CN114450070A

CN114450070A - Multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming system and method

Info

Publication number: CN114450070A
Application number: CN202080067890.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 詹姆斯·福尔布雷希特; 杰里米·马修·卡弗
Original assignee: Flying Nail Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Flying Nail Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-21
Filing date: 2020-08-21
Publication date: 2022-05-06
Also published as: EP4017601A1; CA3151925A1; EP4017601A4; WO2021035186A1; KR20220049034A; JP2022545441A; AU2020334148A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to social activities that are typically based on physical manipulation of objects to achieve goals common to participants or to allow participants to participate in different activities on a shared playing field, a portion of which is physical and a portion of which is virtual and presented on one or more displays. The present invention provides systems and methods that enable multiple participants (users) to participate in an activity either sequentially or simultaneously based on the context and goals of the game. An activity includes one or more shared physical environments modeled on a computing system and displayed with high fidelity by one or more projectors or screens.

Description

Multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming system and method

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application No.16/372,304 filed on day 4/1 2019, claiming rights and priority from U.S. provisional patent application No.62/889,895 filed on day 21/8/2019, and the non-provisional application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to social activities that are typically based on physical manipulation of objects to achieve goals common to participants. The present invention provides systems and methods that enable multiple participants (users) to participate in an activity either sequentially or simultaneously based on the context and goals of the game. The activities include one or more shared physical and virtual environments modeled on a computing system and displayed with high fidelity by one or more projectors or screens.

Background

As the capabilities of modern computing and graphics processing units increase, participation in motion and related activities becomes more realistic. Viewing large-scale full-scale sporting events through enhanced functionality provided by real-time tracking of participants, their inputs and results; for example, hockey and golf played via television has trackers that allow a viewer at home to view ice hockey or golf balls that are not detectable to the naked eye. Simulations that allow participants at home to participate begin with the simplest input devices (such as handheld controllers) and the simplest display devices (such as televisions). In modern times, real world games have evolved to include more sophisticated input devices by monitoring the actions of participants (e.g., microsoft Kinect) and/or the results of the participants' actions (e.g., tracking soccer within a limited field of travel). A direct benefit is to accurately replicate the unique and unusual physical environment important to a given sport or activity.

Despite attempts to create shared environments and experiences, there currently exists no system that allows multiple players to physically participate in an activity having a shared goal in a shared space, or a series of activities having different goals in a shared virtual playing field, in a manner that allows for social interaction between players in the physical space. Virtual and augmented reality techniques attempt to address this problem by sharing a simulated space or activity via closed perspective inputs and outputs. In other words, the participant is required to wear helmets, goggles, telemetry tracking gloves, suits, instruments, and the like. The result is an interruption between the active shared social elements; the simulation requires interrupting the interaction of the participants.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by creating a partial simulation environment for the event with a shared playing field that allows an immersive but shared view of each participant and the other participants and their corresponding events in the playing field, and further extends participation by combining the advantages of the simulation display with the physical playing field. Furthermore, there is no competition system that allows such multiple users to participate in the field of a virtual golf range.

However, before proceeding with the detailed description of the invention, it should be noted and remembered that the following description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or embodiments) shown and described. Since those skilled in the art will be able to design other forms of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, the present invention relates to social activities that are typically based on physical manipulation of objects to achieve goals common to participants. The present invention provides systems and methods that enable multiple participants (users) to participate in an activity either sequentially or simultaneously based on the context and goals of the game. An activity includes one or more shared physical environments modeled on a computing system and displayed with high fidelity by one or more projectors or screens.

The foregoing has outlined, in a broad sense, some of the more important features of the invention disclosed herein so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood, and so that the present inventors' contribution to the art may be better appreciated. This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Rather, the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various other ways that are not specifically enumerated herein. Finally, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting, unless the specification specifically so limits the invention.

Drawings

These and other aspects of the invention are described in detail in the following examples and figures.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an example of a multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein. The area shown in fig. 1 is understood to be completely indoor, but may exist outdoors in a compact space.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the multi-player, multi-motion in-house gaming system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the multi-player, multi-motion in-house gaming system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the multi-player, multi-motion in-room gaming system shown in FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another example of a multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an example of a stand (billary) at a multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another example of a physical playing field having a dynamic, interactive playing surface that provides visual, audible, and/or physical effects of a golf ball on the playing field according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another example of a multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a method of synchronizing game plays employed in a multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of an asynchronous gaming tournament method employed in a multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming system according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method of partially synchronized gaming tournament employed in a multiplayer, multi-motion indoor gaming system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein.

Fig. 12 is an example of a system architecture in which the game play methods described in fig. 9, 10, and 11 may be deployed, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein.

Detailed Description

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described in detail specific embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that this disclosure is to be considered as an example of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments or algorithms so described.

The present invention relates generally to a multiplayer, multi-sports indoor gaming system and process having a dynamic field surface and/or field perimeter display positioned at or near a terminal of a playing field to significantly enhance the attractiveness and entertainment value of the event and achieve entirely novel goals and games not possible with a static three-dimensional physical field. The dynamic field surface and/or dynamic field surrounding display provides an active shared playing field for a portion of the simulated environment that allows an immersive, but shared, view of each participant and the other participants, and further extends participation by combining the advantages of the simulated display with the physical playing field. In particular, the interactive field surface provides visual, auditory, and/or physical effects to a ball traveling or landing on the field surface, and the field perimeter display is configured to display a continued flight path of the ball.

A multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming venue, system and process are provided to simultaneously and dynamically display flight paths for a plurality of balls struck from a stall station (bay station) in a sports and entertainment facility. The cell sites may be located on a single floor (story)/level or multiple floors/levels. The present invention may include a system for embedding and projecting a mapping image in a large multi-user gaming environment corresponding to a simulated activity, such as a game or sporting event. Although the fields and fields of the multi-player, multi-sports indoor game play systems and processes are illustrated herein as practice ranges configured for golf, it should be understood that the game play systems and processes may be configured for a variety of rules, formats, and game play environments and sports, such as golf, soccer (goal balls, nodding), football (field balls), pitching), basketball, shooting, and/or casino games, and the like. Multiple types of sports may be combined into a single game (e.g., two-way flying saucer shooting golf balls played from other stall stations). The gaming environment may be configured for individual free tournaments, tournaments between multiple players in a single bay station, or tournaments between multiple players in multiple bays (or even by bay station height, e.g., first floor versus second floor), or by tournaments between all bays in a facility and all bays in a facility. The gaming environment may also be configured for gaming competitions between players located in separate sporting and entertainment facilities. Further, the system and process allows multiple users to play on the same field, but does not require the users to participate in the same activity, and the gaming environment may be synchronized between some or all bays and some or all players. The game may be timed or have a shot count and the game may be started/stopped by a stall station or by a player. In addition, the user receives feedback from the simulated environment and the physical environment, and the gaming tournament environment and stall stations allow for stand participation and real-time feedback (social media, commentary, goodwill |).

In addition to simultaneous tournaments, the field, system, and process may allow for a mix of simultaneous tournaments and sequential tournaments of a game. In embodiments involving simulating a golf ball, the large format view of the field of view provides all players with additional context and a sense of competitive position, even when they plan and execute their respective shots. The system and process provides for near simultaneous races when relevant and sequential races when convenient. For example, for a tee shot, the positional player is common to all players. The large format display improves the interactive utility of the game by creating real-time competition. When each shot hits, the trajectory is displayed alongside the trajectory of another player. The unique perspectives required by players hitting from different tee tables will be activated in sequence. When the player is activated in turn, the displayed perspective will move towards the player furthest from the hole, where the positions of the shot positions of all other players are displayed and the trajectory of the shots of all previous players is shown in the air. Each player may plan their consecutive shots based on the success or failure of the player who previously hit the shot.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the various views, each stall station 100 in a golf and entertainment facility 10 is positioned behind a physical field surface 102 for game play. Each stall station 100 includes a strike, or throw zone 104, a ball dispenser 106, a game display 108, programmable lighting (not shown), and/or an in-stall sensor system 110. The ball dispenser 106 is an in-compartment ball storage device that dispenses balls upon request by a user. The ball dispenser 106 may include a ball reader (not shown) configured to dispense balls directly into the hitting, striking or throwing zone 104 or into an automatic tee table (not shown) in the stall station 100. The ball reader may include one or more sensors that read the unique identifier via bluetooth, RFID, visual inspection of the ball, or the like. The in-compartment sensor system 110 is a sensor system that provides a strike/stroke-impact or throw trigger event as well as initial launch parameters (ball velocity, vertical angle, horizontal angle, and impact timestamp). The in-compartment sensor system 110 may provide measured or estimated ball rotation data as well as estimated trajectory information. Depending on the configuration, the in-compartment sensor system 110 may be positioned in the strike, or throw region 104 of the compartment station 100, above the strike, or throw region 104, or behind the strike, or throw region 104.

The stall station 100 may also include an automatic tee table that is a programmable and adjustable height tee table system integrated into the hitting, hitting or throwing zone 104 and integrated with the ball dispenser 106 in the stall station 100. The automatic tee table is controllable via software or physical buttons. In response to a user's request, a ball may be dispensed directly from ball dispenser 106 to impact, strike, or throw zone 104. In this configuration, a ball is released from the ball storage device, read using a ball reader, and then dispensed from the player's outlet in the strike, stroke or pitch zone 104.

During use, a user will select a game or activity on a display 108 (e.g., heads-up display, touch screen, etc.) located in the booth station 100 or via the user's mobile device and application linked to the venue and booth. In addition to game or activity selections, the display 108 also shows individual player views, shots/balls in flight, recommended next shots/actions, virtual game play environments, and the like. The field visualization system loads the particular game or activity desired by the user. The ball will be dispensed from the ball dispenser 106 to the impact, stroke or pitch zone 104 in the stall station 100. When a ball is distributed to a user, the user will strike, hit, or throw the ball to accomplish the goal of a game, sport, or activity. The travel path of the ball (or its lack thereof) will be tracked by the in-compartment sensor system 110 and/or the field sensor system 112.

The field sensor system 112 may be positioned in the stall station 100, integrated in or on a ball, integrated on the field surface 102, integrated in the field surface 102, and/or surrounding the field surface 102. The field sensor system 112 is a system capable of measuring shots by fusing multiple overlapping sensor data streams into a three-dimensional volume representing the field surface 102 and a virtual game field. Flight trajectory data is available immediately after the triggering event (about one hundredth of a millisecond). The field sensor system 112 is configured to simultaneously measure the 100+ trajectory from each bay station 100 in real time. The field sensor system 110 may include a multi-sensor radar, a multi-camera vision, a ground impact sensor, and/or a fusion of multiple sensor systems. Initial transmission data is used to initiate a change of the display, the initial transmission data including the physical field surface and the rendered virtual playing field.

The physical field surface 102 extends from the front of the stall station 100 and may be defined by dynamic and interactive displays 116 around the field, which dynamic and interactive displays 116 may be protected by a protective mesh 114. As shown in fig. 1 and 8, the size of the physical field surface 102 may vary. In each embodiment, either the physical target 118 or the target displayed on the interactive display 116 may be incorporated into the entire display and play area of the golf and entertainment facility 10. The fields, systems, and processes of the present invention include any hardware necessary to display the flight path on field surface 102, contact with field surface 102 upon landing, and/or the continuing flight path of the ball after hitting net 114 or display 116 around the field, and may include video projection maps, embedded LEDs, or other programmable light sources. The field surface 102 is a topographical portion of the field that may contain one or more physical targets 118 and may be enclosed by a mesh 114. The around-the-field display 116 may be positioned behind the net 114 at the terminal and along the side of the field surface 102, and may be configured to display the ball's continued flight path after the ball hits the net 114 or other aspects of the virtual, shared playing field. The around-the-field display 116 may be a suitable projection display 117 or other display such as an LED or OLED and may display a shared playing field as well as show a ball in flight for multiple simultaneous users. The around-the-field display 116 and the terminal network 114 may be mapped to virtual targets in the game tournament software and field visualization system. Further, the protective netting 114 may be supported by a series of support rods 120, and the netting 114 and/or rods 120 may also include physical targets (not shown). As shown in fig. 4, the support pole 120 may include a series of controllable lights 122, and the field may further include at least one interactive field side surface or wall 124 located in the middle of the pole 120 so as to extend individual or complementary virtual objects or effects from the field surface 102.

