U.S. patent application number 11/465918 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-31 for multi-player non-role-playing virtual world games: method for two-way interaction between participants and multi-player virtual world games.
Invention is credited to Daniel Bress, Steven Bress, James E. Dunstan.
Application Number | 20080026838 11/465918 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38986993 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080026838 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dunstan; James E. ; et
al. |
January 31, 2008 |
Multi-player non-role-playing virtual world games: method for
two-way interaction between participants and multi-player virtual
world games
Abstract
The present novel Game System is directed toward inserting a
player into a virtual world, where the player's real world actions,
articulated movements, activities and skills determine what actions
and activities his Avatar in the virtual world does. Conversely,
experiences of the Avatar in the Virtual World are translated back
into the real world as feedback. The critical observation is: the
contestants undergo the physical challenge of an epic adventure
with none of the dangers. For example, the present Game System is
able to simulate the physical challenge of a jungle adventure
without biting insects, poisonous snakes, leaches, anacondas and
piranhas, not to mention the enormous expense a real jungle
adventure would entail. Our current invention teaches a
Multi-player Virtual World Game suitable for reality TV and/or
location based entertainment. The present Game System is a unique
combination of elements consisting of: 1. Motion Capturing of
contestants, 2. Two-way interaction with the virtual world, 3. In
Real Time, and requiring, 4. Interacting with objects existing in
both the real world and virtual world, all requiring, 5. High
Physical Levels of Effort of contestants based on the status of the
virtual world environment, 6. Such that there is No Role Playing,
and such that the Game System produces, 7. A unique way of Story
Telling.
Inventors: |
Dunstan; James E.;
(Springfield, VA) ; Bress; Steven; (Germantown,
MD) ; Bress; Daniel; (Germantown, MD) |
Correspondence
Address: |
James Dunstan
6105 Tobey Court
Springfield
VA
22150
US
|
Family ID: |
38986993 |
Appl. No.: |
11/465918 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60710123 |
Aug 22, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/30 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2300/8094 20130101;
A63F 13/00 20130101; A63F 13/79 20140902; A63F 2300/8082
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/30 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A method for a multi-player non-role-playing virtual world game
system comprising: quantifying a player's real world physical
activity, and; modifying a player's real world level of difficulty
by conditions in a virtual world, and; mapping a player's real
world physical activity to an avatar for the purpose of interacting
with the virtual world.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising motion capturing of
players.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein motion capturing is done in real
time.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising objects that exist in
both the real world and the virtual world and can be interacted
with in both.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising requiring high levels
of physical activity.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the high levels of physical
activity are performed on a simulator.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the simulator's level of
difficulty is modified by conditions in the virtual world.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the simulator is a stair
simulator.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein the simulator is a walking/running
simulator.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein the simulator is a bicycle
simulator.
11. The method of claim 6 wherein the simulator is a swimming
simulator.
12. The method of claim 6 wherein the simulator is a canoe
simulator.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the game system is a "reality
show" game system.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the game system is a "location
based entertainment" game system.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119
based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/710,123, filed Aug.
22, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to multi-player Virtual World
Games and, more specifically, to systems and methods for allowing
two-way interaction in multi-player virtual world games, suitable
for broadcast "reality" entertainment and/or location-based
entertainment.
[0004] B. Description of Related Art
[0005] Multi-Player Virtual World games (MVWG) are well known in
the entertainment art and include such online computer games as
Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot and World of Warcraft. In general, a
player uses a home computer as an interface to these games. Our
current invention, in general, teaches new systems and methods to
interface with a MVWG, and new MVWG based on these new systems and
methods. Our current invention is concerned with the following
broad areas: Role-Playing, Number of Participants, Interaction,
Motion Capture, Real-Time, Expression Mapping, Objects, Number of
Players, Story Telling and Physical Level of Effort.
[0006] Our current invention spans the art of Computer Generated
Images (CGI) in Movies/Advertising, Multi-Player Virtual World
Games (MVWG) and Arcade Virtual Reality (VR) Games. For ease of
discussion, we will in general, limit our discussion to the
following examples: World of Warcraft (WoW) for discussing MVWGs
and VR Soccer http://www.highwaygames.com/body.php3?action=mach
view&machine id=945 for discussing Arcade VR Games. The
following definitions are helpful in describing the invention:
[0007] Role Playing
[0008] Wikipedia: "In role-playing, participants adopt characters,
or parts, that have personalities, motivations, and backgrounds
different from their own." Acting is role-playing. For the purposes
of this discussion we will define a Role Playing Game (RPG) as one
in which a player is represented in a virtual world by an Avatar (a
computer representation of a game character), where the Avatar's
ability to interact with the virtual world is determined
predominantly by game mechanics rather than by the player's real
world abilities. Thus World of Warcraft (WoW) is an RPG.
[0009] First-Person Shooters such as Quake and Halo, although not
traditionally thought of as RPGs for the purposes of our discussion
are considered RPGs. The ability to aim and fire a weapon in the
real world requires a skill set including holding a weapon steady,
aiming, breathing techniques during shooting, and reaction to
recoil, among others. The skill set for firing a weapon in Quake
and Halo includes merely moving a mouse and clicking. Since an
Avatar in Quake and Halo interact in the virtual world by play
mechanics rather than a player's real world abilities they are
role-playing games.
[0010] In VR Soccer a player makes contact with a real soccer ball.
The game gathers information about the movement of the ball, and
this movement is used to move the ball in the virtual world. As the
ball is moved by the player's real world skills, VR Soccer would be
considered a non-role-playing game. Thus, the interactive action in
VR Soccer is limited to only kicking the ball, the player neither
runs, nor otherwise control his/her position within the
videogame.
[0011] Physical Level of Effort
[0012] Physical Level of Effort refers to activity in the Real
World required to produce a result in the Virtual World. For
example, to move forward in World of Warcraft (WoW) a player just
needs to press the up arrow and his character in game will move
forward indefinitely. Therefore the physical Level of Effort to
play WoW is near zero. To play soccer in real life requires running
up and down the field for 90 minutes, the physical level of effort
to play is therefore "high". To play VR Soccer a player takes 3-4
steps and kicks a soccer ball into the screen. This kicking is
repeated a few times during the few minutes of play of the game.
Therefore the physical Level of Effort to play VR Soccer is
"low."
[0013] Objects
[0014] Objects for this discussion refer to objects a player may
manipulate that exist simultaneously in both the real and virtual
world. For example, in VR Soccer a player kicks a real ball into a
screen, after the game detects the ball motion, a virtual ball
moves in the virtual world. U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,123 teaches the use
of an object, such as a sword as an input device for an interactive
game. Current art uses objects in arcade games/simulations. Current
art uses objects solely as alternative game/simulation input
devices.
[0015] Motion Capture
[0016] Motion Capture is well known in the art. It is the process
of translating a live performance into a digital performance. U.S.
Pat. No. 6,831,603 has an in-depth discussion of the current state
of the art of motion capture.
[0017] Expression Mapping
[0018] Expression Mapping is well known in the art. It is the
process of adding facial animation to virtual beings. U.S. Pat. No.
6,735,566 is one of many methods for expression mapping. World of
Warcraft (WoW) has short emotive animations a player may activate
for his virtual character. Examples include: cry, cheer, sleep, and
yawn. Of note, the virtual character's expression remains
unchanged, the emotion is created by virtual body language and
sound. Additionally a player may misrepresent his current
expression with this system.
[0019] Real Time
[0020] An action in the real world, such as clicking a mouse in WoW
or hitting a soccer ball in VR Soccer may have an effect in the
virtual world. The length of time it takes for the real world
action to have an effect in the virtual world is referred to as
lag. The less lag, the closer to real time a game is. Games such as
VR Soccer are not real time, as a player may take 3-4 steps forward
before kicking a ball, and then the ball has a certain amount of
travel time before being recognized by the game and a virtual ball
moved. A few seconds may elapse from when a player initiates
movement and when a change is made in the virtual world.
[0021] Interaction
[0022] Interaction refers to the ability to make changes to the
Virtual World. In WoW a player may take the action of collecting a
virtual herb. This virtual herb is subsequently not available to
another player. In games such as VR Soccer the Virtual World is
unchanging, the only change being a player's score. Our USPTO "An
Improved Massively-Multiplayer On-Line Game" teaches the use of
unique arcade-style input devices for Massively-Multiplayer On-Line
Games.
[0023] Number of Participants
[0024] This refers to how many players can play the game at any one
time.
[0025] Story Telling
[0026] A movie tells a story. A player of WoW creates a story for
his virtual character, of virtual victories and defeats, good deeds
and bad. A player of VR Soccer does not create a story, he earns a
score, which at most can be compared with prior static scores
stored in a particular machine.
