Cross-match analysis in peer-to-peer ranked games

Abstract

The present invention relates to cross-match analysis in peer-to-peer digital game ranking competitions. First game state data is received, the first game state data is captured from a first client and represents in-game information of a first game of a peer-to-peer digital game ranking competition. Second game state data is received, the second game state data is captured from a second client and represents in-game information of a second game of the peer-to-peer digital game ranking competition. The first game and the second game are separate copies of the game. The first game state data is captured during the first game and represents the internal state of the digital video game. The first game state data and the second game state data are compared using a predefined comparison rule by calculating a performance metric of a first player in the first game and a performance metric of a second player in the second game. A comparison result is provided. Related devices, systems, articles, and techniques are also described and illustrated.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the PCT patent application entered into China with Chinese patent application number 201780029892.X, invention name “Cross-match analysis in peer-to-peer game ranking competitions” and application date March 15, 2017.

[0002] CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 308,823, filed on March 15, 2016, and claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 309,390, filed on March 16, 2016, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The topic described in this article involves comparing game state and player performance across different game matches. Background Art

[0005] In a multiplayer online synchronous digital video game, multiple players participate in the same match, which allows direct comparison of player performances in a match because each player shares the same game state. For example, in a digital tennis match, each player interacts with a shared game state (and each player interacts with each other). Because a single game state can be directly analyzed and each player's performance is referenced to a single and common game state, such a multiplayer synchronous game also allows for automated game analysis beyond each player's performance, such as the number of times a particular event occurs or identifying which player has the largest change in score over a given time period.

[0006] In contrast, some peer-to-peer video game ranking tournaments provide competitions where players compete in separate game tournaments (which may be at the same or different times), but their performances are compared across tournaments to determine the ranking tournament results. For example, two players may each play a single-player game (e.g., a stage of Tetris) and their final scores may be compared to determine a winner. Summary of the invention

[0007] In one aspect, first game state data is received, the first game state data being in-game information captured from a first client and characterizing a first match of a peer-to-peer digital game ranking tournament. Second game state data is received, the second game state data being in-game information captured from a second client and characterizing a second match of a peer-to-peer digital game ranking tournament. The first match and the second match are separate copies of the game. The first game state data is captured during the first match and represents an internal state of the digital video game. The first match state data and the second match state data are compared using a predefined comparison rule by calculating a performance metric of a first player in the first match and a performance metric of a second player in the second match. A comparison result is provided. At least one of receiving, comparing, and providing is performed by at least one data processor forming part of at least one computing system.

[0008] Any one or more of the following features may be arbitrarily included in any feasible combination. A predefined comparison rule may define a performance metric of a first player and a performance metric of a second player. A first video capture may be received from a first client of a display of a first game. A second video capture may be received from a second client of a display of a second game. A portion of the first video capture or a portion of the second video capture may be selected based on the comparison result. At least one of the portion of the first video capture and the portion of the second video capture may be streamed to at least one viewing client.

[0009] The first game state data and the second game state data may be periodically compared at multiple time points. The first game and the second game may start at different times. The first game state data and the second game state data may be registered by time. The time may refer to game time, absolute time, or ranking match time. The first game state data may characterize the value of one or more in-game data objects at two or more time points during the first game. The first client may receive game data from a third-party game server. The game data may be used to implement the first game.

[0010] The first game and the second game may be separate copies of the digital video game. The digital video game may be an asynchronous game. The digital video game may be a single-player asynchronous game. The first game and the second game may be played simultaneously. The predefined comparison rules may be predefined by a user. The comparison may include identifying at least one time period during the first game or the second game during which the event occurred.

[0011] Receiving the first game state data may occur during the first game. Receiving the first game state data may occur periodically during the first game. The first game state data may include: instantaneous score, score change within a predefined time period, character position and / or character health value.

[0012] The first game and the second game may be started using a common random number seed to provide a common starting condition. The first client and the second client may include separate computing systems that communicate with a third-party game server and an analysis server via a network, the third-party game server being separate from the analysis server. At least one of receiving, comparing, and providing may be performed by the analysis server.

[0013] A non-volatile computer program product (i.e., a physically implemented computer program product) is also described, which stores instructions that, when executed by one or more data processors in one or more computing systems, cause at least one data processor to perform the operations described herein. Similarly, a computer system is also described, which may include one or more data processors and a memory connected to the one or more data processors. The memory may temporarily or permanently store instructions that cause at least one processor to perform one or more operations described herein. In addition, the method may be implemented by one or more data processors in a single computing system, or may be implemented by one or more data processors distributed in two or more computing systems. Such computing systems may be connected via one or more connection modes and may exchange data and / or commands or other instructions, etc., including but not limited to connection modes through a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless wide area network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wired network, etc.), direct connection modes between one or more of a plurality of computing systems, and the like.

