System and method for physical blocks and corresponding virtual game elements

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for video game elements that attract players with game elements that incorporate physical elements and virtual elements of a game environment. For example, a player may collect physical blocks associated with digital resources, such as organisms. By interacting with physical blocks in the real world, players may advance, combat, and / or trade their digital resources. Additionally and / or alternatively, the player may construct at least a portion of the virtual world based on the arrangement of the physical blocks in the real world. The players can then interact with the virtual world that they construct in the game environment.

Description

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 335,521, filed on April 27, 2022. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 335,521 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for physical blocks and corresponding virtual game elements. Background Art

[0003] Video game applications attract players with various visual stimuli and activities to entertain players. In response to completing specific goals, players can earn virtual rewards, such as in-game currency or experience points (XP). Games can include multi-player elements that allow multiple players to participate simultaneously in completing cooperative or competitive goals. Players typically interact with video game applications through controllers or touch screens, which provide limited physical stimulation. Summary of the invention

[0004] Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, or may be learned from the description, or may be learned through practice of the embodiments.

[0005] One example aspect is directed to a system for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on an arrangement of a plurality of physical building blocks. The system includes: one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations include: obtaining data describing a relative position of each of the plurality of physical building blocks relative to other physical building blocks; determining data describing a virtual structure layout for the virtual structure based at least in part on the relative position of each of the plurality of physical building blocks relative to other physical building blocks; and generating a virtual structure having the virtual structure layout.

[0006] In some embodiments, the system is composed of a user computing device or a server computing device, which includes one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. In some embodiments, each physical building block includes: one or more contact traces; and an internal computing module including a computer-readable memory, the computer-readable memory configured to store one or more block attributes of the physical building block. In some embodiments, for each physical building block, at least one of the one or more contact traces is in physical contact with at least one of the one or more contact traces of at least one other physical building block. In some embodiments, obtaining data describing the relative position of each physical building block in a plurality of physical building blocks relative to other physical building blocks includes: obtaining data generated by each physical building block in a plurality of physical building blocks via respective communications via at least one contact trace to at least one other physical building block. In some embodiments, at least one physical building block in a plurality of physical building blocks includes a seed building block, which is configured to aggregate communications from a plurality of building blocks to generate data describing the relative position of each physical building block in a plurality of physical building blocks relative to other physical building blocks. In some embodiments, at least one physical building block in a plurality of physical building blocks includes a graph building block.

[0007] Another example aspect is directed to a system for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on an arrangement of physical building blocks. The system includes one or more physical building blocks. Each of the one or more physical building blocks includes: one or more contact traces; and an internal computing module including a computer-readable memory, the computer-readable memory configured to store one or more block attributes of the physical building block. The system also includes a seed building block, which includes one or more contact traces and an internal computing module. The internal computing module includes: a communication system configured to facilitate communication with one or more external computing devices. The seed building block includes an orientation module configured to determine the orientation of at least the seed building block. The seed building block includes one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operation includes determining data describing a virtual structure layout based at least in part on communication between one or more contact traces of a seed building block and one or more contact traces of one or more physical building blocks, the virtual structure layout describing at least one of the relative positioning, orientation, or one or more block attributes of one or more physical building blocks; and transmitting the data describing the virtual structure layout to one or more external computing devices through a communication system, the one or more external computing devices being configured to construct a virtual structure based at least in part on the data describing the virtual structure layout.

[0008] In some embodiments, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of the seed building block are also configured to store data describing the subject of the seed building block, and wherein the operation also includes delivering the data describing the subject of the seed building block to the user computing device. In some embodiments, the internal computing module of the seed building block also includes an orientation module configured to determine the orientation of one or more physical building blocks. In some embodiments, one or more attributes of the physical building block include at least one of the shape, size, or type of the physical building block. In some embodiments, the communication system includes a low-power Bluetooth (BLE) system. In some embodiments, the internal computing module of the seed building block also includes an accelerometer, and wherein the operation also includes: determining that the seed building block has not moved within the sleep duration based at least in part on one or more signals from the accelerometer; in response to determining that the seed building block has not moved within the sleep duration, causing the internal computing module of the seed building block to enter sleep; and in response to one or more signals from the accelerometer, waking up the seed building block from sleep. In some embodiments, each of the one or more physical building blocks also includes a coupling system. In some embodiments, the coupling system includes a magnetic coupling system. In some embodiments, the coupling system includes a protrusion and a cavity. In some embodiments, the seed building block includes a tile having a length and a width that defines a grid area. In some embodiments, the length and width of the tile are based at least in part on a unit size, and wherein one or more physical building blocks have at least one dimension based at least in part on a unit size. In some embodiments, the tile includes one or more surface contact traces configured to receive one or more physical building blocks. In some embodiments, the tile includes one or more surface coupling contact traces configured to couple the tile to a second tile. In some embodiments, the system also includes one or more biological blocks associated with a biological resource.

[0009] Another example aspect is directed to a method for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on a block assembly. The method includes: obtaining, by a computing system including one or more computing devices, data describing a subject associated with the virtual structure; obtaining, by the computing system, data indicating an orientation of the virtual structure; obtaining, by the computing system, data describing a layout of the virtual structure based at least in part on the block assembly, the block assembly including one or more physical building blocks; obtaining, by the computing system, one or more virtual component resources corresponding to the one or more physical building blocks of the block assembly; and constructing, by the computing system, the virtual structure based at least in part on the virtual structure layout, the one or more virtual component resources, the subject, and the orientation of the virtual structure.

[0010] In some embodiments, the data indicating the direction of the virtual structure is defined relative to the length and width of the tiles of the block assembly. In some embodiments, the virtual structure layout includes one or more block attributes of one or more physical building blocks, wherein the data describing the one or more block attributes are stored in a computer readable memory of the one or more physical building blocks. In some embodiments, each of the one or more physical building blocks includes one or more contact traces and an internal computing module including a computer readable memory. In some embodiments, the method also includes providing one or more input systems to facilitate player interaction with the virtual structure. In some embodiments, the method also includes rendering the virtual structure by a computing system.

[0011] Other aspects of the disclosure are directed to various systems, apparatus, non-transitory computer-readable media, user interfaces, and electronic devices.

[0012] These and other features, aspects and advantages of various embodiments of the present disclosure will be better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims.The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate example embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the relevant principles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] With reference to the accompanying drawings, a detailed discussion of embodiments for those of ordinary skill in the art is set forth in the specification, wherein:

[0014] Figure 1 depicts a block diagram of an example system for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on an arrangement of physical building blocks according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 2A depicts an example physical block registration according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 2B depicts a bottom view of a physical block according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 3 depicts a block diagram of example physical block components according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4A depicts a block diagram of example physical block components according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 4B depicts a block diagram of an example configuration based at least in part on a virtual structure of block components according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 5A depicts a perspective view of example physical building blocks according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 5B depicts a top view of an example physical building block according to an example aspect of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5C depicts a block assembly including a first physical building block interacting with a second physical building block according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0023] Fig. 6A Depicting example blocks according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 6B Depicting a top-down view of a tile according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B depicts different perspectives of example block components according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 7C Depicting an exploded view of an example block according to an example aspect of the present disclosure;

[0027] Fig.7D depicts exploded views of example physical building blocks according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0028] Fig. 7E depicts an exploded view of an example physical building block housing according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0029] Fig. 8A depicts a top-down view of an example block assembly according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 8B depicts a perspective view of an example block assembly according to an example aspect of the present disclosure;

[0031] Fig.9A depicts block components according to example aspects of the present disclosure;

[0032] Fig. 9B Depicted are examples of Fig.9A An example virtual environment constructed from block components;

[0033] Fig.10 depicts a flow chart of an example method for transferring data from a seed building block according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Fig.11 Depicted is a flow chart of an example method for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on block assemblies according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In general, example aspects of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for video game elements that engage players with game elements that combine physical elements of a game environment with virtual elements. For example, players can collect physical blocks associated with digital resources (such as creatures). By interacting with the physical blocks in the real world, players can advance, fight, and / or trade their digital resources. Additionally and / or alternatively, players can construct at least a portion of a virtual world based on the arrangement of physical blocks in the real world. Players can then interact with the virtual world they have constructed in the game environment.

[0036] The exemplary aspects of the present disclosure can be used for video game implementations, which attract players with game elements in both the physical world and the game environment. As an example, a player can purchase a physical block including an electronic device for interacting with the game environment. Digital resources (such as creatures, virtual structures and / or fragments thereof, etc.) can be associated with physical blocks. Players can scan physical blocks to register and / or otherwise interact with digital resources. Players who interact with the combination of physical blocks and virtual game elements have higher engagement and entertainment value than players who only interact with virtual game elements. Additionally and / or alternatively, the game environment can provide a platform for multiple types of intellectual property rights to interact seamlessly. This can promote the bonding of brands to the game environment, thereby improving player engagement through branded items.

[0037] Some example aspects of the present disclosure are directed to the management of digital resources. As an example, in some embodiments, digital resources can be biological resources. In some embodiments, biological resources can represent the instance of the virtual creature owned by a player or associated with a player. Virtual creatures can have designs similar to animals, humans, machines, and / or any other suitable designs. In some cases, virtual creatures can be based at least in part on various intellectual property rights, such as established roles in existing real or fictional universes. Biological resources can have one or more features. This feature can include statistics (such as life value, attack strength, etc.) describing biological combat performance, genetic attributes and / or any other suitable features.

