Virtual character control method and device, storage medium and electronic device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a virtual role control method and device, a computer storage medium and an electronic device, and relates to the technical field of games. The method comprises: in response to a second virtual role performing a target termination behavior, displaying a termination behavior defense control, the target termination behavior being a behavior controlled by the second virtual role to move a virtual ball to a target virtual object and obtain a corresponding reward settlement result; in response to a first trigger operation on the termination behavior defense control, controlling a first virtual role to perform a first action on the target termination behavior; and in response to receiving a target hit animation from a game server, displaying, on a graphical user interface, a second action performed by the second virtual role and matched with the target hit animation, so that the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual role is interrupted. The present disclosure can reduce the operation load and energy consumption of a local processor, and improve the overall response efficiency and resource utilization of the system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of game technology, and in particular to a method for controlling a virtual character, a device for controlling a virtual character, a computer storage medium, and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, especially in virtual environment interactive applications requiring high real-time performance and strong adversarial interaction, such as multiplayer online competitive games, the immediate response and processing of specific high-value interactive behaviors (such as scoring behaviors) is a technical challenge. Existing solutions typically rely on precise manual operations by the user to trigger adversarial commands. This approach first places high demands on the real-time computing power of the terminal device, as it requires the continuous execution of complex physical collision detection and behavior state prediction algorithms to determine the validity of manual operations, which undoubtedly increases the computational load and energy consumption of the local processor. Secondly, in a distributed interactive architecture, the heavy reliance on such manually triggered adversarial commands, whose timing is difficult to synchronize precisely, easily leads to command conflicts and inconsistent state judgments on the server side. This necessitates additional data verification and state rollback mechanisms, which not only increases network signaling overhead but also introduces additional processing latency, reducing the overall system response efficiency and resource utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One embodiment of this disclosure provides a method for controlling a virtual character, a device for controlling a virtual character, a computer storage medium, and an electronic device, which can reduce the computational load and energy consumption of the local processor and improve the overall response efficiency and resource utilization of the system.

[0004] In a first aspect, one embodiment of this disclosure provides a method for controlling a virtual character. The method includes: responding to a second virtual character within a preset range of a first virtual character performing a target termination behavior, providing a termination behavior defense control on a graphical user interface, wherein the target termination behavior is an action in which the second virtual character controls a virtual sphere to move to a target virtual object and obtain a corresponding reward settlement result, and the second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions; responding to a first trigger operation on the termination behavior defense control, controlling the first virtual character to perform a first action against the target termination behavior; and responding to receiving a target hit animation from a game server, displaying a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation on the graphical user interface, so as to interrupt the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character; wherein the target hit animation is an animation determined by the game server based on information associated with the first action.

[0005] Secondly, one embodiment of this disclosure provides a control device for a virtual character. The device includes: a control display module configured to execute a target termination behavior of a second virtual character within a preset range of a first virtual character, providing termination behavior defense controls on a graphical user interface. The target termination behavior is the action of the second virtual character controlling a virtual sphere to move to a target virtual object and obtain a corresponding reward settlement result; the second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions; a character control module configured to execute a first trigger operation in response to the termination behavior defense controls, controlling the first virtual character to execute a first action against the target termination behavior; and an action display module configured to execute a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation in response to receiving a target hit animation from a game server, thereby interrupting the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character; wherein the target hit animation is an animation determined by the game server based on information associated with the first action.

[0006] Thirdly, one embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described method for controlling a virtual character.

[0007] Fourthly, one embodiment of this disclosure provides an electronic device, including: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform the control method of the virtual character described above by executing the executable instructions.

[0008] Fifthly, one embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer program product, including a computer program that is executed by a processor to implement the control method for the virtual character as described above.

[0009] The technical solution disclosed herein has the following beneficial effects: The aforementioned virtual character control method provides a termination behavior defense control on the graphical user interface in response to a second virtual character within a preset range of a first virtual character performing a target termination behavior. The target termination behavior is the action of the second virtual character controlling a virtual sphere to move to a target virtual object and obtain a corresponding reward settlement result. The second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions. In response to a first trigger operation on the termination behavior defense control, the first virtual character is controlled to perform a first action against the target termination behavior. In response to receiving a target hit animation from the game server, a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation is displayed on the graphical user interface to interrupt the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character. The target hit animation is an animation determined by the game server based on information associated with the first action.

[0010] The technical solution provided by the above embodiments provides a termination behavior defense control to trigger defense against the termination behavior when the opponent's character (i.e., the second virtual character) is detected to be performing a target termination action, and there is a possibility of preventing the opponent from gaining points by performing the target termination action within a certain distance. On the one hand, this process provides players with a new way to defend against the opponent's target termination behavior, expanding the existing defense methods that can only be performed when the opponent has not used their ultimate skill, further enhancing the player's defensive strength, while also enriching the gameplay and increasing the game's fun. On the other hand, this method does not require players to judge whether to defend based on experience, thereby reducing the skill requirements for players, weakening the complexity and threshold of game operations, and improving the player's gaming experience while also increasing the success rate of defending against the target termination behavior. Furthermore, this method greatly reduces the number and frequency of players having to judge and use multiple control operations to perform corresponding defensive actions, and transfers the validity judgment process for the first action execution from the terminal device to the game server, thereby reducing the computational load and energy consumption of the terminal's local processor, while further avoiding problems such as instruction conflicts and inconsistent status judgments on the server side, thus improving the overall system response efficiency and resource utilization.

[0011] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0013] Figure 1 This schematic diagram illustrates an application scenario of a virtual character control method in this exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 This schematically illustrates a flowchart of a virtual character control method in this exemplary embodiment; Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating another method for controlling a virtual character in this exemplary embodiment is shown schematically; Figure 4 This schematic diagram illustrates the structure of a control device for a virtual character in this exemplary embodiment. Figure 5 This schematic diagram illustrates the structure of a control device for another virtual character in this exemplary embodiment. Figure 6 The schematic diagram illustrates the structure of an electronic device in this exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a full understanding of embodiments of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this disclosure can be practiced with one or more specific details omitted, or other methods, components, apparatus, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known technical solutions are not shown or described in detail to help reduce obscuring aspects of this disclosure.

[0015] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Some block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0016] The flowchart shown in the attached diagram is merely an illustrative example and does not necessarily include all steps. For example, some steps may be broken down, while others may be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual execution order may change depending on the specific circumstances.

[0017] In competitive games, characters from different factions engage in combat through offense and defense. Especially in ball games, both teams can score points through offensive actions, while the attacked player must defend to prevent the opponent from scoring.

[0018] To help those skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions of this disclosure, the relevant content involved in the technical solutions of this disclosure will be introduced below.

[0019] A virtual scene is a virtual scene displayed (or provided) by an application when it runs on a terminal. This virtual scene can be a simulation of the real world, a semi-simulated / semi-fictional three-dimensional world, or a purely fictional three-dimensional world. A virtual scene can be any of a two-dimensional, 2.5-dimensional, or three-dimensional virtual scene. Optionally, the virtual scene can also be used for virtual matches between at least two virtual objects, and it has virtual resources available to both virtual objects.

[0020] Virtual characters: These are the images of various people and objects that can interact with a virtual scene, or movable objects within a virtual scene. The movable object can be at least one of virtual characters, virtual animals, or anime characters, such as people or animals displayed in a virtual scene. A virtual character can be a virtual image representing the user within the virtual scene. A virtual scene can include multiple virtual characters, each with its own shape and volume, occupying a portion of the space within the virtual scene. Optionally, when the virtual scene is a three-dimensional virtual scene, the virtual characters can be three-dimensional virtual models, each with its own shape and volume, occupying a portion of the space within the three-dimensional virtual scene. In embodiments of this disclosure, the activities of virtual characters include, but are not limited to, at least one of: adjusting body posture, crawling, walking, running, riding, flying, jumping, driving, picking up, shooting, attacking, and throwing. Optionally, the virtual character is a three-dimensional character constructed based on three-dimensional human skeleton technology, and the virtual character achieves different external appearances by wearing different skins. In some implementations, the virtual character can also be implemented using a 2.5D or 2D model; embodiments of this disclosure do not limit this. For example, based on the different ways of controlling virtual characters, virtual characters can be divided into user-controlled virtual characters and game server-controlled virtual characters. User-controlled virtual characters are actionable character models controlled by the client in a virtual scene. Game server-controlled virtual characters are virtual character models controlled by automatic control algorithms or artificial intelligence programs on the client or game server.

