Storage medium having game program stored thereon and game apparatus

• US 7,614,945 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2006
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Eto, Keita
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOSSER, ROBERT E
• Application Number:
  US11/328,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20060252478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/7, 463 9- 11, 463 30- 32, 273/153.R
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking

Abstract

A color or brightness selected from a plurality of preset colors or brightnesses is set for each of a plurality of puzzle elements, and the plurality of puzzle elements are located and displayed on display means. A color or brightness selected from the plurality of preset colors or brightnesses is set for a cursor, and the cursor is located at the position of one of the puzzle elements selected by the cursor. When a predetermined operation signal is input, the color or brightness of the selected puzzle element is changed based on the color or brightness of the cursor and the color or brightness of the selected puzzle element. When a predetermined number of continuously arranged puzzle elements are of the same color or brightness, such puzzle elements are erased and new puzzle elements are located and displayed on the display means.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus for displaying a game screen on display means in accordance with an operation signal which is output from operation means operated by a player, the game program causing the computer to execute:

a puzzle element color setting step, setting a color selected from a plurality of preset colors as a color of each of a plurality of puzzle elements, and storing data representing the color on a memory;

a puzzle element display step, allocating the plurality of puzzle elements to a predetermined area and displaying each of the plurality of puzzle elements in the color set therefor on the display means;

a cursor color setting step, setting a color selected from the plurality of preset colors indicated by a color of a cursor for selecting one of the plurality of puzzle elements located in the predetermined area, and storing data representing the color on a memory;

a cursor display step, allocating the cursor at a position corresponding to the operation signal and displaying the cursor in the color set therefor on the display means;

a puzzle element color changing step, when the cursor is located at the position corresponding to one of the plurality of puzzle elements selected by the cursor and a predetermined operation signal is input from the operation means, changing the color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor based on the color of the cursor and the color of the puzzle element;

a cursor color changing step, changing the color of the cursor to another color selected from the plurality of preset colors based on a predetermined condition; and

a puzzle element display updating step, when at least a predetermined number of continuously arranged puzzle elements among the plurality of puzzle elements allocated in the predetermined area are of the same color, erasing the continuously arranged puzzle elements, arranging new puzzle elements in the predetermined area each in a color selected from the plurality of preset colors, and displaying the new puzzle elements on the display means.

2. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the puzzle element color changing step includes the step of changing the color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor to a color which is selected from the plurality of preset colors and is closer to the color of the cursor than the color currently set for the puzzle element.

3. A storage medium according to claim 2, wherein:

the cursor color setting step and the cursor color changing step include the step of selecting a color from any two colors among the plurality of preset colors as a color of the cursor; and

the puzzle element color setting step and the puzzle element color changing step include the step of selecting a color, as a color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor, from the two colors selected by the cursor color setting step and the cursor color changing step and another color among the plurality of preset colors which is median between the two colors.

4. A storage medium according to claim 2, wherein:

a plurality of the preset colors have a relationship of forming a color circle;

the cursor color setting step and the cursor color changing step include the step of selecting a color from any three colors among the plurality of preset colors in the color circle as a color of the cursor; and

the puzzle element color setting step and the puzzle element color changing step include the step of selecting a color from all the plurality of preset colors in the color circle as a color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor.

5. A storage medium according to claim 4, wherein:

the puzzle element color changing step includes the step of, when the color of the cursor and the color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor are complementary to each other in the color circle, changing the color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor to an achromatic color which is different from any of the plurality of preset colors in the color circle; and

the game program further causes the computer to execute a puzzle element state changing step changing the puzzle element which has been changed to have the achromatic color to a puzzle element, the color of which cannot be changed by the puzzle element color changing step.

6. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the puzzle element color changing step includes the step, when the color of the cursor and the color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor are the same as each other, keeping the color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor unchanged.

7. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

the puzzle element display updating step includes the step of moving other puzzle elements among the plurality of puzzle elements in a predetermined direction so as to fill a gap generated in the predetermined area by the erasure of the continuously arranged puzzle elements; and

the game program further causes the computer to execute a puzzle element state changing step, changing a puzzle element among the plurality of puzzle elements which has not been moved for at least a predetermined time duration to a puzzle element, the color of which cannot be changed by the puzzle element color changing step.

8. A storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the game program further causes the computer to execute a puzzle element state change timing display step of displaying a time at which the puzzle element is to be changed by the puzzle element state changing step on the display means.

