Method, system and apparatus of recording and playing back an experience in a virtual worlds system

Abstract

A recorded experience in a virtual worlds system may be played back by one or more servers instantiating a new instance of a scene using one or more processors of the one or more servers and playing back the recorded experience in the new instance by modeling objects of a recorded initial scene state of the recorded experience in the new instance and updating the recorded initial scene state based on subsequent recorded changes over a time period, a recorded experience file includes the recorded initial scene state and the subsequent recorded changes and is stored in one or more memories of the one or more servers. One or more client devices are in communication with the one or more servers to participate in the new instance.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 instantiating through execution of one or more processors a plurality of instances of a scene in a virtual world, the plurality of instances defined by data from memory of a server, each of the plurality of instances supporting participation of at least one user by way of a client device;   automatically assigning a plurality of human-controlled avatars in the virtual world to the plurality of instances of the scene, each of the plurality of human-controlled avatars corresponding to one of the at least one users, wherein the assignment of the plurality of human-controlled avatars corresponds to a predetermined number of human-controlled avatars for an event to be performed in each of the plurality of instances;   retrieving at least one file corresponding to the scene from memory, wherein the scene comprises an initial state of the scene including at least a position and orientation of one or more objects in the virtual world and subsequent changes to the scene during a time period, the changes to the scene having been generated prior to instantiation of the plurality of instances; and   rendering a newly instantiated scene in each of the plurality of instances for display by the client device of each of the at least one users, wherein:
 the newly instantiated scene comprises the initial state of the scene including at least the position and orientation of one or more objects in the virtual world and subsequent changes to the scene during the time period; 
 the plurality of human-controlled avatars may observe the newly instantiated scene in a respective one of the plurality of instances during a time period in the virtual world corresponding to the time period of the newly instantiated scene; and 
 the plurality of human-controlled avatars may observe at least one object in the respective one of the plurality of instances. 
   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the object is an automated entity. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the newly instantiated scene further comprises additional subsequent changes to the scene generated after the instantiation of the plurality of instances. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of human-controlled avatars may interact with the at least one object in the respective one of the plurality of instances. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein each of the plurality of instances are identical at instantiation. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the subsequent changes include changes to one or more objects in the virtual world. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the newly instantiated scene includes audio and video images. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the audio and video images of the newly instantiated scene are a concert. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the newly instantiated scene is not modifiable by the plurality of human-controlled avatars. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the newly instantiated scene is not modifiable by objects in the respective one of the plurality of instances. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein collisions between objects of the newly instantiated scene and objects and human-controlled avatars in each of the plurality of instances are allowed. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein collisions between objects of the newly instantiated scene and objects and human-controlled avatars in each of the plurality of instances are not allowed. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein objects in the newly instantiated scene may enter into each of the plurality of instances. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the newly instantiated scene comprises scripts that effectuate changes in each of the plurality of instances. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the scripts execute in response to a user action. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the scripts are executed at a particular time during the time period of the scene. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the scripts execute in response to a trigger event. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein movement within each of the plurality of instances are limited by the rendering of the newly instantiated scene. 
     
     
         34 . A method comprising:
 instantiating through execution of one or more processors a plurality of instances of a scene in a virtual world, the plurality of instances defined by data from memory of a server, each of the plurality of instances supporting participation of at least one user by way of a client device;   automatically assigning a plurality of human-controlled avatars in the virtual world to the plurality of instances of the scene, each of the plurality of human-controlled avatars corresponding to one of the at least one users, wherein the assignment of the plurality of human-controlled avatars corresponds to a predetermined number of human-controlled avatars for an event to be performed in each of the plurality of instances;   retrieving at least one file corresponding to the scene from memory, wherein the scene comprises an initial state of the scene including at least a position and orientation of one or more objects in the virtual world and subsequent changes to the scene during a time period, the changes to the scene having been generated prior to instantiation of the plurality of instances; and   rendering a newly instantiated scene at a first time of the time period in each of the plurality of instances for display by the client device of each of the at least one users, wherein:
 the newly instantiated scene comprises the initial state of the scene including at least the position and orientation of one or more objects in the virtual world and subsequent changes to the scene during the time period; 
 the plurality of human-controlled avatars may interact with the newly instantiated scene in a respective one of the plurality of instances during a time period in the virtual world corresponding to the first time period of the newly instantiated scene; and 
 the plurality of human-controlled avatars may interact with at least one object in the respective one of the plurality of instances. 
   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the object is an automated entity. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the newly instantiated scene further comprises additional subsequent changes to the scene generated after the instantiation of the plurality of instances. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the plurality of human-controlled avatars may observe the at least one object in the respective one of the plurality of instances. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein each of the plurality of instances are identical at instantiation. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the subsequent changes include changes to one or more objects in the virtual world. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the newly instantiated scene includes audio and video images. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the audio and video images of the newly instantiated scene are a concert. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the newly instantiated scene is not modifiable by the plurality of human-controlled avatars. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the newly instantiated scene is not modifiable by objects in the respective one of the plurality of instances. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein collisions between objects of the newly instantiated scene and objects and human-controlled avatars in each of the plurality of instances are allowed. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein collisions between objects of the newly instantiated scene and objects and human-controlled avatars in each of the plurality of instances are not allowed.