[0027] Background Summary
[0028] Please refer to FIG. 1, which presents an overview of
current art in the broad areas our current invention is concerned
with.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0029] The present invention is directed toward a multi-player
virtual world game system (the "Game System") and methods that
comprises a new and unique entertainment experience. This system
and method comprise a novel combination of elements, which are
presented in FIG. 2. This novel combination of new and previously
known elements together comprises a unique entertainment
experience, suitable for "reality TV" and/or location-based
entertainment.
[0030] More particularly, the present novel Game System is directed
toward inserting a player into a virtual world, where the player's
real world actions, articulated movements, activities and skills
determine what actions and activities his Avatar in the virtual
world does. Conversely, experiences of the Avatar in the Virtual
World are translated back into the real world as feedback. The
critical observation is: the contestants undergo the physical
challenge of an epic adventure with none of the dangers. For
example, the present Game System is able to simulate the physical
challenge of a jungle adventure without biting insects, poisonous
snakes, leaches, anacondas and piranhas, not to mention the
enormous expense a real jungle adventure would entail.
[0031] Our current invention teaches a Multi-player Virtual World
Game suitable for reality TV and/or location based entertainment.
The present Game System is a unique combination of elements
consisting of:
[0032] Motion Capturing of contestants,
[0033] Two-way interaction with the virtual world,
[0034] In Real Time, and requiring
[0035] Interacting with objects existing in both the real world and
virtual world, all requiring
[0036] High Physical Levels of Effort of contestants based on the
status of the virtual world environment,
[0037] Such that there is No Role Playing, and such that the Game
System produces
[0038] A unique way of Story Telling.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the invention
and, together with the description, explain the invention. In the
drawings,
[0040] FIG. 1 is an overview of the current art.
[0041] FIG. 2 is an overview of the current art and our current
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0042] The following detailed description of the invention refers
to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in
different drawings identify the same or similar elements. Also, the
following detailed description does not limit the invention.
[0043] A multi-player non-role-playing virtual world games is
described. Our present Game System is a novel combination of new
and previously known elements, which together comprises a unique
entertainment experience. (See FIG. 2.) Many of these elements are
well known in the art so are described primarily only as far as our
present Game System modifies the art. In addition, the benefits of
using one element over a superficially similar element will be
discussed.
[0044] For the sake of clarity and not limitation, our current
invention will be described with a game called Quest! Mayan
Jade.TM.. In the discussion below the use of "Quest! Mayan Jade"
means the preferred embodiment of our current invention. The
discussion below will teach each aspect of our current invention,
first in generalities, and then, more specifically as illustrated
by "Quest! Mayan Jade."
[0045] The defining characteristic of our present Game System is: a
participant undergoes the physical challenges of an epic adventure
with none of the dangers.
[0046] Our current invention teaches a Multi-player Virtual World
Game suitable for reality TV and/or location based entertainment.
The present Game System is a unique combination of elements
consisting of:
[0047] Motion Capturing of contestants, allowing for
[0048] Two-way interaction with the virtual world,
[0049] In Real Time, and requiring
[0050] Interacting with objects existing in both the real world and
virtual world, all requiring
[0051] High Physical Levels of Effort of contestants based on the
status of the virtual world environment,
[0052] Such that there is No Role Playing, and such that the Game
System produces
[0053] A unique way of Story Telling.
[0054] 1. Motion Capture
[0055] Motion Capture is well known in the art. It is also a fast
evolving field. Our present Game System is not concerned with any
specific motion capture system. One example of the many systems
that are available is MotionAnalysis
http://www.motionanalysis.com/about mac/gollum.html.
[0056] The motion capture systems allow a computer to determine the
real world position of motion capture sensors. In order to make use
of the data in a virtual world, there has to be some form of
mapping between a motion capture system in the real world and an
Avatar in the virtual world. The simplest case would be a single
sensor on a participant. The participant may be in a 20' by 20'
room. If there were a similarly square room in the virtual world,
the single sensor could be used to tell the computer where in the
room the Avatar should be placed in the virtual world, and at what
height. If the participant paced around the room, the Avatar could
be made to pace around the room at the same rate. For this case,
there would not be much more information available, but it does
illustrate a simple mapping between the real world and a virtual
world.
[0057] A more complex system, and one that is closer to our
preferred embodiment, multiple sensors would be used on a
participant. In a single sensor method while the position of a
participant in the room was known, there was no information
available about the participant's body position, or the way that he
moved his limbs as he moved around the room.
[0058] In a complex motion capture setup, sensors may be placed at
either side of every major joint on a participant's arms and legs.
This allows even a participant's head position and head tilt angle
to be measured accurately. The motion capture system then has very
detailed information about the exact manner in which a
participant's musculoskeletal system is moving at any given time.
This data may be fed into the virtual world for a fairly direct
mapping from the real world to the virtual world. That is, a
particpant's right leg bone, which is connected to the thighbone,
just moved to an angle of 7.5 degrees, and the thighbone, which is
connected to the hipbone, just moved to 2.4 degrees. This
information is used by the virtual world to move the participant
Avatar's bones in a similar manner. Thus the motion of an Avatar
may take on a very realistic lifelike look and feel.
[0059] 2. Two-Way Interaction with the Virtual World.
[0060] Interacting with a virtual world is well known in the art,
especially in multi-player virtual world games (MVWG) such as
Everquest and Dark Age of Camelot. In existing MVWGs, the
interaction is characterized as one-way. A human interacts with a
computer, sending commands for the player's Avatar to do things
(e.g. pick up an item). The virtual environment then responds and
reacts to these actions (e.g., the item appears in the "inventory"
of the Avatar). This interaction is all within the virtual world,
and not within the real world of the player. Although devices have
been used to provide feedback from virtual world to the player
(e.g., forcefeedback joysticks, such as Microsoft Sidewinder
Force-Feedback Pro), this tactile feedback cannot be characterized
as true two-way interaction.
[0061] In the Game System, when an Avatar picks up an item in the
virtual world and placed in the Avatar's inventory, a
representation of that item is also introduced into the real world,
and the human is required to carry that representation, including
its mass, in the real world.
[0062] As another example meant to explain but not limit the
invention, in the Game System, if a human player begins to run on
her treadmill, her Avatar will begin running in the virtual world.
If the path of the Avatar's run is uphill in the virtual world,
this virtual world environment change is transmitted fed back
through the Game System to the treadmill, whereupon either the
angle of the treadmill or the tension of the belt is changed to
require the real world human to work harder to "run" uphill in the
virtual world. If the exertion is too much for the player, she will
stop, turn, or otherwise avoid continuing that path in the virtual
world, because the exertion is too much.
[0063] In this way, there is true two-way interaction between the
human and the virtual world--what the human does causes a change in
the virtual world, but changes in the virtual world cause changes
to the real world environment in which the player interacts.
[0064] This two-way interaction also has an impact on the virtual
world that does not currently exist in the art. It is the goal of
current MVWGs to offer the same experience to all their players. So
if Player A find a treasure chest, that chest will at some point
reappear (respawn) to give Player B a chance to find the same
chest. If Player B knocks down a door, after a set period the door
will repair itself, to offer the same challenge to Player A. In
summary, existing art has a high component of interactivity with
the virtual world, but with a few extremely rare exceptions, there
is no permanent interaction with the virtual world.
[0065] Permanent Interaction with the Virtual World. Our present
Game System is designed for dozens of players and to be
reset/reused after a relatively short period of time, compared to
existing MVWGs. Additionally, it is a goal of our present Game
System to offer different experiences to each contestant. Thus our
present Game System allows participants to have permanent
interaction with the virtual world, limited by good game design.
This permanent interaction takes two main forms, taking/consuming
virtual objects, and changing the virtual terrain.
[0066] Our present Game System does not respawn objects as MVWGs
do. That is, if there are ten apples on a virtual tree and Player A
takes one, when Player B sees the tree there will be nine apples on
it. In addition to food, water, ammunition and other supplies,
written hints are another class of objects, which could be taken.
Additionally, a contestant may write hints/letters in the real
world that are transferred to the virtual world by the actions of
his Avatar and left for other contestants to find.
[0067] Objects that a contestant can pick up, she can also put down
in a different location. That is, contestant's can move objects.
Permanently moving objects is not possible in most MVWGs. If moving
objects is implemented, the moved object may disappear (despawn)
after a pre-selected period.
[0068] In our present Game System participants can change the state
of objects. For example, if a participant unlocks a door, that door
will be in an unlocked state when the next participant encounters
it. Similarly, an object, such as a chest may be left in an open
condition. In contrast to existing MVWGs our present Game System
does not reset the state of objects after a pre-determined amount
of time.
