Hunting Game Having Human And Electromechanical Players
A hunting sport game is played in an interactive arena. The game is played by two or more sides of any size, one side having at least one human player in the arena, and the other side(s) having at least one electromechanical player. The players are provided with projection shooting weapons with which to attack opponents, which may include paintball discharging means, laser targeting means, low-voltage taser means, combinations thereof, and the like. Players, both human and electromechanical, that have been struck by a shot from an opponent's weapon are made known to the human players and are immediately disqualified from further participation in the game for at least a predetermined time.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/621,908 filed Oct. 25, 2004 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/640,556, filed Dec. 30, 2004, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to hunting sport games; more particularly, to non-virtual hunting sport games wherein a human player physically participates; and most particularly, to a hunting sport game wherein at least one human player is physically pitted against or allied with at least one electromechanical player.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSo-called “paintballs” are integral elements of a well known mock hunting sport wherein players attempt to deliver paintballs into rupturing contact with other players. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,001,880; 5,018,450; 5,393,054; 5,353,712; 5,448,951; 5,640,945; 5,762,058; 5,823,173; 5,936,190; 6,082,439; 6,145,441; 6,230,630; 6,375,981; 6,530,962; 6,574,945; and 6,615,739, the relevant disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The prior art sport or recreational activity known as “War Games” is currently one of the fastest growing sports in North America. Typically, players are arranged into two or more teams and shoot paintballs at members of the opposing teams in a hide-and-seek or capture-the-flag setting. A paintball typically is fired from a hand-held gun employing a compressed-gas charge which can accelerate the paintball without causing it to rupture within the gun. When a paintball strikes a player of an opposing team, the paintball ruptures and releases the fill material or “paint” onto that player. Any player thus marked by a ruptured paintball is disqualified from continuing in the game.
Such games are referred to herein as “real” games as opposed to “virtual” games. Such real hunting games generally require a dedicated venue, either an outdoors area having natural obstacles and shields or an indoor arena having fabricated obstacles and shields.
A limitation of all such prior art real games is that more than one player is required in order to have a game. Typically, a substantial number of players must be assembled to form teams or sides. Although a game may be played with as few as two players, most commonly each side comprises a plurality of players. This makes the game more interesting in that opposing fire may come from any of several directions at once. Further, play is commonly organized into regular leagues of teams, similar to softball or bowling leagues, making it difficult for an individual to participate with a team on the spur of the moment or when visiting a different city, for example.
What is needed in the art of real hunting sport games is a game that can be played by as few as a single human player.
Another class of prior art hunting games is the so-called video game, referred to herein as a virtual game, in which a human hunter operates a device such as a mouse or joystick to control one or more protagonists in virtual combat with one or more opponents on a CRT monitor or arcade screen. The opponents may take fantastic shapes and powers, and players may perform fantastic or cruel acts, limited only by the imaginations of the game's designer. The virtual setting or arena itself may be highly interactive, providing beneficial or harmful responses to a player's actions. All aspects of the game are generated by software programs, and all hunting situations into which the human player's mind is engaged are virtual; that is, there are no real opponents or situations or settings, and there is no physical danger to the human player. Virtual games have an advantage over real games in that typically they may be played by a single player, or by two opposing players having individual controls. Large teams and special arenas are not required.
A limitation of virtual hunting sport games is that no physical prowess is required, and consequently such games give no advantage to persons skilled in the arts of stealth, agility, reconnaissance, speed, and physical quickness. Virtual games offer no meaningful level of physical involvement and provide no healthful exercise or conditioning to the player.
What is needed in the art of virtual hunting sport games is a game involving human players physically in a semi-virtual arena.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved hunting sport game comprising one or more human players and one or more electromechanical players in an electromechanical arena.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONBriefly described, a hunting sport game in accordance with the invention comprises an interactive arena for conduct of the game. The game is played by two or more sides of any size, one side having at least one human player in the arena, and the other side(s) having at least one electromechanical player. The players are provided with projection shooting weapons with which to attack opponents, which may include paintball discharging means, laser targeting means, low-voltage taser means, combinations thereof, and the like. Optionally, the players, both human and electromechanical, that have been struck by a shot from an opponent's weapon are made known to the human players and are immediately disqualified from further participation in the game for at least a predetermined time.
