Human-computer interaction method and apparatus for virtual character, device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of human-computer interaction, and discloses a human-computer interaction method and apparatus for a virtual character, a device, and a storage medium. The method comprises: displaying an observation picture of a virtual environment (510); playing environmental sound of a position where a first virtual character in the virtual environment is located (520), the environmental sound comprising sound generated by use of a virtual prop; and when the environmental sound exceeds a tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, indicating, by means of a visual effect and / or an auditory effect, that the first virtual character in a hearing-impaired state (530). The visual effect and / or the auditory effect are used to indicate the hearing-impaired state which has a negative impact on acquiring information in the virtual environment by means of human-computer interaction, so that the state in which the perceptual ability of physiological organs decreases after exposure to acoustic stimuli in the real world can be simulated, thereby enhancing the immersion of the virtual environment.

Description

Human-computer interaction methods, devices, equipment and storage media for virtual characters

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410566355.0, filed on May 8, 2024, entitled "Human-Computer Interaction Method, Apparatus, Device and Storage Medium for Virtual Characters", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of human-computer interaction technology, and in particular to a human-computer interaction method, apparatus, device and storage medium for a virtual character. Background Technology

[0003] In applications that provide virtual environments, it is often necessary to control virtual characters to perform activities within the virtual environment, such as walking, driving, climbing, picking up items, and fighting.

[0004] In related technologies, virtual characters perform virtual activities in a virtual environment to achieve virtual competition.

[0005] However, when performing virtual competitions using related technologies, the virtual characters' states are stable, resulting in a lack of immersion in the virtual environment. How to improve the immersion of the virtual environment is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a human-computer interaction method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for virtual characters, the technical solution of which is as follows:

[0007] According to one aspect of this application, a human-computer interaction method for a virtual character is provided. The method is executed by a terminal and includes: displaying an observation screen of a virtual environment; playing ambient sounds at the location of a first virtual character in the virtual environment, the ambient sounds including the sound of using virtual props; and, if the ambient sounds exceed the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, presenting the first virtual character as being in a state of hearing impairment through visual and / or auditory effects.

[0008] According to another aspect of this application, a human-computer interaction device for a virtual character is provided. The device includes: a display module for displaying an observation screen of a virtual environment; an audio module for playing ambient sounds at the location of a first virtual character in the virtual environment, the ambient sounds including the sound of using virtual props; the display module is further configured to visually present that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment when the ambient sounds exceed the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, and / or, the audio module is further configured to auditorily present that the first virtual character is in the state of hearing impairment when the ambient sounds exceed the first virtual character's tolerance threshold.

[0009] According to another aspect of this application, a computer device is provided, the computer device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing at least one instruction, at least one program, code set or instruction set, the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set or instruction set being loaded and executed by the processor to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters as described above.

[0010] According to another aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein at least one instruction, at least one program, code set, or instruction set is stored therein, wherein the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set, or the instruction set is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters as described above.

[0011] According to another aspect of this application, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, wherein a processor reads from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters as described above.

[0012] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided in this application include at least the following:

[0013] When ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, the first virtual character will experience hearing impairment because the sound stimulation from the virtual environment exceeds its tolerance capacity. In this application, the hearing impairment state is presented through visual and / or auditory effects. When the hearing impairment state is presented visually, the terminal displays an image with a negative effect, reducing the quality of information displayed visually; when the hearing impairment state is presented auditorily, the terminal plays audio with a negative effect, reducing the quality of information displayed auditorily. By presenting the hearing impairment state visually and / or auditorily, a negative impact on the acquisition of information in the virtual environment through human-computer interaction is achieved, simulating the decreased sensory capacity of physiological organs after sound stimulation in the real world, thus improving the immersion of the virtual environment. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a computer system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0015] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0016] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a screen provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of virtual hearing values ​​provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 10 is a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a virtual environment provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 12 is a structural block diagram of a human-computer interaction device for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 13 is a structural block diagram of a terminal provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Figure 1 shows a structural block diagram of a computer system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The computer system 100 includes: a first terminal 110, a server 120, and a second terminal 130.

[0028] The first terminal 110 has a client 111 installed and running that supports a virtual environment. This client 111 can be a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) program. When the first terminal runs the client 111, the user interface of the client 111 is displayed on the screen of the first terminal 110. The client 111 can be any of the following: battle royale shooting game, virtual reality (VR) application, augmented reality (AR) program, 3D mapping program, virtual reality game, augmented reality game, casual game, party game, first-person shooter (FPS) game, third-person shooter (TPS) game, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, or simulation game (SLG). In this embodiment, the client 111 is an FPS game as an example. The first terminal 110 is the terminal used by the first user 112. The first user 112 uses the first terminal 110 to control a first virtual character located in a virtual environment to perform activities. The first virtual character can be referred to as the virtual character of the first user 112. The activities of the first virtual character include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: moving, jumping, teleporting, releasing skills, using items, adjusting body posture, crawling, walking, running, riding, flying, jumping, driving, picking up, shooting, attacking, and throwing. Illustratively, the first virtual character is at least one of a realistic human character, an anime character, a virtual animal, or a virtual plant.

[0029] The second terminal 130 has a client 131 installed and running that supports a virtual environment. This client 131 can be a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) program. When the second terminal 130 runs the client 131, the user interface of the client 131 is displayed on the screen of the second terminal 130. This client can be any of the following: battle royale shooting game, VR application, AR program, 3D map program, virtual reality game, augmented reality game, FPS, TPS, MOBA, or SLG. In this embodiment, a MOBA game is used as an example. The second terminal 130 is the terminal used by the second user 132. The second user 132 uses the second terminal 130 to control a second virtual character located in the virtual environment. This second virtual character can be referred to as the virtual character of the second user 132. Similarly, illustratively, the second virtual character is at least one of a realistic human character, an anime character, a virtual animal, or a virtual plant.

[0030] Optionally, the first virtual character and the second virtual character reside in the same virtual environment. Optionally, the first virtual character and the second virtual character may belong to the same faction, the same team, the same organization, have a friend relationship, or have temporary communication permissions. Optionally, the first virtual character and the second virtual character may belong to different factions, different teams, different organizations, or have an adversarial relationship.

[0031] Optionally, the clients installed on the first terminal 110 and the second terminal 130 are the same, or the clients installed on the two terminals are the same type of client on different operating system platforms (Android or iOS). The first terminal 110 can refer to one of multiple terminals, and the second terminal 130 can refer to another of multiple terminals. This embodiment only uses the first terminal 110 and the second terminal 130 as examples. The device types of the first terminal 110 and the second terminal 130 may be the same or different, and these device types include at least one of the following: smartphones, tablets, e-book readers, MP3 players, MP4 players, laptops, and desktop computers.

[0032] Figure 1 shows only two terminals, but in different embodiments, multiple other terminals 140 can access the server 120. Optionally, one or more terminals 140 are terminals corresponding to developers, on which a development and editing platform supporting a virtual environment client is installed. Developers can edit and update the client on the terminal 140 and transmit the updated client installation package to the server 120 via wired or wireless network. The first terminal 110 and the second terminal 130 can download the client installation package from the server 120 to update the client. The first terminal 110, the second terminal 130, and other terminals 140 are connected to the server 120 via a wireless or wired network.

[0033] Server 120 includes at least one of a single server, multiple servers, a cloud computing platform, and a virtualization center. Server 120 is used to provide backend services for clients supporting a 3D virtual environment. Optionally, server 120 undertakes the main computing work, and the terminal undertakes the secondary computing work; or, server 120 undertakes the secondary computing work, and the terminal undertakes the main computing work; or, server 120 and the terminal use a distributed computing architecture for collaborative computing.

