Tournament system for multi-player games with dynamic server balancing

Abstract

The number of participants competing in each of a plurality of separate game environments, each simulated by a separate game server, in a multi-participant electronic skill-based game tournament are periodically balanced to ensure fair and equitable gaming experiences for all participants. Game environments may periodically be deactivated to ensure optimal occupation of remaining active game environments. Balancing of game environments may be conducted on the occurrence of predetermined events.

1 . A method of conducting a tournament for an electronic multiple-player game, comprising:
 (a) allocating participants in the tournament to a plurality of game environments;   (b) allowing participants in each of the plurality of game environments to compete against one another;   (c) eliminating a subset of participants achieving predetermined results from the tournament thereby creating one or more open participant slots in the plurality of game environments; and   (d) re-allocating one or more remaining participants to one or more of the plurality of game environments according to predetermined rules.   
   
   
       2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the game comprises a skill-based game. 
   
   
       3 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each game environment is simulated by a separate game server. 
   
   
       4 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 (e) re-allocating the one or more remaining participants at predetermined time intervals.   
   
   
       5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 (e) re-allocating the one or more remaining participants to the one or more of the plurality of game environments when the number of participants in the various game environments become unbalanced.   
   
   
       6 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , further comprising:
 (f) re-allocating the one or more remaining participants to the one or more of the plurality of game environments when the number of participants in any game environment drops below a predetermined limit.   
   
   
       7 . A method as claimed in  claim 6 , further comprising:
 (g) re-allocating the one or more remaining participants whilst maintaining a constant number of game environments when a total number of open slots in all of the plurality of game environments, excluding a game environment having the least participants, is less than a number of participants still competing in the game environment having the least participants.   
   
   
       8 . A method as claimed in  claim 6 , further comprising:
 (g) deactivating one or more game environments and re-allocating the one or more remaining participants in the one or more deactivated game environments to one or more remaining active game environments when a combined total number of open slots in all of the remaining active game environments, excluding the game environment to be deactivated, is greater than or equal to the number of participants still competing in the game environment to be deactivated.   
   
   
       9 . A method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the one or more deactivated game environments comprise a game environment having the least participants. 
   
   
       10 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the predetermined limit is a predetermined percentage of the average number of participants allocated to all the game environments. 
   
   
       11 . A tournament system for an electronic, multiple-player game, comprising:
 (a) a plurality of game environments, each game environment simulated by a separate game server and each game server being inter-connectable via a computer network;   (b) a plurality of input devices, each input device associated with a tournament participant and connectable to a game server, and each input device enabling the tournament participant to control a simulated player in one of the plurality of game environments;   (c) a display associated with each input device for displaying the actions of the simulated player in the game environment;   (d) a processor; and   (e) a memory coupled to the processor that stores machine instructions causing the processor to:
 allocate a plurality of tournament participants to the plurality of game environments; 
 eliminate participants achieving predetermined results from the tournament, creating open participant slots in the plurality of game environments; and 
 periodically re-allocate one or more remaining participants to alternative game environments according to predetermined rules. 
   
   
   
       12 . A tournament system as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the game is a skill-based game. 
   
   
       13 . A tournament system as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to:
 re-allocate the one or more remaining participants at predetermined time intervals.   
   
   
       14 . A tournament system as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to:
 re-allocate the one or more remaining participants to alternative game environments when a number of remaining participants in the plurality of game environments become unbalanced.   
   
   
       15 . A tournament system as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to:
 re-allocate the one or more remaining participants to alternative game environments when the number of remaining participants in any of the plurality of game environments drops below a predetermined limit.   
   
   
       16 . A tournament system as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to:
 re-allocate the one or more remaining participants whilst maintaining a constant number of game environments when a total number of open slots in all of the plurality of game environments, excluding the game environment with the least participants, is less than a number of participants still competing in the game environment with the least participants.   
   
   
       17 . A tournament system as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to:
 deactivate one or more game environments and re-allocate the one or more remaining participants in the one or more deactivated game environments to remaining active game environments when the combined total number of open slots in all the active game environments, excluding the one or more game environments to be deactivated, is greater than or equal to a number of participants still competing in the one or more game environments to be deactivated.   
   
   
       18 . A tournament system as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the one or more game environments to be deactivated comprise the game environment with the least participants. 
   
   
       19 . A tournament system as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the predetermined limit is a predetermined percentage of an average number of participants allocated to the plurality of game environments. 
   
   
       20 . A method of balancing the number of participants competing in multiple separate game environments, each simulated by a separate game server, in an electronic, multiple-player tournament for a skill-based game, comprising:
 (a) allocating tournament participants to the multiple separate game environments;   (b) periodically re-allocating one or more of the participants to alternative game environments when the number of participants in any of the multiple separate game environments drops below a predetermined limit due to participants being eliminated from the tournament, thereby creating open participant slots in the multiple separate game environments;   (c) re-allocating the one or more participants whilst maintaining a constant number of game environments when a combined total number of open slots in all the multiple separate game environments, excluding a game environment with the least participants, is less than the number of participants still competing in the game environment with the least participants; and   (d) deactivating one or more of the multiple separate game environments and re-allocating the remaining competing participants in the one or more deactivated game environments to remaining active game environments when the combined total number of open slots in all the multiple separate game environments, excluding the one or more game environments to be deactivated, is greater than or equal to a number of participants still competing in the one or more game environments to be deactivated.