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Programming II

• GlassMan27 573 Posts

  Fri, Oct 12 2012 9:38 PM

  Thanks for clearing things up, PIzza. VEM is in use, but VEM is not what we have believed it to be. Pretty much clears it all up. Glad someone was able to make this statement.

  Cheers

  ps. if you ever do start tinkering with individual player's equipment, I could use an extra dot  of forgiveness on my irons. :)

• bubbadork 984 Posts

  Fri, Oct 12 2012 10:50 PM

  I can't speak for WGT's strategy because I don't know anything about it.  Most games, though, get more difficult the farther you progress.  If you run out of challenges, off you go to check out some other game. No sensible game provider wants that.

  It doesn't matter much if you make things more difficult by making the monsters bigger, or the bunkers deeper, or reduce the sweet spot on a club.  What matters is a level playing field for all people of approximately the same skill level.

  It also matters that challenges have solutions or partial solutions available for the player to figure out and capitalize on.  Otherwise, you might as well play Yahtzee.

  Strictly personal opinion, your mileage may vary.

• TWOMINUSONE 2,580 Posts

  Sat, Oct 13 2012 1:52 AM

   

  WGTpizza:

  Now, back to the question that keeps coming up "Does WGT have the capability to manipulate individual player's equipment?" The answer is yes, we have the capability to do nearly anything to anyone, any course, any time, anywhere. The next question you should ask is "Does the video game I play operate in such an underhanded way that they would practice this capability?" 

  Thanks for that Pizza, now to the quote i had placed into the thread from another person, and your reply to that: 

   

  WGTpizza:

  TWOMINUSONE:

  According to U.S. Patent 7806777 WGT DOES have the capability.

  Someone has been doing some research! I'm glad we have graduated from unfounded claims to attempting to back them up with facts. I'm no lawyer, and the legal jargon makes no sense to me whatsoever. How about you explain how this patent means that WGT has the capability to manipulate individual player's equipment (not all equipment unilaterally)

  Stay classy,

  -WGTpizza

  Now, let me just say this. This was a question i asked earlier in this thread, and remember, i didnt accuse anyone of directly altering my gear. I just put it out there that it could happen. 

  You scalded me here in the forums for doing this Pizza, and i found myself backed into a corner over this. You have now stated that it is possible to do this. I am not accusing anyone over doing anything underhand here in this post, and i believe what you say in that WGT dont in fact alter individuals playing gear. just saying that i was in fact correct to the possibility that it could be done.

  I think i am owed a wee apology of sorts here  Pizza. Only because you accused me of trying to state that something that could be done, can actually be done. And you did it in a way in later posts that made me feel so put out, that i actually thought of quitting the game for good. 

   

   

   

   

• chrisironsbones 3,524 Posts

  Sat, Oct 13 2012 2:29 AM

  After so many years trying, Pandora's box has finally been cracked............................

  I've been slated in the past for similar thing about equipment etc, etc but can at least continue playing the game knowing the truth, or with paranoid glances over my shoulder thinking "have WGT messed with my clubs today, i know they are not that shady, but maybe my post last week upset them and they're getting their revenge"  and i can also blame my "bad" rounds on; "Oh no, it wasn't me playing poorly, WGT must have lowered my clubs precision today".  LOL.  That statement was Awesome Pizza, it will either shut most up or will fuel a Riot.  But the honesty is excellent.

  Next question will be something like this, "When we play in the gift card tournaments can WGT increase my clubs accuracy like the players in Deviation CC, and lower every one else's.  Thanks"

  At least now i can relax knowing the truth and we were "almost" right all along.

• overtheedge 5,878 Posts

  Sat, Oct 13 2012 4:09 AM

  chrisironsbones:

   That statement was Awesome Pizza, it will either shut most up or will fuel a Riot.  But the honesty is excellent.

  I would certainly think after WGTpizza's reply there will NOT be an inquisition ever again on this topic. It is over,,,,finnally...lol.  We can all give WGT and WGTpizza a HUUUUGE thank you for "directly" answering any doubts or questions we had on this topic. I think we can move on from this with a sense of closure, which is sometimes NOT the case.