Physical targets 118 are structures on field surface 102, net 114, or other locations that are electronically mapped by the field visualization system to virtual targets in a common playing field. All or a portion of the physical target 118 may be stationary or moving, and the physical target 118 may include a ball reader for tracking a ball strike.

The field surface 102 effects may also be driven according to real-time video, pre-recorded sequences, and music and other event inputs. Embedded digitally controlled lights 107, video projection devices 109, and/or other reactive surfaces may be positioned along the mesh 114 and/or support rods 120 and/or physical targets 118 to provide at least a game playing object 111 projected on the field surface 102. A video display or programmable light (e.g., LED or OLED) or other type of display may be embedded within field surface 102, field side surface or wall 124, along the ceiling of field surface 102, or outside the field so that they will provide specific information about the final position of the ball via a tracker or other visual, auditory, or physical effect. In addition to lighting and video effects, physical effects on the field surface 102 may include, but are not limited to, fireworks, smoke or fog machines, water jets, fountains, and other special effects commonly used to enhance visual, auditory, and/or physical experiences. Further, field surface 102 may be configured for high and low light conditions — circadian modes with different lighting, effects, and/or targets.

As in the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4, the field surface 102 may dynamically directly project/map the gaming object 111 onto the surface 102 in real time using video projection devices 109 mounted on support poles 120 and/or physical targets 118. The field surface 120 may include a series of controllable light strips positioned on the field surface. The light strip may have a plurality of light emitting diodes or other illumination mechanisms (not shown) that may be illuminated with various colors. The light strips are arranged along an X-axis and a Y-axis, and each diode may be assigned a unique coordinate identifier (e.g., X1, Y1) that allows the field, system, and process to illuminate a particular diode based on the location of the coordinate identifier on the field surface 102. The resulting coordinate plane allows each location on the field surface 102 to be represented as an X/Y coordinate. The diode may be housed within a composite plastic tube, and wires connect the diode to a power source (not shown). As can be seen in fig. 5, the proximity of the diodes shown on the field surface 102 may coincide with the impact. The diodes may also be closer towards the stall stations 100 and further spaced along the field surface 102 towards the field perimeter screen 116.

The relative coordinate positions of the diodes in the light strip are stored by the field visualization system in the display server, and the ball flight coordinates (X, Y, Z and time) are stored by the field visualization system in the ball hitting database. The field visualization system is configured to visualize game patterns, scoring data, physical targets (mapped to virtual), purely virtual targets, field visualizations and states, and physical simulations. The virtual target is a virtual representation of the physical target 118 in the presence visualization system, and the virtual target (a pure virtual target) may exist without the physical target 118 on the shared virtual field surface 102. In addition, the display server of the field visualization system processes the bay status by logging in to and out of the user, processing reserved bay time, requests to attendants, and other customer transactions. The display server also receives data about the game or activity and controls the game or activity such that visual, auditory, or physical effects on the presence surface 102 and/or in the establishment and/or in the booth station 100 are appropriately correlated with the user's input and success in achieving the goal.

In use, when a ball is struck, thrown or struck by a player from one of the stall stations 100, the in-stall sensor system 110 detects a trigger event (t), and the ball flight coordinates of the ball as it flies on the field surface 102 are detected by the field sensor system 112. The field visualization system aggregates game play parameters, trigger event data, and ball flight coordinates from each sensor system (e.g., in-bay sensor system 110 and field sensor system 112) for each bay station 100. The in-bay display 108 shows a virtual gaming environment that may mirror the field surface 102 or may show a fully virtualized gaming environment. The field views are synchronized by the field visualization system so that events seen below the field surface 102 are virtually displayed in the booth station 100. Over time, the field visualization system will map and record the observed emission parameters and flight data to allow for fast flight predictions, which are then linked to a display surface, projector, LED lights, etc. to allow for display to occur as the ball physically travels near the display and lights.

Further, as the ball travels to one of the physical targets 118, the field visualization system may direct one or more effects to display the path of the ball on the field surface 102 (e.g., in a color unique to the user or stall station 100). When the user successfully strikes the target area 900, additional changes to the field surface 102, such as a ripple effect (e.g., fig. 7), may be displayed on the target area 900. In addition, an audible response in the booth 100 may be played to indicate success or failure, and the color tone of the lights in the booth 100 may also be changed. The golf and entertainment facility 10 may also include a stand 12 positioned behind the individual stall stations 100. The viewing station allows a viewer to access and view the booth station 100. The position of the stands 12 allows the viewer to view game plays in the stall stations 100, on the venue surface 102, and on the venue surround displays 116 or otherwise displayed in the golf and entertainment facility 10.

Turning now to fig. 9, 10 and 11, there is illustrated the synchronous, asynchronous and partially synchronous methods of game play that may be employed within the golf and entertainment facility 10 described above. These methods of game play within golf and the gaming establishment 10 allow multiple players of a game or sport to play simultaneously from a designated bay 100 to a shared playing field. The playing surface may include a physical playing area that may include a field surface 102 that incorporates a physical target 118 and an end of field screen 116. The end of field screen 116 may display a digital game area through the displayed digital game playing object 111. The use of numeric and physical playing areas in this manner allows the playing field of the game to be smaller than the standard playing field for a given sport or activity, allowing users and players greater flexibility in playing a given sport. In some embodiments, the players interact in a game tournament and communicate with each other via separate golf and entertainment facilities 10, which golf and entertainment facilities 10 may display a shared tournament floor for each player separately. In these embodiments, data regarding a player's interaction with the game may be shared between the golf ball and the entertainment facility 10. The main set-up and playing field of the present invention is indoors and includes one or more stall stations 100, one or

more sensors

110, 112 for tracking player's activities and/or shots, a net 114 limiting the travel of the player or player's ball, a screen 116 capable of displaying digital game playing objects 111 and other game elements, a computer for calculating and predicting the final outcome of the player's activities or shots, a light or laser video projector 109 for displaying the playing field and player's activities, shots, etc., and ambient lighting 107 for providing additional information or illumination in the limited physical space shared by the players.

