Method and system for providing a 3d activity in a virtual presentation

Abstract

Provided is a method of developing user-generated challenges in a virtual environment. The method includes receiving registration information transmitted over a communication network, validating the registration information, establishing a user account on a computer and associating a first virtual character with the user account. A user is granted access to a course creation tool comprising a plurality of different course portions that are to be arranged in the virtual environment to construct a course to be navigated from a start point to an end point. Included along the course, to be encountered by another virtual character between the starting point and the end point, is a challenge region that is to interfere with a progression of the another virtual character along the course in a direction generally toward the end point. Two or more virtual obstacles represented by icons are selectable for inclusion in the challenge region. The another virtual character will be required to interact with at least one of the virtual obstacles included in the challenge region before continuing the progression along the course beyond the challenge region.

1 . A method of developing user-generated challenges in a virtual environment, the method comprising:
 receiving registration information transmitted over a communication network;   validating the registration information;   establishing a user account on a computer and associating a first virtual character with the user account;   granting a user, via said user account, access to a course creation tool comprising a plurality of different course portions that are selectable to be arranged in different ways in the virtual environment to construct a course to be navigated from a start point to an end point,   controlling access to said course to allow navigation of the course by another virtual character in the virtual environment, different than said first virtual character;   including along the course, to be encountered by the another virtual character between the starting point and the end point, a challenge region that is to interfere with a progression of the another virtual character along the course in a direction generally toward the end point; and   offering a plurality of virtual obstacles represented by icons that are selectable for inclusion in the challenge region, wherein the another virtual character will be required to interact with at least one of the virtual obstacles included in the challenge region before continuing the progression along the course beyond the challenge region.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising establishing a second user account on the computer and associating a second virtual character with the second user account. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising granting the different user, via another user computer, access to navigate the course with the second virtual character as said another virtual character. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of virtual obstacles can be included in a first challenge region and are prohibited from being included in a second challenge region. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said course is a simulated three-dimensional maze. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the registration information comprises a registration code associated with a real-world toy that is received over the Internet. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the virtual character is a virtual replica of the real-world toy. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to claim,  7  wherein the real-world toy is a plush hamster and the virtual character is a virtual hamster. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 subsequent to validating the registration information, receiving additional registration information associated with a purchased real-world toy over the communication network; and 
 granting the user access to at least one additional course portion in the course creation tool in response to successful validation of the additional registration information, wherein said access to the at least one additional course portion is restricted at a time between said validating the registration information and said receiving additional registration information. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising, during arrangement of the different course portions in the virtual environment, receiving an instruction to rotate at least a portion of the course, and in response to said receiving the instruction, rotating the at least a portion of the course about one or more axes in a simulated three-dimensional space to provide the user with views of the course from multiple different angles. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the different course portions comprise a plurality of substantially-tubular segments that collectively form an interior passage through which the another virtual character is to travel, wherein each of said substantially-tubular segments comprises a different shape. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the different course portions further comprise a virtual room that is to be installed between two or more of the substantially-tubular segments, wherein an interior portion of the virtual room includes the challenge region. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of obstacles comprises an input device that the another virtual character must interact with to allow the another virtual character to exit the challenge region and continue the progression along the course. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of virtual obstacles available for selection and inclusion in the challenge region appears as a graphic in an obstacle menu from which the virtual obstacles can be placed at desired locations in the challenge region using a drag-and-drop operation. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14  further comprising receiving, over the communication network, an order in which the another virtual character is required to interact with each of the virtual obstacles included in the challenge region to exit the challenge region and continue the progression along the course toward the end point. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said order is specified via an iconic programming interface in which the icons representing each virtual obstacle are programmed. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising granting the user access to a user-generated course constructed by a different user to navigate the user-generated course with the virtual character. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said granting the user access to the course creation tool comprises transmitting information indicative of a quantity of one or more of the course portions available for selection. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18  further comprising:
 offering for sale to said user a unit of the one or more of the course portions selectable by the user, wherein a purchase of said unit by said user increases the quantity of the one or more course portions available for selection by the user; and 
 associating the quantity of the one or more course portions available for selection with the user account. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the one or more course portions are purchased using virtual currency that does not constitute legal tender outside of the virtual environment, currency that is legal tender outside of the virtual environment, or a combination of the virtual currency and the legal tender. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 18  further comprising:
 serving content that allows the user to perform a build operation to build a unit of the one or more of the course portions available for selection, wherein the build operation increases the quantity of the one or more course portions available for selection; and 
 associating the quantity of the one or more of the course portions available for selection with the user account. 
 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein a delay required between performance of consecutive build operations depends at least in part on a number of virtual characters associated with the user account. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising associating a difficulty to said course relative to at least one other course in the virtual environment. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23  further comprising grouping the course with at least one similarly-difficult course in the virtual environment. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising recording a time required for the another virtual character to complete the course. 
     
