Virtual pet interaction method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses an interaction method and device for a virtual pet, and the main technical scheme comprises the steps: responding to an operation for triggering the establishment of the virtual pet, requesting the establishment of the virtual pet, enabling the virtual pet to correspond to at least one interaction task, and enabling the virtual pet to correspond to at least two users; processing the interaction task through a message session interface, wherein the message session interface comprises at least two users; and displaying the updated state of the virtual pet in response to the condition that the processes of processing the interaction task by the at least two users meet the state updating condition of the virtual pet. According to the mode, the richness of the interaction content required for updating the virtual pet state can be improved, the flexibility is higher, the user does not need to wait for a fixed time length, and then the user experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of Internet application technology, and in particular to an interactive method and device for a virtual pet. Background Technology

[0002] Virtual pets are virtual life forms that exist in digital form, providing users with emotional companionship and interactive experiences. They can exist in electronic devices, software applications, games, or metaverse scenarios. Their core characteristic is "interactivity"—users interact with them through certain actions, and the pets exhibit different states. However, currently, the state changes of virtual pets are mainly time-driven; for example, a virtual pet egg can hatch into a virtual pet after three days. But this method is rather rigid, which may lead to long waiting times and a poor user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides an interactive method and device for virtual pets to improve the flexibility of driving changes in the state of virtual pets and enhance the user experience.

[0004] This application provides the following solution:

[0005] According to the first aspect, a method for interacting with a virtual pet is provided, applied to a user terminal, the method comprising:

[0006] In response to triggering the operation of creating a virtual pet, a request is made to create the virtual pet, wherein the virtual pet corresponds to at least one interactive task and to at least two users;

[0007] The interactive task is handled through a messaging session interface, which includes the at least two users.

[0008] In response to the at least two users' processing of the interactive task satisfying the virtual pet's status update condition, the updated status of the virtual pet is displayed.

[0009] According to one achievable method in an embodiment of this application, processing the interactive task through a message session interface includes:

[0010] In response to the operation of triggering virtual pet management, a virtual pet management interface is displayed, the virtual pet management interface including information of the at least one interactive task corresponding to the virtual pet and the corresponding execution component;

[0011] In response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the interactive task, the interactive task is processed through the message session interface.

[0012] According to one achievable method in an embodiment of this application, the at least one interactive task includes: a message interaction task between the at least two users;

[0013] The execution component that responds to triggering the interaction task processes the interaction task through a message session interface, including:

[0014] In response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the message interaction task, the message session interface is displayed;

[0015] Messages are sent through the message session interface, wherein the message interaction task is completed if the messages sent by the at least two users through the message session interface meet a first condition.

[0016] According to one achievable method in an embodiment of this application, the at least one interactive task includes: a multimedia file transfer task;

[0017] The execution component that responds to triggering the interaction task processes the interaction task through a message session interface, including:

[0018] In response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the multimedia file transfer task, the message session interface is displayed, which displays multiple candidate multimedia files;

[0019] In response to an operation triggered by one of the candidate multimedia files, the selected candidate multimedia file is sent through the message session interface;

[0020] If the multimedia files sent by the at least two users in the message session interface meet the second condition, the multimedia file transfer task is completed.

[0021] According to one achievable method in an embodiment of this application, the at least one interactive task includes: an online multimedia file sharing task;

[0022] The execution component that responds to triggering the interaction task processes the interaction task through a message session interface, including:

[0023] In response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the online multimedia file sharing task, a playback page for the candidate multimedia file is displayed;

[0024] In response to the sharing component of the playback page being triggered, the message conversation interface is displayed and the multimedia file currently playing on the playback page is shared through the message conversation interface;

[0025] If the multimedia file shared through the message session interface meets the third condition, the online multimedia file sharing task is completed.

[0026] According to one achievable method in the embodiments of this application, the virtual pet management interface further includes a progress component corresponding to each of the at least one interactive task, the progress component being obtained based on the processing progress of the corresponding interactive task.

[0027] According to one achievable method in an embodiment of this application, processing the interactive task through a message session interface includes:

[0028] In response to detecting that the type of interaction operation of the at least two users on the message session interface matches the interaction task, a first prompt message and / or the progress information of the interaction task are displayed on the message session interface. The progress information is updated based on the interaction operation. The first prompt message is used to indicate that the type of interaction operation matches the interaction task.

[0029] According to one achievable method in the embodiments of this application, the method further includes:

[0030] During the display of the message conversation interface, if no interaction operation type of the at least two users on the message conversation interface is detected to match the interaction task for a preset time period, a second prompt message is displayed on the message conversation interface. The second prompt message is used to prompt the content of the interaction task.

[0031] According to one achievable method in the embodiments of this application, a floating component is displayed on the message conversation interface, and the style of the floating component corresponds to the state of the virtual pet;

[0032] The floating component displays the progress information of the interactive task, and the progress information is updated as the interactive task progresses.

[0033] According to the second aspect, an interactive device for a virtual pet is provided, set on a user terminal, the device comprising:

[0034] A pet creation unit is configured to request the creation of a virtual pet in response to an operation that triggers the creation of a virtual pet, wherein the virtual pet corresponds to at least one interactive task and to at least two users;

[0035] A task processing unit is configured to process the interactive task through a message session interface, the message session interface including the at least two users;

[0036] The status display unit is configured to display the updated status of the virtual pet in response to the at least two users' processes of handling the interactive task meeting preset process conditions.

