U.S. patent application number 15/135937 was filed with the patent office on 2016-08-18 for online game with matching of different data types.
The applicant listed for this patent is Zynga Inc.. Invention is credited to Kevin Holme, Justin Rouse, Vijay Thakkar.
Application Number | 20160240036 15/135937 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47219581 |
Filed Date | 2016-08-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160240036 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Thakkar; Vijay ; et
al. |
August 18, 2016 |
ONLINE GAME WITH MATCHING OF DIFFERENT DATA TYPES
Abstract
An online game mechanic matches requests and responses of
different data types that include text, image and audio. Request
values corresponding to a first data type are sent to users in a
distribution list, and those users send response values
corresponding to a second data type. Winning response values are
selected and announced.
Inventors: |
Thakkar; Vijay; (Allen,
TX) ; Holme; Kevin; (San Francisco, CA) ;
Rouse; Justin; (Dallas, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Zynga Inc. |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47219581 |
Appl. No.: |
15/135937 |
Filed: |
April 22, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13114909 |
May 24, 2011 |
9320968 |
|
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15135937 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/12 20130101;
A63F 13/655 20140902; A63F 2300/695 20130101; G07F 17/3204
20130101; A63F 2300/556 20130101; G07F 17/3225 20130101; A63F
2300/572 20130101; A63F 13/80 20140902; A63F 13/795 20140902; A63F
2300/8064 20130101; A63F 13/40 20140902 |
International
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20060101
G07F017/32 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. A method comprising: sending a request message from a client
device to a host computer system, the request message including a
request value corresponding to a first data type that includes one
of text, image or audio; receiving at the client device a plurality
of response messages from the host computer system in response to
the request message, the plurality of response messages including a
corresponding plurality of response values, each of the plurality
of response values corresponding to a second data type that
includes one of text, image or audio, and the second data type
being different from the first data type; in an automated operation
performed by one or more hardware processors, generating a user
interface at the client device, the user interface including a
plurality of user-selectable menu items, each of the plurality of
user-selectable menu items being for a corresponding one of the
plurality of response values, the user interface being configured
to receive a selection of a winning response value from the
plurality of user-selectable menu items, and the winning response
value being characterized as a best match from a comparison of the
request value to the plurality of response values; and in response
to a reception of the selection of the winning response value,
automatically sending a winning response message to the host
computer system from the client device, the winning response
message including an identification of the winning response
value.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data type includes text
data, the second data type includes image data, the request value
includes a description comprising one or more words, the request
message includes a request for a photo that corresponds to the
description, and each response value of the plurality of response
values includes an image file or a reference to an image file.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data type includes text
data, the second data type includes image data, the request value
includes a description comprising one or more words, the request
message includes a request for a recorded message that corresponds
to the description, and each response value of the plurality of
response values includes an audio file or a reference to an audio
file.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data type includes
image data, the second data type includes text data, the request
value includes an image file or a reference to an image file, the
request message includes a request for a description comprising one
or more words that correspond to an image produced by the image
file, and each response value of the plurality of response values
includes text values or a reference to text values.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data type includes
image data, the second data type includes audio data, the request
value includes an image file or a reference to an image file, the
request message includes a request for a recorded message that
corresponds to an image produced by the image file, and each
response value of the plurality of response values includes an
audio file or a reference to an audio file.
7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data type includes
audio data, the second data type includes text data, the request
value includes an audio file or a reference to an audio file, the
request message includes a request for a description comprising one
or more words that correspond to sounds produced by the audio file,
and each response value of the plurality of response values
includes text values or a reference to text values.
8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data type includes
audio data, the second data type includes image data, the request
value includes an audio file or a reference to an audio file, the
request message includes a request for an image that corresponds to
sounds produced by the audio file, and each response value of the
plurality of response values includes an image file or a reference
to an image file.
9. An apparatus comprising one or more hardware processors
configured to perform operations for hardware-implemented modules
including: a request-sending module configured to send a request
message from a client device to a host computer system, the request
message including a request value corresponding to a first data
type that includes one of text, image or audio; a
response-receiving module configured to receive at the client
device a plurality of response messages from the host computer
system in response to the request message, the plurality of
response messages including a corresponding plurality of response
values, each of the plurality of response values corresponding to a
second data type that includes one of text, image or audio, and the
second data type being different from the first data type; an
interface module configured to generate, in an automated operation,
a user interface at the client device, the user interface including
a plurality of user-selectable menu items, each of the plurality of
user-selectable menu items being for a corresponding one of the
plurality of response values, the user interface being configured
to receive a selection of a winning response value from the
plurality of user-selectable menu items, and the winning response
value being characterized as a best match from a comparison of the
request value to the plurality of response values; and a
response-sending module configured to automatically send a winning
response message to the host computer system from the client device
in response to a reception of the selection of the winning response
value, the winning response message including an identification of
the winning response value.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first data type includes
text data, the second data type includes image data, the request
value includes a description comprising one or more words, the
request message includes a request for a photo that corresponds to
the description, and each response value of the plurality of
response values includes an image file or a reference to an image
file.
11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first data type includes
text data, the second data type includes image data, the request
value includes a description comprising one or more words, the
request message includes a request for a recorded message that
corresponds to the description, and each response value of the
plurality of response values includes an audio file or a reference
to an audio file.
12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first data type includes
image data, the second data type includes text data, the request
value includes an image file or a reference to an image file, the
request message includes a request for a description comprising one
or more words that correspond to an image produced by the image
file, and each response value of the plurality of response values
includes text values or a reference to text values.
13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first data type includes
image data, the second data type includes audio data, the request
value includes an image file or a reference to an image file, the
request message includes a request for a recorded message that
corresponds to an image produced by the image file, and each
response value of the plurality of response values includes an
audio file or a reference to an audio file.
14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first data type includes
audio data, the second data type includes text data, the request
value includes an audio file or a reference to an audio file, the
request message includes a request for a description comprising one
or more words that correspond to sounds produced by the audio file,
and each response value of the plurality of response values
includes text values or a reference to text values.
15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first data type includes
audio data, the second data type includes image data, the request
value includes an audio file or a reference to an audio file, the
request message includes a request for an image that corresponds to
sounds produced by the audio file, and each response value of the
plurality of response values includes an image file or a reference
to an image file.
16. A computer-readable hardware storage device that stores a
computer program including instructions that, when executed by at
least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform
operations comprising: sending a request message from a client
device to a host computer system, the request message including a
request value corresponding to a first data type that includes one
of text, image or audio; receiving at the client device a plurality
of response messages from the host computer system in response to
the request message, the plurality of response messages including a
corresponding plurality of response values, each of the plurality
of response values corresponding to a second data type that
includes one of text, image or audio, and the second data type
being different from the first data type; generating, in an
automated operation, a user interface at the client device, the
user interface including a plurality of user-selectable menu items,
each of the plurality of user-selectable menu items being for a
corresponding one of the plurality of response values, the user
interface being configured to receive a selection of a winning
response value from the plurality of user-selectable menu items,
and the winning response value being characterized as a best match
from a comparison of the request value to the plurality of response
values; and in response to a reception of the selection of the
winning response value, automatically sending a winning response
message to the host computer system from the client device, the
winning response message including an identification of the winning
response value.
17. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 16,
wherein the first data type includes text data, the second data
type includes image data, the request value includes a description
comprising one or more words, the request message includes a
request for a photo that corresponds to the description, and each
response value of the plurality of response values includes an
image file or a reference to an image file.
18. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 16,
wherein the first data type includes text data, the second data
type includes image data, the request value includes a description
comprising one or more words, the request message includes a
request for a recorded message that corresponds to the description,
and each response value of the plurality of response values
includes an audio file or a reference to an audio file.
19. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 16,
wherein the first data type includes image data, the second data
type includes text data, the request value includes an image file
or a reference to an image file, the request message includes a
request for a description comprising one or more words that
correspond to an image produced by the image file, and each
response value of the plurality of response values includes text
values or a reference to text values.
20. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 16,
wherein the first data type includes image data, the second data
type includes audio data, the request value includes an image file
or a reference to an image file, the request message includes a
request for a recorded message that corresponds to an image
produced by the image file, and each response value of the
plurality of response values includes an audio file or a reference
to an audio file.
21. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 16,
wherein the first data type includes audio data, the second data
type includes text data, the request value includes an audio file
or a reference to an audio file, the request message includes a
request for a description comprising one or more words that
correspond to sounds produced by the audio file, and each response
value of the plurality of response values includes text values or a
reference to text values.
22. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 16,
wherein the first data type includes audio data, the second data
type includes image data, the request value includes an audio file
or a reference to an audio file, the request message includes a
request for an image that corresponds to sounds produced by the
audio file, and each response value of the plurality of response
values includes an image file or a reference to an image file.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/114,909, filed on May 24, 2011, which is
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to games and
applications in general and, in particular embodiments, to
computer-implemented online games.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In many games, there is a virtual world or some other
imagined playing space where a player/user of the game controls one
or more player characters (herein "character," "player character,"
or "PC"). Player characters can be considered in-game
representations of the controlling player. As used herein, the
terms "player," "user," "entity," and "friend" may refer to the
in-game player character controlled by that player, user, entity,
or friend, unless context suggests otherwise. The game display can
display a representation of the player character. A game engine
accepts inputs from the player, determines player character
actions, decides the outcomes of events, and presents the player
with a game display illuminating what happened. In some games,
there are multiple players, wherein each player controls one or
more player characters.
[0004] In many computer games, there are various types of in-game
assets (aka "rewards" or "loot") that a player character can obtain
within the game. For example, a player character may acquire game
points, gold coins, experience points, character levels, character
attributes, virtual cash, game keys, or other in-game items of
value. In many computer games, there are also various types of
in-game obstacles that a player must overcome to advance within the
game. In-game obstacles can include tasks, puzzles, opponents,
levels, gates, actions, and so forth. In some games, a goal of the
game may be to acquire certain in-game assets, which can then be
used to complete in-game tasks or to overcome certain in-game
obstacles. For example, a player may be able to acquire a virtual
key (i.e., the in-game asset) that can then be used to open a
virtual door (i.e., the in-game obstacle).
[0005] An electronic social networking system typically operates
with one or more social networking servers providing interaction
between users such that a user can specify other users of the
social networking system as "friends." A collection of users and
the "friend" connections between users can form a social graph that
can be traversed to find second, third and more remote connections
between users, much like a graph of nodes connected by edges can be
traversed.
[0006] Many online computer games are operated on an online social
network. Such a network allows both users and other parties to
interact with the computer games directly, whether to play the
games or to retrieve game- or user-related information. Internet
users may maintain one or more accounts with various service
providers, including, for example, online game networking systems
and online social networking systems. Online systems can typically
be accessed using browser clients (e.g., MICROSOFT INTERNET
EXPLORER, MOZILLA FIREFOX, APPLE SAFARI, GOOGLE CHROME).
[0007] In many computer games, there are various types of in-game
actions that a player character can make within the game. For
example, a player character in an online role-playing game may be
able to interact with other player characters, build a virtual
house, attack enemies, go on a quest, go to a virtual store to
buy/sell virtual items, and so forth. A player character in an
online poker game may be able to play at specific tables, place
bets of virtual currency for certain amounts, play or fold certain
hands, play in a online poker tournament, and so forth.
[0008] In many computer games, these in-game actions include
sharing information between players. However, this information
exchange is typically limited to specific data types (e.g., through
text messages). Thus, there is a need for improved gaming methods
that include exchanging information with different data types.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing
particular disclosed embodiments.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates an example social network.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates data types for an example embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates a method of matching requests and
responses of different data types according to an example
embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of a user interface for an
example embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates a method of selecting the winning
response by the player who originally sent the request according to
an example embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 7 illustrates a method of selecting the winning
response by votes from users in a second distribution list
according to an example embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 8 illustrates a portion of a user interface for an
example embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 9 illustrates an example data flow in a system.
[0018] FIG. 10 illustrates an example network environment.
[0019] FIG. 11 illustrates an example computer system
architecture.
DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing
various disclosed embodiments. In particular embodiments, system
100 comprises player 101, social networking system 120a, game
networking system 120b, client system 130, and network 160. The
components of system 100 can be connected to each other in any
suitable configuration, using any suitable type of connection. The
components may be connected directly or over a network 160, which
may be any suitable network. For example, one or more portions of
network 160 may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a
virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a
wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN
(WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the
Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network
(PSTN), a cellular telephone network, another type of network, or a
combination of two or more such networks.
[0021] Social networking system 120a is a network-addressable
computing system that can host one or more social graphs. Social
networking system 120a can generate, store, receive, and transmit
social networking data. Social networking system 120a can be
accessed by the other components of system 100 either directly or
via network 160. Game networking system 120b is a
network-addressable computing system that can host one or more
online games. Game networking system 120b can generate, store,
receive, and transmit game-related data, such as, for example, game
account data, game input, game state data, and game displays. Game
networking system 120b can be accessed by the other components of
system 100 either directly or via network 160. Player 101 may use
client system 130 to access, send data to, and receive data from
social networking system 120a and game networking system 120b.
Client system 130 can access social networking system 120 or game
networking system 120b directly, via network 160, or via a
third-party system. As an example and not by way of limitation,
client system 130 may access game networking system 120b via social
networking system 120a. Client system 130 can be any suitable
computing device, such as a personal computer, laptop, cellular
phone, smart phone, computing tablet, and so forth.
[0022] Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular number of players
101, social networking systems 120a, game networking systems 120b,
client systems 130, and networks 160, this disclosure contemplates
any suitable number of players 101, social networking systems 120a,
game networking systems 120b, client systems 130, and networks 160.
As an example and not by way of limitation, system 100 may include
one or more game networking systems 120b and no social networking
systems 120a. As another example and not by way of limitation,
system 100 may include a system that comprises both social
networking system 120a and game networking system 120b. Moreover,
although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular arrangement of player 101,
social networking system 120a, game networking system 120b, client
system 130, and network 160, this disclosure contemplates any
suitable arrangement of player 101, social networking system 120a,
game networking system 120b, client system 130, and network
160.
[0023] The components of system 100 may be connected to each other
using any suitable connections 110. For example, suitable
connections 110 include wireline (such as, for example, Digital
Subscriber Line (DSL) or Data Over Cable Service Interface
Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as, for example, Wi-Fi or
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)) or optical
(such as, for example, Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) or
Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) connections. In particular
embodiments, one or more connections 110 each include an ad hoc
network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, a
WWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PSTN, a
cellular telephone network, or another type of connection, or a
combination of two or more such connections. Connections 110 need
not necessarily be the same throughout system 100. One or more
first connections 110 may differ in one or more respects from one
or more second connections 110. Although FIG. 1 illustrates
particular connections between player 101, social networking system
120a, game networking system 120b, client system 130, and network
160, this disclosure contemplates any suitable connections between
player 101, social networking system 120a, game networking system
120b, client system 130, and network 160. As an example and not by
way of limitation, in particular embodiments, client system 130 may
have a direct connection to social networking system 120a or game
networking system 120b, bypassing network 160.
Online Games and Game Systems
[0024] In an online computer game, a game engine manages the game
state of the game. Game state comprises all game play parameters,
including player character state, non-player character (NPC) state,
in-game object state, game world state (e.g., internal game clocks,
game environment), and other game play parameters. Each player 101
controls one or more player characters (PCs). The game engine
controls all other aspects of the game, including non-player
characters (NPCs), and in-game objects. The game engine also
manages game state, including player character state for currently
active (online) and inactive (offline) players.
