U.S. patent application number 12/366226 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-05 for system and method for vehicular ad-hoc gaming networking.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ford Motor Company. Invention is credited to Thomas J. Giuli.
Application Number | 20100197406 12/366226 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42398166 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100197406 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Giuli; Thomas J. |
August 5, 2010 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VEHICULAR AD-HOC GAMING NETWORKING
Abstract
A game is provided which can be played over a vehicular ad hoc
network. Because vehicles may rapidly change locations, the game is
capable of switching to new instances of the same game with
relatively seamless transitions. Players who are no longer in a new
instance, but were in the previous instance, may be replaced by
computer controlled players to add to the seamlessness of the
transition.
Inventors: |
Giuli; Thomas J.; (Ann
Arbor, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BROOKS KUSHMAN P.C./FGTL
1000 TOWN CENTER, 22ND FLOOR
SOUTHFIELD
MI
48075-1238
US
|
Assignee: |
Ford Motor Company
Dearborn
MI
|
Family ID: |
42398166 |
Appl. No.: |
12/366226 |
Filed: |
February 5, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2300/5533 20130101;
A63F 13/327 20140902; A63F 2300/516 20130101; A63F 2300/535
20130101; G07F 17/3223 20130101; A63F 13/12 20130101; A63F 13/60
20140902 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/42 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A vehicle communication system comprising: a computer processor
in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory; a local
transceiver operable to communicate with a remote transceiver of
another vehicle communication system and in communication with the
processor; wherein the processor, in conjunction with the
persistent and non-persistent memory, is operable to maintain a
game state, including a player character; wherein the processor is
further operable to detect that a change in game players has
occurred; wherein the processor is operable to determine whether
one or more players previously present in the game state are still
present in the game state, and, for at least one player no longer
present, to determine whether or not that player should be replaced
by a computer-controlled player, wherein if the processor
determines that a no-longer present player should be replaced by a
computer controlled player, the processor is operable to create a
computer controlled player in place of the no-longer present
player.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable
to determine if a game board change has occurred.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable
to determine whether the no-longer present player was, before the
player was no longer present, in an actual field of view of the
player character in the previous game.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable
to determine whether the no-longer present player was, before the
player was no longer present, in a possible field of view of the
player character in the previous game.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor's determination
that a no-longer present player should be replaced by a computer
controlled player is based at least in part on a determination that
the no-longer present player was in an actual field of view of the
player character in the previous game before the player was no
longer present.
6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor's determination
that a no-longer present player should be replaced by a computer
controlled player is based at least in part on a determination that
the no-longer present player was in a possible field of view of the
player character in the previous game before the player was no
longer present.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable
to determine whether the no-longer present player was in an actual
line of sight of the player character in the previous game before
the player was no longer present.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable
to determine whether the no-longer present player was in a possible
line of sight of the player character in the previous game before
the player was no longer present.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor's determination
that a no-longer present player should be replaced by a computer
controlled player is based at least in part on a determination that
the no-longer present player was in an actual line of sight of the
player character in the previous game before the player was no
longer present.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor's determination
that a no-longer present player should be replaced by a computer
controlled player is based at least in part on a determination that
the no-longer present player was in a possible line of sight of the
player character in the previous game before the player was no
longer present.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further
operable to determine whether the player character in the previous
game was actively interacting with the no-longer present player
before the player was no longer present.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor's determination
that a no-longer present player should be replaced by a computer
controlled player is based at least in part on a determination that
the player character in the previous game was actively interacting
with the no-longer present player before the player was no longer
present.
13. A vehicle communication system comprising: a computer processor
in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory; a local
transceiver operable to communicate with a remote transceiver of
another vehicle communication system and in communication with the
processor; wherein the processor, in conjunction with the
persistent and non-persistent memory, is operable to maintain a
game state, including at least a player character; wherein the
processor is further operable to detect when the player character
has entered a game and to determine if there are any existing
computer controlled characters in the game; wherein the processor
is operable to replace an existing computer controlled character
with the player character.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further
operable to determine if a game board of the game has changed.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein replacement of an existing
computer controlled character with the player character is at least
in part contingent on a determination that the game board of the
game has changed.
