Touchscreen game user interface

1. A method comprising:

generating on a touchscreen of a mobile user device a game display that shows in-game action of a computer-implemented game, the in-game action comprising user-controlled movement of a player character within a virtual world;

providing a movement control mechanism that enables user control of movement of the player character via touchscreen input;

providing a swipe input mechanism that enables selective deployment of a plurality of abilities of the player character by different respective swipe inputs via the touchscreen in a corresponding plurality of trigger directions, one of the plurality of abilities being an aimable ability that allows for user-controlled aiming;

detecting a swipe input via the swipe input mechanism;

identifying the trigger direction selected by the swipe input; and

causing in-game deployment for the player character of that one of the plurality of abilities which corresponds to the selected trigger direction, wherein the in-game deployment of the aimable ability responsive to selection thereof by the swipe input being oriented in the respectively corresponding trigger direction comprises:

entering an aiming mode in which a trajectory or a target area for the selected ability is displayed while touch contact that provided the swipe input is sustained;

changing the displayed trajectory or target area responsive to user provided change in position of the sustained touch contact; and

upon release of the touch contact, deploying the selected ability according to the displayed trajectory or target area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing of the swipe input mechanism comprises displaying as part of a heads-up display (HUD) overlaid on the game display an abilities widget, the plurality of trigger directions extending radially relative to a center defined by the abilities widget, at least two of the plurality of trigger directions being transverse to one another and intersecting at the center.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

the abilities widget comprises a plurality of ability elements arranged circumferentially about the center, each ability element being a graphic user interface element that is user-selectable by a radially outward swipe input extending from the center in a corresponding one of the plurality of trigger directions.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

switching one or more of the plurality of ability elements between:

a ready state in which the corresponding ability is available for selection, and an unready state in which the corresponding ability is unavailable for selection; and

responsive to switching a particular ability element between the ready state and the unready state, providing a visual indication of the switching by varying one or more visual attributes of the particular ability element.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the unready state for at least one of the plurality of ability elements comprises a charging mode in which a charge level for the corresponding ability progressively increases towards a predefined charge threshold at which the ability element automatically switches to the ready state, the method further comprising displaying in association with the respective ability element a dynamic charge indicator that graphically indicates the charge level for the corresponding ability.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein:

the plurality of ability elements comprises, for each of the plurality of trigger directions, a respective trigger button that is radially slidable relative to the center in the corresponding trigger direction; and

wherein the method further comprises displaying animated sliding movement of the trigger button corresponding to the selected trigger direction responsive to the detected swipe input.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein switching the particular ability element to the ready state comprises extending a firing lane radially outwards from the particular ability element, the corresponding trigger button being slidable along the firing lane, the firing lane being radially retracted in the unready state.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the abilities widget has a dynamically variable on-screen position that automatically adjusts to an origin point for swipe input.

9. The method of claim 8 , the method further comprising:

prior to receiving the swipe input, detecting initiation of touch contact for swipe control of the abilities widget;

identifying on-screen coordinates of the touch contact initiation as the origin point for swipe input; and

automatically adjusting the on-screen position of the abilities widget such the center of the abilities widget is located at the identified origin point.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the detection of touch contact for swipe control of the abilities widget is limited to a predefined abilities control area that forms a subset of a total input-receptive area of the touchscreen, the method comprising detecting a touch input as initiation of touch contact for swipe control of the abilities widget responsive to and conditional upon satisfaction of on a set of criteria comprising:

that the touch input is received in the abilities control area; and

that the touch input is sustained for longer than a predefined threshold interval.

11. A device comprising:

a touchscreen;

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the device to perform operations comprising:

generating on the touchscreen a game display that shows in-game action of a computer-implemented game, the in-game action comprising riser-controlled movement of a player character within a virtual world;

providing a movement control mechanism that enables user control of movement of the player character via touchscreen input;

providing a swipe input mechanism that enables selective deployment of a plurality of abilities of the player character by different respective swipe inputs via the touchscreen in a corresponding plurality of trigger directions, one of the plurality of abilities being an aimable ability that allows for user-controlled aiming;

detecting a swipe input via the swipe input mechanism;

identifying the trigger direction selected by the swipe input; and

causing in-game deployment for the player character of that one of the plurality of abilities which corresponds to the selected trigger direction, wherein the in-game deployment of the aimable ability responsive to selection thereof by the swipe input being oriented in the respectively corresponding trigger direction comprises:

entering an aiming mode in which a trajectory or a target area for the selected ability is displayed while touch contact that provided the swipe input is sustained;

changing the displayed trajectory or target area responsive to user-provided change in position of the sustained touch contact; and

upon release of the touch contact, deploying the selected ability according to the displayed trajectory or target area.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the providing of the swipe input mechanism comprises display as part of a heads-up display (HUD) overlaid on the game display an abilities widget, the plurality of trigger directions extending radially relative to a center defined by the abilities widget, at least two of the plurality of trigger directions being transverse to one another and intersecting at the center.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein:

the abilities widget comprises a plurality of ability elements arranged circumferentially about the center, each ability element being a graphic user interface element that is user-selectable by a radially outward swipe input extend from the center in a corresponding one of the plurality of trigger directions.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the instructions further configure the device to:

switch one or more of the plurality of ability elements between:

a ready state in which the corresponding ability is available for selection, and an unready state in which the corresponding ability is unavailable for selection; and

responsive to switching a particular ability element between the ready state and the unready state, providing a visual indication of the switching by varying one or more visual attributes of the particular ability element.

15. The device of claim 13 , wherein; the plurality of ability elements comprises, for each of the plurality of trigger directions, a respective trigger button that is radially slidable relative to the center in the corresponding trigger direction; and

wherein the instructions further configure the device to display animated sliding movement of the trigger button corresponding to the selected trigger direction responsive to the detected swipe input.

16. The device of claim 13 , wherein the instructions further configure the apparatus to:

prior to receiving the swipe input, detecting initiation of touch contact for swipe control of the abilities widget;

identify on-screen coordinates of the touch contact initiation as an origin point for swipe input; and

automatically adjust the on-screen position of the abilities widget such the center of the abilities widget is located at the identified origin point.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the detection of touch contact for swipe control of the abilities widget is limited to a predefined abilities control area that forms a subset of a total input-receptive area of the touchscreen, the instructions further configuring the device to detect a touch input as initiation of touch contact for swipe control of the abilities widget responsive to and conditional upon satisfaction of on a set of criteria comprising:

that the touch input is received in the abilities control area; and

that the touch input is sustained for longer than a predefined threshold interval.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

generating on a touchscreen of a mobile user device a game display that shows in-game action of a computer-implemented game, the in-game action comprising user-controlled movement of a player character within a virtual world;

providing a movement control mechanism that enables user control of movement of the player character via touchscreen input;

providing a swipe input mechanism that enables selective deployment of a plurality of abilities of the player character by different respective swipe inputs via the touchscreen in a corresponding plurality of trigger directions, one of the plurality of abilities being an aimable ability that allows for user-controlled aiming;

detecting a swipe input via the swipe input mechanism;

identifying the trigger direction selected by the swipe input; and

causing in-game deployment for the player character of that one of the plurality of abilities which corresponds to the selected trigger direction, wherein the in-game deployment of the aimable ability responsive to selection thereof by the swipe input being oriented in the respectively corresponding trigger direction comprises:

entering an aiming mode in which a trajectory or a target area for the selected ability is displayed while touch contact that provided the swipe input is sustained;

changing the displayed trajectory or target area responsive to user-provided change in position of the sustained touch contact; and

upon release of the touch contact, deploying. the selected ability according to the displayed trajectory or target area.