[0025] An online game can be hosted by game networking system 120b,
which can be accessed using any suitable connection with a suitable
client system 130. A player may have a game account on game
networking system 120b, wherein the game account can contain a
variety of information associated with the player (e.g., the
player's personal information, financial information, purchase
history, player character state, game state). In some embodiments,
a player may play multiple games on game networking system 120b,
which may maintain a single game account for the player with
respect to all the games, or multiple individual game accounts for
each game with respect to the player. In some embodiments, game
networking system 120b can assign a unique identifier to each
player 101 of an online game hosted on game networking system 120b.
Game networking system 120b can determine that a player 101 is
accessing the online game by reading the user's cookies, which may
be appended to HTTP requests transmitted by client system 130,
and/or by the player 101 logging onto the online game.
[0026] In particular embodiments, player 101 may access an online
game and control the game's progress via client system 130 (e.g.,
by inputting commands to the game at the client device). Client
system 130 can display the game interface, receive inputs from
player 101, transmitting user inputs or other events to the game
engine, and receive instructions from the game engine. The game
engine can be executed on any suitable system (such as, for
example, client system 130, social networking system 120a, or game
networking system 120b). As an example and not by way of
limitation, client system 130 can download client components of an
online game, which are executed locally, while a remote game
server, such as game networking system 120b, provides backend
support for the client components and may be responsible for
maintaining application data of the game, processing the inputs
from the player, updating and/or synchronizing the game state based
on the game logic and each input from the player, and transmitting
instructions to client system 130. As another example and not by
way of limitation, each time player 101 provides an input to the
game through the client system 130 (such as, for example, by typing
on the keyboard or clicking the mouse of client system 130), the
client components of the game may transmit the player's input to
game networking system 120b.
Game Systems, Social Networks, and Social Graphs
[0027] In an online multiplayer game, players may control player
characters (PCs), a game engine controls non-player characters
(NPCs) and game features, and the game engine also manages player
character state and game state and tracks the state for currently
active (i.e., online) players and currently inactive (i.e.,
offline) players. A player character can have a set of attributes
and a set of friends associated with the player character. As used
herein, the term "player character state" can refer to any in-game
characteristic of a player character, such as location, assets,
levels, condition, health, status, inventory, skill set, name,
orientation, affiliation, specialty, and so on. Player characters
may be displayed as graphical avatars within a user interface of
the game. In other implementations, no avatar or other graphical
representation of the player character is displayed. Game state
encompasses the notion of player character state and refers to any
parameter value that characterizes the state of an in-game element,
such as a non-player character, a virtual object (such as a wall or
castle), and so forth. The game engine may use player character
state to determine the outcome of game events, sometimes also
considering set or random variables. Generally, a player
character's probability of having a more favorable outcome is
greater when the player character has a better state. For example,
a healthier player character is less likely to die in a particular
encounter relative to a weaker player character or non-player
character. In some embodiments, the game engine can assign a unique
client identifier to each player.
[0028] In particular embodiments, player 101 may access particular
game instances of an online game. A game instance is copy of a
specific game play area that is created during runtime. In
particular embodiments, a game instance is a discrete game play
area where one or more players 101 can interact in synchronous or
asynchronous play. A game instance may be, for example, a level,
zone, area, region, location, virtual space, or other suitable play
area. A game instance may be populated by one or more in-game
objects. Each object may be defined within the game instance by one
or more variables, such as, for example, position, height, width,
depth, direction, time, duration, speed, color, and other suitable
variables. A game instance may be exclusive (i.e., accessible by
specific players) or non-exclusive (i.e., accessible by any
player). In particular embodiments, a game instance is populated by
one or more player characters controlled by one or more players 101
and one or more in-game objects controlled by the game engine. When
accessing an online game, the game engine may allow player 101 to
select a particular game instance to play from a plurality of game
instances. Alternatively, the game engine may automatically select
the game instance that player 101 will access. In particular
embodiments, an online game comprises only one game instance that
all players 101 of the online game can access.
[0029] In particular embodiments, a specific game instance may be
associated with one or more specific players. A game instance is
associated with a specific player when one or more game parameters
of the game instance are associated with the specific player. As an
example and not by way of limitation, a game instance associated
with a first player may be named "First Player's Play Area." This
game instance may be populated with the first player's PC and one
or more in-game objects associated with the first player. In
particular embodiments, a game instance associated with a specific
player may only be accessible by that specific player. As an
example and not by way of limitation, a first player may access a
first game instance when playing an online game, and this first
game instance may be inaccessible to all other players. In other
embodiments, a game instance associated with a specific player may
be accessible by one or more other players, either synchronously or
asynchronously with the specific player's game play. As an example
and not by way of limitation, a first player may be associated with
a first game instance, but the first game instance may be accessed
by all first-degree friends in the first player's social network.
In particular embodiments, the game engine may create a specific
game instance for a specific player when that player accesses the
game. As an example and not by way of limitation, the game engine
may create a first game instance when a first player initially
accesses an online game, and that same game instance may be loaded
each time the first player accesses the game. As another example
and not by way of limitation, the game engine may create a new game
instance each time a first player accesses an online game, wherein
each game instance may be created randomly or selected from a set
of predetermined game instances. In particular embodiments, the set
of in-game actions available to a specific player may be different
in a game instance that is associated with that player compared to
a game instance that is not associated with that player. The set of
in-game actions available to a specific player in a game instance
associated with that player may be a subset, superset, or
independent of the set of in-game actions available to that player
in a game instance that is not associated with him. As an example
and not by way of limitation, a first player may be associated with
Blackacre Farm in an online farming game. The first player may be
able to plant crops on Blackacre Farm. If the first player accesses
game instance associated with another player, such as Whiteacre
Farm, the game engine may not allow the first player to plant crops
in that game instance. However, other in-game actions may be
available to the first player, such as watering or fertilizing
crops on Whiteacre Farm.
[0030] In particular embodiments, a game engine can interface with
a social graph. Social graphs are models of connections between
entities (e.g., individuals, users, contacts, friends, players,
player characters, non-player characters, businesses, groups,
associations, concepts, etc.). These entities are considered
"users" of the social graph; as such, the terms "entity" and "user"
may be used interchangeably when referring to social graphs herein.
A social graph can have a node for each entity and edges to
represent relationships between entities. A node in a social graph
can represent any entity. In particular embodiments, a unique
client identifier can be assigned to each user in the social graph.
In general, this disclosure assumes that at least one entity of a
social graph is a player or player character in an online
multiplayer game, although this disclosure is applicable to players
or player characters that are not characterized as entities of a
social graph.
[0031] The minimum number of edges required to connect a player (or
player character) to another user is considered the degree of
separation between them. For example, where the player and the user
are directly connected (one edge), they are deemed to be separated
by one degree of separation. The user would be a so-called
"first-degree friend" of the player. Where the player and the user
are connected through one other user (two edges), they are deemed
to be separated by two degrees of separation. This user would be a
so-called "second-degree friend" of the player. Where the player
and the user are connected through N edges (or N-1 other users),
they are deemed to be separated by N degrees of separation. This
user would be a so-called "Nth-degree friend." As used herein, the
term "friend" means only first-degree friends, unless context
suggests otherwise.
[0032] Within the social graph, each player (or player character)
has a social network. A player's social network includes all users
in the social graph within N.sub.max degrees of the player, where
N.sub.max is the maximum degree of separation allowed by the system
managing the social graph (such as, for example, social networking
system 120a or game networking system 120b). In one embodiment,
N.sub.max equals 1, such that the player's social network includes
only first-degree friends. In another embodiment, N.sub.max is
unlimited and the player's social network is coextensive with the
social graph.
[0033] In particular embodiments, the social graph is managed by
game networking system 120b, which is managed by the game operator.
