U.S. patent application number 15/829552 was filed with the patent office on 2018-04-05 for in-browser emulation of multiple technologies to create consistent visualization experience.
The applicant listed for this patent is Zynga Inc.. Invention is credited to Icer Addis, II, James Peter Gregory.
Application Number | 20180093179 15/829552 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55165929 |
Filed Date | 2018-04-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180093179 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gregory; James Peter ; et
al. |
April 5, 2018 |
IN-BROWSER EMULATION OF MULTIPLE TECHNOLOGIES TO CREATE CONSISTENT
VISUALIZATION EXPERIENCE
Abstract
A system, a machine-readable storage medium storing
instructions, and a computer-implemented method are described
herein to render one or more graphical objects on multiple types of
browsers despite the browsers providing support for different
graphical capabilities. A Rendering Engine receives source data
associated with a graphical object. The Rendering Engine receives
an identification of a program for rendering the graphical object
in a first browser that supports a graphical capability. The
Rendering Engine infers an intended first graphical result of the
program. The Rendering Engine identifies a function for rendering a
second graphical result in a second browser that does not support
the graphical capability. The second graphical result is similar to
the intended first graphical result of the program. The Rendering
Engine generates target data based on the source data. The
Rendering Engine calls the function according to the target
data.
Inventors: |
Gregory; James Peter;
(Berkeley, CA) ; Addis, II; Icer; (San Francisco,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Zynga Inc. |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
55165929 |
Appl. No.: |
15/829552 |
Filed: |
December 1, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14340750 |
Jul 25, 2014 |
9844723 |
|
|
15829552 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/79 20140902;
A63F 13/335 20140902; A63F 13/48 20140902; A63F 13/32 20140902;
A63F 13/52 20140902; A63F 13/795 20140902; A63F 13/92 20140902;
A63F 13/327 20140902; A63F 13/323 20140902; A63F 13/792 20140902;
A63F 13/77 20140902; G06F 16/951 20190101 |
International
Class: |
A63F 13/323 20060101
A63F013/323; A63F 13/335 20060101 A63F013/335; A63F 13/52 20060101
A63F013/52; A63F 13/48 20060101 A63F013/48; A63F 13/79 20060101
A63F013/79; A63F 13/792 20060101 A63F013/792; A63F 13/795 20060101
A63F013/795; G06F 17/30 20060101 G06F017/30 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving source data associated with a
graphical object; receiving an identification of at least one
program for rendering at least a portion of the graphical object in
a first browser that supports a graphical capability; inferring an
intended first graphical result of the at least one program;
identifying at least one function for rendering a second graphical
result in a second browser that does not support the graphical
capability, the second graphical result similar to the intended
first graphical result of the at least one program; generating
target data based on the source data; and calling the at least one
function according to the target data.
2. The method as in claim 1, wherein receiving source data
associated with a graphical object comprises: receiving a desired
location at which the graphical object is to be rendered; receiving
a description of at least one triangular area associated with the
graphical object; and receiving at least one color of the graphical
object.
3. The method as in claim 2, wherein receiving a description of at
least one triangular area associated with the graphical object
comprises: receiving a first triangular area that covers a first
portion of a sprite in a texture image, the texture image
comprising a plurality of sprites; and receiving a second
triangular area that covers a second portion of the sprite in the
texture image.
4. The method as in claim 3, wherein generating target data based
on the source data comprises: generating a quadrilateral area based
on a combination of the first triangular area and the second
triangular area.
5. The method as in claim 1, wherein inferring an intended first
graphical result of the at least one program comprises:
semantically analyzing at least one input and at least one output
of the program to determine the intended first graphical
result.
6. The method as in claim 2, wherein generating target data based
on the source data comprises: selecting at least one transform that
corresponds to an orientation at which the graphical object will be
rendered by the at least one function.
7. The method as in claim 1, wherein identifying at least one
function for rendering a second graphical result in a second
browser that does not support the graphical capability comprises:
identifying a function in an application programming interface
associated with the second browser that does not support the
graphical capability.
8. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which,
when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more
processors to perform operations comprising: receiving source data
associated with a graphical object; receiving an identification of
at least one program for rendering at least a portion of the
graphical object in a first browser that supports a graphical
capability; inferring an intended first graphical result of the at
least one program; identifying at least one function for rendering
a second graphical result in a second browser that does not support
the graphical capability, the second graphical result similar to
the intended first graphical result of the at least one program;
generating target data based on the source data; and calling the at
least one function according to the target data.
9. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 8, wherein
receiving source data associated with a graphical object comprises:
receiving a desired location at which the graphical object is to be
rendered; receiving a description of at least one triangular area
associated with the graphical object; and receiving at least one
color of the graphical object.
10. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 9, wherein
receiving a description of at least one triangular area associated
with the graphical object comprises: receiving a first triangular
area that covers a first portion of a sprite in a texture image,
the texture image comprising a plurality of sprites; and receiving
a second triangular area that covers a second portion of the sprite
in the texture image.
11. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 10, wherein
generating target data based on the source data comprises:
generating a quadrilateral area based on a combination of the first
triangular area and the second triangular area.
12. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 8, wherein
inferring an intended first graphical result of the at least one
program comprises; semantically analyzing at least one input and at
least one output of the program to determine the intended first
graphical res
13. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 8, wherein
generating target data based on the source data comprises:
selecting at least one transform that corresponds to an orientation
at which the graphical object will be rendered by the at least one
function.
14. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 8, wherein
identifying at least one function for rendering a second graphical
result in a second browser that does not support the graphical
capability comprises: identifying a function in an application
programming interface associated with the second browser that does
not support the graphical capability.
15. A computer system comprising: a processor; a memory device
holding an instruction set executable on the processor to cause the
computer system to perform operations comprising: receiving source
data associated with a graphical object; receiving an
identification of at least one program for rendering at least a
portion of the graphical object in a first browser that supports a
graphical capability; inferring an intended first graphical result
of the at least one program; identifying at least one function for
rendering a second graphical result in a second browser that does
not support the graphical capability, the second graphical result
similar to the intended first graphical result of the at least one
program; generating target data based on the source data; and
calling the at least one function according to the target data.
16. The computer system as in claim 15, wherein receiving source
data associated with a graphical object comprises: receiving a
desired location at which the graphical object is to be rendered;
receiving a description of at least one triangular area associated
with the graphical object; and receiving at least one color of the
graphical object.
17. The computer system as in claim 16, wherein receiving a
description of at least one triangular area associated with the
graphical object comprises: receiving a first triangular area that
covers a first portion of a sprite in a texture image, the texture
image comprising a plurality of sprites; and receiving a second
triangular area that covers a second portion of the sprite in the
texture image.
18. The computer system as in claim 17, wherein generating target
data based on the source data comprises: generating a quadrilateral
area based on a combination of the first triangular area and the
second triangular area.
19. The computer system as in claim 15, wherein inferring an
intended first graphical result of the at least one program
comprises: semantically analyzing at least one input and at least
one output of the program to determine the intended first graphical
result.
20. The computer system as in claim 15, wherein generating target
data based on the source data comprises: selecting at least one
transform that corresponds to an orientation at which the graphical
object will be rendered by the at least one function.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/340,750, tiled on Jul. 25, 2014, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to games and
applications in general and, in particular embodiments, to
rendering one or more graphical objects in various browsers.
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 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, etc. 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
networking system. Such an online social networking system 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., Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a
system, according to some example embodiments.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a social
network within a social graph, according to some embodiments.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a
computing device, according to some example embodiments.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the generation of
target data for a particular sprite in a texture image.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example method of
generating target data for a function to render a graphical object,
according to some example embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of an example data
flow between example components of the example system of FIG. 1,
according to some example embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing system architecture,
which may be used to implement a server or a client system
illustrated in FIG. 8, according to some example embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 8 illustrates an example network environment, in which
various example embodiments may operate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] A system, a machine-readable storage medium storing
instructions, and a computer-implemented method are described
herein to render one or more graphical objects on multiple types of
browsers despite the browsers providing support for different
graphical capabilities. In the following description, for purposes
of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will be
evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present
technology may be practiced without these specific details.
[0016] One or more graphical objects may be defined to be rendered
within an online social gaming environment. Each graphical object
may be defined to be rendered for a first browser that supports a
graphical capability. A player may access the online social game
via a second browser displayed on any kind of computing device. The
second browser may not support the graphical capability. The
Rendering Engine described herein renders the graphical object for
display in the second browser. The Rendering Engine thereby
provides the player with a consistent visualization of the
graphical object in the second browser even though the graphical
object is defined for rendering programs that produce output that
is incompatible with the second browser.