[0014] The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the drawings and the description below.Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a process flow diagram illustrating a process of comparing different game state data from multiple matches in an online peer-to-peer digital game ranking tournament;

[0016] Figure 2 is a system block diagram showing a system for implementing a peer-to-peer digital game ranking competition;

[0017] Figure 3is a system block diagram of a system with an exemplary esports management system that utilizes cross-match analytics to provide automatic recommendations for which portion of an online esports ranking tournament video to stream;

[0018] Figure 4 is an exemplary interface showing exemplary content shared by a ranking tournament commentator;

[0019] Figure 5 is a user interface illustrating an exemplary video control panel;

[0020] Figure 6 is a diagram of an exemplary unified leaderboard;

[0021] Figure 7 is a process flow diagram illustrating the process of defending, challenging, and viewing leaderboards; and

[0022] Figure 8 is an illustration of an exemplary leaderboard rewards page.

[0023] Like reference numbers in the various drawings represent like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Although final game scores are comparable once both games are completed, automatically making meaningful comparisons between games during gameplay can be challenging because the players have separate and independent game states that are not in a format that can be easily and directly compared. Similarly, automated game analysis of aspects beyond each player's performance, such as the number of times a particular event occurred or identifying which player has the greatest variance in score over a given period of time, is also challenging because the players have separate and independent game states that are not in a format that can be easily and directly compared.

[0025] The current subject matter relates to comparing originally separate data sets, for example, so as to be able to compare game states and player performances in different game matches. Although multiplayer synchronous games allow for comparison of player performances when players participate in a common match (e.g., the same match or game copy), the current subject matter enables comparison and analysis in multiple different matches (e.g., multiple single-player game matches). The current subject matter utilizes cross-match analysis in peer-to-peer digital video game rankings for video games that cannot be easily compared across matches. In some embodiments, comparisons can be made by capturing game data from each client without accessing a third-party game server (e.g., a third-party game server that creates and / or controls game state data).

[0026] In an exemplary embodiment, cross-game analytics may be used in an eSports stream management system to automatically suggest or recommend portions of a video stream to broadcast in real-time and during a live, peer-to-peer digital video game tournament.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a process flow chart showing the process 100 of comparing different game state data from multiple matches in online point-to-point digital game ranking matches.Point-to-point digital game ranking matches can be online ranking matches, wherein players compete in separate game matches (also referred to as game copies) so that not all ranking match participants share the same game state. Players can participate in ranking matches by executing the local application of online video games on their clients, and the local application can exchange game data with third-party game servers to realize game experience. For example, in online video games, third-party game servers (which can be game developer servers or other servers supporting game matches, but separate from one or more servers of the electronic sports stream management system consistent with the embodiment of the current theme) can provide data about game state features (for example, key goals or milestones that a player or multiple players must reach or overcome), scoring methods, other game features, game state data, etc. Such data can be directly from the client computer that the user is playing games, or such data can be provided from a third-party server, which interacts with the client to manage the game that the user is playing on the client computer.

[0028] At 110, game state data is received from the first client. When the associated video game is an online game, the game state data can be captured at the first client, rather than, for example, received from a third-party game server. Game state data can include in-game information of a match in a peer-to-peer digital game ranking competition. Game state data can relate to a specific type of game being played, and can include any game-specific parameters or metrics. For example, game state data can include: instantaneous score, change in score within a predetermined time period, character position, character life value, target reached / overcome, reward obtained, additional power or equipment obtained or used, etc. Game state data can include one or more data objects used by the video game and used inside the video game to perform the match. Game state data includes state data for the game during the game (e.g., in the middle of the game), not just the final state of the game (e.g., final score), and game state data can include data at two or more time points. In some embodiments, game data can be received during the game (e.g., before the end of the game), and game data can be received periodically (e.g., multiple times, every second, every 10 seconds, every minute, etc. during the game).

[0029] At 120, game state data may be received from a second client. The second game state data may be from a second game that is different and separate from the first game described with reference to step 110. The second game may be part of a peer-to-peer digital game ranking tournament. The second game state data may include in-game information for the second game.

