Microtransaction based matchmaking patent/US20200114268A1

[Eating_Volcanic_Ash]

"Generalized matchmaking" If Activision files something for exploratory purposes (yet updates it over the course of 4 years and cites it as late a 2023) then they'd 100% patent their actual intellectual property, so someone else find me their "Real" patented matchmaking system. Because this one describes how Activision says call of duties matchmaking works minus all the stuff about rigging your game for money.

"In an operation 812, responsive to a determination that the first player purchased the in-game item, the player profile may be updated to reflect the purchase and the first player may be matched (e.g., match variables and/or coefficients tuned) to play a second gameplay session in which the in-game item is suitable to be used. For example, if the in-game item is a weapon (e.g., an accurate and powerful sniper rifle), the second gameplay session may be selected because the weapon is highly effective in the second gameplay session. Doing so may encourage the first player to make subsequent purchases due to the satisfaction of effectively using the in-game item during the second gameplay session."

"For example, in one implementation, the system may include a microtransaction engine that arranges matches to influence game-related purchases. For instance, the microtransaction engine may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player."

Pay money = timmy lobbies;
"For example, in one implementation, the system may include a microtransaction engine that arranges matches to influence game-related purchases. For instance, the microtransaction engine may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player"

Pay money = "bot" lobbies;
"The matchmaking system and method may be leveraged in various contexts as well, such as to influence game-related purchases, recommend a composition of groups of players, train or identify non-player characters (NPCs) that should be used, and/or other contexts."

Pay money = better maps;
"For example, if the player purchased a particular weapon, the microtransaction engine may match the player in a gameplay session in which the particular weapon is highly effective, giving the player an impression that the particular weapon was a good purchase."

ping is not king;
"A game designer or others may assign a default value to one or more coefficients. For example, a match variable related to a composition of a team may, by default, be more important than a match variable related to latency and may therefore be weighted more heavily when generating a match score."

Bots "fill gaps in lobbies";
"For example, in a game in which the system has determined that five snipers and five run-and-gunners represent an optimal mix of player roles, the system may select NPCs to fill gaps such that the desired combination of five snipers and five run-and-gunners is achieved to the extent possible (because potential matches having this ratio will have higher match scores)."

Said bots can target specific players and thus not target specific players;
"in some implementations, the system may identify one or more NPCs to serve as an opponent to one or more human players"
"The matchmaking described herein may be used to manage NPCs. For example, the system may be used to select/generate a NPC to fill a gap in a clan or team (e.g., a sniper-style NPC)"

Bots can copy player profiles and playstyles to hide they are bots;
"the system may generate NPC profiles analogous to player profiles. In this manner, the system may analyze NPCs in a manner similar to player analysis"

Bots look for purchases made, weird;
The system may identify optimal clan composition based on matchmaking-related information such as, without limitation, a game profile, a player profile (e.g., explicit preferences, purchases made, player styles, player geography, player historical play schedules, etc.)

More from patent/US20200114268A1; Generalized Matchmaking

"For example, in one implementation, the system may include a microtransaction engine that arranges matches to influence game-related purchases. For instance, the microtransaction engine may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player."

"The microtransaction engine may analyze various items used by marquee players and, if the items are being promoted for sale, match the marquee player with another player (e.g., a junior player) that does not use or own the items. Similarly, the microtransaction engine may identify items to be promoted, identify marquee players that use those items, and match the marquee players with other players who do not use those items. In this manner, the microtransaction engine may leverage the matchmaking abilities described herein to influence purchase decisions for game-related purchases."

"In some implementations of the invention, analytics and feedback engine 124 may determine a quality score based on one or more business factors that describe a business value derived from a given gameplay session. For example, and without limitation, a business factor may include a business concern such as an amount of revenue derived from a given gameplay session (e.g., number or amount of in-game purchases, number of impressions of an advertisement or other ad-based revenue stream, etc.), a level of customer engagement, and/or other information that can be used to assess a level of value derived from a given gameplay session."