[0038] As an example, in some embodiments, a player can obtain ownership of a digital resource by "scanning" or otherwise registering a physical block with an account owned by the player. As an example, a physical block may include an NFC tag, a memory chip, or other suitable computer-readable medium storing a unique identifier associated with the physical block, such as being disposed on or inside a portion (such as the bottom) of the physical block. The player may dock a computer-readable medium (e.g., an NFC tag) with a computing system through a reading device (such as an NFC reader, etc.) so that the computing system can read the identifier. As another example, the identifier may be a serial number printed on the block and entered by the player. The computing system may communicate with a game server (e.g., on a server computing system) to register the identifier into the player's account. The player may then be granted a digital resource corresponding to the registered physical block (e.g., an identifier). In some embodiments, after successfully registering the block, an animation of a digital resource "hatching" or "sprouting" from the physical block may be presented to the player. For example, the animation depicts a virtual representation of the "hatching" of the physical block as a rendering of the unique digital resource obtained by the player by registering the physical block.

[0039] In some embodiments, a player may purchase a physical piece from a "mystery box" and the box packaging and / or the physical piece itself does not reveal which digital resource (e.g., creature) the player will receive from the physical piece. The packaging of the "mystery box" may provide clues to some characteristics of the digital resource (e.g., type, element or other attribute, rarity, series or intellectual property type, etc.). As an example, an icon or color on the packaging may reveal limited information about the attribute.

[0040] In some embodiments, each biological resource may have a unique "gene" feature related to one or more attributes of the biological resource, so that biological resources of the same type can be distinguished from each other. The genetic feature may be based at least in part on an identifier of a physical block associated with the biological resource, such as serialization of an NFC tag in a physical block. In some embodiments, when a biological resource is granted to a player, a genetic feature may be uniquely assigned. As an example, a genetic feature may be related to the appearance of the organism. For example, each biological resource may have a subtle difference in appearance from other biological resources of the same type. As another example, a genetic feature may be related to the performance of the organism in combat. For example, each organism may have a uniquely assigned value, multiplier, etc. associated with combat statistics (such as life value, attack power, defense points, experience value gain or other statistics). As another example, a biological may have a uniquely assigned action or other attribute. In some embodiments, one or more parent biological resources may be "bred" to produce a child biological resource. In some embodiments, the genetic feature of a child biological resource may be based at least in part on the genetic feature of a parent biological resource. As an example, the gene signature of the child biological resource can be based on an average of the gene signature of the parent biological resource and / or can be (e.g., randomly) selected from the gene signature of the parent biological resource. As another example, in some embodiments, two or more biological resources can be "fused" so that the two or more biological resources receive (one or more) signature mutations based at least in part on each other's original gene signatures.

[0041] In some embodiments, various (one or more) attributes may be assigned to physical blocks using procedural generation techniques. Procedural generation techniques may create data algorithmically. For example, blocks and / or corresponding creatures or other resources may be programmatically generated by selecting (e.g., randomly or according to a defined probability distribution) an attribute value for each of a plurality of attributes from a set of candidate attribute values.

[0042] According to the example aspects of the present disclosure, in some embodiments, the ownership of digital resources can be tracked by blockchain technology. For example, in response to scanning a physical block, a non-fungible token (NFT) associated with a digital resource can be granted, given, or otherwise provided to a player. For example, the ability to cast a non-fungible token on a blockchain can be provided for a player. In some embodiments, the non-fungible token provided to the player can be associated at least in part with the genetic characteristics of the digital resource. As an example, a non-fungible token can represent the precise genetic composition of a digital resource. As another example, a non-fungible token can represent the type and / or appearance (e.g., subtle differences in appearance) of a digital resource. Non-fungible tokens can be registered on any suitable blockchain (such as Ethereum). In some embodiments, a player can choose which blockchain to use to register a non-fungible token.

[0043] As another example, in some embodiments, non-fungible tokens may be provided to players in response to completing specific game goals. As an example, once a creature reaches a given level (e.g., level 100, maximum level, etc.) or otherwise reaches one of one or more checkpoints or thresholds, the player may be awarded a non-fungible token associated with the player's creature. As another example, once the player scans and hatches the creature, the player may be awarded a non-fungible token associated with the player's creature. According to example aspects of the present disclosure, players may be awarded NFTs in response to any suitable game achievement.

[0044] For example, in some embodiments, each biological resource owned by a player may have an associated "level" or "experience" or the like. In response to a specific game goal (such as crossing, fighting, etc.), a biological resource may receive experience points (XP) that increase the total experience or level of the biological resource. In some embodiments, a biological resource may receive XP until the highest level or maximum experience. In these embodiments, once a biological resource reaches the highest level or maximum experience, further experience may not be granted, or further experience may be converted into other virtual currencies. Additionally and / or alternatively, once a biological resource reaches the highest level, a non-fungible token associated with the biological resource may be granted to the player. Further, in some embodiments, there is no highest level or maximum experience.

[0045] Example aspects of the present disclosure provide players with fun and engaging games that additionally improve upon the so-called "play and earn" approach to game design, in which players are awarded incentives separate from virtual currency or other rewards that are only related to the game environment itself. Instead, players can earn non-fungible tokens that can be redeemed for value outside of the game environment, such as other non-fungible tokens, cryptocurrencies, or other currencies. Thus, games can present players with financial incentives to continue playing the game, which can increase player engagement.

[0046] In some embodiments, some or all of the physical blocks can be small and / or self-contained, so that players can easily carry these blocks with them. This can increase the possibility that two players who meet in person have their own physical blocks and can participate in multi-player game elements (e.g., crossing, migration, combat, etc.). Additionally and / or alternatively, the transportability of the physical blocks can promote the organization of game-centric events (such as conferences, gatherings, group game conferences, etc.), which can increase player participation. As an example, the physical blocks can be a specific size so that they can fit into the player's pocket or backpack, the physical blocks can be equipped with batteries or otherwise powered on without a wired power supply, the physical blocks can be wrapped in a shell, and / or have other design aspects that are convenient for transportation. For example, in some embodiments, the biological blocks can be small and / or self-contained. As an example, in some embodiments, the biological blocks can have a size less than about three centimeters.

[0047] As an example, a player who meets other players in person can "cross" two biomass blocks. Crossing multiple biomass blocks can reward players for meeting in person, which can encourage players to carry biomass blocks on their bodies and interact with other players. For example, a player can cross multiple biomass blocks by first scanning a first biomass block belonging to the player. Another player can scan a second biomass block belonging to the other player. Then the players can exchange their biomass blocks and each player can scan the biomass blocks of other players. After successfully crossing their biomass blocks, players can be awarded experience points (XP) about the biomass associated with the biomass blocks crossed, experience points associated with the player's account, consumables, virtual currency and / or other rewards. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, new biomass can be awarded to players. New biomass can be "bred" from the biomass associated with the biomass blocks crossed. For example, the genetic characteristics of the biomass associated with the biomass blocks crossed can be combined to produce a new biomass with the combined genetic characteristics. As an example, the bred biomass has an appearance affected by the appearance of its parental biomass.

[0048] As another example, players who meet in person can migrate or trade two bio-blocks to transfer ownership of the bio-blocks from one player to another. In some embodiments, to migrate bio-blocks, each player scans their original bio-block and then exchanges their bio-blocks with the other player. Each player then scans their new bio-block and retains the new bio-block. Upon successfully migrating their bio-blocks, the players may be granted new bio-resources corresponding to the new bio-blocks. In some embodiments, the players may lose ownership of the bio-resources corresponding to their original bio-blocks. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the players may retain ownership of the bio-resources corresponding to their original bio-blocks.

[0049] In some embodiments, players may be awarded experience points for new creature resources and / or original creature resources. Additionally and / or alternatively, (one or more) players (e.g., (one or more) player accounts) XP may be awarded. In some embodiments, after the original creature block is traded to a new owner and / or traded by any other owners that the creature block may have, the player may continue to earn XP from the original creature block. For example, when the new owner earns XP for creatures associated with the original creature block, the new owner may be awarded XP based at least in part (e.g., a percentage) on the XP earned. If the creature block is migrated again to a second new owner, the original owner and / or the first new owner may receive XP when the second new owner earns XP for the original creature block. In some embodiments, the amount of XP earned by the original owner of the creature block may decrease with the appearance of each subsequent new owner. For example, with the appearance of each new owner of the creature block, the amount of XP earned from the creature block may decrease linearly, exponentially, logarithmically, and / or in any other suitable manner.

[0050] As another example, players can make their creatures fight. For example, players can deploy one or more creatures to fight each other. According to example aspects of the present disclosure, any suitable battle format can be used, such as real-time battles, turn-based battles, automatic (statistic-based) battles, or any other suitable battle format. The winner of the battle can be awarded experience points, consumables, virtual currency, and / or any other suitable rewards.