Turning now to fig. 12, an embodiment of a system in which the game play methods described in fig. 9, 10, and 11 may be deployed is shown. The system includes a venue 500, which may be a golf and entertainment facility 10, a pure spectator 502, an off-board game server 504, and a single-station simulator 506. The connections between these elements and sub-elements in the system are shown with connection arrows. A connection may be used to send or receive data or commands between elements and sub-elements in a system. The venue 500 includes a station 508, and the station 508 may be a compartment 100 including various displays 108 connected to a game client station 510. The station 508 also includes a station shot tracking sensor or in-compartment sensing system 110. The venue 500 also includes a venue shot tracking sensor or venue sensor system 112, the venue shot tracking sensor or venue sensor system 112 connected to the in-compartment sensor system 110 and the ball flight server 512 to provide a presentation of the ball flight. A game logic server 514 is also connected to the station 508. The game logic server 514 is connected to a multi-station projection LED or controllable lights 122 that may be positioned on the yard wall 124 or the yard surface 102. The system site 500 also stores user data 516, which user data 516 may provide information about players to the system via the game logic server 514. The off-board game server 504 may also have a game logic server 514 and store user data 516 to supplement the data stored in the venue 500. The single station simulator 506 may include various displays 108 connected to a ball-strike tracking sensor or an in-compartment sensing system 110. In this manner, the single-station simulator 506 operates in a manner similar to the site 500, station 508, but without the aid of the field sensor system 112. In this manner, FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of a system that may be used to facilitate the gaming methods of FIGS. 9, 10, and 11. The application of the system shown in fig. 12 and its elements and subcomponents are illustrated in the description of the game play method of fig. 9, 10 and 11.

In the game tournament method of fig. 9, 10 and 11, the computer system presents a digital game arena or tournament space (e.g., a driving range) on a large screen, giving each player a view of some or all of the tournament space. The digital game arena can be combined with the physical game arena shown and described above to create a playing field. Each player's shot is tracked by observing a combination of: (1) club data, which may include club swing path, angle of attack, face orientation before impact, face orientation at impact and after impact, club speed, and other information; (2) ball launch data that may include vertical launch angle, horizontal launch angle, ball velocity, ball lateral spin, ball backspin, and other information; and (3) actual ball flight data, which may be described by a three-dimensional x-y-z position grid and ball position within the grid and time, to determine the travel of the ball within the grid with respect to the impact position over time. These observed parameters exist only before the ball strikes the screen 116 or the net 114. The observations are reported to a computer system dedicated to each striking station or to a computer shared by all striking stations. The computer system then provides the time-based position of the ball to a controller (which may illuminate the path of the ball from the hitting position to the screen 116 or net 114), and then to one or more video projectors 109 that present the ball within the shared playing field. A computer-presented ball with a flight path tracker is presented into the digital game area from the point of impact on the net 114 or screen 116. In this manner, the physical game area, which may include the field surface 102, the physical targets 118, and the area enclosed within the field wall 124, and the digital game area displayed on the screen 116, allow the user to interact with other users of the playing field.

Turning now to fig. 9, a method of synchronizing a game is shown and described. The synchronous tournament involves all players and bays 100 playing the same game or event at one or more golf and entertainment facilities 10 with shared goals. Each player competes directly with other players or groups of players in the compartment. An example would be a game that requires a player to "take" an area of a shared playing field by landing the ball closer to a flag, physical target 118, digital target, or game playing object 111 in the area of the shared playing field than any other player. The game will typically start for all players at the same time and the players will be able to view their shots from their bays 100 and side-by-side the outcomes of the other players on the screen 116. A field area controlled by a given player wins a fixed number of points for that player every minute they control the area until the game ends or until a different player lands their ball closer to a marker in the field area. Multiple individuals playing from striking areas that are close to each other to the screen 116 (which screen 116 presents all players' shots in real time) create enhanced competitive power and excitement to the participants and observers located in the stand 12. Other examples of synchronous tournament activity may award how many hits a player has taken within a given time period, how far a ball has traveled with a limited number of hits, or require a player to execute a hit with a limited number of hits or within a limited time period toward a series of system or user specified targets.

As shown in FIG. 9, a process for a method of synchronizing game plays begins at step 200, where a game server receives a game selection from a player or game administrator. The player may enter game selections on a display 108 located in the compartment 100. After selecting a game, the process proceeds to step 202, where the user in one or more of the striking stations located in each bay 100 selects to play the game. The user may again select to play the game by interacting with the display 108 in the compartment 100. It will be appreciated that the display 108 may be used by a player to input selections, information, and user profiles into a game server or system. In step 204, after the hitting station has selected a tournament, the common tournament space is presented based on the predefined configuration of the selected game. The public playing field may be displayed on the display 108 or on the field end screen 116. Visual adjustments specific to active players, such as handicapped persons, may also be presented to each striking station and applied to the common playing field via end of field screen 116 and/or display 108 in compartment 100, as shown in step 206.

After the system establishes a common playing field, the game begins in step 208 and the player may hit a ball from a hitting station in the stall 100 in step 210. When the player hits the ball, the hitting station identifies the ball launch event and sends the launch parameters to the ball striking server in step 212. If there is a multi-station sensor when the ball is launched, the ball hitting server will wait a predefined amount of time for additional data for the ball flight in step 214. Data from ball flight and ball launch may be collected by field sensor system 112 and in-bay sensor system 110. If the available ball launch data and ball flight data are sufficient for the shot to be presented by the system, the shot server will present the shot in step 216. The ball striking server creates a presentation or full view of the ball flight from the striking station within the compartment 100, through the physical play area and into the virtual playing field or digital play area. After the shot is presented, the process proceeds to step 218, where the fully presented ball flight data is sent to the game logic server. In step 220, the game logic server takes the rendered shot and evaluates the shot against game parameters, goals, and game environment to determine a game outcome from the rendered shot. The process will then proceed to step 224.