Not for skylanders because here is skylanders US8858339B2 (for some reason people say this has to do with skylanders, NBA, etc. Or others just say Activision isn't using it cause they said they weren't but have no statistical proof they aren't, meanwhile many players complain about "hit reg" issues (the game trying to let the other guy kill you to advertise his weapon skin through kill cam and or out of body camera in hardcore)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiYONTGyVCg
a cool video of hit reg "breaking" as you can see the latency is great, fps is great. (game wanted to advertise enemies skin)

The parts of this patent that actually have to do with matchmaking (and not rigging the matchmaking) is exactly what Activision says their matchmaking does and how it works. So it's either Activision has another patent with their "real matchmaking system" or this is their "real" matchmaking system.

[cam8528]

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gambling

gambling (noun)
1. the activity or practice of playing at a game of chance for money or other stakes.
2. the act or practice of risking the loss of something important by taking a chance or acting recklessly


https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1047&context=nlr/

Since its beginnings in the public eye, subliminals have drawn the attention of governmental restraints on its use.4 3 "[O]n February 8, 1958, and
March 12, 1958, [r]epresentatives .. . introduced bills H.R. 10802 and 11363
[in order] 'to make unlawful the use of subliminal advertising on television
and [to prescribe] penalties."' There were never hearings held on either bill
and, to date, there is no law dealing with the issue of subliminal messages.45
Despite having power, although limited, the FCC and the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) have made minimal regulations in the area of subliminals. 4
6 Acting as a quasi-judicial body, the FCC and the FTC have "wide discretion to determine whether any practice is unfair." 47

[cam8528]

not enough incentive to abandon the pay2win business model? ok. SINCE the game no longer takes skill, AND winning depends on purchases players make in game (and other purchases like did you buy a monster energy drink that afternoon or did you order lunch on door dash that day) THEN it is GAMBLING and ALL PROFITS SUBJECT TO 50% FEDERAL CASINO TAX

[Eating_Volcanic_Ash]

Originally posted by cam8528:

not enough incentive to abandon the pay2win business model? ok. SINCE the game no longer takes skill, AND winning depends on purchases players make in game (and other purchases like did you buy a monster energy drink that afternoon or did you order lunch on door dash that day) THEN it is GAMBLING and ALL PROFITS SUBJECT TO 50% FEDERAL CASINO TAX

You see their argument is that they "aren't using it" and that it was for exploratory purposes, which is utter bs as the system they describe on articles like https://research.activision.com/content/dam/atvi/activision/atvi-touchui/research/publications/docs/Call-of-Duty-Matchmaking-Series-PING.pdf
Is straight up describing the system mentioned in patent/US20200114268A1 (without the rigging part). When my experiences suggest otherwise like the fact I only have 3 warzone wins but get people with nukes (I'm not a good player, and that's the point I make, if SBMM is a thing then why do I get good players when I myself suck at the game, not a bot but probably in the 40th precent max.) Or my hit registration breaking on people with skins, or live streams where these "pros" miss but still get hits looking at frame by frame through youtube. (I.E Zlaner and Destr0y) I watched a streamer take an incendiary sniper round and take NO damage, he got the blood and flinch but no damage, the only reason I know it was incendiary is because he lit on fire! it's quite amazing how many clips of semtex's not killing when they absolutely should, or that time the guy had a riot shield take 10 hits to kill, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lflVdrMAx6o (2:15:06). Activision proceeded to call it a "bug" a bug which never has replicated itself. I thank you for your response back and will be saving it as, obviously this crap is illegal but I didn't know what laws or sections.

