interface
were two players can view and send notes posted to each other
regarding this particular game board 600. After a player has taken
his turns and posted/read the various Game Notes 603 within the
game room 303, activating the Close button 606 returns focus back
to the desktop 301.
[0066] FIG. 8 is an illustration of the web server 101 supporting
different types of chat rooms providing environmental context. Most
any virtual space in which participants can interactively
communicate and meet with each other can become a chat room.
Potential meeting places could be an office, a house, a lounge, a
hospital, or a museum. A storefront chat room 304 is one example
shown in FIG. 8.
[0067] An enlarged view of a chat room is shown in FIG. 9. The
environment shown here is a typical conference room 900 with
multiple participants. The avatar labeled `mitch` 908 corresponds
to a user who entered the conference chat room 900 through
interactions with his client browser 105. An avatar is a graphical
image representation of a user interacting within a chat room
environment. The Names button 905 toggles the avatar name plates
909 with its associated user for easy identification. The server
software 100 records the coming and going of avatars into a chat
room, movement within a chat room, conversations between avatars,
and scenario changes as described later. The composite of all the
information described above is used to generate a chat room scene
such as the one shown in FIG. 9. Here, three users are interacting
together while viewing the same common chat room view 900 rendered
in their respective client browsers 105.
[0068] When avatars engage in conversation, text appears within a
balloon 907 in a fashion resembling comic books. The user inputs
his remarks through a scrollable text widget 903. After inputting
those text remarks, the chat snippet is sent by activating the
"Post" button 902 to forward the information to the web server 101.
The web server processes this information and displays the results
into the common chat room image. It positions a balloon containing
those remarks over the avatar representing the user who sent them.
Each avatar can send comments in conversational form and the
balloons adjust accordingly. The image server 104 adjusts the
optimal placement of the balloons to make viewing the entire
conversation between avatars possible. It avoids overlapping
balloons and will truncate as needed. In addition to balloon text,
a conversation transcript is recorded in the message log region
901.
[0069] Text balloons are ephemeral to mimic spoken conversation
between humans. The server side software 100 removes the balloons
after a set period of time by way of a software timer. Text
balloons with a shelf-life gives the invention special appeal
beyond typical comic book presentations. For humans in real life to
participate in conversation, they must be there to witness it.
Similarly, the software in accordance with the present invention
imposes the same dynamic on users represented as avatars. Users can
see and experience the specific conversations within a chat room
only if they were viewing it in real time. In other words, the
avatars/users have to be in the chat room at the time the events
transpire in order to share the experience.
[0070] The message log 901 records the time, avatar identifier, and
chat text at the same time the balloons appear within the chat room
scene. These lines do not disappear in the same manner as the
balloons. After a set number of lines are recorded, but oldest
lines are scrolled out of view. The message log 901 helps users who
read slowly or like to catch up on conversations while they were
momentarily distracted. There are alternate embodiments of this
invention where a full and complete transcript is recorded to be
read by others who were not witnessing the events in real time.
Chat Rooms used for depositions, court proceedings, business
conferences, town hall meetings are examples where the addition of
a permanent record proves useful. In such instances, the message
log 901 becomes a scrollable text widget (not shown) and the
database 102 tables are modified to store all the chat text traffic
for a given chat session.
[0071] FIGS. 10a, 10b, and 10c are three screen shots demonstrating
the sequence of events for avatar movement. FIG. 10a displays an
avatar entering a chat room. Typically, a user navigates to a
specific chat room through the colony map 302. FIG. 7 is a typical
example which illustrates a "Shop 1" icon 700. Activating this icon
or others within the HTML image map, fires a popup window
containing the associated chat room 304. The act of entering a chat
room is recorded in the message log region 903. When a user
triggers the "Move" button 904, the chat room will display
available movement locations (or "hot spots") within a chat room as
shown in FIG. 10b. An avatar can move to "Chair 4" 1001 since the
spot is available (not currently occupied with another avatar). A
user activating this hot spot 1001 executes the avatar movement as
shown in FIG. 10c. The avatar moved to the chair and assumed a
sitting posture 1002.
[0072] Avatar activity is not necessarily the only dynamic
components in a chat room environment. The screen shot in FIG. 11a
illustrates a sparse house interior as if the occupant had just
started decorating. The interior shown in FIG 11b is populated with
additional furniture. Another embodiment of this invention is to
add, remove, alter, and/or transform the contents of a chat room
using the same technique of asynchronous, event-driven Javascript
communication employed for displaying avatar movement and
conversation balloons. The screen shot in FIG. 12a illustrates an
avatar shopping within a chat-enabled furniture store. One item on
the showroom floor is a bed 1200. FIG. 12b illustrates a user
reviewing transactions of his bed purchase to include spit-screen
views of a bank account and a store's pricing catalog.
[0073] Avatars do not necessarily represent actual human players in
all cases. An alternate embodiment of the instant invention is to
have avatar activity supported by server side software components
100 directly. Automated avatars that can conduct software-driven
chatting are frequently called chatbots. FIG. 13 is a screen shot
of a chat room environment with game play that includes a mixture
avatars and chatbots. Chatbots can be used for answering routine
questions, targeted advertising, and adding ambiance to a given
chat room. For example, the cashier 1003 in FIG. 10a is a chatbot
who welcomes customers as they enter, takes their orders, announces
specials of the day, and the like. Chatbots can readily interact
with human-driven avatars using standard AI techniques such as
variations of the Eliza program..sup.1 .sup.1Eliza is the best
known Artificial Intelligence program in the world. It is also one
of the oldest. Created in the early 1960's by MIT scientist Joseph
Weizenbaum and named after Eliza Doolittle, its mission was to
attempt to replicate the conversation between a psychoanalyst and a
patient. The origins of the "imitation game" actually date back to
the very beginnings of computer theory with Alan Turing (1950).
