SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ALTERING THE STATE OF A GAME OBJECT IN A VIDEO GAME - Patent application

Abstract

To increase a user's interest level by simplifying attack order from a user's point of view and increasing a user's participation.SOLUTION: If at least one game object positioned in a virtual space is within an event zone when the event zone is being activated, the event zone is activated repeatedly within the virtual space so as to change a state of at least one game object within the virtual space. Further, visual display of the event zone and visual display of a marker positioned within the virtual space are displayed on a display device. Further, a position of a marker is changed such that distance including the marker and at least one portion of the event zone is related to time remaining before next repeated activation of the event zone.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 957,521, filed Jan. 6, 2020, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVED PLAYER INTERACTION,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates generally to video games, and more particularly to altering the state of game objects within a video game. [Background technology]

[0003] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for improving player interaction within a video game system.

[0004] One of the primary objectives of mobile gaming is to deliver a rewarding gaming experience that is characterized by high levels of gamer engagement and high levels of interest.

[0005] In multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, sometimes called action real-time strategy (ARTS) games, players control characters within a game environment that is typically viewed from an isometric perspective. In such games, a player is typically part of a team of players and engages players on other teams. In most such games, characters have the ability to improve or change during (and sometimes as a result of) gameplay.

[0006] MOBA games can be understood as a hybrid of real-time strategy, role-playing and action games, and are particularly popular in eSports. One of the reasons why MOBA games are popular in eSports is that they combine real-time strategy and role-playing features in a complex way, making them particularly suitable for team sports, where multiple players control different characters and engage / cooperate in a single game environment.

[0007] Although team gameplay benefits from the real-time strategy and role-playing elements of MOBA games, adding the complexity of the action elements of MOBA games can be more challenging, especially since many MOBA games display characters from a relatively distant perspective in order to provide a wide isometric view of the game environment. This makes attacks between characters relatively simple, which in turn limits user engagement with the action elements of MOBA games. Another technical challenge of MOBA games is that such games, which have spread to smartphone platforms, require players to tap the screen on which the game is displayed to launch an attack, which makes attack sequences more cumbersome as it interferes with the user's view of the screen.

[0008] Thus, there is a need to solve various technical problems, including the technical problems of maintaining and / or increasing the strategic complexity of attack sequences between characters in MOBA games, thereby increasing user engagement and interest while simplifying attack sequences from a user's perspective. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] According to various aspects, the disclosure relates to a method executed by a processor of a computing device. The method includes maintaining a virtual space for a game environment. The method also includes repeatedly activating an event zone in the virtual space such that one or more game objects located in the virtual space change a state in the virtual space of the one or more game objects if the one or more game objects are in the event zone when the event zone is activated. The method further includes displaying, on a display device, a visual representation of the event zone and a visual representation of a marker located in the virtual space. The method also includes modifying a position of the marker relative to at least a portion of the event zone such that a distance including the marker and at least a portion of the event zone is related to a time remaining before activation of a next iteration of the event zone.

[0010] According to yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides a gaming device comprising at least one processing device, a memory storing instructions executed by the processing device, at least one input device configured to receive input from a user, and at least one output device configured to provide output to the user, the at least one processing device executing the instructions in the memory to execute an interactive computer program that provides output in response to the received input, the interactive computer program having at least one process consisting of maintaining a virtual space of a gaming environment. The process also includes repeatedly activating an event zone in the virtual space such that one or more game objects located in the virtual space change a state in the virtual space of the one or more game objects if the one or more game objects are in the event zone when the event zone is activated. The process further includes displaying, on a display device, a visual representation of the event zone and a visual representation of a marker located in the virtual space. The process further includes modifying a position of the marker relative to at least a portion of the event zone such that a distance including the marker and at least a portion of the event zone is related to a time remaining before activation of a next iteration of the event zone.

[0011] According to yet another aspect, the disclosure provides a computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions loaded and executed by at least one processor of a gaming device, the medium causing the gaming device to execute a method of maintaining a virtual space of a gaming environment in an interactive computer program. The method also includes repeatedly activating an event zone in the virtual space such that one or more game objects located in the virtual space change a state in the virtual space of the one or more game objects if the one or more game objects are in the event zone when the event zone is activated. The method also includes displaying, on a display device, a visual representation of the event zone and a visual representation of a marker located in the virtual space. The method also includes modifying a position of the marker relative to at least a portion of the event zone such that a distance including the marker and at least a portion of the event zone is related to a time remaining before activation of a next iteration of the event zone.

[0012] These and other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer device for implementing a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the relationship of a computing device's memory to the video game process of the present invention, according to a non-limiting example embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating example game data, according to a non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of object data, according to a non-limiting embodiment. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of object data, according to a non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of environmental object data, according to a non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of level data, according to a non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an example of a process for converting a 3D graphics scene into a game image for display on a display device, according to a non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a first scene of a virtual space of a gaming environment displayed on the computer device scene of FIG. 1, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an example of a table storing information about game objects stored in game data, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a second scene of the virtual space of the gaming environment displayed on the screen of the computing device of FIG. 1, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of event zone data, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 13A] FIG. 13A illustrates the linear distance between a virtual representation of an event zone and a virtual representation of a marker, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 13B] FIG. 13B illustrates the linear distance between a virtual representation of an event zone and a virtual representation of a marker, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 14A] FIG. 14A illustrates the angular distance between a virtual representation of an event zone and a virtual representation of a marker, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 14B] FIG. 14B illustrates the angular distance between the virtual representation of the event zone and the virtual representation of the marker, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 15A] FIG. 15A illustrates the radial distance between a virtual representation of an event zone and a virtual representation of a marker, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 15B]FIG. 15B illustrates the radial distance between the virtual representation of the event zone and the virtual representation of the marker, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 16A] FIG. 16A is an example of a virtual representation of a marker moving around an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 16B] FIG. 16B is an example of a virtual representation of a marker moving around an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 16C] FIG. 16C is an example of a virtual representation of a marker moving around an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 16D] FIG. 16D is an example of a virtual representation of a marker moving around an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 17A] FIG. 17A is an example of a virtual representation of a marker moving radially outward relative to a virtual representation of an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 17B] FIG. 17B is an example of a virtual representation of a marker moving radially outward relative to a virtual representation of an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 17C] FIG. 17C is an example of a virtual representation of a marker moving radially outward relative to a virtual representation of an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 17D] FIG. 17D is an example of a virtual representation of a marker moving radially outward relative to a virtual representation of an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of marker data, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating steps in a video game process, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 20A] FIG. 20A is an example of an automatically executed attack, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 20B] FIG. 20B is an example of an automatically executed attack, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 20C]FIG. 20C is an example of an automatically executed attack, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 20D] FIG. 20D is an example of an automatically executed attack, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of the enemy detection algorithm, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of the opponent selection algorithm, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 23A] FIG. 23A is another example of an automatically executed attack, according to a non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 23B] FIG. 23B is another example of an automatically executed attack, according to a non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 24A] FIG. 24A is an example of changing the virtual representation of a marker and changing the virtual representation of an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 24B] FIG. 24B is an example of changing the virtual representation of a marker and changing the virtual representation of an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 24C] FIG. 24C is an example of changing the virtual representation of a marker and changing the virtual representation of an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Figure 24D] FIG. 24D is an example of changing the virtual representation of a marker and changing the virtual representation of an event zone, according to a non-limiting example. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a flow chart illustrating steps of another video game process according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a schematic of the video game process of FIG. 19, by way of a non-limiting example. [Figure 27] 27 is a flow chart illustrating steps of a method implemented by a computer device according to a non-limiting embodiment. The description and drawings are for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments only and are an aid to understanding. They are not intended to be, and should not be, limiting. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a computing device 10 according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, computing device 10 is a dedicated gaming console similar to an Xbox®, PlayStation®, or Nintendo® gaming console. In another embodiment, computing device 10 is a laptop computer. In yet another embodiment, computing device is a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. In yet another embodiment, computing device 10 is a handheld gaming console. Computing device 10 may be any other computing device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] 1, computing device 10 comprises non-transitory memory 12 (hereinafter "memory 12"), a processing unit 11, an input / output module 14, at least one power supply unit 27, and any other suitable components typically found in computers used in running video games. The various components of computing device 10 may communicate with each other via one or more buses 21, i.e., a data bus, a control bus, a power bus, etc.

[0016] In one embodiment, computing device 10 includes an internal game controller 13 (e.g., a touch screen) or an external game controller 17 (i.e., a joystick) configured to receive input from a user (i.e., a game player), as well as an internal display device 15 (e.g., a touch screen) or an external display device 16 (e.g., a computer monitor, television).

[0017] The computing device 10 connects to a data network 30 via a network input / output interface 25. Depending on the implementation, the data network 30 may be the Internet, a local area network, a wireless network, a combination of these networks, or yet another type of data network.

[0018] A user 1 plays a video game by viewing game images displayed on a screen 100 of an internal display device 15 or an external display device 16 and controlling the video game situation via an internal game controller 13 or an external game controller 17. Thus, the computing device 10 receives input from the internal game controller 13 or the external game controller 17 via an input / output module 14. The computing device 10 also provides output to the internal display device 15 or the external display device 16 and / or an auditory device (e.g., a speaker, not shown) via the input / output module 14. In other implementations, one or more internal or external game controllers and / or one or more internal or external display devices are connected to the input / output module 14.

[0019] The processing device 11 comprises one or more central processing units (CPU) having one or more cores. The processing device 11 also comprises at least one graphic processing unit (GPU) in communication with a video encoder / video codec (coder / decoder, not shown) to provide output data to an input / output module 14 for display on an internal display device 15 or an external display device 16. The processing device 11 also comprises at least one audio processing device in communication with an audio encoder / audio codec (coder / decoder, not shown) to provide output data to the hearing device that is provided to the input / output module 14.

[0020] Memory 12 may comprise RAM (random access memory), ROM (read only memory), flash memory, a hard disk drive, a DVD / CD / Blu-ray drive, and / or any other suitable memory device, technology or configuration. Memory 12 stores various information including computer readable instructions 18, game data 20, and an operating system 22.

[0021] Upon powering on the computing device 10, the processing unit 11 initiates a booting process that places the processing unit 11 in communication with the memory 12. In particular, the booting process causes the execution of an operating system 22, which may be any commercially available or proprietary operating system compatible with the computing device 10. Execution of the operating system 22 causes the processing unit 11 to display an image on the internal display 15 or external display 16, including various options that the user 1 may select via the internal game controller 13 or external game controller 17, and options for the user 1 to start a video game and / or make a video game selection. The video game selected / started by the user 1 is encoded with computer readable instructions 18.

[0022] Processing device 11 is configured to execute computer readable instructions 18 to cause the device to perform various information processing functions related to the video game that it encodes. In particular, as shown in Figure 2, execution of computer readable instructions 18 causes the processing device to perform game data processing functions 23 and game rendering processing functions 24, which are described below.

[0023] The game rendering processing function 24 includes generating game images for display on the internal display 15 or the external display 16. As part of this, the game data processing function 23 includes processing information indicative of the progress of the game or the current state of the game (i.e., processing information about the game that does not necessarily need to be displayed on the internal display 15 or the external display 16). The game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24 are shown in FIG. 2 as forming part of a single set of computer readable instructions 18. However, in other embodiments, the game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24 are separate programs or sets of computer readable instructions stored in separate memories and executed by separate, potentially remote, processing devices. For example, the game data processing function 23 is executed on a CPU and the game rendering processing function 24 is executed on a GPU.

[0024] During execution of the computer readable instructions 18, the processing unit 11 processes features such as objects and / or levels by applying certain artificial intelligence algorithms in accordance with certain game rules. During execution of the computer readable instructions 18, the processing unit 11 creates, loads, stores, reads, and generally accesses game data 20, which includes data regarding the objects and / or levels. Figure 3 is an example showing an example of game data 20 according to this illustrative embodiment. The game data 20 includes data regarding the features, and thus includes object data 42 and / or level data 44.