Objectives for the human player or players of the game may be, for example, capturing an object in enemy territory; defending an object from capture; scoring points by any of various prescribed means; solving puzzles that require overcoming opponents; or simply shooting opponents with the weapons. An electromechanical player may play on a human team side as well as the arena side.
An electromechanical player may be a substantially self-contained robot or it may be more broadly a robotic weapon system capable of motion through several degrees of freedom, optionally including translation, and remotely controlled by a central processing unit (CPU).
The CPU may control several such players, either in coordination with each other or for independent action, as well as other interactive elements of the arena such as a scoreboard, for example. Variables of the arena may be adjusted by the CPU as desired by the human players to vary the difficulty of play, including light level, sound levels and distractions, visibility, temperature, and humidity, speed of response of the robotic weapons, range and accuracy of fire, number of robotic weapons, patterns of fire, weapon loads, sensitivity of the arena to human motion, et cetera. Arena variables may be adjusted to permit play and enjoyment by humans who are physically or mentally impaired, and who are otherwise incapable of competing with or against humans of normal capabilities in prior art facilities.
The arena and/or the human players may be provided with means, electronic or otherwise, such that the positions and rates/directions of travel of the human players may be tracked by the robots/CPU and may be used in either open-loop or closed-loop mode to assist in directing fire from the electromechanical players.
A significant advantage of an arena hunting sport game in accordance with the invention is that a single human player may play as an individual at any time without requiring additional human players as either teammates or opponents.
Another significant advantage is that a human player can be made to feel as though he/she has been physically inserted into a video game; that the experience is real but the feeling is virtual.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate several embodiments of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings:
Referring to
The automated player has a remotely operated paintball gun 8 connected to the automated player control unit 12 on a wire 13 for firing paintballs 30 at the first human player 1. The barrel of the paintball gun 8 is positioned by an actuator 7, also connected to the automated player control unit 12 on a wire 14. An automated player status indicator 16 is connected to the automated player control unit 12 on a wire 15.
Also the arena contains an obstacle 31 and a target/scoring unit 20. The target/scoring unit 20 is connected to the control unit 9 by a wire 21. Sources of power for the field elements including the elements 3, 4, 7, 9, 12, 20, and 24, which can be AC or DC electric, air, water, etc., are shown in
A second human player 33, like the first human player 1, can roam throughout the arena defined by the boundary 22 and pass near to the position of the automated player 8 for the purpose of attacking the target 20, capturing the flag 25 or moving into a tactical position for the aid of the first human player 1. Also, the first and second human player 1 and 33 and the automated player 8 may each be competing against the other two players.
A basic concept quite common to many electronic paintball guns is that the firing sequence is initiated by a trigger pull, causing an electronic signal to initiate firing. For example, an electronic gun circuit board may be included in the gun which controls the valves to actuate the paintball gun. A trigger circuit may be included which is initiated by a micro-switch or finger touch. The trigger pulse initiates a single round, a triplet, or even a fully automatic firing mode. The port 56 on the side of the gun may optionally exist for receiving an alternate firing trigger. The port 55 allows the gun 49 to be switched between on-board triggering using the trigger 51 and remote triggering using the port 56
The firing of the paintball gun 49 can readily be accomplished with a remote signal. For example, the communication link 58 (shown in
Modular components could be used to reduce the unit cost. For example, a wireless communications link to control relays and motor speed controllers via an R.F. link may be used, and a micro-processor may be used to activate pneumatic devices, drive motor controllers, and perform other logical functions. The trigger pulses could be driven by serial line (USB, serial port, etc.), BASIC stamp, PIC micro-controllers, D/A, digital output card, etc., or even I/O cards that are USB connectable and software addressable. The paintball gun does not have to look like a traditional paintball gun, as long as it is functional. This basic concept allows a combined hardware and software system that can provide a complete automated playing environment.