[0017] A system, a machine-readable storage medium storing
instructions, and a computer-implemented method are described
herein to render one or more graphical objects on multiple types of
browsers despite the browsers providing support for different
graphical capabilities. In various embodiments, the Rendering
Engine receives source data associated with a graphical object. The
Rendering Engine receives an identification of a program for
rendering at least a portion of the graphical object in a first
browser that supports a graphical capability. The Rendering Engine
infers an intended first graphical result of the program. The
Rendering Engine identifies a function for rendering a second
graphical result in a second browser that does not support the
graphical capability. The second graphical result is similar to the
intended first graphical result of the program. The Rendering
Engine generates target data based on the source data. The
Rendering Engine calls the function according to the target data to
render the graphical object in the second browser that does not
support the graphical capability.
[0018] In various embodiments, a graphical object may be included
amongst a plurality of graphical objects. For example, a particular
sprite may be included amongst multiple sprites in a texture image.
A sprite's location in the texture image may be described according
to texture coordinates. The texture coordinates describe triangular
areas that cover respective portions of the sprite.
[0019] A program(s) may be called in order to render the particular
sprite in various browsers that support 3-D (i.e.
three-dimensional) capabilities. The program receives input data
indicating the sprite's texture coordinates, the sprite's color
data and a desired target location to which the sprite is to be
rendered. The program produces graphical output that is compatible
with the various browsers having the 3-D capabilities.
[0020] To render the sprite in a browser that does not support the
3-D capabilities, the Rendering Engine intercepts a request to call
the program and infers the intended graphical result of the
program. For example, the Rendering Engine semantically analyzes
the inputs and outputs of the program in order to identify what
kind of actions the program performs, The Rendering Engine
identifies a function compatible with the browser that does not
support the 3-D capabilities. The identified function renders a
graphical result similar to the program's intended graphical
result.
[0021] In order to properly call the identified function, various
manipulations are performed by the Rendering Engine on the sprite's
texture coordinates, the sprite's color data and/or the desired
target location to which the sprite is to be rendered. For example,
the triangular areas described by the sprite's texture coordinates
are re-formulated by the Rendering Engine to describe a
quadrilateral area. Transforms are selected that describe a desired
orientation at which the sprite will be rendered at the target
location. The function is called according to the quadrilateral
area, the desired orientation and the sprite's color data. The
function call thereby produces a graphical result for the browser
that does not support the 3-D capabilities which is similar to the
intended graphical result of the semantically-analyzed program.
[0022] It is understood that various embodiments include the
generation of modules to cause any component(s) of a social
networking system, game networking system (i.e. online gaming
system) and/or a client system to perform any and all of the
actions, operations and steps described herein. it is further
understood that, in various embodiments, any of the one or more
modules may comprise source code that, when compiled by a computing
device(s), creates object code that causes the computing device(s)
to perform the various actions, operations and steps described
herein.
[0023] It is further understood that embodiments described herein
are not limited to being implemented with online games, but rather,
can be implemented for any kind of online environment.
Social Network Systems and Game Networking Systems
[0024] 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 (i.e. online gaming system), 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.
[0025] Social networking system 120a (i.e. social network system)
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 120a 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, etc.
[0026] Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular number of players
101, social network systems 120a, game networking systems 120b,
client systems 130, and networks 160, this disclosure contemplates
any suitable number of players 101, social network 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.
[0027] 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
[0028] Game Networking Systems
[0029] 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.
[0030] An online game can be hosted by game networking system 120b
(i.e. online gaming system), which includes a Notification
Generator 150 that performs operations according to embodiments as
described herein. The game networking system 120b 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.
[0031] 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.
Storing Game-Related Data
[0032] A database may store any data relating to game play within a
game networking system 120b. The database may include database
tables for storing a player game state that may include information
about the player's virtual gameboard, the player's character, or
other game-related information. For example, player game state may
include virtual objects owned or used by the player, placement
positions for virtual structural objects in the player's virtual
gameboard, and the like. Player game state may also include in-game
obstacles of tasks for the player (e.g., new obstacles, current
obstacles, completed obstacles, etc.), the player's character
attributes (e.g., character health, character energy, amount of
coins, amount of cash or virtual currency, etc.), and the like.
