Patent ID: 6563503
Filing Date: 2003-05-13
Classification: A63F,G06N,G06T

Abstract:
In a home or portable video game playing system of the type including a processor programmed to play an animated game, a display, and user-manipulable controls allowing a user to interact with said play of said game, a method of providing real time computer simulation and/or animation display of at least one entity at least in part in response to said user interaction, comprising:representing said entity with a data structure comprising an entity class and at least one object class, said at least one object class defining plural alternative physical characteristic-defining components corresponding to plural different physical appearances of said entity, said entity class defining at least one behavioral characteristic-defining component modeling at least one behavioral characteristic associated with said entity, said data structure further including information defining a state associated with said entity; reading incoming messages pertaining to skid entity; and executing actions based on said behavioral characteristic and said reading step to provide animated game play; wherein a first of said plural alternative physical characteristic-defining components defines a humanoid appearance, and a second of said plural alternative physical characteristic-defining components defines an appearance other than a humanoid appearance.