[0025] A game object is any element of the game environment, or any portion of such an element, that is graphically represented in a game image frame. A game object may be a player character (PC) or a non-player character (NPC). Examples of game objects include people, avatars, animals, and / or other suitable objects. A game object may be associated with one or more other objects, such as a weapon held by a character or clothing worn by a character. A game object may have other non-visual representations, such as numerical, geometric, or mathematical representations. As shown in FIG. 4, object data 42 includes game object data 46, which stores data regarding the current representation of a game object, such as a graphical representation of a game image frame or a numerical, geometric, or mathematical representation.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, game objects have configured attributes. In some cases, certain attributes of a game object are controlled by a user 1. In some instances, certain attributes of a game object (PC or NPC) are controlled by computer readable instructions 18. Game object data 46 stores attributes such as image data, position data 32, material / texture data, color data, physical state data, visibility data, lighting data (e.g., direction, position, color and / or intensity), sound data, motion data, collision data, environmental data, timer data, and / or other data associated with the game object.

[0027] Environmental objects, which are similar to game objects except for their attributes, are inherently less dynamic. Furthermore, game objects generally have additional attributes that environmental objects do not. Some environmental objects are elements of the game environment with which the PC and NPCs interact. Environmental objects may include 2D or 3D representations of buildings, vehicles, furniture, plants, sky, ground, sea, sun, and / or other suitable elements. Environmental objects may also include other non-graphical representations, such as numerical, geometric, or mathematical representations. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, object data 42 includes environmental object data 48 that stores data regarding the current representation of environmental objects, such as the graphical representation of a game image frame, or numerical, geometric, or mathematical representations.

[0028] Certain attributes of the environmental objects are controlled by computer readable instructions 18. Environmental object data 48 also stores attributes such as image data, position data 36, ​​material / texture data, physical state data, visibility data, lighting data (e.g., direction, position, color and / or intensity), sound data, motion data, collision data, environmental data, timer data, and / or other data associated with the environmental objects.

[0029] The game data 20 also includes data regarding the current view or camera angle (i.e., first person view, third person view, etc.) of the video game, as displayed on the screen 100 of the built-in display 15 or external display 16. This data is part of the representation and / or attributes of the object data 42 (including environmental object data 48 and / or game object data 46) and / or the level data 44.

[0030] In executing the computer readable instructions 18, the processing unit 11 triggers an initialization phase after the user 1 selects / starts the game and initializes the game. The initialization phase is used to perform the necessary game setup and prepare the game data 20 to start the game. The game data 20 changes during the processing of the computer readable instructions 18 (i.e., during the game), and the term "game state" is used herein to define the current situation (as shown in Figures 4A, 4B, 4C) or properties of the game data 20, i.e., the various object data 42 (including environmental object data 48 and / or game object data 46) and / or level data 44, and their corresponding representations and / or attributes.

[0031] After an initialization phase, the processing unit 11, in executing the computer readable instructions 18, executes one or more game loops. The one or more game loops typically operate continuously during game play to perform game data processing functions 23 (sometimes referred to as "game logic") and game rendering processing functions 24.

[0032] The game loop executes by (i) processing input from the user via the built-in game controller 13 or the external game controller 17, updating the game state (i.e., storing and maintaining modified data in the memory 12 with respect to the game environment), and executing the game data processing function 23, and then (ii) rendering game images based on the updated game state and displaying them on the built-in display device 15 or the external display device 16, and executing the game rendering processing function 24. The game loop also tracks the passage of time to control the progress of game play. It can be recognized that parameters other than user input affect the game state. For example, various timers (i.e., time elapsed, time since a particular event, virtual time of day, etc.) can affect the game state. That is, the game continues to progress even if the user 1 does not provide input and the game state updates without user input.

[0033] Typically, the number of times per second the game data processing function 23 is executed specifies a game state update per second (hereinafter "update per second"), and the number of times per second the game rendering processing function 24 is executed specifies a rendering of game images per second (hereinafter "frame per second"). Although the game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24 are executed the same number of times per second, this is not required. In a specific and non-limiting example, it is desirable to execute the game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24 every 40 milliseconds (ms) (i.e., 40 ms = 1 second / 25 frames per second - FPS). If the game data processing function 23 is executed followed by the game rendering processing function 24, then in a given cycle or period, it is necessary that both the game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24 are executed at the time allotted for that period. It can be understood that the time to execute the game data processing function 23 and / or the game rendering processing function 24 may vary depending on the current game state. If the execution of both the game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24 takes less than the allotted time, a sleep timer can be used before executing the next cycle of the game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24. However, if the execution of both the game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24 exceeds the allotted time, jitter may occur. One technique to avoid jitter is to occasionally omit the execution of the game rendering processing function 24.

[0034] It will be appreciated that the target number of frames per second may be more than 25 frames per second or may be less (e.g., 60 frames per second). However, it is desirable to execute the game data processing function 23 and game rendering processing function 24 less than 20-25 times per second so that the human eye does not notice any lag associated with rendering game image frames. In general, the higher the frame rate, the shorter the time between images and the more power required for the processing unit to execute the game loop.

[0035] In other embodiments, the game data processing function 23 and the game rendering processing function 24 are separate game loops and therefore are processed independently. In this case, the game data processing function 23 can be routinely performed at a particular rate (i.e., a particular number of updates per second) regardless of when the game rendering processing function 24 is executed, and the game rendering processing function 24 can be routinely performed at a particular rate (i.e., a particular number of frames per second) regardless of when the game data processing function 23 is executed.

[0036] The process of routinely executing game data processing function 23 and game rendering processing function 24 can be performed according to a variety of techniques within the purview of those skilled in the art. The techniques described herein are merely non-limiting examples of how game data processing function 23 and game rendering processing function 24 may be implemented.

[0037] When the game data processing function 23 is executed, the game data 20 is processed in response to input from a user via the internal game controller 13 or the external game controller 17 (if present). More specifically, when a user plays a video game, the user inputs various commands via the internal game controller 13 or the external game controller 17. Some examples include moving left, right, forward, backward, jumping, shooting, etc. In response to the received user input, the game data processing function 23 updates the game data 20. In other words, the environment object data 48, the level data 44, and / or the game object data 46 are updated in response to the user input received via the internal game controller 13 or the external game controller 17. It is understood that the game data processing function 23 may be executed without any user input being received via the internal game controller 13 or the external game controller 17. Regardless of whether or not user input is received, the game data 20 is processed and updated. The game data 20 may be updated in response to the representations and / or attributes of the environmental object data 48, the level data 44 and / or the game object data 46, such that the representations and / or attributes specify updates to the game data 20. For example, timer data may specify one or more timers (i.e., time elapsed, time since a particular event, virtual hours of a day, etc.) such that the game data 20 (i.e., the object data 42 (including the environmental object data 48 and / or the game object data 46) and / or the level data 44) may be updated in response to the collision. In another example, an object not controlled by the user 1 may collide (slam, absorb, shatter, etc.), causing the game data 20, i.e., the object data 42 (including the environmental object data 48 and / or the game object data 46) and / or the level data 44 to be updated in response to the collision.

[0038] Generally, the game data 20 (i.e., the representation and / or attributes and / or levels of objects) represents data that specifies a three-dimensional (3D) graphics scene of a game. The process of converting a three-dimensional (3D) graphics scene, including one or more 3D graphic objects, into a two-dimensional (2D) rasterized game image for display on the built-in display device 15 or the external display device 16 is generally referred to as rendering. FIG. 8 is an example of the process of converting a 3D graphics scene into a game image for display on the built-in display device 15 or the external display device 16 via a screen. At step 52, the game data processing function 23 processes the data that represents the three-dimensional (3D) graphics scene of the game and converts the data into a set of vertex data (also known as vertex specifications). This vertex data is suitable for processing by a rendering pipeline (also known as a graphics pipeline). At step 55, the game rendering processing function 24 processes the vertex data according to the rendering pipeline. The output of the rendering pipeline is pixels that are typically displayed on the built-in display device 15 or the external display device 16 via a screen (step 60).

[0039] More specifically, in step 52, the 3D graphics objects in the graphics scene are subdivided into one or more 3D graphics primitives. A primitive refers to one or more groups of vertices that are grouped together and / or connected to define a geometric entity (i.e., point, line, polygon, face, object, patch, etc.) for rendering. In this step, vertex data is generated for each 3D graphics primitive. The vertex data for each primitive has one or more attributes (i.e., position, color, normal or texture coordinate information, etc.). In deriving the vertex data, a camera transformation (i.e., rotation transformation) occurs to transform the 3D graphics object into the 3D graphics scene relative to the current view or camera angle. Also, light source data (i.e., direction, position, color and / or intensity) can be taken into account in deriving the vertex data. The vertex data derived in this step is typically an ordered list of vertices that are sent to the rendering pipeline. The format of the ordered list generally depends on the particular implementation of the rendering pipeline.

[0040] At step 55, the game rendering process function 24 processes the vertex data according to a rendering pipeline. Non-limiting examples of known rendering pipelines include OpenGL and DirectX. Regardless of the particular rendering pipeline used to implement the rendering pipeline, the general operation of the rendering pipeline is to create a 2D raster representation (i.e., pixels) of the 3D scene. In general, the rendering pipeline calculates the projection position of the vertex data into 2D screen space and performs various operations (step 60) that take into account lighting, color, position information, texture coordinates, and / or other operations as appropriate to derive a game image (i.e., pixels) for display on the built-in display device 15 or the external display device 16.

[0041] In some cases, computing device 10 may be located between a server connected to the Internet, on the one hand, and one or more Internet appliances connected to the Internet, on the other hand, such that multiple users may participate in the same video game, and the server may perform, at least in part, the functions of computer readable instructions 18 (game rendering processing function 24 and / or game data processing function 23).

[0042] As described above, the game environment 8 of the video game is composed of the virtual space 6, which is a 2D or 3D virtual space, and the space 6 has various objects such as game objects (i.e., PC, NPC), environmental objects, and other objects. As shown in Fig. 9, a non-limiting example scene 900 is displayed on the screen 100 of the built-in display device 15 or the external display device 16 of the computing device 10. The scene 900 has a number of objects in the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 of the video game, namely, game objects 1011, 1012, 1013, 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 and environmental objects 1051, 1052, 1053, 1054.

[0043] Scene 900 shows a portion of game environment 8 from the perspective of a virtual camera 19 within game environment 8 .

[0044] In some embodiments, virtual camera 19 may provide an elevation view of game environment 8, in some embodiments, a top view of game environment 8, or in some embodiments, a perspective view of game environment 8 (i.e., an isometric, bi-isometric, or oblique perspective view). Virtual camera 19 may provide any other suitable view of game environment 8.

[0045] 9, game object 1011 is a PC associated with user 1. Game object 1011 may be represented by a character, such as, by way of non-limiting example, a person, an avatar, an animal, etc. In some embodiments, user 1 may select a character during an initialization phase of the video game, and in other embodiments, the video game may assign a character to user 1 during the initialization phase of the video game.

[0046] In this embodiment, the user 1 controls certain actions and attributes of the game object 1011. In this example, the position of the game object 1011 within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 is controlled by user input. Thus, the user 1 can provide input via the built-in game controller 13 or the external game controller 17. Here, the user input is a command that controls the position of the game object 1011 within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8. In response to the user input, the position of the game object 1011 within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 changes. As shown in FIG. 9 , in one embodiment, game object 1041 is a PC that is controlled by another user (i.e., a user other than user 1) who is playing a video game on his or her own device at the same time that user 1 is playing the video game using computing device 10. In another embodiment, game object 1041 is an NPC. In an embodiment in which game object 1041 is an NPC, the position of game object 1041 within virtual space 6 of game environment 8 is controlled without user input. For example, the position of game object 1041 is controlled by an autonomous engine (bot) executed by processing unit 11 as part of computer readable instructions 18.