[0037] According to a third aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described in any one of the first aspects above.

[0038] According to the fourth aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising:

[0039] One or more processors; and

[0040] A memory associated with the one or more processors, the memory being used to store program instructions that, when read and executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps of the method described in any one of the first aspects above.

[0041] According to a fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0042] According to the specific embodiments provided in this application, the following technical effects are disclosed:

[0043] 1) Through this application, at least two users corresponding to a virtual pet can update the virtual pet's status by handling interactive tasks. In other words, for a single virtual pet, at least two users need to jointly complete an interactive task before the user's terminal can display the updated virtual pet's status. Compared to time-driven methods, this approach enriches the process of updating the virtual pet's status, offers greater flexibility, and eliminates the need for users to wait a fixed amount of time, thus improving the user experience.

[0044] 2) In this application, users can access the virtual pet management interface in multiple ways to manage their virtual pets. This approach lowers the barrier to entry, meets the interaction needs of different users, and thus improves the user experience.

[0045] 3) Interactive tasks can be message interaction tasks between at least two users. Users complete message interaction tasks by sending messages in the message conversation interface. This method of transforming message interaction tasks between users into virtual pet-driven tasks makes it easier for users to achieve common virtual pet status updates, improving user participation efficiency and user experience.

[0046] 4) Interactive tasks can be multimedia file transfer tasks. Users complete these tasks by sending multimedia files through the messaging interface. This method, which transforms multimedia file transfer tasks between users into virtual pet-driven tasks, makes it easier for users to update the status of their virtual pets together, improving the user experience. Furthermore, for multimedia file transfer tasks, the messaging interface can display multiple candidate multimedia files, allowing users to quickly select one or more and send them, thus improving task completion efficiency.

[0047] 5) Interactive tasks can be online multimedia file sharing tasks. Users complete these tasks by sharing multimedia files from the playback page within the message conversation interface. This method, which transforms user-to-user multimedia file sharing tasks into virtual pet-driven tasks, makes it easier for users to share virtual pet status updates, improving the user experience. Furthermore, the user-side response to the execution component triggering the online multimedia file sharing task can display a playback page for candidate multimedia files, allowing users to quickly select one or more candidate multimedia files and share them, thus improving task completion efficiency.

[0048] 6) Each interactive task has a corresponding progress component, which can display the processing progress of the corresponding interactive task to the user in real time. This instant feedback method increases user engagement and enhances user willingness to interact, thereby improving the user experience.

[0049] 7) If the type of interaction operation matches the interaction task during the use of the message conversation interface, it can also trigger the update of the interaction task. By displaying the first prompt information on the message conversation interface to indicate that the interaction operation type matches the interaction task, it can help users understand that the interaction operation has triggered the update of the interaction task, and make it easier for them to use the same interaction operation to accelerate the status update of the virtual pet. By displaying the progress information after the update of the interaction task on the message conversation interface, it can help users understand the impact of their interaction operation on the interaction task in real time.

[0050] 8) If, during the use of the message conversation interface, no interaction type matching the interaction task is detected for an extended period of time, a second prompt message can be displayed on the message conversation interface to indicate the content of the interaction task. This helps users understand the specific content of the interaction task in a timely manner and makes it easier for them to adopt interaction operations that match the interaction task to accelerate the status update of the virtual pet.

[0051] 9) Users can understand the status of the virtual pet in real time through the style of the floating component, which has a better visualization effect and enhances the immersion of the interaction process. The user can also display the progress information of the interactive task on the floating component to increase the frequency of user participation and improve the user experience.

[0052] Of course, any product implementing this application does not necessarily need to achieve all of the advantages described above at the same time. Attached Figure Description

[0053] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0054] Figure 1 This is a system architecture diagram applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0055] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the interaction method of a virtual pet provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a request to create a virtual pet, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the path for processing message interaction tasks provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the path for processing multimedia file transfer tasks provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the path for processing online multimedia file sharing tasks provided in this application embodiment;

[0060] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the path for processing friend assistance tasks provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the progress component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the levitation component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 10 A schematic block diagram of an interactive device for virtual pets provided in this application embodiment;

[0064] Figure 11 A schematic block diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0065] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0066] The terminology used in the embodiments of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in the embodiments of this invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0067] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0068] Depending on the context, the word "if" as used here can be interpreted as "when," "when," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, depending on the context, the phrase "if determination" or "if detection (of the stated condition or event)" can be interpreted as "when determination," "in response to determination," "when detection (of the stated condition or event)," or "in response to detection (of the stated condition or event)."

[0069] Some interactive technologies for virtual pets already exist, such as automatically updating the virtual pet's status after a preset time. While these time-driven methods can update the virtual pet's status, users must wait for a fixed period, resulting in a rigid experience and requiring improvement in user experience.

[0070] In view of this, this application provides a new approach. To facilitate understanding of this application, the system architecture on which this application is based will first be described. Figure 1 An exemplary system architecture that can be applied to embodiments of this application is shown, such as Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture may include: a client and a server.