[0033] The database may also include database tables for storing a
player profile that may include user-provided player information
that is gathered from the player, the player's client device, or an
affiliate social network. The user-provided player information may
include the player's demographic information, the player's location
information (e.g., a historical record of the player's location
during game play as determined via a GPS-enabled device or the
internet protocol (IP) address for the player's client device), the
player's localization information (e.g., a list of languages chosen
by the player), the types of games played by the player, and the
like.
[0034] In some example embodiments, the player profile may also
include derived player information that may be determined from
other information stored in the database. The derived player
information may include information that indicates the player's
level of engagement with the virtual game, the player's friend
preferences, the player's reputation, the player's pattern of
game-play, and the like. For example, the game networking system
120b may determine the player's friend preferences based on player
attributes that the player's first-degree friends have in common,
and may store these player attributes as friend preferences in the
player profile. Furthermore, the game networking system 120b may
determine reputation-related information for the player based on
user-generated content (UGC) from the player or the player's
N.sup.th degree friends (e.g., in-game messages or social network
messages), and may store this reputation-related information in the
player profile. The derived player information may also include
information that indicates the player's character temperament
during game play, anthropological measures for the player (e.g.,
tendency to like violent games), and the like.
[0035] In some example embodiments, the player's level of
engagement may be indicated from the player's performance within
the virtual game. For example, the player's level of engagement may
be determined based on one or more of the following: a play
frequency for the virtual game or for a collection of virtual
games; an interaction frequency with other players of the virtual
game; a response time for responding to in-game actions from other
players of the virtual game; and the like.
[0036] In some example embodiments, the player's level of
engagement may include a likelihood value indicating a likelihood
that the player may perform a desired action. For example, the
player's level of engagement may indicate a likelihood that the
player may choose a particular environment, or may complete a new
challenge within a determinable period of time from when it is
first presented to him.
[0037] In some example embodiments, the player's level of
engagement may include a likelihood that the player may be a
leading player of the virtual game (a likelihood to lead). The game
networking system 120b may determine the player's likelihood to
lead value based on information from other players that interact
with this player. For example, the game networking system 120b may
determine the player's likelihood to lead value by measuring the
other players' satisfaction in the virtual game, measuring their
satisfaction from their interaction with the player, measuring the
game-play frequency for the other players in relation to their
interaction frequency with the player (e.g., the ability for the
player to retain others), and/or the like.
[0038] The game networking system 120b may also determine the
player's likelihood to lead value based on information about the
player's interactions with others and the outcome of these
interactions. For example, the game networking system 120b may
determine the player's likelihood to lead value by measuring the
player's amount of interaction with other players (e.g., as
measured by a number of challenges that the player cooperates with
others, and/or an elapsed time duration related thereto), the
player's amount of communication with other players, the tone of
the communication sent or received by the player, and/or the like.
Moreover, the game networking system 120b may determine the
player's likelihood to lead value based on determining a likelihood
for the other players to perform a certain action in response to
interacting or communicating with the player and/or the player's
virtual environment.
Game Systems, Social Networks, and Social Graphs:
[0039] 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), etc. 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.
[0040] 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.
[0041] 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.
[0042] 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.
This disclosure assumes that at least one entity of a social graph
is a player or player character in an online multiplayer game,
though this disclosure any suitable social graph users.
[0043] 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.
[0044] Within the social graph, each player (or player character)
has a social network. A.sub.-- 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.
[0045] 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.
[0046] 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
250. These associations, connections or links can track
relationships between users within the social network 250 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 250 will be described in relation to
Player 201. As used herein, the terms "player," "user" and
"account" can be used interchangeably and can refer to any user or
character in an online game networking system or social networking
system. As used herein, the term "friend" can mean any node within
a player's social network.
[0047] 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 250, Player 201 has two
first-degree friends. That is, Player 201 is directly connected to
Friend 1.sub.1 211 and Friend 2.sub.1 221. 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 be
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.
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.
[0048] 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.
[0049] 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. 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.
[0050] 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.
[0051] 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., 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.
