Abstract:
One aspect of the invention provides a method of increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game. The method includes providing the massively multiplayer online game on each of a plurality of shards and associating a list of accomplishments with each of the plurality of shards. Another aspect of the invention provides a computer program product comprising computer-usable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to implement a method of increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game. The control logic includes: first computer readable program code for causing the computer to provide the massively multiplayer online game on each of a plurality of shards and second computer readable program code for causing the computer to associate a list of accomplishments with each of the plurality of shards.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/US2010/048131, filed Sep. 8, 2010; which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/240,312, filed Sep. 8, 2009. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The ubiquity of the Internet and increasing bandwidth and computing power allow for increasingly collaborative online gaming experiences. For example, massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) allow hundreds or thousands of users to interact in a persistent world. 
         [0003]    The cost of planning, developing, and publishing video game modules or expansions generally requires between one or two years and costs several hundred thousand dollars. Due to this lengthy and costly process, the video game business model includes an inherent risk of market fluctuations and the loss of customer loyalty between the release of subsequent modules or expansions. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, there is a need for methods, systems, and computer-readable media for increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game, both immediately after launch of the game and during the life of the game. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    One aspect of the invention provides a method of increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game. The method includes providing the massively multiplayer online game on each of a plurality of shards and associating a list of accomplishments with each of the plurality of shards. 
         [0006]    This aspect of the invention can have a variety of embodiments. In one embodiment, the method includes publishing the list of accomplishments. The list of accomplishments is published via an XML feed. 
         [0007]    The method can further include: providing the massively multiplayer online game on a new shard, associating a list of accomplishments with each of the plurality of shards, and announcing the time at which the new shard will be accessible. 
         [0008]    The accomplishments can include temporal accomplishments. The temporal accomplishments can include one or more selected from the group consisting of: the first n players to achieve a certain score, the first n players to achieve a population, the first n players to achieve a certain number of cities, and the first n players to achieve a certain title, wherein n is an integer greater than 0. 
         [0009]    The accomplishments can be individual accomplishments. The accomplishments can be alliance accomplishments. 
         [0010]    Each shard can be implemented on an individual server. A plurality of shards can be implemented on a single server. 
         [0011]    The method can be a computer-implemented method. 
         [0012]    Another aspect of the invention provides a computer program product comprising computer-usable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to implement a method of increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game. The control logic includes: first computer readable program code for causing the computer to provide the massively multiplayer online game on each of a plurality of shards and second computer readable program code for causing the computer to associate a list of accomplishments with each of the plurality of shards. 
         [0013]    This aspect of the invention can have a variety of embodiments. The control logic can further include third computer readable program code for causing the computer to publish the list of accomplishments. The control logic can further include: fourth computer readable program code for causing the computer to provide the massively multiplayer online game on a new shard, fifth computer readable program code for causing the computer to associate a list of accomplishments with each of the plurality of shards, and sixth computer readable program code for causing the computer to announce the time at which the new shard will be accessible. 
         [0014]    The accomplishments can include temporal accomplishments. The accomplishments can be individual accomplishments. The accomplishments can be alliance accomplishments. 
         [0015]    The computer-readable medium can be non-transitory and tangible. 
         [0016]    Another aspect of the invention provides a system for increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game. The system includes a plurality of servers configured to provide the massively multiplayer online game on one or more shards and an accomplishment module associated with one or more of the servers and configured to compile a list of accomplishments with each of the plurality of shards. 
         [0017]    This aspect of the invention can have a variety of embodiments. The accomplishment module can be further configured to publish the list of accomplishments. 