The modular approach shown and described is readily scalable to an arbitrary number of components. For example, if a new paintball gun model comes on the market, it is only necessary to modify a component to interface between a received signal from a communications link and the new paintball gun to provide the type of input needed to drive the fire controller in the paintball gun.
A closed loop control system may be either in the time domain or the frequency domain, depending upon the application. Considering a feedback loop in the large scale “big picture,” such as the player 140 attacking a position against an automatic defender, the human player 140 moves toward an opponent, or to capture the flag 141, or to compete against an objective determined by any variety of scenarios. The controller 143 such as a computer, microprocessor, programmable logic controller (PLC), etc. interprets data from one or more sensors 142 to determine position, strategy, trajectory, opportunity, threat, lethality, etc. of the human player. The controller 143 may use simple control logic of advanced game playing theory and optimization algorithms.
Scenario games are becoming increasingly popular in the paintball sport. In these settings, teams often play against one another in a simulation of various settings. In a system in accordance with the invention, either an individual, or indeed a team of human players could play against an automated system. The automated system can be programmed to respond with a wide range of difficulties—almost like a participatory video game. Players, or teams of players, could compete to improve their score, proficiency level, etc. Automated player systems could be deployed for indoor or outdoor play. Systems can be designed for easy reconfiguration (especially wireless systems) or permanent, wired installations. The system can easily be designed for use in an arena, to compete against any number of human players.
The automated players can be stationery or may be able to direct their fire, and, in advanced systems, also be able to move around in the playing arena.
With higher resolution and accuracy, it may be possible to better track player X1's position, velocity, and acceleration, etc. Traditional and state of the art war-gaming algorithms and rules of engagement may be coded to control the response of the automated players O1-O3. Using simple equations of motion known in the art, the motion of any player, X1 for example, can be projected. Statistical algorithms can be applied, if it is necessary, to track individual players X1 and X2, for example when they converge at a point and subsequently diverge from that point.
A communication link 194 transmits data between the local controller 187 and a regional controller. The local controller 187 generates the fire signal to the paintball gun 180 on a wire 189, and receives signals on a connection 190 from a target 191. The local controller 187 receives power on a line 192.
In operation the local controller 187 operates the motors 184 and 186 and generates a firing pulse on wire 189 in response to data received from the regional controller on the communication link 190. Paintballs from a human player which hit the target 191 generate a signal which is carried to the local controller 187 from the target 191 on connection 190, and the local controller 187 passes the hit information to the regional controller on the communication link 190.
However, it may be preferable to use a linear actuator, such as an air cylinder on shop air, to provide the motion control as shown in
The diaphragm 211, strain gage(s) 213, and signal conditioning unit 215 would facilitate not only an absolute on-off score, but also could assign increasing points for accuracy or speed. The target 210 could be affixed to a silhouette of a human, monster, object, etc. as appropriate to the game scenario. It could be used with or without the visual cues for the circles.
As an option, which can be enabled or disabled under software control, the player O1 (shown in
The gun interface module 233 performs several functions. One function, as indicated by the “G2,” is to receive fire commands from the I/O unit 234, and convert the command signals to a format compatible with the paintball gun 230. The “G2” corresponds to the “G2” shown in
The motor control unit 235 receives target coordinates from the I/O unit 234 on connection 261, calculates the proper elevation and azimuth for the paintball gun 230, and drives the elevation and azimuth motors 241 and 246, respectively, to align the paintball gun 230 accordingly in one embodiment of the invention.
In another embodiment of the invention, the gun interface module 233 receives the coordinates of the target and the time that the target will be at the coordinates, calculates the direction and number of revolutions necessary for the motors 241 and 247 to move the paintball gun 230 from its present position to the position to hit the target and passes this data back to the I/O unit 234 which passes the data to the motor control unit 235. Since the correct calculated position of the paintball gun 230 depends on the muzzle velocity and other characteristics of the paintball gun 230, the gun interface module 233 is configured for a particular paintball gun 230. The other modules, the I/O module 234 and the motor control module 235 would be the same for all paintball guns.
The I/O module 234 interfaces with a controller by a wired or wireless connection 262.
