Here's a couple of prior art takes.
Air Warrior from Kesmai
Commercial in 1987.
MMP 3D game
Limited what avatars are displayed through server and client, allowed client to modify or prioritize which were displayed.
Warbirds, 1994, Displays up to 32 of hundreds of avatars in a virtual world, server based avatar culling.
There are others as well.
I still haven't seen anything discussed about this patent that wasn't commercially published proir to 1994, with possible exception of the client specifically configuring the exact number of avatars to display, and I would bet that's out there too.
Doesn't matter, MMP games have been clipping avatars out for display for a decade. Ive seen nothing in this patent that Air Warrior wasn't doing commercially in 1987.
3D environment with database controlled environment objects.
Culled avatars (only displayed 12, which were selectable on the client)
Multiple chat channels
Not heaving read the patent itself, I think AW more than covers all the points of the patent that have been discussed, and did it almost a decade previous in a commercial form.
As well there is Multiplayer battletech, which I believe was open beta in '94, and probably even the old games on the INN network, like MP Red Baron etc.
Warbirds, open beta 1995, closed beta late 1994.
VR-1 Fighter ace, beta in 1994 I believe, could have been sooner.
The folks at sony are more than aware of these prior art examples, I think Worlds Inc. is about to get schooled in their own industry.
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Here's a couple of prior art takes. Air Warrior from Kesmai Commercial in 1987. MMP 3D game Limited what avatars are displayed through server and client, allowed client to modify or prioritize which were displayed. Warbirds, 1994, Displays up to 32 of hundreds of avatars in a virtual world, server based avatar culling. There are others as well. I still haven't seen anything discussed about this patent that wasn't commercially published proir to 1994, with possible exception of the client specifically configuring the exact number of avatars to display, and I would bet that's out there too.
Doesn't matter, MMP games have been clipping avatars out for display for a decade. Ive seen nothing in this patent that Air Warrior wasn't doing commercially in 1987.
Prior art? here's some.
Commercial in 1987.
3D environment with database controlled environment objects.
Culled avatars (only displayed 12, which were selectable on the client)
Multiple chat channels
Not heaving read the patent itself, I think AW more than covers all the points of the patent that have been discussed, and did it almost a decade previous in a commercial form.
As well there is Multiplayer battletech, which I believe was open beta in '94, and probably even the old games on the INN network, like MP Red Baron etc.
Warbirds, open beta 1995, closed beta late 1994.
VR-1 Fighter ace, beta in 1994 I believe, could have been sooner.
The folks at sony are more than aware of these prior art examples, I think Worlds Inc. is about to get schooled in their own industry.