If, after step 214, the data is not available to allow the shot to be presented, then, in step 222, the shot server rejects the insufficient available data and transmits a transmission event to the game server without the ball being presented for flight, and the game server applies the game rules to generate an in-game outcome (e.g., the player has lost a round, or has not scored). The process will then jump to step 224. In step 224, presentation data from the corresponding shot and launch event is sent to the pre-assigned display 108. If the process follows step 222, step 224 may entail presenting a shot message on the display relating to the failed shot. If the process follows step 216, step 224 may entail presenting the shot on a display. The displays may include a station specific playing field display, a field end screen 116, a hitting station display 108, a hitting station specific secondary display, other venue data displays that generally show other gaming information such as game scores, active players and stations, and related statistics. The display that receives the presentation information may also include the player's mobile device. After the presentation data has been sent to the pre-assigned display, the game may continue in step 226 by returning to step 208 and continuing the process forward from step 208. When the game ends, the process will proceed to step 228, where the game server locks additional shots and presents the final outcome to the player. In some embodiments, the game may be ended by the passage of a set amount of time, the reaching of a threshold score, or a threshold number of hits. When the game has ended, the game server waits for another game selection in step 230, which will resume the game by returning the process to step 200. In this manner, one embodiment of a method of synchronizing game play in a golf and entertainment facility 10 is shown.

Turning now to FIG. 10, an asynchronous method of game play is illustrated. Asynchronous tournaments allow each striking station to play games unique to that striking station or bay. In this manner, each hitting station in the golf and amusement facility 10 may play a different game. The golf and entertainment facility 10 allows players at different hitting stations and bays 100 participating in an asynchronous tournament to still play on a shared tournament floor, thereby enhancing the gaming experience. In an asynchronous game, one striking station in the stall 100 may choose to play a dart game. In a dart, each player in the compartment 100 hitting station has five shots, and each shot is scored by the distance of the ball from the object in the digital game area or virtual playing field. After the shooting is completed, the player with the highest score wins the game. In a multi-player indoor golf course, a common display, such as the end of field screen 116, will show the game playing object 111 in the playing field of the dart game and the shots from each player of the dart game. One or more displays 108 in a bay 100 playing a dart game will provide a modified view of the playing field dedicated to the dart game for that bay 100. The modified view may include a playing field having concentric circles around each object in the playing field, the concentric circles indicating the value of a ball falling in the area.

When the above dart game is played in one bay 100, another game can be played in the other bay 100 at the same time. For example, another compartment may be selected for a twenty-one card game. In this case, the objects in the field may be displayed as cards on the display 108 in the compartment 100 where the card game is played. In this example, the goal of the game is for each player to collect cards by striking a field surface or boundary in the gaming object 111 or common playing field, which is mapped to cards on the display 108 in the compartment 100 for the game. At the end of the game, the player whose sum of cards is closest to 21 but not more than 21 wins the game. As described above, in an asynchronous tournament, players in two separate compartments 100 may have disparate gaming experiences while still sharing a common tournament space. Despite playing a completely different game, the players in the two compartments 100 see each shot extending into the virtual playing field presented and the overall experience of each player is enhanced because the players can immediately observe the quality of the shots of the players in the other compartments in which the other games are being played. In addition, players may be enticed to join other bays 100 to play a synchronized tournament of games between two or more bays 100. This compartment-to-compartment synchronized tournament allows a player at a hitting station to challenge a player in another compartment 100. Both bays 100 can observe the progress in the game from a shared visualization of the common playing field, as well as from a station specific display showing the progress of its bay 100 in the game relative to the progress of the other bay 100.

As shown in FIG. 10, the process of the asynchronous gaming method begins at step 300, where a hitting station in bay 100 receives a game selection from a player or game master. The game server checks at this point whether any of the striking stations are active, as shown in step 302. If other active striking stations are present, the game server may display a common vision, such as a driving range with game playing objects 111 on the end of range screen 116. Game play objects rendered to public vision may include logos, nets and other simulated physical objects, as well as advertisements, logos, and adjustments to vision for time of day or weather. Shots from the activity bay 100 will be presented on the public playing field shown on the field end screen 116. Common vision may be used in this manner by any bay 100, with game-specific game playing objects 111 shown on the display 108 in each bay 100.

When the game server has set the hitting stations and bays 100 for an asynchronous tournament, a single hitting station may play an asynchronous tournament, as shown in step 304, in which players log into the gaming client stations of the hitting station. After the player logs in, the method proceeds to step 306, where the game client station will evaluate the player's information against known players and initiate player account creation or load the player's account data from stored game and user data. The stall 100 computer then retrieves the stored data from the game server to display a menu of available games and activities in step 308. These games and activities may include compartment-to-compartment challenges and the ability to make available to players in the compartment 100 compartment-to-compartment challenges. In step 310, the player selects a game or activity from the available list, and in step 312, the display 108 communicates the game selection to the game logic server. The game logic server then sends the game specific rules and playing field presentation to the display 108 in the bay 100 in step 314. For example, if the player selects game twenty-one, the game playing object 111 shown on the common end of field screen 116 is shown modified on the compartment 100 display 108 to show the desired card graphics corresponding to the game playing object 111 on the end of field screen 116.

With the game now presented to the player, the process proceeds to step 316, where in step 316 the game client identifies the next shot the player hits from the compartment 100. Then, in step 318, the selected player hits the ball. In step 320, when the player strikes a ball, the striking station recognizes the ball launch event and sends launch parameters to the ball striking server. If there is a multi-station sensor when the ball is launched, the ball hitting server will wait a predefined amount of time for additional data about the ball flight in step 322. Data from ball flight and ball launch may be collected by field sensor system 112 and in-bay sensor system 110. If the available ball launch and ball flight data is sufficient for the shot to be presented by the system, the shot server will present the shot in step 324. The ball striking server creates a presentation or full view of the ball flight from the striking station within the compartment 100, through the physical play area and into the virtual playing field or digital play area, such as to the end of field screen 116. The rendered shots will be attenuated based on game server rules set to avoid having too many shots on the screen at the same time. After the shot is presented, the process proceeds to step 326, where the fully presented ball flight data is sent to the game logic server. In step 328, the game logic server takes the rendered shot and evaluates the shot against game parameters, goals, and game environment to determine a game outcome from the rendered shot. The process will then proceed to step 332.