[0052] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a game
networking system, according to some example embodiments. The game
networking system 120b may include a source data module 310, a
program analyzer module 320, a function identifier module 330, a
target data module 340 and a function call module 350.
[0053] In various example embodiments, the source data module 310
may be a hardware-implemented module that controls, manages and
stores information related to receiving source data associated with
a graphical object(s). The source data module 310 may receive
source data for a graphical object that is to be rendered in one or
more types of browsers that support one or more graphical
capabilities. Such source data may be positional coordinates that
describe a location of the graphical object in a texture image. The
source data may also include color data indicating one or more
colors or blended colors in which the graphical object is to be
rendered. The source data may also include a target location within
a browser at which the graphical object is to be rendered.
[0054] In various example embodiments, the program analyzer module
320 may be a hardware-implemented module that controls, manages and
stores information related inferring an intended graphical result
of a program used to render at least a portion of the graphical
object. The program may be defined to render the graphical object
in a first browser that supports a first type of graphical
capability. The program analyzer module 320 semantically analyzes
various portions of the program. For example, the program analyzer
module 320 semantically analyzes one or more inputs and one or more
outputs of the program. Based on the semantic analysis, the program
analyzer module 320 can infer intended graphical result of the
program.
[0055] In various example embodiments, the function identifier
module 330 may be a hardware-implemented module that controls,
manages and stores information related inferring a function that
renders a graphical result that is similar to the graphical output
of the semantically-analyzed program. The function identifier
module 330 identifies a function that is compatible with a second
browser that does not support the first type of graphical
capability. The function identifier module 330 identifies the
function for rendering the graphical object in the second browser
that does not support the first type of graphical capability.
[0056] In various example embodiments, the target data module 340
may be a hardware-implemented module that controls, manages and
stores information related to generating target data. The target
data module 340 generates target data based on the source data
associated with the graphical object. The target data module 340
generates target data that is compatible with the identified
function for rendering the graphical object in the second browser
that does not support the first type of graphical capability. In
addition, the target data module 340 selects and applies transforms
to the source data in order to define an orientation at which the
graphical object will be rendered in the second browser.
[0057] In various example embodiments, the function call module 350
may be a hardware-implemented module that controls, manages and
stores information related to calling a function to render a
version of the graphical object that is compatible with the second
browser. The function call module 350 may call the function to draw
the graphical object in a target location in the second browser
based on the target data.
[0058] The modules 310-350 are configured to communicate with each
other (e.g., via a bus, shared memory, or a switch). Any one or
more of the modules 310-350 described herein may be implemented
using hardware (e.g., one or more processors of a machine) or a
combination of hardware and software. For example, any module
described herein may configure a processor (e.g., among one or more
processors of a machine) to perform the operations described herein
for that module. Moreover, any two or more of these modules may be
combined into a single module, and the functions described herein
for a single module may be subdivided among multiple modules.
Furthermore, according to various example embodiments, modules
described herein as being implemented within a single machine,
database, or device may be distributed across multiple machines,
databases, or devices.
Rendering a Consistent Visualization Experience
[0059] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the generation of
target data for a particular sprite in a texture image. The block
diagram of FIG. 4 illustrates a texture image 400 with multiple
sprites 402, 404, 406, 408. The multiple sprites 402, 404, 406, 408
are associated with an online social game. When any or all of the
multiple sprites 402, 404, 406, 408 need to be rendered in a
specific location(s) in a browser that displays the online social
game, one or more programs access the texture image and obtain
source data associated with a respective sprite that is to be
rendered.
[0060] Such source data describes positional coordinates within the
texture image 400 at which a particular sprite 408 is located. For
example, in various embodiments, such positional coordinates for
the particular sprite 408 may be vertices of triangular areas 410,
412 of the texture image at which the particular sprite 408 is
located relative to other sprites 402, 402, 406. Other types of
source data include color data indicating a color(s) and/or blend
of colors required to render the particular sprite 408. Another
type of source data includes a display location at which the
particular sprite is to be rendered. For example, such display
location may describe a placement of the particular sprite 408
within a browser when the particular sprite 408 is rendered.
[0061] The program used to render the particular sprite 408 may be
associated with a first browser that supports a graphical
capability. The program is called according to the source data.
