Strategy guides are probably one of the most valuable assets that a gamer can have. Now, a new Sony patent patent is aiming to take that sort of aid digitally, by creating a system to help players through games based on data and statistics. The background in the patent justifies its existence:
Video games are getting more complex, while the time allotted to play them is more limited than ever. Players often want to stay engaged and immersed in the game they’re playing, from start to finish. However, these players often have questions about the game they are playing, and to get answers to these questions, they have to leave the game and engage with third-party sites.
The patent aims to address this by having an on-demand help system that players can call up at any moment in order to give them advice based on the experiences of different players that are also playing the same game. This can help players to be able to get through difficult parts of a game without having to look up a walkthrough. The patent includes various possible ways that this system can be accessed.
Entry points may include a quick menu, game hub, voice interface, or other remote networked service. It is to be understood that the user may request help whether or not the game is being played.
Along with ease of access, the system in the Sony game guidance patent wouldn’t require players to search through things to get what they want, either. Based on in-game context, the service would already be able to determine where players are in the game and what they’re having difficulty with. The description says the system would have access to…
…any progression and activities, including names, descriptions, and statuses associated with each activity, and telemetry regarding start and end timestamps for an activity, estimated playtime, in-game location, and rewards…”
This is not the first patent that Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed to assist players during gameplay sessions. Earlier, we reported another Sony patent that basically wanted to coach players based on the gameplay sessions. Assisting players in real time could be the next big thing from big companies like Sony and Microsoft and I think it won’t be long that we would be seeing these assistance options for our games.