16. A vehicle communication system comprising: a local computer
processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent
memory; a local transceiver operable to communicate with a remote
transceiver of another vehicle communication system and in
communication with the processor; wherein the local processor is
operable to detect that a signal strength of a communication with
the remote transceiver has fallen below a certain threshold;
wherein the local processor is further able to determine that a
second remote transceiver has a stronger signal strength; wherein
the local processor is able to detect that a remote processor,
connected to the second remote transceiver, is running an instance
of the same game presently being run by the local processor; and
wherein the local processor is operable to automatically connect to
the second remote transceiver and to join the instance of the same
game being run by the remote processor.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further
operable to determine that the signal strength has been below the
threshold for longer than a predetermined period of time, and
wherein the automatic connection to the second remote transceiver
does not occur until the predetermined period of time has passed.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The illustrative embodiments generally relate to a system
and method for ad-hoc networking for the purpose of playing games
between a plurality of traveling vehicles.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Mobile ad-hoc networking may include a plurality of mobile
nodes, which together form a network. Because nodes are free to
leave and enter a given network, and the makeup of the network may
depend on the nodes that are present, these networks are often
referred to as ad-hoc networks.
[0003] An ad-hoc network can be contrasted with a traditional
network wherein router topology may be static. In ad-hoc networking
the routers may be mobile, and they act in concert to form a
temporary network.
[0004] Ad-hoc networks may also include one-hop networks and
multi-hop networks. In a one hop network, a given device can
network with any devices in transmission range. Thus, in this type
of network, all devices in a given network are communicating with
all other devices in the given network.
[0005] In multi-hop networking, certain routers may serve to
connect devices not in communicable range of each other. For
example, if device A is one hundred feet from device B and two
hundred feet from device C, and if device B is one hundred feet
from device C, then (assuming that the devices have a transmission
range of greater than one hundred feet and less than two hundred
feet) device B can serve to pass data from A to C in a multi-hop
network. In this manner, a multitude of devices that are out of
transmission range of each other can be part of the network,
provided there are intermediary devices to pass along the
signal.
SUMMARY OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0006] In one illustrative embodiment, a vehicle communication
system includes a computer processor in communication with
persistent and non-persistent memory, and a local transceiver
operable to communicate with a remote transceiver of another
vehicle communication system and in communication with the
processor.
[0007] This system can be used for playing a multi-player game over
an ad-hoc network, and the processor, in conjunction with the
persistent and non-persistent memory, may maintain a game state,
including a player character. The player character is a
representation of the user playing the game.
[0008] Because ad-hoc networks often shift makeup, and will likely
do so quite often in a vehicle-based networking scenario, the
processor is further operable to detect that a transition to a new
game has occurred. The processor is also operable to determine
whether one or more players from a previous game are present in the
new game, and, for at least one of the players no longer present,
to determine whether or not that player should be replaced in the
new game by a computer-controlled player.
[0009] When a game shift to a new game occurs, it is likely that
one or more previously present players will no longer be present in
the new game. Accordingly, if the processor determines that a
no-longer present player should be replaced by a computer
controlled player, the processor is operable to create a computer
controlled player in place of the no-longer present player. This
aids in the seamlessness of the game transition experience.
[0010] In another illustrative embodiment, the processor is further
operable to detect when the player character has entered a new game
and to determine if there are any existing computer controlled
characters in the new game. Since a game can have one or more
computer controlled characters in it, it may be desirable to
replace one of those characters with a new player, as opposed to
adding another player. Consequently, the processor is operable to
replace an existing computer controlled character with the player
character who has just newly entered the game.
[0011] In a further illustrative embodiment, the local processor is
operable to detect that a signal strength of a communication with
the remote transceiver has fallen below a certain threshold. Since
a first vehicle may be communicating with a second vehicle that is
rapidly separating from the first vehicle, it is useful to be able
to track signal strength.
[0012] The local processor is also able to determine that a second
remote transceiver has a stronger signal strength. This allows the
local processor to find a stronger signal to which to connect. The
local processor is further able to detect that a remote processor,
connected to the second remote transceiver, is running an instance
of the same game presently being run by the local processor.
[0013] If there is a better connection available to play the same
game, the local processor is operable to automatically connect to
the second remote transceiver and to join the instance of the same
game being run by the remote processor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Other aspects and characteristics of the illustrative
embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed
description of exemplary embodiments, when read in view of the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary illustrative vehicle-based
communication system with wireless capability;
[0016] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary illustrative set of vehicles
capable of forming an ad-hoc network;
[0017] FIG. 3 shows exemplary illustrative games including
exemplary player representation;
[0018] FIGS. 4A-F show several exemplary illustrative transitions
from a first game to a second game;
[0019] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary illustrative process for network
maintenance;
[0020] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary illustrative process for a game
transition;
[0021] FIG. 7 shows a second exemplary illustrative process for a
game transition;
[0022] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary illustrative process for
transitioning to a new game.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0023] The present invention is described herein in the context of
particular exemplary illustrative embodiments. However, it will be
recognized by those of ordinary skill that modification, extensions
and changes to the disclosed exemplary illustrative embodiments may
be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the
instant invention. In short, the following descriptions are
provided by way of example only, and the present invention is not
limited to the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed
herein.