However, if the Rendering Engine detects that the player 201 is
accessing the social online game via a second browser that does not
support the graphical capability, the Rendering Engine intercepts
the program call in order to produce a rendered version of the
particular sprite 408 that is compatible with the second
browser.
[0062] The Rendering Engine calls a function(s) in place of the
intercepted program. The function produces graphical output that is
similar to the intercepted program but is also compatible with the
second browser that does not support the graphical capability. To
call the function, the Rendering Engine manipulates the source data
in order to generate target data. The Rendering Engine uses the
target data to call the function that is compatible with the second
browser.
[0063] For example, where the source data indicates positional
coordinates based on triangular areas 410, 412, the function may
require the positional coordinated be reformulated in terms of a
quadrilateral area. The Rendering Engine combines the triangular
areas 410, 412 in order to generate a description of the positional
coordinates from the perspective of a quadrilateral area 414. When
the Rendering Engine calls the function in place of the intercepted
program, the Rendering Engine passes the positional coordinates for
the quadrilateral area 414 to the function. It is understood that
the Rendering Engine performs additional, various manipulations of
the source data which are further discussed below in connection
with FIG. 5.
[0064] FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 showing an example method of
generating target data for a function to render a graphical object,
according to some example embodiments.
[0065] At operation 510, the Rendering Engine receives source data
associated with a graphical object. For example, the Rendering
Engine obtains source data associated with a sprite in a texture
image. The source data may indicate a desired location in a browser
at which the sprite is to be rendered. The source data may indicate
a description of triangular areas within the texture image at which
the sprite is located. The source data may also include color data
that describes one or more colors and/or color blends that will be
used to render the sprite.
[0066] At operation 520, the Rendering Engine receives an
identification of a program(s) for rendering at least a portion of
the graphical object in a first browser that supports a graphical
capability. For example, the Rendering Engine detects the player
210 is accessing an online social game, which requires a rendering
of the sprite, via a second browser that does not support the
graphical capability. A program compatible with the source data is
called to render the sprite. However, the program's output is not
compatible with the second browser. The Rendering Engine intercepts
the program's call.
[0067] At operation 530, the Rendering Engine infers an intended
first graphical result of the at least one program. The Rendering
Engine infers the intended first graphical result of the program in
order to identify a function that can be called in place of the
program. The Rendering Engine semantically analyzes various inputs
and outputs to infer the function's role in rendering the
sprite.
[0068] At operation 540, the Rendering Engine identifies a
function(s) for rendering a second graphical result in the second
browser that does not support the graphical capability. The second
graphical result is similar to the intended first graphical result
of the program. For example, the Rendering Engine may access a
graphical application programming interface (A.P.I.) that is
associated with the second browser that does not support the
graphical capability. The A.P.I. may have multiple function calls
available for rendering the sprite in the second browser. The
Rendering Engine identifies a function (or a combination of
functions) in the A.P.I. that produces a graphical result that is
similar to the output of the intercepted program.
[0069] At operation 550, the Rendering Engine generates target data
based on the source data. The Rendering Engine manipulates the
source data to create target data to be passed to the identified
function in the As discussed above in connection with FIG. 4, the
Rendering Engine combines the triangular areas to generate a
description of the positional coordinates from the perspective of a
quadrilateral area. When the Rendering Engine calls the function in
place of the intercepted program, the Rendering Engine passes the
positional coordinates for the quadrilateral area to the function
in the A.P.I.
[0070] In addition, with regard to the color data in the source
data, the intended sprite color and blending modes are determined.
The color is decomposed into channels and multiple additive and/or
subtractive drawing functions are invoked to produce the intended
color and blending effect in the second browser. For commonly used
colors, a cache of colored sprites is maintained and a single draw
function is performed for performance.
[0071] The Rendering Engine may also generate target data by
manipulating the source data to ensure the function from the A.P.I.
will render the sprite according to a particular orientation. A
draw function in the A.P.I. may only support the drawing of
rectangles (i.e. quadrilaterals) with a positive source image width
and height. These source coordinates (i.e. positional coordinates
from the texture image) are limited to being screen aligned and
orthonormal, and may not be rotated, flipped, or skewed. To draw
arbitrary image coordinates to the second browser, a matrix
consisting of the image coordinate vector is computed and then
inverted. This inverted matrix is applied to the positional
coordinates from the texture image to produce a sprite rendering
with rotated, flipped, and/or skewed source image coordinates.