[0021] In related technologies, especially in virtual environment interactive applications requiring high real-time performance and strong adversarial interaction, such as multiplayer online competitive games, the immediate response and processing of specific high-value interactive behaviors (such as scoring behaviors) is a technical challenge. Existing solutions typically rely on precise manual operations by the user to trigger adversarial commands. This approach first places high demands on the real-time computing power of the terminal device, as it requires the continuous execution of complex physical collision detection and behavior state prediction algorithms to determine the validity of manual operations, which undoubtedly increases the computational load and energy consumption of the local processor. Secondly, in a distributed interactive architecture, the heavy reliance on such manually triggered adversarial commands, whose timing is difficult to synchronize precisely, easily leads to command conflicts and inconsistent state judgments on the server side. This necessitates additional data verification and state rollback mechanisms, which not only increases network signaling overhead but also introduces additional processing latency, reducing the overall system response efficiency and resource utilization.

[0022] Furthermore, in related technologies, taking basketball games as an example, defensive players can disrupt and interfere with the opponent's offensive rhythm by stealing the ball from the ball handler, intercepting passes, and forcing a breakthrough. However, this defensive method has significant limitations in its applicability. For instance, it can only be used when the attacking player performs a finishing move without using a finishing skill, making it prone to defensive failure and even risking losing defensive position.

[0023] In one type of defense, the defending player can also prevent the attacking player from scoring after the attacking player has executed a finishing move by interfering with the shot, blocking, or otherwise blocking the shot. It's important to clarify that in basketball, the finishing move refers to a player's action during an offensive play—such as a drive, movement, or teamwork—to complete a shot, layup, or dunk, ultimately putting the ball into the opponent's basket to score. This finishing move typically occurs near the basket and is the final crucial step in the attack. The same principle applies to other ball games. For example, in soccer, the finishing move can be understood as moving a virtual ball (the soccer ball) to the goal (i.e., shooting); in volleyball, it can be understood as throwing a virtual ball (the volleyball) into the opponent's territory.

[0024] However, all of the aforementioned defensive methods require players to possess advanced gaming skills, meaning they are highly complex and have a high barrier to entry. This can negatively impact user engagement for novice players. Furthermore, these defensive methods carry the risk of failure, affecting the effectiveness of the defense and consequently the player's gaming experience. Additionally, the existing defensive mechanics in ball games offer limited variety, resulting in a lack of diverse defensive options and a lack of gameplay fun and innovation.

[0025] This exemplary embodiment addresses the aforementioned problems and proposes a virtual character control method. This method provides a finishing move defense control to trigger defense against the finishing move when it detects that an opponent's character (i.e., a second virtual character) is executing a target finishing move, and there is a distance sufficient to prevent the opponent from scoring through this move. On one hand, this process provides players with a new way to defend against the opponent's target finishing move, expanding upon existing defense methods that only allow defense when the opponent hasn't used their ultimate skill, further enhancing the player's defensive strength and enriching gameplay, thus increasing the game's fun. On the other hand, this method reduces reliance on the player's gaming skills and experience, thereby lowering the skill requirements, reducing the complexity and barrier to entry, and improving the player's gaming experience while also increasing the success rate of defending against the target finishing move. Furthermore, this method greatly reduces the number and frequency of players making their own judgments and using multiple controls to execute corresponding defensive actions. It also transfers the validity judgment process for the first action from the terminal device to the game server, thereby reducing the computational load and energy consumption of the terminal's local processor and further avoiding problems such as instruction conflicts and inconsistent status judgments on the server side, thus improving the overall response efficiency and resource utilization of the system.

[0026] Figure 1 The illustration shows an implementation environment diagram provided by one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Next, the virtual character control method and apparatus proposed in the present disclosure will be applied to... Figure 1 The exemplary implementation environment shown is illustrated.

[0027] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture 100 may include a terminal device 101 and a game server 102.

[0028] The terminal device 101 (hereinafter referred to as the terminal) can be a smartphone, tablet, laptop, touch screen, game console, personal computer (PC), personal digital assistant (PDA), or other terminal device. The terminal device 101 may also include a client, which can be a game application client, a browser client carrying a game program, or an instant messaging client. The game server 102 can be a standalone physical game server, a game server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical game servers, or a cloud server providing basic cloud computing services such as cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communication, middleware services, domain name services, security services, content delivery network (CDN), and big data and artificial intelligence platforms.

[0029] The virtual character control method and apparatus provided in the embodiments of this disclosure can be executed by a computer device, wherein the computer device can be, for example, Figure 1 The system architecture 100 shown includes devices such as terminal device 101 or game server 102. For example, when the game interaction method and apparatus are running on terminal device 101, terminal device 101 stores a game application and is used to present virtual scenes in the game screen. Terminal device 101 is used to interact with users / players through a graphical user interface, for example, by downloading, installing, and running a game application through terminal device 101. The way terminal device 101 provides the graphical user interface to the user can include various methods, such as rendering it on the terminal device's display screen, or presenting the graphical user interface through holographic projection. For example, the terminal device may include a touch screen and a processor. The touch screen is used to present the graphical user interface and receive operation commands generated by the user acting on the graphical user interface, which includes game screens. The processor is used to run the game, generate the graphical user interface, respond to operation commands, and control the display of the graphical user interface on the touch screen.

[0030] In this system, the user's terminal device 101 can connect to game servers 102 of different games via network 103. Terminal device 101 can be any device with computing hardware capable of supporting and executing software products corresponding to the games. Additionally, the terminal has one or more multi-touch screens for sensing and acquiring input from touch or swipe operations performed by the user at multiple points on one or more touch displays. Furthermore, when the system includes multiple terminals, multiple game servers, and multiple networks, different terminals can connect to each other through different networks and different game servers. Network 103 can be of various connection types, such as wired, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables, for example, wireless networks such as Wi-Fi, LAN, cellular networks, 2G networks, 3G networks, 4G networks, 5G networks, etc. Furthermore, different terminals can also connect to other terminals or game servers using their own Bluetooth networks or hotspot networks. For example, multiple users can connect online through different terminals via appropriate networks and synchronize with each other to support multiplayer games. In addition, the system can include multiple databases coupled to different game servers, and can continuously store information related to the game environment in the databases as different users play multiplayer games online.

[0031] This application provides a method for controlling a virtual character, which can be executed by a terminal or a game server. This disclosure describes a method for controlling a virtual character executed by a terminal as an example. The terminal includes a touchscreen display and a processor. The touchscreen display is used to present a graphical user interface (GUI) and receive operation commands generated by the user interacting with the GUI. When the user operates the GUI through the touchscreen display, the GUI can control local content on the terminal in response to the received operation commands, or it can control content on a peer server in response to the received operation commands. For example, the operation commands generated by the user interacting with the GUI may include commands to launch a game application. The processor is configured to launch the game application after receiving the user's command to launch the game application. Furthermore, the processor is configured to render and draw the GUI associated with the game on the touchscreen display. The touchscreen display is a multi-touch sensitive screen capable of sensing touch or swipe operations performed simultaneously by multiple points on the screen. When the user performs touch operations on the GUI using their finger, the GUI, upon detecting the touch operation, controls different virtual objects in the game's GUI to perform actions corresponding to the touch operation. For example, the game can be any of the following: casual game, action game, role-playing game, strategy game, sports game, puzzle game, etc. The game can include a virtual scene drawn on a graphical user interface. Furthermore, the virtual scene can include one or more virtual objects, such as virtual characters, controlled by the user (or player). Additionally, the virtual scene can include one or more obstacles, such as railings, goals, or hoops, to restrict the movement of virtual objects, for example, limiting the movement of one or more objects to a specific area within the virtual scene (e.g., the court area in a basketball game). Optionally, the virtual scene can also include one or more elements, such as skills, scores, character health status, etc., to provide assistance to the player, offer virtual services, increase scores related to player performance, etc. Furthermore, the graphical user interface can present one or more indicators to provide guidance information to the player. For example, the game can include virtual objects controlled by the player and one or more other virtual objects (such as enemy characters). In one embodiment, one or more other virtual objects are controlled by other players in the game. For example, one or more other virtual objects can be controlled by a computer, such as a robot using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, to achieve a human-computer interaction mode. For example, virtual objects possess various skills or abilities that game players use to achieve their goals. For instance, a virtual object might possess one or more weapons, items, tools, etc., that can be used to fight against other objects in the game. Such skills or abilities can be activated by the game player using one of several preset touch operations on the terminal's touchscreen display.The processor can be configured to respond to operation commands generated by the user's touch operation to display the corresponding game screen.

