Method and System to Allow for Inheritance between Characters in a Virtual Environment
A method and system are provided to allow inheritance between player characters. The method provides a player character with an ability to designate one or more character attributes acquired in a virtual environment to one or more other player characters. The inheritance method and system includes multiple options for gameplay, e.g. will creation, debt satisfaction, taxation, distribution.
1 . A method of providing gameplay in a virtual environment comprising:
providing a first player character with an ability to designate one or more character attributes acquired in the virtual environment to another player character upon death of the first player character by:
receiving a request to create a will from the first player character;
identifying at least one character attribute of the first player character;
receiving information from the first player character linking a second player character to a selected character attribute of the first player character, wherein the second player character becomes entitled to inherit the selected character attribute upon death of the first player character; and
saving the information to a database.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the information includes an attribute condition that must be fulfilled before the second player can inherit the selected character attribute.
3 . The method of claim 1 , whereby providing the first player character with the ability to distribute one or more character attributes further includes receiving information from the first player character linking a third player character to the selected character attribute, wherein the third player character is entitled to inherit the selected character attribute upon failure of the second player character to inherit.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second player character is required to be related to the first player character.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the second player character is related by a contractual relationship.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second player character is required to be from the same race as the first player character.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second player character is required to be from the same class as the first player character.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing an ability to distribute one or more character attributes acquired in the virtual environment to another player character upon death of the first player character by creating a default will.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein creating a default will includes using a succession algorithm to determine inheritors.
10 . A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for providing a game environment comprising:
an inheritance module for allowing a player character to transfer one or more character attributes to at least one inheritor after death of the player character; the inheritance module further comprising:
a will module for identifying one or more character attributes and determining at least one inheritor;
an accounting module for paying debts of the player character; and
an attribute distribution module for distributing one or more character attributes of the player character to at least one inheritor.
11 . The computer program of claim 10 , wherein the accounting module further includes liquidating character attributes to pay debts of the player character.
12 . The computer program of claim 11 , wherein the accounting module further includes determining an order of character attributes to liquidate to pay debts of the player character.
13 . The computer program of claim 10 , wherein paying debts of the player character occurs before distributing one or more character attributes of the player character to at least one inheritor.
14 . The computer program of claim 10 , wherein the accounting module further includes determining taxes.
15 . The computer program of claim 10 , wherein the will module further includes linking one or more character attributes to at least one inheritor.
16 . The computer program of claim 15 , wherein the will module further includes:
receiving at least one attribute condition specified for a selected character attribute linked with at least one inheritor; and
linking said at least one attribute condition to the selected character attribute linked with said at least one inheritor.
17 . The computer program of claim 10 , wherein the will module further includes linking a plurality of inheritors to one character attribute.
18 . A method of providing gameplay in a virtual environment comprising:
allowing inheritance of character attributes between player characters;
upon death of a first player character, determining a second player character to be an inheritor entitled to receive at least one character attribute of the first player character;
determining taxes on said at least one character attribute based on tax rules and conditions; and
receiving taxes before releasing said at least one character attribute to the second player character.
19 . The method of claim 18 wherein determining taxes includes determining a virtual equivalent cash value of said at least one character attribute.
20 . The method of claim 18 wherein taxes are paid out of an account of the first player character.