[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates system architecture of an illustrative
onboard communication system usable for delivery of directions to
an automobile. A vehicle enabled with a vehicle-based computing
system may contain a visual front end interface 4 located in the
vehicle. The user may also be able to interact with the interface
if it is provided, for example, with a touch sensitive screen. In
another illustrative embodiment, the interaction occurs through,
button presses, audible speech and speech synthesis.
[0025] In the illustrative embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1, a
processor 3 controls at least some portion of the operation of the
vehicle-based computing system. Provided within the vehicle, the
processor allows onboard processing of commands and routines.
Further, the processor is connected to both non-persistent 5 and
persistent storage 7. In this illustrative embodiment, the
non-persistent storage is random access memory (RAM) and the
persistent storage is a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory.
[0026] The processor is also provided with a number of different
inputs allowing the user to interface with the processor. In this
illustrative embodiment, a microphone 29, an auxiliary input 25
(for input 33), a USB input 23, a GPS input 24 and a BLUETOOTH
input 15 are all provided. An input selector 51 is also provided,
to allow a user to swap between various inputs. Input to both the
microphone and the auxiliary connector is converted from analog to
digital by a converter 27 before being passed to the processor.
[0027] Outputs to the system can include, but are not limited to, a
visual display 4 and a speaker 13 or stereo system output. The
speaker is connected to an amplifier 11 and receives its signal
from the processor 3 through a digital-to-analog converter 9.
Output can also be made to a remote BLUETOOTH device such as PND 54
or a USB device such as vehicle navigation device 60 along the
bi-directional data streams shown at 19 and 21 respectively.
[0028] In one illustrative embodiment, the system 1 uses the
BLUETOOTH transceiver 15 to communicate 17 with a user's nomadic
device 53 (e.g., cell phone, smart phone, PDA, etc.). The nomadic
device can then be used to communicate 59 with a network 61 outside
the vehicle 31 through, for example, communication 55 with a
cellular tower 57.
[0029] Pairing a nomadic device 53 and the BLUETOOTH transceiver 15
can be instructed through a button 53 or similar input, telling the
CPU that the onboard BLUETOOTH transceiver will be paired with a
BLUETOOTH transceiver in a nomadic device.
[0030] Data may be communicated between CPU 3 and network 61
utilizing, for example, a data-plan, data over voice, or DTMF tones
associated with nomadic device 53. Alternatively, it may be
desirable to include an onboard modem 63 in order to transfer data
between CPU 3 and network 61 over the voice band. In one
illustrative embodiment, the processor is provided with an
operating system including an API to communicate with modem
application software. The modem application software may access an
embedded module or firmware on the BLUETOOTH transceiver to
complete wireless communication with a remote BLUETOOTH transceiver
(such as that found in a nomadic device). In another embodiment,
nomadic device 53 includes a modem for voice band or broadband data
communication. In the data-over-voice embodiment, a technique known
as frequency division multiplexing may be implemented when the
owner of the nomadic device can talk over the device while data is
being transferred. At other times, when the owner is not using the
device, the data transfer can use the whole bandwidth (300 Hz to
3.4 kHz in one example).
[0031] If the user has a data-plan associated with the nomadic
device, it is possible that the data-plan allows for broad-band
transmission and the system could use a much wider bandwidth
(speeding up data transfer). In still another embodiment, nomadic
device 53 is replaced with a cellular communication device (not
shown) that is affixed to vehicle 31.
[0032] In one embodiment, incoming data can be passed through the
nomadic device via a data-over-voice or data-plan, through the
onboard BLUETOOTH transceiver and into the vehicle's internal
processor 3. In the case of certain temporary data, for example,
the data can be stored on the HDD or other storage media 7 until
such time as the data is no longer needed.
[0033] Additional sources that may interface with the vehicle
include a personal navigation device 54, having, for example, a USB
connection 56 and/or an antenna 58; or a vehicle navigation device
60, having a USB 62 or other connection, an onboard GPS device 24,
or remote navigation system (not shown) having connectivity to
network 61.