[Eating_Volcanic_Ash]

Originally posted by cam8528:

not enough incentive to abandon the pay2win business model? ok. SINCE the game no longer takes skill, AND winning depends on purchases players make in game (and other purchases like did you buy a monster energy drink that afternoon or did you order lunch on door dash that day) THEN it is GAMBLING and ALL PROFITS SUBJECT TO 50% FEDERAL CASINO TAX

Basically, I can kill a lot of these people I go up against but because they have skins and tuned "co-efficients" (and thus my "co-efficients" are tuned in reverse for being a non-profitable player) I hit them 30+ times and don't down them, like my shots do nothing.
gabe newell in an interview said "If I go up to a wall and shoot it and nothing happens, it feels like the environment is ignoring me... we added bullet holes in the game not because it's realistic but because it reinforces the idea that you, the player, have impact on the environment you're playing in and that is where fun is drawn from." So when I shoot my enemy like in that video and nothing happens no hitmarker, no damage, no nothing. I am by gabe newells definition, not having fun.

[cam8528]

you're wrong if you think adding hitmarkers with null damage and accompanying impact effects for the marginalized players will fix the problems.

The TikTok bill isn’t just about TikTok

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/27/tiktok-bill-isnt-just-about-tiktok/

"The TikTok bill, like the broadcast ownership rules, would apply to companies in which foreigners from designated adversary nations own at least a 20 percent stake."

"But there’s also an exemption for websites and apps “whose primary purpose is to allow users to post product reviews, business reviews, or travel information and reviews.” While that might sound like it applies only to apps like Yelp and Tripadvisor, aides for several lawmakers acknowledged they aren’t sure exactly what the exemption’s true intent is or why it’s in the bill."

“There’s obviously something afoot,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who opposed the bill, told your co-host Cristiano Lima-Strong last week. “You don’t airdrop a paragraph into a piece of legislation exempting one category of business that has nothing to do with the thing that you’re supposedly banning, so for me it raises a flag. I don’t know who the exemption is for.”

so i guess the lady from WA decided to airdrop a loophole for websites and apps "whose primary purpose is to allow users to post product reviews business reviews...", like steam and the xbox app?

so that makes it ok for halo infinite to use Kernel level Epic anti cheat meanwhile Tencent owns 49% of Epic games stock? just because they are going to try to argue steam and xbox app is for reviews?

get rid of the pay 2 win business model because it makes the games not fun.

I love steam and i love xbox but cod and halo are turning into fort night. stop pandering to fort night crowd. stop punishing regular players by ruining matchmaking for them.

the cod patents are like the elder wand in harry potter. the algorithms activision worked on and perfected for so long before being scooped up by microsoft are too powerful of an artifact. its like nukes. or weaponized smallpox. we know it works. its important to study it en masse and prepare for any eventualities: murphys law says if something can happen will happen. better to be prepared.
we know the cod algorithms work. we know its possible to use this weaponized psychology to compel and command lots and lots of humans. but its too powerful of an artifact, like the elder wand. harry potter did the right thing and broke the elder wand and sent it off the bridge because he knew it was too powerful. the pieces could be reassembled by some wizard or witch in the future if a new voldemort ever tried to end the world and the elder wand was required for good to prevail. similarly if ww3 ever broke out (may god have mercy on our souls and this earth) we know the cod algorithms could sway public opinion en masse to compel volunteers to bolster the armed forces.

until the next Gavrilo Princip moment when ww3 is inevitable, then the cod algorithms are too powerful of an artifact, like the elder wand in harry potter, to subject the general public to. it is the culmination and ultimate example of nefarious applications of AI that lawmakers mean when they talk about regulating emerging technology to ensure it benefits the people who elected them, protect the people from harm.

[Pure & Rustic]

Coool story...

[Eating_Volcanic_Ash]

Originally posted by Pure & Rustic:

Coool story...


:codskull:

You've posted around 7,000 posts since 2022. You are not a human, you are a bot dude. Just like Potato, The Weasel. Got anything important to add to the discussion? couldn't this be considered spam by steam ToS since you added nothing of value to the discussion? that's how it works for me.

[Kellie Martin]

I dont care?

[Eating_Volcanic_Ash]

Originally posted by cam8528:

you're wrong if you think adding hitmarkers with null damage and accompanying impact effects for the marginalized players will fix the problems.

The TikTok bill isn’t just about TikTok

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/27/tiktok-bill-isnt-just-about-tiktok/

"The TikTok bill, like the broadcast ownership rules, would apply to companies in which foreigners from designated adversary nations own at least a 20 percent stake."

