Patent ID: 7667705
Filing Date: 2010-02-23
Classification: A63F,G06F,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method of animating a user-controlled character in a virtual three-dimensional environment of a dynamic three-dimensional game space, comprising: rendering the three-dimensional environment of the three-dimensional game space in which the user-controlled character will be animated; defining a tag at a location in the three-dimensional virtual environment that is external to the user-controlled character, and assigning tag information to the tag that designates a type of reaction for the user-controlled character and a type of reaction for an object associated with the tag when the user-controlled character comes in proximity to the tag; animating the user-controlled character using a scripted animation sequence in response to user inputs; detecting when the user-controlled character is within a predetermined proximity to the tag; and, when the user-controlled character is within a predetermined proximity to the tag, using the location of the tag and the tag information to dynamically modify the user-controlled character's animation and the animation of the object in the three-dimensional virtual environment associated with the tag in real time; wherein the tag is defined at the location such that the tag is at least initially not apparent to the user.