[0069] Our present Game System allows participants to change the
virtual terrain. One example of this is terrain marking, such as
spray painting. If the contestants equip themselves with a spray
paint can in the virtual world, they are given a replica can to
carry in the real world, as discussed above. This real world spray
paint can replica may have buttons on it indicating right arrow,
left arrow, up arrow, skull and crossbones, etc. So a participant
would "aim" the can as he would a weapon and press a button to
indicate what he wants to spray paint in the virtual world. Thus a
participant could mark a path out of a "dungeon" or direct a
lagging party member which direction to go at a crossroads by
actions in the real world that are translated into the virtual
world. All contestants can see these spray paint markings.
Therefore contestants must decide whether the beneficial use of
terrain marking outweighs the possible negative effects of another
group of contestants seeing these markings. It also allows
contestants to falsely mark the terrain in an effort to mislead
other contestants. The use of system resources for terrain marking
can be controlled by limiting the means of terrain marking, for
example by limiting how many spray paint cans exist in the virtual
world and how many "marks" can be made by a particular can and also
by the number of different "marks" that can be made.
[0070] Participants may permanently change the virtual terrain by
destructive methods as well, such as by blowing bridges, cutting
down trees, breaking windows, etc., with the only constraint being
good game play. For example, a virtual small bridge may span a
virtual ravine. If there were other ways to bypass the ravine, our
present Game System may allow the small bridge to be blown up.
However, if crossing that bridge were key to all contestants, then
our present Game System would not allow it to be blown up. This can
be accomplished to not allowing sufficient virtual explosives into
the virtual world to blow it up, or deny access to portions of the
bridge, such as support piers to blow it up. As discussed above in
terrain marking, all participants will be able to see the results
of terrain destruction. Thus blowing open a door may not only help
a contestant's team, it may also help his opponent's team. Thus a
participant may need to decide between blowing a door open quickly
and taking more time to unlock then lock it to thwart his
opponents. In addition, a participant may blow down a door as a
false lead, in an effort to mislead other participants. The use of
system resources for terrain destruction can be controlled by
limiting the amount of virtual destructive material in the game.
Such as limiting the amount of virtual explosives, and/or limiting
the amount of gas for a gas-powered saw, etc.
[0071] 3. Real Time
[0072] For the purposes of this discussion Real Time means is
defined as meaning that actions participants input for their
Avatars occur with as little delay as possible consistent with
current technology (less than a few seconds). This is well known in
the art as exemplified by MVWGs such as Everquest and Dark Age of
Camelot. In these existing MVWGs, contestants are able to use the
same control devices for their gaming session, so any breaks in a
gaming session are solely at their discretion. Our present Game
System may require participants to physically move between
different simulators during a single gaming session, thus there is
a period where participants are not able to control their Avatars.
Having Avatars enter an "idle" stage is discussed below.
[0073] There will be occasions then, where Avatars exist in the
virtual world, but their participants are not able to control them.
For example, a contestant bikes to a virtual river. He then wants
to cross the virtual river by swimming. In the real world a
participant exits a bicycle simulator, a member of the staff/crew
puts the contestant's Avatar into idle mode, and the participant
must walk to the swimming simulator, where the staff/crew toggles
the participant's Avatar off idle mode.
[0074] An Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be written for
directing a participant's Avatar while he is between simulators,
for example if he was attacked by a virtual wild animal. That is
not an ideal situation. It would really not be fair to have a
participant's Avatar damaged when the contestant was not in
control. A more ideal situation would be to design safe zones in
the virtual world. That is, an area in the virtual world without
non-player characters (NPCs) and hidden from view from other
participant's Avatars. For example, the only way to enter a virtual
river may be a small depression, with high reeds around it.
[0075] A situation may arise where two competing contestants wish
to enter a river at the same time in roughly the same place. In
this case our present Game System may spawn a separate safe zone
"instance" for each contestant. That is, there would be two safe
zones; one for each contestant and our present Game System would
"lock out" a competing contestant from entering an occupied safe
zone.
[0076] Our Game System physically challenges contestants. Efforts
must be made to make these challenges as safe as possible. With
this in mind, changing from one simulator to another may put a
participant's Avatar in an idle mode for a predetermined period of
time. This would avoid the situation where a participant may feel
the need to run around a studio between simulators and injure
himself. This predetermined period would be determined on the
distance between the various simulators and the difficulty of
exiting one and entering another. For example, going between a
bicycle and swimming simulator may put a participant's Avatar in
idle mode for four minutes, while going between a walking simulator
and bicycle simulator may put an Avatar in idle mode for two
minutes.
[0077] 4. Interacting with Objects Existing in Both the Real World
and Virtual World
[0078] In a typical Multi-player Virtual World Game (MVWG) the
objects an Avatar can carry is determined by the number of "spaces"
in his bags, the virtual weight of the objects or both. A key
element of our present Game System is a physical challenge.
Therefore, the objects an Avatar can carry in the virtual world are
determined by what a participant can carry in the real world. The
only objects a participant can use in the real world (while playing
our present Game System) are objects that his Avatar acquires in
the virtual world.
[0079] For example, it is morning in the virtual world. The
participant's Avatars are at a supply drop and must decide what to
carry with them that day. If a participant wants to eat and drink
some food during the day, he must go through the virtual supplies
and decide what to carry. He may decide he will want 2 apples, a
turkey leg and 2 liters of water between now and the next supply
drop. Those items then must be put into the participants backpack
(either by him or staff/crew) and carried. A participant may crave
a banana, but if there are no virtual bananas in the virtual supply
drop, he does not get one.
[0080] In this manner objects exist in both the real and virtual
world. This could be take to Survivor-esque levels by requiring
participants to carry all food that they will eat during the day,
or it may be limited to just food that they want during actual game
play. In addition to food and water, participants will be required
to carry any change of clothes they may want, as well as any other
amenities. Good game play would be to position supply drops off the
most direct path, to give participants a choice between carrying
more and traveling a shorter distance, or carrying less but going a
longer path.
[0081] Special Objects or Relics. "One of the most important props
featured in the [movie] Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Headpiece of
the Staff of Ra was able to pinpoint the final resting place of the
lost Ark of the Covenant. When the headpiece was placed in a
particular position in the Well of Souls, the sun would shine
through the crystal and reveal the location of the Ark."
http://www.indyprops.com/pp-headpiece.htm. In our present Game
System a participant would have to carry a real-world replica of an
in-game relic like the Headpiece of the Staff of Ra. This gives
participants an obvious physical challenge and an intellectual one.
Good game play would be to introduce numerous relics and items that
appeared to be relics. Participants would have to choose to either
burden themselves down with carrying all relics they came across or
figuring out the real ones from the fake.
[0082] Weapons, Explosives and Such. In first-person shooters, a
gamer typically has a choice of multiple weapons, with no penalty.
In our present Game System all weapons available in the virtual
world, will have a replica in the real world. A participant must
carry replicas of any and all weapons he wants to use. This leads
to good game play as participants individually and as a group, must
decide between short range weapons, such as shot-guns and
long-range weapons such as a B.A.R. As a B.A.R. weighs over 14
pounds, a participant can quickly become over-burdened by poor
choices of what to carry. Not only weapons but also ammunition,
which are surprisingly weighty, will exist in both the real and
virtual world. Again, more choices for participants, weigh yourself
down with ammo, or take a chance of running out later on. As other
objects in our present Game System, replica explosives will have to
be carried. Yet again a participant must make a choice of how much
to carry.
[0083] Other objects are utility objects, such as radios. In the
virtual world a radio may be required to call for a supply drop, or
simply to ask questions, download maps, etc. So not only will
participants have to carry a replica radio, they would also be
required to carry a means of powering a radio and any other virtual
electronic gear they intend on using in the virtual world. Good
game design is giving participants choices. In this case
participants may decide to depend upon batteries or they may opt
for hand-powered devices to create power.
[0084] 5. High Physical Level of Effort
[0085] The goal of our present Game System is to simulate the
physical challenge of an epic adventure with none of the dangers.
For example, walking and running can be simulated by putting a
contestant on a treadmill and varying the pace and elevation. The
future is certain to bring new technology to accomplish the same
task, such as "Shifty Tiles" invented by University of Tsukuba and
ATR Media Information Research Labs
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/081104/Shifty tiles bring
walking to VR Brief 081104.html0. Our present Game System is
described using current cost-efficient technology, but is not
limited by this description.