[0030] At 130, the first game state data and the second game state data can be compared. The comparison can be performed using a predefined comparison rule, which can be predefined, for example, by a user or ranking tournament organizer who defines a customized comparison metric. The comparison can include calculating a performance metric for a player in the first game and a player in the second game. For example, in an embodiment of the first game and the second game that are played substantially simultaneously, the performance metric can include a score at a given time interval during the middle of the game match. The performance metric can include identifying the event. For example, an in-game achievement such as a "head shot" (seen in some first-person shooter games) can be a performance metric. In some embodiments, the time period during the game in which the event occurred can also be identified. In some embodiments, the predefined comparison rule defines the performance metric of the player.

[0031] The comparison may be performed at multiple points in time, such as periodically, such as when (or if) new game state data is received.

[0032] At 140, a comparison can be provided. Providing can include, for example, sending a comparison or characterization of the relative performance of the player to other ranking match participants. As described more fully below, the comparison can be used in an e-sports stream management system to automatically recommend video portions to be broadcast or included in high-energy moments (highlights reel). In some embodiments, a peer-to-peer ranking match can be a peer betting competition, where peers receive points based on the results of the ranking match, and the comparison results can be provided to a point hosting server for determining and managing ranking match expenditures. For example, the participant who cleared the most lines in the first two minutes of a Tetris game (as determined by the embodiments of the current theme) can receive points.

[0033] In some embodiments, game state data can be registered by time so that both the first game state data and the second game state data are referenced to a common time. For example, if the first game starts the game at 12:00 and the second game starts the game at 12:06, then the comparison between the 12:07 games can provide some comparison, but the user or ranking match host may wish to compare the first game at 12:01 with the second game at 12:07 (e.g., when both games have 1 minute of gameplay) to provide a more direct comparison. As part of a meaningful comparison, several different common time references can be utilized. Common time references can include: game time (e.g., measured from the start of the game match), ranking match time (e.g., measured from the start of the ranking match), absolute time (e.g., measured by a public clock, such as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)), etc.

[0034] In some embodiments, cross-match comparison can be used in an e-sports stream management system to automatically recommend video portions to be broadcast or included in high-energy moments. Cross-match comparison can provide automatic detection of video portions or players in games where interesting or relevant or entertaining matches occur. In an e-sports stream management system, a first game and a first video capture from a first client can be received. Video capture can be performed on the client, for example, by capturing user interface screenshots at a predetermined rate, capturing an open graphics library (openGL) layer; and capturing data through a pixel buffer and forming video data from the captured data. The e-sports stream management system can receive a second video capture from a second client of a second game. Comparison can be used to select a portion of the first video capture and / or a portion of the second video capture. By using cross-match comparison, the e-sports management system can identify portions of gameplay that viewers may be interested in. For example, at any given point during two games, viewers may be interested in seeing the best "match" (which can be identified as the largest score change). The selected portion of the video capture can be streamed to one or more viewing clients.

[0035] In some embodiments, a user or ranking tournament host can specify or define predefined comparison rules. This allows for customization of the comparison process.

[0036] In some embodiments, a common random number generator seed may be used to start a match so that the starting conditions for each match are the same. Using a common random number generator seed may enforce fairness in games with a random element, since the random element will start under the same conditions. By starting the game under the same conditions, the performance of the players is less dependent on the random number generator (or conversely, two players will have a level playing field). Utilizing a common random number generator seed further enables better comparison of game state data and performance between otherwise separate game matches.

[0037] Figure 2 is a system block diagram illustrating an exemplary system 200 for implementing peer-to-peer digital game ranking tournaments. The system 200 includes a cross-game analysis server 260 that enables comparison of different game state data from multiple tournaments.

[0038] Multiple Players 210 i (i=1,2,...,N) Operate each player client 220 i . Each player client 220 i Including third-party gaming applications 230 i . Game Applications 230 i It can be any online digital game (e.g., video game). In some embodiments, multiple players 210 can compete with each other online. The game can be consistent between game applications 230 (e.g., if the player 210 is playing chess, each game application 230 is a copy of the electronic chess game). Each game application 230 can communicate with a third-party game server 250 and receive game data from the third-party game server 250. The game server 250 provides the game data required to operate the game. The client 210 may include a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet computer, etc.), and the client 210, the third-party game server 250, and the cross-match analysis server 260 can implement ranking competitions on a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0039] Each game application 230 includes a peer ranking module 240 i . The peer ranking module 240 is integrated into the game application 230 and enables players 210 to register for and participate in online game competitions. The peer ranking module 240 communicates and works in conjunction with the cross-game analysis server 260. When the game application 230 runs a competition (e.g., a copy of the game), the game application 230 has an internal game state that changes over time as the associated players 210 interact with the game (e.g., play the game). The peer ranking module 240 can periodically and / or continuously capture game state data and send the captured game state to the cross-game analysis server 260. The cross-game analysis server 260 can receive game states from multiple peer ranking modules 240 and as described above with reference to Figure 1 The game states between the described comparison matches. Because the matches do not share the game state, the matches can be conducted separately. For example, each game application 230 can be an asynchronous single-player game.

