Single-Player Game Instance Coordination for Multi-Session Play
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current computer game systems do not support multi-session gaming in single-player mode, where players can concurrently interact and share experiences, limiting the ability for multiple players to engage in synchronized gameplay within the same game environment.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that enable multiple instances of a single-player computer game to coordinate and share data between players, allowing a first player to receive and display the activity of a second player's avatar, including its position and annotations, within their own game environment, thereby creating a multi-session gaming experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If single-player mode is implemented with one player controlling an avatar, then the player experiences the game as if they are the only human player, but multiple players cannot concurrently interact or share experiences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single-player game experience into multiple independent instances, each playable by a different player. Each instance maintains its own game state and avatar control, allowing concurrent play while preserving the single-player experience for each participant. This segmentation enables multi-session gaming without compromising the individual player's sense of solitary gameplay.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of the single-player game instance for each player. Each player receives a separate copy of the game with their own avatar and game state, while the system synchronizes progress and annotations between copies. This copying approach allows multiple players to concurrently experience the game without interfering with each other's playthroughs.
2Productivity
If multiple players play concurrently in separate instances, then players can share experiences and progress, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where each game instance continuously reports its avatar's progress and annotations to the system, which then distributes this information to other instances. This feedback loop enables players to share experiences in real-time without requiring complex direct communication between players, simplifying the coordination system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a central system as an intermediary that coordinates between multiple game instances. This intermediary handles the synchronization of progress and annotations, eliminating the need for players to directly communicate or for complex peer-to-peer coordination. The intermediary simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing the coordination function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If players can see and interact with each other's avatars, then shared experience is enhanced, but the single-player nature of the game is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making each player's avatar visible and interactive only within their own game instance, while simultaneously displaying other players' avatars as non-interactive indicators in their respective instances. This localized visibility preserves the single-player nature of each instance while enabling players to perceive others' progress and annotations without direct interaction.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for providing concurrent gameplay of a single-player mode of a computer game. In one embodiment, a first instance of the single-player mode of the computer game is being played by a first player and receives, from a second instance of the single-player mode of the computer game, data associated with an avatar controlled by a second player. The first instance may provide, to the first player, an indication of the avatar controlled by the second player, as both players play the computer game.