IP Library Granted Patent US 9,517,416
Granted Patent B1
US 9,517,416 · App. 13/862,734 · Granted Dec 13, 2016

System and method for dynamically determining crafting parameters based on user usage rate of a virtual space

Inventors: Matthew Curtis (Novato, CA); James Koh (Mountain View, CA); Kellen Christopher Smalley (Pleasanton, CA); Michael C. Caldarone (Palo Alto, CA)
Assignee: Kabam, Inc.
A63F13/67A63F13/45
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,517,416
App. No.
13/862,734
Granted
Dec 13, 2016
Kind
B1
Abstract

A system and method for dynamically determining parameters of crafting activities for individual users in a virtual space are disclosed. The crafting activity parameters may be determined based on rate of usage of the virtual space by the users. In some examples, a user usage rate of the virtual space may be determined to measure an amount of time a user spend in the virtual space during a period of real-world time. Based on the determined user usage rate of the virtual space, crafting activity parameters may be determined, for example, to balance differences in time spent in the virtual space by the users. In some implementations, for such determinations of the crafting activity parameters, one or more user normalization standards may be obtained.

Claims (26)

1. A system configured to dynamically adjust crafting parameters based on user usage rate of a virtual space, the system comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium storing machine-readable instructions; and

one or more physical processors configured to execute the machine-readable instructions to:

execute an instance of the virtual space including implementing the instance of the virtual space by receiving concurrent inputs from multiple users comprising at least one-hundred users and executing corresponding commands to facilitate interaction with the virtual space by individual ones of the multiple users, the inputs including inputs initiating crafting activities in the virtual space, wherein crafting activities are executed in the virtual space in accordance with crafting activity parameters of the initiating user, and wherein the users are capable of spending real-world currency in the virtual space;

determine, for individual ones of the multiple users, a rate of usage of the virtual space based on the amount of real-world currency spent by the individual user in the virtual space;

adjust, for individual ones of the multiple users, the crafting activity parameters of the individual user based on the usage rate of the individual user, the adjusting including applying a bonus to the parameters that is inversely proportional to the amount of real-world currency spent by the individual user in the virtual space such that users who have spent a smaller amount currency receive a bonus relative to other users who have spent a lamer amount of currency; and

execute, for individual ones of the multiple users, one or more crafting activities initiated by the individual user in accordance with the adjusted crafting activity parameters of the individual user in the virtual space to produce one or more corresponding virtual items for the first individual user.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the rate of usage of the virtual space for individual ones of the multiple users further comprises determining an average amount of time spent by the individual user in the virtual space over a sliding window of real world time.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the rate of usage of the virtual space for individual ones of the multiple users further comprises determining an amount of time spent by the individual user in the virtual space during a previous period of time including one or more of a past hour, day, week, and/or month.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the adjusted crafting activity parameters comprise one or more of a virtual resource cost parameter, a virtual item crafting time parameter, a crafted virtual item grade parameter, and a success rate parameter.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the bonus applied to the crafting activity parameters comprises one or more of a reduction to the virtual resource cost parameter, a reduction to the virtual item crafting time parameter, an increase to the crafted virtual item grade parameter, and an increase to the success rate parameter.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the adjusting of the crafting activity parameters of individual ones of the multiple users is further based on one or more of a skill, an experience level, a class, a race, a profession, a virtual item owned, and a power-up earned by the individual user.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment of the crafting activities parameters within the virtual space is based on obtained user normalization standards to balance effects to user progression in the virtual space caused by differences in the amounts of real-world currency spent by the users in the virtual space.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user inputs initiating crafting activities in the virtual space comprise one or more of a type of crafting activity to be carried out, a specific grade of the one or more virtual items to be crafted by the crafting activity, equipment to be used to craft the one or more virtual items, virtual resources to be used to craft the one or more virtual items, and a recipe to be used to craft the one or more virtual items.

9. A method for dynamically adjusting crafting parameters based on user usage rate of a virtual space, the method being implemented in one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing an instance of the virtual space including implementing the instance of the virtual space by receiving concurrent inputs from multiple of users comprising at least one-hundred users and executing corresponding commands to facilitate interaction with the virtual space by individual ones of the multiple users, the inputs including inputs initiating crafting activities in the virtual space, wherein crafting activities are executed in the virtual space in accordance with crafting activity parameters of the initiating user, and wherein the users are capable of spending real-world currency in the virtual space;

determining, for individual ones of the multiple users, a rate of usage of the virtual space based on the amount of real-world currency spent by the individual user in the virtual space;

adjusting, for individual ones of the multiple users, the crafting activity parameters of the individual user based on the usage rate of the individual user, the adjusting including applying a bonus to the parameters that is inversely proportional to the amount of real-world currency spent by the individual user in the virtual space such that users who have spent a smaller amount currency receive a bonus relative to other users who have spent a lamer amount of currency; and

executing, for individual ones of the multiple users, one or more crafting activities initiated by the individual user in accordance with the adjusted crafting activity parameters of the individual user in the virtual space to produce one or more corresponding virtual items for the individual user.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the rate of usage of the virtual space for individual ones of the multiple users further comprises determining an average amount of time spent by the individual user in the virtual space over a sliding window of real world time.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the rate of usage of the virtual space for individual ones of the multiple users further comprises determining an amount of time spent by the individual user in the virtual space during a previous period of time including one or more of a past hour, day, week, and/or month.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the adjusted crafting activity parameters comprise one or more of a virtual resource cost parameter, a virtual item crafting time parameter, a crafted virtual item grade parameter, and a success rate parameter.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the bonus applied to the crafting activity parameters comprises one or more of a reduction to the virtual resource cost parameter, a reduction to the virtual item crafting time parameter, an increase to the crafted virtual item grade parameter, and an increase to the success rate parameter.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the crafting activity parameters of individual ones of the multiple users is further based on one or more of a skill, an experience level, a class, a race, a profession, a virtual item owned, and a power-up earned by the individual user.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the adjustment of the crafting activities parameters within the virtual space is based on obtained user normalization standards to balance effects to user progression in the virtual space caused by differences in the amounts of real-world currency spent by the users in the virtual space.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the user inputs initiating crafting activities in the virtual space comprise one or more of a type of crafting activity to be carried out, a specific grade of the one or more virtual items to be crafted by the crafting activity, equipment to be used to craft the one or more virtual items, virtual resources to be used to craft the one or more virtual items, and a recipe to be used to craft the one or more virtual items.

Assignments (4)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 2, 2018
From: KABAM, INC.
To: BANK OF MONTREAL
Reel/Frame 045813/0153 →
TERMINATION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT, RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME: 039268/0910 Recorded Mar 2, 2017
From: SILICON VALLEY BANK
To: KABAM, INC.
Reel/Frame 041857/0538 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 6, 2016
From: KABAM, INC.
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 039268/0910 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 15, 2013
From: CURTIS, MATTHEW; KOH, JAMES; SMALLEY, KELLEN CHRISTOPHER; CALDARONE, MICHAEL C.
To: KABAM, INC.
Reel/Frame 030214/0664 →