Systems and methods are provided to facilitate location based services based on locations in virtual worlds and locations in the real world. In one aspect, a location server obtains and provides the locations of avatars of users in different virtual worlds and the locations of mobile devices of the corresponding users in the real world. An application server, for example, may provide location based services in a virtual world based on the location of a mobile device in the real world, or provide location based services to a mobile device based on the location of an avatar in a virtual world, or provide location based services to an avatar in one virtual world based on the location of a related avatar in another virtual world.

Systems and Methods to Provide Location Information

A spatial layout of zones of a virtual area in a network communication environment is displayed. A user can have a respective presence in each of one or more of the zones. Navigation controls and interaction controls are presented. The navigation controls enable the user to specify where to establish a presence in the virtual area. The interaction controls enable the user to manage interactions with one or more other communicants in the network communication environment. A respective presence of the user is established in each of one or more of the zones on response to input received via the navigation controls. Respective graphical representations of the communicants are depicted in each of the zones where the communicants respectively have presence.

Interfacing with a spatial virtual communication environment

Switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area is described. In one aspect, the switching involves storing a virtual area specification. The virtual area specification includes a description of one or more switching rules each defining a respective connection between sources of a respective real-time data stream type and sinks of the real-time data stream type in terms of positions in the virtual area. Real-time data stream connections are established between network nodes associated with respective objects each of which is associated with at least one of a source and a sink of one or more of the real-time data stream types. The real-time data stream connections are established based on the one or more switching rules, the respective sources and sinks associated with the objects, and respective positions of the objects in the virtual area.

Automated real-time data stream switching in a shared virtual area communication environment

We report on the birth and evolution of Lua and discuss how it moved from a simple configuration language to a versatile, widely used language that supports extensible semantics, anonymous functions, full lexical scoping, proper tail calls, and coroutines.

The evolution of Lua

A system for automatically increasing a capacity of a virtual space in a virtual world may include a processor and a module operating on the processor for detecting an attempt by an avatar to enter a virtual space in a virtual world. The system may also include another module for determining if an allowable number of avatars is currently in the virtual space. The allowable number of avatars may be determined by at least a capacity of a server that is hosting the virtual space. Another module may be provided for increasing a capacity of the virtual space when the allowable number of avatars is currently in the virtual space. Increasing the capacity of the virtual space may include spawning a replicate new virtual space on a different server in response to the capacity of the server that is hosting the virtual space reaching the allowable number of avatars.

Automatic increasing of capacity of a virtual space in a virtual world

A system and method for providing virtual spaces, where a character associated with a user can be manifested within instances of a plurality of the different virtual spaces Since a single character can be manifested within instances of different virtual spaces, the character can be transferred by the corresponding user between instances of different virtual spaces and controlled by the user to interact with the different virtual spaces When the user transfers the character between instances of different virtual spaces (and/or different types of virtual spaces), various aspects of the character may persist between the different virtual spaces (and/or the different types of virtual spaces) This may provide an enhanced continuity to the character between the different virtual spaces

System and Method for Enabling Characters to be Manifested Within A Plurality of Different Virtual Spaces

A system and method for providing a view of a virtual space to a user in a banner ad of a webpage. This enables an advertiser to provide content that is not merely static or scripted, but instead enabled provision of content through a web ad that represents activity within a virtual space (e.g., interactions of other users with the virtual space, content that changes based on current or recent events, etc.) in real time (or near real time). The provision of a virtual space in a web ad may be more effective than conventional web ad content.

System and method for embedding a view of a virtual space in a banner ad and enabling user interaction with the virtual space within the banner ad

A system configured to provide one or more virtual spaces that are accessible to users. A given virtual space may include a plurality of places. Individual places within the virtual space may have spatial boundaries. The places may be differentiated from each other in that a set of parameters and/or characteristics of a given one of the places may be different than the set(s) of parameters and/or characteristics that correspond to other places in the virtual space. The sonic characteristics of the virtual space may be determined according to a hierarchy of acoustic areas within the virtual space.

System for providing virtual spaces with separate places and/or acoustic areas

A system configured to provide one or more virtual spaces that are accessible to users. The virtual spaces may be provided such that an enhanced level of interactivity between the virtual spaces and the Web, including resources that communicate with the system via the Internet (e.g., via users, websites, webpages, other web resources, etc.) and/or other networks. To provide this enhanced level of interactivity, the system may enable interactions between an instance of a virtual space and the Web (e.g., queries, commands, communication, administrative controls, etc.) via a standard web protocol, such as a HyperText Transfer Protocol (e.g., http, https, etc.) and/or other standard web protocols. Since interactions take place between the instance of the virtual space and the Web via a standard web protocol, the instance of the virtual space may interact directly with Web resources such as web servers, web browsers, websites, webpages, and/or other Web resources.

System and method for providing virtual spaces for access by users via the web

1 Overview SECTION I Introduction 5 2 Game Architecture 3 Python Game Architectures SECTION II Game Infrastructure 25 4 Python Game Framework 5 Simulation Concepts 6 Data-Driven Simulations 7 Collision Detection SECTION III Game Technologies 97 8 Graphics 9 Audio 10 Input 11 Unit Testing SECTION IV Game Programming 161 12 Game Simulations 13 Game Levels 14 User Interfaces 15 Artificial Intelligence 16 Procedurally Generated Game Content SECTION V Multiplayer Games 295 17 Network Concepts 18 Network Layers 19 Clients and Servers 20 Multiplayer Game Example SECTION VI Advanced Topics 389 21 Using the Python C API 22 Extending Python 23 Embedding Python

Sean Riley

Papers

System and Method for Enabling Characters to be Manifested Within A Plurality of Different Virtual Spaces

System and method for embedding a view of a virtual space in a banner ad and enabling user interaction with the virtual space within the banner ad

System for providing virtual spaces with separate places and/or acoustic areas

System and method for providing virtual spaces for access by users via the web

Game Programming with Python