In other embodiments, the social graph is part of a social
networking system 120a managed by a third-party (e.g., Facebook,
Friendster, Myspace). In yet other embodiments, player 101 has a
social network on both game networking system 120b and social
networking system 120a, wherein player 101 can have a social
network on the game networking system 120b that is a subset,
superset, or independent of the player's social network on social
networking system 120a. In such combined systems, game network
system 120b can maintain social graph information with edge type
attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an "in-game
friend," an "out-of-game friend," or both. The various embodiments
disclosed herein are operable when the social graph is managed by
social networking system 120a, game networking system 120b, or
both.
[0034] FIG. 2 shows an example of a social network within a social
graph. As shown, Player 201 can be associated, connected or linked
to various other users, or "friends," within the social network
200. These associations, connections or links can track
relationships between users within the social network 200 and are
commonly referred to as online "friends" or "friendships" between
users. Each friend or friendship in a particular user's social
network within a social graph is commonly referred to as a "node."
For purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation, the
details of social network 200 will be described in relation to
Player 201. As used herein, the terms "player" and "user" can be
used interchangeably and can refer to any user or character in an
online multiuser game system or social networking system. As used
herein, the term "friend" can mean any node within a player's
social network.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, Player 201 has direct connections with
several friends. When Player 201 has a direct connection with
another individual, that connection is referred to as a
first-degree friend. In social network 200, Player 201 has four
first-degree friends. That is, Player 201 is directly connected to
Friend 1.sub.1 211, Friend 2.sub.1 221, Friend 3.sub.1 231, and
Friend 4.sub.1 241. In a social graph, it is possible for
individuals to be connected to other individuals through their
first-degree friends (i.e., friends of friends). As described
above, each edge required to connect a player to another user is
considered the degree of separation. For example, FIG. 2 shows that
Player 201 has three second-degree friends to which he is connected
via his connection to his first-degree friends. Second-degree
Friend 1.sub.2 212 and Friend 2.sub.2 222 are connected to Player
201 via his first-degree Friend 1.sub.1 211, and second-degree
Friend 4.sub.2 242 is connected to Player 201 via his first-degree
Friend 3.sub.1 231. The limit on the depth of friend connections,
or the number of degrees of separation for associations, that
Player 201 is allowed is typically dictated by the restrictions and
policies implemented by social networking system 120a.
[0036] In various embodiments, Player 201 can have Nth-degree
friends connected to him through a chain of intermediary degree
friends as indicated in FIG. 2. For example, Nth-degree Friend
1.sub.N 219 is connected to Player 201 via second-degree Friend
3.sub.2 232 and one or more other higher-degree friends. Various
embodiments may take advantage of and utilize the distinction
between the various degrees of friendship relative to Player
201.
[0037] In particular embodiments, a player (or player character)
can have a social graph within an online multiplayer game that is
maintained by the game engine and another social graph maintained
by a separate social networking system. FIG. 2 depicts an example
of in-game social network 260 and out-of-game social network 250.
In this example, Player 201 has out-of-game connections 255 to a
plurality of friends, forming out-of-game social network 250. Here,
Friend 1.sub.1 211 and Friend 2.sub.1 221 are first-degree friends
with Player 201 in his out-of-game social network 250. Player 201
also has in-game connections 265 to a plurality of players, forming
in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2.sub.1 221, Friend
3.sub.1 231, and Friend 4.sub.1 241 are first-degree friends with
Player 201 in his in-game social network 260, and Friend 4.sub.2
242 is a second-degree friend. In some embodiments, it is possible
for a friend to be in both the out-of-game social network 250 and
the in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2.sub.1 221 has both
an out-of-game connection 255 and an in-game connection 265 with
Player 201, such that Friend 2.sub.1 221 is in both Player 201's
in-game social network 260 and Player 201's out-of-game social
network 250.
[0038] As with other social networks, Player 201 can have
second-degree and higher-degree friends in both his in-game and out
of game social networks. In some embodiments, it is possible for
Player 201 to have a friend connected to him both in his in-game
and out-of-game social networks, wherein the friend is at different
degrees of separation in each network. For example, if Friend
2.sub.2 222 had a direct in-game connection with Player 201, Friend
2.sub.2 222 would be a second-degree friend in Player 201's
out-of-game social network, but a first-degree friend in Player
201's in-game social network. In particular embodiments, a game
engine can access in-game social network 260, out-of-game social
network 250, or both.
[0039] In particular embodiments, the connections in a player's
in-game social network can be formed both explicitly (e.g., users
must "friend" each other) and implicitly (e.g., the system observes
user behaviors and "friends" users to each other). Unless otherwise
indicated, reference to a friend connection between two or more
players can be interpreted to cover both explicit and implicit
connections, using one or more social graphs and other factors to
infer friend connections. The friend connections can be
unidirectional or bidirectional. It is also not a limitation of
this description that two players who are deemed "friends" for the
purposes of this disclosure are not friends in real life (i.e., in
disintermediated interactions or the like), but that could be the
case.
Game Systems and Game Interfaces
[0040] A game event may be an outcome of an engagement, a provision
of access, rights and/or benefits, or the obtaining of some assets
(e.g., health, money, strength, inventory, land, etc.). A game
engine determines the outcome of a game event according to a
variety of factors, such as the game rules, a player character's
in-game actions, player character state, game state, interactions
of other player characters, and random calculations. Engagements
can include simple tasks (e.g., plant a crop, clean a stove),
complex tasks (e.g., build a farm or business, run a cafe), or
other events.
[0041] An online game can be hosted by a game networking system,
which can be accessed over any suitable network with an appropriate
client system (e.g., as in FIG. 10). A player may have a game
system account on a game system, wherein the game system account
can contain a variety of information about the player (e.g., the
player's personal information, player character state, game state,
etc.). In various embodiments, an online game can be embedded into
a third-party website. The game can be hosted by the networking
system of the third-party website, or it can be hosted on the game
system and merely accessed via the third-party website. The
embedded online game can be hosted solely on a server of the game
system or use a third-party vendor server. In addition, any
combination of the functions of the present disclosure can be
hosted on or provided from any number of distributed network
resources. For example, one or more executable code objects that
implement all or a portion of the game can be downloaded to a
client system for execution.
[0042] A webpage-based game interface for an online game may be
accessed by a browser client (e.g., MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER,
MOZILLA FIREFOX, GOOGLE CHROME). In various embodiments, a user of
a client system 130 can use a browser client to access the online
game over the Internet (or other suitable network). A game
interface may be automatically generated and presented to the user
in response to the user visiting or accessing the game operator's
website or a third-party's website from client system 130 with a
browser client. Game system 120b can transmit data to client system
130, allowing it to display the game interface, which is typically
some type of graphic user interface. For example, the webpage
downloaded to client system 130 may include an embedded call that
causes client system 130 to download an executable object, such as
a Flash .SWF object, which executes on client system 130 and
renders the game within the context of the webpage. Other interface
types are possible, such as server-side rendering and the like.
Typically a game interface is configured to receive signals from
the user via client system 130. For example, the user may click on
a game interface, or enter commands from a keyboard or other
suitable input device. The game engine can respond to these signals
to allow game play. The display of a game interface may change
based on the output of the game engine, the input of the player,
and other signals from game system 120b and client system 130.