[0032] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the game interaction system shown is merely an example. The game interaction scenarios described in this disclosure are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this disclosure. As will be known to those skilled in the art, the technical solutions provided in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0033] For example, in one exemplary embodiment, terminal device 101, in response to a second virtual character within a preset range of a first virtual character performing a target termination action, provides termination action defense controls on a graphical user interface. The target termination action is the action of the second virtual character controlling a virtual sphere to move to a target virtual object and obtain a corresponding reward settlement result. The second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions. Terminal device 101, in response to a first trigger operation on the termination action defense controls, controls the first virtual character to perform a first action against the target termination action. Terminal device 101, in response to receiving a target hit animation from game server 102, displays a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation on the graphical user interface, thereby interrupting the target termination action performed by the second virtual character; wherein, the target hit animation is an animation determined by game server 102 based on information associated with the first action.

[0034] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the virtual character control method can run on a local terminal device or a game server. When the virtual character control method runs on a game server, the method can be implemented and executed based on a cloud interaction system, wherein the cloud interaction system includes a game server and a client device.

[0035] In one alternative implementation, various cloud applications, such as cloud gaming, can run under the cloud interaction system. Taking cloud gaming as an example, cloud gaming refers to a gaming method based on cloud computing. In the cloud gaming operating mode, the game program and the game screen presentation are separated. The storage and execution of game interaction methods are completed on the cloud gaming server. The client device is used for data reception, transmission, and game screen presentation. For example, the client device can be a display device with data transmission capabilities located close to the user, such as a mobile terminal, television, computer, or PDA; however, the information processing is performed by the cloud gaming server in the cloud. When playing the game, the player operates the client device to send operation commands to the cloud gaming server. The cloud gaming server runs the game according to the operation commands, encodes and compresses the game screen and other data, returns it to the client device via the network, and finally, the client device decodes and outputs the game screen.

[0036] In one alternative implementation, taking a game as an example, the local terminal device stores the game program and is used to display the game screen. The local terminal device is used to interact with the player through a graphical user interface (GUI), i.e., conventionally downloading, installing, and running the game program via an electronic device. The local terminal device can provide the GUI to the player in various ways, such as rendering it on the terminal's display screen or providing it to the player via holographic projection. For example, the local terminal device can include a display screen for displaying the GUI, which includes game screens, and a processor for running the game, generating the GUI, and controlling the display of the GUI on the display screen.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the present invention provides a method for controlling a virtual character, which provides a graphical user interface through a terminal device. The graphical user interface includes a virtual character controlled by the terminal device. The terminal device can be the aforementioned local terminal device or a client device in the aforementioned cloud interaction system.

[0038] However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the above application scenarios are merely examples and are not limited to these exemplary embodiments.

[0039] The following example illustrates how the control method for the virtual character is applied to the aforementioned terminal device 101. A graphical user interface is provided through the terminal device, which can be either the aforementioned local terminal device or a client device in the aforementioned cloud interaction system. Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a virtual character control method in this exemplary embodiment is shown below. Figure 2The virtual character control method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps 201-203: Step 201: In response to the second virtual character within the preset range of the first virtual character executing the target termination behavior, a termination behavior defense control is provided on the graphical user interface. The target termination behavior is the behavior of the second virtual character controlling the movement of the virtual sphere to the target virtual object and obtaining the corresponding reward settlement result. The second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions.

[0040] Step 202: In response to the first trigger operation of the defense control against the termination behavior, control the first virtual character to perform the first action against the target termination behavior.

[0041] Step 203: In response to receiving the target hit animation from the game server, display a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation on the graphical user interface, so as to interrupt the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character; wherein, the target hit animation is an animation determined by the game server based on information associated with the first action.

[0042] exist Figure 2 The provided technical solution offers a finishing move defense control to trigger defense against the target finishing move when the opponent's character (i.e., the second virtual character) is detected to be performing a target finishing move, and there is a possibility of preventing the opponent from scoring through this move. This provides players with a new way to defend against the opponent's target finishing move, expanding upon existing defense methods that only allow defense when the opponent hasn't used their ultimate skill, thus enhancing the player's defensive strength and enriching gameplay. Furthermore, this method eliminates the need for players to rely on experience to determine whether to defend, reducing the skill requirements, complexity, and barrier to entry, thereby improving the player's gaming experience and increasing the success rate of defending against target finishing moves. Moreover, this method significantly reduces the number and frequency of players manually judging and using multiple controls to execute defensive actions, and transfers the validity judgment process for the first action from the terminal device to the game server. This reduces the computational load and energy consumption of the terminal's local processor, further avoiding server-side issues such as instruction conflicts and inconsistent status judgments, thereby improving the overall system response efficiency and resource utilization.

[0043] The following will describe in conjunction with specific embodiments Figure 2 The specific implementation methods of each step in the illustrated embodiment are described in detail below: In step 201, in response to the second virtual character within the preset range of the first virtual character performing the target termination behavior, a termination behavior defense control is provided on the graphical user interface. The target termination behavior is the behavior of the second virtual character controlling the movement of the virtual sphere to the target virtual object and obtaining the corresponding reward settlement result. The second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions.

[0044] The first virtual character is a virtual character controlled by a real player through a terminal device, while the second virtual character is a virtual character in a different game faction and with a competitive relationship with the first virtual character. The second virtual character can be a virtual character controlled by a real player, or a non-player character (NPC) controlled by the system or artificial intelligence algorithm.

[0045] Optionally, the preset range of the first virtual character can be determined based on the spatial positions of the first and second virtual characters. For example, if the spatial distance between the first and second virtual characters is less than X meters (e.g., 5 meters), the preset range of the first virtual character is determined to be within a 5-meter area of ​​the first virtual character, and the second virtual character is determined to be within the preset range of the first virtual character. For example, the preset range can be a circular area with the location of the first virtual character as the center and a preset distance x as the radius. Of course, the preset range can also be other regular or irregular shaped areas. Optionally, the radius x corresponding to the preset range can be flexibly configured by the developers to adapt to different game scenarios. Of course, the radius x can also use a pre-configured fixed parameter value. The embodiments of this disclosure do not impose any special limitations on this. Optionally, the preset range can also be dynamically adjusted according to the real-time status of the first virtual character. For example, if the first virtual character is in a state of accelerated running, its preset range can be expanded accordingly (e.g., adjusted from 5 meters to 7 meters) to reflect its faster reaction and movement capabilities; if the first virtual character is in a state of fatigue or under control, its preset range can be reduced accordingly (e.g., adjusted from 5 meters to 3 meters).

[0046] The preset range of the first virtual character can also be determined based on the duration of the second virtual character's target-ending action and the time required for the first virtual character to move to the location of the second virtual character. For example, in a basketball game, in order for the first virtual character to interrupt the target-ending action being performed by the second virtual character by executing a defensive action, it is necessary to ensure that the first virtual character can move to the location of the second virtual character within the duration of the second virtual character's target-ending action. That is, the time required for the first virtual character to move to the location of the second virtual character must be within the duration of the second virtual character's target-ending action, thus determining the preset range of the first virtual character.

[0047] For example, the terminal device can determine whether the second virtual character is within a preset range of the first virtual character based on the spatial location of the first virtual character and the spatial location of the second virtual character. In addition to determining whether the second virtual character is within the preset range of the first virtual character, the terminal device also needs to detect whether the second virtual character performs a target termination behavior. Therefore, when it is detected that the second virtual character is within the preset range of the first virtual character and performs a target termination behavior, a termination behavior defense control is provided on the graphical user interface.

