Radial Emotion Menu for Fast-Paced Game Interaction

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Solution Overview

Problem

In multiplayer games, users face difficulties in conveying and perceiving emotions, especially in fast-paced situations, as existing technologies struggle to transmit emotion types and scales concurrently using a single user gesture.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that displays opposing emotion menus symmetrically around an image, allowing users to select an emotion type and emotional scale with a single gesture by choosing a menu point and determining the scale based on the distance from the center, enabling intuitive and quick emotion conveyance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If text-based chat systems are used to express emotions, then emotion expression is possible, but the response time is slow and the user interface is complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemotion expression operationVSAvoidresponse time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The emotion expression interface is segmented into radial menu sections, each representing a different emotion type. Users can quickly select from predefined emotion categories without typing, significantly reducing response time while maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The radial menu dynamically adjusts based on game context and opponent emotions. The menu structure allows for quick selection through rotational movement, making emotion expression both fast and intuitive during fast-paced gameplay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If multiple gestures are required to select emotion type and scale, then precise emotion control is achieved, but the operation becomes complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemotion conveyance speedVSAvoidgesture operation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The selection of emotion type and emotional scale is merged into a single radial menu interaction. By combining both selection functions into one unified interface, the system achieves fast emotion conveyance without requiring multiple separate gestures, thus maintaining simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The radial menu utilizes angular positioning to represent different emotion types while radial distance represents emotional scale. This dimensional encoding allows both emotion type and scale to be selected simultaneously through a single gesture, improving productivity without increasing operational complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If emotion menus are displayed in a traditional linear format, then the interface is simple, but opposing emotions are not intuitively distinguishable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemotion type detectionVSAvoidmenu display structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Opposing emotions are positioned asymmetrically across the radial menu (e.g., joy opposite to sadness, anger opposite to calm). This asymmetric arrangement makes opposing emotions immediately distinguishable through their spatial relationship, improving emotion type detection while maintaining a relatively simple circular menu structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The linear menu is transformed into a radial/circular arrangement where emotions are distributed along the circumference. This curved layout naturally groups related emotions together and positions opposing emotions across from each other, making emotion detection more intuitive without significantly increasing structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentEP2818215B1Method and system for expressing emotion during game play
Publication Date: 2020.02.12 SMILEGATE ENTERTAINMENT
  • EP2818215B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2818215B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2818215B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a method for expressing an emotion during game play that may determine and transmit a user emotion effectively and make a prompt response to an emotion expression of an opponent in a fast-paced game situation, and a control apparatus therefor. The present invention provides a method for expressing a user emotion during game play, the method comprising: displaying an emotion image received from an opponent terminal on a display of a terminal in which a game is played; displaying at least two emotion menus with respect to the displayed emotion image; making a first selection of an emotion type based on a user selection signal for any one of the displayed at least two emotion menus; making a second selection of an emotional scale based on a distance between a location on the display where the user selection signal is generated and the emotion image; changing the emotion image based on the first selected emotion type and the second selected emotional scale; and generating the changed emotion image into a response emotion image and transmitting the response emotion image to the opponent terminal.