[0047] For the purpose of simplifying this description, but without limiting the scope of the invention, the game object 1011 is the protagonist game object 1011, and the game objects 1012 and 1013 are the friendly game objects 1012 and 1013. X The game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, and 1044 are enemy game objects 104 X Let us assume that.

[0048] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, game play by User 1 involves the attack of one or more enemy game objects 104. X The change in state of one or more enemy game objects 104 is caused by the protagonist game object 1011 informing one or more enemy game objects 104 X indicates "damaging" or "killing" one or more enemy game objects 104 X The main game object 1011 (i.e., one or more enemy game objects 104) that "damages" or "kills" the X (change in state) to one or more enemy game objects 104 X is called the "attacking" main game object 1011.

[0049] In some embodiments, User 1's gameplay may proceed using a points-based system. For example, in one case, a protagonist game object 1011 may attack one or more enemy game objects 104. X Attacking adds points to a score associated with User 1. This score is stored in memory 12, for example as shown in column 1011 of table 1000 of Figure 10. More details regarding table 1000 are provided below.

[0050] As part of the video game process 1900, a user 1 associated with and controlling a protagonist game object 1011 may cause the protagonist game object 1011 to attack one or more enemy game objects 104. X For example, a user 1 associated with and controlling a protagonist game object 1011 may not need to provide input via an internal game controller 13 or an external game controller 17 of a computing device 10 to attack one or more enemy game objects 104. X There is no need to tap the screen 100 or press a button on the built-in game controller 13 or external game controller 17 to attack.

[0051] Rather, as part of the video game process 1900, one or more enemy game objects 104 may be activated by the protagonist game object 1011 if certain conditions are met. X The attack against the enemy game object 104 is automatically executed for User 1 (this condition is explained in more detail below). Since User 1 does not need to provide any input to initiate / execute the attack, the automatic attack on User 1 greatly simplifies the control of the video game. To further simplify the control of the video game, one or more enemy game objects 104 that are damaged or killed during the attack may be automatically executed for User 1 without any user input as part of the execution of the video game process 1900. X can be selected autonomously.

[0052] In some embodiments, game objects within virtual space 6 of game environment 8 may be divided into two or more teams competing against each other. For example, a pair of competing teams may be defined, hereinafter designated Team A and Team B, as shown in FIG.

[0053] 9, game objects 1011, 1012, 1013 are associated with team A, and game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 are associated with team B. That is, team A constitutes a first subset of game objects (i.e., game objects 1011, 1012, 1013) contained in game data 20, and team B constitutes a second subset of game objects (i.e., game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044) contained in game data 20. The relationships between the game objects and their respective teams are stored in memory 12.

[0054] In this example, the game play session comprises game objects 1011, 1012, 1013 associated with team A attacking game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 associated with team B in an attempt to damage or kill game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 associated with team B. In addition, the game play session also comprises game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 associated with team B attacking game objects 1011, 1012, 1013 associated with team A in an attempt to damage or kill game objects 1011, 1012, 1013 of team A.

[0055] In some embodiments, multiple users (similar to user 1) may play the video game. Thus, the video game may be a multiplayer video game, with each user associated with one of the teams through the game objects they control. Alternatively, or in addition, certain game objects associated with a team may be controlled by autonomous engines (bots) that are executed as part of the computer readable instructions 18 executed by the processing unit 11. For purposes of illustration, game objects 1013, 104 may be controlled by the game objects 1013, 104. 3、 1044 is controlled by an autonomous engine running as part of the video game process 1900, while game objects 1011, 1012, 1041, 1042 are controlled by users (the main game object 1011 is controlled by user 1, and game objects 1012, 1041, 1042 are each controlled by a user other than user 1).

[0056] A video game graphical user interface (GUI) 26 is configured to display information associated with certain game objects within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 on the screen 100 of the built-in display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10. For example, the video game GUI 26 is configured to display names associated with the game objects, identifiers associated with the game objects, or other identification means associated with the game objects within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8. In some cases, the names or identifiers may be selected by the user, and in other cases, the names or identifiers may not be selected by the user and may be assigned to the game objects as part of initialization of the game.

[0057] Thus, each game object in the virtual space 6 may have a corresponding indicator 28 that is displayed on the screen 100 of the built-in display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10. Each indicator 28 may display a name or identifier associated with the corresponding game object. By way of non-limiting example, an indicator 28 associated with a game object 1011 is shown in FIG.

[0058] In one embodiment, each indicator 28 can be fixed to the position of the game object in virtual space 6 such that as the position of the game object changes in virtual space 6, the position of the corresponding indicator 28 also changes in virtual space 6.

[0059] In one embodiment, the GUI 26 of the video game is configured to display information identifying the team with which the game object is associated. In one example implementation of this embodiment, each team may be associated with a color ("team color"). Thus, the indicator 28 corresponding to the game object may comprise the team color.

[0060] The GUI 26 is configured to display the name, identifier, or other suitable information of the team associated with each game object. The GUI 26 is also configured to display other information associated with each game object within the virtual space 6 of the game environment.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 9, the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 has environmental objects 1051, 1052, 1053, and 1054 (i.e., flags 1051, 1052, a tree 1053, and a building 1054).

[0062] In some embodiments, some of the environmental objects may be associated with teams (e.g., environmental objects given to team A or team B) such that a user's gameplay is driven by user-controlled game objects attacking these environmental objects. In this example, flag 1051 is associated with team A and flag 1052 is associated with team B.

[0063] It should be understood that there are no particular limitations regarding the number of teams, the number of game objects per team, the number of users participating in a multiplayer video game and controlling game objects, the number of game objects controlled by an autonomous engine, or the number of environmental objects.

[0064] Game data 20 stored in memory 12 defines a virtual space 6 of a game environment 8 having game objects 1011, 1012, 1013, 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 and environmental objects 1051, 1052, 1053, 1054.

[0065] As shown in Figure 10, table 1000 stored in memory 12 includes information about each game object included in game data 20, which may be identified in table 1000 by its name, its identifier, or other identifying criteria (as shown in column 1001 of Figure 10). Table 1000 also includes information about the association of each game object with its respective team (as shown in column 1002 of Figure 10). Additionally, table 1000 includes an indication of whether the game object is a PC or an NPC, and if a PC, table 1000 includes an indication of the user associated with the game object (as shown in column 1003 of Figure 10).

[0066] The video game process 1900 perspective includes one or more game objects 104. X However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the following description of the video game process 1900 is relevant to any game object attacking any number of other game objects in the virtual space 6.

[0067] As described above, as part of the video game process 1900, one or more enemy game objects 104 may be activated by the protagonist game object 1011 if certain conditions are met. X In this example, attacks on user 1 are automatically executed on behalf of user 1. X If the main game object 1011 is located close enough to the main game object 1011 in the virtual space 6, one or more enemy game objects 104 X The attack on is performed automatically for user 1.

[0068] 104 or more enemy game objects in virtual space 6 X is close enough to the main game object 1011 if one or more enemy game objects 104 XThe location in the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 of the protagonist game object 1011 is characterized as being within a zone associated with the protagonist game object 1011. This zone is referred to as the "event zone" (hereinafter "event zone 102").

[0069] In this embodiment, the event zone 102 is associated with the position of the protagonist game object 1011 within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8. In one case, the event zone 102 is fixed to the position of the protagonist game object 1011. As a result, the position of the event zone 102 within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 changes in response to input from the user consisting of commands that control the position of the protagonist game object 1011 within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8.

[0070] A visual representation of the event zone 102 is displayed on a screen 100 of the built-in display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10. FIG. 11 shows a non-limiting example scene 1100 displayed on a screen 100 of the built-in display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10. In the scene 1100, the visual representation of the event zone 102 is a perimeter 106 surrounding a protagonist game object 1011. Thus, as part of the video game process 1900, one or more enemy game objects 104 may be displayed on the screen 100 of the built-in display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10. X If the location of the game environment 8 in the virtual space 6 is within the event zone 102, the protagonist game object 1011 may X 11, as shown on a screen 100 of an internal display 15 or an external display 16 of a computing device 10, one or more enemy game objects 104 are displayed. X If the position of the game environment 8 in the virtual space 6 is within the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102, the protagonist game object 1011 may X The attack on is performed automatically for user 1.

[0071] Each game object included in game data 20 is associated with an event zone 102, and the association of the game object with each event zone 102 is stored in memory 12. In one embodiment directed to a multiplayer video game, all users playing the multiplayer video game may view visual representations of the event zones associated with each game object within virtual space 6 of game environment 8.

[0072] In other embodiments directed to a multiplayer video game, a user may only see visual representations of event zones 102 for the game object that the user is controlling, but visual representations of event zones 102 associated with other game objects in the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 are not displayed on the screen 100 of the built-in display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10.

[0073] The event zone 102 is a set of spatial coordinates {XYZ 102} and is related to a set of spatial coordinates {XYZ 102 A representation of the perimeter (boundary) of the coordinate system {X, Y, Z} is stored in memory 12. This representation can be in the form of spatial coordinates of a perimeter (boundary), such that any point within this boundary can be represented by a set of spatial coordinates {X, Y, Z}. 102}. A set of spatial coordinates {X, Y, Z} associated with the event zone 102 is understood to be within 102 The configuration of} changes in response to changes in the position of the event zone 102 within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8.

[0074] The position data 32 stored in the memory 12 associated with each game object is the spatial coordinates XYZ associated with each game object in the virtual space 6. GO In some embodiments, one or more enemy game objects 104 X As part of the video game process 1900, one or more enemy game objects 104 may be X spatial coordinates XYZ GOis the spatial coordinates of the set {X,Y,Z 102} It is decided based on whether it is within.

[0075] In addition to the visual representation of the event zone 102 described above, the event zone 102 may have non-visual representations, such as numerical, geometric or mathematical representations. As shown in Figure 5, the object data 42 includes event zone data that stores data regarding the current representation of the event zone 102, such as a graphical representation of a game image frame or a numerical, geometric or mathematical representation.

[0076] 12, the event zone 102 also comprises attributes. Some attributes of the event zone 102 are controlled by the user 1 (e.g., via the built-in game controller 13 of the computing device 10 or the external game controller 17), while some attributes of the event zone 102 are controlled by the video game process 1900.

[0077] The event zone data 70 also includes image data, (a set of spatial coordinates {X, Y, Z 102}, and / or the spatial coordinates XYZ of the main game object 1011, for example. GO The spatial coordinates XYZ of the game object relative to the event zone 102 GO The event zone may include attributes such as location data, material / texture data, physical condition data, color data, visibility data, lighting data (e.g., direction, location, color and / or intensity), acoustic data, movement data, collision data, environmental data and / or other data associated with the event zone.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 10, table 1000 lists the spatial coordinates XYZ associated with each game object. GO and a set of spatial coordinates {X, Y, Z 102} configuration (columns 1004 and 1009 in FIG. 10) is also included.

[0079] Additionally, in this embodiment, one or more enemy game objects 104 are added as part of the video game process 1900. X If the location of the game environment 8 in the virtual space 6 is within the event zone 102 when the event zone is activated, then the protagonist game object 1011 may X The attack on is performed automatically for user 1.

[0080] Also, in this embodiment, one or more enemy game objects 104 X If the location of the player in the virtual space 6 is within the event zone 102 when the event zone 102 is activated, the protagonist game object 1011 will cause one or more enemy game objects 104 X The video game process 1900 repeatedly activates the event zone 102 in the virtual space 6 so that the enemy game object 104 (or more enemy game objects 104) can be attacked. X The one or more enemy game objects 104 are configured to be repeatedly activated (regardless of whether their locations in the virtual space are within the event zone 102 or not), X Only when the location of the player in the virtual space 6 is within the event zone 102 when the event zone is activated, one or more enemy game objects 104 X is attacked.

[0081] An “event zone period” is defined as the time interval between recurring activations of an event zone 102 associated with a protagonist game object 1011 .

