US20080242419A1

US20080242419A1 - Server method for supporting a game

Info

Publication number: US20080242419A1
Application number: US11/693,101
Authority: US
Inventors: John Rieman; Minna Hekanaho; Minna Koutonen; Tero Rantonen
Original assignee: Nokia Oyj
Current assignee: RPX Corp; Nokia USA Inc
Priority date: 2007-03-29
Filing date: 2007-03-29
Publication date: 2008-10-02

Abstract

A computer server method for supporting a word game, in which

- proposed words are received from participants;
- target data is determined; and
- for each proposed word:
  - result data related to a semantic distance between the proposed word and the target data is determined;
  - the result data is sent to the participant from whom the proposed word was received; and
  - the result data is compared with a goal criterion. These operations are repeated until at least one result data fulfils the goal criterion, and then:
- a winner is determined; and
  - a winner announcement is sent to all participants.

Description

FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to a method for performing a word game, and more particularly to a computer server method for supporting a word game and a computer program product having instructions for performing the method.

BACKGROUND ART

On the market for electronic games today there are lots of games involving violence, driving competitions, or adventures, while the supply of games involving linguistic matters, which are directed to people who like solving linguistic problems, such as those who like solving crosswords, is poor. Therefore, it is desirable to provide electronic linguistically based games.

SUMMARY

It would be advantageous to provide a method of supporting word games on a computer server that can be accessed by game participants.
This can be achieved by a computer server method according to the disclosed embodiments.
Within the scope of the invention as defined and described herein the term “computer server” should be interpreted in a broad sense as an electronic device capable of hosting a word game and providing access to different participants of the game, which participants participate via some kind of individual electronic device having computational capacity, such as a PC, a mobile telephone, a PDA, etc., and having either a wireless or a wired connection with the computer server.
Thus, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosed embodiments, there is provided a computer server method for supporting a word game comprising:
repeating:

- receiving proposed words from participants;
- determining target data; and
- for each proposed word:
  - determining result data related to a semantic distance between the proposed word and said target data;
  - sending said result data to the participant from whom the proposed word was received; and
  - comparing said result data with a goal criterion;
    until at least one result data fulfils the goal criterion, and then:
- determining a winner; and
- sending a winner announcement to all participants.

This computer server method provides a platform for performing various fun word games on basis of a method for determining semantic distance between different words. There are some alternative known methods which are useful in determining the semantic distance, as will be further explained below.
In accordance with an embodiment of the computer server method, determining target data comprises determining a common semantic center of all proposed words. This embodiment supports a game where the words proposed by all participants are used for determining the target data, with which the individual words are compared. For each turn, if one or more of the proposed words is changed in relation to the previous turn, the semantic center will change as well.
In accordance with an embodiment of the computer server method, determining target data comprises determining a common semantic center of all previously proposed words. In this embodiment not only the words of a present turn are used for determining the semantic center but all words proposed from the beginning of the game.
In an embodiment of the computer server method the participants are members of at least two teams. Rather than playing alone against other single players, the participants form teams who play against each other.
When playing in teams, according to an embodiment, the determination of a winner comprises one alternative which is chosen from a group of alternatives comprising:

- determining which team member is fastest to fulfil the goal criterion, and declaring the corresponding team as winner;
- determining which team members of the same team all fulfil the goal criterion first, and declaring the corresponding team as winner; and
- incrementing a count for each team member at each sending, determining a total count for each team, and declaring as a winner the team having the lowest total count.

These alternatives of determining who has actually won are associated with typical game alternatives when playing in teams.
In an embodiment of the computer server method determining target data comprises determining a target word by means of a determination algorithm. Thus, instead of using words proposed by the participants as a basis for forming the target data the computer server determine the target data itself, by means of an appropriate algorithm. In one embodiment the algorithm performs a randomized determination.
In an embodiment of the computer server method, the goal criterion is a predetermined range of result data. In other words it is possible to define a surrounding of a perfect match of the target data which is also recognized as a hit, provided of course that the range is not zero. The zero alternative is, however, within the scope of this embodiment. Sometimes it could be difficult for the participants to make a proposal that equals the target data, and then this embodiment makes an ending of the game possible within a reasonable time. In one embodiment, the range is a semantic distance from the target data.
In an embodiment of the computer server method, the participants comprise at least one team having at least two team members, wherein, for each team, said target data constitutes the proposed word from a first participant of the team. In accordance with embodiments of the computer server method counts are used as comparison elements when determining who is winning. Thus, a count is incremented for each further participant of the team, at each sending, and when at least two teams are playing the determination of a winner comprises comparing total counts of the teams and declaring the team having the lowest total count as winner.
In an embodiment of the computer server method, it comprises, before said repeating, selecting a target picture from a picture database, wherein said participants comprise teams, where each team has two participants, wherein said determining target data comprises, for each team:

- presenting the picture to the participants, receiving a target word associated with said picture from each participant, and employing as target data for each respective participant the target word received from the other participant.