     
    
     
       FIGURES 
         [0018]    For a fuller understanding of the nature and desired objects of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the figures wherein: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary game architecture suitable for a massively multiplayer online game; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  depicts a method of increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game according to one embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  depicts a system of increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DEFINITIONS 
       [0022]    The instant invention is most clearly understood with reference to the following definitions: 
         [0023]    As used in the specification and claims, the singular form “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
         [0024]    The term “interactive environment” refers to any construct in which a plurality of users can interact. Exemplary interactive environments include, but are not limited to, thread-based forums such as message boards, answer-based forums, wilds, web logs (also known as “blogs”), micro-blogs (e.g., TWITTER®, available from Twitter, Inc. of San Francisco, Calif.), social networking sites (e.g., FACEBOOK®, available from Facebook, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., LINKEDIN®, available from LinkedIn, Ltd. of Mountain View, Calif., and the like), and private messages (e.g., electronic mail). 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Game Architecture 
       [0025]    Aspects of the invention can be applied to a variety of games, particularly online games such as MMOGs. An exemplary game architecture  100  suitable for an MMOG is depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0026]    At the highest level, architecture  100  includes clients  102  and servers  104  connected via a network  106  such as the Internet. 
         [0027]    Clients  102  can include laptop computers  102   a,  desktop computers  102   b,  handheld devices  102   c  (e.g., a tablet computer, personal digital assistant, cellular telephone, smart phone), and the like now known and later developed. Clients  102  can include display(s) appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. The displays can include any of a number of devices known to those skilled in the art for displaying images responsive to outputs signals from the clients  102 . Such devices include, but are not limited to, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma screens and the like. Although a simplified diagram is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , such illustration shall not be construed as limiting the present invention to the illustrated embodiment. It should be recognized that the signals output from the clients  104  can originate from any of a number of devices including PCI or AGP video boards or cards mounted within the housing of the clients  102  that are operably coupled to the microprocessors and the displays thereof. 
         [0028]    In some embodiments, clients  102  include one or more video game consoles now known or later developed. Such consoles can include Ethernet port to connect to server  104  via network  106 , video output ports for displaying images on a display device such as a television, input devices such as compact disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD) drives to load games, local memory to save data, and input ports to receive input from controllers or keyboards. Examples of suitable video game consoles include the NINTENDO® WII® console available from Nintendo of America Inc. of Redmond, Wash.; the SONY® PLAYSTATION® console available from Kabushiki Kaisha Sony Corporation of Tokyo, Japan; the MICROSOFT® XBOX® console available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.; and the like. 
         [0029]    Clients  102  can access server  104  through proprietary or commercially-available software. For example, clients  102  can utilize an Internet browser to access a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) interface provided by server  104 . Suitable Internet browsers include the INTERNET EXPLORER® browser available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.; the FIREFOX® browser available from the Mozilla Foundation of Mountain View, Calif.; the OPERA® browser available from Opera Software AS of Oslo, Norway; or the CHROME™ browser available from Google Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif. Alternatively, clients  102  can interact with system  104  via specially-programmed software such as an application installed on clients  102 . In still another embodiment, the client  102  and server  104  can communicate through a multimedia platform such as ADOBE® FLASH®, available from Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif. 
         [0030]    In order to enable scaling and reduce lag, MMOGs often utilize multiple servers  104  as depicted in  FIG. 1 . Each server  104  can implement one or more instances of the MMOG, which are known as “shards.” Thus, a first client  102   a  and a second client  102   b  can both play on the same shard implemented on a first server  104   a.  Clients  102   a  and  102   b  can interact with each other, but will have limited, if any, interaction with a third client  102   c  playing on another shard implemented on the second server  104   b.  Advantageously, first server  104   a  does not need to be concerned with the activities of the third client  104   b.    
         [0031]    System  100  can include a load balancer module  108  to route traffic between clients  102  and servers  104 . Various schemes can be used as are familiar to those of skill in the art. For example, when new clients  102  access system  100 , load balancer  108  can direct client  102  to a newly opened server  104   c  until the server  104   c  reaches capacity. At that point, load balancer  108  can direct traffic to yet another server  104 . Requests from existing clients  102  can be routed to the server  104  that the client  102  previously accessed. 
         [0032]    All traffic need not flow through load balancer  108 . For example, traffic can flow directly between clients  102  and servers  104  (via network  106 ) once initial contact is made between clients  102  and servers  104  as mediated by the load balancer  108 . 