[0082] In one embodiment, the event zone period is regular, such as for a predetermined amount of time, and the repeated activation of the event zone 102 refers to activating the event zone 102 at predetermined time intervals (i.e., at regular time intervals).

[0083] In other embodiments, the event zone period is irregular such that it is of varying duration, and repeatedly activating the event zone 102 refers to activating the event zone 102 at varying time intervals (i.e., irregular time intervals).

[0084] In yet other embodiments, the event zone duration is variable such that it is a variable length of time and the repeated activation of the event zone 102 refers to activating the event zone 102 for variable length time intervals. The variability of the event zone duration is dependent on the user and / or game play, to name a few non-limiting examples.

[0085] 12, the event zone data 70 includes one or more parameters associated with the event zone 102. For example, the event zone data 70 includes one or more parameters 74 associated with an event zone period of the event zone 102.

[0086] For example, the event zone data 70 includes a parameter 74 indicating whether the event zone period is regular, irregular, or variable. In yet another example, the event zone data 70 includes a parameter 74 indicating the length of time associated with a regular event zone period. In yet another example, the event zone data 70 includes a parameter 74 indicating the length of time associated with each event zone period of an irregular event zone period. In general, the event zone data 70 includes a parameter 74 indicating the length of time of an event zone period.

[0087] One or more parameters 74 included in the event zone data 70 indicating a time associated with an event zone period are defined by a value consisting of a magnitude and unit of time. For each game object included in the game data 20, the value of one or more parameters included in the event zone data 70 associated with the event zone 102 is encoded at game design time by the game designer.

[0088] The event zone data 70 includes parameters 74 associated with variability in the event zone duration. For example, the variability in the event zone duration may be dependent on a score associated with User 1. For example, as the score associated with User 1 increases, the time associated with the event zone duration of the event zone 102 decreases. As the time associated with the event zone duration decreases, the one or more enemy game objects 104 may X Thus, in this case, the event zone data 70 includes a parameter 74 relating to the variability of the event zone duration as a function of User 1's score.

[0089] A countdown is associated with the event zone period. The countdown indicates the time remaining in the current event zone period / until the next activation of the event zone 102. The countdown may be referred to as an "activation countdown."

[0090] The activation countdown is a unit of time that approximates the lapse of time, and throughout each event zone period the activation countdown decreases. The activation countdown is configured to reset to activate the event zone 102 as time passes. Thus, the beginning of the activation countdown corresponds to the end of the previous event zone period / beginning of the current event zone period, and the lapse of time in the activation countdown corresponds to the end of the current event zone period / beginning of the subsequent event zone period.

[0091] Thus, the activation countdown is a parameter 74 in the event zone data 70 that indicates the time remaining in the current event zone period / time remaining until the next activation of the event zone 102. The activation countdown is performed by a timer contained in the game data 20 stored in memory 12. The game data 20 also has other timers, such as a timer associated with the beginning of a game play session, that track game play time.

[0092] Thus, repeatedly activating the event zone 102 refers to repeatedly varying some portion of one or more event zone parameters 74 contained in the event zone data 70 stored in memory 12. For example, in this embodiment, repeatedly activating the event zone 102 refers to repeatedly resetting the activation countdown once it has expired. Alternatively, repeatedly activating the event zone 102 refers to repeatedly decrementing the activation countdown by one (or a few) time units until the activation countdown has expired.

[0093] As previously indicated, in this embodiment, the video game process 1900 processes one or more enemy game objects 104 having positions in the virtual space 6. X However, when the event zone 102 is activated, the protagonist game object 1011 may attack one or more enemy game objects 104 while in the event zone 102. X 3. Repeatedly activating the event zone 102 in the virtual space 6 to attack the enemy game object 104. X A protagonist game object 1011 that "damages" or "kills" (or changes the state of) one or more enemy game objects 104. X is called the "attacking" main game object 1011.

[0094] Thus, in this embodiment, the video game process 1900 processes one or more enemy game objects 104 having a location in the virtual space 6. X However, when the event zone 102 is activated, one or more enemy game objects 104 may be present within the event zone 102. X The event zone 102 in the virtual space 6 is repeatedly activated to change the state of the event zone 102 .

[0095] The game object data 42 for each game object included in the game data 20 includes one or more game object parameters 76 that indicate the state of the game object.

[0096] Thus, when an event zone 102 is activated, one or more enemy game objects 104 having a location in the virtual space 6 are located within the event zone 102. X Changing the state of an event zone 102 means changing one or more of the game object parameters 76. Thus, activating an event zone 102 causes one or more of the game object parameters 76 to change.

[0097] For example, one of the one or more game object parameters 76 is a health parameter 78 related to a measure of the "health" of a game object. The health of a game object is indicative of the amount of damage the game object receives from attacks from other game objects. For example, the health of a game object decreases as a function of game objects that are attacked and damaged within the virtual space 6. In yet another example, the health of a game object increases as a function of game objects attacking other game objects, game objects taking cover / hiding within the virtual space 6, and / or as a function of an increase in a score associated with a user controlling the game object.

[0098] The health of a game object may be represented by a value stored in a variable contained in memory 12 associated with a health parameter 78. The initial value stored in the variable associated with health parameter 78 is encoded by the game designer at game design time for each game object in game data 20.

[0099] The value stored in memory 12 associated with the health parameter 78 may increase or decrease as a result of game play. For example, the value stored in memory 12 associated with a game object's health parameter 78 may decrease by a predetermined amount as a function of the game object being attacked and damaged in virtual space 6. In yet another example, the value stored in memory 12 associated with a game object's health parameter 78 may increase by a predetermined amount as a function of the game object successfully attacking other game objects and / or due to an increase in the score associated with user 1 controlling the game object.

[0100] In one embodiment, as part of the video game process 1900, one or more enemy game objects 104 located in virtual space are present within the event zone 102 when the event zone 102 is activated. X Changing the state of one or more enemy game objects 104 X The aim is to change the value for the health parameter 78 stored in the memory 12 associated with the

[0101] In one embodiment, indicator 28 indicates the health of a game object within virtual space 6 of game environment 8. For example, indicator 28 is comprised of graphical elements 38 that change as a health parameter 78 changes. For example, as shown in the embodiment of FIGURE 9, graphical elements 38 are comprised of a variable amount of shading or filling such that an increase in the value stored in memory 12 associated with variable health parameter 78 causes the shading of graphical element 38 of indicator 28 to increase or become more fully filled, whereas a decrease in the value stored in memory 12 associated with health parameter 78 causes the shading of graphical element 38 of indicator 28 to decrease or become less filled. Other suitable methods of representing changes in health parameter 78 may be implemented.

[0102] In some embodiments, game objects in virtual space 6 may be characterized as being "active" (i.e., "alive") or "inactive" (i.e., dead).

[0103] A game object characterized as active can respond to input from a user (i.e., input from a user can consist of commands that change the game object's position in virtual space 6), and the event zone 102 of a game object characterized as active can be repeatedly activated (i.e., some of one or more of the event zone parameters 74 can be repeatedly changed).

[0104] Conversely, a game object that is characterized as inactive is no longer present or visible within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8. In some examples, the GUI 26 of the video game can be configured to not even display indicators 28 corresponding to game objects that are characterized as inactive. In some examples, game objects that are characterized as inactive can be replaced with a virtual corpse object that is displayed in the scene where the game object has already "died." Furthermore, a game object that is characterized as inactive can no longer respond to input from a user (i.e., input from a user can consist of commands that change the game object's position within the virtual space 6), and the event zone 102 of a game object that is characterized as inactive can no longer be repeatedly activated. As such, the visible representation of the event zone 102 is no longer present or visible within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8.

[0105] Above a health threshold level, a game object in the virtual space 6 may be characterized as active, whereas below a health threshold level, the game object may be characterized as inactive. The health threshold level may be defined in terms of a value stored in memory 12 associated with the game object's health parameter 78. That is, if the value stored in memory 12 associated with the game object's health parameter 78 exceeds the health threshold, the game object may be characterized as alive, and if the value stored in memory 12 associated with the game object's health parameter 78 falls below the health threshold, the game object may be characterized as inactive. The health threshold may be selected by the game designer during game design, and this value is encoded in memory 12 as part of the object data 42 for each game object included in the game data 20.

[0106] In one embodiment, one or more of the game object parameters 76 comprise a game object state parameter 80 that indicates whether the game object is active or inactive. Thus, if the value stored in memory 12 associated with a game object's health parameter 78 exceeds a health threshold, the game object is characterized as active and the game object state parameter 80 associated with the game object indicates that the game object is in a first or active state. Conversely, if the value stored in memory 12 associated with a game object's health parameter 78 falls below the health threshold, the game object is characterized as inactive and the game object state parameter 80 associated with the game object indicates that the game object is in a second or inactive state.

[0107] In one embodiment, as part of the video game process 1900, the event zone 102 One or more enemy game objects 104 that, when activated, have a location in virtual space that is within the event zone 102 X Changing the state of one or more enemy game objects 104 X The objective of the present invention is to change a game object state parameter 80 stored in memory associated with the game object. For example, the game object state parameter 80 may be switched between a first value indicating the game object in a first state (i.e., an "active" state) and a second value indicating the game object in a second state (i.e., an "inactive" state).

[0108] Consider now the non-limiting example of an enemy game object 1041 (controlled by User 2) located within the event zone 102 associated with the protagonist game object 1011, when the event zone 102 is activated and the game object state parameter 80 associated with the enemy game object 1041 changes from an active state to an inactive state. In one embodiment, once the game object state parameter 80 associated with the enemy game object 1041 changes from an active state to an inactive state, the video game process 1900 is configured to end the game play session for User 2. In another embodiment, once the game object state parameter 80 associated with the enemy game object 1041 changes from an active state to an inactive state, the game play session continues without the enemy game object 1041. In yet another embodiment, once the game object state parameter 80 associated with the enemy game object 1041 changes from an active state to an inactive state, the game play session continues without the enemy game object 1041, and after a predetermined time, the game object state parameter 80 associated with the enemy game object 1041 changes from an inactive state to an active state. This predetermined time may be selected by the game designer at game design time and is encoded in memory 12 as part of object data 42. In some embodiments, this predetermined time may be varied as a function of game play.

[0109] In some embodiments, game object state parameters 80 may be changed multiple times during a game play session.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 10 , table 1000 includes information regarding a game play session. For example, as shown in column 1005 of FIG. 10 , table 1000 includes information indicative of the health of each game object (i.e., information regarding health parameter 78, such as a current value for health parameter 78). As shown in FIG. 10 , column 1006 of table 1000 also includes information indicative of a state of each game object (i.e., information regarding game object state parameter 80, such as whether the game object is currently in an active or inactive state). For example, table 1000 includes information regarding the number of times that game object state parameter 80 changes from an active state to an inactive state during a game play session, as shown in column 1007 of FIG. 10 . Table 1000 also includes time information associated with the current state of each game object, as shown in column 1008 of FIG. 10 .

[0111] Information regarding the activation countdown is provided to User 1. In this example, as part of the video game process 1900, the marker 103 X is displayed on the screen 100 of the built-in display device 15 or external display device 16 of the computing device 10 to provide the user 1 with information regarding the activation countdown.

[0112] Marker 103 X gives User 1 information whether an event zone is currently activated and informs User 1 of the time remaining in the current event zone period / time remaining until the next activation of the event zone 102.

[0113] In this example, as part of the video game process 1900, the marker 103 X is placed in the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8, and the marker 103 X The visual representation is displayed on a screen 100 of an internal display device 15 or an external display device 16 of the computing device 10 .

[0114] As part of the video game process 1900, a marker 103 for at least a portion of the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 is X The position of the marker 103 will change as the activation countdown progresses. For the purposes of this description, X will be described with respect to the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011, but those skilled in the art will recognize the marker 103 X It will be understood that a marker similar to the one in FIG.