If, after step 322, the data is not available to allow a shot to be presented, then, in step 330, the shot server rejects insufficient available data and transmits a launch event to the game server without the presented ball flying, and the game server applies the game rules to generate the launch event. The process will then jump to step 332. In step 332, presentation data from the corresponding shot and launch events is sent to the pre-assigned station-specific display 108. If the process follows step 330, step 332 may entail presenting a shot message on the display 108 related to the failed shot. If the process follows step 322, step 332 may entail presenting the shot with the corresponding game element onto the display 108 in the stall 100. This may also be presented on other displays such as the user's mobile device. However, the shots with corresponding game elements will not be presented on a common display such as end of field screen 116 as they are done in a synchronous game play, since asynchronous game specific elements are only shown to each bay. After the game specific presentation data has been sent to the booth 100 display 108, the method will continue to step 334. In step 334, the game client evaluates player performance with respect to game specific parameters, goals, and game environment to determine game outcomes. The game client then displays relevant game information regarding the game outcome on a secondary display (e.g., a display that typically shows other game information such as game scores, active players and stations, and related statistics, and user mobile devices) in step 336. Next, the method proceeds to step 338, where the game client may modify the lighting environment in the bay via instructions to change the brightness, color, and hue of the lights of the bay 100 in response to a good or bad game outcome.

The game client will then either continue the game via step 340 or end the game via step 342. Step 340 returns the process to step 316 and proceeds from step 316 onward. Step 342 ends the game by the game server locking additional strokes and presenting the final outcome to the player via the stall display 108. In some embodiments, the game may be ended by the passage of a set amount of time, the reaching of a threshold score, or a threshold number of hits. When the game has ended, the game server waits for another game selection in step 310, which will resume the game from step 310. The process of the asynchronous competition described above can be performed by a plurality of compartments 100 individually. Bay-specific game elements are only displayed to the bay, while generic hits appear shown on a shared common display, such as end of field screen 116. This is evident from the other striking stations shown in fig. 10, which may simultaneously complete a similar asynchronous game play method.

Turning now to FIG. 11, a partially synchronized gaming method is shown. The partially synchronized gaming tournament method may include a bay-to-bay challenge that does not include all of the active bays 100. This scenario addresses a special case where some of the striking stations in the stall 100 are linked and playing synchronously while one or more of the other striking stations in the stall 100 play asynchronously. For example, in a partially synchronized game play method, five bays 100 on each floor can play dart games against each other, while the other 15 bays on each floor only play among and between players in a single bay 100. The partially synchronized gaming tournament method may be initiated by a selective challenge, such as when a venue announces a game and invites each bay 100 to participate in the partially synchronized gaming tournament. In another embodiment, individual compartments 100 may directly challenge other compartments 100 via messages communicated on a display 108 or other input device in the compartment 100. In a partially synchronized gaming tournament, a user of bay 100 or control bay 100 may indicate that bay 100 is available for or interested in bay-to-bay competition or that bay 100 has selected bay-to-bay competition.

As shown in FIG. 11, a process for partially synchronizing a game tournament method begins at step 400, wherein a player, bay 100, or administrator selects a game or activity and invites qualified bays 100 or hitting stations to participate. When sending the invitation, the countdown timer may limit the window in which the hitting station may choose to join the game. After the countdown timer expires, the game will begin. In step 402, one or more bays receive an invitation to participate in a game. The compartment 100 may be selected to join or leave the game. If the bay chooses not to participate, the bay will return to the asynchronous race, as shown in step 404. If a bay chooses to participate, as shown in step 406, the bay that has selected the race waits to see if the synchronous race threshold is met. The synchronized gaming threshold may be a minimum number of bays required. The threshold may also have a time limit that must be met. If the threshold is not met, the process sends the bay selected for participation back to the asynchronous race in step 410, as shown in step 408. If the threshold is met, as shown in step 412, the bay that has been selected for participation will proceed to step 414. In step 414, the game server loads the preconfigured game and issues instructions to the participating game client stations in each bay 100. The instructions to participate in the gaming client station instruct bay 100 to display the gaming specific configuration shared floor of the tournament to each bay 100. The process then proceeds to step 416, where the participating bays 100 begin the race, using the common playing field between the participating bays 100. The player in the compartment is notified via compartment 100 which player to hit next to start the tournament. Next, in step 418, the selected player makes a shot.

In step 420, when the player hits the ball, the hitting station identifies the ball launch event and sends launch parameters to the ball hitting server. If there is a multi-station sensor when the ball is launched, the ball hitting server will wait a predefined amount of time for additional data for the ball flight in step 422. Data from ball flight and ball launch may be collected by field sensor system 112 and in-bay sensor system 110. If the available ball launch and ball flight data is sufficient for the shot to be presented by the system, the shot server will present the shot in step 424. The ball striking server creates a presentation or full view of the ball flight from the striking station within the compartment 100, through the physical play area and into the virtual playing field or digital play area. After the shot is presented, the process proceeds to step 426 where the fully presented ball flight data is sent to the game logic server. In step 428, the game logic server takes the rendered shot and evaluates the shot against game parameters, goals, and game environment to determine a game outcome from the rendered shot. The process will then proceed to step 432.

If, after step 422, the data is not available to allow a shot to be presented, then, in step 430, the shot server rejects insufficient available data and transmits a launch event to the game server without the presented ball flying, and the game server applies the game rules to generate the launch event. The process will then jump to step 432. In step 432, the presentation data from the corresponding shot and launch event is sent to the pre-assigned display 108. If the process follows step 430, step 432 may entail presenting a shot message on the display relating to the failed shot. If the process follows step 424, step 432 may entail presenting the shot on a display. The process of calculating and presenting ball flights will be performed for each player hitting a ball in a partially synchronized match. The displays may include a station specific playing field display, a field end screen 116, a striking station display 108, a striking station specific secondary display, other venue data displays that generally show other gaming information such as game scores, active players and stations, and related statistics. The display that receives the presentation information may also include the player's mobile device. After the presentation data has been sent to the pre-assigned displays, the game may continue at step 434, where the game server updates the game client stations in each bay 100 with the shot data from players in other participating bays 100. The game client then presents all shots from all participating bays on some or all of the station specific displays and secondary displays in step 436. In some embodiments, the partially synchronized game may also display game play objects 111 dedicated to the partially synchronized game play on a portion of the common play field.