[0034] In an illustrative example, server 120 includes processor 122, user account database 123, battle service module 124, and user-facing input / output interface (I / O interface) 125. Processor 122 loads instructions stored in server 120 and processes data in user account database 123 and battle service module 124. User account database 123 stores data about user accounts used by first terminal 110, second terminal 130, and other terminals 140, such as user account avatars, nicknames, combat power indices, and the service area where the user account is located. Battle service module 124 provides multiple battle rooms for users to play, such as 1v1, 3v3, and 5v5 battles. User-facing I / O interface 125 establishes communication and exchanges data with first terminal 110 and / or second terminal 130 via wireless or wired network.

[0035] The methods provided in this application can be applied to at least one of the following scenarios, but are not limited to: virtual reality applications, 3D map programs, casual games, party games, first-person shooter (FPS) games, third-person shooter (TPS) games, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, multiplayer shooting survival games, etc. The following embodiments are examples of applications in games.

[0036] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0037] Terminal 210 displays the first interface 310 and plays the first audio 331; terminal 210 is the control terminal of the first virtual character 301; for example, terminal 210 can be implemented as any terminal in the computer system shown in Figure 1, such as the first terminal 110.

[0038] Figure 2 uses a first-person shooter game as an example for illustration. The first interface 310 is obtained from the perspective of the first virtual character 301 observing the virtual environment. The first interface 310 only shows the hands of the first virtual character 301, and the first virtual character 301 holds the virtual shooting prop 302. Under different perspectives, more body parts of the first virtual character 301 can be displayed.

[0039] The first audio 331 played by terminal 210 is ambient sound in the virtual environment, which includes the sound of using the virtual shooting prop 302, such as the sound effect of firing the virtual shooting prop 302.

[0040] When the virtual shooting prop 302 is fired, if the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold, the second interface 320 is displayed and the superimposed second audio 332 and third audio 333 are played.

[0041] When the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character 301, the first virtual character 301 is in a state of hearing impairment. In the state of hearing impairment, the terminal applies a negative effect to the information obtained in the virtual environment through human-computer interaction, so as to show the negative impact of the hearing impairment state on the first virtual character 301.

[0042] In the second interface 320, virtual objects in the virtual environment are displayed with ghosting, taking the virtual car 322 as an example; in the first interface 310, the edges of the virtual car 322 are clear, and the edges of the rectangular shape of the car body, the cylindrical shape of the wheels, the headlights on the front of the car, the license plate, etc. are clear; the first interface 310 can clearly distinguish the edges of the virtual car 322 and clearly display the shape of each part of the car.

[0043] In the second interface 320, the virtual car 322 has a ghosting effect, making it impossible to identify the real edges of the virtual car 332. Due to the ghosting, the shape display of the virtual car 322 is also adversely affected, such as the inability to clearly identify the shape of the headlights of the virtual car 332. This increases the difficulty of observing the details of virtual objects and increases the difficulty of obtaining information in the virtual environment through human-computer interaction in terms of visual effects.

[0044] The second audio, 332, is the ambient sound in the virtual environment at the moment the second interface 320 is displayed. The third audio is noise audio, such as a buzzing sound. Superimposing the second audio 332 and the third audio 333 causes interference with the second audio 332, increasing the difficulty of obtaining information from the virtual environment through human-computer interaction in terms of auditory effect. Presenting a state of hearing impairment through visual and auditory effects reduces the first virtual character's observation of the virtual environment, simulating the decreased sensory ability of physiological organs after sound stimulation in the real world, thus enhancing the immersion of the virtual environment.

[0045] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for a virtual character provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The method can be executed by a terminal. The method includes:

[0046] Step 510: Display the observation screen of the virtual environment;

[0047] For example, a virtual environment is a virtual space in which a first virtual character performs virtual activities; for instance, the first virtual character launches a virtual attack in a virtual game to achieve virtual competition. A virtual environment can be any of a two-dimensional, 2.5-dimensional, or three-dimensional virtual environment.

[0048] For example, the observation screen is a view of the virtual environment obtained from the perspective of a first virtual character; in some examples, the observation screen is obtained by observing the virtual environment through a virtual camera; correspondingly, the observation screen is obtained by observing the virtual environment through a virtual camera corresponding to the first virtual character. The virtual camera can observe the virtual environment from perspectives such as first-person and third-person. The observation screen is then displayed to the controller of the terminal (such as a player in a game application) to show the observation results of the virtual environment.

[0049] In some examples, the terminal executing this embodiment is typically a terminal with control permissions for the first virtual character, but it is also possible that it is a terminal used by a spectator watching the first virtual character perform virtual activities.

[0050] Step 520: Play the ambient sound of the location of the first virtual character in the virtual environment;

[0051] Ambient sounds include the sounds of using virtual props. Virtual props can be carried by the first virtual character or other virtual characters in the virtual environment, or they can be deployed in the virtual environment and used automatically. This application does not restrict the ownership or usage of virtual props.

[0052] For example, the ambient sound played by the terminal is the sound propagating from the virtual environment to the location of the first virtual character. The propagation of sound in the virtual environment simulates the laws of sound propagation in the real world. For example, sound gradually attenuates during propagation, and the attenuation of sound follows the principle of decreasing with the square of the distance. The intensity of sound is inversely proportional to the square of the distance.

[0053] Step 530: When the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, present the first virtual character as having hearing impairment through visual and / or auditory effects;

[0054] When ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment. Hearing impairment is a state of decreased virtual hearing caused by ambient sound stimulation exceeding the first virtual character's tolerance. In this state, it negatively impacts the acquisition of information from the virtual environment through human-computer interaction. This can be achieved through visual and / or auditory effects to represent the hearing impairment state.

[0055] In one example, the first virtual character's hearing impairment is caused by ambient sounds in the virtual environment exceeding a tolerable threshold; it is unrelated to whether the first virtual character is within the effective range of a virtual item or skill. The ambient sounds included in the virtual item usage sounds are supplementary representations to simulate the sound effects of corresponding items in the real world, not the actual effects of the virtual items. For example, with a virtual shooting item, the usage sound is to simulate the sound of a real-world fireable weapon; the effect of the virtual shooting item is to fire virtual projectiles and cause virtual damage, not to play the usage sound of the virtual shooting item.

[0056] For example, visual effects are typically presented through the terminal's display screen, while auditory effects are typically played through the terminal's audio circuitry. Presenting a state of hearing impairment through visual and auditory effects can simulate the decline in the physiological perception of hearing after external stimuli in the real world. The following will describe the presentation of a state of hearing impairment through visual and auditory effects using separate embodiments.

[0057] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment, when the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, causes the first virtual character to be in a state of hearing impairment because the sound stimulation from the virtual environment exceeds its tolerance capacity. In this application, the hearing impairment state is presented through visual and / or auditory effects. When the hearing impairment state is presented through visual effects, the terminal displays an image with a negative effect, reducing the quality of information displayed visually; when the hearing impairment state is presented through auditory effects, the terminal plays audio with a negative effect, reducing the quality of information displayed auditorily. By presenting the hearing impairment state through visual and / or auditory effects, a negative impact on the acquisition of information in the virtual environment via human-computer interaction is achieved, simulating the decreased sensory capacity of physiological organs after sound stimulation in the real world, thus improving the immersion of the virtual environment.

[0058] Next, the visual and auditory effects representing the state of auditory impairment will be described through the following two embodiments. Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for a virtual character provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method can be executed by a terminal. That is, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, step 530 can be implemented as step 532:

[0059] Step 532: If the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, display a degraded virtual environment.