[0115] A marker 103 for at least a portion of the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 X The position of the marker 103 of the protagonist game object 1011 relative to at least a portion of the event zone 102 is related to the time remaining in the current event zone period / time remaining until the next activation of the event zone 102. X As the position of the event zone 102 changes, the user 1 knows if the event zone 102 is in the middle of an activation and also knows the time remaining in the current event zone period / time remaining until the next activation of the event zone 102.

[0116] As part of the video game process 1900, a marker 103 for at least a portion of the event zone 102 X The position of the marker 103 relative to at least a portion of the event zone 102 may change from an initial position to a final position. X The change in the position of marker 103 X The marker 103 moves from the initial position to the final position. X The initial position of corresponds to the beginning of the activation countdown, and is marker 103 XThe end position of the event zone 102 corresponds to the progression of the activation countdown / activation of the event zone 102. Thus, the video game process 1900 controls the activation of the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 and the marker 103 reaching its final position. X and are synchronized.

[0117] Marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X relates to whether the event zone is currently activated, the time remaining in the current event zone period and / or the time remaining until the next activation of the event zone 102.

[0118] In one embodiment, the marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X increases as the time remaining in the current event zone period decreases and / or the time remaining until the next activation of the event zone 102 decreases. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is marker 103 X increases as the position of changes from the initial position to the final position.

[0119] In another embodiment, the marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X decreases as the time remaining in the current event zone period / before the next activation of the event zone 102 decreases. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is marker 103 X 102 and the marker 103. Xand a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X Therefore, the marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X reaching zero indicates that the event zone is activated.

[0120] In one embodiment, the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 is formed by a marker 103. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X But marker 103 X and the reference point P. In one embodiment, the marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is the linear distance (including the difference between radii, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B). X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is the angular distance as shown in Figures 14A and 14B. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is the radial distance as shown in Figures 15A and 15B.

[0121] 16B to 16D and 17B to 17D, the marker 103 X A visual indication of is shown.

[0122] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16B to 16D, the marker 103 X is represented as a graphical element proceeding clockwise around the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102. In this example, the marker 103 X The angle θ between the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102 and the main game object 1011 is the marker 103. Xincreases as one progresses clockwise around perimeter 106 from an initial position at the beginning of the activation countdown to a final position synchronized with the progression of the activation countdown. FIGS. 16B-16D show the markers displayed at different times. In other embodiments, marker 103 X Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the activation countdown may proceed counterclockwise around perimeter 106 from an initial position at the beginning of the activation countdown to a final position synchronized with the progression of the activation countdown.

[0123] Let the time of the current event zone period be n units of time (e.g., n seconds). In FIG. 16A, marker 103 X t is not shown, indicating to User 1 that the current event zone period has just begun (i.e., the activation countdown has just begun, as the timer associated with the activation countdown indicates t=n [seconds]). -1 At time [seconds], the marker 1031 is shown in a first position, and in FIG. -2 At time t=0 [seconds], marker 1032 is shown in a second position. In FIG. 16D , marker 1033 is shown at the end of the current event zone period, where angle θ is 360 degrees. FIG. 16D represents the point in time when the current event zone period has reached the end and the activation countdown has elapsed (the timer associated with the activation countdown shows t=0 [seconds], i.e., there is no longer one or more enemy game objects 104 within the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102). X is attacked).

[0124] Marker 103 shown in FIGS. X As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the marker 103 may be represented at different times. In practice, for example, the marker 103 may be displayed in a video game by progressing from the 0 degree position (i.e., the 0 o'clock position) to the 360 ​​degree position (i.e., the 12 o'clock position) with a smooth animation effect. X It is possible to execute the following.

[0125] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 17B to 17D, the marker 103 X is represented as a pulse (ie, a waveform) traveling concentrically outward from the protagonist game object 1011 to the perimeter 106 of the protagonist game object's 1011 event zone 102 .

[0126] Also, the time of the current event zone period is assumed to be n units of time (for example, n seconds). In FIG. 17A, the marker 103 X t is not shown, indicating to User 1 that the current event zone period has just begun (i.e., the activation countdown has just begun, such that the timer associated with the activation countdown indicates t=n [seconds]). -1 At time [seconds], the marker 1031 is shown in a first position, and in FIG. 17C, t=n -2 At time [seconds], the marker 1032 is shown in a second position. In FIG. 17D, the marker 1033 is shown at the end of the current event zone period where the front edge 90 of the marker 1033 overlaps with the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102. FIG. 17D represents the point in time when the current event zone period has reached the end and the activation countdown has elapsed (the timer associated with the activation countdown shows t=0 [seconds], i.e., there are one or more enemy game objects 104 within the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102). X is attacked).

[0127] Marker 103 shown in Figures 17B to 17D X Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the markers 103 may be represented at different times. In practice, the markers 103 may be represented within the video game by, for example, a smooth animation effect progressing from their location closest to the protagonist game object 1011 to the edge of the attack perimeter 102, or from the edge of the attack perimeter 106 of the event zone 102 to their location closest to the protagonist character 1011. X It is possible to execute the following.

[0128] In other embodiments, other methods of indicating the progress of the activation countdown may be used, such as implementing a visual display of a different marker.

[0129] Marker 103 mentioned above X In addition to the visualization of markers, 103 X 5, the object data 42 may include a marker 103, a graphical representation of a game image frame, or other non-visual representation, such as a numerical, geometric or mathematical representation. X It contains data about the current display of the

[0130] As shown in FIG. X also constitutes an attribute. Marker 103 X Some attributes of the marker 103 are controlled by the user 1 (e.g., via the built-in game controller 13 of the computing device 10 or the external game controller 17). X Certain attributes of the event zone 102 are controlled by computer readable instructions 18. In this embodiment, the location of the event zone 102 in the virtual space 6 changes in response to input from the user, resulting in the location of the marker 103. X The absolute position of the marker 103 in the virtual space 6 also changes. X A, Marker 103 X A set of spatial coordinates {X,Y,Z 103}. The spatial coordinates of this set {XYZ 103 The display of} is stored in the memory 12. X The spatial coordinates of this set relative to {X,Y,Z 103 The configuration of} changes as the location of the event zone 102 changes within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8.

[0131] The marker data 82 also includes image data, (marker 103 X A set of spatial coordinates {X,Y,Z 103}) position data 84, material / texture data, physical condition data, color data, visibility data, lighting data (e.g., direction, position, color and / or intensity), sound data, movement data, collision data, environmental data, timer data and / or other markers 103 X It stores attributes such as data related to.

[0132] An overview of a video game process 1900 executed by processing unit 11 is shown with reference to FIG.

[0133] Step 1901 At step 1901, the processing unit 11 of the computing device 10 maintains a virtual space 6 for a game environment 8 of a video game. The virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 is comprised of a protagonist game object 1011, friend game objects 1012, 1013 associated with Team A, and enemy game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 associated with Team B.

[0134] As shown in Figures 20A-20D, and for purposes of this example, the ally game object 1012 and the enemy game objects 1041, 1043 in the virtual space 6 are located within the event zone 102 of the main game object 1011 when the event zone 102 is activated, while the ally game object 1013 and the enemy game objects 1042, 1044 are not located in the virtual space 6 within the event zone 102 of the main game object 1011 when the event zone 102 is activated.

[0135] Further, for purposes of this example, a protagonist game object 1011, a friendly game object 101 X and enemy game object 104 X Assume that the game object state parameters 80 stored in memory 12 for each of the game objects indicate an "active" state.

[0136] Steps 1902, 1903, 1904 Step 1902 At step 1902, a visual representation of the event zone 102 associated with the protagonist game object 1011 is displayed on the screen 100 of the built-in display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10. In this non-limiting example shown in Figure 20A, the visual representation of the event zone 102 constitutes a perimeter 106 surrounding the protagonist game object 1011. The video game process 1900 described herein is executed to continually display / update the event zone 102 based on input received from the user.

[0137] Step 1903 For purposes of this example, the current event zone duration associated with the event zone 102 associated with the protagonist game object 1011 is 3 seconds (i.e., the time remaining until the next activation of the event zone 102 associated with the protagonist game object 1011 is 3 seconds), and the event zone data 70 stored in memory 12 includes a parameter 74 indicating that the current event zone duration is 3 seconds). An activation countdown associated with the event zone period begins in step 1903. In this example, the activation countdown is performed by a timer stored in memory 12, and thus the timer is set to t=3 seconds. In this manner, the start of the activation countdown corresponds to the start of the current event zone period.

[0138] Step 1904 At step 1904, marker 103 X is placed in the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8, and the marker 103 X The visual representation is displayed on the screen 100 of the built-in display device 15 or the external display device 16 of the computing device 10.

[0139] For the purposes of this example, marker 103 X is represented as a pulse (ie, a waveform) traveling concentrically inwards from the event zone 102 to the protagonist game object 1011.

[0140] In FIG. 20A, marker 103 X is shown at an initial position corresponding to the start of the current event zone period / start of the activation countdown. In this example, marker 103 is shown at the start of the current event zone period. X The leading edge of the visual representation of overlaps with the perimeter 106 of the visual representation of the event zone 102, informing user 1 that the current event zone period / activation countdown has just begun.

[0141] Order of steps 1902, 1903, 1904 It is understood that steps 1902, 1903, and 1904 need not be performed in any order, nor need these steps be performed consecutively - in fact, in this embodiment, steps 1902, 1903, and 1904 are performed simultaneously.

[0142] Steps 1905 and 1906 In step 1905, the activation countdown is decremented by one unit of time close to the time lapse. Thus, the activation countdown is decremented and the timer changes from t=3 [sec] to t=2 [sec].

[0143] At step 1906, the position of the marker relative to the event zone 102 is changed such that the marker moves one or more distance units relative to the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102. Thus, in Figure 20B, at time t = 2 seconds, the marker 1032 is shown in a second position.

[0144] It is understood that steps 1905 and 1906 need not be performed in any order, nor need these steps be performed consecutively. Indeed, in this embodiment, steps 1905 and 1906 are performed simultaneously. The next step is 1907.

[0145] Step 1907 In step 1907, if the activation countdown has not elapsed, then the video game process 1900 returns to steps 1905 and 1906 until the activation countdown has elapsed / the timer associated with the activation countdown reaches t=0 seconds.

[0146] FIG. 20D represents the point at which the activation countdown has elapsed and the current event zone period has ended. In this example, marker 103 X When the position of marker 103 changes, X Distance D including event zone 102 X To increase the number of markers, marker 103 X moves gradually from the initial value to the final position. In particular, marker 103 X and a distance D including a reference point P on the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102 X In this way, the final position of the marker is synchronized to the end of the current event zone period, which is characterized by the passage of the activation countdown (in this case, the timer reaching t=0 seconds).

[0147] Once the activation countdown has elapsed / the timer associated with the activation countdown has reached t=0 seconds, the video game process proceeds to step 1908.

[0148] Step 1908 In step 1908, the event zone 102 activates. The activated event zone 102 is synchronized with the expiration of the activation countdown / a timer associated with the activation countdown reaching t=0 seconds. The next step is 1909.

[0149] Step 1909 At step 1909, as part of the video game process 1900, one or more enemy game objects 104 Xis located at a position in the virtual space 6 within the event zone 102. An outline of the enemy detection algorithm 2100 executed by the processing unit 11 will now be described.

[0150] Enemy Detection Algorithm As shown in FIG. 21, the enemy detection algorithm 2100 includes steps 2110 to 2150.

[0151] Step 2110 In one embodiment, in step 2110, the enemy detection algorithm 2100 accesses memory 12 to identify which game objects in the virtual space 6 are to be considered enemies of the protagonist game object 1011. For example, it may access table 1000, which includes an indication of the teams and their associated game objects (as shown in column 1002 of FIG. 10). Thus, in this example, it is determined that the virtual space 6 is comprised of enemy game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044, since game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 are associated with team B.