[0071] The server side and the client side are the two main components of an application service. The server side uses a server as its primary hardware infrastructure and may include one or more software service modules. The server side and the client side form a collaborative front-end and back-end.

[0072] The client can be set on the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the client can be a local application, a mini-program, or a web application running through a browser on the terminal device.

[0073] Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, smart mobile terminals, wearable devices, PCs (Personal Computers), and smart home devices. Smart mobile devices can include devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and connected car terminals. Wearable devices can include devices such as smartwatches, smart glasses, smart bracelets, VR (Virtual Reality) devices, AR (Augmented Reality) devices, and mixed reality devices (devices that support both virtual and augmented reality). Smart home devices can include devices such as smart TVs and smart refrigerators with displays.

[0074] A server can be a single server, a server cluster consisting of multiple servers, or a cloud server. A cloud server, also known as a cloud computing server or cloud host, is a hosting product within the cloud computing service system, designed to address the shortcomings of traditional physical hosts and Virtual Private Servers (VPS) services, such as high management difficulty and weak service scalability.

[0075] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of client and server components shown is merely illustrative. Depending on implementation needs, there can be any number of client and server components.

[0076] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a virtual pet interaction method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method can be... Figure 1 The user-side execution in the system shown is as follows. Figure 2 As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0077] Step 201: In response to the operation of triggering the creation of a virtual pet, a request is made to create a virtual pet, the virtual pet corresponds to at least one interactive task, and the virtual pet corresponds to at least two users.

[0078] Step 202: Process interactive tasks through a message conversation interface, which includes at least two users.

[0079] Step 203: In response to the fact that the processes of at least two users handling interactive tasks satisfy the virtual pet's status update conditions, display the updated virtual pet's status.

[0080] As can be seen from the above process, through this application, at least two users can update the virtual pet's status by handling interactive tasks. In other words, for a single virtual pet, multiple users can participate in its development. After these users jointly complete the interactive task, the user's terminal can display the updated virtual pet's status. This approach enriches the process of updating the virtual pet's status, increases user engagement, and thus enhances the user experience.

[0081] The following describes in detail each step of the above process and the effects that can be further produced, with reference to the embodiments. It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" involved in this disclosure do not have limitations in terms of size, order, or quantity, but are only used to distinguish them in name. For example, "first condition" and "second condition" are used to distinguish between two conditions.

[0082] First, the above step 201, namely "in response to triggering the operation of creating a virtual pet, requesting to create a virtual pet", will be described in detail with reference to the embodiment.

[0083] In this embodiment, if at least two users in the message session interface do not have a common virtual pet, a virtual pet can be obtained first. The user client responds to the triggering of the virtual pet creation operation by requesting the creation of a virtual pet. Here, the virtual pet corresponds to at least one interactive task and to at least two users (i.e., the virtual pet is shared by at least two users in the message session interface). Virtual pets can also include multiple types. Before requesting the creation of a virtual pet, the user can choose the type of virtual pet they want to obtain, or the server can determine the type of virtual pet based on the user's level or activity level when it receives the user's request.

[0084] The message conversation interface includes at least two users who can be divided into two types: the inviting user and the invited user. Users can actively initiate invitations to create virtual pets as inviting users, or passively accept invitations from inviting users to create virtual pets as invited users.

[0085] Specifically, in response to the user's action of triggering the message conversation interface display, the inviting user's client displays a first notification message inviting the creation of a virtual pet in the inviting user's message conversation interface. Simultaneously, each invited user's client receives and displays the first notification message in their respective message conversation interface.

[0086] As one possible approach, the client of an invited user responds to the operation of triggering the first notification message by the invited user, assuming that the invited user agrees to create a virtual pet. If all invited users agree to create a virtual pet, the client of the inviting user can send a request to the server to create a virtual pet. The request includes the identification information of all users included in the message session interface. After receiving the request, the server successfully creates the virtual pet and establishes the correspondence between the virtual pet and each user included in the message session interface.

[0087] As another possible approach, in response to the invited user's triggering of the first notification message, assuming the invited user agrees to create a virtual pet, the invited user's client can send a request to the server to create a virtual pet. This request includes the invited user's identification information and the inviting user's identification information. After receiving requests from all invited users in the message session interface (i.e., all invited users agree to create a virtual pet), the server successfully creates the virtual pet and establishes a mapping between the virtual pet and each user included in the message session interface.

[0088] It should be noted that the second notification message can be displayed in the message conversation interface when each invited user agrees to create a virtual pet. In this case, the second notification message informs the invited user of their agreement to create a virtual pet. However, subsequent triggering actions can only be performed on the second notification message after the virtual pet has been successfully created (i.e., all invited users have agreed to create a virtual pet). Alternatively, the second notification message for each invited user can be displayed in the message conversation interface only after all invited users have agreed to create a virtual pet. In this case, the second notification message informs the user that the virtual pet has been successfully created.

[0089] Taking a messaging conversation interface involving two users as an example, such as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 (a) The user on the left side of the message conversation interface is the inviting user (i.e., user 1). When user 1 triggers the sending of the first notification message, a first notification message "Want to raise a pet with you" is generated on the message conversation interface. This first notification message may include a component displaying "Pending Acceptance". Figure 3 As shown in (b), the user on the right side of the message conversation interface is the invited user (i.e., user 2). If user 2 clicks the "Pending Acceptance" component, the "Pending Acceptance" component changes to "Accepted," indicating that both users agree to create a virtual pet, and the virtual pet is successfully created. At this time, the message conversation interface displays the second notification message "Congratulations on successfully adopting a pet."