     
         26 . A method of creating a user-generated challenge in a virtual environment, the method comprising:
 associating a first virtual character with a user account created for a user on a computer;   granting access to a maze creation tool based on said user account, said maze creation tool comprising a plurality of maze portions that are selectable to be arranged in the virtual environment to construct a simulated three-dimensional maze to be navigated from a start point to an end point by another virtual character in the virtual environment, wherein said another virtual character is associated with another user account created for a different user;   transmitting information indicative of a quantity of a plurality of the maze portions available for selection by the user to be included in the maze;   associating a second virtual character with the user account;   prior to associating the second virtual character with the user account, prohibiting the user from access to a previously-restricted maze portion for inclusion in the maze, and subsequent to associating the second virtual character with the user account, granting the user access to the previously-restricted maze portion that is selectable for inclusion in the maze, the previously-restricted maze portion being different from the plurality of maze portions; and   granting the different user, via another user computer, access to navigate the maze with the another virtual character.   
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein said granting the different user access to navigate the maze comprises:
 receiving a request to establish the user and the different user as friends in the virtual environment;   allowing the different user to navigate the maze with the another virtual character; and   restricting access to the maze by a non-friend user with a third virtual character in the virtual environment.   
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 26  further comprising transmitting information indicative of a quantity of one or more of the maze portions available for selection by the user. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 28  further comprising:
 serving content that allows the user to perform a build operation to build a unit of the one or more of the maze portions available for selection, wherein the build operation increases the quantity of the one or more maze portions available for selection; and 
 associating the quantity of the one or more of the maze portions available for selection with the user account. 
 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 29  further comprising receiving, over a communication network, a designation of selected virtual characters associated with the user account to be allocated to the build operation, wherein
 a length of time required following the build operation before a subsequent build operation involving at least one of the selected virtual characters can be initiated depends at least in part on the number of selected virtual characters allocated to the build operation. 
 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein the quantity of the one or more maze portions is increased in response to association of a third virtual character with the user account. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 31 , wherein the third virtual character is associated with the user account in response to validation of a registration code associated with a purchased toy. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 32 , wherein the third virtual character is a virtual replica of the purchased toy. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 26  further comprising, during arrangement of the maze portions in the virtual environment, receiving an instruction to adjust a viewpoint of the maze and, in response to said receiving the instruction, adjusting the at least a portion of the maze about one or more axes in a simulated three-dimensional space to provide the user with views of the maze from multiple different angles. 
     
