Video Game Influence Area Calculation for NPC Behavior
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing game systems face challenges in naturally determining how a non-player character (NPC) should use a newly obtained object, especially when the object has no prior usage history, leading to unnatural behavior. Additionally, updating game content with new items requires defining similar relations with existing objects, which is labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A video game processing system and program that determine an influence area of an object on a character as a new index, allowing for the registration and output of influence area information for each combination of character and object. This system includes a server and user terminals connected by a communication network, enabling the registration and output of influence area information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If similar relations between items are defined in advance, then the NPC can naturally use newly obtained objects, but the workload of updating game content becomes enormous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter for determining object similarity from pre-defined categorical relationships to dynamically calculated spatial parameters (influence areas). Instead of relying on pre-set similar relations between item types, the system calculates the influence area of each object in the game space and determines similarity based on spatial overlap, allowing natural NPC behavior without manual definition of similar relations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables objects to self-determine their similarity relationships through automatic calculation of influence areas. When a new object is introduced, it autonomously calculates its influence area and compares it with existing objects to determine similarity, eliminating the need for manual configuration of similar relations during game content updates.
2Ease of operation
If a method of using an object is defined completely in advance, then the system is simple to operate, but it is unnatural for an object that has never been used to be suddenly mastered
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculation of influence areas for all objects during game setup or object creation, but delays the determination of usage methods until the NPC actually obtains the object. The pre-calculated influence areas enable rapid similarity assessment at runtime, allowing the NPC to naturally infer usage methods based on previously learned actions from similar objects without requiring all usage methods to be defined in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system makes the NPC's object usage dynamic rather than static. Instead of assigning fixed usage methods to object types, the NPC dynamically determines how to use a newly obtained object by comparing its influence area with previously encountered objects and adapting its behavior based on the degree of similarity and previously learned actions.
3Stability of the object's composition
If all similar relations of items are defined when content is added, then the system maintains consistency, but the updating workload becomes enormous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manually defining similar relations with an automated computational system. Instead of requiring developers to manually configure similarity relationships between items, the system uses algorithmic calculation of influence area overlaps to automatically determine similar relations, maintaining consistency through mathematical criteria rather than manual configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The influence area calculation serves multiple functions simultaneously: it determines object similarity for NPC behavior, defines spatial relationships in the game world, and enables collision detection. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate mechanisms to handle these tasks, reducing update workload while maintaining system consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a video game processing program for causing a server to perform functions to determine an influence area of an object on a character is provided. The functions includes: a registering function configured to register influence area information in advance, a relationship between a plurality of unit areas around an object when a character is connected to the object and a structural model constituting the character being set for each of the unit areas in the influence area information for each combination of the character and the object; and an outputting function configured to output, in a case where a certain combination of a character and an object is specified, influence area information corresponding to the certain combination.