[0051] Additionally and / or alternatively, the exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for constructing virtual structures based at least in part on the arrangement of physical building blocks. A virtual structure can be at least a portion of a game environment, such as a game environment within a game application on a user computing device. For example, a virtual structure can be a level or area of ​​a video game, one or more structures within a larger level of a video game, and / or any other suitable type of virtual structure. In some embodiments, the exemplary aspects of the present disclosure can be adopted in other virtual environments (e.g., virtual design environments). As used herein, a physical building block can correspond to any suitable game element. As an example, a physical building block can correspond to a portion of a virtual structure, and when it is combined with other parts, a larger virtual structure similar to a building, environment, scene, etc. is generated. As another example, a physical building block can be or can include a biological block (e.g., rendering a corresponding biological in a virtual structure), a self-contained structure, an earth element, and / or any other suitable element. Therefore, the terms "physical block" and "physical building block" are used interchangeably, wherein a given block can be one or more different types of blocks, such as a biological block, a block corresponding to a building, environment, scene, etc., and / or a seed block.

[0052] As an example, in some embodiments, a larger virtual environment may include one or more "plots" of virtual space. A player may assemble one or more physical building blocks into components of physical building blocks. Then, the player and / or the game application may construct one or more virtual structures in the virtual space plot within the larger virtual environment based at least in part on the components of the physical building blocks. In some embodiments, the player and / or other players in the game environment may access and / or interact with the player's (one or more) virtual structures. The combination of physical building blocks and virtual interactivity may provide players with both physical and mental stimulation, thereby increasing player engagement and enjoyment.

[0053] In some embodiments, the physical building blocks may include electronic devices such as NFC chips, electrodes, etc., which enable the computing system to determine the physical arrangement of the building blocks and construct a representative virtual structure. For example, in some embodiments, each physical building block may have one or more contact traces, which are configured to be electrically coupled to another physical building block when the block contacts. In some embodiments, one or more contact traces may be at least partially located on the outward-facing surface of the physical building block. For example, in some embodiments, one or more contact traces may be electrical terminals or may include electrical terminals (e.g., electrodes) that are placed to electrically communicate with another physical building block (e.g., with (one or more) contact traces of another building block) when the block contacts. As an example, when the block contacts, the contact traces may form a complete circuit and / or communicate with one or more processors, storage devices, etc. of the physical building block, so that the computing system (e.g., located in one or more physical building blocks) can determine the specific properties of the block contact and / or the block. One or more internal electrical conduits (e.g., wires, circuit board traces, etc.) can electrically couple one or more contact traces to other (e.g., internal) components of the physical building block, such as, for example, an internal computing module, other contact traces (e.g., on other sides of the physical building block), a scanner, or other electronic components. For example, in some embodiments, a conductive path can be formed through some or all of the components of the physical building block via contact traces and / or internal electrical conduits.

[0054] Additionally and / or alternatively, each physical building block can have one or more coupling systems that are configured to couple (e.g., fix) a first physical building block to a second physical building block. Example coupling systems include, but are not limited to, magnetic coupling systems (e.g., including one or more magnets), latches, snaps, pins and holes, fit coupling systems, and / or any other suitable coupling systems and / or combinations thereof. For example, a user can place the coupling system of a first physical building block in contact with and / or proximity to the coupling system of a second physical building block. In some embodiments, a user can apply a force to the coupling system so that the coupling system couples the first physical building block to the second physical building block. For example, a user can "buckle" a first physical building block and a second physical building block together.

[0055] In some embodiments, coupling a first physical building block to a second physical building block can enable at least some of the one or more contact traces of the first physical building block to communicate with one or more contact traces of the second physical building block. For example, in some embodiments, when one or more coupling systems are coupled, at least a portion of the contact traces of the first physical building block can be aligned with at least a portion of the contact traces of the second physical building block. Other contact traces on the first physical building block and / or the second physical building block can also be placed in contact with another physical building block. Therefore, in some embodiments, a conductive path can be formed through the components of some or all of the physical building blocks via the contact traces. The conductive path can enable the internal computing module of the physical building block to identify the physical building block connected to the contact traces, thereby determining the orientation of the components of the physical building block.

[0056] In some embodiments, some or all of the physical building blocks may include an internal computing module. The internal computing module may include an electronic device for constructing a representative of the physical building block in the virtual structure. In some embodiments, the internal computing module may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing data of one or more attributes indicating the physical building block. Additionally and / or alternatively, the internal computing module may include other components, such as, for example, an NFC reader, one or more processors, etc.

[0057] Each physical building block may have one or more attributes. At least some of the attributes may be related to the physical appearance of the physical building block. For example, the attributes may include the size, shape, color, style, etc. of the physical building block. Data describing the one or more attributes may be stored on a computer readable memory within an internal computing module of the physical building block. For example, the computer readable memory may be coupled to one or more contact traces so that the memory can be read from the one or more contact traces. The shape of the block may be any suitable shape and need not be rectangular. For example, the shape of the block may be consistent and / or repeated or inconsistent and / or non-repeating, such as rectangular, hexagonal, triangular, spherical, etc.

[0058] One or more attributes can be used to construct a virtual structure from a physical building block. As an example, one or more attributes can include a type, shape, size, color, style, etc. with a corresponding virtual appearance. For example, in some embodiments, one or more attributes can be related to the physical appearance of a physical building block, so that a part of a virtual structure corresponding to a physical building block is at least partially similar to a physical building block. In general, the parts of the virtual structure can have more details, be more robust, etc. than the parts of their physical blocks. These parts can be oriented and / or positioned in the virtual structure corresponding to their physical arrangement, so that the virtual structure is similar to the physical arrangement. One or more attributes do not have to be directly converted into the appearance of the virtual structure in all cases. As an example, some combinations of physical blocks can produce elements of a virtual structure that are not similar to physical blocks.

[0059] In some embodiments, one or more physical building blocks used to construct a virtual structure may be seed building blocks. A seed building block may serve as the core of a virtual structure. At least one seed building block may provide the "brain" of a component of a physical building block, while other physical building blocks are relatively simple, including fewer electronic components than a seed building block. Therefore, a seed building block may be a smarter block, which may, in some cases, reduce the cost of other physical building blocks. For example, in some embodiments, other physical building blocks may have relatively simple and / or cost-effective internal computing modules. For example, in some embodiments, a seed building block may include an internal computing module that is more advanced than some other physical building blocks, such as an internal computing module including hardware configured to facilitate communication with other computing systems, hardware configured to determine the properties (e.g., quantity, orientation, type, etc.) of a connected physical building block, (one or more) battery systems, etc.

[0060] In some embodiments, the seed building block may have a communication system. The communication system may be configured to communicate with a game application on a player computing system (such as a game console, a personal computer, a virtual reality (VR) system, a tablet, a smartphone, and / or any other suitable computing system). The communication system may be wired and / or wireless. As an example, the communication system may be or may include a low-power Bluetooth (BLE) system. As another example, the communication system may be or may include a universal serial bus (USB) connector and / or adapter. The communication system may be or may include any suitable communication technology.

[0061] In some embodiments, the seed building block may include a power system. In some embodiments, the power system may include one or more batteries. The one or more batteries may be disposable batteries and / or rechargeable batteries. For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block may include one or more rechargeable batteries and / or a charging port. The charging port may be coupled to the rechargeable battery and / or may power the battery. In some embodiments, the charging port may be a universal serial bus (USB) port, such as a USB type A port, a Micro USB port, a USB type C port, etc. In some embodiments, the charging port may additionally be used for wired communication with a computing system. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the power system may include one or more capacitors. In some embodiments, the power system may be wirelessly charged.

[0062] In some embodiments, the seed building block can be turned off when not in use to save power. For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block can include an accelerometer or other device to wake up the seed building block after being turned off. As an example, the internal computing module of the seed building block can be configured to perform an operation, which includes determining that the seed building block has not moved during the sleep duration based at least in part on one or more signals from the accelerometer. For example, the seed building block can be configured to shut down after the sleep duration has passed without being moved. The sleep duration can be any suitable duration, such as time, clock cycles, etc. The operation may include: in response to determining that the seed building block has not moved during the sleep duration, causing the internal computing module of the seed building block to enter sleep. For example, the internal computing module can be placed in a low-power "sleep" state, such as a state with limited computing activity. The operation may include: in response to one or more signals from the accelerometer, waking up the seed building block from sleep. For example, when one or more signals from the accelerometer indicate that the seed building block has moved, the block can return to normal computing mode.

[0063] In some embodiments, a seed building block may have an associated theme. For example, a theme may be associated with a specific environment (e.g., a forest, a desert, space, a city, etc.), a specific intellectual property, a specific element, a specific architectural style, etc. The theme may control the appearance of a structure built using a seed building block. For example, if a player builds a structure using a forest-themed seed building block, the virtual structure (including other building blocks) may be rendered with a forest theme in which textures, models, resources, etc. may resemble or depict a forest. The properties of other building blocks (e.g., shape, size, type, etc.) may control the arrangement of the virtual structure, while the theme may control the appearance of the virtual structure, the texture used to render the virtual structure, the music and / or sound effects played near the virtual structure, the characters or environmental effects that appear around the virtual structure, and / or other aesthetic effects of the virtual structure.