[0060] When the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment. The degraded image is the first virtual character's observation of the virtual environment while in a state of hearing impairment; it is the image displayed on the terminal while in a state of hearing impairment.

[0061] The image quality of the degraded screen is lower than that of the observed screen. Image quality includes, but is not limited to, at least one of sharpness, color, and dynamic range. This embodiment does not limit the content of the degraded screen. For example, in response to a movement operation on the first virtual character, the observation position of the first virtual character in the virtual environment changes, and the content of the degraded screen is different from the content of the observed screen displayed in step 510.

[0062] When the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment, the system simulates the decline in perception after being stimulated by sound in the real world by displaying low-quality, degraded visuals. This hearing impairment negatively impacts the way the character perceives and acquires information in the virtual environment.

[0063] In one alternative implementation, the degraded visuals of the virtual environment are described below. Displaying the degraded visuals of the virtual environment can be implemented in at least one of the following ways:

[0064] • The first area in the degraded display is obscured;

[0065] For example, the first region is part or all of the degraded image, typically an area located at the edge of the degraded image. When the first region is occluded, the observation of the virtual environment cannot be presented within it. Referring to sub-image (a) in Figure 5, the first region 601 is the area displayed as entirely black in sub-image (a). Since the first region 601 is located at the edge of sub-image (a), filling the first region 601 with black prevents the presentation of the virtual environment. For example, displaying the first region 601 as black in Figure 5 is merely an illustrative representation; the first region could also be filled with other opaque colors.

[0066] The first area is occluded to reduce the area used to present the virtual environment in the degraded image, thereby reducing the first virtual character's observation effect on the virtual environment and simulating the decline in the perception ability of physiological organs after being stimulated by sound in the real world.

[0067] • Virtual items located in the second area of ​​the degraded screen appear ghosted;

[0068] Similarly, the second region is part or all of the degraded image. This second region is typically an area located at the edge of the degraded image, or an area containing virtual objects. In the second region, the ghosting of virtual objects overlaps with the virtual objects in the degraded image, increasing the difficulty for the observer in the degraded image to judge the edge positions of virtual objects and observe their detailed features, thus reducing the first virtual character's observation effect of the virtual environment. Referring to sub-image (b) in Figure 5, the second region is the entire area of ​​sub-image (b). The virtual objects in sub-image (b) exhibit ghosting. The ghosting of the virtual car was described in Figure 2 and will not be repeated here.

[0069] The virtual objects in the second area have ghosting, which increases the difficulty of recognizing virtual objects in the degraded image, thereby reducing the first virtual character's observation effect on the virtual environment and simulating the state of decreased sensory ability of physiological organs after being stimulated by sound in the real world.

[0070] • The third area in the degraded image is overlaid with the first color;

[0071] For example, the third region is part or all of the degraded image, and the third region is usually the area located in the center of the degraded image. In the third region, by overlaying the first color, the difficulty of observing the true color of the virtual objects in the third region is increased; furthermore, the overlaid first color can mask virtual objects in the third region whose true color is similar to the first color, increasing the difficulty of identifying virtual objects with similar colors.

[0072] For example, the first color can be a pre-set color, such as red, to simulate the state of decreased perception caused by blood congestion after sound stimulation in the real world. The first color can also be determined from a virtual image, such as the color with the largest area displayed in the viewing area, to simulate the state of decreased color perception after sound stimulation in the real world, where only the largest area of ​​color can be recognized. Referring to sub-figure (c) in Figure 5, the third region 603 is an elliptical region filled with diagonal lines displayed in sub-figure (c), and the third region 603 is located in the central part of sub-figure (c). For example, the first color of the third region 603 is semi-transparent, allowing for simultaneous overlay display of the first color and the virtual environment. In Figure 5, the third region is displayed as an ellipse. In different embodiments, at least one of the first to fourth regions can be implemented as a rectangle, trapezoid, circle, sector, or a closed shape enclosed by multiple line segments or curves. This application does not limit the shape of the region.

[0073] The third area is overlaid with the first color, which reduces the observation effect of the first virtual character on the virtual environment by increasing the difficulty of observing the real colors of virtual objects in the degraded picture, and simulates the state of decreased perception of physiological organs after being stimulated by sound in the real world.

[0074] • A blur effect is displayed in the fourth area of ​​the degraded image;

[0075] For example, the fourth region is part or all of the degraded image. It should be noted that, as described above, the degraded image can simultaneously include multiple regions from the first to the fourth. When the degraded image includes multiple regions from the first to the fourth, there can be overlap between different regions. Furthermore, two different regions can be completely identical; for example, both the third and fourth regions are the entirety of the degraded image, meaning the degraded image not only has the first color superimposed but also displays a blurred effect. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0076] For example, in the fourth region, details of the virtual environment cannot be displayed; information about the virtual environment can only be obtained through the blurred outline and the color of the blurred boundaries. This greatly compresses the amount of information about the virtual environment that can be presented in the fourth region, reducing the observation effect of the first virtual character on the virtual environment. The blurring effect displayed in the second region includes, but is not limited to, at least one of Gaussian blur, mean blur, and bilateral blur.

[0077] • Display the degraded image at the first resolution;

[0078] For example, the first resolution is lower than the second resolution of the observed image; by displaying the degraded image at a low resolution, the image details in the degraded image are lost by reducing the resolution, and the image details cannot be observed, thereby reducing the first virtual character's observation effect on the virtual environment, simulating the state of decreased perception ability of physiological organs after being stimulated by sound in the real world.

[0079] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment addresses the issue of hearing impairment in first virtual characters when ambient sound exceeds their tolerance threshold. This is because the auditory stimulation from the virtual environment exceeds the character's capacity to withstand it. The hearing impairment is presented visually by displaying a degraded image with negative effects on the terminal. This degrades the quality of information displayed visually through at least one of the following methods: the presence of occlusion areas, ghosting areas, overlay of a first color, or a blurred effect. Compared to simply observing the screen, this method reduces the visual experience of the virtual environment, simulating the decreased sensory capacity of physiological organs after auditory stimulation in the real world, thus enhancing the immersive experience of the virtual environment.

[0080] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for a virtual character provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method can be executed by a terminal. That is, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, step 530 can be implemented as step 534:

[0081] Step 534: If the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, play interfering audio;

[0082] When the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment; the interference audio is the sound audio in the virtual environment acquired by the first virtual character when it is in a state of hearing impairment; the interference audio is the audio played by the first virtual character when it is in a state of hearing impairment.

[0083] The audio quality of the interfering audio is lower than that of the ambient sound. Audio quality includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: sampling rate and bit depth. This embodiment does not limit the audio content of the interfering audio; for example, as time goes on, the virtual activities performed in the virtual environment are different, and the corresponding sounds in the virtual environment are also different.

[0084] When the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment, low-quality interference audio is played to simulate the state of decreased perception after being stimulated by sound in the real world; in the state of hearing impairment, it has a negative impact on the way of hearing to obtain information in the virtual environment.

[0085] In one alternative implementation, the interfering audio is described as follows, and step 534 in this embodiment can be implemented as at least one of the following:

[0086] • If the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, replace the ambient sound with the first interference audio.

[0087] The first interference audio is obtained by performing sound effect degradation on the ambient sound. The sound effect degradation methods include at least one of reducing the sampling rate, reducing the audio bit depth, and adding echo. By performing sound effect degradation on the ambient sound, the first interference audio is obtained, which reduces the clarity of the original sound in the virtual environment and reduces the efficiency of obtaining information in the virtual environment by hearing.