[0072] At operation 560, the Rendering Engine calls the at least
one function according to the target data. The function renders a
version of the sprite that is compatible with the second
browser.
Data Flow
[0073] FIG. 6 illustrates an example data flow between the
components of system 600. In particular embodiments, system 600 can
include client system 630, social networking system 120a (i.e.
social network system), and game networking system 120b (i.e.
online game system system). The components of system 600 can be
connected to each other in any suitable configuration, using any
suitable type of connection. The components may be connected
directly or over any suitable network. Client system 630, social
networking system 120a, and game networking system 120bb can each
have one or more corresponding data stores such as local data store
635, social data store 645, and game data store 665, respectively.
Social networking system 120a and game networking system 120b can
also have one or more servers that can communicate with client
system 630 over an appropriate network. Social networking system
120a and game networking system 120b can have, for example, one or
more internet servers for communicating with client system 630 via
the Internet. Similarly, social networking system 120a and game
networking system 120b can have one or more mobile servers for
communicating with client system 630 via a mobile network (e.g.,
GSM, PCS, Wi-Fi, WPAN, etc.). In some embodiments, one server may
be able to communicate with client system 630 over both the
Internet and a mobile network. In other embodiments, separate
servers can be used.
[0074] Client system 630 can receive and transmit data 623 to and
from game networking system 120b. 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 120b can communicate data 643, 647 (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 120a (e.g., Facebook,
Myspace, etc.). Client system 630 can also receive and transmit
data 627 to and from social networking system 120a. 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.
[0075] Communication between client system 630, social networking
system 120a, and game networking system 120b can occur over any
appropriate electronic communication medium or network using any
suitable communications protocols. For example, client system 630,
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.
[0076] 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) and other communications
protocols, such as HTTPS, FTP, SNMP, TELNET, and a number of other
protocols, may be used. in some embodiments, no protocol may be
used and, instead, transfer of raw data may be utilized via TCP or
User Datagram Protocol. 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
XML, and the like. Executable code objects, such as JavaScript and
ActionScript, can also be embedded in the structured documents.
[0077] 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.
[0078] 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, 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 120b, the BLOB
containing the game state for the instance corresponding to the
player can be transmitted to client system 630 for use by a
client-side executed object to process. 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 630 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 120b. Game
networking system 120b may itself operate by retrieving a copy of
the BLOB from a database or an intermediate memory cache (memcache)
layer. Game networking system 120b 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 120b 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.
[0079] With a client-server environment in which the online games
may run, one server system, such as game networking system 120b,
may support multiple client systems 630. At any given time, there
may be multiple players at multiple client systems 630 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 630,
and multiple client systems 630 may transmit multiple player inputs
and/or game events to game networking system 120b for further
processing. In addition, multiple client systems 630 may transmit
other types of application data to game networking system 120b.
[0080] In particular embodiments, a computed-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 630. As an example and not by way of
limitation, a client application downloaded to client system 630
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 120a. This disclosure
contemplates using any suitable application for the retrieval and
rendering of structured documents hosted by any suitable
network-addressable resource or website.
[0081] 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 630,
either caused by an action of a game player or by the game logic
itself, client system 630 may need to inform game networking system
120b 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 600 is discussed in reference to
updating a multi-player online game hosted on a network-addressable
system (such as, for example, social networking system 120a or game
networking system 120b), where an instance of the online game is
executed remotely on a client system 630, which then transmits
application event data to the hosting system such that the remote
game server synchronizes game state associated with the instance
executed by the client system 630.
[0082] In 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 630 may include a Flash client. The Flash client may be
configured to receive and run Flash application or game object code
from any suitable networking system (such as, for example, social
networking system 120a or game networking system 120b). In
particular embodiments, the Flash client may be run in a browser
client executed on client system 630. A player can interact with
Flash objects using client system 630 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 make 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 between the Flash object shown to the player at
client system 630, the Flash client may send the events that caused
the game state changes to the in-game object to game networking
system 120b. 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
120b based on server loads or other factors. For example, client
system 630 may send a batch file to game networking system 120b
whenever 50 updates have been collected or after a threshold period
of time, such as every minute.
[0083] 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 630. In particular embodiments, the batch file may be a text
file and the name-value pairs may be in string format.