[0064] In some embodiments, a specific physical building block may have an associated theme. For example, a theme may be stored in the memory of an internal computing module of a physical building block. The theme of a physical building block may be used to render the physical building block. As an example, rather than a seed building block having an associated theme, some or all physical building blocks may have an associated theme for constructing a virtual structure. As another example, when there is a theme for a physical building block, the theme for the physical building block may override the theme for the seed building block of the virtual structure portion corresponding to the physical building block in the virtual structure. Then, the remaining physical building blocks (e.g., blocks without an associated theme) may be constructed using the theme for the seed building block. In addition, in some embodiments, the theme for the seed building block must match the theme for the physical building block for the seed building block that will be used when constructing a virtual structure with the seed building block.

[0065] In some embodiments, the seed building block can communicate with the game application so that the game application can determine the theme of the seed building block. As an example, the game application can read data indicating the theme of the seed building block from the communication system of the seed building block. For example, as an example, the data indicating the theme of the seed building block can be a theme identifier uniquely associated with the theme of the seed building block. The game application can have one or more virtual resources (e.g., textures, etc.) associated with the theme identifier, such as can be referenced at least in part based on the theme identifier. The game application can then render a virtual structure based at least in part on the virtual resources associated with the theme identifier. As another example, the seed building block itself can store virtual resources (e.g., textures, etc.) used to construct a virtual structure with the theme of the seed building block.

[0066] In some embodiments, the seed building block can be a plot block. The plot block can be similar to a roughly two-dimensional "plot" for building a physical structure, and can be similar to, for example, a mat, a substrate, etc. The plot block can be configured to receive one or more physical building blocks. In some embodiments, the plot block can be configured to have a "grid" configuration with a length and / or width that defines a grid area. The length and / or width can be defined at least in part based on the number of physical building blocks that can be set along the length and / or width. For example, in some embodiments, the physical building block can be a "brick" with a unit length, width, and height. For example, the physical building block can have a unit size such as "1×1" or "1×2" with reference to a discrete unit, so that, for example, two 1×1 blocks placed end to end occupy a space substantially similar to a 1×2 block. The plot block can be made into a specific size based on similar or identical unit sizes, additionally and / or alternatively, so that the plot block can receive a physical building block of a discrete number of unit values ​​of size. As an example, the plot block can have a unit length and width, such as 3×3, 6×6, 12×12, etc. For example, a 3×3 tile may receive nine 1×1 physical building blocks, and / or an equivalent sum of blocks that are larger than 1×1. Although the unit dimensions may correspond to units of measurement such as inches, centimeters, etc., according to example aspects of the present disclosure, the unit dimensions may be any suitable size.

[0067] Some example aspects of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for constructing virtual structures from physical building blocks. The systems and methods can be used with any suitable computing system (such as a computing system including one or more computing devices, one or more processors, etc.). For example, some or all of the operations discussed herein can be performed by an internal computing module of a physical building block (e.g., one or more processors therein). Additionally and / or alternatively, some or all of the operations discussed herein can be performed by a computing system, a user computing device, or other suitable computing structure (such as a game application executed by one or more processors).

[0068] The player may arrange one or more physical building blocks to form a block assembly of one or more physical building blocks. For example, the player may couple the coupling systems of each of the one or more physical building blocks together so that the physical building blocks are arranged into a block assembly. Additionally and / or alternatively, contact traces of (e.g., adjacent) physical building blocks in a block assembly may be placed in contact to form a conductive path through at least a portion of the block assembly. The block assembly may include at least one seed building block.

[0069] The system and method according to the example aspects of the present disclosure may include data that describes the theme of the virtual structure through a computing system. As an example, a seed building block (e.g., an internal computing module of a seed building block) may pass the data describing the theme of the virtual structure to a game application. For example, in some embodiments, the data describing the theme of the virtual structure may be stored by a non-transitory computer-readable medium of a seed building block (e.g., an internal computing module of a seed building block). As another example, in some embodiments, the theme of the virtual structure may be determined based at least in part on one or more attributes of a seed building block (such as an identifier of a seed building block). As an example, an identifier may be included in a Bluetooth attribute broadcasted by a Bluetooth communication module. The Bluetooth module may be pre-programmed (e.g., factory programming) to broadcast an identifier attribute, a block, a serial number of a seed building block, a model of a seed building block, etc. The system and method according to the example aspects of the present disclosure may include data that describes the theme associated with the virtual structure through a computing system (e.g., through a game application on a user computing device). The data describing the theme may be, for example, a theme identifier.

[0070] In some embodiments, the computing system can be configured to determine the assembly orientation of the block components of the physical building blocks. For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block (e.g., the internal computing module of the seed building block) can determine the assembly orientation of the block components. The assembly orientation of the block components can be used to determine the orientation of the virtual structure. For example, the assembly orientation can be defined relative to a "ground" plane, a coordinate grid (e.g., a three-dimensional coordinate grid), and / or any other suitable reference. The virtual structure can then be oriented so that the reference direction of the assembly orientation corresponds to the direction of the virtual ground or other suitable virtual reference.

[0071] For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block can be a tile having a length and a width. The orientation of the virtual structure can be defined so that the tile acts as a ground plane (e.g., the length and width are in the direction of the ground plane). As another example, in some embodiments, the seed building block and / or another physical building block may include an orientation module. The orientation module may be or may include any suitable device for determining the orientation of the seed building block and / or (one or more) other physical building blocks, such as a gyroscope. The orientation module may determine how the component is oriented relative to a reference (such as, for example, the earth's gravity). It should be understood that the ground plane does not necessarily need to be similar to the ground at the surface level, but may be similar to other environments, such as the sky, space, ocean, underground, etc.

[0072] In some embodiments, systems and methods according to example aspects of the present disclosure may include transmitting data indicating the orientation of the virtual structure through a computing system (e.g., through an internal computing module of a seed building block). In some embodiments, systems and methods according to example aspects of the present disclosure may include receiving data indicating the orientation of the virtual structure through a computing system (e.g., through a gaming application on a user computing device).

[0073] Systems and methods according to example aspects of the present disclosure may include determining, by a computing system (e.g., a user computing device and / or an internal computing module of a seed building block), a virtual structural layout based at least in part on a physical building block. The virtual structural layout may be or may include data describing the arrangement of at least one seed building block and one or more physical building blocks. For example, the virtual structural layout may be a schematic diagram or arrangement of a virtual structure to be rendered by a gaming application. The virtual structural layout may describe at least one of the relative positioning, orientation, or one or more attributes of components of the physical building block. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the virtual structural layout may include data indicating a theme of the seed building block.

[0074] Systems and methods according to example aspects of the present disclosure may be configured to pass data describing a layout of a virtual structure to a user computing device. As an example, an internal computing module of a seed building block may pass data describing a layout of a virtual structure to a game application on a user computing device. The user computing device may be configured to construct a virtual structure based at least in part on the data describing the layout of the virtual structure. For example, a game application on a user computing device may construct and / or render a virtual structure.

[0075] The computing system can obtain data describing the virtual structure layout. Additionally and / or alternatively, the computing system can obtain one or more virtual structure component resources. One or more virtual structure component resources can be associated with a virtual representation based at least in part on a physical building block. As an example, one or more virtual structure component resources can be associated with the same shape, size, type or other features as the corresponding physical building block. For example, in some cases, the virtual structure component resource can have an appearance similar to the appearance of the corresponding physical building block. In some embodiments, the virtual structure component resource can be a digital resource, such as, for example, a virtual model of a physical building block or a virtual model similar to a physical building block.

[0076] Based at least in part on the data describing the virtual structure layout, the assembly orientation, the theme, the one or more virtual structure component resources, and / or other data describing the block assembly, the computing system can construct a virtual structure corresponding to the block assembly. For example, the computing system can arrange the virtual structure component resources in a manner as shown in the virtual structure layout so that the layout of the virtual structure component resources in the virtual structure corresponds to the layout of the physical building blocks in the block assembly.

[0077] In some embodiments, aspects of the virtual structure layout and / or virtual structure can be generated programmatically. For example, properties of the virtual structure (such as texture or visual appearance) can be randomly selected or selected from a defined probability distribution (e.g., a probability distribution as a function of (one or more) properties of one or more corresponding physical blocks).

[0078] Turning now to the drawings, example aspects of the present disclosure will be discussed in detail. It should be understood that the various aspects depicted in the figures may be combined, modified, rearranged and / or omitted without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure.

[0079] Figure 1 A block diagram of an example system 100 for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on an arrangement of physical building blocks according to example aspects of the present disclosure is depicted. A user computing device 110 may be configured to run a game application 120. For example, the game application 120 may be pre-installed on the device, installed via an application distribution server or virtual store, downloaded from the Internet, etc. The user computing device 110 may be or may include any suitable computing device(s), such as, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a game console, a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone), a tablet computer, and / or any other suitable computing device(s).

[0080] The gaming application 120 may utilize components of the user computing device, such as the processor(s) 112, the computer-readable memory 114, the user input and / or output device(s) 116, and / or the communication system 118, to enable a user of the user computing device 110 to interact with the gaming environment of the gaming application 120. As examples, the user input and / or output device(s) 116 may include components for facilitating user control and / or interaction with the user computing device 110, such as, for example, a keyboard, a computer mouse, a display screen, a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch screen), an audio system (such as speakers, headphones, a subwoofer, etc.), a microphone, a game controller and / or components thereof (e.g., a joystick, button(s), a gyroscope, etc.), and / or any other suitable components.