[0086] An ideal simulator has the following characteristics:
[0087] Forces a contestant to use proper body motion for realistic
motion capture,
[0088] Is controllable by a participant (i.e. how fast a
participant walks on a treadmill),
[0089] Is controllable by the virtual world (i.e. the angle of a
treadmill should match the slope of the ground in the virtual
world),
[0090] Is safe for an untrained healthy adult to use, and
[0091] Has form factor compatible with a reality TV show or
location based entertainment.
[0092] There exists in the art simulators for such activities as
Walking, Running, Stair Climbing, Rowing, Bike Riding, Sail
Boating, Hang Gliding, Parachuting, Rock Climbing, Wind Surfing,
Kayaking, Surfing, Skiing, Snow Boarding and Swimming, among
others. Our present Game System will be illustrated, but not
limited, by a discussion of treadmills, stair climbers, bike
simulators, swimming simulators, canoe simulators, fantasy
simulators and creating a "virtual set".
[0093] Interface for Two-Way Interaction. The following discussion
will mainly concentrate on modifying current simulators, as that is
the most cost effective method. In order to use a current
simulator, our present Game System may need to pass information to
the simulator. Additionally, our present Game System may need to
gather information from the simulator. One skilled in the art would
realize that building an interface to pass information to and from
our present Game System to a simulator is well known in the art,
and hence is not covered in this discussion.
[0094] Stair Simulators. The most common type of Stair Simulator is
characterized by two independent pedals, such as the
StairMaster.RTM. Free Climber series. This type of Stair Simulator
is less than ideal however. Most stair risers are eight inches in
height. So to simulate natural movement, a participant's throw on a
pedal should be consistently eight inches. However, since these
type of machines have a free range on the pedals, the throw may
vary widely. This motion would look unrealistic when motion
captured and mapped to the virtual world.
[0095] A more desirable alternative is the StairMaster.RTM.
StepMill 7000. This device is a revolving staircase; therefore it
forces a participant into the proper motion, for motion capture. It
is capable of speeds from 24 to 162 steps per minute, controllable
by a user or through an external program through its C.S.A.F.E.
interface. No special training is required, just step onto it and
climb stairs. Its form factor quality is OK as is, and can be
enhanced with some modification. Finally at a price of $5,000 it is
cost efficient.
[0096] The StepMill 7000 is adequate direct from the factory.
However it can be improved for use with our present Game System
with some modifications. Our present Game System is designed for
reality TV and/or location based entertainment. For reality TV,
part of the broadcast show will be participants on the simulators.
In addition, location based entertainment most likely would be
structured so that an audience could watch a game in progress.
Therefore the side railings and the Console (Head) are not
necessary and obstruct view of a participant. A participant needs
to adjust the speed of the device, as a participant may want to
rest, walk or run up the steps in the virtual world. A participant
controller interface to the unit is required if the console is
removed. The art allows a very small, wireless interface device,
with a pause button, and up arrow and down arrow to be built, which
could be strapped to a participant's arm and/or worn on a belt.
[0097] Real World motion may be mapped on a one to one basis with
the Virtual World. That is, one step on the StepMill is one step in
the virtual world. Sensors may be placed on top of the revolving
steps. These sensors could send information to our current Game
System when a participant's foot hits the top of a step. This would
aid mapping the participant's Avatar's feet to the virtual stairs
he is climbing.
[0098] Walking/Running Simulators
[0099] Treadmills are well known in the art. A typical treadmill is
the Life Fitness.RTM. 9500. It main components are a 62.times.18
inch revolving belt, powered by a 4.0 hp motor. User adjustable
speed from 0.5-12 mph in 0.1 increments, and user adjustable
incline 0-15%. This treadmill also features safety bars and grips.
These are undesirable for our present Game System, as if a
participant were to hold on to the equipment, their body motion
would not be realistic for motion capture. Therefore any potential
handholds would need to be removed.
[0100] A treadmill can be improved for use with our present Game
System with some additional modifications. The form factor quality
of a treadmill can be improved by the removal of the head. This
would necessitate building a participant controllable interface, as
above, to enable a participant to speed up, slow down, or stop the
treadmill. Our present Game System requires the current speed of
the treadmill, in order to track a participant's progress through
the virtual world. This information could either come from the
contestant's interface, or a separate interface between the
treadmill and our present Game System.
[0101] If the treadmill does not have a C.S.A.F.E. interface or
equivalent, a interface would be required between the treadmill and
our present Game System so that the game could vary the angle of
the treadmill to match the virtual terrain. That is, raise the
angle of the treadmill when going uphill, and lowering it when
going downhill. A treadmill could be mounted at a negative angle,
so its' range of motion could be say -5% to +10% instead of the
standard 0-15%.
[0102] Using a treadmill with the modifications described above is
very cost efficient. The disadvantage of this method is its
limitations in simulating varying virtual terrain. It has a limited
range of motion (15%) and changing the angle of the machine is very
slow, so that there is a disconnect between the real and virtual
world. In addition, this method does not allow any lateral (side to
side) movement of the treadmill to simulate varying terrain.
[0103] An improvement would be to mount a treadmill on a
2-degree-of-freedom motion platform. This would allow the treadmill
to move front and back more than the 15% standard and also
side-to-side, to better simulate the virtual terrain. An additional
benefit of this system is that rough terrain can be simulated by
introducing small random motion to the motion platform. This system
would even allow a small earthquake to be simulated. Motion
platforms are well known in the art. The major considerations in
mounting a treadmill to a motion platform are obvious safety issues
which are well known in the art, so are not covered here.
[0104] Contestant Control of a Walking/Running Simulator. As
discussed above, a participant would require a small interface
device, capable of being mounted on an arm or hung on a belt, to
control the speed of a treadmill. The preferred embodiment of our
present Game System is a team game. Therefore a contestant may wish
to go the same speed as a team leader. Therefore an additional
button to set the treadmill at the same speed as the team leader
would be an improvement.
[0105] There also needs to be a method for a participant to
navigate in the virtual world. Due to the nature of treadmills, a
contestant's feet must always be pointing forward, so no
information can be gotten from feet placement. The Game System
calls for an interface device to allow for such virtual world
navigation. Such a device could be, but is not limited to: A
joystick, a hand-held game controller, a head tracking system, or a
shoulder angle tracking system.
[0106] By way of example, but in no way limiting the scope of the
present invention, while a contestant is on a treadmill a
representation of the virtual world will be projected in front of
her. Ideally the projected image is large enough to require a
participant to move her head to see all of it. Our present Game
System is motion capturing a participant's movement. Therefore, the
Game System is able to extract the angle of a participant head
(side to side) from the position of his feet. This is the same
information that would be provided by a joystick or similar
game-controlling device. A disadvantage of his method is the
participant would be moving in the virtual world whenever he looked
around. Therefore a switch is needed in conjunction with the
extracted angle for controlled navigation through the virtual
world.
[0107] An ideal switch would be unobtrusive for aesthetic reasons.
It should be small so as to not interfere with the physical
activities required of a participant. Finally, it should be
activated in a method as to not interfere with realistic motion
capture. One solution would be an Eye Blink Switch, such as this
http://www.assistireland.ie/index.asp?locID=143&docID=212. In
this case when a participant blinks, the angle of his head would be
extracted from his body capture information and used to rotate the
participant's Avatar in the virtual world. A disadvantage of this
method is that is partial obscures a participant's face.
[0108] Another alternative would be a switch similar to Advanced
Multimedia Devices, Inc. Flat Mini-Beam Switch (SSW-MB)
http://www.amdi.net/sensors.htm. This switch is small enough to
attach to the palm of a participant's hand. It is activated by
proximity so it could be positioned that a small inward to palm
motion with a thumb would trigger it. In the future, as technology
gets smaller and less expensive, it may be possible use a
combination eye tracker and blink detector for motion control such
as made by EyeTracking, Inc. http://www.eyetracking.com/.
[0109] Bicycle Simulators.
[0110] Bicycle Trainers can be broken down into two broad
categories: stationary exercise bikes and bike trainers, which
attach a resistance mechanism to real bike. Stationary bikes fall
into two categories, upright and recumbent. Life Cycle.RTM.
manufactures models of each stationary bike category. Upright
stationary bikes position a contestant close to the proper position
for realistic motion capture. Both stationary bikes and bike
trainers can increase resistance to simulate going up hills.
Stationary bikes do not have gears. As proper use of gears is a
very important component of bicycling in the real world, a bike
trainer is closer to an ideal bike simulator than a stationary
bike.
[0111] Racer Mate.RTM. manufactures a bike trainer "Pro BASIC
CompuTrainer.TM." http://www.racermateinc.com/compu pro basic.asp
which is a good choice (at the time of this writing). A frame
attaches to a bike's rear wheel. The bike's rear wheel is
positioned off the floor, seated in a load generator, which can
change resistance. The Pro Basic model can simulate up to a 15%
incline. The Pro Basic additionally comes equipped with a built-in
interface and additional software of use to a game designer. A
device such as the Pro Basic comes close to an ideal simulator, as
discussed above, as it incorporates a real bike.
