IP Library Granted Patent US 9,849,390
Granted Patent B2
US 9,849,390 · App. 15/367,031 · Granted Dec 26, 2017

Resource management for distributed games

Inventors: Ran Zhao (Beijing, CN); Qi Li (Beijing, CN); Xuefeng Song (Hebei, CN)
Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
A63F13/77A63F13/352A63F13/358A63F13/795
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,849,390
App. No.
15/367,031
Granted
Dec 26, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

Technologies are generally described for server resource allocation for distributed games. In one example, a method includes allocating a first set of resources for a first player instance on a first server, a second set of resources for a second player instance on the first server, and a third set of resources for a third player instance on a second server. The method also includes comparing a first relationship strength defined between the first player instance and the second player instance with a second relationship strength defined between the first player instance and the third player instance. Further, the method includes distributing at least one of the first set of resources, the second set of resources, or the third set of resources between the first server and the second server based on a result of the comparing.

Claims (29)

1. A system, comprising:

an allocation manager that distributes player resources among devices, wherein the player resources are respectively associated with participants of an interactive computing game;

an observation monitor that detects a change to a first group of interaction data established between at least two participants of the participants or detects a formation of a second group of interaction data between the at least two participants; and

a relationship supervisor that evaluates relationship strengths between groups of the participants, wherein the relationship strengths are used by the allocation manager to selectively redistribute the player resources among the devices.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the relationship supervisor evaluates a first relationship strength, of the relationship strengths, defined for a first participant of the participants and a second participant of the participants, and evaluates a second relationship strength, of the relationship strengths, defined for the first participant and a third participant of the participants, and wherein second player resources, of the player resources, of the second participant and third player resources, of the player resources, of the third participant are distributed among different devices of the devices.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein first player resources, of the player resources, of the first participant and the second player resources of the second participant are stored on a first device of the devices and the third player resources of the third participant are stored on a second device of the devices, and wherein the allocation manager moves the first player resources of the first participant from the first device to the second device in response to a first value of the first relationship strength being determined to be less than a second value of the second relationship strength.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein first player resources, of the player resources, of the first participant and the second player resources of the second participant are stored on a first device of the devices and the third player resources of the third participant are stored on a second device of the devices, and wherein the allocation manager stores the first player resources of the first participant on the first device in response to a first value of the first relationship strength being determined to be greater than a second value of the second relationship strength.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the relationship supervisor counts a number of interactions between the groups of the participants and determines a weighted sum of the number of interactions as a function of a predicted frequency of interactions between the groups of the participants.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a resource evaluator that monitors a player resource of the player resources allocated to the devices and determines whether the player resource of the player resources of a device of the devices satisfy a rule related to a resource level condition.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the allocation manager moves a player resource of the player resources from the device to another device of the devices in response to the device being determined to satisfy the rule related to the resource level condition.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the allocation manager moves a group of the player resources from the device to another device of the devices in response to the device being determined to satisfy the rule related to the resource level condition.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution by a system comprising a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving information about a distribution of player resources among devices, wherein the player resources are respectively associated with participants of an interactive computing game;

in response to monitoring interactions of the participants, receiving an indication of a change, wherein the indication of the change is based on a first set of interaction data established between at least two participants of the participants or based on a formation of a second set of interaction data between the at least two participants; and

initiating redistribution of the player resources among the devices based on determining relationship strengths between subsets of the participants.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the relationship strengths comprise a first relationship strength defined for a first participant, of the participants, associated with first player resources of the player resources and a second participant, of the participants, associated with second player resources of the player resources, and a second relationship strength defined for the first participant and a third participant, of the participants, associated with third player resources of the player resources, and wherein the second player resources and the third player resources are distributed among different devices of the devices.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the first player resources and the second player resources are stored on a first device of the devices and the third player resources are stored on a second device of the devices, and wherein the initiating the redistribution of the player resources comprises moving the first player resources from the first device to the second device in response to a first value of the first relationship strength being determined to be less than a second value of the second relationship strength.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the first player resources and the second player resources are stored on a first device of the devices and the third player resources are stored on a second device of the devices, and wherein the initiating the redistribution of the player resources comprises storing the first player resources on the first device in response to a first value of the first relationship strength being determined to be greater than a second value of the second relationship strength.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the determining the relationship strengths comprises counting a number of interactions between the subsets of the participants and determining a weighted sum of the number of interactions as a function of a predicted frequency of interactions between the subsets of the participants.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise receiving resource level information based on player resources of a device of the devices being determined to satisfy a rule related to a resource level condition.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the initiating the redistribution of the player resources comprises moving a player resource of the player resources from the device to another device of the devices, and wherein the initiating is further based on the device being determined to satisfy the rule related to the resource level condition.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the initiating the redistribution of the player resources comprises moving a player resource of the player resources from the device to another device of the devices, and wherein the initiating is further based on the other device being determined to satisfy the rule related to the resource level condition.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, information about a distribution of player resources distributed among computing devices, wherein the player resources are respectively associated with participants of an interactive computing game;

in response to monitoring interactions of the participants, receiving, by the system, a first indication of a change in a first interaction data established between a pair of the participants or a second indication of a change related to formation of second interaction data between the pair; and

enabling, by the system, redistribution of the player resources among the computing devices based on determining relationship strengths between groups of the participants.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the determining the relationship strengths comprises evaluating a first relationship strength defined for a first participant of the participants and a second participant of the participants, and evaluating a second relationship strength defined for the first participant and a third participant of the participants, and wherein second player resources, of the player resources, of the second participant and third player resources, of the player resources, of the third participant are distributed among different computing devices of the computing devices.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein first player resources, of the player resources, of the first participant and the second player resources of the second participant are stored on a first computing device of the computing devices and the third player resources of the third participant are stored on a second computing device of the computing devices, and wherein the enabling the redistribution comprises, triggering, in response to a first value of the first relationship strength being determined to be less than a second value of the second relationship strength, moving the first player resources of the first participant from the first computing device to the second computing device.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising, receiving, by the system, resource level information based on determining that a portion of the player resources present on a computing device of the computing devices satisfies a rule related to a resource level condition.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS, RECORDED ON JANUARY 29, 2019, AT REEL/FRAME 048373/0217 Recorded Jun 22, 2026
From: CRESTLINE DIRECT FINANCE, L.P., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
Reel/Frame 075799/0053 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS, RECORDED ON JANUARY 29, 2019 AT REEL 048373 FRAME 0217 Recorded Sep 22, 2025
From: CRESTLINE DIRECT FINANCE, L.P., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
Reel/Frame 072936/0464 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 29, 2019
From: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
To: CRESTLINE DIRECT FINANCE, L.P.
Reel/Frame 048373/0217 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 1, 2016
From: ZHAO, RAN; LI, QI; SONG, XUEFENG
To: OCEAN OF PEACE SCIENTIFIC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 040487/0887 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 1, 2016
From: OCEAN OF PEACE SCIENTIFIC CO., LTD.
To: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
Reel/Frame 040487/0918 →
Continuity (2)
Division 14409464
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