[0043] Typically a game interface can display various game
components, such as the game environment, options available to the
player (e.g., in-game actions, preferences, settings, etc.), game
results, and so forth. Some components of the game interface may be
static, while others may be dynamic (e.g., changing with game
play). The user may be able to interact with some components (e.g.,
player character, NPCs, virtual objects, etc.) and not interact
with other components (e.g., the background of the virtual world,
such as the virtual street or sidewalk). The user may engage in
specific in-game actions or activities by providing input to the
game interface
Virtual Currency
[0044] In various embodiments, players within the game can acquire
virtual currency. In such games, the virtual currency might be
represented by virtual coins, virtual cash, or by a number or value
stored by the server for that player's benefit. Such virtual
currency represents units of value for use in the online game
system and is analogous to legal currency. Virtual currency can be
purchased in one or more actual cash or credit transactions by a
player, where the legal currency is transferred using a
credit/debit/charge card transaction conveyed over a financial
network. In some embodiments, a player may earn virtual currency by
taking action in the game. For example, a player may be rewarded
with one or more units of virtual currency after completing a task,
quest, challenge, or mission within the game. For example, a
farming game might reward 10 gold coins each time a virtual crop is
harvested.
[0045] In some embodiments, virtual currency can be used to
purchase one or more in-game assets or other benefits. For example,
a player may be able to exchange virtual currency for a desired
level, access, right, or item in an online game. In one embodiment,
legal currency can be used to directly purchase an in-game asset or
other benefit. The player can select the desired in-game asset or
other benefit. Once the selections are made, the player can place
the order to purchase the in-game asset or other benefit. This
order is received by the game system, which can then process the
order. If the order is processed successfully, an appropriate
financial account associated with the player can be debited by the
amount of virtual currency or legal currency needed to buy the
selected in-game asset or other benefit.
[0046] In some embodiments, multiple types of virtual currency may
be available for purchase from the game system operator. For
example, an online game may have virtual gold coins and virtual
cash. The different types of virtual currency may have different
exchange rates with respect to legal currency and each other. For
example, a player may be able to exchange $1 in legal currency for
either 100 virtual gold coins or $2 in virtual cash, but virtual
gold coins may not be exchanged for virtual cash. Similarly, where
in-game assets and other benefits can be purchased with virtual
currency, they may have different exchange rates with respect to
the different types of virtual currency. For example, a player may
be able to buy a virtual business object for $10 in virtual cash,
but may not purchase the virtual business object for virtual gold
coins alone. In some embodiments, certain types of virtual currency
can be acquired by engaging in various in-game actions while other
types of virtual currency can only be acquired by exchanging legal
currency. For example, a player may be able to acquire virtual gold
coins by selling virtual goods in a business, but can only acquire
virtual cash by exchanging legal currency. In some implementations,
virtual cash may also be awarded for leveling up in the game.
Game Mechanic with Matching of Different Data Types
[0047] In accordance with certain embodiments, a game mechanic
facilitates a game where users match different data types. FIG. 3
shows example data types 300 including text 302, image 304 and
audio 306. For example text data 302 may include a standard text
format such as American Standard Code for Information Interchange
(ASCII) or TXT. Standard formats for image data 304 include Joint
Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and Tagged Image File Format
(TIFF). Standard formats for audio data 306 include WINDOWS Media
Audio (WMA) and Waveform Audio (WAV) used in WINDOWS Personal
Computers. A typical application of the game mechanic includes
matching a "request" of one type with a "response" of another
type.
[0048] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart that illustrates a method 308 of
matching requests and responses of different data types in an
online game according to an example embodiment. A first operation
310 includes receiving a request that includes request values
corresponding to a first data type where the first data type
includes one of text 302, image 304 or audio 306. A second
operation 312 includes receiving a distribution list for the online
game where the distribution list includes one or more users in an
online system. Then a third operation 314 includes sending messages
to the one or more users. Each request message includes at least a
portion of the request values and a request to respond with values
corresponding to a second data type that includes one of text,
image or audio and is different from the first data type. These
request messages can be sent by conventional means including, for
example, email messages, Short Message Service (SMS) messages, or
other broadcast messages to the users in the distribution list. A
fourth operation 316 includes receiving one or more response
messages from the one or more users, where each response message
includes response values corresponding to the second data type. For
example, the response messages may include files for the data types
listed above or alternatively file pointers or other file
references. A fifth operation 318 includes receiving a selection of
winning response values from the response values included in the
one or more response messages. As discussed in greater detail
below, the winner may be selected by a user who originally provided
the request or by other means such as a voting process in the
online system. A sixth operation 320 includes sending one or more
announcement messages to one or more of the one or more users to
announce the winning response values. In some embodiments, the
method may further include awarding point values associated with
the online game to a winning user that corresponds to the winning
response values.
[0049] FIG. 5 shows a portion 330 of an example user interface
where new games are announced with a request 332 to respond with a
photo (i.e., image data). In this case there are three independent
requests that each include a single word (i.e., text data). John
requests a photo match for the word "happy" 334, Mary requests a
photo match for the word "pretty" 336, and Steve requests a photo
match for the word "hot" 338. In this embodiment the user who
receives this interface may select (e.g., by mouse click) any one
of these three options based on the word ("happy," "pretty," "hot")
and the corresponding player (John, Mary, Steve). Selecting one of
these game options facilitates sending a photo response (e.g.,
though email or an additional window interface). In some
embodiments where photos are indexed in a central repository, an
index or reference value may be sent. The central repository may be
a third-party repository to which a user is provided access, or
alternatively, the repository may be included in a server where a
user has control over access and content but which is hosted with
the game data. Alternatively, an index or reference value or link
may be sent, which is a link to a file of a data type on the
Internet. Another example embodiment may include a third-party
repository with the data mirrored on a central repository. Users
may be able to "delete" photos in the third-party repository, thus
protecting their privacy, but data may still remain in the central
repository, thus preventing syncing errors. Or, in some cases,
users may also be able to make a secondary request to delete their
photos on even the central repository, but there may be a
pre-determined time that data must remain on the server (e.g. 24
hours or 48 hours). Although the example interface 330 includes an
explicit photo request 332, the requested data type may be clear
from the context, for example, in a photo sharing game. There are
multiple channels where a user can select a data type, such as a
photo, to send as a photo response. For example, new photos may be
taken if the particular hardware has a built-in camera. This
interface may be situated directly in the game application.
Alternatively, the game application may access the photo repository
or album of the built-in camera if photos are taken in alternative
locations. In another example embodiment, stock photos may already
be provided to a user to provide as a photo response. Similarly,
users may also be able to purchase sets of stock photos. When the
data is sent, the application may pre-compress the image in order
to conserve bandwidth as well as storage space on client devices.
For example, images may be converted into thumbnails, or, if the
data type is a music file, the image may be converted from a larger
WAV file to an MP3 file. In addition to storing photos, the system
may also act as a filter. For example, in the example embodiment of
a photo sharing game, photos taken or sent may be pornographic or
illegal in nature if sent to certain underage individuals. Or,
there may be links to images sent to underage individuals.
Therefore, in some example embodiments, links may be checked
against a whitelist or blacklist to determine if there is illegal
or otherwise undesirable content. Alternatively, image recognition
may be used to determine whether images are likely to be illegal or
otherwise undesirable.
[0050] The winning response values may by selected by the player
who originally sent the request or from a broader group. FIG. 6
shows an example method 340 of selecting the winning response
including sending response values from at least some of the
response messages to the user who originally sent the request 342
and receiving the selection of the winning response values from
that user 344. FIG. 7 shows an example method 350 of selecting the
winning response including receiving a second distribution list,
which may be identical with the original distribution list or a
subset thereof 352. The method 350 then includes sending response
values from at least some of the response messages to the users in
the second distribution list with a request to vote for the winning
response values 354, receiving voting messages from the users in
the second distribution list, where each voting message includes a
vote for the selection of the wining response values 356, and
determining the winning response values from the received votes 358
(e.g., according to the most votes).
[0051] FIG. 8 shows a portion 360 of a user interface for choosing
(e.g., by mouse click) the winning response to John's request 334
for a photo match to the word "happy." In this embodiment, there
are three choices illustrated here as happy faces (or smileys), one
for Player #1 362, one for Player #2 364, and one for Player #3
366. The choices are listed by player number so that the selection
can be made without reference to the source of the submission.