         [0033]    Server  104  can communicate with a database  110  through a database management system (DBMS)  112 . A DBMS  112  is imposed upon the data in database  110  to form a logical and structured organization of the data. A DBMS  110  lies between the physical storage of data and the users and handles the interaction between the two. Examples of DBMSes include DB2® and INFORMIX® DBMSes both available from IBM Corp. of Armonk, N.Y.; MICROSOFT JET® and MICROSOFT SQL SERVER® DBMSes both available from the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.; MYSQL® DBMS available from the MySQL Ltd. Co. of Stockholm, Sweden; ORACLE® DBMS available from Oracle Int&#39;l Corp of Redwood City, Calif.; and SYBASE® DBMS available from Sybase, Inc. of Dublin, Calif. 
         [0034]    In some games, a plurality of users each control one or more entities, which may vary depending on the genre of the game. For example, in the EVONY® MMOG, available from Evony, LLC of Wilmington, Del., users control cities. Other exemplary entities include nations, tribes, towns, villages, and the like. Users can utilize their entities to produce resources such as currency, wood, metal, food, and the like. Users can also interact with other entities to wage war and peace. For example, entities can marshal armies and obtain weapons that are used in virtual battles. 
       Methods of Increasing User Interest 
       [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a method  200  of increasing interest in a massively multiplayer online game is provided. 
         [0036]    In step S 202 , the massively multiplayer online game is provided on a plurality of shards. Each shard can be implemented on individual server. Alternatively, a plurality of shards can be implemented on a single server. 
         [0037]    In step S 204 , a list of accomplishments is associated with each of the plurality of shards. By associating each of list of accomplishments with a single shard, users on each shard are incentivized devote their efforts and resources to accumulating accomplishments within the game. 
         [0038]    In step S 206 , the list of accomplishments is published. The list of accomplishments can be published within the game or can be publicly available (e.g., via a website). Users listed on the list of accomplishments can be rewarded with medals or privileges. 
         [0039]    In step S 208 , the massively multiplayer online game is provided on a new shard as discussed herein. 
         [0040]    In step S 210 , a list of accomplishments is associated with the new shard as discussed herein. 
         [0041]    In step S 212 , the time at which the new shard will be accessible is announced. The announcement of new shards generates continued interest in the game as users can take steps to perform in the new shard immediate upon opening. For example, users can form alliances so that the alliance can function from the moment that the new shard becomes available. Likewise, users have an incentive to play the game at a particular time, which can add to the competitive experience. 
         [0042]    Embodiments of the invention maintain a list of temporal accomplishments, i.e., the first n users to complete a certain accomplishment, wherein n is an integer greater than 0. For example, temporal accomplishments can include the first players to achieve a certain score (e.g., a prestige ranking in the EVONY® system), the first players to achieve a certain population, the first players to achieve a certain number of cities, and the first players to achieve a certain title (e.g., knight, baronet, baron, viscount, earl, marquis, duke, furstin, and prinzessin in the EVONY® system). The particular accomplishments can vary to reflect the game genre to which the invention is applied. 
         [0043]    Integer n can be configured by a system administrator to generate maximum interest amongst users. For example, low numbers (e.g., n=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) provide exclusivity that increases the desirability of being listed on the list of accomplishments. On the other hand, higher numbers (e.g., n=20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and the like) allow more users to gain recognition on the list of accomplishments, thereby making this goal more reachable. 
         [0044]    The accomplishments can be individual accomplishments, i.e., accomplishments by a single user. Alternatively, a plurality of users can form an alliance, whose accomplishments can also be recognized. For example, alliances can be added to the list of accomplishments for exceeding a defined aggregate score. 
       Methods of Generating Lists of Accomplishments 
       [0045]    Lists of accomplishments can be generated using a variety of techniques. In one embodiment, the MMOG is modified such that when user achieves a defined accomplishment (e.g., having a population of 1,000,000), a message is sent to an accomplishment module for potential inclusion in the list of accomplishments. 
         [0046]    More preferably, however, the database  110  can be mined periodically with various queries to detect when accomplishments occur. Such accomplishments can be recorded in the database with a date and time stamp so that it is possible to determine which user first achieved an accomplishment that was achieved since the last query. 