[0040] In some embodiments, the peer ranking module 240 and the cross-game analysis server 260 do not provide the game application 230 with i In other words, in some embodiments, they are not dedicated to implementing a game copy, but rather observing the game, capturing game state, and enabling a separate layer of multi-match ranking functionality.

[0041] Figure 3 is a system block diagram of a system 300 having an exemplary e-sports management system 310 that utilizes cross-match analysis to provide automatic recommendations for which portion of an online e-sports ranking match to stream. The exemplary system 300 includes the system 310 described above with reference to Figure 2 The components described above, and also include an e-sports management server 310. The e-sports management server 310 interacts with a ranking match commentator 320, who can be a ranking match host, participant or third party (also referred to as an anchor 320). The e-sports management server 310 can provide an automatic virtual playback room for the ranking match commentator 320 to report the e-sports ranking match. The e-sports management server 310 receives cross-match comparisons from the cross-match analysis server 260, and can automatically decompose the video into high-energy moments and key clips, provide game analysis to the viewing client 330 and / or the player 210, and assemble recommended broadcasts for the ranking match commentator 320. The e-sports management server 310 can broadcast live video images (such as controlled by the ranking match commentator 320) to the player 210 and / or the viewing client 330.

[0042] Typically, video game streamers can build rapport with their audience by showing live footage of their own gameplay. But in esports rankings, streaming content to just one display does not convey what is happening to other players in different parts of the game or esports competition. As esports grows in popularity, the esports management server 310 addresses the need for a toolkit that allows streamers, as individuals, to perform the same level of commentary and gameplay analysis performed by teams of analysts in the parallel industry of sports.

[0043] The eSports management server 310 provides an automated broadcast studio for anchors 320 to report (e.g., commentate) eSports ranking matches in any game. The eSports streaming management system has two types of end users. The first type of end user is a stream viewer 330. The viewer 330 does not touch the streaming tools that may be used as part of the eSports management server 310. Instead, the viewer 330 is able to see the content shared by the ranking match commentator 320. Figure 4An example of the content shared by the ranking match commentator 320 is shown in FIG. It includes: video replay 410 , an image of the anchor 420 , ranking match information 430 , and current leaderboard status 440 .

[0044] The second type of end user is the ranked match commentator 320 or "streamer" who utilizes the esports management server 310 to deliver high quality and engaging video footage to their audience. Streamers are able to capture video from all ranked match participants; preview captured video to view a player's replay individually without sharing the video to a live stream; interact with a video queue interface to watch, select, and play videos or clips; and receive recommendations for automatically segmenting and combining videos that utilize game analytics into high energy moments and / or key segments.

[0045] The e-sports management server 310 automatically captures and records video replays of all players 210 participating in the ranking match in conjunction with the peer ranking match module 240. Through the e-sports management system 310, the anchor 320 hosting the ranking match can access a list of all competitors or players 210 when he or she is hosting, as well as the relevant video capture of each player 210. For each player 210, when using the captured video replay, the anchor 320 has at least two actions that can be taken. They can preview the captured video, where the anchor 320 privately watches the captured video of the player 210 without sharing the video to the live broadcast stream. This tool enables the anchor 320 to flexibly view the game before having to tell them, find the specific moment of the replay he or she wants to show, or preview the video before showing it to his or her audience. The anchor 320 can also add the selected video to the video queue, which specifies the next video part to be streamed on the live broadcast stream.

[0046] Figure 5 is a user interface showing a video control panel 500. The video control panel 500 includes a video queue interface 510 for the anchor 320 to view, select and play videos or clips. The video queue interface 510 allows the anchor to interact with and control the content being played by his or her stream. The video queue interface 510 includes two components: the stream being played 510B and the queue 510A.

[0047] Now Playing Stream 510B shows the currently playing playback (e.g., live video stream or video) to the host 320. This is a persistent space that allows the host 320 to monitor what they are currently sharing even when using a window to preview the stream or adjust the playback in a way that is not shared with the audience.

[0048] The queue 510A enables the streamer 320 to control the order in which the video portions or replays will be displayed. The streamer 320 can add individual video portions that they want to be displayed next, or change the order of the videos to be played next. If the streamer 320 chooses not to add anything to the queue, or if the queue becomes empty, the system can automatically stream a player's video using cross-game comparisons, for example, by streaming the video of one of the top three players 210 with the highest performance, the video of the player 210 with the largest change in score over a one-minute period, etc.