[0112] A bike trainer can be improved for use with our present Game
System. A simple improvement would be to mount a fan in front of a
participant. The fan speed would be synchronized with the virtual
speed of the bike, thus giving a participant feedback and making
for a more interesting visual for spectators. A bike trainer can be
further improved by incorporating a method to brake in the virtual
world. Sensors, such as strain sensors can be positioned in a
bike's handbrakes. This would enable a participant to use the
brakes as they are normally used and send this braking information
to the virtual world.
[0113] In the real world, following close behind another biker is
slightly easier than being uncovered, due to wind resistance.
Ideally this would be modeled in the virtual world, to add
additional strategy to the game. That is, if a participant followed
closely behind another, the resistance on the following
participant's bike would be slightly less than that of the
leader.
[0114] There needs to be a means to a method for a participant to
steer in the virtual world. In the real world steering is done by a
rider leaning, and the bike following the direction of the lean.
This is not possible with the current art of bike trainers. There
are two equally good methods to get steering information.
[0115] Pressure sensors can be put in the handgrips of a bike. The
harder a participant squeezes the tighter the virtual bike would
turn in that direction. As participants rest some of their weight
on the front of the handgrips, the sensors would need to be
positioned at the rear, so that they would only be activated by a
gripping motion with the fingers. The only disadvantage to this
system is that this is not a natural method of steering a bike, and
a training period may be required before a participant is
comfortable with it.
[0116] As the contestant is being motion captured that information
could be used for steering. That is, if a participant leaned, moved
his shoulders, to one side the virtual bike would turn in that
direction. The bigger the lean, the harder the turn. This is a more
natural method of steering a bike. The disadvantage to this method
is a participant might trigger an inadvertent turn, by simply
stretching. To ensure this does not happen, sensors, such as
proximity sensors could be positioned in both handgrips. In order
to use motion capture as steering, both sensors would need to be
activated, that is a contestant would have to have both hands on
the handgrips.
[0117] The bike trainer as discussed above is close to an ideal
simulator. Its major deficiency is that it is unable to lean, as a
real bike leans, for turning. Thus the bike trainer is unable to
give proper body motion for realistic motion capture. Tectrix.RTM.
http://www.refstar.com/tectrix/products/vr/index.html manufactures
a stationary bike called the VR Bike. On this stationary bike, the
seat and pedals rotate on a horizontal axis. When a rider initiates
a turn, the VR Bike leans into it, thus providing realistic leaning
motion for motion capture. If this leaning motion was deemed
necessary for a particular version of our current Game System,
modifications to this device and the virtual world could be
made.
[0118] To this point we have discussed simulating real activities
and devices in the virtual world. However, our present Game System
is not limited to that. One of the goals of our present Game System
is to present various physical challenges to participants. If the
physical challenge is real, that is, our participants sweat, what
is actually being simulated does not have to simulate known devices
in the real world. The Tectrix VR Bike can simulate varying
terrain. However, as the hand positions do not match a real
recumbent bike's hand positions, a fantasy bike can be created for
the virtual world that would match the hand positions of the
Tectrix VR bike. In effect we have a real world simulator for a
fantasy device.
[0119] The Tectrix VR Bike would require some modification before
being used in this role. For form factor reasons the head and the
behind-the-seat speakers can be removed. Pressure sensors can be
positioned in the handgrips to give a contestant a means to
indicate braking. More on Fantasy Simulators below.
[0120] Swimming Simulators.
[0121] In a broad sense, a lap pool is an open water simulator. The
disadvantage of using a lap pool is that turning around at the end
of the lap pool does not make for realistic motion capture. Endless
Pools.RTM. http://www.endlesspools.com manufactures a solution.
They bill themselves as a swimmer's treadmill. Their device uses a
water jet to create an adjustable current in a pool as small as
8.times.15 feet. A device such as this comes close to our ideal
simulator.
[0122] One disadvantage of using a device such as this is that it
is not participant controlled. That is, the participant has to swim
at whatever speed has been set into the device to stay in the
middle of the pool. A participant could be given an input device to
be worn on the wrist to change the speed of the current. However,
while a participant is inputting the change the current may push
him to the back wall, which would be undesirable. Another solution
is the participant could shout out the change in speed he wants,
i.e. "plus two", "minus three", etc. and a member of the crew/staff
could input the change for him, or voice recognition software could
be used and coded to make the required changes in speed. The
disadvantages of these methods is that the result is jerky
unnatural movement when the speed of the current is changed.
[0123] A more ideal and organic solution is detailed in our USPTO
Provisional Patent Application entitled An Improved Artificial
Water Current Control Device. In brief, a sensor is used to
determine a swimmers distance from the front of the pool. A small
neutral area is assigned in the middle of the pool. If a swimmer
moves out of the neutral zone and towards the front of the pool,
the velocity of the water stream is increased until the swimmer is
back in the neutral position. Similarly if the swimmer moves toward
the back of the pool, the water stream is reduced. Thusly a
participant is in precise control of the speed he wants to go,
simply by speeding up or slowing down.
[0124] An ideal swimming simulator would have a method to navigate
through the virtual world. Unfortunately this is not possible with
the current art. The solution is to change the game. That is, if
the game calls for swimming in the virtual world the path a
participant needs to take in the virtual world is straight, so the
simulator and virtual world are in synch. For example, in the game
the challenge may be to swim across a one-mile wide virtual river
before the opposition, but where on the other side a participant
lands is immaterial.
[0125] Canoe Simulator
[0126] PaddleOne.RTM. manufactures a canoe simulator
http://www.paddleone.com/canoe kayak/paddleonec.php?I=en. The
PaddleOne C can be modified to be suitable for our present Game
System. This device does not have any electronics, so there is no
method for our present Game System to know how much effort (how
fast) a participant is doing. The amount of work a participant is
doing can be determined by placing a strain sensor where the cable
attaches to the paddle or by putting a pressure sensor on the
paddle, where a contestant's hand near the paddle blade rests. The
information from sensors such as these can be interpolated into the
speed of the virtual canoe.
[0127] There needs to be a method for a participant to navigate in
the virtual world. The simplest method would be to use foot
switches/sensors. Activating these devices would require a very
small motion, so it would not lead to unrealistic motion capture. A
more challenging method for a contestant would be to compare the
amount of work a participant does on the right and left side. That
is, if his right stroke were more powerful than his left, the canoe
would move to the right in the virtual world. To accomplish this, a
sensor would have to be added to the paddle so the present game
would have information on what side the stroke is.
[0128] Modifying the PaddleOne C as described above would be an
adequate canoe simulator for our present Game System. Producing
location-based entertainment or a reality show is as much art as
science. The PaddleOne C's strength is that it is cost-efficient
and easy for a participant to hop on it and start paddling. If
canoeing is a small part of the story/challenge of the game being
staged the PaddleOne might be preferred embodiment. However, if
canoeing is a large part of the story/challenge another solution
may be preferred.
[0129] In addition to what part a particular simulation plays in
the story/challenge, another consideration must be cost. Therefore
we will discuss two more canoe simulators. One simulator tethers a
canoe in a body of water such as a pool. The other simulator
creates a current in a pool for a free-floating canoe to row
against, similar to Endless Pool discussed above. The tether
solution is considerably less expensive that the free-floating one.
The free-floating solution has a more aesthetic quality, it has
much better visuals and it gives the contestants more of a
challenge, as the free-floating canoe is much harder to control
than the tethered one.
[0130] Both the tethered and free-floating canoe simulators use a
real canoe. This canoe can be a multi-person canoe. This can lead
to additional challenges for participants, for example a single
person canoe is easier to control than one where multiple people
are rowing. Using a multi-person canoe offers participants more
choices. For example, not all participants need to be rowing at the
same time, that is, in a four man canoe, two participants may rest.
In our Game System, participants must carry objects in the real
world that they need to survive, such as food and water, and they
must also carry objects that are the physical manifestation of
objects they will need in game, think "Staff of Ra" in "Raiders of
the Lost Ark". A fully loaded canoe is harder to paddle than an
empty one, which gives the participants more choices as they
prepare for the canoe portion of their story/challenge.
[0131] There are a number of methods to construct canoe simulators,
our present Game System is illustrated, but not limited by the
following descriptions. A real canoe is modified by having bungee
cords mounted port stern, port bow, starboard stern, and starboard
bow. Participants load and enter the canoe on the side of a pool.
Staff/crew then position the canoe in the center of a pool and
connect the bungee cords to the appropriate corners of the pool.