[0152] Step 2120 Once the enemy game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 have been identified, step 2120 of the enemy detection algorithm 2100 accesses the memory 12 to determine the spatial coordinates XYZ associated with each enemy game object 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044. GO By determining the position of each enemy game object 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044, the positions of the enemy game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 can be determined.

[0153] Step 2130 Step 2130 of the enemy detection algorithm 2100 accesses the memory 12 to determine the set of spatial coordinates {X, Y, Z} associated with the event zone 102 when the activation countdown expires (at t=0 seconds) / when the event zone 102 is activated. 102 Decide.

[0154] Step 2140 Step 2140 of the enemy detection algorithm 2100 calculates the spatial coordinates XYZ associated with each enemy game object 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044. GO and the spatial coordinates {XYZ} of the set relative to event zone 102 102 When the activation countdown has elapsed (at t=0 [seconds]) / when the event zone 102 is activated, the spatial coordinates XYZ associated with one or more enemy game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 are compared. GO Set spatial coordinates {XYZ} relative to event zone 102 102 Determine whether it matches a given coordinate in .

[0155] Step 2150 At step 2150 of the enemy detection algorithm, it is determined in the affirmative that one or more enemy game objects 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044 having a position in virtual space 6 were within the event zone 102 when the event zone 102 was activated. In this example, when the activation countdown expired (at t=0 seconds) / when the event zone 102 was activated, the spatial coordinates XYZ of the enemy game objects 1041, 1043 were each within the set of spatial coordinates {XYZ} associated with the event zone 102. 102 It is thus determined that the enemy game objects 1041, 1043 are at positions in the virtual space 6 that were within the event zone 102 when the event zone 102 was activated, as shown in Figure 20D.

[0156] There are other ways in which step 1909 may determine whether a game object is at a location in virtual space within the event 102. For example, in step 1909, if the distance between the location of the game object and the protagonist game object 1011 is less than a threshold distance, the game object is considered to be at a location in virtual space 6 within the event zone 102. In yet another example, in step 1909, in a 2D virtual space, one or more enemy game objects 104 XThe x and y coordinates of each of the perimeters (boundaries) 106 can be compared to (1) the x coordinate of each of the matching y coordinates of the perimeter (boundaries) 106 and (2) the y coordinate of each of the matching x coordinates of the perimeter (boundaries) 106 .

[0157] In step 1909, enemy game object 104 X If none of are in the event zone 102, then no attack is performed and the method proceeds to step 1915 (see below).

[0158] Meanwhile, in step 1909, one or more enemy game objects 104 X is in the event zone 102, the next step is to X The next step is step 1910, which determines the number of

[0159] Step 1910 In this step, there is only one enemy game object 104 X If it is determined that the enemy game object 104 is located in the event zone 102 at a position in the virtual space 6, then in step 1912 (see below), X is selected, and the selected enemy game object 104 is X Attacks are automatically carried out against

[0160] Meanwhile, in this step, a large number of enemy game objects 104 X When it is determined that the event zone 102 is within the event zone 102, one or more game objects 104 that were within the event zone 102 are X is selected in step 1911, and in step 1912, the one or more enemy game objects 104 selected are sent to the user 1 by the protagonist game object 1011. X Attacks are automatically carried out against In this example, in step 1910, it is determined that two enemy game objects (enemy game objects 1041, 1043) are in positions in the virtual space 6 that were in the event zone 102 when the event zone 102 was activated. Thus, the next step is step 1911.

[0161] Step 1911 In some embodiments, the video game process 1900 may include one or more enemy game objects 104 within the event zone 102. X In another embodiment, the video game process may include one or more enemy game objects 104 in the event zone 102. X The main game object 1011 attacks only one of the enemy game objects 104. X The indication of the number of enemy game objects 104 that the protagonist game object 1011 attacks may be encoded by the game designer at game design time. X The number of attacking enemy game objects 104 changes as a result of game play. X In another embodiment, the number of enemy game objects 104 that the protagonist game object 1011 is configured to attack increases as a function of the score associated with the user. X The number of is a function of the level of the game.

[0162] Selection Algorithm In one embodiment, as part of the video game process 1900, an enemy game object 104 X In another embodiment, the enemy game object 104 is selected by an autonomous bot randomly or pseudo-randomly. X may be selected based on the enemy selection algorithm 2200. Thus, in this case, the video game process 1900 may select one or more enemy game objects 104. X In this case, step 1911 for selecting comprises the opponent selection algorithm described below.

[0163] Step 2210 For example, the video game process 1900 may be configured to select the enemy game object with the lowest health value. Thus, the enemy selection algorithm 2200 may access the memory 12 to select each enemy game object 104 in the event zone 102. X The step 2210 includes determining a value of a health parameter 78 associated with the

[0164] Step 2220 The enemy selection algorithm also selects the enemy game object 104 having the lowest value associated with the game object health parameter 78. X The step 2220 includes determining

[0165] Step 2230 The enemy selection algorithm 2200 further selects the enemy game object 104 having the lowest value of the game object health parameter 78. X 2230, which selects

[0166] For the purposes of this example, assume that the protagonist game object 1011 is configured to attack only one enemy, and the output of step 1911 is the selection of the enemy game object 1041.

[0167] Steps 1912 and 1913 Step 1912 In step 1912, the selected enemy game object 104 X As shown in the example, enemy game object 1041 is attacked.

[0168] In one embodiment, the video game GUI 26 may include a graphical user interface (GUI) 26 for displaying any enemy game objects 104. X For example, the GUI 26 may be configured to display information indicating which enemy game object 104 has been selected for attack. X can be configured to visually accentuate the area. This can be done using visual effects such as specific colors, silhouettes, flags, motion, etc.

[0169] The video game process 1900 is configured to initiate an animation routine associated with the visual display of the attack. In the example shown in Figure 20D, the attack is visually represented by a bolt of energy 108 emanating from the protagonist game object 1011 and by shooting the selected enemy game object 1041, causing an explosion 107 around the selected enemy game object 1041.

[0170] In step 1913, the selected enemy game object 104 X One or more game object parameters 76 stored in memory 12 associated with the enemy game object 1041 are changed. In this example, one or more game object parameters 76 stored in memory 12 associated with the enemy game object 1041 are changed.

[0171] In this case, the game object health parameter 78 associated with the enemy game object 1041 is changed by changing the value associated with the game object health parameter 78 of the enemy game object 1041. In this example, the value associated with the game object health parameter 78 of the enemy game object 1041 is decreased by one unit.

[0172] Additionally, in this example, the value of the game object health parameter 78, having been decreased by one unit, is now below the health threshold and the enemy game object 1041, previously characterized as active, is now characterized as inactive.

[0173] Thus, the game object state parameter 80 of the enemy game object 1041 toggles between a first value indicating the game object in a first state (i.e., an "active" state) and a second value indicating the game object in a second state (i.e., an "inactive" state).

[0174] It is understood that steps 1912 and 1913 need not be performed in any order, nor need these steps be performed consecutively. Indeed, in this embodiment, steps 1912 and 1913 are performed simultaneously.

[0175] Step 1914 In one embodiment, when the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 is activated and the enemy game object 1041 is attacked, the video game process 1900 modifies other parameters and attributes stored in the memory 12. Thus, the video game process 1900 includes a step 1915 that includes modifying one or more parameters and attributes stored in the memory 12.

[0176] In one embodiment, when an event zone 102 of a protagonist game object 1011 is activated and an enemy game object 1041 is attacked, a game object health parameter 78 associated with the protagonist game object 1011 and stored in memory 12 is modified. For example, a value associated with the game object health parameter 78 of the protagonist game object 1011 can be increased as a function of the attacked enemy game object 1041. In yet another example, a value associated with the game object health parameter 78 of the protagonist game object 1011 can be increased as a function of the attacked enemy game object 1041. X The increase in the value of the game object health parameter 78 of the protagonist game object 1011 may cause the protagonist game object 1011 to lose one or more enemy game objects 104. X This makes you less susceptible to damage and attacks.

[0177] In one embodiment, a set of spatial coordinates {X, Y, Z} associated with the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 and included in the event zone data 70 in memory 12 102For example, the configuration of the set of spatial coordinates {X, Y, Z} associated with the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 is changed so that the event zone 102 occupies a larger area within the virtual space 6 of the game environment 8 (the "area" of the event zone 102 within the virtual space 6). 102 The configuration of the event zone 102 is changed. For example, the area of ​​the event zone 102 increases as a function of the number of enemy game objects 1041 that are attacked. In yet another example, the area of ​​the event zone 102 in the virtual space increases as a function of the number of enemy game objects 1041 that are attacked. When the area of ​​the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 increases, the area of ​​the enemy game objects 104 that are in the event zone 102 is changed. X The number of will be greater.

[0178] In some embodiments, the score stored in memory 12 associated with User1 / protagonist game object 1011 is altered. For example, in one case, when the protagonist game object 1011 attacks an enemy game object 1041, points are added to the score associated with User1. For example, the score may increase as a function of the enemy game object 1041 that was attacked. In yet another example, the number of points added to the score may vary depending on the number of enemy game objects 1041 that were attacked. X is a function of the number of The next step is step 1915.

[0179] Step 1915 In step 1915 , the activation countdown is reset and the video game process begins again at step 1903 .

[0180] One potential technical advantage of the video game process 1900 disclosed herein is that it increases the strategic complexity of attack sequences between game objects in a MOBA game, making it more engaging and interesting for users. For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 23A, when the activation countdown is at t=2[s], three enemy game objects 1042, 1043, 1044 are located in the event zone 102. Therefore, if the user does not take any action, then one of the enemy game objects 1042, 1043, 1044 is selected in step 1910 / 1911. If this selection is performed randomly or pseudo-randomly in step 1910 / 1911, this results in a situation where each of the enemy game objects 1042, 1043, 1044 has a 1 / 3 chance of being attacked. This situation is not an optimal perspective for the user. For example, if user 1 wishes to attack enemy game object 1043, the user can input (at step 1908) which will move the protagonist game object 1011 away from enemy game objects 1042, 1044, as shown in FIG. 23B, ensuring that the enemy game object 1043 is attacked as the activation countdown progresses.

[0181] Event Zone 102 / Marker 103 X 105 Environment Objects with 1 or more X When the event is in the vicinity of the event zone 102, a visual representation / marker 103 is displayed on the built-in display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10. X The visual indication of changes.

[0182] Thus, an event zone 102 and one or more environmental objects 105 X A distance d between at least a portion of at least one of GO / 105X is the threshold distance d thIf so, the visual representation of the event zone 102 changes from the first visual representation of the event zone 102 to a second visual representation of the event zone 102. In the example shown in Figures 24A-24C, the shape of the visual representation of the event zone 102 changes such that the shape of the second visual representation of the event zone 102 is different than the shape of the first visual representation of the event zone 102.

[0183] As can be seen from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 24A to 24D, the marker 103 X The visual indication of marker 103 X From the first visual indication of the marker 103 X In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 24A-24C, the marker 103 X The shape of the visual indication is the marker 103 X The second visual indication has the shape of a marker 103 X 102. Thus, in one embodiment, when the visual representation of the event zone 102 changes, the shape of the first visual representation of the marker 103 changes. X The visual display also changes.

[0184] In this embodiment, a visual representation of the event zone 102 and a marker 103 X The visual display of the changes simultaneously.

[0185] As discussed above, the event zone 102 is associated with one or more event zone attribute portions of the event zone data 70 stored in memory 12. In one embodiment, repeated activation of the event zone 102 repeatedly changes at least one of the one or more event zone attributes stored in memory 12.

[0186] For example, in one embodiment, the event zone 102 has configured light intensity attributes. In this embodiment, repeated activation of the event zone 12 repeatedly changes the light intensity attributes stored in the memory 12. Thus, activation of the event zone 12 changes the light intensity of the visual indication of the event zone 102. For example, the user 1 notices this change by the visual indication of the event zone 102 appearing brighter when the event zone 102 is activated compared to the brightness of the event zone 102 when the event zone is not activated.

