Game system, puzzle game program, and storage medium having program stored therein

• US 20030040350A1
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Okamoto, Hiroshi, Yamashita, Yutaka, Nakata, Masayasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,094,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/10 Two-dimensional jig-saw puzzles

Abstract

There is provided a game system and a puzzle game program capable of changing displayed states of puzzle elements depending on a tilt of the puzzle game apparatus, such that a high level of strategy-making is required and drastic game developments and excitement are realized, as well as a storage medium having the puzzle game program stored therein. A tilt detection section is provided in connection with the game apparatus (or a controller therefor) for determining a tilt direction. The puzzle elements displayed on a display screen are moved in a tilt direction of the game apparatus.

Claims

1. A game system for allowing a puzzle game to be played thereon, the game system comprising:

a display screen for displaying a plurality of puzzle elements of the puzzle game, the plurality of puzzle elements being operable on within the display screen;

a tilt detection section for detecting a tilt;

a puzzle element displaying control section for at least controlling at least one of the plurality of puzzle elements displayed on the display screen to be moved in response to an output from the tilt detection section; and

an image transformation section for causing an image transformation when a plurality of puzzle elements take a predetermined arrangement as a result of the control by the puzzle element displaying control section.

2. The game system according to claim 1,

wherein the puzzle element displaying control section comprises:

an initial image generation section for generating an initial image to be displayed before the at least one puzzle element is moved; and

a puzzle element addition section for causing puzzle elements to be additionally displayed on the display screen in response to an output from the tilt detection section.

3. The game system according to claim 2, further comprising a game controller or a game pad,

wherein the puzzle element addition section causes the puzzle elements to be additionally displayed on the display screen upon detection of an output from the game controller or game pad.

4. The game system according to claim 2, further comprising a timer,

wherein the puzzle element addition section causes the puzzle elements to be additionally displayed on the display screen in response to an output from the timer having measured a predetermined period of time.

5. The game system according to claim 1,

wherein the puzzle element displaying control section comprises an attribute data setting section for assigning an attribute to each of the plurality of puzzle elements.

6. The game system according to claim 5,

wherein the image transformation section causes the image transformation with respect to an arrangement of puzzle elements having a same attribute assigned by the attribute data setting section.

7. The game system according to claim 6,

wherein the image transformation section causes the image transformation when a predetermined number or more of contiguous puzzle elements having the same attribute assigned by the attribute data setting section are aligned in at least one direction.

8. The game system according to claim 6,

wherein the image transformation section causes the image transformation when at least two puzzle elements having the same attribute assigned by the attribute data setting section take an arrangement interposing a predetermined number of puzzle elements.

9. The game system according to claim 6,

wherein the image transformation section causes the image transformation when a plurality of puzzle elements having the same attribute assigned by the attribute data setting section take a predetermined arrangement, the image transformation involving erasing all of the plurality of puzzle elements taking the predetermined arrangement.

10. The game system according to claim 6,

wherein the image transformation section causes the image transformation when a plurality of puzzle elements having the same attribute assigned by the attribute data setting section take a predetermined arrangement, the image transformation comprising combining all of the plurality of puzzle elements taking the predetermined arrangement.

11. The game system according to claim 6,

wherein, when a plurality of puzzle elements having the same attribute assigned by the attribute data setting section take a predetermined arrangement, the image transformation section changes the attribute of the plurality of puzzle elements taking the predetermined arrangement.

12. The game system according to claim 5, further comprising a game controller or a game pad,

wherein, after at least one puzzle element having assigned thereto an attribute which is associated with a predetermined operational output from the controller or game pad takes a predetermined arrangement with at least another puzzle element, the image transformation section causes the image transformation upon detecting the predetermined operational output.

13. The game system according to claim 5, further comprising a game controller or a game pad,

wherein, after at least one puzzle element having assigned thereto an attribute which is associated with a predetermined operational output from the controller or game pad is arranged so as to adjoin at least another puzzle element, the image transformation section causes the image transformation upon detecting the predetermined operational output, the image transformation involving erasing the at least one puzzle element and the at least other puzzle element.

14. The game system according to claim 5, further comprising a game controller or a game pad,

wherein the attribute data setting section assigns an attribute concerning a moving direction to each of the plurality of puzzle elements, and

the puzzle element displaying control section controls each of the plurality of puzzle elements displayed on the display screen to be moved in accordance with the attribute concerning the moving direction.

15. A storage medium storing a puzzle game program for causing a game system to function as a puzzle game, the game system at least comprising an image display section for displaying a plurality of puzzle elements of the puzzle game, a tilt detection section for detecting a tilt of the game system, and a puzzle element storage section, the plurality of puzzle elements being operable on within a display screen of the image display section, the program comprising:

a tilt direction determination step of determining a tilt direction in accordance with an output from the tilt detection section;

a puzzle element movement displaying step of controlling at least one of the plurality of puzzle elements displayed on the display screen to be moved in accordance with the tilt direction determination step; and

an image transformation step of causing an image transformation when a plurality of puzzle elements displayed on the display screen take a predetermined arrangement after performing the puzzle element movement displaying step.

16. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the puzzle game program causes the game system to repeatedly perform the tilt direction determination step, the puzzle element movement displaying step, and the image transformation step.

17. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the puzzle element displaying control step comprises:

an initial image generation step of generating an initial image to be displayed before the at least one puzzle element is moved; and

a puzzle element addition step of causing puzzle elements to be additionally displayed on the display screen in response to an output from the tilt detection section.

18. The storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the game system comprises a game controller or a game pad, and

the puzzle element addition step is performed in response to an output from the game controller or game pad.

19. The storage medium according to claim 17,

wherein the game system comprises a timer,

wherein the puzzle element addition step is performed in response to an output from the timer having measured a predetermined period of time.

20. The storage medium according to claim 15,

wherein the puzzle element storage section stores attribute data for each of the plurality of puzzle elements, and

the image transformation step causes the image transformation with respect to an arrangement of puzzle elements having same attribute data.

21. The storage medium according to claim 20,

wherein the image transformation step causes the image transformation when a predetermined number or more of contiguous puzzle elements having the same attribute data stored in the puzzle element storage section are aligned in at least one direction.

22. The storage medium according to claim 21,

wherein the image transformation step causes the image transformation when a plurality of puzzle elements having the same attribute take a predetermined arrangement, the image transformation involving erasing the plurality of puzzle elements taking the predetermined arrangement.

23. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the storage medium comprises the tilt detection section integrally formed therein.

24. A game system for allowing a puzzle game to be played thereon, the game system comprising:

a display section for displaying a plurality of puzzle elements of the puzzle game, the plurality of puzzle elements being operable on within a display screen of the display section;

an acceleration detection section for detecting an acceleration;

a puzzle element displaying control section for controlling at least one of the plurality of puzzle elements displayed on the display screen to be moved in response to an output from the acceleration detection section; and

an image transformation section for causing an image transformation when a plurality of puzzle elements take a predetermined arrangement as a result of the control by the puzzle element displaying control section.

25. The game system according to claim 24,

wherein the puzzle element displaying control section comprises:

an initial image generation section for generating an initial image to be displayed before the at least one puzzle element is moved;

a puzzle element movement direction determination section for determining a direction in which to move the at least one puzzle element in response to an output from the acceleration detection section; and

a puzzle element movement displaying section for causing the at least one puzzle element displayed on the display screen to be moved in accordance with an output from the puzzle element movement direction determination section.

26. The game system according to claim 25,

wherein the puzzle element displaying control section comprises a puzzle element addition section for causing puzzle elements to be additionally displayed on the display screen in response to an output from the acceleration detection section.

27. A storage medium storing a puzzle game program for use in a game system at least comprising:

a tilt detection section for detecting a tilt;

a puzzle element data storage section for storing at least attribute data concerning puzzle elements to be displayed on the display screen;

a display section for displaying the puzzle elements on a display screen; and

a processing section for processing the puzzle game program and changing displayed state of at least one puzzle element displayed on the display screen in accordance with a tilt direction detected by the tilt detection section and puzzle element data stored in the puzzle element data storage section,

wherein the puzzle game program causes the game system to function as a puzzle game such that, with respect to a plurality of puzzle elements displayed on the display screen each having at least one predetermined shape and one of at least two attributes, when a plurality of puzzle elements having a same attribute take an arrangement having a predetermined regularity, the plurality of puzzle elements taking the predetermined arrangement are converted to puzzle elements of another attribute and displayed, and

puzzle elements are displayed at some coordinate positions in the display screen and vacancies are displayed at other coordinate positions, the puzzle elements being piled up from a lower position to a higher position in accordance with the tilt direction detected by the tilt detection section,

the puzzle game program comprising;

a tilt direction determination step of determining a tilt direction based on an output from the tilt detection section when a whole or a part of the game system is tilted;

a puzzle element movement displaying step of controlling the puzzle elements displayed on the display screen to be moved in the tilt direction while allowing the puzzle elements to be piled up on an end of the display screen in the tilt direction to build in an opposite direction of the tilt direction;

a displayed state determination step of determining whether displayed states of the puzzle elements displayed on the display screen have taken an arrangement having a predetermined regularity or not; and

a displayed state changing step of, in accordance with a result of determination by the displayed state determination step, converting a plurality of puzzle elements of the same attribute having taken the predetermined arrangement into puzzle elements having another attribute.

28. The storage medium according to claim 27,

wherein the displayed state determination step determines that the plurality of puzzle elements have taken the predetermined arrangement when puzzle elements of the same attribute are arranged with a predetermined pattern on the display screen.

29. The storage medium according to claim 28,

wherein the displayed state determination step determines that the plurality of puzzle elements have taken the predetermined arrangement when a predetermined number or more of contiguous puzzle elements having the same attribute data are aligned in at least one direction on the display screen.