"But there’s also an exemption for websites and apps “whose primary purpose is to allow users to post product reviews, business reviews, or travel information and reviews.” While that might sound like it applies only to apps like Yelp and Tripadvisor, aides for several lawmakers acknowledged they aren’t sure exactly what the exemption’s true intent is or why it’s in the bill."

“There’s obviously something afoot,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who opposed the bill, told your co-host Cristiano Lima-Strong last week. “You don’t airdrop a paragraph into a piece of legislation exempting one category of business that has nothing to do with the thing that you’re supposedly banning, so for me it raises a flag. I don’t know who the exemption is for.”

so i guess the lady from WA decided to airdrop a loophole for websites and apps "whose primary purpose is to allow users to post product reviews business reviews...", like steam and the xbox app?

so that makes it ok for halo infinite to use Kernel level Epic anti cheat meanwhile Tencent owns 49% of Epic games stock? just because they are going to try to argue steam and xbox app is for reviews?

get rid of the pay 2 win business model because it makes the games not fun.

I love steam and i love xbox but cod and halo are turning into fort night. stop pandering to fort night crowd. stop punishing regular players by ruining matchmaking for them.

the cod patents are like the elder wand in harry potter. the algorithms activision worked on and perfected for so long before being scooped up by microsoft are too powerful of an artifact. its like nukes. or weaponized smallpox. we know it works. its important to study it en masse and prepare for any eventualities: murphys law says if something can happen will happen. better to be prepared.
we know the cod algorithms work. we know its possible to use this weaponized psychology to compel and command lots and lots of humans. but its too powerful of an artifact, like the elder wand. harry potter did the right thing and broke the elder wand and sent it off the bridge because he knew it was too powerful. the pieces could be reassembled by some wizard or witch in the future if a new voldemort ever tried to end the world and the elder wand was required for good to prevail. similarly if ww3 ever broke out (may god have mercy on our souls and this earth) we know the cod algorithms could sway public opinion en masse to compel volunteers to bolster the armed forces.

until the next Gavrilo Princip moment when ww3 is inevitable, then the cod algorithms are too powerful of an artifact, like the elder wand in harry potter, to subject the general public to. it is the culmination and ultimate example of nefarious applications of AI that lawmakers mean when they talk about regulating emerging technology to ensure it benefits the people who elected them, protect the people from harm.

You know that's actually funny, didn't know that about the bill and I will 100% have to verify through other sources (not that your source isn't a main news outlet but, just better to look everywhere) This whole paragraph is art actually. I mean pointing out that most game companies like Activision, and Epic games are subsidiaries. (Microsoft and Tencent respectively) is hilarious and something that people don't remember. I think Microsoft has taken Activisions technology and put it into Halo Infinite, I mean I've been seeing stuff about "bot lobbies" on there but only as recent as 6 months ago. I think Tencent uses their own systems for RIOT and Epic due to my experiences in rocket league, which before was a godsend of games because it's the only game cheating didn't occur in mass. Now I just get bot teamates and go up against GC's who have spent money on the store on the smurf accounts, kind of like call of duty. When you become good and start making people who pay money rage quit, the game tries to hinder you for that reason alone, not "cuz im better" it's strictly for business purposes and it's a double edged sword where someone who is bad but an "advertiser" (streamer, influencer) can have their co-efficients increased to do better. I opened a loadout drop the one time and it did the white "opening loadout" bar, it got to the end and it opened up into a buy station menu (I was like 15m away from the buystation because who throws a loadout drop right on it). I closed out hitting esc and then my backpack menu opened up, so I close it (hitting tab) and I let my team know that my game is being weird and that I thought someone was watching us, not 5 seconds later we see a guy just standing in the middle of the road aiming at us with a loadout weapon with 2 people in the house behind him, the house we had just come from, where no one was because we sat there for a solid minute due to my one friend having to go AFK. It made 0 sense the whole situation it's literally like people spawned there walmart employee style. It'd be great if I had a replay system. Or when I shoot my enemy 30 times and don't kill him it'd be nice to see how much I hit him for or if the hitmarker count to bullet count was correct (which it never was in Mw2 2022.) I don't see why they remove these crucial systems other then the fact they can't help detect discrepancies within a game, it certainly isn't technical limitations as technology was MUCH more limited in 2010 when replay systems came out, and it isn't hard to tell me how much I hit an enemy for when it still shows me how much they hit me for.