  Thanks WGT,,,,edge / Jeff

• Ffudd 2,541 Posts

  Sat, Oct 13 2012 6:45 AM

  WGTpizza:

  Essentially, the patent is for legal protection. It does give us the right to change the properties of clubs and balls, which we do often, but mainly it is for protecting the legal side of WGT. Whenever we exercise our right to change clubs and/or balls given to us by this patent, we do so unilaterally, and we tell the community about it. The only reasons we would do this is for balancing or bug correcting purposes.

  I'm still not clear Pizza, the T&Cs that we all signed up to give you the legal right to unilaterally change the performance of clubs and balls - you don't need a patent for that.

  The VEM patent refers to changing the equipment performance based on the user's skill level, which is anything but unilateral.

  Like you say, I guess is boils down to whether people believe this . . . 

  WGTpizza:

  Our stance is this: WGT guarantees that the performance of one player's items never changes based on performance, or any other manipulation by the player or the company. The only time equipment changes is when the change is made unilaterally, for balancing or bug-correcting purposes.

  If I am on a hot round and the ball starts going AWOL I'll have my doubts and I guess so will a lot of others. But I'll be back the next day to try again.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Sat, Oct 13 2012 6:56 AM

  Ffudd:

  If I am on a hot round and the ball starts going AWOL I'll have my doubts and I guess so will a lot of others. But I'll be back the next day to try again.

  Doesn't this fit  "The VEM patent refers to changing the equipment performance based on the user's skill level,..."? That would be the question I would be curious about-does the VEM influence individual games as they are being played, like in your example.

   

• andyson 6,415 Posts

  Sat, Oct 13 2012 7:57 AM

  YankeeJim:

  I would be curious about-does the VEM influence individual games as they are being played, like in your example.

  According to the Claims section of the patent, yes it does.  Note items 6 & 10 below.  Both determining a change of user's skill level and adapting the virtual equipment model occur during the game.

  From the patent:

  1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving user input directed to manipulation of virtual equipment in an interactive computer game, the virtual equipment being manipulated through the user's interaction with an associated representation; determining a change in a user's skill level for interaction with the virtual equipment in response to the received user input; and adapting a virtual equipment model having one or more variables associated with the virtual equipment to reflect the determined change in user skill level, the virtual equipment model governing how the virtual equipment behaves in response to the user's interaction with the representation, and where the adapting comprises: if the change indicates that the user's skill level has increased, decreasing a sweet spot for a variable of the virtual equipment model; and if the change indicates that the user's skill level has decreased, increasing the sweet spot for the variable of the virtual equipment model, where the sweet spot is an area of a curve for the variable where the area is based on a degree of deviation from an ideal value for the variable.
  
  2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where values above a threshold for the variable have a great probability of causing a successful game outcome than values below the threshold.
  
  3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where increasing the sweet spot increases accuracy of the virtual equipment and decreasing the sweet spot decreases the accuracy.
  
  4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where the adapting includes changing an input model or the associated representation.
  
  5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where: the adapting is based on a state of a virtual universe.
  
  6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where adapting occurs during game play.
  
  7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where: the representation includes one or more of: graphical rendering, sound, or haptic feedback.
  
  8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where the adapting further includes: changing one or more relationships between a plurality variables in the user interaction model.
  
  9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where: the virtual equipment is one of: a golf club, a weapon, an automobile, a racket, a ping pong paddle, or a baseball bat.
  
  10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where determining the change occurs during game play.

• gsoup 2,929 Posts

  Sat, Oct 13 2012 8:37 AM

  GlassMan27:

  if the change indicates that the user's skill level has increased, decreasing a sweet spot for a variable of the virtual equipment model; and if the change indicates that the user's skill level has decreased, increasing thesweet spot for the variable of the virtual equipment model

   

   so is it VEM or do I just outright suck at this game, 

  because it seems that VEM is backward to my game.

  been going for two and a half years.

  To of had ad blocker back then..

  BUT, i am heavely invested and still having fun

  (even tho YJ is angry at me)