[0090] The following describes step 202, namely "processing interactive tasks through a message conversation interface", in detail with reference to the embodiments.

[0091] Once the virtual pet is successfully created, the user client handles interactive tasks through a message session interface. This message session interface includes at least two users corresponding to the virtual pet. Generally, if the message session interface includes N users, where N is a positive integer not less than 2, the virtual pet is shared by all N users.

[0092] When handling interactive tasks through the message conversation interface, users can complete the interactive tasks directly in the message conversation interface as soon as they enter the interface, based on past experience or prompts.

[0093] Specifically, if the interaction task includes a message interaction task, the client can respond to the user's operation of the first message sending component to send a text message in the message conversation interface. If there is text information in the input box at this time, the text message corresponding to the text information is displayed in the message conversation interface. If the text message meets the first condition, the message interaction task in the interaction task is considered to be completed. The first condition may be such as all users in the message conversation interface have sent text messages, the number of text messages is not less than a first preset number, etc.

[0094] If the interactive task includes a multimedia file transfer task, the user terminal can respond to the user's operation of the second message sending component in the message conversation interface to send a multimedia file message. If a multimedia file has been selected in the multimedia file panel (the multimedia file in the multimedia file panel can be an offline file stored locally on the user terminal), the multimedia message corresponding to the selected multimedia file will be displayed in the message conversation interface. If the multimedia message meets the second condition, the multimedia file transfer task in the interactive task is considered to be completed. The second condition can be such as all users in the message conversation interface have sent multimedia messages, or the number of multimedia messages is not less than a second preset number, etc.

[0095] If the interactive task includes an online multimedia file sharing task, the client can respond to the user's operation of triggering the sharing component on the playback page used to play online multimedia files, display a message conversation interface, and share the sharing message corresponding to the currently playing online multimedia file on the playback page through the message conversation interface. If the sharing message meets a third condition, the online multimedia file sharing task in the interactive task is considered to be completed. The third condition may be such as all users included in the message conversation interface have sent sharing messages, or the number of sharing messages is not less than a third preset number, etc.

[0096] As a preferred implementation method, users can manage their virtual pets through a virtual pet management interface, which can be configured as follows: Figure 4As shown in (a), the interface includes information about the interactive tasks corresponding to the virtual pet and the corresponding execution components. The virtual pet management interface may also include a preset area displaying the virtual pet's status, such as... Figure 4 As shown in (a), the current state of the virtual pet is a virtual pet egg. In addition to interactive tasks, other task types that can trigger updates to the virtual pet's state can also be displayed, such as time-driven tasks. For example... Figure 4 As shown in (a), "A virtual pet can be hatched by chatting with each other for 3 consecutive days".

[0097] Furthermore, in response to the user's activation of the virtual pet management function, the virtual pet management interface is displayed. Then, in response to the activation of the execution component corresponding to one of the interactive tasks, the interactive task is processed through the message conversation interface.

[0098] The operations that trigger virtual pet management include at least one of the following: triggering an operation by displaying a second notification message on the message conversation interface, where the second notification message notifies the successful creation of the virtual pet; triggering an operation by displaying a floating component on the message conversation interface, where the floating component displays the status of the virtual pet (displayed after successful creation of the virtual pet); or triggering an operation by displaying a functional component on the message conversation interface, where the functional component triggers virtual pet management (before successful creation of the virtual pet, the functional component can be used to invite other users to create virtual pets). The second notification message, the floating component, and the functional component can be as follows: Figure 3 As shown in (b). Figure 3 (b) is merely one possible illustration. The second notification message, the floating component, and the functional component can also be placed in any other location, and their styles can also change accordingly. This application does not impose any specific restrictions.

[0099] In the embodiments of this application, interactive tasks can be uniformly managed using a virtual pet management interface, which includes one or more interactive tasks, and the types of interactive tasks are varied.

[0100] If the interaction task includes a message interaction task, the user terminal responds by triggering the execution component corresponding to the message interaction task and displays the message session interface. This message session interface can be displayed in window, half-screen, or full-screen format. Messages are sent through the message session interface. The message interaction task is completed if the messages sent by at least two users within the message session interface satisfy a first condition. The first condition can be, for example, that all users within the message session interface have sent messages, or that the number of messages sent is not less than a first preset number, etc. The process is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the user first clicks as follows Figure 4The execution component corresponding to the interactive task "Let's chat for 10 sentences today" in the virtual pet management interface shown in (a) is displayed as follows. Figure 4 The message conversation interface shown in (b) (displayed as a half-screen panel) is used by User 1 and User 2 to send messages to handle the interactive task. It should be noted that the messages sent mentioned above can refer to text messages, as well as other types of messages such as image messages and video messages.

