Adaptive task assignment for online games

One or more computer-readable storage media persistently storing a program, wherein the program, when executed, instructs one or more processors to perform the following operations:

• assign to a player of an MMO game a first game task in a conditional series of game tasks, wherein each game task includes a specified duration, wherein the first game task is a social game task that can be completed with the assistance of one or more persons associated with the player by an access control list that is maintained by a social networking website;
• determine whether the player completed the first game task within the specified duration using data read from a hybrid in-memory database, wherein the data includes data retrieved from the social networking website through an application programming interface (API) exposed by the social networking website;
• assign the player a second game task in the conditional series of game tasks that is less difficult than the first game task, if the player did not complete the first game task within the specified duration;
• and
• provide a reward to the player upon termination of the conditional series of game tasks, wherein the reward depends at least in part on the game tasks in the conditional series of game tasks that are completed by the player and wherein game mechanics for the MMO game allow the player to use virtual currency to purchase completion of a game task that the player did not complete.

A system for selecting modules for an application update, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a memory in communication with the one or more processors and storing instructions that are executable by the processors, the instructions comprising instructions to:
• assign to a player of an MMO game a first game task in a conditional series of game tasks, wherein each game task includes a specified duration, wherein the first game task is a social game task that can be completed with the assistance of one or more persons associated with the player by an access control list that is maintained by a social networking website;
• determine whether the player completed the first game task within the specified duration using data read from a hybrid in-memory database, wherein the data includes data retrieved from the social networking website through an application programming interface (API) exposed by the social networking website;
• assign the player a second game task in the conditional series of game tasks that is less difficult than the first game task, if the player did not complete the first game task within the specified duration;
• and
• provide a reward to the player upon termination of the conditional series of game tasks, wherein the reward depends at least in part on the game tasks in the conditional series of game tasks that are completed by the player and wherein game mechanics for the MMO game allow the player to use virtual currency to purchase completion of a game task that the player did not complete.