[0049] The video control panel 500 includes a list of players 520 participating in a ranked match, and video capture of the players 520 can be broadcast to a wider audience. The list of players 520 includes options 520A and 520B, 520A: preview, 520B: add a replay of the player 520 to the queue 510A. The video control panel 500 further includes a preview space 530 for watching videos and a list of historical game replays 540, the list of historical game replays 540 having options 540A and 540B, 540A: preview, 540B: ​​add a historical game replay to the queue 510A.

[0050] The e-sports management server 310 automatically breaks down the video captured at the client 220 into high-energy moments and key clips, provides cross-game game analysis, and assembles recommended broadcasts for the anchor 320 in conjunction with the cross-game comparison provided by the cross-game analysis server 260. Therefore, the e-sports management system 310 is able to have an automatic function that acts as the anchor 320's own "behind-the-scenes analyst team." This allows the anchor 320 to work as a one-person team and easily select the right shot to play without having to interrupt the live stream to find past shots or statistics. Automatic analysis and features include ranking sorting of replays, which makes the replays and player lists appear in the queue 510A in the order of their current ranking in the ranking match. This makes it easy to find replays for any player based on their position. Before watching the video, the anchor can know the rank of the player they selected and what their game results may be. In addition, the replays can be sorted according to a customized comparison metric specified by the anchor 320 and used by the cross-game analysis server 260 to compare player performance between separate matches.

[0051] The automated esports management system 310 functionality includes providing a list of historical game replays. This can include links to historical replays of the same game that occurred during previous ranked matches. This allows streamers 320 to call up their favorite footage for easy reference. For example, streamers 320 can show the best games ever recorded, keep a reference to games they played themselves, or use footage of particularly interesting or relevant play or strategy.

[0052] The automatic e-sports management system 310 functions include providing notifications when the top of the leaderboard changes. When the position between the top players in the ranking game changes, the anchor 320 can be notified (in addition to the leaderboard changes).

[0053] The automated esports management system 310 functionality may include highlighting of interesting segments. For example, the cross-game analysis server 260 may detect changes in game state where the score variance per unit time is abnormally high or low. This makes it easy for the streamer 320 to pick out the key moves that the player 210 made to secure victory, or makes it easy for the streamer 320 to focus on areas where an otherwise good player struggled and may have lost the game.

[0054] Automatic eSports management system 310 functionality may include providing live score updates by segmenting gameplay into discrete time blocks (sometimes referred to as "heartbeats"). The cross-match analysis server 260 detects the score or other match status information of the player 210 as the player 210 plays, rather than at the end of a ranked match. Using this information, the eSports management system 310 can issue real-time score updates to the streamer 320 and indicate whether the player 210 is currently on track to beat his previous score or secure a top position in the leaderboard.

[0055] As used herein, the term heartbeat refers to a snapshot of game state data associated with a particular game copy collected at regular (or irregular) intervals during a game match. Advantageously, the data included in the snapshot can be structured data and can be sent to an automatic e-sports management system server for further analysis. The transmission of the data from the snapshot collected during the game copy can be sent by a real-time or near real-time streaming method, or in some examples, can be optionally sent using an asynchronous method involving temporary high-speed caching of data on the client.

[0056] The above-mentioned game state data snapshots can be collected at intervals such as several times per second or possibly longer or shorter. Collecting data at this interval size can allow comparison across multiple game copies. In some examples, for example, a ranking match arrangement (players compete with one or more other players) can be started on a public game "seed" so that the initial game conditions of multiple competing players are consistent. For the example of player-to-player, multiple players can advance in the game copy at a similar rate. In other examples where the game does not include direct player-to-player competition, ranking match arrangements are still possible because each player competing in the player-to-game competition is compared with at least one other player who experiences similar starting game conditions. Using the game state data collected by the heartbeat process, the progress of two or more players of competition can be compared on a logically selected progress scale. In some examples, the progress scale can be along the timeline, but in other examples, the progress scale can be the distance through the virtual world, the number of milestones, or the goal of encountering / defeating / achieving / etc., etc.

[0057] Comparing game state data snapshots between players in a common game seed can allow predictive analysis programs to identify (or at least predict with some confidence) key moments in a game before they actually occur (e.g., events that have a higher impact on which of two or more players ultimately "wins" a competition, etc.). Such predictions can be achieved by analyzing and comparing the history of a larger set of players who have previously played the game or other games that are determined to be similar in structure. In fact, historical data can be used to perform machine learning algorithms, regression or correlation analysis, similarity analysis, etc., where the historical data is compared to a "live" or near real-time game state data snapshot for an ongoing game copy. The current game copy of one or more players can be mapped in this way so that key states are associated with key states that occurred in previously completed game copies, thereby enabling prediction of possible outcomes, to identify upcoming parts of the game copy that may be highly correlated to the outcome of the competition, etc.