[0101] If the interactive task includes a multimedia file transfer task, the user terminal responds by triggering the execution component corresponding to the multimedia file transfer task and displays a message session interface. This message session interface can be displayed in window, half-screen, or full-screen mode, and multiple candidate multimedia files are displayed. In response to the operation triggered by one of the candidate multimedia files, the selected candidate multimedia file is sent through the message session interface. The multimedia file transfer task is completed if the multimedia files sent by at least two users in the message session interface satisfy a second condition. The second condition can be, for example, that all users in the message session interface have sent multimedia messages, or that the number of multimedia messages is not less than a second preset number, etc. The process is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the user first clicks as follows Figure 5 The execution component corresponding to the interactive task "Today, both sides share one picture" in the virtual pet management interface shown in (a) is displayed as follows. Figure 5 The message conversation interface shown in (b) (displayed as a half-screen panel) displays five candidate multimedia files. Users can select one to send via the message conversation interface. Users 1 and 2 use this interface to send multimedia files to complete the interactive task. Of course, the user terminal can also respond to... Figure 5 (b) The action triggered by the "Album Component" displays other candidate multimedia files so that the user can select the multimedia file they want to send, or in response to... Figure 5 (b) The operation triggered by the “photo capture component” uses the camera component to capture and send the multimedia file captured in real time.

[0102] If the interactive task includes an online multimedia file sharing task, the client responds to the triggering of the execution component corresponding to the online multimedia file sharing task by displaying a playback page for candidate multimedia files. As one possible approach, in response to the triggering of the sharing component on the playback page, a message conversation interface is displayed, and the currently playing multimedia file is shared through this interface.

[0103] As another feasible approach, to save time and improve efficiency in completing tasks, the user client responds to the sharing component on the playback page by sharing the currently playing multimedia file through a message conversation interface. However, the message conversation interface is not displayed; instead, a notification message such as "Shared with XX user" or "Shared to XX group" is displayed on the playback page. The process is as follows... Figure 6 As shown, the user first clicks as follows Figure 6 The execution component corresponding to the interactive task "Share 5 videos with her today" in the virtual pet management interface shown in (a) is displayed as follows: Figure 6 The multimedia file playback page shown in (b) allows users to view and switch between playing multimedia files, for example, by swiping up or down. Users can share the currently playing multimedia file with other users using the sharing component on the playback page. Once the sharing component is triggered, a component that redirects to the message conversation interface is displayed, allowing the user to share the multimedia file with the corresponding user. After sharing, users can remain in the message conversation interface or return to the playback page and display a notification message such as "Shared with XX user." Figure 6 As shown in (c), the user handles this interactive task by sharing multimedia files through this messaging session interface.

[0104] If the multimedia file shared through the message conversation interface meets the third condition, the online multimedia file sharing task is completed. The third condition may be, for example, that all users included in the message conversation interface have shared multimedia files, or that the number of shared multimedia files is not less than a third preset number.

[0105] As another possible implementation, the interactive task may also include a friend assistance task, such as... Figure 7 As shown in (a), the user client responds to the execution component that triggers the friend assistance task, displaying user information (such as user avatar, user nickname, etc.) in the message conversation interface. Figure 7 As shown in (b). In response to triggering the help component corresponding to one of the users (i.e. Figure 7 The "Share" component shown in (b) can display, for example, Figure 7 In the interface shown in (c), the user clicks the "Send a Message" component, triggering a message conversation interface that displays the current user's message conversation with the selected user, allowing them to send an invitation message for assistance, such as... Figure 7 As shown in (d). In response to receiving positive feedback from the selected user regarding the invitation to help message, it is considered that a help message has been received. If the received help message meets the fourth condition, the friend help task is completed. For example, the fourth condition may be that the number of received help messages is not less than a fourth preset number.

[0106] When the user-side application triggers the corresponding component for a friend assistance task, in addition to displaying the user's information in the message conversation interface, it can also display the user's friend list, group chat list, or other users or group chats. For example, it can be categorized into three types: "Recently Chatted (i.e., other users or group chats the user has recently interacted with)," "Friends (i.e., users in the friend list)," and "Group Chats (group chats in the group chat list)." Each category can include user or group chat information. When the assistance component corresponding to one of the users or group chats is triggered, an invitation message for assistance is sent through the message conversation interface between the current user and the selected user on the user-side application.

[0107] It should be noted that the aforementioned message conversation interface can be the message interface of an instant messaging application, or the private message interface of the application service where the electronic pet is located, etc.

[0108] In addition, to facilitate users' quick access to the completion progress of each interactive task, the virtual pet management interface also includes progress components corresponding to each interactive task. These progress components are derived from the processing progress of the corresponding interactive task. For example, for a message interaction task, the first condition is that the number of messages jointly sent by the users in the message session interface is no less than 10, and currently 4 messages have been sent. Therefore, the progress component can be determined based on the correspondence between 4 and 10 messages. As another example, for a multimedia file transfer task, the second condition is that 4 users in the message session interface each send one image, and currently 2 users have sent images. Therefore, the progress component can be determined based on the correspondence between 2 and 4 users. Yet another example is for an online multimedia file sharing task, the third condition is that 5 videos are shared in the message session interface, and currently 1 video has been shared. Therefore, the progress component can be determined based on the correspondence between 1 and 5 videos. Figure 8 As shown, a progress bar is displayed below each interactive task, showing the percentage of completed tasks in the total number of interactive tasks.