     
         35 . A method of creating a user-generated challenge in a virtual environment, the method comprising:
 associating a plurality of virtual characters with a user account created for a user on a computer;   receiving an access request for the virtual environment from a user computer over a communication network;   granting access to a maze creation tool, based on said user account, said maze creation tool comprising a plurality of maze portions that are selectable by the user to be arranged in the virtual environment to construct a simulated three-dimensional maze to be navigated by another virtual character in the virtual environment, wherein said another virtual character is associated with another user account created for a different user;   transmitting information indicative of a quantity of a plurality of the maze portions available for selection by the user from the maze creation tool to be included in the maze;   receiving an instruction to perform a first build operation that adds at least one unit to the quantity of one or more of the maze portions available for selection by the user;   receiving, over the communication network, a designation of one or more of the virtual characters associated with the user account as selected virtual characters that are to be allocated to the first build operation;   requiring a length of time to elapse before a subsequent build operation involving at least one of the selected virtual characters allocated to the first build operation can be initiated, where said length of time depends at least in part on a quantity of selected virtual characters allocated to the first build operation; and   granting the different user, via another user computer, access to navigate the maze constructed using the maze portions with the another virtual character.   
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 35  further comprising associating with the user account the quantity of the one or more of the maze portions available for selection by the user, including the at least one unit added to the quantity by the first build operation. 
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 35 , wherein said associating the plurality of virtual characters with the user account comprises:
 receiving registration information associated with a purchased toy over the communication network;   validating said registration information; and   associating at least one of the virtual characters with the user account in response to successfully validating said registration information.   
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 37 , wherein the at least one of the virtual characters is a virtual replica of the purchased toy. 
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 35  further comprising receiving a selection of a specific maze portion from the plurality of maze portions included in the maze creation tool, wherein the first build operation adds the at least one unit to the quantity of the specific maze portion. 
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 35  further comprising transmitting information indicative of the length of time remaining before the subsequent build operation can be initiated involving the at least one of the selected virtual characters allocated to the first build operation, wherein the length of time remaining is to be displayed by the user computer. 
     
     
         41 . The method according to  claim 40 , wherein the information indicative of the length of time comprises information that allows the user computer to display a countdown to completion of the length of time. 
     
     
         42 . The method according to  claim 35  further comprising limiting the quantity of the selected virtual characters that are selectable for allocation to the first build operation to no more than a maximum number of the virtual characters, wherein the maximum number is less than a total number of the virtual characters associated with the user account. 
     
     
         43 . The method according to  claim 35  further comprising:
 adding the at least one unit to the quantity of the one or more of the maze portions available for selection by the user in response to said receiving the instruction to perform the first build operation; and 
 restricting use of the selected virtual characters in the subsequent build operation for at least the length of time following said adding the at least one unit to the quantity of the one or more maze portions. 
 
     
     
         44 . A method of interacting in a virtual world, the method comprising:
 associating a virtual character representing a purchased toy with a user account created for a user on a computer that has a connection to a communication network;   associating a plurality of non-player characters with each of a plurality of virtual zones of the virtual world;   subsequent to said associating the virtual character, receiving commands input via the communication network to control the virtual character within a three-dimensional rendering of the virtual world, wherein the commands input request an interaction between the virtual character and one or more of the non-player characters within the three-dimensional rendering of the virtual world;   in response to said receiving commands, establishing the interaction between the virtual character and the one or more of the non-player characters, resulting in a communication from the one or more of the non-player characters to the virtual character; and   subsequent to said associating the virtual character, serving content over the communication network to be received by the user computer and said content representing a three-dimensional rendering of a virtual course that is to be navigated by the virtual character.   
     
     
         45 . The method according to  claim 44 , wherein the content to be used to generate the three-dimensional rendering of the virtual course comprises a third-person view of the virtual character navigating the virtual course. 
     
     
         46 . The method according to  claim 45 , wherein the virtual character comprises an appearance of a hamster in a ball and the virtual course comprises a network of generally-tubular interior passages. 
     
     
         47 . The method according to  claim 44 , wherein each of the plurality of different non-player characters is associated with one of the plurality of zones, and is specific to a theme of the one of the plurality of zones. 
     
     
         48 . The method according to  claim 44 , wherein the communication resulting from said interaction comprises a challenge issued by the one or more of the non-player characters to the virtual character. 
     
     
         49 . The method according to  claim 48  further comprising associating a relationship parameter with the virtual character, wherein the relationship parameter is indicative of a relative closeness of a relationship between the virtual character and the one or more of the non-player characters and is improved in response to successful completion of the challenge. 
     