9. A storage medium having storing a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus for displaying a game screen on display means in accordance with an operation signal which is output from operation means operated by a player, the game program causing the computer to execute:

a puzzle element brightness setting step of setting a brightness selected from a plurality of preset brightnesses as a brightness of each of a plurality of puzzle elements, and storing data representing the brightness on a memory;

a puzzle element display step of locating the plurality of puzzle elements in a predetermined area and displaying each of the plurality of puzzle elements in the brightness set therefor on the display means;

a cursor brightness setting step of setting a brightness selected from the plurality of preset brightnesses as a brightness of a cursor for selecting one of the plurality of puzzle elements located in the predetermined area, and storing data representing the brightness on a memory;

a cursor display step of locating the cursor at a position corresponding to the operation signal and displaying the cursor in the brightness set therefor on the display means;

a puzzle element brightness changing step of, when the cursor is located at the position corresponding to one of the plurality of puzzle elements selected by the cursor and a predetermined operation signal is input from the operation means, changing the brightness of the puzzle element selected by the cursor based on the brightness of the cursor and the brightness of the puzzle element;

a cursor brightness changing step of changing the brightness of the cursor to another brightness selected from the plurality of preset brightnesses based on a predetermined condition; and

a puzzle element display updating step of, when at least a predetermined number of continuously arranged puzzle elements among the plurality of puzzle elements located in the predetermined area are of the same brightness, erasing the continuously arranged puzzle elements, arranging new puzzle elements in the predetermined area each in a brightness selected from the plurality of preset brightnesses, and displaying the new puzzle elements on the display means.

10. A game apparatus for displaying a game screen on display means in accordance with an operation signal which is output from operation means operated by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

storage means;

puzzle element color setting means for setting a color selected from a plurality of preset colors as a color of each of a plurality of puzzle elements, and storing data representing the color on a memory;

puzzle element display means for locating the plurality of puzzle elements in a predetermined area and displaying each of the plurality of puzzle elements in the color set therefor on the display means;

cursor color setting means for setting a color selected from the plurality of preset colors as a color of a cursor for selecting one of the plurality of puzzle elements located in the predetermined area, and storing data representing the color on a memory;

cursor display means for locating the cursor at a position corresponding to the operation signal and displaying the cursor in the color set therefor on the display means;

puzzle element color changing means for, when the cursor is located at the position corresponding to one of the plurality of puzzle elements selected by the cursor and a predetermined operation signal is input from the operation means, changing the color of the puzzle element selected by the cursor based on the color of the cursor and the color of the puzzle element;

cursor color changing means for changing the color of the cursor to another color selected from the plurality of preset colors based on a predetermined condition; and

puzzle element display updating means for, when at least a predetermined number of continuously arranged puzzle elements among the plurality of puzzle elements located in the predetermined area are of the same color, erasing the continuously arranged puzzle elements, arranging new puzzle elements in the predetermined area in a color selected from the plurality of preset colors respectively, and displaying the new puzzle elements on the display means.

11. A game apparatus for displaying a game screen on display means in accordance with an operation signal which is output from operation means operated by a player, the game apparatus comprising:

storage means;

puzzle element brightness setting means for setting a brightness selected from a plurality of preset brightnesses as a brightness of each of a plurality of puzzle elements, and storing data representing the brightness on a memory;

puzzle element display means for locating the plurality of puzzle elements in a predetermined area and displaying each of the plurality of puzzle elements in the brightness set therefor on the display means;

cursor brightness setting means for setting a brightness selected from the plurality of preset brightnesses as a brightness of a cursor for selecting one of the plurality of puzzle elements located in the predetermined area, and storing data representing the brightness on a memory;

cursor display means for locating the cursor at a position corresponding to the operation signal and displaying the cursor in the brightness set therefor on the display means;

puzzle element brightness changing means for, when the cursor is located at the position corresponding to one of the plurality of puzzle elements selected by the cursor and a predetermined operation signal is input from the operation means, changing the brightness of the puzzle element selected by the cursor based on the brightness of the cursor and the brightness of the puzzle element;

cursor brightness changing means for changing the brightness of the cursor to another brightness selected from the plurality of preset brightnesses based on a predetermined condition; and

puzzle element display updating means for, when at least a predetermined number of continuously arranged puzzle elements among the plurality of puzzle elements located in the predetermined area are of the same brightness, erasing the continuously arranged puzzle elements, arranging new puzzle elements in the predetermined area each in a brightness selected from the plurality of preset brightnesses, and displaying the new puzzle elements on the display means.