[0109] The above only mentions four types of interactive tasks that can be implemented. Other types of interactive tasks may also be included in the embodiments of this application, such as game interaction tasks (requiring each user to complete game interaction through the message conversation interface), check-in tasks (requiring each user to share the successful check-in information to the message conversation interface after completing the check-in), fixed message sending tasks (requiring each user to send specific message content in the message conversation interface), and so on.

[0110] The following describes step 203, namely, "in response to the virtual pet's status update condition being met by at least two users' processes handling interactive tasks, the updated virtual pet's status is displayed," in detail with reference to the embodiments.

[0111] The client responds to the virtual pet's status update by displaying the updated status when at least two user interaction tasks corresponding to the virtual pet are completed, satisfying the virtual pet's status update conditions. These status update conditions are pre-defined; for example, they could be the completion of N interaction tasks or the completion of one interaction task within a preset time. In practical applications, the virtual pet's status can be represented by its growth stage (e.g., egg stage, juvenile stage, adult stage), its level (e.g., different egg levels correspond to different forms or functions), or its emotional state (e.g., sad, hungry, happy).

[0112] To allow users to quickly observe the virtual pet's status, a floating widget is displayed on the message conversation interface. The style of the floating widget corresponds to the virtual pet's status. Furthermore, the floating widget can also display progress information for interactive tasks (this progress information updates as the task is processed), such as "Send 3 more messages to complete the message interaction task" or "One more video needs to be shared." Figure 9 As shown.

[0113] It should be noted that the type of at least one interactive task corresponding to the virtual pet can be further refined. Specifically, at least one interactive task corresponding to the virtual pet can include a common task for all users in the messaging interface, that is, a common task that needs to be completed by all users together, or it can include a separate task for one user in the messaging interface, which needs to be completed by each user individually. For example, a common task could be "chat 10 sentences together today", "share one photo each today", or "share 5 online videos each today". A separate task could be "send 5 sentences to him today", "share one photo with him today", or "share 5 online videos with him today". In addition, the separate task can be different for different users. For example, user 1 may only need to share 5 online videos, while user 2 may need to share 6 online videos.

[0114] For example, suppose a virtual pet corresponds to two interactive tasks and three users. These tasks are a shared task, "Let's chat for 10 sentences today," and an individual task, "Each person shares 5 online videos." The shared task requires all three users to complete it together, while the individual task requires each of the three users to complete it separately. In other words, if these two interactive tasks are distributed to the three users, each user actually has two interactive tasks to complete.

[0115] Furthermore, the status update condition could be that a shared task is completed and individual tasks are completed by each user, etc. Meeting this status update condition allows the updated virtual pet's status to be displayed. Continuing with the previous example, each user corresponds to one shared task and one individual task. The status update condition could be that every user included in the message conversation interface has completed both tasks, or that every user included in the message conversation interface has completed at least one interactive task, or that a specific user included in the message conversation interface has completed both tasks.

[0116] In addition to triggering interactive tasks through the execution component in the virtual pet management interface as described in the above embodiments, during actual interaction between a user and other users who have jointly created a virtual pet using the message conversation interface, if the type of the interaction operation matches the interactive task, the user terminal can respond by detecting that the interaction operation types of at least two users on the message conversation interface match the interactive task, and display a first prompt message and / or the progress information of the interactive task on the message conversation interface. This progress information is updated based on the aforementioned interactive operation, and the first prompt message indicates that the interaction operation type matches the interactive task.

[0117] For example, suppose User 1 and User 2 jointly create a virtual pet. During their interaction via the messaging interface, if User 1 sends a picture to User 2, and sending the picture is an interaction action within the virtual pet's corresponding task, this action will trigger an update to the task's progress. In this case, a first notification message such as "Sending pictures has accelerated the pet's growth!" can be displayed on the messaging interface. Users 1 and 2 will then know that their picture-sending action fulfills the task requirement and can further accelerate the virtual pet's status update by sending more pictures. Alternatively, the messaging interface can display task progress information, such as "1 picture sent; 4 more pictures need to be sent to User 2 today." As you can see, this method allows users to trigger task processing and update the status of their jointly created virtual pet even without accessing the virtual pet management interface, through daily use of the messaging interface.

[0118] If no interactive operation matching the interaction task is detected for an extended period of time during the display of the message conversation interface, then in response to the fact that no interaction operation of at least two users matching the interaction task has been detected for a preset time, a second prompt message is displayed on the message conversation interface to prompt the content of the interaction task.

[0119] For example, suppose User 1 and User 2 jointly create a virtual pet. During their interaction via the messaging interface, if their interactions don't match the defined task type within 10 minutes, it's highly likely that User 1 and User 2 are unaware of or have forgotten the task's content. Therefore, displaying something like "Sending 5 pictures today will speed up your pet's growth!" in the messaging interface would remind users, allowing them to understand and trigger the task even without accessing the virtual pet management interface.

[0120] The aforementioned first prompt, interactive task progress information, or second prompt can be displayed as a notification message on the message conversation interface, or through a floating component displayed on the message conversation interface, etc. For example, if the floating component uses the image corresponding to the current state of the virtual pet, the aforementioned first prompt, interactive task progress information, or second prompt can be displayed near the image of the virtual pet.

[0121] The foregoing has described specific embodiments of this specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and may still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are possible or may be advantageous.