     
         50 . The method according to  claim 44 , wherein the three-dimensional rendering of the virtual world comprises an open, substantially-unbounded arena and the three-dimensional rendering of the virtual course is separate from the arena. 
     
     
         51 . A method of developing a user-generated challenge in a virtual environment, the method comprising:
 entering registration information into a user computer and transmitting the registration information over a communication network for validation;   receiving first information indicative of successful validation of the registration information;   providing second information for creating a user account;   subsequent to said providing, accessing a virtual character associated with the user account;   using a course creation tool on said user computer to select one of a plurality of different course portions that are selectable to be arranged in the virtual environment;   using said course creation tool to select others of said plurality of different course portions, to select plural course portions;   arranging the plural different course portions in the virtual environment to construct a course to be navigated from a start point to an end point;   selecting for inclusion along the course, to be encountered a virtual character travelling between the starting point and the end point, a challenge region that is to interfere with a progression of the virtual character along the course in a direction generally toward the end point;   selecting a plurality of virtual obstacles for inclusion in the challenge region, wherein the virtual character will be required to interact with at least one of the virtual obstacles included in the challenge region before continuing the progression along the course beyond the challenge region; and   submitting the course for publication to allow the course to be accessed and navigated by another virtual character.   
     
     
         52 . The method as in  claim 51 , further comprising allowing the course to be accessed by a different user. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the course is a simulated three-dimensional maze. 
     
     
         54 . The method according to  claim 51 , wherein the registration information comprises a registration code associated with a real-world toy and said virtual character is a virtual replica of the real-world toy. 
     
     
         55 . The method according to  claim 51  further comprising:
 subsequent to said receiving the information indicative of successful validation, transmitting additional registration information associated with a purchased real-world toy over the communication network for validation; and 
 gaining access to at least one additional course portion in the course creation tool in response to successful validation of the additional registration information, wherein said access to the at least one additional course portion is restricted at a time between said receiving information indicative of successful validation of the registration information and said transmitting additional registration information. 
 
     
     
         56 . The method according to  claim 51  further comprising requesting rotation of at least a portion of the course during construction, and in response to said requesting, displaying rotation of the at least a portion of the course about one or more axes in a simulated three-dimensional space to provide views of the course from multiple different angles. 
     
     
         57 . The method according to  claim 51  further comprising specifying an order in which another virtual character is required to interact with each of the virtual obstacles included in the challenge region to exit the challenge region and continue the progression along the course toward the end point. 
     
     
         58 . The method according to  claim 57 , wherein said order is specified via an iconic programming interface in which icons representing each virtual obstacle are programmed. 
     
     
         59 . The method according to  claim 51  further comprising initiating a build operation that increases a quantity of the one or more course portions available for selection. 
     
     
         60 . A method of creating a user-generated challenge in a virtual environment, the method comprising:
 transmitting, over a communication network, a request to register a first virtual character and associate the first virtual character with a user account;   accessing a maze creation tool comprising a plurality of maze portions;   selecting the plurality of maze portions and arranging the plurality of maze portions selected into a three-dimensional maze in the virtual environment that is to be navigated from a start point to an end point by another virtual character in the virtual environment, wherein said another virtual character is associated with another user account created for a remotely-located user;   receiving an indication of a quantity of a plurality of the maze portions available to be included in the maze;   transmitting, over the communication network, a request to register a second virtual character and associate the second virtual character with the user account;   subsequent to said transmitting the request to register the second virtual character, selecting a previously-restricted maze portion for inclusion in the maze, the previously-restricted maze portion being different from the plurality of maze portions; and   submitting the maze for publication to allow the maze to be accessed by the remotely-located user, via a user computer, and navigated with the another virtual character.   
     
     
         61 . The method according to  claim 60  further comprising requesting performance of a build operation to build a unit of the one or more of the maze portions available for selection, wherein the build operation increases the quantity of the one or more maze portions available for selection. 
     