[0081] The user computing device 110 can communicate with the server computing system 150 via a network 145. The network 145 can be or can include any suitable wired and / or wireless network and / or portion thereof, such as an IEEE 802.11 network, a Wi-Fi network, a LAN, an Ethernet network, etc. The server computing system 150 can be configured to run a server-side game console application 156 (e.g., via (one or more) processors 152 and / or a computer-readable memory 154). The server-side game console application 156 can facilitate the networking functions of the game application 120. Example networking functions can include, but are not limited to, player account management, authentication and synchronization, data management and synchronization, server-side local data backup, multi-player interaction (such as biological resource spanning, combat, migration, etc.), hosting and / or sharing player-constructed virtual structures, managing persistent online virtual worlds, etc., and / or any other suitable networking functions. For example, in some embodiments, players can construct virtual structures according to the example aspects of the present disclosure on the game application 120. The game application 120 can communicate with the server-side game console application 156. The game application 120 can share a constructed virtual structure and / or other game data with the host application 156, which can additionally and / or alternatively facilitate a gaming environment between multiple players on other user computing devices. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the game application 120 can be executed on the user computing device 110 without connecting to the server-side game host application 156.

[0082] Additionally and / or alternatively, the user computing device 110 can communicate with the seed building block 130 (e.g., via the communication system 118). The seed building block 130 can serve as the core of a larger block assembly of physical building blocks. According to example aspects of the present disclosure, the block assembly can be coupled to the seed building block 130. In this way, the seed building block 130 can communicate information related to the block assembly (e.g., the arrangement of the block, the type, etc.) to the user computing device 110 and / or the game application 120.

[0083] In particular, the seed building block 130 may include an internal computing module 132 to facilitate computing-related functions of the seed building block 130. The internal computing module 132 may include one or more processors 134 and / or a computer-readable memory 136. The computer-readable memory 136 may store data describing one or more block attributes 137. Block attributes may be or may include attributes of the seed building block 130, such as, for example, the subject matter of the seed building block 130, the size of the seed building block 130, etc. Additionally and / or alternatively, the internal computing module 132 may include a communication system 138 to facilitate communication with the user computing device 110, such as communication with the communication system 118 of the user computing device 110 and / or the game application 120. The seed building block 130 may communicate with the user computing device 110 via a connection 125. The connection 125 may be or may include any suitable wired and / or wireless connection suitable for facilitating data transmission. Examples of connection 125 include, but are not limited to, a Bluetooth connection, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection, a ZigBee connection, a Wi-Fi connection, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, a proprietary connection, etc. As an example, communication system(s) 118 and / or communication system 138 may be a BLE communication module configured to establish a BLE connection between seed building block 130 and user computing device 110.

[0084] Figure 2A An example physical block registration 200 is depicted according to example aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 2BA bottom view of a physical block 210 according to an example aspect of the present disclosure is depicted. The physical block 210 may include a near field communication (NFC) tag 212 disposed on and / or within the physical block 210. Additionally and / or alternatively, the physical block 210 may be printed, shaped, or otherwise designed to resemble a biological resource associated with the physical block 210. As an example, a computer-readable memory (e.g., an NFC tag 212) on or within the physical block 210 may store data describing a biological resource associated with the physical block 210. As another example, a computing system may identify and / or generate a biological resource associated with the physical block 210 based at least in part on the physical block 210 (such as an identifier based at least in part on the NFC tag 212 of the physical block 210). A player may purchase the physical block 210 and then connect the physical block 210 and / or the NFC tag 212 to an NFC reader 220. The NFC reader 220 may be a standalone NFC reader and / or incorporated into a larger computing system (e.g., a player's smartphone, a personal computer, etc.). When physical block 210 is connected with NFC reader 220, NFC reader 220 may read data from NFC tag 212. As an example, NFC reader 220 may read data such as an identifier of the NFC tag, one or more block attributes (e.g., biometric type, etc.), and / or any other suitable data.

[0085] After the player scans the physical block 210, the computing system coupled to the NFC reader 220 can perform various functions associated with the gaming application. As an example, the computing system can register a biometric resource associated with the physical block 210 with the player's account. For example, in some embodiments, the computing system can generate a biometric resource associated with data read from the NFC tag 212 of the physical block 210, such as a biometric resource associated with the NFC tag 212 and / or an identifier of the physical block 210. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the computing system can write data describing the biometric resource to the physical block 210.

[0086] As another example, the computing system can "cross" the physical block 210 with another physical block. For example, a player who meets other players face to face can "cross" two biological blocks. Crossing biological blocks can reward players for meeting in person, which can encourage players to carry biological blocks on their bodies and interact with other players. For example, by first scanning a first biological block (e.g., block 210) belonging to a player using an NFC scanner 220 (e.g., using an NFC scanner 220 on the player's own device), the player can cross biological blocks. Another player can scan a second biological block belonging to the other player. Then the players can exchange their biological blocks and each player can scan the biological blocks of other players. After successfully crossing their biological blocks, players can be awarded experience points (XP) associated with the biological blocks that are crossed, experience points associated with the player's account, consumables, virtual currency and / or other rewards. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, players can be awarded new biological blocks. New biological blocks can be "bred" from biological blocks associated with the biological blocks that are crossed. For example, the genetic characteristics of biological blocks associated with the biological blocks that are crossed can be combined to produce new biological blocks with combined genetic characteristics. As an example, a bred creature has an appearance influenced by the appearance of its parent creature.

[0087] As another example, the computing system can migrate biological resources associated with physical blocks 210. Players who meet in person can migrate or trade two biological blocks to transfer the ownership of biological blocks from one player to another player. In order to migrate biological blocks, each player scans (e.g., using NFC reader 220) their original biological blocks and then exchanges their biological blocks with other players. Each player then scans their new biological blocks and retains the new biological blocks. After successfully migrating their biological blocks, the players can be granted new biological resources corresponding to the new biological blocks. In some embodiments, the players may lose ownership of the biological resources corresponding to their original biological blocks. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the players can retain ownership of the biological resources corresponding to their original biological blocks. In some embodiments, the players can be granted experience points (XP) about new biological resources and / or original biological resources.

[0088] As another example, the computing system can cause the biological resources associated with the physical block 210 to fight. Players can cause their creatures to fight. For example, players can deploy one or more creatures to fight each other. According to example aspects of the present disclosure, any suitable combat format can be used, such as real-time combat, turn-based combat, automatic (statistic-based) combat, or any other suitable combat format. The winner of the battle can be awarded experience points (XP), consumables, virtual currency, and / or any other suitable reward.

[0089] Figure 3 A block diagram of an example physical block assembly 300 is depicted according to an example aspect of the present disclosure. The block assembly 300 includes a seed building block 302 and one or more physical building blocks 320. For purposes of illustration, Figure 3 Two physical building blocks 320 are depicted in FIG. 2. It should be understood that any suitable number of physical building blocks 320 may be coupled to the seed building block 302 and / or other physical building blocks 320.

[0090] The seed building block 302 and / or each physical building block 320 can have one or more contact traces 318, 326 configured to electrically couple with contact traces 318, 326 of another physical building block 320 when the blocks are in contact. In some embodiments, the one or more contact traces can be at least partially located on an outwardly facing surface of the physical building block 320. For example, in some embodiments, the one or more contact traces 318, 326 can be or can include electrical terminals that are positioned to electrically communicate with another physical building block 320 (e.g., with contact traces 318, 326 of another physical building block) when the blocks 320 are in contact. As an example, when the blocks 320 are in contact, the contact traces 318, 326 can form a complete circuit and / or communicate with one or more processors, storage devices, etc. of the physical building block 320 so that a computing system (e.g., located within one or more physical building blocks 320) can determine that the blocks 320 are in contact and / or specific properties of the blocks 320. One or more internal electrical conduits (e.g., wires, circuit board traces, etc.) can electrically couple one or more contact traces 318, 326 to other (e.g., internal) components of the physical building block 320, such as, for example, internal computing modules 310, 322, other contact traces 318, 326 (e.g., on other sides of the physical building block 320), scanners, or other electronic components. For example, in some embodiments, a conductive path can be formed through some or all of the components of the physical building block 320 via the contact traces 318, 326 and / or the internal electrical conduits. As another example, in some embodiments, the internal computing modules 310, 322 can communicate via wireless communication (e.g., via a BLE module).

[0091] Additionally and / or alternatively, the seed building block 302 and / or each physical building block 320 can have one or more coupling systems 319, 327 that are configured to couple (e.g., secure) a first physical building block to a second physical building block. Example coupling systems 319, 327 include, but are not limited to, magnetic coupling systems (e.g., including one or more magnets), latches, snaps, pins and holes, fit-together coupling systems, and / or any other suitable coupling systems and / or combinations thereof. For example, a user can place the coupling system of a first physical building block in contact with and / or proximity to the coupling system of a second physical building block. In some embodiments, a user can apply a force to the coupling system 319, 327 so that the coupling system 319, 327 couples the first physical building block to the second physical building block. For example, a user can "snap" a first physical building block and a second physical building block together. As an example, as Figure 3 As depicted, coupling system 319 couples seed building block 302 to coupling system 327 of physical building block 320 .

