Patent ID: 8403757

Claim:
A server-based system for providing gaming services, the system comprising: a) an application server array 110 adapted to receive, from at least one client device 112 , data 118 indicative of game commands; and b) a game engine 312 residing at least in part on said application server array 110 for maintaining a virtual gaming universe including at least one user-controllable gaming character 816 , said gaming engine operative to associate a given said gaming character 816 with game commands of a given said client device 112 , said game engine 312 being operative to generate snapshots of said virtual gaming universe, said game engine 312 being operative to: i) derive, from a first said snapshot 2100 associated with a first game time t g 0 2102 and a first game command set c 1 2104 , a second snapshot 2200 associated with a second game time t g 1 2202 and a second game command set c′ 1 2204 ; and ii) derive, from said first snapshot 2100 , a third snapshot 2110 associated with a third game time t g 2 2122 and a third game command set c 2 2114 , wherein: i) (t g 2 −t g 0 )<=(t g 1 −t g 0 ); ii) said third game command set c 2 2114 includes at least one extra game command relative to said second game command set c 1 2104 ; iii) said game engine is operative such that said deriving of said second snapshot 2200 includes: A) predicting a future state 816 B of said given user-controllable gaming character 816 for said second game time t g 1 2202 , said future state 816 B being different from a current state 816 A of said given user-controllable gaming character; B) predicting a future state 810 B of at least one object 810 in said virtual gaming universe other than said given user-controllable gaming character 816 for said second game time t g 1 2202 ; C) computing a relationship between said predicted future states 816 B and 810 B.