Not to mention you have bots that go around to people like me discussing this and wanting to know more and other peoples experiences (like me taking 30 shots to kill in warzone, or skill discrepancies on their team vs the enemy team, or watching streamers get hit, jam in eyes and all (even the fire animation on the screen from the incendiary round). And sure enough a lot of people at least agree their game feels weird. But there is like 30% of replies that defend Activision like they are the holy grail of entertainment. And I call these people "patent messiahs" because they seem to know everything about how Activsion operates, and how these patents are and aren't used one guy responded to me with, "Snips of lines from patents that you don’t remotely comprehend" like he himself could comprehend them, but because I don't like Activision I must not know what the line, "The matchmaking system and method may be leveraged in various contexts as well, such as to influence game-related purchases"
and
"the system may include a microtransaction engine that arranges matches to influence game-related purchases"
and
"For example, in one implementation, the system may include a microtransaction engine that arranges matches to influence game-related purchases. For instance, the microtransaction engine may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player."
means right? Or I don't know that citations is supporting evidence that technology is still being used (Activision has cited that generalized matchmaking patent and more specifically one of the systems that are used in the matchmaking patent as of 2023 inside of newer terrain generation system, LOD systems, Replay/killcam systems, NPC systems to "fill gaps in lobbies and copy human player profiles to hide themselves as NPC's" or as the system says 'transparently style' the NPC. Or the fact they re-applied it over the course of 4 years also supporting it's not "exploratory" but rather their actual matchmaking system. Which is also supported by how Activision claims their matchmaking system works (minus all the rigging). But the messiah of the patents knows what all that means apparently, and they know Activision isn't using it because they don't 'feel' like it's affecting their games, or these data tubers "think" it's not. the data tubers also just spent 100 dollars on cod points to show everyone the brand new blueprints. but when I "think" that the game is rigged due to all the supporting evidence that's wrong and bad because Activision said it wasn't in there game with no supporting evidence, if anything they gave more evidence suggesting the game is rigged. (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RpVhpHRtV-4 The never give up short from Activision, Seems like cruel April fools prank considering this is what I experience suggesting you should loose 15 games before winning one, by one point.)

[Eating_Volcanic_Ash]

Originally posted by Jun Ho:

I dont care?

Yeah, just so happens your post history you mention how you have 10,000 cod points and buy everyone you like, which if true, you benefit from this system and are an Activision bot, so why would you care? Of course you don't care. You also aren't a person.

[cam8528]

for ♥♥♥♥♥ sake i just want the next cod and halo infinite 2 to be fun like cod 4 and halo 3 was and i end up writing dissertations with E_V_A and others debating current events and emergent geopolitics. i'd shut up and just play but i literally cant because IT IS NOT FUN

[Eating_Volcanic_Ash]

Originally posted by cam8528:

for ♥♥♥♥♥ sake i just want the next cod and halo infinite 2 to be fun like cod 4 and halo 3 was and i end up writing dissertations with E_V_A and others debating current events and emergent geopolitics. i'd shut up and just play but i literally cant because IT IS NOT FUN