[0084] In particular embodiments, when a player plays an online
game on client system 630, game networking system 120b may
serialize all the game-related data, including, for example and
without limitation, game states, game events, user inputs, for this
particular user and this particular game into a BLOB and stores 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 the player is in. When a
player resumes playing the game next time, game networking system
120b 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 120b 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
[0085] 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).
[0086] FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing system architecture,
which may be used to implement a server 822 or a client system 830
illustrated in FIG. 8. 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, 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.
[0087] 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, etc. Mass storage 718 provides permanent storage for the
data and programming instructions to perform the above-described
functions implemented in servers 422, 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.
[0088] 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.
[0089] 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 (r) Windows(r) operating systems, 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.
Particular embodiments may operate in a wide area network
environment, such as the Internet, including multiple network
addressable systems,
[0090] FIG. 8 illustrates an example network environment, in which
various example embodiments may operate. Network cloud 860
generally represents one or more interconnected networks, over
which the systems and hosts described herein can communicate.
Network cloud 860 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.
8 illustrates, particular embodiments may operate in a network
environment comprising one or more networking systems, such as
social networking system 120a, game networking system 120h, and one
or more client systems 830. The components of social networking
system 120a and game networking system 120b operate analogously; as
such, hereinafter they may be referred to simply at networking
system 820. Client systems 830 are operably connected to the
network environment via a network service provider, a wireless
carrier, or any other suitable means.
[0091] Networking system 120 is a network addressable system that,
in various example embodiments, comprises one or more physical
servers 822 and data stores 824. The one or more physical servers
822 are operably connected to computer network 860 via, by way of
example, a set of routers and/or networking switches 826. In an
example embodiment, the functionality hosted by the one or more
physical servers 822 may include web or HTTP servers, 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), Hyper
Text Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML),
Java, JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (MAX), Flash,
ActionScript, and the like.
[0092] Physical servers 822 may host functionality directed to the
operations of networking system 820. Hereinafter servers 822 may be
referred to as server 822, although server 822 may include numerous
servers hosting, for example, networking system 820, as well as
other content distribution servers, data stores, and databases.
Data store 824 may store content and data relating to, and
enabling, operation of networking system 820 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, 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, etc.
Logically, data store 824 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 824 may
generally include one or more of a large class of data storage and
management systems. In particular embodiments, data store 824 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 824
includes one or more servers, databases (e.g., MySQL), and/or data
warehouses. Data store 824 may include data associated with
different networking system 820 users and/or client systems
830.
[0093] Client system 830 is generally a computer or computing
device including functionality for communicating (e.g., remotely)
over a computer network. Client system 830 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 830 may execute one or more client
applications, such as a web browser (e.g., Microsoft Internet
Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Opera),
to access and view content over a computer network. In particular
embodiments, the client applications allow a user of client system
830 to enter addresses of specific network resources to be
retrieved, such as resources hosted by networking system 820. 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.
[0094] 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 the
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Other common web
browser-supported languages and technologies include the Extensible
Markup Language (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.
[0095] When a user at a client system 830 desires to view a
particular webpage (hereinafter also referred to as target
structured document) hosted by networking system 820, the user's
web browser, or other document rendering engine or suitable client
application, formulates and transmits a request to networking
system 820. 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 830. 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.
[0096] Although the example network environment described above and
illustrated in FIG. 8 described with respect to social networking
system 120a and game networking system 120b, 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.
[0097] 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, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and
servers. The instructions are operational when executed by the
processing system to direct the processing system to operate in
accord 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.
Miscellaneous
[0098] One or more features from any embodiment may be combined
with one or more features of any other embodiment without departing
from the scope of the disclosure.
[0099] 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.
[0100] 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.
[0101] 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 sonic embodiments the term "web
service" and "website" may be used interchangeably and additionally
may refer to a custom or generalized API on a device, such as a
mobile device (e.g., cellular phone, smart phone, personal GPS,
personal digital assistance, personal gaming device, etc.), that
makes API calls directly to a server. Still further, while the
embodiments described above operate with business-related virtual
objects (such as stores and restaurants), the invention can be
applied to any in-game asset around which a harvest mechanic is
implemented, such as a virtual stove, a plot of land, and the like.
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.
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