[0052] The embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 correspond to
examples where the request includes text data and the requested
response includes image data. However, other examples in accordance
with the data types shown in FIG. 3 are possible including a text
request and an audio response, an image request and a text
response, an image request and an audio response, an audio request
and a text response, and an audio request and an image response.
Text requests and responses may include one or two words or a
larger document or a reference to a document. Image requests and
responses may include photos or other graphical images or
references to images. Audio requests and responses may include
recorded messages or songs or references to recordings. For
example, a user may display a single photo to friends and elicit a
text response that is a description of that photo, wherein the user
selects the best description for that photo.
[0053] In some embodiments, requests and response may have
associated time windows. For example, after request messages have
been sent, response messages may be due within a fixed time period
(e.g., 1 day). And the selection of the winning response values may
be similarly constrained.
[0054] Additional embodiments relate to an apparatus for carrying
out any one of the above-described methods (e.g., as a game
mechanic), where the apparatus includes a computer for executing
computer instructions related to the method. In this context the
computer may be a general-purpose computer including, for example,
a processor, memory, storage, and input/output devices (e.g.,
keyboard, display, disk drive, Internet connection, etc.). However,
the computer may include circuitry or other specialized hardware
for carrying out some or all aspects of the method. In some
operational settings, the apparatus or computer may be configured
as a system that includes one or more modular units, each of which
is configured to carry out some aspects of the method either in
software, in hardware or in some combination thereof. For example,
the system may be configured as part of a computer network that
includes the Internet. At least some values for the results of the
method can be saved for later use in a computer-readable medium,
including memory units (e.g., RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read
Only Memory)) and storage devices (e.g., hard-disk systems, optical
storage systems).
[0055] Additional embodiments also relate to a computer-readable
medium that stores (e.g., tangibly embodies) a computer program for
carrying out any one of the above-described methods by means of a
computer. The computer program may be written, for example, in a
general-purpose programming language (e.g., C, C++) or some
specialized application-specific language. The computer program may
be stored as an encoded file in some useful format (e.g., binary,
ASCII). In some contexts, the computer-readable medium may be
alternatively described as a computer-useable medium, a
computer-storage medium, a computer-program medium,
machine-readable medium or some alternative non-transitory storage
medium. Depending on the operational setting, specified values for
the above-described methods may correspond to input files for the
computer program or computer.
Data Flow
[0056] FIG. 9 illustrates an example data flow between the
components of system 500. In particular embodiments, system 500 can
include client system 530, social networking system 520a, and game
networking system 520b. The components of system 500 can be
connected to each other in any suitable configuration and using any
suitable type of connection. The components may be connected
directly or over any suitable network. Client system 530, social
networking system 520a, and game networking system 520b can each
have one or more corresponding data stores such as local data store
525, social data store 545, and game data store 565, respectively.
Social networking system 520a and game networking system 520b can
also have one or more servers that can communicate with client
system 530 over an appropriate network. Social networking system
520a and game networking system 520b can have, for example, one or
more Internet servers for communicating with client system 530 via
the Internet. Similarly, social networking system 520a and game
networking system 520b can have one or more mobile servers for
communicating with client system 530 via a mobile network (e.g.,
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Personal
Communications Service (PCS), Wireless Personal Area Network
(WPAN), Wi-Fi, etc.). In some embodiments, one server may be able
to communicate with client system 530 over both the Internet and a
mobile network. In other embodiments, separate servers can be
used.
[0057] Client system 530 can receive and transmit data 523 to and
from game networking system 520b. This data can include, for
example, webpages, messages, game inputs, game displays, HTTP
packets, data requests, transaction information, updates, and other
suitable data. At some other time, or at the same time, game
networking system 520b can communicate data 543, 547 (e.g., game
state information, game system account information, page info,
messages, data requests, updates, etc.) with other networking
systems, such as social networking system 520a (e.g., FACEBOOK,
MYSPACE, etc.). Client system 530 can also receive and transmit
data 527 to and from social networking system 520a. This data can
include, for example, webpages, messages, social graph information,
social network displays, HTTP packets, data requests, transaction
information, updates, and other suitable data.
[0058] Communication between client system 530, social networking
system 520a, and game networking system 520b can occur over any
appropriate electronic communication medium or network using any
suitable communications protocols. For example, client system 530,
as well as various servers of the systems described herein, may
include Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
networking stacks to provide for datagram and transport functions.
Of course, any other suitable network and transport layer protocols
can be utilized.
[0059] In addition, hosts or end-systems described herein may use a
variety of higher layer communications protocols, including
client-server (or request-response) protocols, such as the
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Other communications protocols,
such as HTTP Secure (HTTP-S), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Telnet, and a number of other
protocols, may also be used. In addition, a server in one
interaction context may be a client in another interaction context.
In particular embodiments, the information transmitted between
hosts may be formatted as HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
documents. Other structured document languages or formats can be
used, such as Extensible Markup Language (XML), and the like.
Executable code objects, such as JavaScript and ActionScript, can
also be embedded in the structured documents.
[0060] In some client-server protocols, such as the use of HTML
over HTTP, a server generally transmits a response to a request
from a client. The response may comprise one or more data objects.
For example, the response may comprise a first data object,
followed by subsequently transmitted data objects. In particular
embodiments, a client request may cause a server to respond with a
first data object, such as an HTML page, which itself refers to
other data objects. A client application, such as a browser, will
request these additional data objects as it parses or otherwise
processes the first data object.
[0061] In particular embodiments, an instance of an online game can
be stored as a set of game state parameters that characterize the
state of various in-game objects, such as, for example, player
character state parameters, non-player character parameters, and
virtual item parameters. In particular embodiments, a game state is
maintained in a database as a serialized, unstructured string of
text data as a so-called Binary Large Object (BLOB). When a player
accesses an online game on game networking system 520b, the BLOB
containing the game state for the instance corresponding to the
player can be transmitted to client system 530 for processing by a
client-side executable object. In particular embodiments, the
client-side executable may be a FLASH-based game, which can
de-serialize the game state data in the BLOB. As a player plays the
game, the game logic implemented at client system 530 maintains and
modifies the various game state parameters locally. The client-side
game logic may also batch game events, such as mouse clicks, and
transmit these events to game networking system 520b. Game
networking system 520b may itself operate by retrieving a copy of
the BLOB from a database or an intermediate memory cache (memcache)
layer. Game networking system 520b can also de-serialize the BLOB
to resolve the game state parameters and execute its own game logic
based on the events in the batch file of events transmitted by the
client to synchronize the game state on the server side. Game
networking system 520b may then re-serialize the game state, now
modified, into a BLOB and pass this to a memory cache layer for
lazy updates to a persistent database.
[0062] With a client-server environment in which the online games
may run, one server system, such as game networking system 520b,
may support multiple client systems 530. At any given time, there
may be multiple players at multiple client systems 530 all playing
the same online game. In practice, the number of players playing
the same game at the same time may be very large. As the game
progresses with each player, multiple players may provide different
inputs to the online game at their respective client systems 530,
and multiple client systems 530 may transmit multiple player inputs
and/or game events to game networking system 520b for further
processing. In addition, multiple client systems 530 may transmit
other types of application data to game networking system 520b.
[0063] In particular embodiments, a computer-implemented game may
be a text-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web
pages that are generated after a player selects one or more actions
to perform. The web pages may be displayed in a browser client
executed on client system 530. As an example and not by way of
limitation, a client application downloaded to client system 530
may operate to serve a set of webpages to a player. As another
example and not by way of limitation, a computer-implemented game
may be an animated or rendered game executable as a stand-alone
application or within the context of a webpage or other structured
document. In particular embodiments, the computer-implemented game
may be implemented using Adobe Flash-based technologies. As an
example and not by way of limitation, a game may be fully or
partially implemented as a SWF object that is embedded in a web
page and executable by a Flash media player plug-in. In particular
embodiments, one or more described webpages may be associated with,
or accessed by, social networking system 520a. This disclosure
contemplates using any suitable application for the retrieval and
rendering of structured documents hosted by any suitable
network-addressable resource or website.