[0048] Among them, the target termination behavior is the behavior of the second virtual character controlling the movement of the virtual sphere to the target virtual object and obtaining the corresponding reward settlement result.

[0049] In the game logic of conventional ball games, the outcome of a finishing action can be either success or failure. A target finishing action is the action of successfully moving a virtual ball to the target scoring area to obtain a game reward. For example, in a basketball game, the target virtual object is the virtual basket, and the corresponding target finishing action can be understood as the action of a second virtual character controlling the virtual ball (basketball) to successfully enter the virtual basket and obtain the corresponding score. In a soccer game, the target virtual object is the goal, and the corresponding target finishing action can be understood as the action of kicking the virtual ball (soccer ball) into the goal and obtaining the corresponding score (i.e., the shooting action). In a volleyball game, the target virtual object is the opponent's court area, and the corresponding target finishing action can be understood as throwing the virtual ball (volleyball) into the opponent's court area, and so on. The embodiments disclosed herein do not exhaustively list any examples; the target finishing action can be determined based on the specific ball game.

[0050] In the context of successfully moving a virtual ball to the target scoring area to obtain game rewards, taking a basketball game as an example, a successful shot earns a corresponding score, such as a successful three-pointer for 3 points, or a successful dunk for 2 points, etc. Therefore, the defense in this embodiment aims to prevent / interrupt the opposing player's use of the target-ending action, causing the opposing character's target-ending action to fail and thus preventing them from scoring.

[0051] Having gained a macro-level understanding that the target termination behavior is the act of successfully moving the virtual ball to the target scoring area to obtain game rewards, in order to facilitate a more detailed understanding of the target termination behavior shown in the above embodiments, the following will be described in conjunction with a specific embodiment where the virtual ball is a virtual basketball (which may also be referred to as a basketball in the embodiments of this disclosure) and the target virtual object is a virtual basketball hoop.

[0052] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the target termination behavior includes at least one of the following termination behaviors: The action of a second virtual character throwing a virtual basketball into a virtual hoop; The dunking action of a second virtual character putting a virtual basketball into a virtual hoop; The second virtual character performs a layup on a virtual basketball by targeting the target's layup action.

[0053] For example, in a basketball game, the target-ending actions shown in the above embodiments can include shooting, dunking, and layup. Shooting is the most basic and important scoring method in basketball, referring to a player throwing the basketball towards a virtual basket from different positions and with different postures, aiming to get the ball through the virtual basket's net to score. Examples include stationary shooting (such as a stationary jump shot or free throw), shooting while moving (such as a pull-up jump shot), and long-range shooting (such as a three-point shot). A dunk, also known as a "slam dunk" or "slam dunk," refers to a scoring method where a player jumps and directly slams or smashes the ball into the basket. A layup, also known as a "layup" or "lay-up," is a close-range shooting technique used when approaching the virtual basket during a fast break, often used after a fast break or after breaking through the defense, such as a three-step layup.

[0054] Furthermore, optionally, for basketball games, the target finishing action performed by the second virtual character does not belong to the preset excluded action type; the excluded action type includes at least one of the following: putback action, putback dunk action, and alley-oop action.

[0055] In this context, "rebound shot" refers to the action of a second virtual character moving a virtual basketball to the virtual basket, and then, while the virtual basketball is bouncing off the basket, moving the virtual basketball back into the virtual basket by the second virtual character or a friendly character on the same team as the second virtual character. It should be noted that if the second virtual character or a friendly character on the same team moves the virtual basketball back into the virtual basket via a dunk, this action can also be called a "dunking rebound."

[0056] The "alley-oop" action refers to the action of multiple friendly characters from the same game faction as the second virtual character passing the ball in an alley-oop to move a virtual basketball into a virtual hoop.

[0057] For example, the target finishing behavior does not include rebounding / dunking or alley-oop behaviors in basketball games. This is because such finishing behaviors are accompanied by explosive behavior during execution, making the entire behavior too fast to react to and perform a series of follow-up processes. Therefore, such finishing behaviors are filtered out.

[0058] In this embodiment, when the terminal device detects that the second virtual character is within a preset range of the first virtual character and that the second virtual character is performing a target-ending action such as shooting, dunking, or layup, rather than a rebound / dunk or alley-oop, it displays a termination action defense control on the provided graphical user interface. This helps increase the likelihood that the player, by controlling the first action of the first virtual character, is detecting that the second virtual character is performing a target-ending action, thereby improving the game's logic and feasibility. Limiting the defense response mechanism to termination actions with significant pre-action animations or long aerial trajectories, such as shooting, dunking, and layups, provides the necessary time window for the server to perform complex spatial and temporal validity judgments, ensuring the reliable execution of the judgment logic. Rebounds and alley-oops, which are highly instantaneous and explosive, are excluded because the duration from occurrence to completion of these actions is extremely short, making it difficult for the server and network to perform reliable defense judgments and synchronization during this process. Forcibly supporting such actions would lead to logical conflicts and performance asynchrony. Therefore, this limitation effectively ensures the rigor, fairness, and smoothness of the game mechanism in a real-time network environment.

[0059] Continuing with step 201 above, the termination behavior defense control displayed on the graphical user interface is a control used to interrupt the target termination behavior used by the second virtual character, thereby providing a corresponding defense function. When performing step 201 above, it can be implemented based on the following embodiment: In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, a target skill control is provided on the graphical user interface. In response to a second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character performing a target termination behavior, the step of providing a termination behavior defense control on the graphical user interface may specifically include: updating the target skill control to a termination behavior defense control in response to a second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character performing a target termination behavior.

[0060] For example, when any second virtual character in the opposing game team does not perform a target finishing action, the graphical user interface provided by the terminal device typically displays one or more target skill controls. Examples include shooting / dunking controls used to trigger shooting / dunking actions in basketball games, and passing and stealing controls used to trigger ball transfers or defensive interference. When the terminal device responds to a second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character performing a target finishing action, it can update any of the aforementioned target skill controls to a finishing action defense control.

[0061] Based on the above embodiments, in an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the method may further include: in response to a second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character performing a target termination behavior, determining that the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character does not belong to a preset exclusion behavior type, and updating the target skill control to a termination behavior defense control; wherein, the exclusion behavior type includes at least one of rebounding behavior, dunking behavior, and alley-oop behavior.

[0062] In this embodiment, updating the target skill control to a termination behavior defense control requires the following conditions to be met: The target skill control will be updated to a termination behavior defense control only if the distance between the second virtual character and the first virtual character is less than a preset distance (or the second virtual character is within a preset range of the first virtual character), the second virtual character uses a target termination behavior, and the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character does not belong to a preset exclusion behavior type.

[0063] This approach, by updating the target skill control to a termination behavior defense control, helps reduce the need for separate functional design for the termination behavior defense control and the resulting space occupied by it in the graphical user interface. This simplifies the graphical user interface display, reducing the complexity of the interface caused by too many controls and mitigating the negative impact on the player's experience. Furthermore, it provides a prompt to the player when the termination behavior defense control will be displayed, indicating when the defense mechanism against the target termination behavior can be triggered. This lowers the technical skill barrier for players, reduces the complexity of game operations, and increases the success rate of initiating the defense behavior.

[0064] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, in response to a second virtual character within a preset range of a first virtual character performing a target termination action, a termination action defense control is displayed on a graphical user interface.

[0065] In this embodiment, when the terminal device responds to the second virtual character within the preset range of the first virtual character executing the target termination behavior, a termination behavior defense control is directly displayed on the graphical user interface.

[0066] Based on the above embodiments, in an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the method may further include: in response to a second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character performing a target termination behavior, determining that the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character does not belong to a preset exclusion behavior type, and directly displaying a termination behavior defense control on a graphical user interface; wherein, the exclusion behavior type includes at least one of rebounding behavior, dunking behavior, and alley-oop behavior.

[0067] In this embodiment, triggering the display of a termination behavior defense control on the graphical user interface requires the following to be met: The second virtual character must be within a preset distance of the first virtual character (or within a preset range of the first virtual character), the second virtual character must use a target termination behavior, and the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character must not belong to a preset exclusion behavior type. Only when all of the above conditions are met will a termination behavior defense control be displayed on the graphical user interface.