[0187] For example, in yet another implementation of this embodiment, the event zone 102 comprises a color attribute. In this example, repeated activation of the event zone 102 repeatedly changes the color attribute stored in the memory 12. Thus, activation of the event zone 102 causes a color change in the visual representation of the event zone 102. For example, user 1 notices this change by the color of the visual representation of the event zone 102 changing when the event zone 102 is activated.

[0188] As mentioned above, marker 103 X is associated with one or more marker attributes included in marker data 82 stored in memory 12. In one embodiment, repeated activation of event zone 102 repeatedly changes at least one of the one or more marker attributes stored in memory 12.

[0189] For example, in one implementation of this embodiment, marker 103 X constitutes a light intensity attribute. In this example, repeated activation of the event zone 102 repeatedly changes the light intensity attribute stored in the memory 12. Thus, activation of the event zone 12 repeatedly changes the light intensity attribute stored in the memory 12. X For example, user 1 may change the light intensity of the visual indication of marker 103 when event zone 102 is not activated. XWhen the event zone 102 is activated, the brightness of the marker 103 is compared to the brightness of the X This change is noticeable as the visual representation of appears brighter.

[0190] For example, in yet another implementation of this embodiment, marker 103 X In this example, repeated activation of the event zone 102 repeatedly changes the color attribute stored in the memory 12. Thus, activation of the event zone 102 repeatedly changes the color attribute stored in the memory 12. X For example, when the event zone 102 is activated, the user 1 changes the color of the visual representation of the marker 103. X This change is noticeable by the visual indicator changing color.

[0191] In one implementation of this embodiment, marker 103 X The visual representation of the activation countdown progresses as marker 103 X The variables can be configured to relate to the visual display of the amount of shading or fill.

[0192] In one embodiment, when user 1 inputs via GUI 26 to enable one or more enhanced attack styles in accordance with video game process 2500, protagonist game object 1011 may activate one or more enemy game objects 104. X can be attacked.

[0193] In some cases, one or more enhanced attack styles may be used to attack one or more enemy game objects 104 rather than attacks automatically initiated by the video game process 1900 on behalf of the user 1 / protagonist game object 1011. X In another example, one or more enhanced attack styles may be used to attack one or more enemy game objects 104. X The more of them you can damage or kill, the more likely you are to kill them.

[0194] As a result, when User 1 inputs via GUI 26 to enable one or more enhanced attack modes, the protagonist game object 1011 attacks one or more enemy game objects 1044, which may be more aggressive than attacks automatically initiated by video game process 1900 for User 1 / protagonist game object 1011. X and / or more quickly damage or kill one or more enemy game objects 104. X The more of them you can damage or kill, the more likely you are to kill them.

[0195] In some embodiments, in addition to input by User 1 via GUI 26, User 1 may also input via GUI 26 to enable one or more enhanced attack styles, causing protagonist game object 1011 to attack one or more enemy game objects 104. X For example, user 1 may provide an activation input via GUI 26, which may consist of commands that enable one or more enhanced attack modes. Upon receiving the activation input, one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled for the protagonist game object 1011. Additionally, upon receiving the activation input, an activation countdown associated with the event zone 102 may be stopped.

[0196] In addition to enabling one or more enhanced attack styles, the protagonist game object 1011 may attack one or more enemy game objects 104 located within the event zone 102 and in the virtual space 6. X In this manner, the enabling of one or more enhanced attack modes means that one or more enemy game objects 104 located at positions within the event zone 102 are attacked while the one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled. X Thus, as part of the video game process 1900, the protagonist game object 1011 may change the state of one or more enemy game objects 104. XIn addition, in the present disclosure, the protagonist game object 1011 may automatically start an attack on one or more enemy game objects 104 by means of an activation input by the user 1 via the GUI 26. X An attack is launched against

[0197] In some embodiments, the enhanced attack mode is only enabled when certain conditions are met.

[0198] For example, the conditions for enabling one or more enhanced attack styles may be related to the score of User 1. For example, enabling one or more enhanced attack styles may be dependent on the score for User 1 meeting or exceeding a score threshold. The game designer encodes this score threshold into the game data 20 at game design time.

[0199] In yet another embodiment, a condition for enabling one or more enhanced attack styles may be that one or more enemy game objects 104 are activated for the protagonist game object 1011 / user 1 during a game session. X The total number of attacks that are automatically performed against the main game object 1011 (i.e., the number of attacks that the main game object 1011 performs against one or more enemy game objects 104 X For example, one or more enhanced attack styles are possible when the main game object 1011 changes the state of one or more enemy game objects 104. X For example, the total number of attacks by a protagonist game object 1011 against one or more enemy game objects 104 meets or exceeds an attack threshold. X The count of attacks against is stored in memory 12 (eg, contained in column 1010 of table 1000). The game designer encodes this attack threshold into game data 20 at game design time.

[0200] The GUI 26 is configured to display information regarding the score threshold and / or the attack threshold. In some cases, the GUI 26 is configured to indicate to the user 1 whether conditions are met for enabling one or more enhanced attack modes. In one example, the GUI 26 configures an attack mode indicator 86 that includes a graphical element 88. In this example, the graphical element 88 is configured with a variable amount of shading or filling such that as the user 1's score increases or the number of attacks by the protagonist game object 1011 increases, the shading of the graphical element 88 of the indicator 28 increases or the shading 88 becomes filled. In a non-limiting example, whether the graphical element 88 is partially shaded or filled can correspond to whether the user 1's score meets or exceeds the score threshold or the number of attacks made by the protagonist game object 1011 meets or exceeds the attack threshold. In this example, whether the graphical element 88 is fully shaded or filled corresponds to whether the user 1's score meets or exceeds the score threshold or the number of attacks made by the protagonist game object 1011 meets or exceeds the attack threshold.

[0201] Other methods for expressing the score threshold and / or the attack threshold can be implemented.

[0202] One or more enhanced attack modes can be configured to be enabled for a predetermined amount of time, referred to as an "enhanced attack period." Once enabled, one or more enhanced attack modes can be configured to be disabled once the enhanced attack period expires. In some cases, a game designer encodes the enhanced attack period into game data 20 at game design time. In other cases, the enhanced attack period is variable. For example, the enhanced attack period can vary as a function of the score for user 1, with the higher the score the longer the enhanced attack period.

[0203] In one embodiment, the marker 103 XThe location of the protagonist game object 1011 relative to at least a portion of the event zone 102 is related to the time remaining until the end of the enhanced attack period. X By changing the position of the main game object 1011 relative to at least a portion of the event zone 102, the user 1 knows the time remaining until the end of the enhanced attack period.

[0204] Marker 103 as part of video game process 2500 X The position of the marker 103 relative to at least a portion of the event zone 102 can be changed from an initial position to a final position. X The position of the marker 103 relative to at least a portion of the event zone 102 is changed. X The marker 103 gradually moves from the initial position to the final position. For example, the initial position may correspond to the beginning of the enhanced aggression period, and the final position may correspond to the end of the enhanced aggression period. In this manner, the video game process 2500 may detect the end of the enhanced aggression period and the end of the enhanced aggression period. X It is possible to synchronize the arrival of the end position.

[0205] Marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X can be related to the time remaining before the end of the enhanced attack period.

[0206] In one embodiment, the marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X may increase as the time remaining before the end of the enhanced attack period decreases. In such an embodiment, marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is marker 103 X can be increased as the position of changes from the initial value to the final position.

[0207] In another embodiment, the marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X may be decreased as the time remaining before the end of the enhanced attack period decreases. In such an embodiment, marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is marker 103 X may be decreased as the position of the marker 103 changes from the initial value to the final position. In this embodiment, the video game process 1900 may determine whether the enhanced attack period ends and whether the marker 103 is in a final position. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X Therefore, the marker 103 can be synchronized to reach zero. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X When it reaches zero, you know the event zone has been activated.

[0208] In one embodiment, the perimeter 106 of the event zone 102 of the protagonist game object 1011 is formed by a marker 103. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X But marker 103 X and the reference point P. In one embodiment, the marker 103 X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is the straight line distance. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is the angular distance. X and a distance D including at least a portion of the event zone 102 X is the radial distance.

[0209] Once the enhanced attack period has ended, one or more enhanced attack styles can be configured to be disabled. The end of the enhanced attack period can be synchronized with the reset of the activation countdown (i.e., the video game process 1900 proceeds to step 1915).

[0210] In some embodiments, once activation is entered and one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled, the video game process 2500 no longer uses the marker 103 X In another embodiment, when activation is input and one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled, the video game process 2500 may not display a visual indication of the marker 103 on the internal display 15 or external display 16 of the computing device 10. X The visual representation of the marker 103 is changed from a first visual representation to a second visual representation. X The second visual indication is associated with one or more enhanced attack modes being available. In one embodiment, when the enhanced attack period ends, the video game process 2500 may X Visual indication of marker 103 X The first visual indication of the first

[0211] In one embodiment, when activation is input and one or more enhanced attack styles are enabled, the video game process 2500 alters at least one of the one or more marker attributes stored in memory 12 .

[0212] In this example, when activation is entered and one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled, the light intensity attribute stored in memory 12 is changed, which causes marker 103 X For example, user 1 may select marker 103 when one or more enhanced attack modes are disabled. X Marker 103 when 1 or more enhanced attack modes are possible compared to the brightness of X This change can be noticed by the visual indication of the color appearing brighter.

[0213] In yet another embodiment, when activation is input and one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled, the color attribute stored in memory 12 is changed, thereby causing marker 103 to X For example, user 1 may select marker 103 when one or more enhanced attack styles are available. X This change can be noticed because the visual indicator changes color.

[0214] In other embodiments, when activation is input and one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled, the video game process 2500 changes the visual representation of the event zone 102 from a first visual representation to a second visual representation. The second visual representation of the event zone 102 is associated with one or more enhanced attack modes being enabled. In one embodiment, when the enhanced attack period ends, the video game process 1900 reverts the visual representation of the event zone 102 back to the first visual representation of the event zone 102.

[0215] In one embodiment, when activation is input and one or more enhanced attack styles are enabled, the video game process 2500 alters at least one of the one or more event zone attributes stored in memory 12 .

[0216] In this embodiment, when activation is input and one or more enhanced attack modalities are enabled, the light intensity attribute stored in memory 12 changes, which in turn changes the light intensity in the visual representation of event zone 102. For example, user 1 may notice this change as the visual representation of event zone 102 appears brighter when one or more enhanced attack modalities are enabled compared to the brightness of event zone 102 when one or more enhanced attack modalities are disabled.

[0217] In yet another embodiment, when activation is input and one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled, the color attribute stored in memory 12 changes, thereby changing the color in the visual representation of event zone 102. For example, user 1 may notice this change because the color of the visual representation of event zone 102 changes when one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled.

[0218] In some embodiments, performing one or more enhanced attack styles changes the score threshold. For example, performing one or more enhanced attack styles increases the score threshold. Thus, to satisfy the condition to perform one or more enhanced attack styles, user 1 must increase his or her score. In other embodiments, performing one or more enhanced attack styles resets the number of attacks performed by the protagonist game object 1011. Thus, the protagonist game object 1011 must perform a sufficient number of attacks to meet or exceed the attack threshold.

[0219] In some embodiments, the execution of one or more enhanced attack styles changes the attack mode indicator 86. For example, when activation is entered, the graphical elements 88 are completely covered or filled depending on whether the user's score exceeds a score threshold or the number of attacks by the protagonist game object 1011 exceeds an attack threshold. Once one or more enhanced attack styles are not executed, the graphical elements 88 are less covered or filled, or no longer shaded or filled. This may be related to one or more enhanced attack styles being executed, increasing the score threshold and causing the user's score to fall below the score threshold, or one or more enhanced attack styles being executed, resetting the number of attacks and causing the number of attacks by the protagonist game object 1011 to fall below the attack threshold.

