Patent Application
20190270022
The field of the application is rides in theme and amusement parks. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and equipment for providing amusement or theme park experiences.
Various amusement park rides have been created to provide passengers with unique motion and visual gaming experiences. In one example, rides have been built with multi-passenger vehicles that travel along a fixed path and allow guest to shoot at real targets in the physical environment or at virtual targets in a virtual reality space. In addition to the excitement created by the speed or change in direction of the vehicles as they move along the path, the vehicles themselves may generate special effects, e.g., sound and/or motion effects, Although a repeat rider may be familiar with the general path of the ride, the gaming aspect may create interest during second and subsequent rides.
However, regardless of such enhancements to these passenger vehicle rides, repeat riders may over time feel the ride experience is no longer interesting or exciting. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved amusement ride vehicle and system that can offer new effects and enhanced experiences.
Independently, mobile gaming has evolved to allow players to create virtual characters and upgrade them through accomplishments, in-games purchase, or other rewards. The game play evolves and is enhanced as characters grow and obtain new attributes. This allows for an ever-changing gaming environment.
A networked gaming ride system combines elements of electronic gaming with elements of a theme park ride, to provide both custom gaming and custom rider experiences. The present networked gaming ride attraction uses a unique set of steps to connect a mobile gaming platform with a ride experience, allowing the gaming and ride aspects to influence each other. As riders visit the ride attraction, their mobile gaming experience may be improved via enhanced gaming features, points, or power. And conversely, as mobile garners play the game, their on-ride experience can be improved with additional features, points, or power. The combination of these gaming and ride elements creates an ever-changing ride and gaming platform.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein the same element number indicates the same element in each of the views.
As shown in
The riders 101 may be provided with objects or props 38, such as magical wands, canes, gloves, etc., or fictional weapons such as ray guns, so-called phasors or similar objects, generally matching a specific storyline, such as a storyline from a movie, comic book, novel, etc. These objects 38 may be active in the sense that the ride system can detect whether a rider using the object has acquired or hit an intended target 40. The intended target may be a real fixed or moving robotic target, or a projected or virtual character or inanimate target. The objects 38 may also provide sound, vibration and/or visual effects when activated by a rider.
Turning to
Each individual rider's on-ride experience may be enhanced via software. Typically the enhanced features vary depending on the storyline and installation site. For example, riders reaching a higher level of a game, or riders earning a higher score may be provided with a more powerful magic wand or weapon. Ride effects may also be changed, such as lighting effects (strobes, lasers, etc.) appearing when a rider obtains a specified point score. Similarly, other enhancements may include special effects such as fog, wind, water spray, etc. or onscreen animation and/or character actions and dialog.
The ride path, special effects, onscreen graphics, etc. may be customized or specifically made for each specific rider. This may be achieved via the riders wearing a virtual reality headset or googles. Alternatively, some of the enhancements can be more group or vehicle based (special effects for example) with others made more personal such as a result from hitting a target. A vehicle may include various quantity of riders with different character attributes, so their powers appear differently, to help distinguish each rider's gameplay from adjacent riders in the same vehicle. For example, each rider's object 38 may emit light of a specific color or character.
As used here, smart phone includes equivalent devices such as laptops, tablets, phablets, etc. Path means a physical path, such as a track, as well as a virtual path, such as an instruction set saved in a memory.
Thus, novel systems and methods have been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.