Right! that's the issue of messing around with the entertainment industry, the fact they even "explored" it (which since it's patented means it's a system that's made) is dumb. So when I get home for the night, those few hours I get are spent fighting co-efficients to kill players whom have spent money but otherwise would be the same skill level as me. And the argument "you're just bad" is also dumb because it's suppose to be SBMM, which means I go up against equally bad players. Should only take 100 hours to figure out my skill level through the biometrics Activision claims they use (not the ones in the patent, however the biometrics happen to be the same anyway I.E speed, movement, engagement distance and speed, ttk, etc.). But I agree games aren't fun now if you play with other players, it's not just the enemy team, but also your own team whom could be bots or known toxic players,
I guess there is the option to stop "complaining" and normalize this and move on to singleplayer or co-op games, But I don't like that considering how much I enjoy FPS games when not dealing with cheaters (who I go up against because the game doesn't put them with people who pay money. hence why 30% of players say there are cheaters everywhere, and 70% say there isn't a cheating issue, these people being the cheaters themselves and people who pay money) or I have to fight "coefficients" against an otherwise fair matchup so the "marquee player" doesn't get angry and stop paying money.

There is no point in playing when, if you pay no money, your a punching bag for people whom do pay money, and shutting up just allows them to do so, at the same time I've stopped playing so it's one more NPC they have to use or, just make it so they have less non-profitable players to throw against really skilled people who've paid money, or profitable cheaters. Speculation aside, the system and it's existence is messed up and Activision has given no proof it's not in use no statistics to prove what they are saying is true.

[cam8528]

IF we are forced "to stop 'complaining' and normalize this and move on" THEN I argue this emergent technology, in light of recent revelations, be regulated and heavily taxed in proportion with its known nature defined as vice. Let the threat of government regulation serve as a potent deterrent for continuing to pursue the pay 2 win business model within all future call of duty and halo canon and multiplayer for 99 years. The legislature must be effective; if push comes to shove then it must be prepared to enact meaningful levies on end syndicate profits.

"... bills H.R. 10802 and 11363
[in order] 'to make unlawful the use of subliminal advertising on television
and [to prescribe] penalties."

gives

"the FCC and the FTC [have] 'wide discretion to determine whether any practice is unfair.'"

I would attempt to refresh these bills to increase the scope of "television" to encompass our broader understanding of the digital landscape as it has evolved in the 21st century, that FCC and FTC retain their powers not through a fluke in word except its true intent.

Again, I direct your attention to this uckery:

"But there’s also an exemption for websites and apps “whose primary purpose is to allow users to post product reviews, business reviews, or travel information and reviews.” While that might sound like it applies only to apps like Yelp and Tripadvisor, aides for several lawmakers acknowledged they aren’t sure exactly what the exemption’s true intent is or why it’s in the bill."

“There’s obviously something afoot,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who opposed the bill, told your co-host Cristiano Lima-Strong last week. “You don’t airdrop a paragraph into a piece of legislation exempting one category of business that has nothing to do with the thing that you’re supposedly banning, so for me it raises a flag. I don’t know who the exemption is for.”

so i guess the lady from WA decided to airdrop a loophole for websites and apps "whose primary purpose is to allow users to post product reviews business reviews...", like steam and the xbox app?

I reiterate:
so that makes it ok for halo infinite to use Kernel level Epic anti cheat meanwhile Tencent owns 49% of Epic games stock? just because they are going to try to argue steam and xbox app is for reviews?

get rid of the pay 2 win business model because it makes the games not fun.

I love steam and i love xbox but cod and halo are turning into fort night. stop pandering to fort night crowd. stop punishing regular players by ruining matchmaking for them.

[Eating_Volcanic_Ash]

I don't think they could make that argument due to reviews being a small function of these platforms like steam and the xbox app, where people go to sites like IGN for game reviews right? But what they are trying to argue is that it isn't pay to win.

To add: It's absolutely disgusting that it's a possibility of that happening and the whole gaming industry needs to be investigated just like the entire grocery industry where I live needs to be investigated. It's all just monopoly bs, where they somehow get into legislation and make a bunch of loopholes for themselves.

I think "arcade" shooters are dying (i.e no power-ups, no special skins, basic gameplay like no advanced movement) and why people liked the idea of Xdefiant. Personally I got mixed opinions about that whole game but that's another can of worms and I don't want this thread to sound like an advertisement when I'm making one specific example of a new "arcade" shooter.

[cam8528]

well i know our legislators listen to us. democracy is certainly good for something, after all.