Simulated phenomena interaction game

Abstract

Methods and systems for interacting with simulated phenomena are provided. Example embodiments provide a Simulated Phenomena Interaction System “SPIS,” which enables a user to incorporate simulated phenomena into a real world environment by interacting with the simulated phenomena. In one embodiment, the SPIS comprises a mobile environment (e.g., a mobile device) and a simulation engine. The mobile environment may be configured as a thin client that remotely communicates with the simulation engine, or it may be configured as a fat client that incorporates one or more of the components of the simulation engine into the mobile device. These components cooperate to define the characteristics and behavior of the simulated phenomena and interact with users via mobile devices. The characteristics and behavior of the simulated phenomena are based in part upon values sensed from the real world, thus achieving a more integrated correspondence between the real world and the simulated world.

1 . A method in a location-based computer game environment comprising: 
 invoking a first interaction with a simulated phenomenon, the first interaction having an associated first range; and    invoking a second interaction with the simulated phenomenon, the second interaction having an associated second range, wherein at least one of the first range and the second range is limited to a dynamically determined value and wherein the first range is not the same as the second range.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , the game environment including a mobile device for playing a game, and wherein at least one of the first interaction range or the second interaction range is based upon a real-world location associated with the mobile device.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , the game environment including a mobile device for playing a game, further comprising: 
 automatically determining an initial location of the mobile device that is used to associate the game environment to a real-world locale.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the automatically determined location is based upon a detected real-world location in a physical coordinate system.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the automatically determined location is based upon an associated latitude or longitude value and subsequent changes to location of are determined based upon detected changes in bearing and velocity characteristics associated with the mobile device.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the automatically determined location is based upon an arbitrary reference point and subsequent changes to location of are determined based upon detected changes in bearing and velocity characteristics associate with the mobile device.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising: 
 determining an initial position for the simulated phenomenon associated with a location in the real-world based upon the automatically determining an initial location of the mobile device.    
   
   
       8 . A mobile computer game, comprising: 
 a simulated phenomenon; and    a game engine that executes a first interaction with the simulated phenomenon according to a range that is limited and that executes a second interaction with the simulated phenomenon according to a second range, wherein the first and second range are different; and    a presentation component for notification of a result of at least one of the first interaction or the second interaction.    
   
   
       9 . The computer game of  claim 8  wherein the presentation component presents a notification based upon at least one of visual, audio, or tactile feedback.  
   
   
       10 . The computer game of  claim 8 , wherein the range of the first interaction is limited based upon a real-world location associated with a mobile device used to play the computer game.  
   
   
       11 . The computer game of  claim 8 , wherein the game engine communicates with a mobile device used to play the game in order to automatically fix a game grid associated with the game to a real-world location.  
   
   
       12 . The computer game of  claim 11  wherein the game grid is explicit or implicit.  
   
   
       13 . The computer game of  claim 11  wherein the real-world location used to fix the game grid is automatically determined by the mobile device.  
   
   
       14 . The computer game of  claim 8 , wherein the game engine communicates with a mobile device used to play the game in order to automatically fix a game grid associated with the game to an initial position.  
   
   
       15 . The computer game of  claim 14 , wherein actual movement of the mobile device in the real-world is tracked to indicate changes to location relative to the game grid.  
   
   
       16 . The computer game of  claim 14  wherein the initial position is an associated latitude and longitude position.  
   
   
       17 . The computer game of  claim 14  wherein detected changes in bearing and velocity characteristics associated with the mobile device are used to track changes to location relative to the game grid.  
   
   
       18 . The computer game of  claim 14  wherein the initial position is based upon an arbitrary reference point.  
   
   
       19 . A computer-readable memory medium whose contents enable a computing device to present a mobile computer game, by performing a method comprising: 
 automatically establishing an initial game location associated with a real-world location, thereby affixing the game to a real-world environment;    invoking a first interaction with a simulated phenomenon, the first interaction having an associated first range that is limited based upon the real world environment; and    invoking a second interaction with the simulated phenomenon, the second interaction having an associated second range, wherein the first and second ranges are different.    
   
   
       20 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 19  wherein the computer-readable medium is at least a memory of the computing device or a data transmission medium transmitting to the computing device a generated data signal containing the contents.