[0092] The seed building block 302 can act as the core of the virtual structure. At least one seed building block 302 can provide the "brain" of the block assembly 300. The seed building block 302 can include an internal computing module 310. The internal computing module 310 can include components for facilitating the electronic properties of the block assembly 300. The internal computing module 310 can include, for example, one or more processors 311. The (one or more) processors 311 can be configured to perform operations for communicating with a game application, operations for determining the virtual structure layout of the block assembly 300, and / or other suitable operations.

[0093] Additionally and / or alternatively, the internal computing module 310 may include a communication system 312 to facilitate communication with a user computing device and / or a gaming application. The communication system 312 may be configured to communicate with a gaming application on a player computing system such as a gaming console, a personal computer, a virtual reality (VR) system, a tablet computing system, a smartphone, and / or any other suitable computing system. The communication system 312 may be wired and / or wireless. As an example, the communication system 312 may be or may include a low power Bluetooth (BLE) system. As another example, the communication system 312 may be or may include a universal serial bus (USB) connector and / or adapter.

[0094] In some embodiments, the seed building block 302 may include a power system 313. In some embodiments, the power system 313 may include one or more batteries. The one or more batteries may be disposable batteries and / or rechargeable batteries. For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block 302 may include one or more rechargeable batteries 313 and / or a charging port. The charging port may be coupled to the rechargeable battery 313 and / or may power the battery 313. In some embodiments, the charging port may be a universal serial bus (USB) port, such as a USB type A port, a Micro USB port, a USB type C port, etc. In some embodiments, the charging port may additionally be used for wired communication with a computing system (e.g., as at least a part of the communication system 312). Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the power system 313 may include one or more capacitors. In some embodiments, the power system 313 may be wirelessly charged.

[0095] In some embodiments, the seed building block 302 can be turned off when not in use to save power. For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block 302 can include an accelerometer 316 or other device to wake up the seed building block 302 after being turned off. As an example, the internal computing module 310 of the seed building block 302 can be configured to perform an operation that includes determining that the seed building block 302 has not moved during the sleep duration based at least in part on one or more signals from the accelerometer 316. For example, the seed building block 302 can be configured to shut down after the sleep duration has passed without being moved. The sleep duration can be any suitable duration, such as a time, a clock cycle, etc. The operation can include: in response to determining that the seed building block 302 has not moved during the sleep duration, putting the internal computing module 310 of the seed building block 302 into sleep. For example, the internal computing module 310 can be placed in a low-power "sleep" state, such as a state with limited computing activity. The operation can include: in response to one or more signals from the accelerometer 316, waking up the seed building block 302 from sleep. For example, when one or more signals from the accelerometer 316 indicate that the seed building block 302 has moved, the block may return to normal computation mode.

[0096] Additionally and / or alternatively, the internal computing module 310 may include a computer-readable memory 314. The memory 314 may store data describing a theme 315 associated with the seed building block 302. For example, the theme 315 may be associated with a particular environment (e.g., a forest, a desert, space, a city, etc.), a particular intellectual property, a particular element, a particular architectural style, etc. The theme 315 may control the appearance of a virtual structure built from the block assembly 300 using the seed building block 302. For example, if a player builds a structure using a forest-themed seed building block 302, the virtual structure (including other building blocks) may be rendered with a forest theme in which textures, models, resources, etc. may resemble or depict a forest. The properties of other building blocks (e.g., shape, size, type, etc.) may control the arrangement of the virtual structure, while the theme 315 may control the aesthetic appearance of the virtual structure, the textures used to render the virtual structure, the music and / or sound effects played near the virtual structure, the characters or environmental effects that appear around the virtual structure, and / or other aesthetic effects of the virtual structure.

[0097] The physical building block 320 can be relatively simple, including fewer electronic components than the seed building block 302. Therefore, the seed building block 302 can be a smarter block, which in some cases can reduce the cost of other physical building blocks 320. For example, in some embodiments, the physical building block 320 can have a relatively simple and / or cost-effective internal computing module 322. For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block 302 can include a more advanced internal computing module 310 than some other physical building blocks. The internal computing module 322 can include a computer-readable memory 324. The computer-readable memory can store data describing one or more attributes of the physical building block 320. For example, the computer-readable memory 324 can be coupled to one or more contact traces 326 so that the memory 324 can be read from the one or more contact traces 326. At least some of the attributes can be related to the physical appearance of the physical building block 320. For example, the attributes can include the size, shape, color, style, etc. of the physical building block 320.

[0098] Figure 4A A block diagram of an example physical block assembly 400 according to example aspects of the present disclosure is depicted. The block assembly 400 may include a plurality of physical building blocks 402. One or more physical building blocks 402 may be seed building blocks. Each block 402 may include a respective internal computing module 404. The internal computing module 404 may be or may include at least one computer-readable memory storing block properties. The internal computing module 404 may be coupled to an internal computing module of an adjacent block 402 via a contact trace 406.

[0099] For example, coupling a first physical building block 402 to a second physical building block 402 can enable at least some of the one or more contact traces 406 of the first physical building block 402 to communicate with one or more contact traces 406 of the second physical building block 402. For example, in some embodiments, when one or more coupling systems are coupled, at least a portion of the contact traces 406 of the first physical building block 402 can be aligned with at least a portion of the contact traces 406 of the second physical building block 402. Other contact traces 406 on the first physical building block and / or the second physical building block 402 can also be placed in contact with additional physical building blocks 402. Thus, in some embodiments, a conductive path can be formed through some or all of the components of the physical building block 402 via the contact traces 406. The conductive path can enable an internal computing module 404 of a physical building block 402 (e.g., a seed building block) to identify the physical building block 402 connected to the contact traces, thereby determining how the components of the physical building block 402 are oriented. Thus, block assembly 400 may be formed from multiple physical building blocks 402 , and a virtual structure similar to block assembly 400 may be constructed.

[0100] Figure 4B A block diagram 4000 of an example construction of a virtual structure 4030 based at least in part on a block assembly 4010 according to an example aspect of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown, the block assembly 4010 may include one or more physical building blocks 4012 and / or a seed building block 4014. A user computing device 4020 may run a game application configured to communicate with the seed building block 4014. The seed building block 4014 and / or the game application may determine the arrangement and / or orientation of the block assembly 4014 according to an example aspect of the present disclosure. Then, the user computing device 4020 may construct a virtual structure 4032 similar to the block assembly 4010. In some embodiments, an input system 4022 may be provided for a player to interact with the virtual structure 4032. The input system 4022 may enable a player to control an avatar to navigate the virtual structure 4032, deploy creatures within the virtual structure 4032, modify the virtual structure 4032, and / or any of various game functions. For example, a player may interact with a virtual structure constructed by other players in a persistent virtual environment. Additionally and / or alternatively, players can deconstruct assemblies of physical building blocks without affecting the virtual structure. For example, players can disassemble block assemblies so that players can build additional structures with their physical building blocks. In some embodiments, players can publish new virtual structures, such as by overwriting old virtual structures.

[0101] Figure 5A Depicted is a perspective view of an example physical building block 510 according to example aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 5BDepicted is a top view of an example physical building block 510 according to example aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 5A Depicted is one example embodiment of a physical building block 510. It should be appreciated that other physical building blocks may be employed in accordance with example aspects of the present disclosure.

[0102] The physical building block 510 includes a coupling system configured to couple one physical building block 510 to another physical building block. The coupling system includes a cavity 512 on one surface of the physical building block 510, and a protrusion 516 is disposed on an opposite surface of the cavity 512. It should be understood that according to the present disclosure, the protrusion 516 can be disposed on a non-opposite surface of the cavity 512. The cavity 512 is configured to receive the protrusion 516 of another physical building block 510. Therefore, the cavity 512 and the protrusion 516 can be engaged to couple the physical building blocks 510 together in a secure manner. For example, Figure 5C A block assembly 520 is depicted including a first physical building block 522 joined to a second physical building block 524 .

[0103] In some embodiments, the cavity 512 and / or the protrusion 516 can include a magnet 514. When the protrusion 516 of the second block 524 is inserted into the cavity 512 of the first block 522, the magnet 514 of the first physical building block 522 can be configured to engage the magnet 514 of the second physical building block 524 and / or other magnetic surface (e.g., a piece of metal). The magnet 514 can be used to strengthen the coupling of the block 510. Additionally and / or alternatively, the magnet 514 can be a contact terminal. In some embodiments, the magnet 514 can be painted the same color as the housing of the physical building block 510.

[0104] Fig. 6A Example tiles 610, 620, 630 are depicted according to example aspects of the present disclosure. Tiles 610, 620, 630 may be seed building blocks. Tiles 610, 620, 630 may be configured to receive one or more bricks, such as block 510 of FIG. 5 . For example, each tile 610, 620, 630 may include one or more surface contact traces 602 configured to receive a brick. Surface contact traces 602 may be disposed on a top surface of the tile 610, 620, 630. For example, Figure 6B Depicted is a top-down view of a tile according to example aspects of the present disclosure.