[0122] According to another embodiment, an interactive device for a virtual pet is provided. Figure 10 A schematic block diagram of an interactive device for a virtual pet according to one embodiment is shown, the device being disposed in... Figure 1 The user end in the illustrated architecture. (For example...) Figure 10 As shown, the device 1000 includes:

[0123] The pet creation unit 1001 is configured to request the creation of a virtual pet in response to an operation that triggers the creation of a virtual pet. The virtual pet corresponds to at least one interactive task and to at least two users.

[0124] The task processing unit 1002 is configured to process interactive tasks through a message session interface, which includes at least two users.

[0125] The status display unit 1003 is configured to display the updated status of the virtual pet in response to at least two user interaction tasks meeting preset process conditions.

[0126] As one possible implementation method, when the pet creation unit 1001 requests the creation of a virtual pet in response to the operation of triggering the creation of a virtual pet, it can be configured to: display a first notification message in the message session interface to invite the creation of a virtual pet, the first notification message originating from the inviting user among at least two users; and send a request to the server to create a virtual pet in response to the operation triggered by the first notification message.

[0127] As one possible implementation, when the task processing unit 1002 processes interactive tasks through the message session interface, it can be configured to: in response to triggering the virtual pet management operation, display the virtual pet management interface, which includes information about at least one interactive task corresponding to the virtual pet and the corresponding execution component; and in response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the interactive task, process the interactive task through the message session interface.

[0128] As one possible approach, the operation that triggers virtual pet management includes at least one of the following: the operation triggered by a second notification message displayed on the message conversation interface, the second notification message being used to notify that the virtual pet has been successfully created; the operation triggered by a floating component displayed on the message conversation interface, the floating component being used to display the status of the virtual pet; the operation triggered by a functional component displayed on the message conversation interface, the functional component being used to trigger virtual pet management.

[0129] As one possible approach, at least one interaction task includes: a message interaction task between at least two users.

[0130] When the task processing unit 1002 is present, it can be configured to: display a message session interface in response to the execution component corresponding to triggering the message interaction task; send messages through the message session interface, wherein if the messages sent by at least two users in the message session interface meet a first condition, the message interaction task is completed.

[0131] As one possible approach, at least one interactive task includes: a multimedia file transfer task.

[0132] When the task processing unit 1002 is present, it can be configured to: in response to the execution component corresponding to triggering the multimedia file transfer task, display a message session interface, the message session interface displaying multiple candidate multimedia files; in response to the operation triggered by one of the candidate multimedia files, send the selected candidate multimedia file through the message session interface; wherein, if the multimedia files sent by at least two users in the message session interface meet the second condition, the multimedia file transfer task is completed.

[0133] As one possible approach, at least one interactive task includes: an online multimedia file sharing task.

[0134] When the task processing unit 1002 is present, it can be configured to: in response to the execution component corresponding to triggering the online multimedia file sharing task, display the playback page of the candidate multimedia file; in response to the operation of the sharing component of the playback page being triggered, display the message conversation interface and share the multimedia file currently playing on the playback page through the message conversation interface; wherein, if the multimedia file shared through the message conversation interface meets the third condition, the online multimedia file sharing task is completed.

[0135] As one possible approach, the virtual pet management interface also includes at least one progress component corresponding to each interactive task, the progress component being derived from the processing progress of the corresponding interactive task.

[0136] As another possible implementation, when the task processing unit 1002 processes an interactive task through a message session interface, it can be configured to: in response to detecting that the type of interactive operation of the at least two users on the message session interface matches the interactive task, display a first prompt message and / or the progress information of the interactive task on the message session interface, wherein the progress information is updated based on the interactive operation, and the first prompt message is used to indicate that the type of interactive operation matches the interactive task.

[0137] Furthermore, the task processing unit 1002 can also be configured to: during the display of the message session interface, in response to the fact that no interaction operation type of the at least two users on the message session interface is detected to match the interaction task for a preset time period, display a second prompt message on the message session interface, the second prompt message being used to prompt the content of the interaction task.

[0138] One possible approach is to display a floating component on the message conversation interface, the style of which corresponds to the status of the virtual pet; the floating component displays the progress information of the interactive task, which is updated as the interactive task progresses.

[0139] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the device embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without creative effort.

[0140] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, data stored, data displayed, etc.) involved in this application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties. Furthermore, the collection, use and processing of the relevant data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the relevant countries and regions, and corresponding operation portals are provided for users to choose to authorize or refuse.

[0141] In addition, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0142] And an electronic device, comprising:

[0143] One or more processors; and

[0144] A memory associated with the one or more processors, the memory being used to store program instructions that, when read and executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps of the method described in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0145] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0146] in, Figure 11The architecture of an electronic device is illustrated, which may include a processor 1110, a video display adapter 1111, a disk drive 1112, an input / output interface 1113, a network interface 1114, and a memory 1120. The processor 1110, video display adapter 1111, disk drive 1112, input / output interface 1113, network interface 1114, and memory 1120 can communicate with each other via a communication bus 1130.

[0147] The processor 1110 can be implemented using a general-purpose CPU, microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits to execute relevant programs and implement the technical solution provided in this application.

