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U.S. Patent No. 9,120,016: Interactive guitar game designed for learning to play the guitar
Issued September 9, 2015, to Ubisoft Entertainment SA
 
 
 
Summary:
In 2008, music rhythm games was a billion dollar industry with Guitar Hero and Rock Band leading the way. Rocksmith was Ubisoft's answer to Guitar Hero and Rock Band. While Guitar Hero and Rock Band only let players pretend to be a rockstar, Rocksmith teaches the player how to play a real guitar by using the instrument as the controller. One of the problems during the development was how to translate the fretboard and chords into an easily understood gameplay interface. U.S. Patent No. 9,120,016 (the '016 Patent) addresses this issues and describes the gameplay mechanics of RocksmithGuitar Hero and Rock Band had addressed this issue by reducing the guitar down to a five button rhythm game, where button icons would travel down a vertical "note highway." Rocksmith took the vertical "note highway" and combined it with a horizontal representation of the fretboard. As notes travel down the "highway," the horizontal fretboard shifts left and right to the corresponding position on the guitar. Since all of the gameplay prompts corresponded with the actual chord positions on the guitar, a player must successfully play the song on a real guitar to succeed in the game.
 
The '016 Patent also describes a system that adjusts to the player's skill and provides methods for the player to improve. If a player struggled with a particular portion of a song, Rocksmith would generate a mini-game related specifically to part troubling the player. The game also provides other forms of feedback to help the player learn how to play the guitar.
 
 
Abstract:
An interactive game designed for learning to play a guitar. A guitar may be connected to a computer or other platform, capable of loading music and displaying notes and chords and other feedback and visual learning aids on a display screen, allowing a user to read music and play along. The goal of the software or interactive game engine is for players to learn how to play a guitar. Users may operate the game in a number of modes with different goals, playing mini-games throughout the levels of the game. The game provides feedback and statistics to help users learn how to play the guitar.
 
Illustrative Claim:
5. An interactive guitar playing system as in claim 1, wherein the notation is presented in a timeline view, the timeline view having notation scrolling from right to left and a video in the background, wherein an audio output of the song is timed to the scrolling notation, and wherein the scrolling notation includes notes or chords that reach a hit area indicating to the user to play the notes or chords within the hit area.

Researched by: Andrew F. Thomas
 
U.S. Patent No. 8,929,721: Methods for identification of highlight game events and automated generation of videos for same
Issued January 6, 2015, to Sony Interactive Entertainment America

 
Summary:
Streaming and posting videos of gameplay footage used to be difficult for the average gamer. Recording gameplay used to require expensive equipment or to use a camera to record the gameplay from a television, which lowers the quality of the videos.  Also, a player needed to be recording right when the cool moment occurred, which could be difficult given the technological limitations. Despite the difficulties, people still posted video highlights from multiplayer matches onto websites like YouTube.

U.S. Patent No. 8,929,721 (the '721 Patent) describes a method for a computer system to high light pivotal events during a multiplayer video game and create videos for the same. The system creates a video archive of the multiplayer match from which it selects events it deems significant. A player may also tag a moment or event that she wishes to preserve. The system generates video clips based on the significant events and tags. The video clips can be saved and played back by the player. Players are also able to change views to find the best angle to highlight the action.
 
 
Abstract:
Methods, systems and computer readable media for automated creation of videos for interactive entertainment involving at least one individual, based on events that occur within that interactive entertainment are provided. One method includes storing a video history of a session of the interactive entertainment for an individual and examining the interactive entertainment for the session to identify events designated as significant. The designation as significant for each event being predefined to meet a threshold. Then, selecting segments of video from the video history of the session of the interactive entertainment. The selected segments being for a set of the identified events. The method then generates a video defined from the selected segments of video. The video is playable to show the selected segments of video in a selected order for the individual and saving the video.
 
Illustrative Claim:
1. A method for automated creation of videos for interactive entertainment involving at least one individual, based on events that occur within that interactive entertainment, comprising:
(a) storing a video history of a session of the interactive entertainment for an individual;
(b) examining the interactive entertainment for the session to identify events designated as significant, wherein the events are designated as significant based on performance by the individual in relation to events that occur during the session of the interactive entertainment, the designation of an event as significant is based on number of votes received for the event from multiple individuals meeting a predefined threshold, wherein
the multiple individuals are participants or observers of at least part of the session of the interactive entertainment or viewers of the stored video history
(c) selecting segments of video from the video history of the session of the interactive entertainment, the selected segments being for a set of the identified events;
(d) generating a video defined from the selected segments of video, the video being playable to show the selected segments of video in a selected order for the individual; and
(e) storing the video; and wherein the method being executed by a processor.

