A first list of available players is provided to each individual user who then selects a first fantasy lineup, where selections by another individual user does not preclude other individual users from also selecting the same player. First fantasy lineups are received from each individual user, the fantasy lineups comprising one or more players selected from the first list of available players. Each individual user may provide a replacement lineup prior to the end of a game. A subsequent list of available players is provided to each user and does not include players from the first fantasy lineup. Subsequent fantasy lineups from each individual user are received comprising only players selected from the subsequent list of available players. None of the players of the first fantasy lineup for an individual user is included in any subsequent fantasy lineup of the individual user.

A terminal device includes a memory that stores, characters in a game, a plurality of slots into which action reservations for the characters are to be registered, an action sequence for each of the slots, and effects, a display, a receiver that receives a request of an action reservation for a first character, and a processor that outputs, to the memory, the request when the processor determines the first character is in an active state in which the character is allowed to register the action reservation. The memory registers the first character in an earliest slot in the action sequence among the slots in which no other characters have been registered. The processor causes the first character to execute an action associated with the slot according to the action sequence. The effect associated with the first character is applied to the executed action.

Event synchronization in an online game is disclosed. A central computing device sends event information that identifies an event and an event depiction timestamp that identifies a future time at which to depict the event to a plurality of computing devices that are time synchronized with one another. The central computing device receives, from a first set of computing devices, a set of first messages, each first message including action information that identifies a user input received by a corresponding computing device and an action timestamp that identifies a time at which the user input was received by the corresponding computing device. Based on the action timestamps and the user inputs in the set of first messages, a next event to be depicted is determined, and next event information that identifies the next event is sent to the plurality of computing devices.

A game streaming system concurrently executes different instances of a game program, each instance employing a different set of hardware resources, including different local memory, such as the hardware resources of different servers or different GPUs. Based on a game state, the game streaming system streams rendered frames from a first set of hardware resources associated with the game level to a client device wherein the rendered frames, depicting a portion of a virtual environment. In response to an indication from the game program of a game level change to a new game level, the game streaming system transfers a player state to another set of hardware resources, and begins streaming rendered frames to the client device from the other of hardware resources.

Systems and methods may be used to provide and implement a state machine in a display software user interface environment, and used to handle events and actions associated with the state machine. In one example embodiment, a virtual display environment provided by an engine is interfaced with a state machine that is configured to interpret various state machine definitions corresponding to states occurring in the virtual display environment. The state machine definitions may be used to determine how a particular state of a virtual item in the display environment may be represented, interacted with, and transitioned into another state. Use of the state machine definitions may enable representation of complex scenarios for virtual objects and events in the display environment in a unified definition format, without requiring specialized programming or scripting commands to implement the scenarios.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a game program that causes a computer of a data processing apparatus to execute a method includes: accepting an instruction to operate a first object in a game from a first player, and activating the first object in the game; determining an action state of the first object in the game; and when the first object is determined to be in an incapacitated state in which the first object is unable to be activated in the game, accepting an instruction to perform a support process for a second object in the game from the first player, and performing the support process based on the instruction to perform the support process.

Disclosed are systems and methods for session management. The disclosed system allows for seamless merging and splitting of network sessions in a multiplayer network gaming environment. Seamless session management allows dynamic movement of players in a virtual world during gameplay without unnecessary loading and/or stalling. As the players in the virtual world move around, the management of active game sessions can be improved to effect a more realistic perceived population.

Instructions are configured to cause at least one processor within a computing device to present and/or update icon(s) on a display. An icon is linked to an application configured to run on the computing device. The icon comprises a representation of each of at least two data items. The at least two data items are associated with an entity. The at least two data items are received from at least one data distribution device over a multi-node network via a communications receiving device. The representation is presented through at least two of the following display elements: a line, a line segment, a line segment designator, and a highlight of at least a portion of one of a plurality of colors associated with the icon.

An improved computer implemented process for providing an interactive game event for two or more users. A game event is configured to comprise one or more independently progressing sub-processes (SP1-SP6) into which groups of game characters (C1-C3) are selected. Selected game characters (C1-C3) are provided with a set of allowed interaction functions for activation in the sub-process (SP1-SP6). The state of the sub-process (SP1-SP6) is changed in response to a game character (C1-C3) activating an interaction function from the set of allowed interaction functions, and the set of allowed interaction functions of the game characters (C1-C3) is updated in response to state change of the sub-process (SP1-SP6).

A system and related methodologies of delivering storyline content to users are presented herein. A server system maintains storyline data corresponding to an interactive narrative storyline having variable narrative paths that influence outcomes of the storyline. Storyline messages are communicated from the server system using a messaging service, wherein each communicated storyline message includes a portion of the narrative storyline. The server system receives messages generated from the subscriber device in response to communicated storyline messages, wherein each response message includes a user-specified storyline option. Subsequent storyline messages are retrieved by the server system based on the user-specified storyline options conveyed with the user responses.