[0148] The memory 1120 can be implemented in the form of ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), static storage device, dynamic storage device, etc. The memory 1120 can store the operating system 1121 for controlling the operation of the electronic device 1100, and the basic input / output system (BIOS) 1122 for controlling the low-level operations of the electronic device 1100. Additionally, it can store a web browser 1123, a data storage management system 1124, and an interactive device 1000 for virtual pets, etc. The aforementioned interactive device 1000 for virtual pets can be the application program that specifically implements the aforementioned steps in this application embodiment. In summary, when implementing the technical solution provided in this application through software or firmware, the relevant program code is stored in the memory 1120 and is called and executed by the processor 1110.

[0149] Input / output interface 1113 is used to connect input / output modules to realize information input and output. Input / output modules can be configured as components in the device (not shown in the figure) or externally connected to the device to provide corresponding functions. Input devices may include keyboards, mice, touch screens, microphones, various sensors, etc., and output devices may include displays, speakers, vibrators, indicator lights, etc.

[0150] Network interface 1114 is used to connect a communication module (not shown in the figure) to enable communication between this device and other devices. The communication module can communicate via wired means (such as USB, Ethernet cable, etc.) or wireless means (such as mobile network, WIFI, Bluetooth, etc.).

[0151] Bus 1130 includes a pathway for transmitting information between various components of the device, such as processor 1110, video display adapter 1111, disk drive 1112, input / output interface 1113, network interface 1114, and memory 1120.

[0152] It should be noted that although the above-described device only shows the processor 1110, video display adapter 1111, disk drive 1112, input / output interface 1113, network interface 1114, memory 1120, bus 1130, etc., in specific implementations, the device may also include other components necessary for normal operation. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described device may only include the components necessary for implementing the solution of this application, and does not necessarily include all the components shown in the figures.

[0153] As can be seen from the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that this application can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product can be stored in a storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in various embodiments or some parts of the embodiments of this application.

[0154] The technical solutions provided in this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the methods and core ideas of this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A method for interacting with a virtual pet, applied to a user terminal, characterized in that, The method includes: In response to triggering the operation of creating a virtual pet, a request is made to create the virtual pet, wherein the virtual pet corresponds to at least one interactive task and to at least two users; The interactive task is handled through a messaging session interface, which includes the at least two users. In response to the at least two users' processes of handling the interactive task satisfying the virtual pet's status update condition, the updated status of the virtual pet is displayed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of handling the interactive task through the message session interface includes: In response to the operation of triggering virtual pet management, a virtual pet management interface is displayed, the virtual pet management interface including information of the at least one interactive task corresponding to the virtual pet and the corresponding execution component; In response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the interactive task, the interactive task is processed through the message session interface.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one interactive task includes: a message interaction task between the at least two users; The execution component that responds to triggering the interaction task processes the interaction task through a message session interface, including: In response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the message interaction task, the message session interface is displayed; Messages are sent through the message session interface, wherein the message interaction task is completed if the messages sent by the at least two users through the message session interface meet a first condition.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one interactive task includes: a multimedia file transfer task; The execution component that responds to triggering the interaction task processes the interaction task through a message session interface, including: In response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the multimedia file transfer task, the message session interface is displayed, which displays multiple candidate multimedia files; In response to an operation triggered by one of the candidate multimedia files, the selected candidate multimedia file is sent through the message session interface; If the multimedia files sent by the at least two users in the message session interface meet the second condition, the multimedia file transfer task is completed.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one interactive task includes: an online multimedia file sharing task; The execution component that responds to triggering the interaction task processes the interaction task through a message session interface, including: In response to triggering the execution component corresponding to the online multimedia file sharing task, a playback page for the candidate multimedia file is displayed; In response to the sharing component of the playback page being triggered, the message conversation interface is displayed and the multimedia file currently playing on the playback page is shared through the message conversation interface; If the multimedia file shared through the message session interface meets the third condition, the online multimedia file sharing task is completed.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The virtual pet management interface also includes progress components corresponding to the at least one interactive task, and the progress components are obtained based on the processing progress of the corresponding interactive task.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of handling the interactive task through the message session interface includes: In response to detecting that the type of interaction operation of the at least two users on the message session interface matches the interaction task, a first prompt message and / or the progress information of the interaction task are displayed on the message session interface. The progress information is updated based on the interaction operation. The first prompt message is used to indicate that the type of interaction operation matches the interaction task.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the display of the message conversation interface, if no interaction operation type of the at least two users on the message conversation interface is detected to match the interaction task for a preset time period, a second prompt message is displayed on the message conversation interface. The second prompt message is used to prompt the content of the interaction task.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 7 and 8, characterized in that, The message conversation interface displays a floating component, the style of which corresponds to the status of the virtual pet. The floating component displays the progress information of the interactive task, and the progress information is updated as the interactive task progresses.

10. An interactive device for a virtual pet, installed on a user terminal, characterized in that, The device includes: A pet creation unit is configured to request the creation of a virtual pet in response to an operation that triggers the creation of a virtual pet, wherein the virtual pet corresponds to at least one interactive task and to at least two users; A task processing unit is configured to process the interactive task through a message session interface, the message session interface including the at least two users; The status display unit is configured to display the updated status of the virtual pet in response to the at least two users' processes of handling the interactive task meeting preset process conditions.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; as well as A memory associated with the one or more processors, the memory being used to store program instructions that, when read and executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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