[0088] The audio degradation method of reducing the sampling rate increases the spacing between two adjacent frames in the first interference audio, reducing the detail of the sound sampling. The audio degradation method of reducing the audio bit depth reduces the dynamic range and precision of the first interference audio, losing sound detail information. Audio bit depth is used to indicate the sampling precision of an audio frame; in one example, an audio bit depth of 16 bits means that 16 bits of data space are used to represent the audio information of an audio frame. The audio degradation method of adding echo causes the original sound in the virtual environment and the superimposed echo to intertwine, increasing the difficulty of distinguishing the original sound in the virtual environment.

[0089] By replacing ambient sounds with a first interfering audio, the efficiency of acquiring information in the virtual environment through hearing is reduced, simulating the decline in the perceptual ability of physiological organs after being stimulated by sound in the real world.

[0090] • If the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, play a second interference audio overlay on top of the current sound;

[0091] For example, the second interfering audio is noise audio, which is usually a sound with a constant audio amplitude and / or audio frequency, such as a buzzing sound, but it does not exclude sounds with a periodic cycle of audio amplitude and / or audio frequency, such as a buzzing sound or breathing sound with a periodic change in intensity.

[0092] By superimposing a second interfering audio on top of the current sound, the difficulty of distinguishing the original sound in the virtual environment is increased, the efficiency of obtaining information in the virtual environment by hearing is reduced, and the state of decreased perception ability of physiological organs after being stimulated by sound in the real world is simulated.

[0093] In one example, the current sound is the ambient sound in the virtual environment; in another example, the current sound is the first interference audio described above. That is, the two implementation methods in this embodiment can be executed simultaneously.

[0094] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment addresses the issue of hearing impairment in first virtual characters when ambient sound exceeds their tolerance threshold. This is because the auditory stimulation from the virtual environment exceeds the character's capacity to withstand it. The method visually presents this hearing impairment by playing interfering audio with negative effects on the terminal. This reduces the quality of information displayed through auditory means by superimposing noise or weakening the original sounds in the virtual environment, thus decreasing the efficiency of acquiring information from the virtual environment through hearing. This approach simulates the decreased sensory capacity of physiological organs after auditory stimulation in the real world, thereby enhancing the immersive experience of the virtual environment.

[0095] In one alternative design of this application, step 532 in FIG4 can be combined with step 534 in FIG6, step 510 and step 520 in FIG3 to form a new embodiment to be implemented separately, and this application does not limit this.

[0096] In an optional design of this application, in a new embodiment implemented by combining the four steps (steps 510, 520, 532, and 534) described above, the method further includes: acquiring the volume information of the terminal; the volume information of the terminal is used to indicate the volume of audio information played by the terminal executing the human-computer interaction method of the virtual character.

[0097] In one implementation, if the terminal's volume exceeds the volume threshold, referring to the description in step 534, if the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, interference audio is played.

[0098] When the volume information of the terminal exceeds the volume threshold, the information in the virtual environment obtained by the user of the terminal through the audio information played by the terminal is reduced by playing interference audio, thereby reducing the quality of the information in the virtual environment obtained by the user through the auditory means; and simulating the state of decreased perception ability of physiological organs after being stimulated by sound in the real world in the same auditory sense.

[0099] In another implementation, if the terminal's volume information does not exceed the volume threshold, referring to the description in step 532, if the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, a degraded virtual environment screen is displayed.

[0100] When the terminal's volume information does not exceed the volume threshold, the human-computer interaction efficiency is low because the user obtains information about the virtual environment through auditory means using the audio information played on the terminal. The user does not pay attention to the information presented in the virtual environment through auditory means. By displaying a degraded image of the virtual environment, the visual simulation of the decline in the perception ability of physiological organs after sound stimulation in the real world is achieved, simulating the state of dizziness that affects visual observation after sound stimulation.

[0101] As described above, in the new embodiment implemented by combining steps 510, 520, 532, and 534, steps 532 and 534 can be executed simultaneously. Further, the terminal's volume information is obtained. The volume of the interfering audio is determined based on the terminal's volume information; for example, the terminal's volume information is used to determine the volume of the interfering audio. The degree of degradation of the displayed virtual environment's degraded image is negatively correlated with the terminal's volume information; as the terminal's volume information increases, the degree of degradation of the virtual environment's degraded image decreases. As the degree of degradation decreases, the difference between the degraded image and the observed image of the virtual environment decreases.

[0102] Next, the ambient sound of the virtual environment is described as follows: Figure 7 shows a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for a virtual character provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method can be executed by a terminal. That is, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, step 520 can be implemented as at least one of steps 522 and 524:

[0103] Step 522: In response to the virtual shooting prop being in the firing state, play the first ambient sound of the location of the first virtual character;

[0104] Referring to the introduction of step 520 above, ambient sounds include the sounds of using virtual props. The sounds of using virtual props are information obtained in the virtual environment through hearing, and are also the source of auditory stimulation when simulating the state of physiological organs after being stimulated by the outside world in the real world.

[0105] In this embodiment, the ambient sound is the first ambient sound, which includes the firing sound effect of the virtual shooting prop; the virtual prop used in the virtual environment is the virtual shooting prop. This embodiment does not restrict the user of the virtual shooting prop. The user of the virtual shooting prop can be the first virtual character, other virtual characters in the virtual environment, or there may be no user of the virtual shooting prop. The virtual shooting prop is automatically put into firing state after the virtual character is detected.

[0106] In this embodiment, the sound effect of the virtual shooting prop propagates from the location of the virtual shooting prop, and the intensity of the sound effect is negatively correlated with the distance from the first virtual character to the location of the virtual shooting prop.

[0107] For example, if the intensity of the sound effect is less than the resolution threshold, the sound effect will no longer be played, meaning that the location of the first virtual character cannot receive the sound effect of the virtual shooting prop.

[0108] Optionally, the sound effects also include the flight sound of virtual projectiles fired from the virtual shooting prop, to simulate the sound of a projectile rubbing against the air in the real world. Correspondingly, the intensity of the sound effects is the sum of the intensity of a first sound effect propagating from the location of the virtual shooting prop and the intensity of a second sound effect. The intensity of the second sound effect is negatively correlated with the distance between the first virtual character and the first ray; the first ray is a ray that propagates along the firing direction of the virtual shooting prop, originating from its location.

[0109] Step 524: In response to the virtual explosive prop being in the triggered state, play the second ambient sound of the location of the first virtual character;

[0110] In this embodiment, the second ambient sound includes the explosion sound effects of virtual explosive props; the virtual props used in the virtual environment are virtual explosive props; similar to step 522, this embodiment does not restrict the user of the virtual explosive props. For example, virtual explosive props can be virtual grenades or other props directly carried by the virtual character, or virtual shells of virtual artillery or other virtual props operated by the virtual character; this embodiment does not restrict the type of virtual explosive props.

[0111] It should be noted that playing explosion sound effects does not require the first virtual character to be within the effective range of the virtual explosion item. Similar to the impact sound effects, explosion sound effects propagate from the location of the virtual explosion item, and the intensity of the explosion sound effect is negatively correlated with the distance from the first virtual character to the triggering location of the virtual explosion item. When the intensity of the explosion sound effect exceeds the resolution threshold, ambient sounds including the explosion sound effect of the virtual explosion item will be played.

[0112] In one alternative implementation, the ambient sound also includes the virtual activity sound of the virtual character, and based on the embodiment shown in Figure 7, it further includes at least one of the following:

[0113] • In response to a virtual attack on a second virtual character, play a third ambient sound.

