Weighted NPC Selection for Game Server Resource Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In games with a large number of non-player characters (NPCs), existing methods lead to high resource overhead on servers and clients due to the instantiation of all NPC basic data without optimization, resulting in increased processing time and reduced game experience for players.
Innovation Solution
A data processing method that determines a query distance range for a player-controlled character, weights NPCs based on their attributes, and transmits only a subset of NPCs with higher weights to the client for instantiation, reducing the number of entity objects and optimizing resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all NPC basic data is instantiated without optimization, then completeness of NPC data is improved, but resource overhead on server and terminal device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary NPC data from the complete NPC dataset based on the player's current position and query distance range. By calculating weights for different NPCs and selecting only those above a threshold, the system extracts essential information while discarding unnecessary data, thereby reducing resource overhead while maintaining completeness of relevant NPC data
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of instantiating all NPC data (excessive action), the patent applies partial action by selectively instantiating only the subset of NPCs that are relevant to the player's current context. This partial instantiation approach reduces resource consumption while ensuring that all necessary NPCs for the current game situation are loaded
2Reliability
If all NPC basic data is instantiated without optimization, then completeness of game interaction is improved, but loading speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the NPC data necessary for current game interaction based on player position and query distance. By calculating weights and filtering NPCs above a threshold, the system extracts essential interaction data while excluding unnecessary NPCs, thereby improving loading speed while maintaining completeness of interactable game elements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by loading only the subset of NPC data required for current game interaction rather than all NPC data. This selective loading approach accelerates the loading process while ensuring that all NPCs needed for current gameplay are available for interaction
3Quantity of substance
If a subset of NPCs is selected based on weights, then resource overhead is reduced, but importance of NPCs may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of NPC selection from binary (included/excluded) to weighted prioritization. By calculating weights based on multiple factors (distance, interaction probability, game stage) and using these weights to prioritize NPC loading, the system ensures that important NPCs are loaded first while less important ones are deferred, maintaining NPC importance hierarchy while reducing resource overhead
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring player position, query distance range, and NPC weights. The system adjusts NPC selection dynamically based on current game state, ensuring that important NPCs are always prioritized for loading while less critical ones are excluded, thereby maintaining NPC importance while optimizing resource usage
Data Source
AI summary
In a data processing method, a query distance range is determined based on current position information of a character controlled by a user in a virtual scene. Data for a plurality of non-player characters (NPCs) from a database is determined based on NPCs to be placed in the query distance range. The data includes a plurality of attributes respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of the NPCs. Weights are determined for each of the plurality of NPCs. A first number of NPCs is generated based on a descending order of the weights for each of the plurality of NPCs. The first number of NPCs is a subset of the plurality of NPCs. The generated first number of NPCs are transmitted to a client controlling the player-controlled character to cause the client to display, in the query distance range, virtual images corresponding to the first number of NPCs.