[0034] Further, the CPU could be in communication with a variety of
other auxiliary devices 65. These devices can be connected through
a wireless 67 or wired 69 connection. Also, or alternatively, the
CPU could be connected to a vehicle based wireless router 73, using
for example a WiFi 71 transceiver. This could allow the CPU to
connect to remote networks in range of the local router 73.
[0035] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary illustrative set of vehicles
capable of forming an ad-hoc network. In FIG. 2, a plurality of
vehicles 201, 203, 205, 207 are each capable of communicating with
other vehicles through a vehicle-based computing system (not
shown). Each vehicle is provided with a wireless transceiver
(providing, for example, BLUETOOTH or WiFi transmission and
reception). Each transceiver has a transmission range approximated
by the respective dashed circles surrounding the vehicles 209, 211,
213, 215. When a given circle is within range of another vehicle's
transceiver, communication between the two vehicles may be possible
in a one-hop manner. If two vehicles are out of range of each other
but are both in range of a third vehicle, transmission may be
possible in a multi-hop manner between the first two vehicles.
[0036] As one non-limiting example, vehicle 207 and vehicle 205 can
communicate to play a game in a one-hop network. Both vehicles can
serve as independent nodes for the network, and both vehicles can
store a game state. As information is transferred between the
vehicles, the respective game states can be updated. If, however,
only one-hop networking is allowed, vehicle 207 cannot communicate
with vehicles 201 or 203 as long as the shown vehicle arrangement
is maintained.
[0037] One reason why it may be desirable to limit games to one hop
networking is that if vehicle 205 were to accelerate, then vehicle
207 would fall out of effective range of all three remaining
vehicles, removing a corresponding player from the games of those
vehicles. If, however, maintenance of a game state were desired,
the player being removed from a given state could be replaced by a
computer controlled player. This would allow players in each
vehicle to see a representation of the removed player(s).
[0038] On the other hand, multi-hop networking would allow more
games with more players to exist, since vehicles could chain
through each other to reach players further down the road. For
example, in the illustrated configuration, all four vehicles could
engage in a game over a multi-hop network. If one vehicle left the
network, then the game states in the leaving vehicle and in the
remaining vehicles could be appropriately adjusted. This adjustment
could include adding computer controlled players ("robots") to each
of the games to replace removed players, or simply removing players
from the relevant game states, or any other suitable
adjustment.
[0039] FIG. 3 shows exemplary illustrative games including
exemplary player representation. In the game 301, player P1 305 is
engaged in an exemplary multi-player game with player P2a 307. This
could, for example, be a first person shooter style game, or any
other type of multi-player game. In several illustrative
embodiments a first-person shooter style game is described,
although this description is meant for exemplary purposes only, and
is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to this type or
style of game.
[0040] In an exemplary illustrative non-limiting first person
shooter game, the players hunt each other in a maze environment
shown in game 301. Because a given player may not be able to
observe the entire game space represented in 301 at any given time,
the player may not know how many enemies are present in the game.
Or, the player may know enemies in his/her proximity (using, for
example, radar). Alternatively, a counter may show how many players
are currently in the game.
[0041] In the progression shown in FIG. 3, at some point, player 1
and player 2a have moved out of range of each other, or have
otherwise become disconnected. In this exemplary embodiment, player
1 has been transitioned to an instance of the same game (e.g.,
other players in range of player 1 are playing the same level of
the same game, and player 1 has joined them). In the game N 303, P1
305 has been placed in the spot where he was when he left the first
game 301. This may aid in the seamlessness of a transition between
the two games for player 1. In this particular illustrative
embodiment, player 2a 307 has been replaced by a robot R1 309. This
robot could remain in play for as long as the game is being played,
or the robot could vanish after it is killed. While the robot is
computer controlled, if a new player (who, for example, had not
been previously playing the game and was not transitioning in from
another instance of the game) joined the game, that player could
replace the robot, providing a human controlled player. Such
swapping allows the players to maintain a semblance of previous
game states, even if they transition to a new game.
[0042] Player 1's game state now also contains the new second
player, player P2b 311. This player represents a second player who
had been playing the game into which player 1 transitioned.
[0043] FIGS. 4A-F show several exemplary illustrative transitions
from a first game to a second game. Various concerns may exist when
transitioning a player from one game to another. Since vehicular
ad-hoc networks may be prone to shifting from state to state with
the speed of traffic, it may be difficult to maintain a consistent
game space for a prolonged period of time. In this instance, it may
be desirable to provide games that can easily transition between
participants, and at the same time prevent those transitions from
interrupting game play too severely.