[0114] In this implementation, the ambient sound includes the virtual activity sound of the virtual character, and extends the virtual activity sound to the source of auditory stimulation when simulating the state of physiological organs after being stimulated by external stimuli in the real world.

[0115] In this step, the third ambient sound also includes the warning sound of the second virtual character. The warning sound of the second virtual character is played in response to the second virtual character being virtually attacked, and can simulate the stress response of being attacked in the real world as shouting a warning. The played warning sound corresponds to a high-intensity, sharp-sounding auditory stimulation effect in the real world.

[0116] For example, the sound content of the warning sound is usually the pronunciation of preset text, such as "Be careful, someone is attacking", or it can be the pronunciation of text obtained by filling the slot according to the direction of the virtual attack. For example, after being attacked by a virtual grenade, the help sound is: "Be careful, I was hit by a grenade", where "grenade" is the text slot filled according to the type of virtual attack.

[0117] • In response to the third virtual character being injured, a fourth ambient sound is played;

[0118] In this step, the fourth ambient sound also includes the distress call of the third virtual character. This distress call is played in response to the third virtual character being injured, and it simulates the real-world distress response of shouting for help when injured. The played distress call corresponds to a high-intensity, repetitive auditory stimulus in the real world.

[0119] For example, the content of the cry for help is usually the pronunciation of a preset text, such as "Help me, please help me," or it can be determined according to the specific injury. For example, when suffering a scrape, the cry for help is "Help me, I need bandages"; when suffering virtual magic damage, the cry for help is "Help me, I need to get away from here."

[0120] In another alternative implementation, the ambient sound includes virtual weather sound effects for the virtual environment, and further includes, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 7:

[0121] • Responding to the virtual environment being in the first weather condition, play the fifth environmental sound;

[0122] In this implementation, the fifth environmental sound also includes the weather sound effects of the first weather, extending the virtual weather sound effects to the source of auditory stimulation when simulating the state of physiological organs after being stimulated by external stimuli in the real world.

[0123] For example, the first weather condition is typically severe weather (or extreme weather), such as heavy rain, strong winds, or thunderstorms. Correspondingly, the virtual weather sound effect for heavy rain is the sound of dense raindrops, for strong winds it's the sound of howling wind, and for thunderstorms it's the sound of lightning. These virtual weather sound effects can simulate the auditory effects of real-world weather, and they have a prolonged, stimulating auditory effect.

[0124] Next, we will introduce the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character.

[0125] In one example, ambient sound includes the sound of the virtual environment at the current moment; correspondingly, the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character is implemented as the first threshold.

[0126] The environmental sound exceeding the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, as described in steps 530, 532, and 534 above, can be implemented as follows:

[0127] • At the current moment, the instantaneous intensity of the ambient sound exceeds the first threshold.

[0128] When ambient sound includes the sound of the virtual environment at the current moment, only whether the ambient sound exceeds a first threshold is considered. If the instantaneous intensity of the ambient sound exceeds the first threshold, the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment. This allows determination of hearing impairment with a relatively small amount of data from a single moment, reducing the computational requirements of the terminal device and saving computing resources in heavy-load scenarios where the terminal needs to render the virtual environment. For example, the current moment is the system time of the terminal displaying the virtual environment.

[0129] In another example, the ambient sound includes the sound of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment; correspondingly, the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character is implemented as a second threshold;

[0130] The environmental sound exceeding the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, as described in steps 530, 532, and 534 above, can be implemented as follows:

[0131] • The first sum exceeds the second threshold. The first sum is the sum of the sound intensities of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment.

[0132] For example, when the ambient sound includes the sound of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment, the intensity of the ambient sound at multiple moments is considered, which can simulate the persistent negative effects of external stimuli on physiological organs in the real world, such as prolonged tinnitus.

[0133] Specifically, the sound intensity of the virtual environment exceeds a third threshold at the current moment and at least one historical moment, and the third threshold is less than the second threshold. The third threshold is used to filter the moments that stimulate the virtual hearing of the first virtual character, simulating that in the real world, the auditory organs are not damaged by common low-stimulation sounds (such as the sound of people talking), but are damaged by high-intensity strong-stimulation sounds (such as the roar of an airplane).

[0134] At least one historical moment must have a duration less than a duration threshold between it and the current moment; for example, 3 seconds. All moments that negatively impact the virtual hearing of the first virtual character must occur within 3 seconds prior to the current moment. The duration threshold indicates the maximum duration of the hearing impairment state after the first virtual character moves away from a location where the sound intensity exceeds a third threshold at a given moment. The hearing impairment state is persistent and does not disappear instantly after moving away from high-intensity ambient sounds. It simulates the persistence of hearing impairment in the real world, where tinnitus continues for a period of time even after moving away from noise.

[0135] For example, the significance of visual and / or auditory effects is positively correlated with the degree to which the first sum exceeds the second threshold; referring to the above description, when the terminal displays a degraded image, the image quality of the degraded image decreases as the degree to which the first sum exceeds the second threshold increases, for example, the number of ghosts in the degraded image increases, and the area of ​​the ghosted region increases; when the terminal plays interfering audio, if the interfering audio is noise audio, the sound intensity of the interfering audio increases as the degree to which the first sum exceeds the second threshold increases; if the interfering audio is degraded ambient sound, the degree of degradation of the ambient sound increases as the degree to which the first sum exceeds the second threshold increases.

[0136] Furthermore, based on this implementation, the second threshold is the difference between the virtual hearing value of the first virtual character at the current moment and the hearing impairment value; the hearing impairment value is the dividing threshold for whether the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment, also known as the hearing threshold.

[0137] Accordingly, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the method further includes: when all m differences are not greater than 0, determining the virtual hearing value at the current moment as the sum of the first historical hearing value and the recovered hearing value;

[0138] The first historical hearing value is the virtual hearing value of the first historical moment adjacent to the current moment; the restored hearing value is usually preset. For example, if all m differences are not greater than 0, the virtual hearing value is increased by the restored hearing value at each moment.

[0139] The m differences correspond one-to-one with the m information groups, and each of the m information groups includes the historical hearing values ​​of two adjacent historical moments.

[0140] The m information groups are constructed based on the historical hearing values ​​at m+1 historical moments. The first information group is constructed based on the two historical hearing values ​​at the first and second moments of the m+1 historical moments. The second information group is constructed based on the two historical hearing values ​​at the second and third moments. The nth information group is constructed based on the two historical hearing values ​​at the nth and n+1th moments. And so on, to construct the m information groups.

[0141] The difference for each information group is the difference between the historical hearing value at the previous time step and the historical hearing value at the next time step. For example, in the first information group above, the difference is the difference between the historical hearing value at the first time step and the historical hearing value at the second time step.

[0142] If the difference between the corresponding information groups is not greater than 0, then at a later historical moment, the first virtual character is not subjected to environmental sound stimuli exceeding the third threshold, and the first virtual character has moved away from high-intensity environmental sounds. If all m differences are not greater than 0, the first virtual character continues to move away from high-intensity environmental sounds, and a recovery hearing value is added based on the first historical hearing value to achieve automatic recovery of the virtual hearing value. Optionally, as shown in Figure 8, the virtual hearing value of the first virtual character has an upper limit of hearing value 652 and a lower limit of hearing value 654; the hearing impairment value 656 is the dividing threshold between whether the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment, located between the upper limit of hearing value 652 and the lower limit of hearing value 654. The virtual hearing value 658 is used to indicate the virtual hearing ability of the first virtual character at the current moment. Referring to the above description, the second threshold 659 is the difference between the virtual hearing value 658 of the first virtual character at the current moment and the hearing impairment value 656.

