State Machine Scripting for Game Development Complexity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current game development technologies require extensive programming for each action and event in multi-player online games, leading to increased complexity and development time, especially in managing game states and user interactions.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of data-driven state machines that use scripting expressions to control in-game objects, allowing for the definition and interpretation of states and actions without specialized programming, simplifying the representation of complex scenarios and reducing development complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If extensive programming is used for each action and event in multi-player online games, then the game functionality and complexity can be enhanced, but the development time and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the game system into distinct state machines, each responsible for specific game objects or entities. Each state machine is further divided into states, events, and actions, creating a modular structure that reduces overall system complexity and enables independent development and testing of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces state machine definition files as an intermediary layer between designers and the game engine. These files contain scripting expressions that define game logic without requiring programmers to write code, thus reducing development time while maintaining game functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If extensive programming is used for each action and event, then the game can handle complex scenarios, but the device complexity and programming requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
State machine definition files serve as an intermediary that translates designer-friendly scripting expressions into executable game logic. This intermediary layer eliminates the need for programmers to write complex code for each game scenario, reducing programming complexity while maintaining the ability to handle complex game scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The state machine system is self-descriptive, with each state machine containing its own definition file that specifies its states, events, and actions. This self-service approach allows the system to manage its own complexity internally without requiring external programming intervention, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If specialized programming is required for each game state and action, then precise control can be achieved, but the ease of manufacture and development simplicity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The state machine definition files act as an intermediary that preserves precise state control through scripting expressions while shielding developers from programming complexity. The definition files maintain the precision needed for state control through structured data formats while being editable by designers without programming expertise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses template-based state machine definitions that can be copied and reused across different game objects. Once a state machine is defined, it can be instantiated multiple times with minimal modification, maintaining precise control over state behavior while dramatically simplifying the development process through repetition rather than reprogramming.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming environment may be established, by executing a game engine module to provide an interactive game instance, and instantiating a state machine instance using one or both of a state machine client module or a state machine server module. In an example, during execution of the game engine module, scripting commands within a state machine definition may be parsed and executed to obtain information indicative of one or more of a state of an in-game object or a state transition of an in-game object. An in-game object may be controlled within the game instance via the state machine using at least a portion of the information obtained from parsing and executing the scripting commands. Use of the state machine definitions in conjunction with the scripting commands may enable representation of complex scenarios for virtual objects and events in the gaming environment in a simplified format.