# US 12,109,491 B2 · Method and system for providing tactical assistance to a player in a shooting video game > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,109,491 B2 - Document ID: US12109491B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/544,278 - Filed: 2021-12-07 - Published: 2022-08-04 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-02-02 - Assignees: Square Enix Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Square Enix Limited - Inventors: Fahad Khan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109491B2 ## CPC - A63F 13/53: involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game - A63F 13/46: Computing the game score - A63F 13/5375: for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game - A63F 13/837: Shooting of targets - A63F 13/92: Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing - A63F 2300/8076: Shooting - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A computer-implemented method, computer-readable medium and video game apparatus for a video game. The method includes maintaining a virtual environment in memory, the virtual environment comprising a player-controlled game object and a second game object, the player-controlled game object being associated with a virtual display component. The method also includes determining if the virtual display component satisfies a position condition relative to the second game object and, if so, obtaining preview information indicative of an interactive gameplay effect that would be carried out in the event of receipt of activation input via a game control interface and displaying the preview information in the virtual display component displayed on a screen. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating at least one processor of a video game apparatus, the method comprising: maintaining a virtual environment in memory, the virtual environment comprising a player-controlled game object and a second game object, the player-controlled game object being associated with a scope window, wherein the second game object is an aim of the player-controlled game object within the scope window; determining a type of the second game object; determining a type of condition pertaining to the determined type of the second game object; and determining if the condition of the determined type associated with the second game object is met and, if so, obtaining preview information indicative of an interactive gameplay effect that would be carried out in the event of receipt of activation input via a game control interface and displaying the preview information in the scope window displayed on a screen, wherein the preview information is indicative of information associated with the type of the second game object, wherein the second game object comprises an NPC and wherein the interactive gameplay effect includes causing the NPC to be hidden by a concealment object if the NPC is within a threshold distance of the concealment object in the virtual environment, and not to be hidden otherwise. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, wherein the scope window of the player-controlled game object is associated with an aiming zone, and wherein determining if the condition of the determined type associated with the second game object comprises determining if the aiming zone is within a threshold distance of the second game object. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method defined in claim 2, wherein the aiming zone has a center defined by crosshairs or a reticle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method defined in claim 3, further comprising displaying the aiming zone in the scope window displayed on the screen. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, further comprising: receiving navigation input via the game control interface; and at least one of positioning and orienting the player-controlled game object within the virtual environment based on the navigation input. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method defined in claim 5, the method further comprising displaying in the scope window a portion of the virtual environment that is visible in the scope window from a point of view that is associated with a position of the player-controlled game object. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method defined in claim 6, wherein positioning the player-controlled game object changes a position of the point of view in the virtual environment. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method defined in claim 7, wherein orienting the player-controlled game object changes the portion of the virtual environment that is visible in the scope window from the point of view. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method defined in claim 8, wherein the portion of the virtual environment that is displayed in the scope window has a magnified appearance compared to a portion of the virtual environment that is not displayed in the scope window. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method defined in claim 9, further comprising receiving via the game control interface a player command to disable the scope window and deactivating the scope window in response to the command. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method defined in claim 10, wherein further to deactivating the scope window, an area of the screen previously occupied by the scope window when activated is caused to display a non-magnified portion of the virtual environment. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, wherein the player-controlled game object comprises a virtual gun. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method defined in claim 12, wherein the activation input comprises a command to fire the virtual gun. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, wherein the preview information is obtained from the memory. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, wherein if the second game object is an NPC, the method further comprises determining if an interactivity condition involving the NPC and an interactive game object of a certain type is satisfied, wherein the displaying is carried out only if the interactivity condition is satisfied. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method defined in claim 15, wherein the interactivity condition being satisfied depends on a proximity between the NPC and the interactive game object of the certain type. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method defined in claim 15, further comprising graphically emphasizing the interactive game object of the certain type but only if the interactivity condition is satisfied. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method defined in claim 17, wherein the displaying and graphically emphasizing are further only carried out if the interactive game object is a concealment object. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method defined in claim 18, wherein the preview information indicates body disposal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method defined in claim 18, wherein the concealment object comprises at least one of a bush, a bin, a wall, a well, a door, a vehicle, a pit, a container, a body of water and a snowbank. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The method defined in claim 17, wherein if the interactive game object is a concealment object, rendering the concealment object on the screen so as to conceal the NPC. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, wherein if the second game object is an interactive game object of a certain type, the method further comprises determining a zone associated with the interactive game object and graphically emphasizing the zone. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, wherein if the second game object is an interactive game object of a certain type, the method further comprises determining if an interactivity condition involving the interactive game object and a non-player character (NPC) is satisfied and, if so, the method further comprises emphasizing the interactive game object. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method defined in claim 23, wherein the interactivity condition being satisfied depends on a relative position of the NPC and the interactive game object. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The method defined in claim 23, wherein the interactivity condition being satisfied depends on whether the NPC is positioned within a zone associated with the interactive game object. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method defined in claim 25, wherein the zone extends to an area above the NPC in the virtual environment. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method defined in claim 26, wherein if the second game object is an interactive game object of the certain type, the method further comprises graphically emphasizing the zone and the NPC if the NPC is positioned within the zone. ### Claim 28 (depends on 23) The method defined in claim 23, wherein the preview information is indicative of the certain type of interactive game object. ### Claim 29 (depends on 23) The method defined in claim 23, wherein if the interactive game object is a lure object, the preview information is indicative of a lure and wherein if the interactive game object is an accident object, the preview information is indicative of an accident. ### Claim 30 (depends on 23) The method defined in claim 23, wherein if the interactive game object is a lure object, the method further comprises indicating at least one NPC that would be lured towards the interactive game object if the activation input were provided. ### Claim 31 (depends on 23) The method defined in claim 23, wherein if the interactive game object is an accident object, the method further comprises indicating an NPC that would be neutralized if the activation input were provided. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The method defined in claim 31, wherein the second game object comprises an interactive game object and wherein the interactive gameplay effect includes the NPC being neutralized if the NPC is within a zone associated with the interactive game object, and not to be neutralized otherwise. ### Claim 33 (depends on 23) The method defined in claim 23, wherein the interactive gameplay effect includes the NPC changing position, direction, speed and/or acceleration if the NPC is within a zone associated with the interactive game object. ### Claim 34 (depends on 23) The method defined in claim 23, wherein the interactive gameplay effect includes the NPC being lured towards the interactive game object if the NPC is within a zone associated with the interactive game object, and not being lured towards the interactive game object otherwise. ### Claim 35 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving the activation input via the game control interface and carrying out the interactive gameplay effect in response to said receiving the activation input. ### Claim 36 (depends on 1) The method defined in claim 1, further comprising showing a change of score that would result from carrying out the interactive gameplay effect and showing the change in player score in the scope window associated with the player-controlled game object. ### Claim 37 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions which, when read and executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute a method that comprises: maintaining a virtual environment in memory, the virtual environment comprising a player-controlled game object and a second game object, the player-controlled game object being associated with a scope window, wherein the second game object is an aim of the player-controlled game object within the scope window; determining a type of the second game object; determining a type of condition pertaining to the determined type of the second game object; and determining if the condition of the determined type associated with the second game object is met and, if so, obtaining preview information indicative of an interactive gameplay effect that would be carried out in the event of receipt of activation input via a game control interface and displaying the preview information in the scope window displayed on a screen, wherein the preview information is indicative of information associated with the type of the second game object, wherein the second game object comprises an NPC and wherein the interactive gameplay effect includes causing the NPC to be hidden by a concealment object if the NPC is within a threshold distance of the concealment object in the virtual environment, and not to be hidden otherwise. ### Claim 38 A video game apparatus comprising: at least one processor; a memory storing instructions for execution by the at least one processor; and at least one input device configured to receive input from a player, at least one output device configured for providing output to the player, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions in the memory for implementing an interactive computer program that generates the output in response to the received input and, the interactive computer program including at least one process that comprises: maintaining a virtual environment in memory, the virtual environment comprising a player-controlled game object and a second game object, the player-controlled game object being associated with a scope window, wherein the second game object is an aim of the player-controlled game object within the scope window; determining a type of the second game object; determining a type of condition pertaining to the determined type of the second game object; and determining if the condition of the determined type associated with the second game object is met and, if so, obtaining preview information indicative of an interactive gameplay effect that would be carried out in the event of receipt of activation input via a game control interface and displaying the preview information in the scope window displayed on a screen, wherein the preview information is indicative of information associated with the type of the second game object, wherein the second game object comprises an NPC and wherein the interactive gameplay effect includes causing the NPC to be hidden by a concealment object if the NPC is within a threshold distance of the concealment object in the virtual environment, and not to be hidden otherwise.