[0105] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5BThe block 510 depicted in can be a 1×1 brick configured to occupy one surface contact trace 602. Tile 610 can be a 3×3 tile that provides 3 units×3 units of space for receiving bricks. For example, tile 610 can have a total of nine surface contact traces 602. Similarly, tile 620 can be a 6×6 tile with 36 surface contact traces 602 and / or tile 630 can be a 12×12 tile with 144 surface contact traces 602. Tile sizes of other sizes can be used according to example aspects of the present disclosure. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, each space of tiles 610, 620, 630 can have a cavity in place of a surface contact trace 602.

[0106] Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the tiles 610, 620, 630 may include one or more tile coupling contact traces 604. The tile coupling contact traces 604 may be disposed on the sides of the tiles 610, 620, 630. The tile coupling contact traces may enable a player to couple two or more tiles 610, 620, 630 together to form a continuous building surface, thereby facilitating the player to expand the building surface. For example, a player may couple two 6×6 tiles 620 together to produce a total area of ​​12×6 units. In some embodiments, the surface contact traces 602 and / or the tile coupling contact traces 604 may be or may include magnets.

[0107] FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B Depicted are front and rear perspective views of an example block assembly 700 according to example aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B As depicted, block assembly 700 includes a block 702 and a plurality of physical building blocks (e.g., blocks 704 to 710) arranged in different locations. The figure shows the process of physical building block 708 being placed on block 710. Physical building block 712 is fixed in place by adjacent blocks 714 and 716 (e.g., using magnets or other coupling mechanisms). In some embodiments, as shown, block 702 can be physically divided into grid squares or other division units. The grid squares can be designated with specific names or locations, such as starting with A1 and following the following naming convention: row = letter, column = number.

[0108] Figure 7C An exploded view of an example tile 702 according to example aspects of the present disclosure is depicted. The example tile 702 includes an upper pad housing 732, a grid printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 734, a power source (e.g., a battery pack) 736, a communication unit PCBA 738, and an underpad housing 739. For example, the communication unit PCBA 738 can communicate according to a variety of different communication technologies, including radio-based communication technologies such as Bluetooth.

[0109] Fig.7D Depicted is an exploded view of an example physical building block 714 according to an example aspect of the present disclosure. The physical building block 714 may include a plurality of fixed contacts 742 arranged in a block upper housing 744. For example, the fixed contacts 742 may be co-molded with the block upper housing 744. As an example, the block upper housing 744 may be made of ABS plastic. The physical building block 714 may also include a block PCBA 743. In one example, an interference fit may be used to fix the block PCBA 743. The block PCBA 743 may include or have two (or other numbers) of physical sensors 748 located thereon, such as, for example, directional resistors. The physical building block 714 may include a plurality of flexible contacts 750 and a block lower housing 752. For example, the flexible contacts 750 may be co-molded with the block lower housing 752. As an example, the block lower housing 752 may be made of ABS plastic. In some embodiments, one or more magnets (not shown) may be embedded in the block upper housing 744 and / or the block lower housing 752.

[0110] Fig. 7E An exploded view of an example physical building block housing 760 according to example aspects of the present disclosure is depicted. The block housing 760 may include an upper housing 762 and a lower housing 772. In some embodiments, one or more magnets (not shown) may be embedded in the upper housing 762 and / or the lower housing 772. The block housing 760 has a Fig.7D The example physical building blocks 714 shown in FIG. 7 are of different sizes. Accordingly, the connection sizes and orientations may vary accordingly.

[0111] Common Reference 7A to 7E , in some embodiments, the system may operate as follows: Tile 702 may set all grid points to disable block communication by activating the "EN" pin. Next, each grid point will monitor the "Block Detect" pin and the "Orientation" pin. For example, the "Block Detect" pin may receive a 3V voltage that may be detected when a physical building block is added. In some embodiments, once a block is detected, the grid point will disable the "EN" pin.

[0112] Some or all of the physical building blocks may have a block application running on the physical building block. Once the block application is running, it will enable the "EN" pin for the above blocks by default. If no blocks are detected, the physical building block may send a single data packet to the drawing block 702. The data packet may provide various information such as type, thickness, undetected blocks, etc. If a block is detected, the physical building block may send a single data packet to the drawing block 702. The data packet may provide various information such as type, thickness, detected blocks, orientation of detected blocks, etc. Once the data packet is transmitted, the physical building block will sleep. This process continues for each consecutive block placed on each grid point. In some embodiments, the orientation of the first block is detected by the drawing block 702, and the orientation of each additional block added is reported by the following block.

[0113] Fig. 8A A top-down view of an example block assembly 800 according to example aspects of the present disclosure is depicted. The block assembly 800 includes a first block 810 and a second block 820. The first block 810 is coupled to the second block 820. The block assembly 800 includes a physical building block 815 stacked on the blocks 810, 820. Additionally, the block assembly 800 includes a biological block 830 disposed on the physical building block 815.

[0114] Figure 8B A perspective view of an example block assembly 800 is depicted according to example aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 8B As shown, a player can construct a block assembly 800 that resembles a scene, level, or area of ​​a game environment. For example, physical building blocks 815 can be stacked in layers to transform the area and give the virtual environment shape and / or height changes. As shown, the block assembly 800 has a first layer 850, a second layer 860, and a third layer 870. Additionally and / or alternatively, the player can position a creature resource in a specific area of ​​the virtual environment corresponding to the location of a creature block 830.

[0115] Fig.9A A block assembly 900 is depicted according to example aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 9B Depicted are examples of Fig.9A The block components 900 construct an example virtual environment 950. For example, Fig.9A and Fig. 9B It is illustrated how block attributes such as color can correspond to aspects of a virtual environment. As an example, blocks on a single high level of block assembly 900 may be blue and may correspond to water, making the area an island. Different colored blocks may also represent different types of ground or rock, such as, for example, dirt, grass, and volcanic rock. Creature blocks may also be placed around tiles to place corresponding creature resources in the virtual structure.

[0116] Fig.10 A flow chart of an example method 1000 for transferring data from a seed building block is depicted according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.10 The steps are depicted in a specific order for the purpose of illustration and discussion, but the method of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific illustrated order or arrangement. The various steps of method 1000 can be omitted, rearranged, combined and / or adjusted in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0117] Method 1000 may include, at 1010, determining data describing a virtual structural layout based at least in part on communication between one or more contact traces of a seed building block and one or more contact traces of one or more physical building blocks. The virtual structural layout may describe at least one of a relative positioning, orientation, or one or more properties of one or more physical building blocks. For example, an internal computing module of a seed building block may communicate with an internal computing module (e.g., a computer readable memory) of a physical building block via one or more contact traces. The internal computing module may read block properties and / or determine an arrangement of physical building blocks coupled to the seed building block in a block assembly.

[0118] The virtual structure layout may be or may include data describing the arrangement of the seed building block and one or more physical building blocks. For example, the virtual structure layout may be a schematic diagram or arrangement of a virtual structure to be rendered by a gaming application. The virtual structure layout may describe at least one of the relative positioning, orientation, or one or more attributes of the components of the physical building blocks. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the virtual structure layout may include data indicating the subject matter of the seed building block.

[0119] In some embodiments, the computing system can be configured to determine the assembly orientation of the block components of the physical building blocks. For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block (e.g., the internal computing module of the seed building block) can determine the assembly orientation of the block components. The assembly orientation of the block components can be used to determine the orientation of the virtual structure layout. For example, the assembly orientation can be defined relative to a "ground" plane, a coordinate grid (e.g., a three-dimensional coordinate grid), and / or any other suitable reference. The virtual structure can then be oriented so that the reference direction of the assembly direction corresponds to the direction of the virtual ground or other suitable virtual reference.

[0120] Method 1000 may include, at 1012, transmitting data describing the layout of the virtual structure to a user computing device. The user computing device may be configured to construct the virtual structure based at least in part on the data describing the layout of the virtual structure. As an example, an internal computing module of a seed building block may transmit the data describing the layout of the virtual structure to a game application on the user computing device. The user computing device may be configured to construct the virtual structure based at least in part on the data describing the layout of the virtual structure. For example, a game application on the user computing device may build and / or render the virtual structure.

[0121] In some embodiments, method 1000 may include, at 1014, passing data describing the theme of the virtual structure through a computing system. As an example, a seed building block (e.g., an internal computing module of a seed building block) may pass data describing the theme of the virtual structure to a game application. For example, in some embodiments, the data describing the theme of the virtual structure may be stored by a non-transitory computer-readable medium of a seed building block (e.g., an internal computing module of a seed building block). As another example, in some embodiments, the theme of the virtual structure may be determined based at least in part on one or more attributes of the seed building block (such as an identifier of the seed building block, a serial number of the seed building block, a model of the seed building block, etc.). Systems and methods according to example aspects of the present disclosure may include receiving data describing a theme associated with the virtual structure through a computing system (e.g., through a game application on a user computing device). The data describing the theme may be, for example, a theme identifier.

[0122] Fig.11 A flow chart of an example method 1100 for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on block components is depicted according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.11 The steps are depicted in a specific order for the purpose of illustration and discussion, but the method of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific illustrated order or arrangement. The various steps of method 1100 can be omitted, rearranged, combined and / or adjusted in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0123] The player can arrange one or more physical building blocks to form a block assembly of one or more physical building blocks. For example, the player can couple the coupling systems of each of the one or more physical building blocks together so that the physical building blocks are arranged into a block assembly. Additionally and / or alternatively, contact traces of (e.g., adjacent) physical building blocks in a block assembly can be placed in contact to form a conductive path that runs through at least a portion of the block assembly. The block assembly can include at least one seed building block. Additionally and / or alternatively, a block in a block assembly is placed to wirelessly communicate with another block.