[0143] If the virtual hearing value 658 of the first virtual character recovers to the upper limit of hearing value 652, no further increase in hearing value recovery will be made; if the virtual hearing value 658 of the first virtual character decreases to the lower limit of hearing value 654, no further decrease will be made. It is understood that the schematic diagram of virtual hearing value shown in Figure 8 can be displayed on the terminal, or it can be used only as an example for calculating virtual hearing value and not displayed on the terminal.

[0144] Figure 9 shows a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for a virtual character provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method can be executed by a terminal. Specifically, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 3, it further includes step 540:

[0145] Step 540: In response to the first virtual character being equipped with protective gear, if the sound correction exceeds the correction threshold, present the first virtual character as having hearing impairment through visual and / or auditory effects.

[0146] For example, protective props are wearable props for the first virtual character (such as virtual headphones, virtual noise-canceling headgear, etc.) and / or virtual accessories for virtual shooting props (such as virtual silencers, etc.); for a description of hearing impairment, visual effects, and auditory effects, please refer to the various embodiments above, which will not be repeated here.

[0147] For example, the intensity of the corrected sound is less than the intensity of the ambient sound, and / or the tolerance threshold exceeds the correction threshold. It can be seen that, with protective gear equipped, the ambient sound intensity is reduced compared to when protective gear is not equipped; or a more lenient correction threshold is used to determine whether the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment. For example, a more lenient threshold is used to indicate that a stronger stimulus (such as higher sound intensity, longer sound duration, etc.) is required to exceed the correction threshold compared to the tolerance threshold.

[0148] For example, in this embodiment, step 530, which presents the first virtual character as having impaired hearing through visual and / or auditory effects when the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, is performed without the character being equipped with protective gear.

[0149] In one alternative implementation, the following is included before step 535:

[0150] • In response to the first virtual character being equipped with protective items, obtain the correction coefficient corresponding to the protective items;

[0151] Each protective item has a corresponding correction factor, which indicates the protective effect of the protective item on the hearing of the first virtual character. Taking the correction factor as a product to correct for ambient sound and / or tolerance threshold as an example, as the protective effect of the protective item on the first virtual character increases, the correction factor decreases.

[0152] • Correct the ambient sound intensity based on the correction factor to obtain the corrected sound; and / or, correct the tolerance threshold based on the correction factor to obtain the corrected threshold;

[0153] For example, the correction factor is used to correct ambient sound and / or tolerance threshold through a product method; the corrected sound intensity is obtained by calculating the product of the correction factor and the ambient sound intensity. The correction threshold is obtained by calculating the product of the correction factor and the tolerance threshold. It is understood that correcting the sound and correcting the threshold, at least one of these, can achieve a situation where the first virtual character is less likely to be in a state of hearing impairment compared to a character without protective gear.

[0154] Specifically, for the first virtual character equipped with protective gear: when the virtual character is equipped with wearable gear, the correction factor applies to all sound sources in the virtual environment. When equipped with virtual accessories containing virtual shooting items, the correction factor applies to the sound effects of the virtual shooting items.

[0155] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment offers a protective device for the virtual hearing of the first virtual character, which can modify the sound intensity of ambient sounds and / or set a threshold. Compared to not being equipped with a protective device, which requires a stronger sound stimulus to put the first virtual character in a state of hearing impairment, this method can simulate the devices that protect the auditory organs in the real world, thereby improving the immersion of the virtual environment.

[0156] Figure 10 shows a flowchart of a human-computer interaction method for a virtual character provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method can be executed by a terminal. Specifically, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 3, it further includes step 535:

[0157] Step 535: If the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, display a prompt icon indicating that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment;

[0158] For example, the prompt icon is used to indicate that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment, as described above, where the hearing impairment state is presented through visual and / or auditory effects. In a virtual environment, scenarios that present degraded visuals or play interfering audio through auditory means are not limited to a state of hearing impairment.

[0159] For example, a virtual electronic device can interfere with the virtual headphones worn by the first virtual character. When the first virtual character approaches the virtual electronic device, an electronic interference sound effect is played. This electronic interference sound effect is similar to the interference audio played when the first virtual character is in a hearing-impaired state. To indicate to the player that the current auditory effect is caused by the first virtual character being in a hearing-impaired state, a prompt icon indicating that the first virtual character is in a hearing-impaired state is displayed.

[0160] For example, a prompt icon is overlaid on the viewing screen of the virtual environment in a state of hearing impairment. Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of a virtual environment provided by an exemplary embodiment of this application. A prompt icon 335 is overlaid on a degraded screen 330 with ghosting; for example, the prompt icon 335 includes an ear shape to graphically indicate that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment.

[0161] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment, by displaying a prompt icon indicating hearing impairment when the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, visually indicates that the first virtual character is in a hearing-impaired state; it also indicates to the player that the visual and / or auditory effects are presented because the first virtual character is in a hearing-impaired state, thereby improving the efficiency of the player in identifying that the first virtual character is in a hearing-impaired state.

[0162] In one application scenario, the application that provides the virtual environment is a shooting game program, such as at least one of battle royale shooting games, TPS, or FPS.

[0163] • Displays the viewing screen of the virtual environment;

[0164] For example, the virtual environment provides space for multiple virtual characters to engage in virtual competition. For example, virtual characters in the virtual environment attack enemy virtual characters by firing virtual shooting props to achieve virtual competition. For example, the virtual environment provides virtual buildings (such as buildings, garages, etc.) and virtual obstacles (such as rocks, boxes, etc.) to provide cover for the virtual characters. The virtual environment may also include pickable virtual shooting props for the virtual characters to collect and use.

[0165] • Play ambient sounds from the virtual environment;

[0166] Ambient sounds include the firing sounds of virtual shooting props, which can be carried by the first virtual character or other virtual characters in the virtual environment, or can be deployed in the virtual environment for automatic use.

[0167] • When the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, the first virtual character is presented as having hearing impairment through visual and / or auditory effects;

[0168] When ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, the first virtual character is stimulated by the sound of virtual shooting props, including the firing sounds of these sounds. This stimulation exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance, causing the first virtual character to experience hearing impairment. For example, this hearing impairment is presented visually by displaying a degraded virtual environment. The degraded image represents the first virtual character's observation of the virtual environment while in a state of hearing impairment.

[0169] Virtual objects in the degraded image exhibit ghosting, with the ghosting overlapping with the degraded image itself. This increases the difficulty for the observer to judge the edges of virtual objects and observe their details, reducing the first virtual character's perception of the virtual environment. This simulates the decline in sensory perception caused by sound stimulation in the real world. In a state of hearing impairment, the ability to acquire information from the virtual environment through visual observation is negatively affected.

[0170] For example, to present a hearing-impaired state through auditory effects, interfering audio is played. The interfering audio is the audio played by the first virtual character in the hearing-impaired state. The interfering audio is noise, such as a buzzing sound.

[0171] The current sound is the ambient sound in the virtual environment at the moment the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment. Adding interfering audio over this current sound increases the difficulty of distinguishing the original sounds in the virtual environment, reduces the efficiency of acquiring information from the virtual environment through hearing, and simulates the decline in the perceptual ability of physiological organs after being stimulated by sound in the real world. In a state of hearing impairment, this negatively impacts the acquisition of information from the virtual environment through hearing.

[0172] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments can be implemented independently, or the above embodiments can be freely combined to create new embodiments to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters of this application.