         [0047]    In still another embodiment, the DBMS  112  can be modified to include one or more triggers that detect the achievement of an accomplishment and alert an accomplishment module of the same. Triggers are available in DBMSes implementing the SQL-99 standard and are described in publications such as Ramez Elmsari &amp; Shamkant B. Navanthe, “Fundamentals of Database Systems” 823-35 (5th ed. 2007) and Hector Garcia-Molina, “Database Systems: The Complete Book” §7.4.3 (2002). 
       Formatting of List of Accomplishments 
       [0048]    The lists of accomplishments provided in a variety of formats. For example, the list of accomplishments can be provided in plain text, HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), and the like. XML may be preferred in some embodiments because it separates visual formatting from the actual data, thereby allowing greater flexibility in displaying the list of accomplishments in multiple locations. 
         [0000]    Integration with User Profile and Interactive Environments 
         [0049]    In some embodiments, a user can play a game on multiple shards and achieve accomplishments on each shard. These accomplishments can be associated with the user&#39;s profile so that there is a continued incentive to commence new games and gather new accomplishments. 
         [0050]    In some embodiments, a user&#39;s accomplishments (gathered from either the user&#39;s profile or one or more lists of accomplishments) can be communicated to an interactive environment such as a message board, a social network site, and the like. 
         [0051]    For example, a user&#39;s accomplishments (which can be represented graphically by medals, trophies, and the like) can be displayed along with other information about a user on a message board of a social network site (e.g., FACEBOOK®, available from Facebook, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., LINKEDIN®, available from LinkedIn, Ltd. of Mountain View, Calif., and the like), and private messages (e.g., electronic mail). 
         [0052]    The opportunity to include such information, particularly in forums devoted to a particular game lend credibility to the user&#39;s postings and therefore provide further incentives for the user to play early and often. 
       Provision of Rewards 
       [0053]    In some embodiments, rewards are presented to users listed on the list of accomplishments. For example, users can be given points or currency for use in the game. In another example, users can be given various titles, avatars, and the like for use in the game. 
       Systems for Increasing Interest 
       [0054]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a system  300  for increasing interest in massively multiplayer online game is provided. System  300  is similar to system  100 , but includes an accomplishment module  314  in communication with server  304  and/or DBMS  312 . Accomplishment module  314  can be a stand-alone module comprising hardware and/or software or can be a software process executed on another component (e.g., servers  304  or load balancer  308 ). 
         [0055]    The accomplishment module  314  is configured to compile a list of accomplishments for each shard running on servers  304 . As discussed herein, the accomplishment module  314  can actively monitor or passively receive information from server  304  and DBMS  312 . 
         [0056]    Accomplishment module  314  can also be configured to publish the list of accomplishments in a variety of formats as discussed herein. 
         [0000]    Implementation in Hardware and/or Software 
         [0057]    The systems and methods herein can be implemented on general-purpose or specially-programmed hardware or software. For example, the methods can be implemented by a computer-usable medium. The computer-usable medium can be non-transitory and/or tangible. For example, the computer-usable medium can be volatile memory (e.g., random access memory and the like) or non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory, hard disks, floppy discs, magnetic tape, optical discs, paper table, punch cards, and the like). 
       INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
       [0058]    All patents, published patent applications, and other references disclosed herein are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties by reference. 
       EQUIVALENTS 
       [0059]    The functions of several elements may, in alternative embodiments, be carried out by fewer elements, or a single element. Similarly, in some embodiments, any functional element may perform fewer, or different, operations than those described with respect to the illustrated embodiment. Also, functional elements (e.g., modules, databases, computers, clients, servers and the like) shown as distinct for purposes of illustration may be incorporated within other functional elements, separated in different hardware or distributed in a particular implementation. 
         [0060]    While certain embodiments according to the invention have been described, the invention is not limited to just the described embodiments. Various changes and/or modifications can be made to any of the described embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Also, various combinations of elements, steps, features, and/or aspects of the described embodiments are possible and contemplated even if such combinations are not expressly identified herein.