Stain sensors are positioned on each of the bungee cords. These
sensors give our present Game System enough information to
determine speed and direction of the virtual canoe. That is, the
more tension on the stern bungee cords, the faster the virtual
canoe is going. The more tension on the port bow bungee the more
acutely the virtual canoe is turning to starboard.
[0132] A free-floating canoe simulator is described in more detail
in our USPTO Provisional Patent application entitled An Improved
Artificial Water Current Control Device. As in the Endless Pool
modification described above in the Swimming Simulator section this
canoe simulator tracks where the front of the canoe is relative to
the front and sides of the pool. This canoe simulator has three
water jets, one positioned in front of the canoe, one to port and
one to starboard. As the front of the canoe leaves a neutral area,
the velocity of the different jets is modified to keep the canoe in
the center of the pool. The velocity of the different jets is
enough information for our present Game System to determine the
speed and direction of the virtual canoe.
[0133] Simulating water current would further challenge
participants. Simulating current either straight ahead or straight
behind is easy. The velocity a participant maintains on the
simulator is calculated and the velocity of the virtual current is
added for a back current or subtracted from a front current. The
PaddleOne and the Tethered Canoe simulators would simulate sideways
water current by changing their track in the virtual world. That
is, the vector obtained from the simulator would be modified by the
vector of a virtual current, and this modified vector would be used
to track the canoe in the virtual world. The free-floating canoe
simulator is superior as the intensity of the side jets can be
changed to simulate the virtual current, thus providing contestants
with more feedback and challenge.
[0134] Fantasy Simulator
[0135] Our present Game System uses simulators to add a physical
challenge to the Game System, and the physical component is also a
necessary component for a Fantasy Simulator. As long as a physical
component remains, the types of possible simulators is only limited
by the human imagination. One skilled in the art, in light of the
teachings above, would understand that there are no technical
challenges to constructing the Fantasy Simulators discussed below.
Our present Game System is illustrated, but not limited, by a
discussion of just a few Fantasy Simulators.
[0136] Human-Powered Sub. Although human-powered sub do exist
http://www.enme.umd.edu/terpedo/ most participants and audience
would have no knowledge of them. Additionally, the real
human-powered subs are ugly and awkward to use. For our present
Game System we can take a real vehicle and modify it, in other
words turn it into a Fantasy Vehicle. The virtual sub would need to
be more aesthetic pleasing. Thus the virtual sub would be improved
with a glass canopy and a pressurized cockpit. With those changes
in mind, the Tectrix VR Bike discussed above would put a
participant in the proper position for "realistic" motion capture
of a human-powered sub. A means for navigating the virtual sub up
or down in the water column would have to be added. This could be
as simple as a button on the right hand rest for up and a button on
the left hand rest for down.
[0137] Inflatable Plane. Like the human-powered sub addressed
above, inflatable planes are real. The Goodyear Inflatoplane,
GA-468 was designed to be dropped behind lines for downed pilots to
use to be rescued. Again we can take the concept of a real vehicle
and modify it for our present Game System. A human-powered
inflatable plane capable of being stored and carried in a backpack
could enhance storylines and add a unique challenge to contestants.
As with the sub above, the Tectrix VR Bike can be used as the real
world simulator. An additional challenge for participants would be
to manufacture a real world mock-up of the virtual inflatable
plane, and have a contestant blow up and assemble the plane in the
real world before being able to use it in the virtual world.
[0138] Multi-Person Powered Dirigible. One iteration is a virtual
dirigible with a large open passenger compartment slung underneath
it. It has four backward facing hand-powered propellers in the
stern of the passenger compartment and in the bow a large spoked
wheel for right/left travel and a large lever for up/down travel.
For this vehicle, the spoked wheel and lever would need to be
constructed in the real world. A simple way of presenting this
simulator would be to have four stationary upright bikes in a row
with a "captain" navigating through the virtual world by use of the
wheel and lever.
[0139] A more complex simulator can be built. The open passenger
compartment can be replicated in the real world. Additionally, it
could be mounted on a motion platform, if the dirigible was an
important element of the story/challenge. The passenger compartment
could have room for additional people, so as an additional
challenge, the participants could load up the dirigible with people
and supplies and take turns powering it with the stationary bikes.
An additional improvement would be to mount simulated cannons on
both sides of the passenger compartment. Correctly firing these
cannons would fire cannons in the virtual world.
[0140] Sets
[0141] The simulators discussed above are basically fixed in
orientation. That allows an image of the virtual world to be
displayed in front of the participants. Having the virtual world
displayed in front of a participation allows him to navigate the
virtual world. There are some challenges that require navigation
clues/challenges in the real world that map to the virtual
world.
[0142] In the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", Jones had
three tests before he could get to the grail. The second test "The
Word of God" involved jumping from tile to tile. To recreate a
challenge similar to that in our present Game System we would
require a set, so a participant could see the tiles in front of him
and jump based on that, not based on a reference to the tiles in
the virtual world. One simple iteration would be to place a grid of
pressure sensors on a floor. These sensors would then be covered
with a material such as canvas painted with a representation of the
tiles. Thus a participant would have a real world reference, and he
would have to jump properly for realistic motion capture. Our
present invention would know if a participant jumped on the correct
tiles by which pressure sensors were activated.
[0143] There is not one "right" solution as to how to implement a
challenge such as "The Word of God". It really depends on the
resources available and how important the particular challenge is
to the overall story/challenge. A more interesting visually and
more challenging method would be to make real world representations
of the tile and place these tiles over the sensor floor. A pressure
sensor would be on each tile. If the tiles were a few inches high,
it would be more challenging for a participant to jump and land
firmly on a tile only, while avoiding the floor. If a participant
landed on either a wrong tile or hit the floor between tiles a
"challenge failure" sequence would be triggered in the virtual
world. This method has the benefit of participants that don't land
squarely on a tile, having to balance themselves. However, in case
they lose the challenge there is nothing to motion capture, so a
"canned" sequence would have to be used.
[0144] If this challenge was very important to the story/challenge
even more resources could be devoted to it. In order to motion
capture a failed challenge, where a participant falls to his
virtual doom by missing a tile and/or stepping on a wrong tile this
iteration would be created above a pool of water. The tiles would
be supported by poles in the pool. The correct tiles would be
locked in place, that is they would remain flat when weight is put
on them. However, the incorrect tiles would be hinged so that would
not support any weight, and if jumped upon would dump a participant
in the pool. Proximity sensors on the tiles would enable our
present Game System to know which tile a contestant was on, so his
action could be mapped properly to the virtual world.
[0145] Rooftop lumping Challenge. The goal with building a set for
a rooftop jumping challenge would be similar to that described
above for "The Word of God". That is to provide a setting where a
participant is forced to use proper body motion for realistic
motion capture, and provide the participant visual cues in the real
world. Additionally, sensors must give our present Game System
information about a contestant's location so he can be mapped in
the virtual world. As in the challenge above, a grid of pressure
sensors on the floor covered by a canvas painted with rooftops,
would meet the requirements. An improvement would be to build
little walls that are typical on flat roofed buildings.
Additionally building slanted roofs, would force contestants to use
proper body motion for slanted roofs in the virtual world. To
provide for proper motion capture of a participant missing a jump,
the roofs can be built over a pool or over a heavy mat.
[0146] One knowledgeable in the art would understand that there are
many ways to determine the location of a person inside a known
area, like a sound stage. Our present invention is not concerned
with how a contestant's location is known, just that it is known
and capable of being passed to our present Game System to map his
location in the virtual world.
[0147] When participants are on simulators, the simulator's
orientation is restricted and thus our present Game System is able
to project an image of the virtual world in front of contestant.
When participants are on sets they may wear Heads Up displays and
the Game System would project the virtual world on these displays.
In this way participants would have natural movements to be body
captured and our present game would be able to position them
properly in the virtual world. The disadvantage to this system is
the head-up display will obscure a portion of a contestant's face.
In this case, the advantages outweigh the slight disadvantage.
[0148] Idle Animations
[0149] As participants move from one simulator to another, there is
nothing meaningful to motion capture. In the virtual world, when
there is no meaningful motion to capture, idle animations will be
displayed. For example, a participant bikes to a virtual world
dead-end rockslide and needs to dismount his bike simulator and
then get on a climbing wall simulator. This idle animation could be
as simple as a virtual participant shifting his weight. Idle
animations are well known in the art. The staff/crew are
responsible for signaling to our Game System that an idle animation
is required.