[0124] Method 1100 may include, at 1102, receiving, by a computing system (e.g., by a game application on a user computing device), data describing a theme associated with a virtual structure. The data describing the theme may be, for example, a theme identifier. As an example, a seed building block (e.g., an internal computing module of a seed building block) may pass data describing the theme of the virtual structure to the game application. For example, in some embodiments, the data describing the theme of the virtual structure may be stored by a non-transitory computer-readable medium of a seed building block (e.g., an internal computing module of a seed building block). As another example, in some embodiments, the theme of the virtual structure may be determined based at least in part on one or more attributes of a seed building block (such as an identifier of the seed building block, a serial number of the seed building block, a model of the seed building block, etc.).

[0125] Method 1100 may include, at 1104, obtaining, by a computing system (e.g., by a gaming application on a user computing device), data indicating an orientation of a virtual structure. For example, in some embodiments, the computing system may be configured to determine an assembly orientation of a block assembly of a physical building block. For example, in some embodiments, a seed building block (e.g., an internal computing module of a seed building block) may determine an assembly orientation of a block assembly. The assembly orientation of a block assembly may be used to determine an orientation of a virtual structure. For example, the assembly orientation may be defined relative to a "ground" plane, a coordinate grid (e.g., a three-dimensional coordinate grid), and / or any other suitable reference. The virtual structure may then be oriented so that a reference direction of the assembly orientation corresponds to a direction of a virtual ground or other suitable virtual reference.

[0126] For example, in some embodiments, the seed building block can be a tile having a length and a width. The orientation of the virtual structure can be defined so that the tile acts as a ground plane (e.g., the length and width are in the direction of the ground plane). As another example, in some embodiments, the seed building block and / or another physical building block can include an orientation module. The orientation module can be or can include any suitable device for determining the orientation of the seed building block and / or (one or more) other physical building blocks, such as, for example, a gyroscope. The orientation module can determine how the component is oriented relative to a reference (such as, for example, the earth's gravity).

[0127] The method 1100 may include, at 1106, obtaining data describing a virtual structure layout based at least in part on the block components. The virtual structure layout may be or may include data describing the arrangement of the seed building block and one or more physical building blocks. For example, the virtual structure layout may be a schematic diagram or arrangement of a virtual structure to be rendered by a gaming application. The virtual structure layout may describe at least one of the relative positioning, orientation, or one or more properties of the components of the physical building blocks. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the virtual structure layout may include data indicating the theme of the seed building block.

[0128] Systems and methods according to example aspects of the present disclosure may be configured to pass data describing a layout of a virtual structure to a user computing device. As an example, an internal computing module of a seed building block may pass data describing a layout of a virtual structure to a game application on a user computing device. The user computing device may be configured to construct a virtual structure based at least in part on the data describing the layout of the virtual structure. For example, a game application on a user computing device may construct and / or render a virtual structure.

[0129] Method 1100 may include, at 1108, obtaining one or more virtual structural component resources. One or more virtual structural component resources may be associated with a virtual representation based at least in part on a physical building block. For example, in some cases, one or more virtual structural component resources may correspond to a physical building block in a virtual structural layout. As an example, one or more virtual structural component resources may be associated with the same shape, size, type or other features as a corresponding physical building block. For example, a virtual structural component resource may have an appearance similar to the appearance of a corresponding physical building block. In some embodiments, a virtual structural component resource may be a digital resource, such as, for example, a virtual model of a physical building block or a virtual model similar to a physical building block.

[0130] The method 1100 may include, at 1110, constructing a virtual structure. Based at least in part on data describing a virtual structure layout, an assembly orientation, a theme, one or more virtual structure component resources, and / or other data describing a block assembly, the computing system may construct a virtual structure corresponding to the block assembly. For example, the computing system may arrange the virtual structure component resources in a manner as shown in the virtual structure layout, such that the layout of the virtual structure component resources in the virtual structure corresponds to the layout of the physical building blocks in the block assembly.

[0131] Although the subject matter has been described in detail in conjunction with its various specific example embodiments, each example is provided only by way of explanation, not limitation of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art, after gaining an understanding of the foregoing, can easily make changes, variations, and equivalents to these embodiments. Therefore, the subject disclosure does not exclude the inclusion of such modifications, variations, and / or additions to the subject matter that are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, a feature illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used together with another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover such changes, variations, and equivalents.

Claims

1. A system for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on an arrangement of a plurality of physical building blocks, the system comprising: one or more processors; as well as One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: obtaining data describing a relative position of each physical building block in a plurality of physical building blocks relative to other physical building blocks; determining data describing a virtual fabric layout for the virtual fabric based at least in part on a relative position of each physical building block in the plurality of physical building blocks relative to other physical building blocks; and A virtual structure having the virtual structure layout is generated.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The system is comprised of a user computing device or a server computing device including the one or more processors and the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein: Each of the physical building blocks comprises: one or more contact traces; and an internal computing module, the internal computing module comprising a computer readable memory configured to store one or more block attributes of the physical building block; For each physical building block, at least one of the one or more contact traces is in physical contact with at least one of the one or more contact traces of at least one other physical building block; and Acquiring data describing the relative position of each of a plurality of physical building blocks relative to other physical building blocks includes acquiring data generated by each of the plurality of physical building blocks via respective communications via at least one contact trace to at least one other physical building block.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the plurality of physical building blocks includes a seed building block configured to aggregate communications from the plurality of building blocks to generate the data describing a relative position of each physical building block with respect to other physical building blocks in the plurality of physical building blocks.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the plurality of physical building blocks comprises a graph building block.

6. A system for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on an arrangement of physical building blocks, the system comprising: One or more physical building blocks, each of the one or more physical building blocks comprising: one or more contact traces; and an internal computing module, the internal computing module comprising a computer readable memory configured to store one or more block attributes of the physical building block; A seed building block comprising one or more contact traces and an internal computation module comprising: a communication system configured to facilitate communications with one or more external computing devices; an orientation module configured to determine an orientation of at least the seed building block; one or more processors; and One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: determining data describing a virtual structural layout based at least in part on the communication between the one or more contact traces of the seed building block and the one or more contact traces of the one or more physical building blocks, the virtual structural layout describing at least one of a relative positioning, orientation, or one or more block attributes of the one or more physical building blocks; and The data describing the virtual structure layout is communicated to the one or more external computing devices via the communication system, and the one or more external computing devices are configured to construct a virtual structure based at least in part on the data describing the virtual structure layout.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of the seed building block are further configured to store data describing the subject matter of the seed building block, and wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the data describing the subject matter of the seed building block to a user computing device.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The internal computation module of the seed building block further includes an orientation module configured to determine an orientation of the one or more physical building blocks.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The one or more attributes of the physical building block include at least one of a shape, a size, or a type of the physical building block.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The communication system includes a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) system.

11. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The internal computing module of the seed building block further includes an accelerometer, and wherein the operations further include: determining, based at least in part on one or more signals from the accelerometer, that the seed building block has not moved during a dormancy duration; In response to determining that the seed building block has not moved within the sleep duration, putting an internal computing module of the seed building block into sleep; and The seed building block is awakened from sleep in response to one or more signals from the accelerometer.

12. The system according to claim 6, wherein: Each of the one or more physical building blocks also includes a coupling system.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein: The coupling system comprises a magnetic coupling system.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein: The coupling system includes a protrusion and a cavity.

15. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The seed building block comprises a tile having a length and a width defining a grid area.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein: The length and width of the tile are based at least in part on a unit dimension, and wherein the one or more physical building blocks have at least one dimension based at least in part on the unit dimension.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein: The tile includes one or more surface contact traces configured to receive one or more physical building blocks.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein: The tile includes one or more tile coupling contact traces configured to couple the tile to a second tile.

19. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The system also includes one or more bio-masses associated with the biological resource.

20. A method for constructing a virtual structure based at least in part on a block assembly, the method comprising: Acquiring, by a computing system including one or more computing devices, data describing a subject matter associated with the virtual structure; acquiring, by the computing system, data indicative of the orientation of the virtual structure; acquiring, by the computing system, data describing a virtual structural layout based at least in part on a block assembly, the block assembly comprising one or more physical building blocks; acquiring, by the computing system, one or more virtual component resources corresponding to one or more physical building blocks of the block assembly; as well as A virtual structure is constructed, by the computing system, based at least in part on the virtual structure layout, the one or more virtual component resources, the theme, and the orientation of the virtual structure.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The data indicative of the orientation of the virtual structure is defined relative to a length and a width of a tile of the tile assembly.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The virtual fabric layout includes one or more block attributes of the one or more physical building blocks, wherein data describing the one or more block attributes are stored in a computer-readable memory of the one or more physical building blocks.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein: Each of the one or more physical building blocks includes one or more contact traces and an internal computing module including a computer readable memory.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing one or more input systems to facilitate player interaction with the virtual structure.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising rendering the virtual structure via the computing system.

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