After the shot is presented, the process proceeds to step 438, where the game logic server and/or game client station presents game information to one or more secondary display bay displays 109 and/or the user mobile device. The secondary display may display the updated game results and the ranking table associated with the awards or winning points of the game in real time on-site, as shown at step 440. The secondary display may also display the time of play or the remaining shots before the game expires. In step 442, the compartment 100 or striking station may have lights that may be activated to highlight particularly good or bad shots. The lights may indicate a list of stroke position designations associated with the game target. In some embodiments, this may include the largest point game having the most points being illuminated by one color (e.g., green) and the least points being illuminated by another color (e.g., red). After these indicators are displayed, the game may continue or may end, depending on the game state. In step 444, the game will continue by returning to step 416 and continuing the process from step 416. When the game has ended, the process will proceed to step 446, where the game server locks additional shots and presents the final results to the players in the different participating bays 100. In some embodiments, the game may be ended by the passage of a set amount of time, the reaching of a threshold score, or a threshold number of hits. When the game has ended, the game server waits in step for another game selection, which will resume the game by returning the process to step 400. In this manner, one embodiment of a method of playing a partially synchronized game in a golf and entertainment facility 10 is shown.

As used herein, the term "computer" may refer to, but is not limited to, a laptop or desktop computer, or a mobile device (e.g., a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, cellular telephone, smartphone, personal media user (e.g., iPod), wearable computer, implantable computer, etc.). Such computing devices may operate using one or more operating systems including, but not limited to, Windows, MacOS, Linux, Unix, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Windows Phone OS, Blackberry OS, and the like.

As used herein, the term "mobile device" may refer to, but is not limited to, any computer that is not fixed in a location as defined herein. Examples of mobile devices include smart phones, personal media users, portable digital assistants, tablet computers, wearable computers, implanted computers, laptop computers, and wearable technologies such as helmets, glasses, or google.

The systems and processes described herein may be deployed in part or in whole through a network infrastructure. The network infrastructure may include elements such as computing devices, servers, routers, hubs, firewalls, clients, personal computers, communication devices, routing devices, and other active and passive devices, modules, and/or components known in the art. Computing and/or non-computing devices associated with the network infrastructure may include storage media such as flash memory, buffers, stacks, RAM, ROM, etc., among other components. The processes, methods, program code, instructions described herein and elsewhere may be performed by one or more of the network infrastructure elements.

The computer software, program code and/or instructions may be stored and/or accessed on a machine-readable medium, which may include: a computer part, an apparatus, and a recording medium (which hold digital data for calculation for a time interval); semiconductor memory called Random Access Memory (RAM); mass storage devices typically used for more permanent storage devices (e.g., optical disks, forms of magnetic storage devices (such as hard disks, tapes, drums, cards, and other types)); processor registers, cache memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory; optical storage devices such as CDs, DVDs; removable media (e.g., flash memory (e.g., USB disk or key), floppy disk, magnetic tape, paper tape, punch card, stand-alone RAM disk, Zip drive, removable mass storage, offline, etc.); other computer memory (such as dynamic memory, static memory, read/write storage, alterable storage, read-only, random-access, sequential-access, location-addressable, file-addressable, content-addressable, network-attached storage, storage area networks, barcodes, magnetic ink, etc.).

The systems and/or processes described herein and their steps may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination of hardware and software as is suitable for a particular application. The hardware may include general purpose computers and/or special purpose computing devices or specific aspects or components of a specific computing device. The processes may be implemented in one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital signal processors or other programmable devices, as well as internal and/or external memory. These processes may also, or instead, be embodied in an application specific integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, programmable array logic, or any other device or combination of devices that may be configured to process electronic signals. It will also be appreciated that one or more of the processes may be embodied as computer executable code capable of being executed on a machine readable medium.

Computer-executable code may be created using a structured programming language (e.g., C), an object-oriented programming language (e.g., NET and C + +), a lightweight data exchange programming language (e.g., JavaScript object notation (JSON) data exchange format based on HTTP POST requests/responses), or any other high-level or low-level programming language (including assembly languages, hardware description languages, and database programming languages and techniques), which may be stored, compiled, or interpreted to run on one of the above-described devices, as well as heterogeneous combinations of processors, processor architectures, or combinations of different hardware and software, or any other machine capable of executing program instructions.

Thus, in one aspect, each of the processes described above, and combinations thereof, may be embodied in computer-executable code that performs its steps when executed on one or more computing devices. In another aspect, the processes may be embodied in a system that performs their steps and may be distributed across devices in a variety of ways, or all of the functionality may be integrated into a dedicated stand-alone device or other hardware. In another aspect, the means for performing the steps associated with the processes described above may comprise any of the hardware and/or software described above. All such exchanges and combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

It will be understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "consisting of … …," and grammatical variations thereof do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more elements, features, steps, or integers or groups thereof and that the terms should be interpreted as specifying the elements, features, steps, or integers.

If the specification or claims refer to "an additional" element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.

It should be understood that where the claims or specification refer to "a" or "an" element, such reference should not be construed as indicating the presence of only one of the elements.

It will be understood that where the specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic "may", "might", or "could" be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included.

It should be understood that if the specification or claims refer to relative terms such as "front," "back," "lower," "upper," "horizontal," "vertical," "above," "below," "up," "down," "top," "bottom," "left" and "right" as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally," "downwardly," "upwardly," etc.), such references are to be considered for clarity purposes and not as limiting terms and should be construed to refer to the orientation as subsequently described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or the process be operated in a particular orientation.

Where applicable, although state diagrams, flow diagrams, or both may be used to describe embodiments, the invention is not limited to those diagrams or to corresponding descriptions. For example, flow need not pass through each illustrated block or state, or move in exactly the same order as illustrated and described.

The processes of the present disclosure may be implemented by performing or completing selected steps or tasks manually, automatically, or a combination thereof.

The term "process" may refer to manners, means, techniques and procedures for accomplishing a given task including, but not limited to, those manners, means, techniques and procedures either known to, or readily developed from known manners, means, techniques and procedures by practitioners of the art to which the invention pertains.