[0058] In an online video game system, a unified leaderboard ranking can be determined based on a combination of virtual currency and points. In some embodiments, the current subject matter provides a conversion between points and virtual currency matches on a shared leaderboard. Because players can play for points and virtual currency, there can be a unified leaderboard that mixes players who compete in point-ranked matches and players who do not compete in point-ranked matches. In addition, this direct conversion can be extended to prizes awarded by the game or gaming network. Prizes can be virtual goods, which are non-transferable in some cases, and can be awarded once for each player account that reaches some milestones (such as the number of matches won, the number of points games played, the settings changed, etc.).

[0059] In some online gaming networks or systems, players can compete in one or more games by participating in leaderboards. Such participation can be individual or part of a temporary or permanent alliance of players (related to a common "team" structure). Some embodiments of the current subject matter can be used to encourage players to participate in multiple network games. Players who do so can have an identity and a putative alliance, which can provide more revenue and higher retention in the games played.

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment of an online gaming system, players in an online video game competition system share a common points balance across all points-enabled games, and these balances are treated similarly in terms of value and leadership across multiple games. In addition, the exemplary system may provide a "real" virtual currency that is specific to each game and may or may not be associated with the game's own virtual currency. The system may grant virtual prizes for participation in ranked tournament activities across all games, and award various real-world prizes in a raffle-type prize system.

[0061] The current subject matter may include a system of: promotion leaderboards; alliances; prizes; and rewards that provide a network together. The system may include means for providing a common leaderboard structure that: provides logic for challenge provision for players in either an alliance or non-alliance situation; considers and provides rules around revealing available players for challenges; provides conversion between points and virtual currency competition on a shared leaderboard; and provides prizes, including medals (the primary measure of success on the leaderboard), game-based and system-wide prizes / achievements, non-points-related prizes on the platform layer, and any in-game rewards or prizes distributed on an ad-hoc basis.

[0062] Figure 6 is an illustration of an exemplary unified leaderboard. An exemplary unified leaderboard shows a common leaderboard structure that provides conversion between points and virtual currency competitions on a shared leaderboard. This includes a common medal count (right) and ranking (left) based on a system-wide basis.

[0063] The current theme can provide logic for challenge provision for players in either a league or non-league situation. For example, leaderboards exist in many games and some multi-game systems (particularly Xbox Live gamer scores and related concepts). However, using the current theme, players can play multiple games of various types and sizes, and players typically compete for the following items: point results in the game; virtual currency results in the game, whether system-level and / or the game's individual currency (or multiple currencies); and prizes, which may or may not be points, virtual currency, or even real-world items. Figure 7is a process flow diagram showing an exemplary logic flow for defending, challenging, and viewing leaderboards in either a league or non-league situation. A player can select "Play Now" from a menu, which will challenge the next opponent. Likewise, the challenged player can defend the challenge. The result is a change in the leaderboard performance.

[0064] The current subject matter may explicitly allow players to compete with each other for virtual currency and points, currently valued at 1 / 100 of the value of 1 point, to determine the number of medals awarded to the winner of the competition. In some embodiments, a combination of virtual currency and points is used to implement a unified leaderboard.

[0065] These challenges can be random 1v1, team vs team, or squad vs squad matches, but they also take place in an alliance structure where players need to challenge other members of their alliance, and this combined method is used to award medals.

[0066] Additionally, the current theme makes medal rewards consistent across games. Thus, for players with the same medal count (e.g., 500 medals) across different games, winning the same tournament with the same bet can pay out exactly the same number of medals. Additionally, virtual currency tournaments can also be pegged to a standard rate (currently, virtual currency worth 0.01 points will be specified as the value of a unit of virtual currency), regardless of whether the virtual currency can actually be used to purchase points.

[0067] In some implementations, the current subject matter contemplates and provides rules around revealing available players to challenge. The exemplary system can reveal suggested matches based on a combination of points and virtual currency.

[0068] In some embodiments, the current subject matter provides for conversion between points and virtual currency matches on a shared leaderboard. Because players can play for points and virtual currency, there can be a unified leaderboard that mixes players who compete in points-ranked matches and players who do not compete in points-ranked matches. In addition, this direct conversion can be extended to prizes awarded by the game or gaming network. Prizes can be virtual goods, which are non-transferable in some cases, and can be awarded once per player account that reaches some milestone (e.g., number of matches won, points games played, settings changed, etc.).