[0068] In this approach, players are reminded that they can trigger a defense mechanism against a target termination behavior through the termination behavior defense control, thereby reducing the technical threshold for player operation, reducing the complexity of game operation, and increasing the success rate of initiating defense behavior.

[0069] After providing the termination behavior defense control on the graphical user interface in step 201, the player can perform a first trigger operation on the termination behavior defense control. Then, in step 202, in response to the first trigger operation on the termination behavior defense control, the first virtual character is controlled to perform a first action against the target termination behavior.

[0070] For example, when the terminal device responds to the first trigger operation of the defense control for the termination behavior, it can control the first virtual character to perform a first action against the target termination behavior, and then display the behavior animation of the first virtual character performing the first action on the graphical user interface.

[0071] For example, in a basketball game, if the second virtual character's target finishing move is a three-step layup, then in response to the first trigger operation of the defense control for the finishing move, the terminal device can control the first virtual character to approach the second virtual character performing the target finishing move and jump to intercept the ball. As another example, in a basketball game, if the second virtual character's target finishing move is a three-step layup, then in response to the first trigger operation of the defense control for the finishing move, the terminal device can control the first virtual character to perform a first action against that target finishing move. For example, the first action could be to approach the second virtual character performing the target finishing move and jump to intercept the ball; or, the first action could be to quickly move to the side to approach the second virtual character and perform a body collision to disrupt their ball-handling balance and layup rhythm.

[0072] Furthermore, the terminal device sends the information associated with the first action to the game server to initiate the game server process. After the game server determines the target hit animation based on the information associated with the first action, it sends the target hit animation to the terminal device. Then, step 203 is executed.

[0073] In step 203, in response to receiving a target hit animation from the game server, a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation is displayed on the graphical user interface, so as to interrupt the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character; wherein, the target hit animation is an animation determined by the game server based on information associated with the first action.

[0074] The information associated with the first action refers to the related information involved in the process of the first virtual character performing the first action. For example, the real-time position of the first virtual character at any given time, the real-time position of the second virtual character at any given time, the start time and end time of the second virtual character performing the target termination behavior, the start time of the first virtual character performing the first action, and so on.

[0075] For example, in response to receiving a target hit animation from the game server, the terminal device can display a second action performed by a second virtual character that matches the target hit animation on the graphical user interface.

[0076] Optionally, after determining the target's hit animation, the game server can send it to the terminal device and the terminal device used to control the second virtual character, so that the terminal device can control the second virtual character to perform a second action that matches the target's hit animation. At the same time, the terminal device used to control the first virtual character also displays the second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target's hit animation on the graphical user interface.

[0077] The following will describe, with reference to specific embodiments, a specific implementation of which the game server receives information sent by the terminal device that is associated with the first action, and determines the target hit animation based on the information associated with the first action.

[0078] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, before step 203 above, in response to receiving the target hit animation from the game server, displaying the second action performed by the second virtual character matching the target hit animation on the graphical user interface, the method further includes: obtaining information associated with the first action; sending the information associated with the first action to the game server, so that the game server performs a validity judgment on the first action performed by the first virtual character based on the information associated with the first action, obtaining a validity judgment result; and, when the game server determines that the validity judgment result is valid, determining the target hit animation and sending the target hit animation to the terminal device.

[0079] For example, when the game server receives information associated with the first action sent by the terminal device, it performs a validity judgment on the first action performed by the first virtual character based on the information associated with the first action, thereby obtaining a validity judgment result.

[0080] Among them, the effectiveness judgment refers to the judgment mechanism that determines whether the first action performed by the first virtual character will provide effective defense against the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character.

[0081] Correspondingly, if the first action performed by the first virtual character effectively defends against the target finishing action performed by the second virtual character, the effectiveness judgment result is valid. Then, under the attack of the first action, the second virtual character will be controlled to perform a corresponding second action that matches the target's hit animation. That is, under the effect of the first action, the target finishing action being performed by the second virtual character is interrupted, and a second action matching the target's hit animation is performed. For example, when the target finishing action being performed by the second virtual character is a three-step layup and the character is in the air, the first virtual character, through its first action (e.g., stealing the ball), causes the second virtual character to lose possession of the basketball and, under the effective influence of the first action, performs a second action of falling from the air. Or, if the target finishing action being performed by the second virtual character is a three-step layup, and the first virtual character performs a first action of impacting the second virtual character from behind, and the first action is effective, the second virtual character performs a second action of being impacted and falling forward.

[0082] Conversely, if the first action performed by the first virtual character does not effectively defend against the target finishing action performed by the second virtual character, the validity judgment result is invalid. In this case, under the first action performed by the first virtual character, the target finishing action performed by the second virtual character will not be interrupted by the first action. That is, the second virtual character can normally perform the target finishing action (such as a three-step layup) and thus score points when the target finishing action is successful.

[0083] The following will describe a specific embodiment in which the game server determines the validity of the first action performed by the first virtual character based on information associated with the first action, and obtains the corresponding validity determination result.

[0084] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the game server determines the validity of the first action based on information associated with the first action, including: determining the validity based on the information associated with the first action and at least one preset condition, wherein the at least one preset condition includes at least one of spatial conditions, temporal conditions, and prediction conditions.

[0085] When the associated information includes the first position of the first virtual character and the second position of the second virtual character, the spatial conditions include: determining, based on the first position and the second position, that the second virtual character is located within the target effective area where the first virtual character performs the first action.

[0086] The target effective area represents the region formed by the first virtual character from the starting position of the first action to the ending position of the first action. Optionally, the target effective area can be a behavioral parameter that can be flexibly configured by the developers to provide flexible parameter configuration conditions and methods, facilitating subsequent optimization and expansion.

[0087] For example, in this spatial condition, when the distance between the second virtual character performing the target termination behavior and the first virtual character is less than the target effective area of ​​the first virtual character performing the first action, that is, when the second virtual character is located within the target effective area of ​​the first virtual character performing the first action, it can be determined that the first action is valid.

[0088] The associated information includes the first starting time point when the first virtual character performs the first action, and the second starting time point when the second virtual character performs the target termination behavior; the aforementioned timing conditions include: the first starting time point is earlier than the target threshold time point, and the target threshold time point is determined based on the second starting time point and the expected termination time point of the target termination behavior.

[0089] Among them, the expected termination time is a parameter that can be flexibly configured by the developers, so as to provide a flexible parameter configuration condition and method, thereby facilitating subsequent optimization and expansion.

[0090] For example, in this timing condition, if the first start time of the first action performed by the first virtual character is earlier than the second start time and the target threshold time within the interval of the expected termination time of the target termination behavior, it can be determined that the first action performed by the first virtual character has enough time to defend against the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character, thereby determining that the first action performed by the first virtual character is effective.

[0091] The associated information includes the first starting time point when the first virtual character performs the first action; the prediction conditions include: the first starting time point is earlier than the hit prediction time point or the interruption prediction time point, wherein the hit prediction time point represents the time point when the second virtual character is predicted to successfully move the virtual sphere to the target virtual object based on the target termination behavior, and the interruption prediction time point represents the time point when the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character is interrupted.

[0092] For example, in this prediction condition, the first starting time of the first virtual character executing the first action needs to be earlier than the predicted time when the second virtual character successfully moves the virtual ball to the target virtual object based on the target finishing action; or, if there are other actions that interrupt the target finishing action executed by the second virtual character (such as a block action in a basketball game), the first starting time of the first virtual character executing the first action needs to be earlier than the predicted time when the target finishing action executed by the second virtual character is interrupted. In this case, the first action executed by the first virtual character is valid. Otherwise, if the target finishing action executed by the second virtual character has already been successfully completed (i.e., the virtual ball has been successfully moved to the target virtual object), or has been interrupted by other actions, then the first action controlling the execution of the first virtual character will inevitably fail to effectively defend against the target finishing action executed by the second virtual character.

