US 11,673,048 B2
Contextually aware communications system in video games
Kevin Todd Alderman, Santa Clarita, CA (US); John Preston Glenn, Los Angeles, CA (US); Brent Travis McLeod, Los Angeles, CA (US); Carlos Emmanuel Reyes Pineda, Los Angeles, CA (US); and Rayme Christopher Vinson, Santa Clarita, CA (US)
Assigned to ELECTRONIC ARTS INC., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed by Electronic Arts Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/392,990.
Application 17/392,990 is a continuation of application No. 16/526,635, filed on Jul. 30, 2019, granted, now 11,097,189.
Prior Publication US 2022/0023759 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. A63F 13/23 (2014.01); A63F 13/5378 (2014.01); A63F 13/5372 (2014.01)
CPC A63F 13/5372 (2014.09) [A63F 13/23 (2014.09); A63F 13/5378 (2014.09); A63F 2300/1025 (2013.01); A63F 2300/306 (2013.01); A63F 2300/307 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computing system for managing communications within a virtual environment, the computing system comprising:
one or more data stores storing computer-executable instructions; and
one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the computing system to:
execute a virtual environment of a video game, wherein the virtual environment is a multiplayer game session comprising a plurality of virtual characters associated with respective users;
obtain a first target location in the virtual environment based at least in part on a first communication interaction, provided by a computing device corresponding to a first user, with the virtual environment;
determining priority tiers of unit types within the first target location;
determine a selection of a first unit of a first unit type based on a first priority of the first unit type within the virtual environment; and
in response to the determination and in response to the first communication interaction from the computing device corresponding to the first user, generate a first visual indicator associated with the first communication interaction;
transmit data configured to cause communication of a first communication action associated with the first unit type to a subset of the plurality of virtual characters.