[0069] In some embodiments, the current subject matter provides rewards (including medals), which can be the primary measure of success on leaderboards, game- and network-wide prizes / achievements, non-points rewards on the platform level, and any in-game rewards or prizes based on ad-hoc distribution. For example, Figure 8 FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary leaderboard rewards page.

[0070] As described, some embodiments of the current subject matter can provide multiple rewards to winners on a game-by-game and network-wide system basis. These rewards include medals, which are the current measure of a player's ranking in any relevant leaderboards (global, local, clan, team, friends, etc.), and are properly considered a measure of skill. In addition, the rewards for prizes / achievements can contain a large number of items unique to the network, many of which will reward standard actions, including cross-game or network actions. A simple example of the latter is to change a person's profile avatar for a specific prize / achievement, where the envisioned action is only related to the game portion in question.

[0071] Although some variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. For example, although some examples have been described with reference to asynchronous single-player games, the current subject matter can be applied to any ranking tournament where there are separate matches. These separate matches can be multiplayer matches. For example, the current subject matter can be applied to an online ranking tournament of digital tennis, where two players compete directly while sharing the same game state, but their performance is compared to another tournament with two different competing players.

[0072] One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuits, integrated circuits, specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These different aspects or features may include implementations in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system, the programmable system including at least one programmable processor, at least one input device, and at least one output device, at least one programmable processor may be dedicated or general purpose, connected to receive data and instructions from a storage system, and data and instructions are sent to the storage system. A programmable system or computing system may include a client and a server. The client and the server are usually remote from each other, and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship between the client and the server is generated by means of computer programs that run on each computer and have a client-server relationship with each other.

[0073] These computer programs may also be referred to as programs, software, software applications, applications, components or codes, which include machine instructions for programmable processors and may be implemented in high-level procedural languages, object-oriented programming languages, functional programming languages, logic programming languages ​​and / or assembly / machine languages. As used herein, the term "machine-readable medium" refers to any computer program product, device and / or equipment for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, such as a disk, an optical disk, a memory and a programmable logic device (PLD), including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as machine-readable signals. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor. A machine-readable medium may store such machine instructions in a non-volatile manner, such as a non-volatile solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or any equivalent storage medium. A machine-readable medium may alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions in a volatile manner, such as a processor cache or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

[0074] In order to provide interaction with a user, one or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein may be implemented on a computer having a display device, a keyboard, and a pointing device, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) monitor for displaying information to a user, a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball, through which a user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with a user. For example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; input from the user may be received in any form, including but not limited to acoustic, voice, or tactile input. Other possible input devices include but are not limited to touch screens or other touch-sensitive devices, such as single-point or multi-point resistive or capacitive touch pads, voice recognition hardware and software, optical scanners, optical pointers, digital image capture devices and associated interpretation software, etc.

[0075] In the above description and in the claims, phrases such as "at least one of ... " or "one or more of ... " may appear, followed by a connected list of elements or features. The term "and / or" may also appear in a list of two or more elements or features. Unless otherwise implicitly or explicitly contradicted by the context in which it is used, such phrases are intended to represent any element or feature listed separately, or any of the elements or features combined with any other listed elements or features. For example, the phrases "at least one of A and B", "one or more of A and B", and "A and / or B" are intended to represent "A alone, B alone, or A and B together" respectively. Similar explanations also apply to lists including three or more items. For example, the phrases "at least one of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, and / or C" are intended to represent "A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A and B and C together" respectively. In addition, use of the term “based on” above and in the claims is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” such that unrecited features or elements are also allowable.