The status/intent indicator 232 can have many embodiments such as a sequence of lights to indicate its status, for example, red to indicate that the paintball gun 230 is disabled, blue for not participating in this game, green for enabled and ready to shoot, and yellow to indicate that the status/intent indicator 232 will show green soon. For a novice level of play, the visual cues to the opposing team can be quite strong. For advanced, more challenging play, the visual plays may be less obvious (e.g. yellow, warning time could be shorter) or the indicator lights/visual/audio cues could be disabled. Audio cues could be used to assist visually impaired players in participating in the game.
Other signals or cues can be used to indicate the status, lethality, and intent, etc. of each automated player. Indicators of an audio, visual, or even tactile nature might include
(1) status—if player O1 is alive, dead, waking up, not participating, or off;
(2) intent—a color could be used to indicate that player O1 is the member of a team or alliance and additionally, with novice players, a rotating red or blue light can be used to indicate such alliance;
(3) lethality—a status indicator that might tell opponents how many rounds (paintballs) player O1 has remaining and available to shoot; and
(4) opportunity—indicating if the opposing player XN is within range and targeting capability of player O1. For example, the playing field could notify player XN that he or she has been locked on-to, and that a firing opportunity has been identified by the system. In a low level playing scenario, the human player might be given a warning time to take cover or action prior to being fired upon by player O1. In advanced play, the player XN may be given little or no warning. This would further allow the playing environment to be adapted to the skill level or the preference of the human players. The number of skills can be adapted to fit market conditions and evolve as the games become popular.
In the embodiments shown in
The embodiments described are chosen to provide an illustration of principles of the invention and its practical application to enable thereby one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Therefore, the foregoing description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that described in the following claims.
Claims
1. A real hunting sport game, comprising:
- a) a real field of play;
- b) at least one real human player; and
- c) at least one real electromechanical player; wherein said human player and said electromechanical player engage in said game in said field of play; wherein each of said human player and said electromechanical player is equipped with projection weapon means for attacking other players in said game; and wherein said human player has an objective other than, or in addition to, attacking said electromechanical player with said projection weapon.
2. A game in accordance with claim 1 comprising a plurality of human players.
3. A game in accordance with claim 1 comprising a plurality of electromechanical players.
4. A game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said field of play defines an arena having physical limits to play, and wherein said arena is electronically interactive with at least one of said human player and said electromechanical player.
5. A game in accordance with claim 4 wherein said arena includes a computer controller and wherein said electromechanical player is controlled by said computer controller.
6. A game in accordance with claim 5 wherein said arena is provided with means for tracking position and direction of travel of said human player.
7. A game in accordance with claim 6 wherein said means for tracking may be used in a mode selected from the group consisting of open-loop and closed-loop to assist in directing fire from said electromechanical player.
8. A game in accordance with claim 6 wherein said arena is further provided with controllable variables selected from the group consisting of difficulty of play, light level, sound levels and distractions, visibility, temperature, humidity, speed of response of electromechanical weapons, range and accuracy of fire, number of electromechanical weapons, patterns of fire, weapon loads, sensitivity of the arena to human motion, and combinations thereof.
9. A game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said projection weapon is selected from the group consisting of paintball gun, laser beam gun, low-voltage taser gun, and combinations thereof.
10. A game in accordance with claim 1 comprising a plurality of sides of play wherein said human player and said electromechanical player are on opposing sides.
11. A game in accordance with claim 1 comprising a plurality of sides of play wherein said human player and said electromechanical player are on a common side.
12. A game in accordance with claim 1 wherein an objective of said game is selected from the group consisting of capturing an object in enemy territory, defending an object from capture, scoring points, solving puzzles, shooting opponents, and combinations thereof.
13. A game in accordance with claim 12 wherein a player is disqualified from further play for at least a predetermined period of time by being struck by a shot from the weapon of an opposing player.
14. An arena for use as a field of play for real hunting sport games including at least one real human player, the arena comprising:
- a) an electronic control means;
- b) at least one electromechanical player including a projection weapon, wherein the aiming and firing of said weapon is controlled by said electronic control means; and
- c) at least one item, other than said at least one electromechanical player, that is a player objective.