[0220] Thus, as shown in FIG. 25, a video game process 2500 is understood to include step 2510 of detecting an activation input from a user. In step 2520, the video game process, in response to the detection of the activation input from the user, verifies whether one or more conditions are met such that one or more enhanced attack modes are enabled. In step 2530, if one or more conditions are met, the video game process executes one or more enhanced attack modes, which initiates an enhanced attack period. In step 2540, the video game process alters a state of one or more enemy game objects having a location in the event zone during the enhanced attack period. In step 2550, the video game process causes a display device to display a visual representation of the event zone and a visual representation of a marker located in the virtual space. In step 2560, the video game process alters a location of the marker relative to at least a portion of the event zone such that a distance including the marker and at least a portion of the event zone is related to the time remaining before the end of the enhanced attack period. In step 2570, at the end of the enhanced attack period, the video game process disables one or more enhanced attack modes. In step 2580, the video game process proceeds to step 1915 of the video game process 1900.

[0221] FIG. 26 is a schematic summarizing the disclosed video game process 1900. As shown in FIG. 27, a method 2400 is provided that is executed by at least one processing device. At step 2710, the method includes maintaining a virtual space of a game environment in a non-transitory memory. At step 2720, the method includes repeatedly activating an event zone in the virtual space such that one or more game objects located in the virtual space change a state in the virtual space of the one or more game objects if the one or more game objects are in the event zone when the event zone is activated. At step 2730, the method includes displaying, on a display device, a visual representation of the event zone and a visual representation of a marker located in the virtual space. At step 2740, the method includes modifying a position of the marker relative to at least a portion of the event zone such that a distance including the marker and at least a portion of the event zone is related to a time remaining before activation of a next iteration of the event zone.

[0222] As a result of the above method, the system or application can simplify the user input required for sequencing attacks between characters while increasing the strategic complexity of the sequencing. This allows for different attack strategies compared to other MOBA games. In particular, the attack strategies employed by users playing such games have less to do with launching an attack at the correct time, and more to do with positioning and targeting distance to execute an attack on the correct enemy character. Furthermore, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in a MOBA game environment, friendly game objects 101 may be used to sequence attacks between characters. X and enemy game object 104 X This strategic complexity increases as the number of players and the cooperative / competitive relationships that emerge between them increase.

[0223] The present description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the invention, and it is to be understood that those skilled in the art can devise various arrangements which, although not expressly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0224] Furthermore, all examples described herein are primarily intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention, and are not intended to be limiting to the specifically described examples or conditions. For example, the present disclosure describes embodiments of the invention in connection with the analysis of various desktop objects. However, it will be understood that the present invention may be successfully used in other environments and in other types and formats of investigations.

[0225] Moreover, although the above description refers to a mobile device, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the various method steps may be performed by many computing devices, such as video cameras, digital cameras, infrared cameras, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, smart watches, and other wearable devices. Certain embodiments herein are intended to cover program storage devices, e.g., digital data storage media, that are machine or computer readable, machine executable, or computer executable programs, with instructions for performing some or all of the method steps. Embodiments herein are also intended to cover computers programmed to perform the method steps.

[0226] Those skilled in the art will understand that when a processing device is described as being "configured" to perform an action or process, this means that the processing device performs the action or process by executing computer-readable instructions read from device memory in which the computer-readable instructions are stored.

[0227] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that any feature of the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in an implementation with (e.g., instead of or in addition to) any feature of any other embodiment disclosed herein. Additional elements required for the operation of an embodiment are not described or illustrated herein, as they are believed to be within the scope of those skilled in the art. Moreover, an embodiment may be missing and / or function without any element not specifically disclosed herein.

[0228] While various embodiments and examples have been presented, they are for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and various modifications and improvements will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. 1. A method executed by a processor of a computing device, the method comprising: Generate a virtual space of the game environment in non-transient memory; the virtual space has a protagonist game object and an event zone associated with a position of the protagonist game object; repeatedly activating an event zone in the virtual space, and when the event zone is activated, performing the following processes on one or more other game objects whose positions in the virtual space are within the event zone; changing a state of the one or more other game objects in the virtual space based on determining whether a relative position of each of the one or more other game objects and a protagonist game object satisfies a first condition when an event zone is activated, or determining whether a relative position of each of the one or more other game objects and the event zone satisfies a second condition when an event zone is activated; displaying on a display device a visual representation of the event zone and a visual representation of a marker located within the virtual space; modifying the position of the marker relative to at least a portion of the event zone such that a distance including the marker and at least a portion of the event zone is related to the time remaining before activation of the next iteration of the event zone; That is, the method.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event zone is associated with one or more event zone parameters stored in the non-transitory memory, and wherein repeatedly activating the event zone comprises repeatedly modifying at least one of the one or more event zone parameters stored in the non-transitory memory.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event zone is associated with one or more event zone attributes stored in the non-transitory memory, and wherein repeatedly activating the event zone comprises repeatedly modifying at least one of the one or more event zone attributes stored in the non-transitory memory.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the one or more event zone attributes is an event zone color attribute, and repeatedly activating the event zone comprises repeatedly changing the event zone color attribute, thereby repeatedly changing a color for a visual representation of the event zone displayed on a display device.

5. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the one or more event zone attributes is an event zone light intensity attribute, and repeatedly activating the event zone comprises repeatedly changing the event zone light intensity attribute, and in so doing repeatedly changing the light intensity associated with a visual representation of the event zone displayed on a display device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein repeatedly activating the event zone means activating the event zone at regular time intervals.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein repeatedly activating the event zone comprises activating the event zone at irregular time intervals.

8. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more game objects is associated with one or more game object parameters stored in non-transient memory, and to change the state of the one or more game objects, the method comprises modifying at least one of the one or more non-transiently stored game object parameters.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more game object parameters constitutes a game object state parameter, and to change the state of one or more game objects, the method comprises changing the game object state parameter from a first state to a second state.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the event zone constitutes a perimeter and the distance between the marker and at least a part of the event zone is the distance between the marker and a reference point on the perimeter of the event zone.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein activation of the event zone is synchronized with the distance reaching zero.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein changing the position of the marker comprises gradually moving the marker from an initial position to a final position.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein activation of the event zone is synchronized with the marker reaching the final position.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein gradually moving the marker from an initial position to a final position comprises increasing a distance that includes the marker and at least a portion of the event zone.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein gradually moving the marker from an initial position to a final position comprises decreasing a distance that includes the marker and at least a portion of the event zone.

16. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker is associated with one or more marker attributes stored in the non-transitory memory, and repeatedly activating an event zone comprises repeatedly modifying at least one of the one or more marker attributes stored in the non-transitory memory.

17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of the one or more marker attributes is a marker color attribute, and wherein repeatedly activating the event zone comprises repeatedly changing the marker color attribute by repeatedly changing a color displayed on a display device associated with a visual representation of the marker.

18. At least one of the one or more marker attributes is a light intensity color attribute of a marker; 17. The method of claim 16, wherein repeatedly activating the event zone comprises repeatedly changing a light intensity attribute of the marker by repeatedly changing a light intensity displayed on a display device associated with the visual representation of the marker.

19. The method further comprises: receiving input from a user via a game controller comprising commands to control a location of the event zone in the virtual space; The method of any one of claims 1 to 18, further comprising receiving an input from the user to change the location of the event zone in virtual space.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the marker comprises at least one point in the virtual space, and wherein an input from a user comprising a command to control a position in the virtual space of the event zone is also a command to control a position of the at least one point in the virtual space.

21. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the event zone is associated with a set of spatial coordinates in the virtual space, the method further comprising storing the set of spatial coordinates associated with the event zone in the non-transitory memory.

22. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the configuration of the set of spatial coordinates associated with the event zone changes in response to a change in location of the event zone within the virtual space.

23. The virtual space includes one or more environmental objects, and the visual representation of the event zone is a first visual representation of an event zone, and the method further comprises: determining whether a distance between the event zone and at least a portion of at least one of the one or more environmental objects is within a threshold distance; 23. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising, in response to determining that a distance between the event zone and at least a part of at least one of the one or more environmental objects is within a threshold distance, changing a visual representation on a display device of the event zone from the first visual representation to a second visual representation of the event zone.

24. The visual representation of the marker is a first visual representation of the marker, the method further comprising:

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising changing a visual representation of the marker displayed on the display device from a first visual representation of the marker to a second visual representation of the marker.

25. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: altering the visual display of the event zone and altering the visual display of the marker simultaneously.

26. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the alteration of the visual representation of the event zone and the alteration of the visual representation of the marker comprises altering a shape of the visual representation of the event zone and altering a shape of the visual representation of the marker.

27. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first condition is met when a distance between the main game object and each of the one or more other game objects is determined to be less than a threshold distance, and the second condition is met when a position of each of the one or more other game objects is determined to match a position of the event zone when the event zone is activated, the positions of the one or more other game objects and the position of the event zone being defined by spatial coordinates.

28. 1. A gaming device comprising at least one processing device, a memory storing instructions executed by the processing device, at least one input device configured to receive input from a user, and at least one output device configured to provide output to a user, wherein the at least one processing device executes the instructions stored in the memory to execute at least one process for generating the output in response to the received input, and wherein the at least one process further comprises: A process for generating a virtual space of a game environment in a non-transitory memory, the virtual space having a protagonist game object and an event zone associated with a location of the protagonist game object; a process of repeatedly activating an event zone in the virtual space and, upon activation of the event zone, performing the following operations on one or more other game objects whose positions in the virtual space are within the event zone; changing a state of the one or more other game objects in the virtual space based on determining whether a relative position of each of the one or more other game objects and a protagonist game object satisfies a first condition when an event zone is activated, or determining whether a relative position of each of the one or more other game objects and the event zone satisfies a second condition when an event zone is activated; displaying on a display device a visual representation of the event zone and a visual representation of a marker located within the virtual space; changing the position of said marker relative to at least a portion of said event zone such that a distance encompassing said marker and at least a portion of said event zone is related to the time remaining before the next repeated activation of said event zone; A game device comprising at least one of the processes consisting of:

29. 29. The game device of claim 28, wherein the first condition is met when it is determined that the distance between the main game object and each of the one or more other game objects is less than a threshold distance, and the second condition is met when it is determined that the position of each of the one or more other game objects coincides with the position of the event zone when the event zone is activated, and the positions of the one or more other game objects and the position of the event zone are defined by spatial coordinates.

30. A computer readable storage medium having recorded thereon an interactive computer program comprising computer readable instructions for being read and executed by at least one processor of a gaming device, the medium being configured to: Generate a virtual space of the game environment in non-transient memory; the virtual space has a protagonist game object and an event zone associated with a position of the protagonist game object; repeatedly activating an event zone in the virtual space, and when the event zone is activated, performing the following processes on one or more other game objects whose positions in the virtual space are within the event zone; changing a state of the one or more other game objects in the virtual space based on determining whether a relative position of each of the one or more other game objects and a protagonist game object satisfies a first condition when an event zone is activated, or determining whether a relative position of each of the one or more other game objects and the event zone satisfies a second condition when an event zone is activated; displaying on a display device a visual representation of the event zone and a visual representation of a marker located within the virtual space; modifying the position of the marker relative to at least a portion of the event zone such that a distance including the marker and at least a portion of the event zone is related to the time remaining before activation of the next iteration of the event zone; A computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon an interactive computer program for executing a method comprising each process.

31. 31. A computer-readable storage medium having an interactive computer program recorded thereon as described in claim 30, wherein the first condition is met when it is determined that a distance between the main game object and each of the one or more other game objects is less than a threshold distance, and the second condition is met when it is determined that a position of each of the one or more other game objects coincides with a position of the event zone when the event zone is activated, the positions of the one or more other game objects and the position of the event zone being defined by spatial coordinates.

Images