[0076] The subject matter described herein can be implemented as a system, device, method and / or article according to the desired configuration. The embodiments set forth in the foregoing description do not represent all embodiments consistent with the subject matter described herein. On the contrary, they are merely some examples consistent with the aspects relating to the described subject matter. Although some changes have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are also possible. In particular, in addition to those set forth herein, further features and / or changes can also be provided. For example, the above-mentioned embodiments can relate to various combinations and variations of the disclosed features and / or combinations and variations of several other features disclosed above. In addition, the logical flows depicted in the accompanying drawings and / or described herein do not necessarily require the specific order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. Other embodiments may be within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for cross-game analysis in a peer-to-peer game ranking competition, comprising: capturing, using at least one data processor, first game state data from a first copy of the game executing on a first client device, the first game state data representing in-game information of a first match of the digital game, the first match having a first plurality of game states, the first game state data being captured prior to completing the first match, the first game state data further representing a first value of at least one in-game object at a plurality of points in time during the first match, the at least one in-game object being within and generated by the first copy of the game and used by the first copy of the game for executing the first match; capturing, with at least one data processor, second game state data from a second copy of the game executing on a second client device, the second game state data representing in-game information of a second match of the digital game, the second match having a second plurality of game states different than the first plurality of game states, the second game state data further representing a second value of at least one in-game object at a plurality of points in time during the second match; using at least one data processor, comparing a first performance metric of a first player in a first game calculated based on the first game state data and a second performance metric of a second player in a second game calculated based on the second game state data; identifying, using at least one data processor, at least one of a portion of a first video capture of a first game and a portion of a second video capture of a second game based on the comparison; At least one of a portion of the first video capture or a portion of the second video capture is provided to one or more viewing client devices using at least one data processor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Identification includes: An event is detected during at least one time period during the first game or the second game.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the portion of the first video capture or the portion of the second video capture includes the detected event.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Offer includes: At least one of a portion of the first video capture or a portion of the second video capture is combined into a suggested delivery for streaming.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first game state data and the second game state data are captured periodically.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a first video capture from a first client device of a display of a first game; A second video capture is received from a second client device of a display of a second game.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The first video capture is generated by capturing a first user interface screenshot of a display of a first game at a predetermined rate, and wherein the second video capture is generated by capturing a second user interface screenshot of a display of a second game at a predetermined rate.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The comparison utilizes predefined comparison rules.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first game and the second game are started using a common random number seed to provide a common starting condition.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The digital game includes an asynchronous game.

11. A system for cross-match analysis in a peer-to-peer game ranking competition, comprising: at least one data processor; as well as A memory storing instructions which, when executed by at least one data processor, cause the at least one processor to implement the method for cross-match analysis in a peer-to-peer game ranking competition according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one data processor, cause the at least one data processor to perform the method for cross-match analysis in a peer-to-peer game ranking competition according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A method for cross-game analysis in a peer-to-peer game ranking competition, comprising: receiving, with a server, first game state data, the first game state data being in-game information captured from a first game application executing on a first client and characterizing a first match of a peer-to-peer digital game ranking tournament, the first game state data being captured during the first match and representing an internal state of the first game application during the first match; receiving, with the server, second game state data, the second game state data being in-game information captured from a second game application executing on a second client and characterizing a second match of a peer-to-peer digital game ranking tournament, the first match and the second match being separate copies of the game, the second game state data being captured during the second match and representing an internal state of the second game application during the second match, wherein the first match and the second match are launched using a common random number seed to provide a common starting condition; Using a server, comparing the first game state data and the second game state data using a predefined comparison rule by calculating a performance metric of a first player in a first game and a performance metric of a second player in a second game; receiving, with the server, a first video capture of a display of a first game from a first client during the first game; receiving, with the server, a second video capture of a display of a second game from a second client during the second game; detecting, using the server, one or more key segments of the first video capture and the second video capture based on the comparison result; Combining, using the server, one or more detected key segments into a proposed broadcast video stream; Using the server, providing a suggested broadcast video stream to the commentator client; combining, using the server, the audio commentary stream from the commentator client with the suggested broadcast video stream to generate the broadcast video stream; and The server transmits a broadcast video stream to at least one viewing client.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: One or more results of the first game and the second game are predicted using the server and based on the comparison result before the one or more results of the first game and the second game occur.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: Predictions include: Using the server, the comparison results are mapped to historical data from the plurality of players so that one or more results of the first game and the second game are associated with the historical results from the plurality of players.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: Using the server, cross-game game analysis of the first game and the second game is combined with the proposed broadcast video stream before the broadcast video stream is generated.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Testing includes: A change in the score per unit time in the first video capture and the second video capture is identified using the server.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: Using the server, the first game state data and the second game state data are registered by time so that the first game state data and the second game state data refer to a common time.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Comparisons include: Using the server, the first game state data and the second game state data are periodically compared at multiple points in time.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The first gaming application and the second gaming application comprise digital video games.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The first game and the second game are separate copies of the digital video game.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The digital video game is an asynchronous game.

23. A system for cross-match analysis in a peer-to-peer game ranking competition, comprising: at least one data processor; as well as A memory storing instructions which, when executed by at least one data processor, cause the at least one processor to implement the method for cross-match analysis in a peer-to-peer game ranking competition according to any one of claims 13 to 22.

24. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one data processor, cause the at least one data processor to perform the method for cross-match analysis in a peer-to-peer game ranking competition according to any one of claims 13 to 22.

Images