[0044] For example, as previously noted, a robot player may replace
a real player in one instance of transitioning. FIGS. 4A-F show
exemplary illustrative non-limiting multi-player shooting games. In
each pair (4A-B, 4C-D, 4E-F), a first player P1 413 transitions
between a first and second game. And in each pair, a different
consideration is provided for whether or not to replace a second
player P2a 419 with a robot R1 421.
[0045] In FIG. 4A, players P1 413 and P2a 419 are playing a first
multi-player shooting game 401. Player P1 has two lines of sight
415, 417 providing him with a view of various portions of the game.
Because player P2a is within one of those lines of sight, it is
possible that player P1 is facing or otherwise aware of the
location of player P2a. Thus, were player P1 to transition to a new
game where player P2a was not present, the transition might be
obvious to player P1 (e.g., player P2a would simply fade or vanish
from the game). Accordingly, in this instance, if a second player
who is no longer in the game, but who is within a line of sight of
a first player is no longer in a game with the first player, the
second player is replaced by a robot 419 in the new game 403 shown
in FIG. 4B.
[0046] Contrast this with player 3 P3 427, who is not within P1's
sight lines, and thus can be removed from the game without
replacement if P1 transitions to a new game. P2b 423 is also added
to the new game, since P2b is a real player present in the new game
space. Since R1 is not within the line of sight of P2b, the sudden
appearance of R1 should not disrupt P2b's game experience overmuch.
If R1 were in the sight line of P2b, a decision would need to made
as to whose game experience should be disrupted, since either P2a
would need to vanish from P1's screen or R1 would need to appear on
P2b's screen. This decision could go either way, depending on a
developer's desire.
[0047] In FIG. 4C, a similar game state 405 exists between P1 and
P2a. Again, P2a is in player P1's sight line and P1 transitions to
a new game 407 shown in FIG. 4D. In this transition, however, P2b
will be appearing in P1's sight line (and vice-versa). Since this
is a competitive shooting-style game, P1 may not wish to be faced
with his previous enemy (P2a, now possibly represented by a robot)
and at the same time be exposed to an attach from P2b. Accordingly,
since a real player will be appearing in a sight line of P1, the
addition of the R1 robot is overridden. This prevents P1 from
suddenly being attacked on two fronts. In this illustrative
example, this consideration of a player being suddenly overwhelmed
trumps the consideration of a smooth transition between games,
although these priorities could be reversed.
[0048] In FIG. 4E, P1 is engaged (or otherwise interacting) with
P2a, as is shown by the gunfire 425. In such a situation, it might
be annoying to P1 to have P2a vanish in the middle of a fight, and
it might further lead to confusion and frustration. Accordingly, in
this particular transition from game 409 to game 411 shown in FIG.
4F, P2a is replaced by a robot R1 because this allows P1 to
continue fighting or otherwise interacting with P2a (or a
representation thereof). Even though P2b appears in a sight line of
P1, and could, conceivably, attack P1, this exemplary situation
uses a determination that it would be worse to lose a target
combatant than to gain a second possible combatant while fighting
the target combatant.
[0049] Again, all of these possible transition rules are exemplary.
Different rules can be made and applied to different situations as
desired, with at least one general aspect of making game state
transitions smooth for players playing the games. At a minimum,
some transition rules may be needed because in a vehicular ad-hoc
network situation, it is possible that network configurations will
not remain for extended periods of time.
[0050] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary illustrative process for network
maintenance. Since it may be the case that network configurations
are rapidly and dynamically shifting as a vehicle moves along a
route, it is useful to have a process to handle this environment.
Shown is one exemplary illustrative method for dealing with such a
shifting network.
[0051] Initially, a present connection to at least one other
vehicle is tested. This test may need to be performed for each
connection to a vehicle engaged in an instance of a game. Further,
a determination may need to be made as to whether or not to switch
to a new instance of a game. Such a determination can be based on a
variety of factors, and may vary depending on how many vehicles are
participating in a particular game.
[0052] In the illustrative example shown in FIG. 5, only a single
connection is present, and so the determination is based at least
in part on the strength of the connection between the two
vehicle-based computing systems. If more than one connection were
present, a different test or a variation on this test may need to
be used. Or, this test could be used for each connection, but a
single weak signal may not be sufficient to cause a switch to
another game. In at least one illustrative embodiment, as long as
at least one sufficient signal persists, a transition will not be
made to another game.
