Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment in Game Devices

Solution Overview

Problem

In clearance-type games, determining an appropriate level of difficulty for unit games is challenging, as excessively high difficulty can lead to player frustration and excessively low difficulty can result in boredom, necessitating labor-intensive statistical experiments to set optimal levels.

Innovation Solution

A game device with a rule storage unit, difficulty changer, and play processor that allows players to select and adjust the level of difficulty for unit games through change modules, providing options to increase or decrease difficulty based on player performance and preferences, without the need for large-scale experiments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the level of difficulty for completion of a unit game is set excessively high, then the challenge and excitement for players is improved, but most players are likely to give up trying to complete the unit game and to give up trying to play a subsequent unit game

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechallenge levelVSAvoidplayer completion rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic difficulty adjustment by allowing players to change the difficulty level during gameplay. The difficulty changer enables players to switch between multiple difficulty levels (e.g., first difficulty level with higher challenge, second difficulty level with lower challenge) based on their performance and preferences, resolving the contradiction between providing challenge and ensuring completion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the difficulty parameter of the game by providing multiple difficulty levels and enabling players to switch between them. The difficulty changer modifies game parameters such as enemy strength, resource availability, or task complexity, allowing the game to adapt to player needs and maintain both challenge and completion rates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If the level of difficulty for completion of a unit game is set excessively low, then the accessibility and ease of completion is improved, but the player of the unit game may quickly become bored at least with that unit game

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompletion easeVSAvoidplayer engagement

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic difficulty adjustment by allowing players to change the difficulty level during gameplay. The difficulty changer enables players to switch between multiple difficulty levels (e.g., first difficulty level with higher challenge, second difficulty level with lower challenge) based on their performance and preferences, resolving the contradiction between providing challenge and ensuring completion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the difficulty parameter of the game by providing multiple difficulty levels and enabling players to switch between them. The difficulty changer modifies game parameters such as enemy strength, resource availability, or task complexity, allowing the game to adapt to player needs and maintain both challenge and completion rates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If large-scale experiments are conducted to determine appropriate levels of difficulty for completion, then the accuracy of difficulty setting is improved, but the time and labor required for determining levels of difficulty increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedifficulty setting accuracyVSAvoiddifficulty determination time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service difficulty adjustment where players themselves determine the appropriate difficulty level through in-game actions. Instead of requiring external experiments, the system allows players to switch between difficulty levels based on their own performance and preferences, with the difficulty changer automatically adjusting game parameters to maintain optimal challenge without requiring time-consuming pre-testing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8317600B2Game device

Publication Date: 2012.11.27 KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT CO LTD

AI summary

A game device of a computer game includes plural unit games, each of which can be completed when a requirement for completion is satisfied. The game device includes: a rule storage unit for storing rules of the computer game, in which the rules include rules stipulating the requirement for completion of each of the plural unit games and rules stipulating a content of play of each of the plural unit games; a difficulty changer for rewriting a rule stored in the rule storage unit so as to change a level of difficulty for completion of at least one unit game among the plural unit games; and a play processor for conducting a unit game selection process for enabling a player to select one from among the plural unit games, a play execution process for executing play of the selected unit game in accordance with the rule stipulating the content of play stored in the rule storage unit, and a decision process for deciding whether or not the unit game is completed on the basis of the rule stipulating the requirement for completion stored in the rule storage unit.