[0173] Figure 12 shows a structural block diagram of a human-computer interaction device for virtual characters provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The device includes:

[0174] The display module 810 is used to execute step 510 in the embodiment of FIG3; the audio module 820 is used to execute step 520 in the embodiment of FIG3; the ambient sound includes the sound of using virtual props;

[0175] The display module 810 is further configured to visually present that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment when the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, and / or the audio module 820 is further configured to auditorily present that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment when the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold.

[0176] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the display module 810 is further configured to perform step 532 in the embodiment of FIG4; the degraded image is the observation result of the first virtual character on the virtual environment under the hearing impairment state, and the image quality of the degraded image is lower than the image quality of the observation image.

[0177] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the display module 810 is further configured to: display that a first area in the degraded image is occluded; display that virtual items located in a second area of ​​the degraded image have ghosting; display that a third area in the degraded image is superimposed with a first color; display a blurring effect in a fourth area of ​​the degraded image; and display the degraded image at a first resolution, wherein the first resolution is lower than the second resolution of the observed image.

[0178] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the audio module 820 is further configured to execute step 534 in the embodiment of FIG6; the interference audio is the audio played by the first virtual character in the hearing impairment state, and the audio quality of the interference audio is lower than the audio quality of the ambient sound.

[0179] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the audio module 820 is further used for at least one of the following:

[0180] If the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, the ambient sound is replaced with a first interference audio. The first interference audio is obtained by performing sound effect degradation on the ambient sound. The sound effect degradation method includes at least one of reducing the sampling rate, reducing the audio bit depth, and adding echo.

[0181] If the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, a second interference audio, which is noise audio, is superimposed on the current sound.

[0182] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the ambient sound includes the sound of the virtual environment at the current moment, and the ambient sound exceeding the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character includes:

[0183] At the current moment, the instantaneous intensity of the ambient sound exceeds a first threshold.

[0184] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the ambient sound includes the sound of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment, and the ambient sound exceeding the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character includes:

[0185] The first sum exceeds the second threshold, whereby the first sum is the sum of the sound intensity of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment; wherein, the sound intensity of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment exceeds the third threshold, the third threshold is less than the second threshold, and the duration between each historical moment and the current moment is less than the duration threshold.

[0186] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the second threshold is the difference between the virtual hearing value of the first virtual character at the current moment and the hearing impairment value; the device further includes: a processing module 830, configured to determine the virtual hearing value at the current moment as the sum of the first historical hearing value and the recovered hearing value when all m differences are not greater than 0, wherein the first historical hearing value is the virtual hearing value at a first historical moment adjacent to the current moment; wherein the m differences correspond one-to-one with m information groups, each of the m information groups includes the historical hearing values ​​of two adjacent historical moments, the m information groups are constructed based on the historical hearing values ​​of m+1 historical moments, and the difference corresponding to each information group is the difference between the historical hearing value at the previous moment and the historical hearing value at the subsequent moment.

[0187] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the audio module 820 is further configured to: in response to the virtual shooting prop being in a firing state, play a first ambient sound at the location of the first virtual character, the first ambient sound including the firing sound effect of the virtual shooting prop; in response to the virtual demolition prop being in a triggered state, play a second ambient sound at the location of the first virtual character, the second ambient sound including the demolition sound effect of the virtual demolition prop.

[0188] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the ambient sound further includes virtual activity sounds of the virtual character, and the audio module 820 is further configured to: play a third ambient sound in response to a second virtual character being virtually attacked, the third ambient sound further including an alarm sound of the second virtual character; play a fourth ambient sound in response to a third virtual character being injured, the fourth ambient sound further including a distress sound of the third virtual character. In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the ambient sound includes virtual weather sound effects of the virtual environment, and the audio module 820 is further configured to: play a fifth ambient sound in response to the virtual environment being in a first weather condition, the fifth ambient sound further including weather sound effects of the first weather condition.

[0189] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the device further includes: the display module 810, which is further configured to, in response to the first virtual character being equipped with protective gear, visually present the first virtual character being in the hearing-impaired state when the corrected sound exceeds a correction threshold, and / or the audio module 820, which is further configured to auditorily present the first virtual character being in the hearing-impaired state when the corrected sound exceeds a correction threshold; wherein the protective gear is a wearable item of the first virtual character and / or a virtual accessory of a virtual shooting item; the sound intensity of the corrected sound is less than the sound intensity of the ambient sound, and / or the tolerance threshold exceeds the correction threshold.

[0190] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the device further includes: an acquisition module 840, configured to acquire a correction coefficient corresponding to the protective item in response to the first virtual character being equipped with the protective item;

[0191] The processing module 830 is configured to correct the sound intensity of the ambient sound based on the correction coefficient to obtain the sound intensity of the corrected sound; and / or, correct the tolerance threshold based on the correction coefficient to obtain the corrected threshold.

[0192] In an optional implementation of this embodiment, the display module 810 is further configured to perform step 535 in the embodiment of FIG10.

[0193] It should be noted that the device provided in the above embodiments is only illustrated by the division of the above functional modules when implementing its functions. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules according to actual needs, that is, the content structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0194] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments of the relevant method; the technical effects achieved by each module performing its operation are the same as the technical effects in the embodiments of the relevant method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0195] This application also provides a computer device, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program in the memory to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in the above method embodiments.

[0196] Figure 13 shows a structural block diagram of a terminal provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The terminal 1900 may be a smartphone, tablet computer, MP3 player (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III), MP4 player (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer IV), laptop computer, or desktop computer. The terminal 1900 may also be referred to as a user device, portable terminal, laptop terminal, desktop terminal, or other names.

[0197] Typically, terminal 1900 includes a processor 1901 and a memory 1902. Processor 1901 may include one or more processing cores, such as a quad-core processor or an octa-core processor. Processor 1901 may be implemented using at least one hardware form selected from DSP (Digital Signal Processing), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and PLA (Programmable Logic Array). Processor 1901 may also include a main processor and a coprocessor. The main processor, also known as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), is used to process data in the wake-up state; the coprocessor is a low-power processor used to process data in the standby state. In some embodiments, processor 1901 may integrate a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), which is responsible for rendering and drawing the content to be displayed on the screen. In some embodiments, processor 1901 may also include an AI (Artificial Intelligence) processor, which is used to handle computational operations related to machine learning.

[0198] The memory 1902 may include one or more computer-readable storage media, which may be non-transitory. The memory 1902 may also include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices or flash memory devices. In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable storage media in the memory 1902 is used to store at least one instruction, which is executed by the processor 1901 to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in the method embodiments of this application.

[0199] In some embodiments, the terminal 1900 may also optionally include a peripheral device interface 1903 and at least one peripheral device. The processor 1901, memory 1902, and peripheral device interface 1903 can be connected via a bus or signal line. Each peripheral device can be connected to the peripheral device interface 1903 via a bus, signal line, or circuit board. Specifically, the peripheral device includes at least one of the following: radio frequency circuitry 1904, touch display screen 1905, camera assembly 1906, audio circuitry 1907, and power supply 1908. The peripheral device interface 1903 can be used to connect at least one I / O (Input / Output) related peripheral device to the processor 1901 and memory 1902. In some embodiments, the processor 1901, memory 1902, and peripheral device interface 1903 are integrated on the same chip or circuit board; in some other embodiments, any one or two of the processor 1901, memory 1902, and peripheral device interface 1903 can be implemented on separate chips or circuit boards, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0200] Radio frequency (RF) circuit 1904 is used to receive and transmit RF signals, also known as electromagnetic signals. RF circuit 1904 communicates with communication networks and other communication devices via electromagnetic signals. RF circuit 1904 may also include circuitry related to NFC (Near Field Communication). Touch screen 1905 is used to display the UI (User Interface). The UI may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof. Camera assembly 1906 is used to capture images or video. Optionally, camera assembly 1906 includes a front-facing camera and a rear-facing camera. Audio circuit 1907 may include a microphone and a speaker. The microphone is used to capture sound waves from the user and the environment, converting the sound waves into electrical signals that are input to processor 1901 for processing, or input to RF circuit 1904 to enable voice communication. Power supply 1908 is used to power the various components in terminal 1900. Power supply 1908 may be AC ​​power, DC power, a disposable battery, or a rechargeable battery.

