US 11,890,544 B2
Prop placement with machine learning
Zhen Zhai, Irvine, CA (US); and James Steven Supancic, III, Irvine, CA (US)
Assigned to BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC., Irvine, CA (US)
Filed by Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., Irvine, CA (US)
Filed on May 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/327,187.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/131,930, filed on Dec. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0203240 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
Int. Cl. A63F 13/00 (2014.01); A63F 13/60 (2014.01); A63F 13/42 (2014.01); A63F 13/55 (2014.01); G06N 20/00 (2019.01)
CPC A63F 13/60 (2014.09) [A63F 13/42 (2014.09); A63F 13/55 (2014.09); G06N 20/00 (2019.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for automating placement of props on a digital map, comprising:
based on one or more training maps on which props have been placed in an ideal placement, training a machine learning mechanism to output placements, on input target maps, for sets of input target props;
receiving, as input to a prop placement tool, a target map and a set of target props;
wherein the target map defines a set of map structures;
for each target prop in the set of target props, executing the prop placement tool on one or more computing devices to cause the prop placement tool to automatically determine a final placement for the target prop on the target map by:
from a set of possible placements of the target prop on the target map, the prop placement tool determining a set of valid placements for the target prop based, at least in part, on one or more spatial rules;
for each valid placement in the set of valid placements, the prop placement tool generating a prop distribution score based on output of the machine learning mechanism;
for each valid placement in the set of valid placements, the prop placement tool determining a placement score based, at least in part, on the prop distribution score that is generated for the valid placement;
selecting, by the prop placement tool, as the final placement for the target prop on the target map, a valid placement based on one or more placement scores generated for one or more valid placements of the target prop;
generating output, by the prop placement tool, that indicates a placement outcome that includes the final placement for each target prop in the set of target props; and
based on the final placement for each target prop in the set of target props, generating a version of the target map in which the set of target props have been placed on the target map.