[0093] In addition to the above embodiments, in an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the validity judgment result is determined in the following manner: if it is determined based on the information associated with the first action that each of the multiple preset conditions is satisfied, the validity judgment result is determined to be valid; if it is determined based on the information associated with the first action that any of the multiple preset conditions is not satisfied, the validity judgment result is determined to be invalid.

[0094] Optionally, to save processing time for the game server, when determining whether the information associated with the first action satisfies each of the multiple preset conditions, a parallel judgment method can be adopted for the multiple preset conditions. That is, the game server performs parallel judgments on multiple preset conditions through multiple processes. If, based on the information associated with the first action, it is determined that any of the multiple preset conditions is not met, the game server directly determines that the first action is invalid and can send an invalid judgment result to the terminal device. Based on the invalid judgment result, it is determined that the first action has no effect on the target termination behavior executed by the second virtual character, and the second virtual character then normally executes the third action of the target termination behavior.

[0095] If each preset condition is met, the game server determines that the first action is valid, identifies the target hit animation that matches it, and sends the target hit animation to the terminal device to play the target hit animation. This causes the second virtual character to execute the corresponding second action in the target hit animation, thereby interrupting the target termination behavior executed by the second virtual character through the first action of the first virtual character and displaying the corresponding interrupted second action.

[0096] The above-mentioned preset conditions will be described below with reference to specific embodiments: In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least the first position of the first virtual character and the second position of the second virtual character; correspondingly, the preset conditions include at least the spatial conditions shown in the above embodiments, namely: determining that the second virtual character is located within the target effective area based on the first position and the second position, wherein the target effective area is the area where the first virtual character performs the first action.

[0097] Optionally, the target effective region can be a parameter that developers can flexibly configure, thus providing flexible configuration conditions and methods for the target effective region parameter, facilitating further optimization and expansion. Of course, the target effective region can also be a pre-configured fixed effective region, and the embodiments of this disclosure do not impose any special limitations on this.

[0098] For example, if the game server determines that the second virtual character is located within the target effective area, it can determine that the first action performed by the first virtual character is valid. Otherwise, it is necessary to further determine whether other preset conditions are met.

[0099] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least a first start time point for the first virtual character to perform the first action and a second start time point for the second virtual character to perform the target termination behavior; the preset conditions include at least the timing conditions shown in the above embodiments: the first start time point is earlier than the target threshold time point, and the target threshold time point is determined based on the second start time point and the expected termination time point of the target termination behavior.

[0100] Among them, the expected termination time is a parameter that can be flexibly configured by the developers, so as to provide a flexible parameter configuration condition and method, thereby facilitating subsequent optimization and expansion.

[0101] For example, if the game server detects that the first start time point is earlier than the target threshold time point, it can determine that the first action performed by the first virtual character is valid. Otherwise, it is necessary to further determine whether other preset conditions are met.

[0102] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least a first starting time point when the first virtual character performs the first action, and the preset conditions include at least the prediction conditions shown in the above embodiments: the first starting time point is earlier than the hit prediction time point or the interruption prediction time point, wherein the hit prediction time point represents the time point when the second virtual character is predicted to successfully move the virtual sphere to the target virtual object based on the target termination behavior, and the interruption prediction time point represents the time point when the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character is interrupted.

[0103] For example, if the game server detects that the first starting time point is earlier than the predicted hit time point or the predicted interruption time point, it can determine that the first action performed by the first virtual character is valid. Otherwise, it is necessary to further determine whether other preset conditions are met.

[0104] In addition to the above embodiments, in an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least an effective action behavior configured for the second virtual character; the preset conditions include at least: when an effective action behavior is selected, the second virtual character performs the effective action behavior.

[0105] For example, the action behaviors that the first action can be applied to can be pre-configured, such as whether it can be applied to burst-type actions. If the developer selects the applicable action behavior, it can be determined that the first action performed by the first virtual character can be applied to it. For example, the applicable action behavior parameters for the first action can also be pre-set through a game configuration table. This parameter is a configurable list or set of Boolean values ​​used to define which specific types of opponent actions the first action can be applied to. For example, configuration items may include "whether it can be applied to burst-type dash actions", "whether it can be applied to super armor-type actions", etc. If the developer selects the option to apply to a certain type of action in the configuration table, then when the second virtual character performs that type of action, the first action performed by the first virtual character can be determined to be potentially applicable to it.

[0106] For example, assuming the effective action is an explosive action, if a second virtual character is detected performing an explosive action, the first action performed by the first virtual character can be determined to be valid. Otherwise, it is necessary to further determine whether other preset conditions are met.

[0107] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least the skill tag information configured when the second virtual character performs the target termination behavior; the preset conditions include at least: the skill tag information does not belong to a preset set of invalid skill tags.

[0108] For example, in ball games, the actions performed by virtual characters can be controlled by triggered skills, such as layups, three-point shots, steals, layups, dunks, shots, putbacks, alley-oops, etc. The system can add corresponding skill tag information to the skills corresponding to each action.

[0109] In basketball games, the set of invalid skill tags may include, for example, tags corresponding to skills of the preset excluded behavior types shown in the above embodiments; the excluded behavior types include at least one of rebounding, dunking, and alley-oop behaviors. It may also include tags corresponding to explosive behaviors and explosive skills, etc. This disclosure does not impose any special restrictions on this, and the specific configuration can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual situation.

[0110] Having understood the aforementioned preset conditions, and based on these conditions, the game server can determine the validity of the first action performed by the first virtual character. When the game server determines that the validity determination result is valid, it can then determine the target's hit animation and send it to the terminal device.

[0111] The following will provide an exemplary description of how a game server determines the target's hit animation, using specific embodiments as examples.

[0112] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the target hit animation is determined as follows: based on the first character attribute parameters of the first virtual character and the second character attribute parameters of the second virtual character, the target hit animation that matches the first character attribute parameters and the second character attribute parameters is selected from the candidate hit animations.

[0113] The character attribute parameters include at least one of the following: character position, character facing direction, and distance between the character and the ground plane.

[0114] For example, the game server can pre-store multiple candidate hit animations. These candidate hit animations are animations generated by the game server based on a specific game scenario (e.g., basketball game, football game), various ultimate actions involved in the game scenario, and the animation of being attacked under different character attribute parameters during the execution of the ultimate actions. These candidate hit animations can be pre-rendered complete animation clips or animation sequences generated in real time by the basic motion module based on physical parameters. The game server can then select a target hit animation from the candidate hit animations that matches the first character attribute parameters and the second character attribute parameters of the second virtual character.

[0115] For example, when the first action performed by the first virtual character and the target ending action performed by the second virtual character collide effectively, and both are face-to-face with the first virtual character on the ground plane, the second virtual character, upon being hit at high speed by the first virtual character, will perform a second action of rapidly backwards and falling to the ground. If the second virtual character is hit at a slower speed by the first virtual character, it will perform a second action of staggering slightly backwards but not falling to the ground. If the first virtual character hits the second virtual character from behind, the second virtual character will perform a second action of lying forward. It should be noted that the second action performed by the second virtual character is subject to the influence of physical forces.

[0116] For example, the game server pre-stores multiple candidate hit animations, each associated with a trigger condition tag. These tags are set based on dimensions such as collision direction, relative speed, and the height of the hit character off the ground. The game server determines the current collision direction, relative speed, and height of the hit character off the ground based on the attribute parameters of the first and second virtual characters at the moment of collision. Then, it matches these determined dimensions with the trigger condition tags of the candidate hit animations, selecting the animation with the highest match as the target hit animation. For instance, the matching logic may include: if the collision direction is determined to be "frontal," the relative speed is higher than a threshold V1, and the height of the hit character off the ground is 0, then the hit animation with the tag "[Front_High Speed_Standing]" (e.g., "Quickly backing away and falling to the ground") is matched and selected. If the collision direction is "frontal," the relative speed is lower than a threshold V1 but higher than a threshold V2, and the height of the hit character off the ground is 0, then the hit animation with the tag "[Front_Low Speed_Standing]" (e.g., "Slightly staggering backward") is matched and selected. If the collision direction is "backwards," regardless of the relative speed, and the height of the hit character off the ground is 0, then the hit animation labeled "[backwards_any_standing]" (e.g., "forward prone") will be matched and selected. The second action performed by the second virtual character follows the influence of physical forces.