15. An arena in accordance with claim 14 wherein said arena further comprises means for controlling variables selected from the group consisting of difficulty of play, light level, sound levels and distractions, visibility, temperature, humidity, speed of response of electromechanical weapons, range and accuracy of fire, number of electromechanical weapons, patterns of fire, and weapon loads, and combinations thereof.
16. An arena in accordance with claim 14 wherein said arena further comprises:
- a) means sensitive to motion of said human player;
- b) algorithm means for calculating a past velocity and direction of said motion in response to input from said means sensitive to said motion and for predicting a future velocity and direction of human motion; and
- c) means for aiming said controllable projection weapon responsive to said predicting such that a shot from said weapon will intercept said human player absent evasive action by said human player.
17. An arena in accordance with claim 14 further comprising a plurality of said electromechanical players.
18. An arena in accordance with claim 17 wherein said arena is adapted for play by a plurality of said human players.
19. A real hunting sport game, comprising:
- a) a real field of play;
- b) a plurality of real human player; and
- c) at least one real electromechanical player; wherein said human player and said electromechanical player engage in said game in said field of play; wherein each of said human player and said electromechanical player is equipped with projection weapon means for attacking other players in said game.
20. A real hunting sport game, comprising:
- a) a real field of play;
- b) at least one real human player; and
- c) at least one real electromechanical player; wherein said human player and said electromechanical player engage in said game in said field of play; wherein each of said human player and said electromechanical player is equipped with projection weapon means for attacking other players in said game; and wherein said human player fires said projection weapon without touching said projectile weapon.
21. A real hunting sport game, comprising:
- a) a real field of play;
- b) at least one real human player; and
- c) at least one real electromechanical player; wherein said human player and said electromechanical player engage in said game in said field of play; wherein each of said human player and said electromechanical player is equipped with projection weapon means for attacking other players in said game; and wherein said human player can roam to any position on said playing field not occupied by a another item on said field of play.
22. A real hunting sport game, comprising:
- a) a real field of play;
- b) at least one real human player; and
- c) at least one real mobile electromechanical player; wherein said human player and said electromechanical player engage in said game in said field of play; wherein each of said human player and said electromechanical player is equipped with projection weapon means for attacking other players in said game.
23. A real hunting sport game, comprising:
- a) a real field of play;
- b) at least one real human player; and
- c) at least one real electromechanical player; wherein said human player and said electromechanical player engage in said game in said field of play; wherein each of said human player and said electromechanical player is equipped with projection weapon means for attacking other players in said game; and wherein said projection weapon of said electromechanical player can rotate through an angle of at least 135 degrees in a plane parallel to said field of play.
24. A real hunting sport game, comprising:
- a) a real field of play;
- b) at least one real human player; and
- c) at least one real electromechanical player; wherein said human player and said electromechanical player engage in said game in said field of play; wherein each of said human player and said electromechanical player is equipped with projection weapon means for attacking other players in said game; and wherein said human player can move to within two feet of said electromechanical player.
25. A real hunting sport game, comprising:
- a) a real field of play;
- b) at least one real human player; and
- c) at least one real electromechanical player; wherein said human player and said electromechanical player engage in said game in said field of play; wherein each of said human player and said electromechanical player is equipped with projection weapon means for attacking other players in said game; and wherein at least three teams play said game at the same time.
26. An arena for use as a field of play for real hunting sport games including at least one real human player, the arena comprising:
- a) an electronic control means; and
- b) at least one mobile electromechanical player including a projection weapon, wherein the aiming and firing of said weapon is controlled by said electronic control means.
27. An arena for use as a field of play for real hunting sport games including at least one real human player, the arena comprising:
- a) an electronic control means; and
- b) at least one electromechanical player including a projection weapon, wherein the aiming and firing of said weapon is controlled by said electronic control means; wherein said projection weapon of said electromechanical player can rotate through an angle of at least 135 degrees in a plane parallel to said field of play.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 25, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 14, 2008
Inventor: Edward Hensel (Fairport, NY)
Application Number: 11/577,913
International Classification: A63F 9/02 (20060101);