[0150] 6. No Role Playing
[0151] For the purposes of this discussion we will define Role
Playing Game (RPG) as one in which a participant is represented in
a virtual world by an Avatar, where the Avatar's ability to
interact with the virtual world is determined by game mechanics
rather than by the participant's real world abilities. In RPGs such
as Everquest and World of Warcraft, movement in the Virtual World
is determined by game mechanics, such as what objects an Avatar is
carrying in the virtual world, or what spells are on an Avatar or
what magic gear an Avatar is wearing. As discussed above, movement
in our present Game System is dependent on the physical level of
effort a participant is willing to make. Similarly, the ability of
a participant to overcome an obstacle or solve a puzzle is not
dependent on the abilities of their computer Avatar, but rather on
their own physical abilities and "smarts."
[0152] Games such as Quake and Halo are RPGs for the purpose of
this discussion because the ability to aim and fire a weapon is
determined by mouse clicking for where a participant wishes to
shoot, and game mechanics determining the whether the shot hit or
not. Our present Game System may use replica weapons such as the
ones manufactured by FATS, Inc.
http://www.fatsinc.com/about/news/pr65.cfm "FATS virtual weapons
resemble the fit and function of live weapons to include recoil.
FATS virtual training provides accurate, real-time diagnostics
including point-of-aim, weapon status, trigger pressure and cant."
This makes weapon firing much more challenging. Additionally, in
games such as Halo and Quake reloading a weapon is done by one
keystroke. In our present Game System, a participant must reload a
weapon with a new magazine by hand. No Role Playing makes our
present Game System much more challenging than RPGs.
[0153] In additional to firearms, other ranged weapons may be
simulated. A bow may be modified by adding a sensor to detect how
much force is used to pull back the string. Additional sensor/s
would determine the x, y, z orientation of the bow. One skilled in
the arts would understand this gives our present Game System enough
information to make a determination of where the arrow would land
in the virtual world. A regular arrow could be modified with a
large foam tip, for safety. In a similar fashion a throwing spear
could be modified by adding a sensor/s to determine the orientation
of the spear and another sensor to determine velocity when
thrown.
[0154] Some devices are more challenging to simulate, such as the
whip used by Indiana Jones in the movies. A real whip is: 1) hard
to use for an untrained participant; and 2) potentially dangerous
to participant and cast/crew members. Therefore a simulated whip
would consist of just the whip handle with a velocity sensor and
sensor/s for x, y, z orientation. In use, a participant would
quickly move the handle in a whip like fashion to generate velocity
and end the motion with the whip handle aimed at a target. Our
present Game System would determine if the velocity was high enough
and the aim was close enough to score a "hit". Additionally, the
whip handle may include a button/s. In the movies Indiana Jones was
able to grab objects with his whip. A button may be pressed by a
participant to indicate an attempt to grab an object rather than
hit it.
[0155] Our current Game System motion captures the participants.
One skilled in the art would appreciate that if our Game System
knew the physical qualities of a item, such as a hand-held weapon,
it would be able to position that weapon in the virtual world. A
staff/crew member could input to our present Game System what a
participant is holding, and with what hand. Or, sensors such as
RFID could be placed on items, such as hand-held weapons and on a
participant's gloves, as a method to input to our present Game
System what a contestant is holding. A velocity sensor may be added
to hand-held weapons. Once our present Game System knows what item
a participant, is holding, the Game System can track the item in
the virtual world and determine if the object hits an object in the
virtual world. If a collision is detected our present Game System
could then make a determination of what effect the hit would have
based on real-world physics, not game mechanics.
[0156] Non-Player Characters (NPCs). In RPGs such as Everquest and
World of Warcraft how NPCs react with Avatars is determined by game
mechanics, how high an Avatar's faction is with the faction of the
NPC. Our present Game System may make use of this known system in
the interest of being cost effective. Ideally, however, NPC Avatars
would be controlled by actors, staff/crew members, audience members
or even celebrities. These individuals would be classically
role-playing as defined by Wikipedia: "In role-playing,
participants adopt characters, or parts, that have personalities,
motivations, and backgrounds different from their own." Acting is
role playing." That is they would act a part. If their part is that
of village chiefdom, they would treat a participant unkindly if the
participant blew up his village. The ideal non-player character
system of our present Game System involves acting or classical
role-playing, but the participants will interact with real people.
Real people who have real feelings, who can take offense at
something a participant says, who can be lied to by a participant,
etc.
[0157] 7. Story Telling
[0158] Because the game system allows for participants to
experience great adventures without the dangers, the Game System
presents the ability to place participants in fantastic story lines
as never before. Average people can venture to places never
imagined, and interact with a virtual environment that fights back.
An accountant who just yesterday was sitting behind a desk can now
be dangled above a deep chasm on a swaying rope bridge. How she
responds to this stress and stimuli will be different than what a
true adventurer might.
[0159] Current MVWGs are referred to as "sandbox" games. That is,
players are given access to the virtual world and left there to
make their own stories of victories and defeats. Games such as
Everquest do have an ongoing story, but it is glacially slow, and
the story progress is external to the players. The closest our
present Game System is to existing art is "Epic" quests in
Everquest.
[0160] The stories our present Game System can tell are only
limited by the imagination and resources available. Our present
Game System is ideal to tell "Indiana Jones" type stories. In a
broad sense the stories our present Game System can bring to life
have the following components: athletics, problem solving,
cooperation and competition.
[0161] Good Story Telling
[0162] In the discussion above we referred to good game play. Good
game play is the same as good story telling. Good story telling
involves choices. Does a participant choose to take the short route
over the mountain, or the safer route around the mountain? Does a
participant jump into the river, or take a detour to go over a
bridge? Does a participant go off the main path to get food, or
push forward and go hungry?
[0163] Our present Game System has a fixed start point and a fixed
location contestants must locate and travel to in order to complete
the game. Additionally, contestants must complete their journey in
a fixed amount of time. If there was a two-lane highway between the
start and end locations there would not be much of a story. The
challenge in creating a good story is to place physical obstacles
and mental obstacles (puzzles) in the path of participants and to
give them choices on how to solve and/or go around these
obstacles.
[0164] Types of Games
[0165] Our present Game System is suitable for three general
categories of games: "reality" show; co-operative; and competitive.
An ideal iteration of our Game System would involve a video record
of a contestant's participation. Therefore attention must be given
to not only what makes a good game for a participant, but what will
make an interesting story for an audience. "Reality" shows are
known for interpersonal cooperation and competition as well as team
competition. Our Game System is suitable for Location Based
Entertainment (LBE). An LBE Game could be a cooperative game, with
all contestants helping each other towards a common goal. This type
of activity is very common for Corporate Team Building. A LBE Game
could be competitive in either teams or individual. Paint Ball
features competitive teams.
[0166] Ideally a "reality" show game would take weeks to complete.
A Corporate Team Building game would take a weekend to complete.
And a competitive game would take at least half a day to
compete.
[0167] Story Telling as been described in generalities, as the
story possibilities are so endless. Our present Game System could
be used to make an "Indiana Jones" game, a Discover the Source of
the Nile game, a Lord of the Rings game, a Star Trek game, etc.
Whatever story is to be told, the key element is to give
contestants choices.
[0168] An Example of Our Present Game as a "Reality" Show
[0169] Following is a discussion of an example of our present Game
System as a "reality" television show named "Quest! Mayan Jade".
This discussion is intended to illustrate, but not limit, our
present invention. There are three components to our present Game
System as a "reality" show; contestant's actions in the virtual
world, contestant's action in the real world, and what the audience
sees.
[0170] Quest! Mayan Jade. The Virtual World Story
[0171] By now the entire world knows of Professor Kort, who
stumbled down from the Guatemalan Highlands and eventually found
his way to Belize City, just 30 days ago. He was covered in strange
tattoos and mysterious wounds. He was confined to a psychiatric
ward as he told a story of a jungle filled with ghosts, of giant
Mayan ruins that no one else has seen, of traveling to the ninth
layer of the underworld, and of a "lost" Mayan civilization far in
the Chiapas Highlands. The professor claimed to have witnessed
ancient Mayan rites being performed as the Mayan Shamans began
preparing their world for the end of time in the year 2012.
[0172] At first people thought the Professor was crazy. But six
mysterious individuals (the Benefactors) sent spies in, spread some
money around, and found the only item the professor carried out of
the mountains was a strange piece of jade, that appeared to be part
of a larger glyph that might be a map, a calendar, or something
else of great importance. Imbedded in the jade was a single green
diamond of 10 carats, making that single piece worth millions of
dollars, and holding out the possibility of greater wealth if the
other pieces could be found.
[0173] The Benefactors believe that the Professor's journey started
in the recently discovered Mayan city of Chol during Winter
Solstice. One witness, who has since disappeared, states that the
Professor told him he discovered a tremendous secret by watching
the Winter Solstice sun set at the Temple of Chol. This is
consistent with findings at other Mayan ruins.