[0064] Application event data of a game is any data relevant to the
game (e.g., player inputs). In particular embodiments, each
application datum may have a name and a value, and the value of the
application datum may change (i.e., be updated) at any time. When
an update to an application datum occurs at client system 530,
either caused by an action of a game player or by the game logic
itself, client system 530 may need to inform game networking system
520b of the update. For example, if the game is a farming game with
a harvest mechanic (such as Zynga FarmVille), an event can
correspond to a player clicking on a parcel of land to harvest a
crop. In such an instance, the application event data may identify
an event or action (e.g., harvest) and an object in the game to
which the event or action applies. For illustration purposes and
not by way of limitation, system 500 is discussed in reference to
updating a multi-player online game hosted on a network-addressable
system (such as, for example, social networking system 520a or game
networking system 520b), where an instance of the online game is
executed remotely on a client system 530, which then transmits
application event data to the hosting system such that the remote
game server synchronizes the game state associated with the
instance executed by the client system 530.
[0065] In a particular embodiment, one or more objects of a game
may be represented as an Adobe Flash object. Flash may manipulate
vector and raster graphics, and supports bidirectional streaming of
audio and video. "Flash" may mean the authoring environment, the
player, or the application files. In particular embodiments, client
system 530 may include a Flash client. The Flash client may be
configured to receive and run the Flash application or game object
code from any suitable networking system (such as, for example,
social networking system 520a or game networking system 520b). In
particular embodiments, the Flash client may be run in a browser
client executed on client system 530. A player can interact with
Flash objects using client system 530 and the Flash client. The
Flash objects can represent a variety of in-game objects. Thus, the
player may perform various in-game actions on various in-game
objects by making various changes and updates to the associated
Flash objects. In particular embodiments, in-game actions can be
initiated by clicking or similarly interacting with a Flash object
that represents a particular in-game object. For example, a player
can interact with a Flash object to use, move, rotate, delete,
attack, shoot, or harvest an in-game object. This disclosure
contemplates performing any suitable in-game action by interacting
with any suitable Flash object. In particular embodiments, when the
player makes a change to a Flash object representing an in-game
object, the client-executed game logic may update one or more game
state parameters associated with the in-game object. To ensure
synchronization with the Flash object shown to the player at client
system 530, the Flash client may send the events that caused the
game state changes to the in-game object to game networking system
520b. However, to expedite the processing and hence the speed of
the overall gaming experience, the Flash client may collect a batch
of some number of events or updates into a batch file. The number
of events or updates may be determined by the Flash client
dynamically or determined by game networking system 520b based on
server loads or other factors. For example, client system 530 may
send a batch file to game networking system 520b whenever 50
updates have been collected or after a threshold period of time,
such as every minute.
[0066] As used herein, the term "application event data" may refer
to any data relevant to a computer-implemented game application
that may affect one or more game state parameters, including, for
example and without limitation, changes to player data or metadata,
changes to player social connections or contacts, player inputs to
the game, and events generated by the game logic. In particular
embodiments, each application datum may have a name and a value.
The value of an application datum may change at any time in
response to the game play of a player or in response to the game
engine (e.g., based on the game logic). In particular embodiments,
an application data update occurs when the value of a specific
application datum is changed. In particular embodiments, each
application event datum may include an action or event name and a
value (such as an object identifier). Thus, each application datum
may be represented as a name-value pair in the batch file. The
batch file may include a collection of name-value pairs
representing the application data that have been updated at client
system 530. In particular embodiments, the batch file may be a text
file, and the name-value pairs may be in string format.
[0067] In particular embodiments, when a player plays an online
game on client system 530, game networking system 520b may
serialize all the game-related data, including, for example and
without limitation, game states, game events, and user inputs, for
this particular user and this particular game into a BLOB and store
the BLOB in a database. The BLOB may be associated with an
identifier that indicates that the BLOB contains the serialized
game-related data for a particular player and a particular online
game. In particular embodiments, while a player is not playing the
online game, the corresponding BLOB may be stored in the database.
This enables a player to stop playing the game at any time without
losing the current state of the game that the player is in. When a
player resumes playing the game next time, game networking system
520b may retrieve the corresponding BLOB from the database to
determine the most-recent values of the game-related data. In
particular embodiments, while a player is playing the online game,
game networking system 520b may also load the corresponding BLOB
into a memory cache so that the game system may have faster access
to the BLOB and the game-related data contained therein.
Systems and Methods
[0068] In particular embodiments, one or more described webpages
may be associated with a networking system or networking service.
However, alternate embodiments may have application to the
retrieval and rendering of structured documents hosted by any type
of network addressable resource or web site. Additionally, as used
herein, a user may be an individual, a group, or an entity (such as
a business or third party application).
[0069] Particular embodiments may operate in a wide area network
environment, such as the Internet, including multiple network
addressable systems. FIG. 10 illustrates an example network
environment 600 in which various example embodiments may operate.
Network cloud 660 generally represents one or more interconnected
networks, over which the systems and hosts described herein can
communicate. Network cloud 660 may include packet-based wide area
networks (such as the Internet), private networks, wireless
networks, satellite networks, cellular networks, paging networks,
and the like. As FIG. 10 illustrates, particular embodiments may
operate in a network environment comprising one or more networking
systems, such as social networking system 620a, game networking
system 620b, and one or more client systems 630. The components of
social networking system 620a and game networking system 620b
operate analogously; as such, hereinafter they may be referred to
simply as networking system 620. Client systems 630 are operably
connected to the network environment via a network service
provider, a wireless carrier, or any other suitable means.
[0070] Networking system 620 is a network addressable system that,
in various example embodiments, comprises one or more physical
servers 622 and data stores 624. The one or more physical servers
622 are operably connected to network cloud 660 via, by way of
example, a set of routers and/or networking switches 626. In an
example embodiment, the functionality hosted by the one or more
physical servers 122 may include web or HTTP servers, and FTP
servers, as well as, without limitation, webpages and applications
implemented using Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script, PHP
Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), HTML,
XML, Java, JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX),
Flash, ActionScript, and the like.
[0071] Physical servers 622 may host functionality directed to the
operations of networking system 620. Hereinafter servers 622 may be
referred to as server 622, although server 622 may include numerous
servers hosting, for example, networking system 620, as well as
other content distribution servers, data stores, and databases.
Data store 624 may store content and data relating to, and
enabling, operation of networking system 620 as digital data
objects. A data object, in particular embodiments, is an item of
digital information typically stored or embodied in a data file,
database, or record. Content objects may take many forms,
including: text (e.g., ASCII, Standard Generalized Markup Language
(SGML), HTML), images (e.g., jpeg, tif and gif), graphics
(vector-based or bitmap), audio, video (e.g., mpeg), or other
multimedia, and combinations thereof. Content object data may also
include executable code objects (e.g., games executable within a
browser window or frame), podcasts, and so forth. Logically, data
store 624 corresponds to one or more of a variety of separate and
integrated databases, such as relational databases and
object-oriented databases, that maintain information as an
integrated collection of logically related records or files stored
on one or more physical systems. Structurally, data store 624 may
generally include one or more of a large class of data storage and
management systems. In particular embodiments, data store 624 may
be implemented by any suitable physical system(s) including
components, such as one or more database servers, mass storage
media, media library systems, storage area networks, data storage
clouds, and the like. In one example embodiment, data store 624
includes one or more servers, databases (e.g., MySQL), and/or data
warehouses. Data store 624 may include data associated with
different networking system 620 users and/or client systems
630.