[0117] In this embodiment, by selecting a target hit animation that matches the attribute parameters of the first character and the attribute parameters of the second character from the candidate hit animations, the real-time performance during game interaction can be improved. This helps to reduce the impact of the game server's processing capacity, which prevents the terminal device from rendering the second action performed by the second virtual character under the effective influence of the first action.

[0118] This disclosure also provides a method for controlling virtual characters applied to a game server, referring to... Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This schematically illustrates a flowchart of a method for controlling a virtual character applied to a game server in this exemplary embodiment. The method includes the following steps 301-303: Step 301: In response to receiving information associated with the first action from the terminal device, determine the target hit animation based on the information associated with the first action; wherein, the first action is the terminal device responding to a first trigger operation of the termination behavior defense control, controlling the first virtual character to perform an action against the target termination behavior, and the termination behavior defense control is the termination behavior defense control provided on the graphical user interface in response to the terminal device responding to the second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character to perform the target termination behavior.

[0119] Step 302: Send the target hit animation to the terminal device so that the terminal device displays a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation on the provided graphical user interface, so that the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character is interrupted.

[0120] exist Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, on the one hand, this process provides players with a new defensive method against the opponent's target finishing move, expanding upon existing defensive methods that can only be used when the opponent has not used their ultimate skill. This further enhances the player's defensive strength, enriches gameplay, and increases the game's fun. On the other hand, this method eliminates the need for players to rely on experience to determine whether to defend, thus reducing the skill requirements for players, lowering the complexity and barrier to entry, and improving the player's gaming experience while also increasing the success rate of defending against target finishing moves. Furthermore, this method significantly reduces the number and frequency of players manually judging and using multiple controls to execute corresponding defensive actions, and transfers the validity judgment process for the first action from the terminal device to the game server. This reduces the computational load and energy consumption of the terminal's local processor, while further avoiding issues such as instruction conflicts and inconsistent status judgments on the server side, thereby improving the overall system response efficiency and resource utilization.

[0121] It should be noted that the specific implementation process of the above-mentioned control method for virtual characters applied to game servers refers to the above-mentioned control method for virtual characters, and the embodiments disclosed herein will not be described in detail here.

[0122] To implement the above-mentioned method for controlling virtual characters, one embodiment of this disclosure provides a control device for virtual characters. Figure 4 The schematic diagram illustrates the architecture of the control device for a virtual character.

[0123] The virtual character control device 400 includes a control display module 401, a character control module 402, and an action display module 403.

[0124] The control display module 401 is configured to respond to the second virtual character's execution of a target termination behavior within a preset range of the first virtual character, providing termination behavior defense controls on the graphical user interface. The target termination behavior is the second virtual character controlling the movement of a virtual sphere to a target virtual object and obtaining the corresponding reward settlement result. The second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions. The character control module 402 is configured to respond to the first trigger operation of the termination behavior defense controls, controlling the first virtual character to execute a first action against the target termination behavior. The action display module 403 is configured to respond to receiving a target hit animation from the game server, displaying a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation on the graphical user interface, so as to interrupt the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character. The target hit animation is an animation determined by the game server based on information associated with the first action.

[0125] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the control display module 401 is specifically configured to update the target skill control to a termination behavior defense control in response to the second virtual character performing a target termination behavior within a preset range of the first virtual character.

[0126] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the virtual sphere is a virtual basketball, and the target virtual object is a virtual basketball hoop; the target termination behavior includes at least one of the following termination behaviors: The action of a second virtual character throwing a virtual basketball into a virtual hoop; The dunking action of a second virtual character putting a virtual basketball into a virtual hoop; The second virtual character performs a layup action on the virtual basketball by targeting the layup action of the target. Furthermore, the target termination behavior does not belong to the preset exclusion behavior type; the exclusion behavior type includes at least one of the following: When the second virtual character moves the virtual basketball to the virtual hoop, and the virtual basketball is bounced out of the virtual hoop, the second virtual character or a friendly character in the same game faction as the second virtual character moves the virtual basketball back into the virtual hoop as a rebounding action. The second virtual character's game faction consists of multiple friendly characters who pass the ball between virtual basketballs and virtual hoops in an alley-oop fashion.

[0127] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the device may further include an information acquisition module and an information sending module. The information acquisition module is configured to acquire information associated with the first action. The information sending module is configured to send the information associated with the first action to a game server, so that the game server can determine the validity of the first action performed by the first virtual character based on the information associated with the first action, obtain a validity determination result, and, when the game server determines that the validity determination result is valid, determine the target hit animation and send the target hit animation to the terminal device.

[0128] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the validity determination result is determined based on the following method: If, based on information associated with the first action, it is determined that each of the multiple preset conditions is met, the validity judgment result is determined to be valid. If, based on information associated with the first action, it is determined that any of the multiple preset conditions is not met, the validity determination result is invalid.

[0129] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least a first position of the first virtual character and a second position of the second virtual character; the preset conditions include at least: determining that the second virtual character is located within a target effective area based on the first and second positions, wherein the target effective area represents the area where the first virtual character performs the first action.

[0130] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least a first start time point for the first virtual character to perform the first action and a second start time point for the second virtual character to perform the target termination behavior; the preset conditions include at least: the first start time point is earlier than the target threshold time point, and the target threshold time point is determined based on the second start time point and the expected termination time point of the target termination behavior.

[0131] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least a first starting time point when the first virtual character performs the first action, and the preset conditions include at least: the first starting time point is less than the hit prediction time point or the interruption prediction time point, wherein the hit prediction time point represents the time point when the second virtual character is predicted to successfully move the virtual sphere to the target virtual object based on the target termination behavior, and the interruption prediction time point represents the time point when the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character is interrupted.

[0132] In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least effective action behavior parameters configured for the second virtual character; the preset conditions include at least: when an effective action behavior parameter is selected, the second virtual character performs the effective action behavior corresponding to the effective action behavior parameter.

[0133] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the information associated with the first action includes at least the skill tag information configured when the second virtual character performs the target termination behavior; the preset conditions include at least: the skill tag information corresponding to the second virtual character performing the target termination behavior does not belong to a preset set of invalid skill tags.

[0134] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the target hit animation is determined as follows: based on the first character attribute parameters of the first virtual character and the second character attribute parameters of the second virtual character, the target hit animation that matches the first character attribute parameters and the second character attribute parameters is selected from the candidate hit animations; wherein, the character attribute parameters include at least one of the following: character position, character facing direction, and distance between the character and the ground plane.

[0135] The virtual character control device 400 provided in this embodiment can execute the technical solution of the virtual character control method in any of the above embodiments. Its implementation principle and beneficial effects are similar to those of the virtual character control method. Please refer to the implementation principle and beneficial effects of the virtual character control method. It will not be repeated here.

[0136] This disclosure also provides a control device for a virtual character. Figure 5 The schematic diagram illustrates the architecture of the control device for a virtual character.

[0137] The control device 500 for the virtual character includes an animation determination module 501 and an animation sending module 502.

[0138] The animation determination module 501 is configured to respond to receiving information associated with the first action from the terminal device and determine the target hit animation based on the information associated with the first action. The first action is a first trigger operation by the terminal device in response to a termination behavior defense control, controlling a first virtual character to perform an action against the target termination behavior. The termination behavior defense control is a termination behavior defense control provided on a graphical user interface by the terminal device in response to a second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character performing the target termination behavior. The animation sending module 502 is configured to send the target hit animation to the terminal device, so that the terminal device displays a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation on the provided graphical user interface, thereby interrupting the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character.

[0139] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the device further includes an animation selection module, which is configured to execute a game server to select a target hit animation from candidate hit animations that matches the first character attribute parameters and the second character attribute parameters based on the first character attribute parameters of the first virtual character and the second character attribute parameters of the second virtual character; wherein the character attribute parameters include at least one of the following: character position, character facing direction, and distance between the character and the ground plane.

[0140] In an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the animation determination module 501 is configured to perform a validity judgment on the first action performed by the first virtual character based on information associated with the first action, obtain a validity judgment result, and determine the target hit animation when the validity judgment result is determined to be valid.

