IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,434,146
Granted Patent B2
US 12,434,146 · App. 18/004,308 · Granted Oct 7, 2025

Pathfinding control method and device in game

Inventor: Xiangqian Dang (Zhejiang, CN)
Assignee: NETEASE (HANGZHOU) NETWORK CO., LTD.
A63F13/56A63F13/2145G06F3/0485G06F3/0488
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,434,146
App. No.
18/004,308
Granted
Oct 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A pathfinding control method in a game, including: in response to a first touch operation acting on a movement control area, controlling a first virtual character to move in a game scene; when the first touch operation satisfies a trigger condition, providing at least one position identifier in a designated area of a graphical user interface, the position identifier corresponding to a position in the game scene; determining a first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier; and controlling the first virtual character to automatically find a path to a position corresponding to the first target position identifier in the game scene.

Claims (51)

1. A method for controlling pathfinding in a game, wherein a graphical user interface is provided by a mobile terminal, a content displayed on the graphical user interface comprises at least part of a game scene and a first virtual character located in the game scene, the graphical user interface provides a movement control area, and the method comprises:

controlling the first virtual character to move in the game scene, in response to a first touch operation acting on the movement control area;

providing at least one position identifier in a designated area of the graphical user interface, in response to determining that the first touch operation satisfies a trigger condition, wherein the at least one position identifier corresponding to at least one position in the game scene, and the designated area is located outside the game scene;

determining a first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier; and

controlling the first virtual character to perform automatic pathfinding to a position corresponding to the first target position identifier in the game scene.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the controlling the first virtual character to move in the game scene, in response to the first touch operation acting on the movement control area comprises:

determining a movement direction and controlling the first virtual character to move in the game scene according to the movement direction, in response to the first touch operation acting on the movement control area.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, the first touch operation comprises a sliding operation, and the sliding operation comprises any one of a direct sliding operation, a sliding operation after a long press, or a sliding operation after a heavy press, wherein the sliding operation comprises a corresponding touch point.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the trigger condition comprises: detecting that the touch point of the sliding operation slides out of the movement control area, or the touch point moves to a specified position, or a moving distance of the touch point is greater than a preset distance threshold, or a moving speed of the touch point is greater than a preset speed threshold, or a pressing time of the touch point is greater than a preset time threshold, or a pressing pressure of the touch point is greater than a preset pressure threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the designated area is located above the movement control area.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface further provides a game scene thumbnail, and the designated area comprises a display area other than the game scene thumbnail in the graphical user interface.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the position identifier comprises a static position identifier, and the static position identifier corresponds to a static position in the game scene.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the position identifier comprises a dynamic position identifier, and the dynamic position identifier corresponds to a dynamic position of a second virtual character in the game scene.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the position identifier comprises an avatar of the second virtual character.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface further provides a game scene thumbnail;

the method further comprises:

selecting at least one pathfinding position on the game scene thumbnail; and

the providing at least one position identifier in the designated area of the graphical user interface in response to determining that the first touch operation satisfies the trigger condition comprises:

providing a position identifier of the at least one position identifier in one-to-one correspondence to a pathfinding position of the at least one pathfinding position in the designated area of the graphical user interface in response to determining that the first touch operation satisfies the trigger condition.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining a triggered pathfinding position from the at least one pathfinding position and deleting the triggered pathfinding position, in response to a trigger operation acting on the at least one pathfinding position; and

deleting a position identifier of the at least one position identifier corresponding to the triggered pathfinding position from the designated area.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier comprises:

determining the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier, in response to end of the first touch operation.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier comprises:

determining the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier according to a touch point of the first touch operation.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein, the determining the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier according to the touch point of the first touch operation comprises:

determining a position identifier corresponding to the touch point as the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier; or

determining a position identifier corresponding to a path passed by the touch point as the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the determining the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier according to the touch point of the first touch operation comprises:

determining the first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier according to a position or a movement direction of the touch point.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

controlling the first virtual character to stop the automatic pathfinding in response to a second touch operation acting on the movement control area during performing the automatic pathfinding.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

determining a second target position identifier from a remaining position identifier, in response to a third touch operation acting on the designated area, wherein the remaining position identifier comprises a position identifier other than the first target position identifier among the at least one position identifier.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more machine-readable mediums with an instruction stored thereon, wherein the instruction is used for, when executed by the one or more processors, enabling the electronic device to perform a method for controlling pathfinding in a game, wherein a graphical user interface is provided by a mobile terminal, a content displayed on the graphical user interface comprises at least part of a game scene and a first virtual character located in the game scene, the graphical user interface provides a movement control area, and the method comprises:

controlling the first virtual character to move in the game scene, in response to a first touch operation acting on the movement control area;

providing at least one position identifier in a designated area of the graphical user interface, in response to determining that the first touch operation satisfies a trigger condition, wherein the at least one position identifier corresponding to at least one position in the game scene, and the designated area is located outside the game scene;

determining a first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier; and

controlling the first virtual character to perform automatic pathfinding to a position corresponding to the first target position identifier in the game scene.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein, the graphical user interface further provides a game scene thumbnail, and the method further comprises:

selecting at least one pathfinding position on the game scene thumbnail; and

the providing at least one position identifier in the designated area of the graphical user interface in response to determining that the first touch operation satisfies the trigger condition comprises:

providing a position identifier of the at least one position identifier in one-to-one correspondence to a pathfinding position of the at least one pathfinding position in the designated area of the graphical user interface in response to determining that the first touch operation satisfies the trigger condition.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an instruction stored thereon, when executed by one or more processors, enabling the processors to perform a method for controlling pathfinding in a game, wherein a graphical user interface is provided by a mobile terminal, a content displayed on the graphical user interface comprises at least part of a game scene and a first virtual character located in the game scene, the graphical user interface provides a movement control area, and the method comprises:

controlling the first virtual character to move in the game scene, in response to a first touch operation acting on the movement control area;

providing at least one position identifier in a designated area of the graphical user interface, in response to determining that the first touch operation satisfies a trigger condition, wherein the at least one position identifier corresponding to at least one position in the game scene, and the designated area is located outside the game scene;

determining a first target position identifier from the at least one position identifier; and

controlling the first virtual character to perform automatic pathfinding to a position corresponding to the first target position identifier in the game scene.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 5, 2023
From: DANG, XIANGQIAN
To: NETEASE (HANGZHOU) NETWORK CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062278/0478 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202010642984.9 · Jul 6, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230219000A1 · Jul 13, 2023
References Cited (22)
US 20160199694A1 · Doherty et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170193425A1 · Roman et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20180219426A1 · Zeine et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 103207951A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
CN 104784934A · 2015 [cited by applicant]
CN 106582023A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
CN 107835148A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 108245888A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 108379844A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 109621420A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 110141862A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 110772791A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 110812844A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 111013146A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 111249735A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 111760268A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019141139A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
Starcraft 2 played using 3M Multi-touch Displays, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E36k70cKAw&t=102s, published on Nov. 23, 2010. [cited by examiner]
StarCraft 2—Basics—Unit Movement | WikiGameGuides—YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fslv2QWh3EQ, published on Aug. 19, 2010. [cited by examiner]
1st Office Action dated Feb. 20, 2021 of Chinese Application No. 202010642984.9. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report dated Jun. 18, 2021 of International Application No. PCT/CN2021/081063. [cited by applicant]
Implementing an Automatic Navigation System using Unity3D, Wang Zhi-gang, published on Dec. 31, 2019. [cited by applicant]