BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a gaming system including apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an IVR server in accordance with the invention; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a game server in accordance with the invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to FIG. 1, a terminal 2 such as an IBM compatible PC or games console is connected to a game server 4 in the conventional way. Typically this will be a connection via a broadband internet connection. The game server operates to co-ordinate the activities of a plurality of players connected via a plurality of terminals 2 (not shown). Control signals pass between the game server and the terminal. The terminal passes control signals to the game server indicating the activities of the role played by the player and control signals pass back from the game server to the terminal to indicate to the terminal 2 what images to render and sounds to create based on the activities of the players and non-player characters.
In use, voice output from the player is passed to an IVR server 6. This is described in more detail below. The IVR server 6 controls an audio bridge 8 which feeds sound back to the terminal 2. The game server 4 also may control the activity of the audio bridge 8 as described below. The audio bridge 8 may be dedicated to a single player or may operate to provide audio feedback to more than one player.
With reference also to FIG. 2, the IVR server 6 serves to recognise the voice output of a player operating at terminal 2. A voice recognition unit 8 converts the recognised voice into a normalised internal format such as text. Optionally the internal format may be checked for profanity in a profanity filter 10. The filter may block profane comments and words. A revoicer 12 converts the text back to audible voice data which is then fed to the audio bridge for onward transmission to players. The revoicer voices the players according to characteristics selected by the player and/or game server. Thus the revoiced sounds typically will sound very different to the original sounds produced by the player prior to voice recognition.
Optionally, the internal format produced by the voice recognition unit may also be passed back to the game server. In this way certain aspects of the game may be controlled using voice commands.
With reference to FIG. 3, the game server 4 optionally may control the audio bridge 8. If, for example, a dedicated audio bridge is used for a single player then the game server 4 may accurately control which voices of other players or NPCs may be heard by the player. Also, volume control and other effects such as reverberation and echo may be applied to particular voices depending on the distance and location of the voice in the game, relative to the player. This information is know by the game server and may be processed by audio control unit 14 to provide realistic audio control. Alternatively, an audio bridge may be shared by a group of people for example a group of people located in a particular unit within the game such as a room. In this case, all people in the room may be able to hear one another at the same volume. This simplifies audio control and also reduces the number of bridges required.
Words may be taught to the IVR server 6 via the game client operating on the terminal 2. The game client may include a coaching or training module which allows the player to pronounce particular words which are not initially understood by the IVR server 6.
In this way, the realism of the illusion of the game is maintained by providing voices which match those of a particular player/character. Furthermore, the option of voice control of the game is also provided, improved profanity filtering which cannot be bypassed by unusual spellings or use of characters and furthermore, realistic voice volumes may also be applied. These features greatly enhance the accuracy of the game experience.
Patent Application
20080081697