[0053] In this illustrative embodiment, the vehicle-based computing
system first tests a present connection with another vehicle based
computing system 501. If the signal strength (or other parameter)
is above a predetermined threshold 505, the system does nothing
other than continue to retest the connection.
[0054] If the signal is below a predetermined threshold 505, the
system will then check to see if a counter is above a limit 507. In
this illustrative implementation, a counter is used to determine
that a signal has been low for at least a period of time before a
transition is made. This prevents temporary dips in signal strength
from causing transitions to new games. On the other hand, a
transition could be made whenever a signal drops below a threshold,
however briefly.
[0055] If the counter is not above a certain limit 507, the counter
is incremented 503 and the test is performed again 501. Otherwise,
the system checks to see if a new connection is available 509. If
no new connection is available, the system will persist with the
present game 515 for as long as possible with the current
connection. While this may cause some hiccups in game play, this
will still allow a user to continue playing until either a new game
is available or until the signal is entirely lost.
[0056] If a new signal is available, the system checks to ensure
that the new signal is stronger than the old signal. Even if a weak
signal is causing a possible transition consideration, the
transition would preferably be made to a game with a stronger
signal. If the only other existing signal is a weaker signal, that
signal may be added to a signal queue for later examination, but
the system will not transition to connection with that signal in
this illustrative embodiment. Instead, the existing game state is
maintained.
[0057] If there is a new, stronger signal available, then the
system adds the player to the new game 513 corresponding to the
stronger signal.
[0058] In certain illustrative embodiments, other considerations
may occur before adding a player to a new game. For example, if
there was a total player cap on a game, then the player might not
be able to be added to the game. In an instance such as this, the
player might be added to a queue, such as a FIFO queue, so that the
player can be added if a spot is freed up in the game. Until the
player is added, the player can continue playing the game with the
system with which that player's vehicle-based computing system has
a weaker connection.
[0059] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary illustrative process for a game
transition. This is one exemplary process for determining whether
or not a robotic player should be added in place of a previously
existing player. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A-4F, when players
transition games, a determination may need to be made as to whether
or not the transitioning player should remain in the present game
(in robot or other form) and whether or not previously existing
players (from the game from which the transition was made) should
remain in the transitioning player's new game.
[0060] In this illustrative embodiment, the transitioning player is
added to the game state 601. The game play may hesitate for a
second while the other decisions are made, or the game may begin
immediately. While the transition is made, the system considers
whether or not other player(s) were present onscreen 603(or in a
transitioning player's field of view, or potential field of view,
etc.). If there were no players on-screen, then in this
illustrative embodiment, the system proceeds to assimilate the new
game information 605 and proceeds with the game. If there were
player(s) on screen in the old game, the system then considers if
there are any players that will be onscreen in the new game
607.
[0061] If there are players that will be on screen, the system does
not add any robot players, and instead just assimilates the new
game information and begins the game. If there are no players in
the new game that will be on screen, then the system substitutes
robot players to represent one or more players from the old game
609, adds those players to the game 611 (so that other players in
the new game have the information for the robot players) and
assimilates the information for the new game and begins play.
[0062] FIG. 7 shows a second exemplary illustrative process for a
game transition. This process is the same as the process shown in
FIG. 6, except an additional determination is made as to whether or
not a transitioning player is engaged or otherwise interacting with
any presently existing players. That is, if the player is, for
example, attacking an existing player, then in this illustrative
embodiment a robot is substituted for the player being attacked
regardless of whether there are other players in the new game that
will be on screen or not.
[0063] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary illustrative process for
transitioning to a new game. This exemplary process may be used,
for example, if a present signal strength drops below a
predetermined threshold. It may also be used when an initial
networking connection is desired. In this illustrative
implementation, the system checks to see if a connection with a
system having the strongest signal is available 801. More
specifically, in this particular embodiment, the system checks to
see if a game with the strongest signal is available 801. It may be
the case that the system with the strongest signal is not playing
the game that the user desires to play, so in this implementation
only systems running a desired game are considered.
[0064] If a system running the desired game and having the
strongest signal is available, the player is added to the game 803.
Otherwise, the vehicle-based computing system moves down a list of
available systems running the desired game 805, checking to see if
the next-strongest signal is available each time 807.
[0065] While the invention has been described in connection with
what are presently considered to be the most practical and
preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is
not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the
contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended
claims.
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