[0141] The virtual character control device 500 provided in this embodiment can execute the technical solution of the virtual character control method in any of the above embodiments. Its implementation principle and beneficial effects are similar to those of the virtual character control method. Please refer to the implementation principle and beneficial effects of the virtual character control method. It will not be repeated here.

[0142] In exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, on which a program product capable of implementing the methods described above is stored. In some possible embodiments, various aspects of the present invention may also be implemented as a program product comprising program code that, when the program product is run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to perform the steps of the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention described in the "Exemplary Methods" section above.

[0143] According to embodiments of the present invention, a program product for implementing the above-described method may employ a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program code, and may run on a terminal device, such as a personal computer. However, the program product of the present invention is not limited thereto. In this document, a readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that may be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0144] The program product may employ any combination of one or more readable media. A readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of readable storage media (a non-exhaustive list) include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0145] Computer-readable signal media may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, capable of sending, propagating, or transmitting programs for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0146] The program code contained on the readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber, radio frequency (RF), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0147] Program code for performing the operations of this invention can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0148] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, an electronic device capable of implementing the above-described method is also provided.

[0149] Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of the present invention can be implemented as systems, methods, or program products. Therefore, various aspects of the present invention can be specifically implemented in the following forms: entirely in hardware, entirely in software (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or in a combination of hardware and software, collectively referred to herein as “circuit,” “module,” or “system.”

[0150] The following reference Figure 6 To describe an electronic device 600 according to this embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The electronic device 600 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitations on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0151] like Figure 6 As shown, the electronic device 600 is manifested in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device 600 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 610, at least one storage unit 620, a bus 630 connecting different system components (including storage unit 620 and processing unit 610), and a display unit 640.

[0152] The storage unit stores program code, which can be executed by the processing unit 610 to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. For example, the processing unit 610 can perform actions such as... Figure 2 Steps 201 to 203 shown Figure 3 Steps 301 to 302 are shown.

[0153] Storage unit 620 may include readable media in the form of volatile storage units, such as random access memory (RAM) 6201 and / or cache memory 6202, and may further include read-only memory (ROM) 6203.

[0154] Storage unit 620 may also include a program / utility 6204 having a set (at least one) program module 6205, such program module 6205 including but not limited to: operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules and program data, each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0155] Bus 630 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory cell bus or memory cell controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of the various bus structures.

[0156] Electronic device 600 can also communicate with one or more external devices 1000 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, Bluetooth device, etc.), and with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 600, and / or with any device that enables electronic device 600 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., router, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 650. Furthermore, electronic device 600 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 660. As shown, network adapter 660 communicates with other modules of electronic device 600 via bus 630. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with electronic device 600, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks (RAID) systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0157] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, terminal device, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0158] Furthermore, the above figures are merely illustrative of the processes included in the method according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to be limiting. It is readily understood that the processes shown in the above figures do not indicate or limit the temporal order of these processes. Additionally, it is readily understood that these processes may be executed synchronously or asynchronously, for example, in multiple modules.

[0159] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0160] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and embodiments are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the claims.

[0161] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is defined only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a virtual character, characterized in that, The method includes: In response to the second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character executing a target termination behavior, a termination behavior defense control is provided on the graphical user interface. The target termination behavior is the behavior of the second virtual character controlling the movement of a virtual sphere to a target virtual object and obtaining a corresponding reward settlement result. The second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions. In response to a first trigger operation of the defense control against the termination behavior, the first virtual character is controlled to perform a first action against the target termination behavior; In response to receiving a target hit animation from the game server, a second action performed by the second virtual character that matches the target hit animation is displayed on the graphical user interface to interrupt the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character; wherein the target hit animation is an animation determined by the game server based on information associated with the first action.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of providing target skill controls on the graphical user interface, and providing termination behavior defense controls on the graphical user interface in response to a second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character executing a target termination behavior, includes: In response to a second virtual character within a preset range of the first virtual character executing the target termination behavior, the target skill control is updated to the termination behavior defense control.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The virtual sphere is a virtual basketball, and the target virtual object is a virtual basketball hoop; the target termination behavior includes at least one of the following termination behaviors: The second virtual character's action of shooting a basketball into the virtual hoop; The second virtual character performs a dunking action by slamming the virtual basketball into the virtual hoop. The second virtual character performs a layup on the virtual basketball based on the target layup action; Furthermore, the target termination behavior does not belong to a preset exclusion behavior type; the exclusion behavior type includes at least one of the following: When the second virtual character moves the virtual basketball to the virtual hoop, during the period when the virtual basketball is bounced out of the virtual hoop, the second virtual character or a friendly character in the same game faction as the second virtual character moves the virtual basketball back into the virtual hoop for a rebounding action. The second virtual character's game faction's multiple friendly characters in the game relay team move the virtual basketball into the virtual hoop through an alley-oop method.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Prior to the step of displaying a second action performed by the second virtual character matching the target hit animation on the graphical user interface in response to receiving a target hit animation from the game server, the method further includes: Obtain information associated with the first action; The information associated with the first action is sent to the game server, so that the game server can determine the validity of the first action performed by the first virtual character based on the information associated with the first action, obtain a validity determination result, and, when the game server determines that the validity determination result is valid, determine the target hit animation and send the target hit animation to the terminal device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The validity judgment result is determined based on the following method: If it is determined, based on the information associated with the first action, that each of the multiple preset conditions is satisfied, the validity judgment result is determined to be valid. If, based on information associated with the first action, it is determined that any of the multiple preset conditions is not met, the validity judgment result is determined to be invalid.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The information associated with the first action includes at least the first position of the first virtual character and the second position of the second virtual character; The preset conditions include at least the following: Based on the first position and the second position, it is determined that the second virtual character is located within the target effective area, where the target effective area represents the area where the first virtual character performs the first action.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The information associated with the first action includes at least a first start time point when the first virtual character performs the first action, and a second start time point when the second virtual character performs the target termination behavior; The preset conditions include at least the following: The first start time point is earlier than the target threshold time point, which is determined based on the second start time point and the expected termination time point of the target termination behavior.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The information associated with the first action includes at least the first start time point when the first virtual character performs the first action. The preset conditions include at least the following: The first starting time point is less than the hit prediction time point or the interruption prediction time point, wherein the hit prediction time point represents the time point at which the second virtual character is predicted to successfully move the virtual sphere to the target virtual object based on the target termination behavior, and the interruption prediction time point represents the time point at which the target termination behavior executed by the second virtual character is predicted to be interrupted.

9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The information associated with the first action includes at least the action behavior parameters that can be applied for the second virtual character; The preset conditions include at least the following: When the effective action behavior parameter is selected, the second virtual character performs the effective action behavior corresponding to the effective action behavior parameter.

10. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The information associated with the first action includes at least the skill tag information configured when the second virtual character performs the target termination behavior; The preset conditions include at least the following: the skill tag information corresponding to the second virtual character performing the target termination behavior does not belong to the preset set of invalid skill tags.

11. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The target hit animation is determined based on the following method: Based on the first character attribute parameters of the first virtual character and the second character attribute parameters of the second virtual character, select a target hit animation that matches the first character attribute parameters and the second character attribute parameters from the candidate hit animations; The character attribute parameters include at least one of the following: character position, character facing direction, and distance between the character and the ground plane.

12. A control device for a virtual character, characterized in that, The device includes: The control display module is configured to execute a target termination behavior of a second virtual character within a preset range of a first virtual character. It provides termination behavior defense controls on the graphical user interface. The target termination behavior is the behavior of the second virtual character controlling the movement of a virtual sphere to a target virtual object and obtaining a corresponding reward settlement result. The second virtual character and the first virtual character are in different game factions. The character control module is configured to execute a first trigger operation in response to the termination behavior defense control, and control the first virtual character to perform a first action against the target termination behavior; An action display module is configured to respond to receiving a target hit animation from a game server by displaying a second action performed by the second virtual character on the graphical user interface that matches the target hit animation, so as to interrupt the target termination behavior performed by the second virtual character; wherein the target hit animation is an animation determined by the game server based on information associated with the first action.

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

14. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: processor; as well as Memory for storing the executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the virtual character control method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 by executing the executable instructions.

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