For the purposes of this disclosure, the term "at least" followed by a number is used herein to denote the beginning of the range starting with the number (which may or may not be the range with the upper limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example, "at least 1" means 1 or greater than 1. The term "at most" followed by a number is used herein to denote the end of a range ending with the number (which may be a range with 1 or 0 as its lower limit, or a range without a lower limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example, "up to 4" means 4 or less than 4, and "up to 40%" means 40% or less than 40%. Unless otherwise indicated, terms of approximation (e.g., "about," "substantially," "approximately," etc.) should be interpreted according to their ordinary and customary meaning as used in the relevant art. Absent a specific definition in the pertinent art and absent ordinary and customary usage, these terms should be construed as ± 10% of the base value.

In this document, when a range is given as "(first number) to (second number)" or "(first number) - (second number)", this means that the lower limit is the range of the first number and the upper limit is the range of the second number. For example, 25 to 100 should be interpreted to mean a range with a lower limit of 25 and an upper limit of 100. Further, it should be noted that when a range is given, every possible subrange or interval within the range is also specifically contemplated unless the context indicates the contrary. For example, if the specification indicates a range of 25 to 100, such range is also intended to include sub-ranges such as 26-100, 27-100, etc., 25-99, 25-98, etc., as well as any other possible combination of lower and upper values within the stated range, e.g., 33-47, 60-97, 41-45, 28-96, etc. It is noted that the use of integer range values in this paragraph is for illustrative purposes only and that fractional and fractional values (e.g., 46.7-91.3) are to be understood as possible subrange endpoints unless explicitly excluded.

It should be noted that when reference is made herein to a process comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps may be performed in any order or simultaneously (unless the context excludes that possibility), and the process may also comprise one or more other steps performed before any defined step, between two defined steps, or after all defined steps (unless the context excludes that possibility).

Still further, additional aspects of the present invention may be found in one or more of the accessories attached hereto and/or filed herewith, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein.

Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out these objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. Although the inventive concept has been described and illustrated herein with reference to certain illustrative embodiments associated with the accompanying drawings, various changes and further modifications, in addition to those shown or suggested herein, may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming venue comprising:

a plurality of stall stations having monitors located therein;

a shared playing field, the shared playing field comprising:

a physical play area or field surface extending from the booth station; and

a digital game area displayed on an interactive field perimeter display around a perimeter of the field surface; and

a field visualization system in electronic communication with at least one sensor system and the interactive field ambient display;

wherein the interactive field perimeter display is configured for synchronous, asynchronous, and partially synchronous methods of gaming play from the stall stations.

2. The field of claim 1, wherein each bay station is capable of interacting with another bay station of the plurality of bay stations.

3. The field of claim 1, wherein two or more of the plurality of bay stations interact with the field perimeter display simultaneously to participate in a synchronized gaming tournament method between two or more of the plurality of bay stations.

4. The field of claim 3, wherein two or more of the plurality of bay stations includes all bay stations active within the reactive gaming field.

5. The field of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of bay stations participate in an asynchronous gaming tournament, and wherein the monitor in each bay station is configured to display gaming specific information to each bay station.

6. A multi-player, multi-motion indoor gaming venue comprising:

a game logic server;

a plurality of stall stations, each stall station comprising:

one or more displays; and

a game client station configured to send game information to the game logic server;

a data server configured to send user data to the game logic server, wherein the user data sent to the game logic server is initiated by game information received by the game logic server from a gaming station client;

an interactive playing field, the interactive playing field comprising:

a physical play area or field surface extending from the compartment; and

a digital game area displayed on an interactive field perimeter display, the interactive field perimeter display positioned around a perimeter of the interactive field surface;

a field visualization server in electronic communication with at least one sensor system, the interactive field surface, and the interactive field ambient display.

7. The farm of claim 6, wherein each bay station of the plurality of bay stations is capable of sending and receiving game information to other bay stations of the plurality of bay stations through the game logic server.

8. The field of claim 7, wherein one of the one or more displays is configured as a user input.

9. The venue of claim 7, wherein two or more of the plurality of bay stations interact with an end of field display simultaneously to participate in a synchronized gaming tournament method between the two or more of the plurality of bay stations.

10. The field of claim 9, wherein two or more of the plurality of bay stations includes all bay stations active within the reactive gaming field.

11. The field of claim 7, wherein one or more of the plurality of bay stations participate in an asynchronous gaming tournament, and wherein one display in each bay station is configured to display gaming specific information to each bay station.

12. The field of claim 9, wherein two or more of the plurality of bay stations participating in the synchronized gaming tournament have the same game specific information displayed to a display in each bay station.

13. A method of synchronizing game play comprising the steps of:

electronically receiving a game selection from a game logic server;

electronically receiving a selection to participate in the game selection from one or more stall stations located in a golf and entertainment facility;

digitally presenting a public playing field including a digital game area displayed on a screen around the field;

electronically identifying a ball launch event from each participating bay station using a sensor;

electronically calculating, with a game play server, a ball flight from the ball launch event;

digitally presenting the ball flight on the field-surrounding screen;

sending complete ball flight data to a game logic server;

evaluating the ball flight presented relative to the game parameters and the digital game area to determine a game outcome of the launched ball;

sending the game result to the participating booth station;

repeating the method from the ball launch event step until the determined game outcome satisfies the game ending parameter; and

sending an end of game result to the participating bay station.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of: the ball launch event is electronically detected using an in-compartment sensor system and a field sensor system, and a launched ball flight is calculated using launch parameters sensed by the in-compartment sensor system and using flight parameters sensed by the field sensor system.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising digitally presenting a ball flight on a display located in the participating bay station.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein two or more stall stations select to participate in the game and interact with the field surrounding display simultaneously.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the two or more participating bay stations include all bay stations active in the golf and entertainment facility.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the game result and the game end result are transmitted to the around-the-field display.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the visual adjustment is applied to each participating stall station based on user data.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more stall stations choose not to participate in the selected game.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more bay stations selected not to participate in the selected game participate in an asynchronous game tournament.

22. The method of claim 22, wherein each bay station displays game information specific to the bay.