[0072] Client system 630 is generally a computer or computing
device including functionality for communicating (e.g., remotely)
over a computer network. Client system 630 may be a desktop
computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or
out-of-car navigation system, smart phone or other cellular or
mobile phone, or mobile gaming device, among other suitable
computing devices. Client system 630 may execute one or more client
applications, such as a web browser, to access and view content
over a computer network. In particular embodiments, the client
applications allow a user of client system 630 to enter addresses
of specific network resources to be retrieved, such as resources
hosted by networking system 620. These addresses can be Uniform
Resource Locators (URLs) and the like. In addition, once a page or
other resource has been retrieved, the client applications may
provide access to other pages or records when the user "clicks" on
hyperlinks to other resources. By way of example, such hyperlinks
may be located within the webpages and provide an automated way for
the user to enter the URL of another page and to retrieve that
page.
[0073] A webpage or resource embedded within a webpage, which may
itself include multiple embedded resources, may include data
records, such as plain textual information, or more complex
digitally encoded multimedia content, such as software programs or
other code objects, graphics, images, audio signals, videos, and so
forth. One prevalent markup language for creating webpages is HTML.
Other common web browser-supported languages and technologies
include XML, the Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML),
JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript, Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), and,
frequently, Java. By way of example, HTML enables a page developer
to create a structured document by denoting structural semantics
for text and links, as well as images, web applications, and other
objects that can be embedded within the page. Generally, a webpage
may be delivered to a client as a static document; however, through
the use of web elements embedded in the page, an interactive
experience may be achieved with the page or a sequence of pages.
During a user session at the client, the web browser interprets and
displays the pages and associated resources received or retrieved
from the website hosting the page, as well as, potentially,
resources from other websites.
[0074] When a user at a client system 630 desires to view a
particular webpage (hereinafter also referred to as target
structured document) hosted by networking system 620, the user's
web browser, or other document rendering engine or suitable client
application, formulates and transmits a request to networking
system 620. The request generally includes a URL or other document
identifier as well as metadata or other information. By way of
example, the request may include information identifying the user,
such as a user ID, as well as information identifying or
characterizing the web browser or operating system running on the
user's client computing device 630. The request may also include
location information identifying a geographic location of the
user's client system or a logical network location of the user's
client system. The request may also include a timestamp identifying
when the request was transmitted.
[0075] Although the example network environment described above and
illustrated in FIG. 10 described with respect to social networking
system 620a and game networking system 620b, this disclosure
encompasses any suitable network environment using any suitable
systems. As an example and not by way of limitation, the network
environment may include online media systems, online reviewing
systems, online search engines, online advertising systems, or any
combination of two or more such systems.
[0076] FIG. 11 illustrates an example computing system
architecture, which may be used to implement a server 622 or a
client system 630. In one embodiment, hardware system 700 comprises
a processor 702, a cache memory 704, and one or more executable
modules and drivers, stored on a tangible computer readable medium,
and directed to the functions described herein. Additionally,
hardware system 700 may include a high performance input/output
(I/O) bus 706 and a standard I/O bus 708. A host bridge 710 may
couple processor 702 to high performance I/O bus 706, whereas I/O
bus bridge 712 couples the two buses 706 and 708 to each other. A
system memory 714 and one or more network/communication interfaces
716 may couple to bus 706. Hardware system 700 may further include
video memory (not shown) and a display device coupled to the video
memory. Mass storage 718 and I/O ports 720 may couple to bus 708.
Hardware system 700 may optionally include a keyboard, a pointing
device, and a display device (not shown) coupled to bus 708.
Collectively, these elements are intended to represent a broad
category of computer hardware systems, including but not limited to
general purpose computer systems based on the x86-compatible
processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara,
Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured by Advanced
Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as any
other suitable processor.
[0077] The elements of hardware system 700 are described in greater
detail below. In particular, network interface 716 provides
communication between hardware system 700 and any of a wide range
of networks, such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a
backplane, and so forth. Mass storage 718 provides permanent
storage for the data and programming instructions to perform the
above-described functions implemented in servers 622, whereas
system memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage for the
data and programming instructions when executed by processor 702.
I/O ports 720 are one or more serial and/or parallel communication
ports that provide communication between additional peripheral
devices, which may be coupled to hardware system 700.
[0078] Hardware system 700 may include a variety of system
architectures, and various components of hardware system 700 may be
rearranged. For example, cache 704 may be on-chip with processor
702. Alternatively, cache 704 and processor 702 may be packed
together as a "processor module," with processor 702 being referred
to as the "processor core." Furthermore, certain embodiments of the
present disclosure may not require nor include all of the above
components. For example, the peripheral devices shown coupled to
standard I/O bus 708 may couple to high performance I/O bus 706. In
addition, in some embodiments, only a single bus may exist, with
the components of hardware system 700 being coupled to the single
bus. Furthermore, hardware system 700 may include additional
components, such as additional processors, storage devices, or
memories.
[0079] An operating system manages and controls the operation of
hardware system 700, including the input and output of data to and
from software applications (not shown). The operating system
provides an interface between the software applications being
executed on the system and the hardware components of the system.
Any suitable operating system may be used, such as the LINUX
Operating System, the Apple Macintosh Operating System, available
from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIX operating
systems, Microsoft.RTM. Windows.RTM. operating systems, Berkeley
Software Distribution (BSD) operating systems, and the like. Of
course, other embodiments are possible. For example, the functions
described herein may be implemented in firmware or on an
application-specific integrated circuit.
[0080] Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations can
be comprised of instructions that are stored on non-transitory
storage media. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a
processing system. Some examples of instructions are software,
program code, and firmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage
media are memory devices, tapes, disks, integrated circuits, and
servers. The instructions are operational when executed by the
processing system to direct the processing system to operate in
accordance with the disclosure. The term "processing system" refers
to a single processing device or a group of inter-operational
processing devices. Some examples of processing devices are
integrated circuits and logic circuitry. Those skilled in the art
are familiar with instructions, computers, and storage media.
CONCLUSION
[0081] Although only certain embodiments have been described in
detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that
many modifications are possible without materially departing from
the novel teachings of this disclosure. For example, aspects of
embodiments disclosed above can be combined in other combinations
to form additional embodiments. Accordingly, all such modifications
are intended to be included within the scope of this
disclosure.
[0082] A recitation of "a", "an," or "the" is intended to mean "one
or more" unless specifically indicated to the contrary. In
addition, it is to be understood that functional operations, such
as "awarding," "locating," "permitting," and the like, are executed
by game application logic that accesses, and/or causes changes to,
various data attribute values maintained in a database or other
memory. Unless specifically indicated to the contrary, ordinal
identifiers such as "first" and "second" are used herein for
labeling purposes only and are not intended to denote any specific
spatial or temporal ordering. Furthermore, the labeling of a
"first" element does not imply the presence of a "second"
element.
[0083] The present disclosure encompasses all changes,
substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the
example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in
the art would comprehend. Similarly, where appropriate, the
appended claims encompass all changes, substitutions, variations,
alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein
that a person having ordinary skill in the art would
comprehend.
[0084] For example, the methods, game features and game mechanics
described herein may be implemented using hardware components,
software components, and/or any combination thereof. By way of
example, while embodiments of the present disclosure have been
described as operating in connection with a networking website,
various embodiments of the present disclosure can be used in
connection with any communications facility that supports web
applications. Furthermore, in some embodiments the term "web
service" and "website" may be used interchangeably and additionally
may refer to a custom or generalized Application Programming
Interface (API) on a device, such as a mobile device (e.g.,
cellular phone, smart phone, personal Global Positioning System
(GPS), PDA, personal gaming device, etc.), that makes API calls
directly to a server. The specification and drawings are,
accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a
restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various
modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing
from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in
the claims and that the disclosure is intended to cover all
modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following
claims.
* * * * *