[0201] In some embodiments, the terminal 1900 further includes one or more sensors 1909. These sensors 1909 include, but are not limited to, an accelerometer 1910, a gyroscope 1911, a pressure sensor 1912, an optical sensor 1913, and a proximity sensor 1914. The accelerometer 1910 can detect the magnitude of acceleration on three coordinate axes of a coordinate system established with respect to the terminal 1900. The pressure sensor 1912 can be disposed on the side bezel of the terminal 1900 and / or on the underside of the touchscreen display 1905. It detects the user's grip signal on the terminal 1900, and / or, based on the user's pressure operation on the touchscreen display 1905, enables control of operable controls on the UI interface. The optical sensor 1913 is used to collect ambient light intensity. The proximity sensor 1914, also known as a distance sensor, is typically disposed on the front panel of the terminal 1900. The proximity sensor 1914 is used to collect the distance between the user and the front of the terminal 1900.

[0202] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above structure does not constitute a limitation on the terminal 1900, and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or adopt different component arrangements.

[0203] In an exemplary embodiment, a chip is also provided, the chip including programmable logic circuitry and / or program instructions, which, when executed on a computer device, implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters described above. In an exemplary embodiment, a computer program product is also provided, the computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of the computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor reads and executes the computer instructions to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0204] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which stores a computer program that is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0205] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware, or by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk. Those skilled in the art should recognize that the functions described in the embodiments of this application in one or more of the above examples can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to general-purpose or special-purpose computers.

Claims

1. A human-computer interaction method for a virtual character, the method being executed by a terminal, the method comprising: Displays the view of the virtual environment; Play ambient sounds at the location of the first virtual character in the virtual environment, including the sounds of using virtual props; If the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, the first virtual character will be presented as having hearing impairment through visual and / or auditory effects.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The step of visually representing the first virtual character as having hearing impairment when the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold includes: When the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, a degraded image of the virtual environment is displayed. The degraded image is the observation result of the first virtual character of the virtual environment under the state of hearing impairment, and the image quality of the degraded image is lower than that of the observation image.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The display of the degraded image of the virtual environment includes at least one of the following: The first area in the degraded image is shown to be obscured; The virtual items located in the second area of ​​the degraded image show ghosting; The third region of the degraded image is overlaid with the first color; A blurring effect is displayed in the fourth region of the degraded image; The degraded image is displayed at a first resolution, which is lower than the second resolution of the observed image.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The step of presenting the first virtual character as having hearing impairment through auditory effects when the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold includes: When the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, interference audio is played. The interference audio is the audio played by the first virtual character in the hearing impairment state, and the audio quality of the interference audio is lower than that of the ambient sound.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, When the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, playing interfering audio includes at least one of the following: If the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, the ambient sound is replaced with a first interference audio. The first interference audio is obtained by performing sound effect degradation on the ambient sound. The sound effect degradation method includes at least one of reducing the sampling rate, reducing the audio bit depth, and adding echo. If the ambient sound exceeds the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character, a second interference audio, which is noise audio, is played on top of the current sound.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The ambient sound includes the sound of the virtual environment at the current moment, and the ambient sound exceeding the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character includes: At the current moment, the instantaneous intensity of the ambient sound exceeds a first threshold.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The ambient sounds include the sounds of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment. The ambient sounds exceeding the tolerance threshold of the first virtual character include: The first sum exceeds the second threshold, where the first sum is the sum of the sound intensities of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment. Wherein, the sound intensity of the virtual environment at the current moment and at least one historical moment exceeds a third threshold, the third threshold is less than the second threshold, and the duration between each historical moment and the current moment is less than a duration threshold.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The second threshold is the difference between the virtual hearing value of the first virtual character at the current moment and the hearing impairment value; the method further includes: If all m differences are not greater than 0, the virtual hearing value at the current moment is determined as the sum of the first historical hearing value and the recovered hearing value, where the first historical hearing value is the virtual hearing value at the first historical moment adjacent to the current moment. The m differences correspond one-to-one with the m information groups. Each of the m information groups includes historical hearing values ​​from two adjacent historical moments. The m information groups are constructed based on historical hearing values ​​from m+1 historical moments. The difference corresponding to each information group is the difference between the historical hearing value from the previous moment and the historical hearing value from the subsequent moment.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, Playing ambient sounds at the location of the first virtual character in the virtual environment includes at least one of the following: In response to the virtual shooting prop being in a firing state, a first ambient sound at the location of the first virtual character is played, the first ambient sound including the firing sound effect of the virtual shooting prop; In response to the virtual explosive prop being in a triggered state, a second ambient sound at the location of the first virtual character is played, the second ambient sound including the explosion sound effect of the virtual explosive prop.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The ambient sound also includes the virtual activity sound of the virtual character, and the method further includes at least one of the following: In response to a virtual attack on the second virtual character, a third ambient sound is played, which also includes an alarm sound from the second virtual character; In response to the third virtual character being injured, a fourth ambient sound is played, which also includes the third virtual character's cry for help.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The ambient sounds include virtual weather sound effects of the virtual environment, and the method further includes: In response to the virtual environment being in a first weather condition, a fifth environmental sound is played, the fifth environmental sound also including the weather sound effects of the first weather condition.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further includes: In response to the first virtual character being equipped with protective gear, if the sound correction exceeds the correction threshold, the first virtual character is presented as being in the state of hearing impairment through visual and / or auditory effects. The protective gear is a wearable item for the first virtual character and / or a virtual accessory for a virtual shooting item. Wherein, the sound intensity of the corrected sound is less than the sound intensity of the ambient sound, and / or, the tolerance threshold exceeds the correction threshold.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The method further includes: In response to the first virtual character being equipped with the protective item, obtain the correction coefficient corresponding to the protective item; The sound intensity of the ambient sound is corrected based on the correction coefficient to obtain the sound intensity of the corrected sound; and / or, the tolerance threshold is corrected based on the correction coefficient to obtain the corrected threshold.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further includes: If the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, a prompt icon indicating that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment will be displayed.

15. A human-computer interaction device for a virtual character, the device comprising: The display module is used to display the observation screen of the virtual environment; An audio module is used to play ambient sounds at the location of the first virtual character in the virtual environment, including the sounds of using virtual props. The display module is further configured to visually present that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment when the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold, and / or the audio module is further configured to auditorily present that the first virtual character is in a state of hearing impairment when the ambient sound exceeds the first virtual character's tolerance threshold.

16. A computer device, the computer device comprising: A processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one program; The processor is configured to execute the at least one program in the memory to implement the human-computer interaction method for virtual characters as described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions, which are loaded and executed by a processor to implement the human-computer interaction method for a virtual character as described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

18. A computer program product comprising computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, wherein a processor reads from and executes the computer instructions to implement the human-computer interaction method for a virtual character as described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

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