     
         62 . The method according to  claim 61  further comprising designating selected virtual characters associated with the user account to be allocated to the build operation, wherein
 a length of time required following the build operation before a subsequent build operation involving at least one of the selected virtual characters can be initiated depends at least in part on the number of selected virtual characters allocated to the build operation. 
 
     
     
         63 . A method of creating a user-generated challenge in a virtual environment, the method comprising:
 requesting registration of a plurality of virtual characters to be associated with a user account;   accessing a maze creation tool comprising a plurality of maze portions;   selecting the plurality of maze portions and arranging the plurality of maze portions selected to construct a three-dimensional maze in the virtual environment to be navigated by another virtual character in the virtual environment, wherein said another virtual character is associated with another user account created for a remotely-located user;   receiving an indication of a quantity of a plurality of the maze portions available for selection from the maze creation tool to be included in the maze;   requesting performance of a first build operation that adds at least one unit to the quantity of one or more of the maze portions available for selection;   designating one or more of the virtual characters associated with the user account as selected virtual characters that are to be allocated to the first build operation, wherein
 a length of time before a subsequent build operation involving at least one of the selected virtual characters allocated to the first build operation can be initiated depends at least in part on a quantity of selected virtual characters allocated to the first build operation; and 
   submitting the maze for publication to allow the maze to be accessed by the remotely-located user, via a user computer, and navigated with the another virtual character.   
     
     
         64 . The method according to  claim 63 , wherein at least one of the virtual characters is a virtual replica of a purchased toy. 
     
     
         65 . The method according to  claim 63  further comprising selecting a specific maze portion from among the plurality of maze portions available in the maze creation tool, wherein the first build operation adds the at least one unit to the quantity of the specific maze portion. 
     
     
         66 . The method according to  claim 63  further comprising receiving an indication of a remaining portion of the length of time before the subsequent build operation can be initiated involving the at least one of the selected virtual characters allocated to the first build operation. 
     
     
         67 . The method according to  claim 66 , wherein the indication of a length of the remaining portion of the length of time comprises a countdown timer. 
     
     
         68 . The method according to  claim 63 , wherein the selected virtual characters are limited to less than, or equal to a maximum number of allowable virtual characters that can be allocated to the first build operation, the maximum number being less than a total number of the virtual characters associated with the user account. 
     
     
         69 . A method of providing a virtual presentation, the method comprising:
 requesting registration of a virtual character representing a purchased toy and association of said virtual character with a user account;   transmitting an instruction requesting an interaction between the virtual character and at least one of a plurality of non-player characters associated with a virtual zone forming a portion of a virtual world, wherein the interaction between the virtual character and the at least one of the non-player characters is to occur within a three-dimensional rendering of the virtual world;   receiving a communication from the one or more of the non-player characters in response to the interaction between the virtual character and the at least one of the non-player characters; and   subsequent to said associating the virtual character, displaying a three-dimensional rendering of a virtual course that is to be navigated by the virtual character.   
     
     
         70 . The method according to  claim 69 , wherein said displaying the three-dimensional rendering of the virtual course comprises displaying a third-person view of the virtual character navigating the virtual course. 
     
     
         71 . The method according to  claim 70 , wherein the virtual character comprises an appearance of a hamster in a ball and the virtual course comprises a network of generally-tubular interior passages. 
     
     
         72 . The method according to  claim 69 , wherein each of the plurality of different non-player characters is associated with one of a plurality of zones, and is specifically adapted to a theme of the one of the plurality of zones. 
     
     
         73 . The method according to  claim 69 , wherein the communication resulting from said interaction comprises a challenge issued by the one or more of the non-player characters to the virtual character. 
     
     
         74 . The method according to  claim 73  further comprising: successfully completing the challenge issued by the one or more of the non-player characters, thereby improving a relationship parameter associated with the virtual character indicative of a relative closeness of a relationship between the virtual character and the one or more of the non-player characters.