Creating a new way of playing and genre is often much more difficult than making a game step by step. Looking back at the new high-quality game releases over the past two years, Hideo Kojima's first masterpiece after leaving Konami, Death Stranding, definitely qualifies as one of the most innovative games.
Generally speaking, the main gameplay of Death Stranding is express, but it has to be said that the extremely realistic physics engine effect in the game not only increases the difficulty of the player's game, but also adds a lot of fun to the game itself. As one of the core elements of the game, the path-building mechanic (bridge construction) is a powerful pillar that helps Death Stranding reach its current level.
Just yesterday, Sony PlayStation successfully patented the path-building mechanism in Death Stranding. This game mechanic, invented by Hideo Kojima, was officially authorized. It also means that if other manufacturers want to "imitate," they have to get the consent of the Sony PlayStation.
The meaning of the path-building mechanism in Death Stranding is expressed in the Patent Document Summary: the method (including) determining that the first path has been passed by one or more characters one or more times, and then changing the first path according to the number of times one or more characters have passed through the first path.
Players can understand that if many people in the game take the same path, then as the number of times the road is stepped on, the open grass will eventually form a real road. In some dangerous areas, such as ravines and rivers, the player can build bridges. With the cloud gaming system, these bridges will remain in the game and be shared with other players.
Finally, there are many difficulties
Over time and with the participation of participants in infrastructure development, the express journey will become easier and easier.
Of course, this isn't the first time someone has patented a game. Warner Bros. University has previously made the same application for the Deadly Enemy system in the Middle-earth series.
The system provides a range of features for orcs in the game, such as boosting mechanics and hate mechanics with players. Orcs will remember the player and respond verbally when they meet again. If the player is killed, the opponent will receive an attribute increase. The deadly enemy system greatly deepens the player's sense of immersion and makes people feel that they are the true center of this virtual world.
It could even be said that the success of the deadly enemy system supported the Middle-earth Series. In fact, the "Orc Pokémon", which is most appreciated by the players of the series, is based on this foundation.
However, players still have different views on manufacturers' practice of patenting game mechanics. Even the parkour and climbing systems in the Middle-earth series have learned Assassin's Creed in many places. Imagine that Ubisoft has been granted patents for climbing towers and cleaning up bases. I don't know how many games will be hit hard in the market.
It is worth mentioning that the concept of "metaverse" is becoming more and more popular. The mechanics of Death Stranding in which players can autonomously change the virtual game environment are very much in line with the metaverse setting, regardless of how they look.
Sony's patent application for the PlayStation's path-building mechanism now seems to be just to avoid being coveted by peers, but there may be more room for play in the future.