Thus, in this embodiment, a picture is used as an origin for the word proposals made by the participants. In this way it is likely that the proposals will be semantically closer to each other than in the embodiments where the participants are entirely unguided. In another embodiment of the method, the last mentioned game variety is completed with performing said repeating a maximum number of times, and if no result data has fulfilled the goal criterion when said maximum number of times has been reached, then said determining a winner comprises comparing the final semantic distances of the teams and declaring the team having the shortest semantic distance as winner. Thereby the requirement of the result data ending up close enough of the target data is set aside, if this situation is not reached in due time. Thus, a too tedious game is avoided.
These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a general gaming system which is useable according to the disclosed embodiments;

FIGS. 2-6 are flow charts of embodiments of the computer server method according to the disclosed embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Different computer server embodiments will be described below, as examples of the application of the disclosed embodiments. These embodiments are useful for playing different variants of word games according to the invention, as will be explained. A basic gaming system comprises a plurality of user devices 1, which can be any kind of electronic devices with enough computational capacity as already exemplified above. The gaming system further comprises a computer server 3, which in the following will simply be referred to as a server. The user devices 1 are connectable to the server 3, either in a wired or a wireless manner depending on the kind of device, via communication lines 5.
Typically, the computer server method is implemented as a computer program, which is loaded in the server 3. A complementary user program is loaded into each one of the user devices for handling the communication with on one hand the users, and on the other hand the server 3. A general example of the server program is illustrated as a flow chart in FIG. 2. When a new game is started, the server program begins with running an initialization process, where all participants, i.e. users, are registered as participants of the game. Then a loop consisting of a number of steps is run repeatedly until a criterion that ends the loop is fulfilled. The loop consists of the following steps. Having finished the initialization at step 201, word proposals are received, at step 202, from all participants, i.e. from the user devices 1. Then a target data is determined, at step 203. The target data is some comparison object with which the words are to be compared. Thus, for each proposed word the following steps are performed. First, at step 204, result data is determined, where the result data is related to a semantic distance between the proposed word and said target data. Then the result data is sent to the participant from whom the proposed word was received, step 205. Finally, the result data is compared with a goal criterion, step 206. If no one of the words fulfil the goal criterion then the loop is repeated again. If at least one word fulfils the goal criterion, then the program continues to a step of determining a winner, at step 207. Then a message about who is the winner is communicated to all user devices 1, i.e. to all participants, step 208.
There are some known methods for calculating the semantic distance between words. For instance Thomas K Landauer has published lots of papers as well as obtained patents related to “Latent Semantic Analysis” explaining how the calculations can be made. Other known semantic distance measurement techniques would work as well. Essentially, all these techniques would assign a short distance to close pairs such as [chicken, hen], medium distance to pairs such as [chicken, cow], and long distance to pairs such as [chicken, transistor]. Alternatively, the distance is expressed in terms of a score, where a high score corresponds to a short semantic distance, and a low sore corresponds to a long semantic distance.
In short a first word game variant, which uses the basic features of the server program as described above, is played as follows. Each participant enters an arbitrary word at his/her user device 1. The word is sent to the server 3, compare step 202 of FIG. 2, which returns a score that indicates the semantic distance between the word and the common semantic center of all words entered by all the participants, compare steps 203-205. On the next round, or turn, each participant enters a new word, which may be the same as the first word. The server again returns the score. The game continues until at least one of the participants proposes a word that hits the semantic center or falls within a predefined range around the center, compare step 206. Using the terminology as used above when explaining the basic server program, this variant of the word game will now be explained in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 3 from the view of the server 3.
Word proposals are received from the participants, at step 301. Then the target data is determined as the common semantic center of all proposed words, step 302. The result data is determined as the semantic distance from the common center for each word, step 303. The semantic distance is expressed as a score, as described above. The scores are transmitted to the respective participants, step 304. If one score or more is high enough it falls within a range of scores, which means that the participant(s) has(have) succeeded, step 305. Then it is determined who is the winner, step 306. If a sole participant has obtained a score within the range that participant is the winner, and if there are two or more participants who have reached the range the one with the highest score wins. Finally, at step 307, the winner is announced to all participants, and the game is ended. As an alternative to determining the semantic center of the words of the present round, the semantic center can be determined for all words proposed so far.
A second word game variant, as illustrated in FIG. 4, is similar to the first one, but instead of determining the target data by means of the proposed words, a target word is predefined, step 401. A randomizing algorithm is used for predefining the target word, but other ways to predefine the target word are possible as well. Then the loop is run, including receiving word proposals, step 402, determining scores for each word, step 403, and transmitting the scores to the respective participants. Alternatively, as an additional feature, each round the participants are provided with not only their own scores but also the words and scores of the other participants, step 404. Then it is determined whether or not some score is within a predefined range, step 405. If so a winner is determined and announced, steps 406-407.
Referring to FIG. 5, in a third word game variant the participants play in teams, where each team consists of two participants, or team members. One member of each team selects a target word and transmits it to the server 3, and the other team member tries to guess the word. Thus, the server 3 receives word proposals, at step 502. For each team the target data is set to the proposed word from the first team member, at step 503. Then the semantic distance between each word from the second team member and the respective target word from the respective first member and the result is transmitted to the respective second team member, at step 504. Each team is assigned a count, which is incremented as a next step, at 505. For each team it is decided whether the proposed word from the second team member matches the target word, at step 506. When all teams have obtained matches, the team having the lowest count, that is the team that succeeded at fewest tries, is declared winner, steps 507, 508.
A fourth word game variant is also played by teams. It is similar to the first variant described above in conjunction with FIG. 2, but the participants are divided into teams of two or more participants each. For each team the semantic center of the proposed words received from the team members is determined, and the semantic distance between each team member's word and the semantic center is determined and returned to the respective participants.
A fifth word game variant is also a team game, where each team has two members. In this variant a picture is used as an inspiration for the participants proposing words. More particularly, after the initialization, at step 601, the server program accesses a picture database, either an internal one or an external one 7, and selects a picture from the database, step 602. In order to determine target data the picture is transmitted to the user devices of the team members, step 603, either a different picture for each team or the same picture to all teams, and then each team member proposes a word, which the member associates with the picture, and which is transmitted to the server, step 604. The word proposed by a first member of each team constitutes the target data, i.e. target word, for the second member and vice versa, step 605. The semantic distances between the words of the pairs of each team are determined, step 606, and transmitted to the respective team members, step 607, and a count is incremented, step 608. If both team members have managed to propose the same word, or words that fall within a predetermined semantic range, they are finished, step 609. Otherwise the count is compared with a maximum count, step 610. If the maximum count has been reached they are finished as well, otherwise they make new word proposals. The winner is the team that has the lowest count, or, if all teams have maximum counts, the team that has the shortest semantic distance in the last proposal, step 611.
Above, embodiments of the computer server method and associated word games, have been described. These should be seen as merely non-limiting examples. As understood by a skilled person, many modifications and alternative embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention.
It is to be noted, that for the purposes of this application, and in particular with regard to the appended claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, that the word “a” or “an”, does not exclude a plurality, which per se will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A computer server method for supporting a word game, comprising: repeating:

receiving proposed words from participants;

determining target data; and

for each proposed word:

determining result data related to a semantic distance between the proposed word and said target data;

sending said result data to the participant from whom the proposed word was received; and

comparing said result data with a goal criterion;

until at least one result data fulfils the goal criterion, and then:

determining a winner; and

sending a winner announcement to all participants.

2. A computer server method according to claim 1, wherein said determining target data comprises determining a common semantic center of all proposed words.

3. A computer server method according to claim 1, wherein said determining target data comprises determining a common semantic center of all presently and previously proposed words.

4. A computer server method according to claim 1, wherein said participants are members of at least two teams.

5. A computer server method according to claim 4, wherein said target data is individual to each team.

6. A computer server method according to claim 4, wherein said step of determining a winner comprises one of a group of alternatives comprising:

determining which member is fastest to fulfil the goal criterion, and declaring the corresponding team as winner;

determining which members of the same team all fulfil the goal criterion first, and declaring the corresponding team as winner; and

incrementing a count for each member at each sending, determining a total count for each team, and declaring as a winner the team having the lowest total count.

7. A computer server method according to claim 1, wherein said determining target data comprises determining a target word by means of a determination algorithm.

8. A computer server method according to claim 7, wherein said determination algorithm is a randomizing algorithm.

9. A computer server method according to claim 1, wherein said goal criterion is a predetermined range of result data.

10. A computer server method according to claim 1, wherein said goal criterion is a predetermined range of semantic distance from the target data.

11. A computer server method according to claim 1, wherein said participants comprise at least one team having at least two team members, wherein, for each team, said target data constitutes the proposed word from a first participant of the team.

12. A computer server method according to claim 11, further comprising incrementing a count for each further participant of said team, at each said sending.

13. A computer server method according to claim 12, wherein said participants comprise at least two teams, wherein said determining a winner comprises comparing total counts of the teams and declaring the team having the lowest total count as winner.

14. A computer server method according to claim 1, further comprising, before said repeating, selecting a target picture from a picture database, wherein said participants comprise teams, where each team has two participants, wherein said determining target data comprises, for each team:

presenting the picture to the participants, receiving a target word associated with said picture from each participant, and employing as target data for each respective participant the target word received from the other participant.

15. A computer server method according to claim 14, further comprising incrementing a count for each participant of said team, at each said sending, wherein said determining a winner comprises determining the total count for each team and declaring as winner the team having the lowest total count.

16. A computer server method according to claim 14, further comprising performing said repeating a maximum number of times, and if no result data has fulfilled the goal criterion when said maximum number of times has been reached, then said determining a winner comprises comparing the final semantic distances of the teams and declaring the team having the shortest semantic distance as winner.

17. A computer program product, directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, comprising software code portions for performing the computer server method according to claim 1.