Video Game Player Character Trajectory Control for Wide Gap Crossing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In video games, player characters often face gaps in 3D virtual environments that are too wide to cross with physically plausible movements, necessitating enhanced motion functionality to progress.
Innovation Solution
A video game system that maintains a virtual environment, identifies valid landing sites based on criteria, and enables the player character to exhibit enhanced motion functionality by determining and following a trajectory to these sites, including anti-gravity effects and high acceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the player character uses physically plausible movements to cross gaps, then the motion remains realistic and consistent with game physics, but the character cannot cross gaps that are wider than the jump capability
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the player character's motion capabilities by switching between physically plausible movements and enhanced motion functionality based on gap width. When a gap exceeds normal jump capability, the system activates enhanced motion with predetermined trajectories while maintaining dynamic responsiveness to player input during flight.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the motion parameters of the player character by introducing enhanced motion functionality that overrides standard physics constraints. This includes modifying acceleration, velocity, and trajectory parameters to enable crossing of wider gaps while maintaining control through player input.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system implements enhanced motion functionality to cross wide gaps, then the player character can traverse challenging environments, but the computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of valid landing sites and predetermined trajectory calculation before the player character actually needs to cross the gap. This advance preparation reduces real-time computational burden during the enhanced motion execution phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the game environment's existing structure (landing sites, gap dimensions, player position) to automatically determine valid trajectories without requiring complex external calculations. The enhanced motion functionality serves itself by leveraging already-available game state information.
3Productivity
If the player character follows a predetermined trajectory for enhanced motion, then the movement is computationally efficient and consistent, but the player has reduced control over the exact path
Solution Approach 1:
The predetermined trajectory system serves multiple functions: it provides computational efficiency for smooth motion, ensures consistency in enhanced motion behavior, and simultaneously allows player input to modify the trajectory. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between efficiency and control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates player input as feedback during the enhanced motion sequence, allowing the predetermined trajectory to be adjusted in real-time based on player commands. This feedback mechanism maintains player control while preserving the efficiency benefits of the predetermined path structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A video game apparatus, comprising at least one processor and a non-transitory storage medium operably connected to the at least one processor and storing computer-readable program instructions. The at least one processor is configured to execute the program instructions, wherein execution of the program instructions by the at least one processor causes carrying out of a method. The method comprises maintaining a virtual environment in the memory, the virtual environment including a player character; receiving a request for enhanced motion functionality of the player character; identifying a landing site in the virtual environment based on one or more validity criteria; determining a trajectory to the identified landing site; and causing the player character to exhibit enhanced motion functionality by traveling at least partly along said trajectory.