Researched By: Andrew F. Thomas

U.S. Patent No. 9,427,668: Storage medium storing game program and game apparatus for improved collision detection in a video game
Issued August 30, 2016, to Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Priority Date May 29, 2009





Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 9,427,668 helps fans of fighting and shoot ‘em up games make sure lag does not stop them from winning a game. In these sort of games, “determination areas” help figure out if objects in a game contact each other, which helps determines if a bullet shot from an enemy hits a player. Conventional televisions usually temporarily store a program received from a broadcast station in its memory and process the image to improve the image quality before displaying it. For game consoles, the temporary storage causes a lag between the execution of a player’s action and the display of the result on the television.

Therefore, this patent provides a solution using a storage medium for a game program and a game apparatus. In the game apparatus, the aforementioned “determination areas” repeatedly determine whether or not a player contacts something. The results of these determinations are stored in succession, permitting the player to move when there is an indication the player contacts something. Storing the determinations reduces lag and helps players keep fighting and dodging both enemies and bullets.

Abstract:
A computer readable storage medium storing a game program and a game apparatus capable of preventing a game process which is performed, depending on a result of contact determination with respect to objects from being illogical for a player are provided. In the game apparatus, a contact determination section repeatedly determines whether a player object contacts a block. The results of determination are successively stored into a determination result storing section. A first processing section permits the player object to jump when, of the results of determination stored in the determination result storing section, at least one result of determination including a result of determination a predetermined period of time before indicates that the player object contacts the block.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus which outputs to a display device a game image showing a behavior of an object in a game space, the game program causing the computer to execute instructions comprising: repeatedly determining whether or not a first object contacts a second object at a first point in time and at a second point in time, the second point in time being a latest result of determination stored after the first point in time; successively storing results of the repeated determination; and performing a predetermined process with respect to the first object when, of the results of the stored determination, at least one result of determination includes determining that the first object contacted the second object at the first point in time.


Research By: Rachel Johns
Edited By: Andrew F. Thomas




U.S. Patent No. 9,454,849: Augmented reality playspaces with adaptive game rules
Issued September 27, 2016, to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC


Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 9,454,849 (the ‘849 Patent) describes a method for generating a virtual gaming environment based on real-world objects. The patent describes a scenario where a player puts on an augmented reality head set and begins to travel around the real world. During the player’s travels, he may encounter monsters or puzzles which is generated by the headset. The headset will generate the monsters based on the real world environment surrounding the player. For example, a player in a forest is more likely to encounter a forest monster than an ocean monster. While wearing the headset, players will be able to interact with both real objects and virtual objects. Virtual objects will be created based on a variety of factors, including the real world environment.
Abstract:
A system for generating a virtual gaming environment based on features identified within a real-world environment, and adapting the virtual gaming environment over time as the features identified within the real-world environment change is described. Utilizing the technology described, a person wearing a head-mounted display device (HMD) may walk around a real-world environment and play a virtual game that is adapted to that real-world environment. For example, the HMD may identify environmental features within a real-world environment such as five grassy areas and two cars, and then spawn virtual monsters based on the location and type of the environmental features identified. The location and type of the environmental features identified may vary depending on the particular real-world environment in which the HMD exists and therefore each virtual game may look different depending on the particular real-world environment.
Illustrative Claim:
1. A method for generating an augmented reality environment, comprising: generating one or more virtual objects associated with a computing application using a mobile device, the one or more virtual objects include a first virtual object: identifying one or more real-world objects within a first real-world environment that are of a particular type; acquiring a computing application requirement that a particular number of real-world objects of the particular type be identified within the first real-world environment from the computing application; determining that a number of the one or more real-world objects identified within the first real-world environment of the particular type is not equal to the particular number of real-world objects required by the computing application; adjusting the one or more virtual objects in response to determining that the number of the one or more real-world objects identified within the first real-world environment of the particular type is not equal to the particular number of real-world objects required by the computing application, the one or more virtual objects include a first virtual object that moves within the augmented reality environment; detecting a particular sound using the mobile device; determining a distance between the first virtual object within the augmented reality environment and the mobile device; setting a degree of transparency for the first virtual object based on the distance between the first virtual object within the augmented reality environment and the mobile device in response to detecting the particular sound; generating one or more images associated with the first virtual object based on the degree of transparency; and displaying on the mobile device the one or more images, the one or more images are displayed such that the first virtual object is perceived to exist within the augmented reality environment.
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