[0074] FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment of the invention that
offers additional ways for players to interact with a game while
self-organizing within a chat room. In this instance, players are
dividing themselves into teams to compete in a trivia game. The
trivia question 1301 (which can include in-game advertising related
to the question) appears within the confines of the chat room 304.
In other words, this embodiment combines gaming with chat (or other
similar social activities) using positioning around tables to
organize the team structure.
[0075] FIGS. 14a and 14b are two screen shots of the interface for
customizing avatars. The user can select from a palettes of
features and accessories using tabs. Examples include head shape,
eyes, nose, mouth, hair, and clothing. The combinatorics of the
options allow for a huge number of possibilities. FIG. 15 is a
screen shot of a visual rolodex 413 that maps the avatar
specifications to individual users within a colony. It serves to
illustrate how avatars become just as visually unique as the
players themselves.
[0076] FIGS. 16a and 16b are screen shots demonstrating the two
step process of posting a Private Note to another player.
Activating a user's ID anywhere within the site brings up the
associated Player Card 1601. Selecting the name `mick` 1600 within
the Who's Online region 406 demonstrate one example of this
technique. An alternate method would be to use the rolodex 413. The
Player Card 1601 opens a popup window with the Compose Note tab
1602 on top. The user adds text to the Subject textbox 1603 and the
Message scrolling textbox 1604. Activating the Post Note button
1605 sends a private note to the player associated with that
particular card. In the alternative, a private e-mail (using the
player's e-mail address provided during registration) is sent by
activating the Send E-mail button 1606.
[0077] FIGS. 17a and 17b are screen shots demonstrating the two
step process of reading a Public Note. The process is analogous to
sending a message described above. In the Public Notes region 410,
one can read messages of general interest in the Group Notes tab
1700. Selecting a specific message 1701 activates the Player Card
1703 open to the View Note tab 1703.
[0078] The rules engine 307 in FIG. 3 forms the heart of the
self-organizing colony. The parameters and operational
characteristics that govern how a given colony 202 runs day to day
are recorded and acted upon by the rules engine. From a software
point of view, the rules engine is a controller object within the
server-side software 100. Each colony starts off with default
settings as settlements 201. Preferences, attachments, and other
behavior develop as players interact. The preferred embodiment of
this invention combines the games, role-playing, and socialization
aspects of the online community. Players of each colony record
their preferences through periodic elections or polls or town hall
meetings (chat room activity). Town officials from the membership
are elected who have limited permissions such as the ability to
moderate the Public Notes 410, suspend specific user activities,
and the like. Capturing user preferences through colony
participation is the preferred method of self-organizing.
[0079] The rules engine 307 applies the aggregate preferences to
the dynamics of a given colony's operation. As an illustration,
Colony 1 may become a competitive gaming site where most of the
games might be strategy oriented and the timeouts are relatively
short. The number of chat rooms may be few. Instead, Colony 1
focuses its resources on points, tourneys, and tournaments. In the
alternative, Colony 2 may be more relaxed with more games of chance
and generous timeouts. The bulk of peoples' time might be devoted
to chatting resulting in more chat room environments. The ability
for the structure of colonies to change based on user input should
generate a diverse universe of colony types.
[0080] Alternate embodiments of this invention is to employ rules
engines based on sophisticated software technology such as expert
systems, data mining of user participation, and machine learning.
In other words, the rules engine can adapt to user participation
patterns. The rules engine may tune its rules by analyzing player
interactions with the site. For example, if a specific game seems
to have fallen out of favor, the colony's rules engine may
substitute another game of a different type. These changes can be
in addition to direct user input or completely based on anecdotal
evidence or any weighting of the two.
[0081] This invention does not lay claim to inventing the
technology for rules engines per se. There are many references to
rules engine construction for all manner of experiments in
artificial intelligence research [Henry, 1984; Bigus, 2001]. This
invention improves social networking and game play through the
application of rules engines in creating self-organizing
colonies.
[0082] This invention relates to the improvement of online
turn-based, browser games and the social networking activities such
as online chat rooms. A more evolved player community results by
applying the principles of self-organizing systems to the gaming
framework.
CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE
[0083] This invention encompasses building social networks of
people using self-organizing system software. Examples of social
networks include playing turn-based games and communicating (chat,
e-mail, messaging, etc.). The encapsulated idea is to build
communities from the bottom up instead of the top down. By way of
comparison, most popular Internet companies like Yahoo, MySpace,
and Pogo (Electronic Arts) build their membership from the top
down. Their user communities ultimately grow too large to sustain
cohesiveness. Observations of actual biological communities form
the basis of self-organization theory; consequently, employing a
more natural approach to human behavior should prove superior.
[0084] A compact disc has been included with the specification. It
contains working software that demonstrates the functionality
described above. The software application already generates
commercial revenue. As expected, new users have noted the
uniqueness of the approach described here compared to other
alternatives currently available on the Internet. Members pay to
play games and chat using this invention on multiple colonies of up
to 500 members each.
[0085] Although the description above contains many specificities,
these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the
invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the
presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus the scope
of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and
their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.
* * * * *
References