[0174] Re-supply on the trip to Chol will be a major problem. The
Benefactors are setting up hidden supply drops. Teams must make it
to these drops at the precise time scheduled--too early will be
just as unsafe as being too late. These drops are in some of the
worst areas imaginable.
[0175] Once in Chol, which covers six square miles and contains
10,000 individual structures teams must make the city give up its
secrets. Teams should arrive in Chol two weeks before the Winter
Solstice. That does not leave you much time to ferret out its
secrets. To make things even more difficult, the other teams will
not only be searching for these same secrets, but will be actively
trying to mislead each other, find and raid the resupply drops, and
attack other teams outright. After leaving Chol, teams will
encounter an impenetrable jungle that has never been mapped. The
Professor spoke of going to the highlands, which means some serious
climbing for each team, while searching for clues to the next
destination. All manner of insects, snakes, and animals stand in
each team's way, and the Professor kept muttering about Jungle
Ghosts.
[0176] Once teams reach the ultimate destination, the most
difficult puzzle is yet to solve. The Professor kept babbling about
a certain glyph, which held both the secret to the future, and a
stash of green diamonds. Could the jade piece be part of that
glyph? Even if any one team could assemble all the parts, will they
be able to unravel the mystery in time?
[0177] Quest! Mayan Jade. Episodic Breakdown:
[0178] Episodes 1-3. Qualifications/Meet the Players. Potential
contestants gather in regional centers to try and qualify for one
of the six teams. Each contestant is put through a rigorous battery
of physical, mental, and virtual challenges and rated by a panel of
judges (made up of an ex-pro sports star, a psychiatrist, and a
noted archeologist). Physical prowess is important, but so too are
quick wits, and the ability to work within a team structure, while
still maintaining one's individuality. Contestants must be able to
adapt to the unique interfaces between the real world and the
virtual world they will inhabit in the show. In each of the first
three episodes, two of the regional competitions are highlighted,
with a special emphasis on introducing the ultimate players, as
well as the show concept and the unique technology they will be
using. At the end of each episode, the final ten contestants for
each team will be placed into a virtual arena to test their skills.
Six are chosen for each team, with four being chosen by the experts
to ensure the necessary breadth of skills, and the remaining two
"wild card" players chosen by viewers within the geographic region
(local affiliate tie-ins available).
[0179] Episodes 4-6. "Three Roads To Chol." In the next three
episodes, two of the teams are matched head-to-head as they race to
find the lost city of Chol. Although starting at slightly different
points, they are near enough that they ultimately will interact on
their way. The teams must battle the environment and each other as
they find clues, solve puzzles, and run, swim, and swing their way
to the ancient city. At the end of the episode, the teams end up at
outskirts of Chol, and must find a way into the city. They can
cooperate, go their own way, our fight it out right there (one less
team in the competition, right?)
[0180] Episode 7. "The Secrets of Chol." In Episode 7 all six teams
race around Chol to find its secrets as quickly as they can. There
is full interaction of all 36 players, and no team can win on its
own, as each will have accumulated a necessary clue. Players are
not told this, however, and undoubtedly one or more of the team
will believe they can win by physically beating the others. Quickly
they will find, however, that if a team is defeated, its clue
pieces magically disappear. The teams that recognize the quickest
that the only enemy is the city will score the most points. Based
on the overall scores from the three episodes, two of the teams are
sacrificed to the gods (sent home), leaving the top four teams.
[0181] Episodes 8-11. "Head To Head in the Jungle." The secrets of
Chol now revealed, the next four episodes pit teams head to head
based on their rankings to date as they make their way into the
jungle (e.g., Episode 8 pits 1 vs. 4, Episode 9 pits 2 vs. 3,
Episode 10 pits 1 vs. 3 and Episode 11 pits 2 vs. 4). By now
comfortable with the equipment, the physical requirements are
increased, as much climbing, repelling, and walking across narrow
rope bridges is required. The stakes for both the teams and the
audience are raised, as the physical demands and increasingly
powerful NPCs begin to eliminate players from each team. Teams with
the week off aren't idle, however, as they are interjected into the
world as NPCs to battle against the competing teams, and to steal
whatever knowledge they can. Based on the scores after these
episodes, two more teams are eliminated.
[0182] Episode 12. "The Winter Solstice." The remaining two teams
are pitted against each other in one final adventure to see who
will solve the riddle of the Maya, and collect the rare green
diamonds. This episode ties together the entire quest story, and
forces the teams to put all of the skills and knowledge to use. A
climactic scene forces the teams to win, or die, on the ball fields
of Chitzen ltza. It's winner take all, or is it? There may still be
one more challenge.
[0183] Episode 13. "All Star Challenge." The top 8 rated players,
and two voted on by the audience and invited back, form an all star
team that must solve the last riddle of the Maya, with the future
of the world hanging in the balance.
[0184] A Detailed Look at a Possible Segment from Quest! Mayan
Jade. Episode 4: Rockville Raptors vs. Springfield Snakes,
Encounter at the River.
[0185] In the virtual world, two teams, the Rockville Raptors and
the Springfield Snakes are racing each other to the lost City of
Chol. Both teams are bicycling down different roads, which end at
the same place, small Mayan ruins by the side of river. The segment
starts with both teams on bicycle simulators, with the virtual
world projected in front of them.
[0186] In the virtual world the Springfield Snakes reach the ruins
first. The Snakes indicate to the crew that they wish to dismount
from the bikes. In the virtual world the Snake's Avatars go into an
idle animation for two minutes, the pre-determined allotted time
for changing from bicycle simulators to dismounted. The Snake
participants gather up their gear, which was stored on their
bicycle racks, and follow the crew to a room with a mat with a grid
of sensors underneath it. The virtual world is displayed in front
on them on a large screen. After two minutes from their bicycle
simulator dismount, their Avatars are taken out of idle animation
and the Snakes are once again controlling their Avatars.
[0187] In the virtual world the Springfield Snakes spread out
investigating the ruins. Jim, one of the Snakes is positioned to
watch the two roads that converge at the ruins. Jim sees the
Rockville Raptors on their bicycles heading down the road straight
at him. Jim prepares his longbow for firing and yells at the
Raptors, although he doesn't intend to actually shoot. Steve, the
captain of the Rockville Raptors yells at his team to turn around,
bike back up the road and dismount out of range of the Snakes, not
sure if the Snakes really want an actual battle.
[0188] In the real world, the Rockville Raptors dismount when they
are far enough away from the Snakes to do it without fear of being
shot. Once dismounted and formed up they head back toward the ruins
by walking on their treadmills. Meanwhile Jim decides the Snakes
are not going to risk a fight, as he feels the Raptors are better
at long range weapons then his team. Jim signals to the Snakes to
cross the river in one of the two canoes at the ruins and to
destroy the other canoe, so the Raptors cannot easily follow.
[0189] As the Raptors are walking down the road in the virtual
world, in the real world they come to the end of the sound stage.
Their Avatars are put into idle mode for 30 seconds as the Raptors
get themselves reset. Meanwhile, the Snakes demolition guy Mark,
takes out a C4 explosive replication, arms the timer for ten
seconds and drops it on the floor where he sees the second canoe in
the virtual world. The Snakes then indicate that they want to board
the first canoe. The Snake's Avatars are put into idle mode for six
minutes, as the canoe simulator is physically far away.
(Previously, in the early episodes, the Snakes had been timed as to
how fast they could load up a canoe in real life, and they were
able to do it in three minutes.) At this point, the show
producer/game master puts the Raptors in idle mode for three
minutes so the Snakes will not be penalized for changing
simulators. So the Raptors are given a short break, as the Snakes
get into their canoe simulator. If a raw live feed was going out to
an audience, both teams would be seen to be in idle mode.
[0190] In the virtual world the Raptors continue walking down the
road to the ruins. They see the Snakes getting into one canoe and
shortly later see the other canoe blow up. Since the Snakes now
have a lead on the Raptors, Steve decides to examine the ruins. The
Raptors find many glyphs. In one set of glyphs they recognize the
name of the city they are trying to find Chol. The Raptors work on
deciphering the glyphs. They finally get it and discover the glyphs
describe a "short cut" to the lost city. The Raptors find the small
trail the glyphs indicated and head on out, hopeful that this
short-cut will enable them to beat the Snakes to Chol.
[0191] No element, act, or instruction used in the description of
the present application should be construed as critical or
essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such.
Also, as used herein, the article "a" is intended to include one or
more items. Where only one item is intended, the term "one" or
similar language is used.
[0192] The above specification and examples provide a complete
description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of
the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the
invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *
References