THREE-DIMENSIONAL PUZZLE GAME APPARATUS AND PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20100016049A1
• Filed: 07/14/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: SUZUKI, Yoshiki, SHIRAKAWA, Mari
• Granted Patent: US 9,072,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking

Abstract

A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus includes an LCD on which a three-dimensional puzzle is displayed. The three-dimensional puzzle includes a plurality of blocks arranged in each of three-dimensional directions in a virtual three-dimensional space. Furthermore, a hint numeral indicating the number of blocks to be left in a block row is displayed as information being a hint for searching a block to be left from the block row, for example. When a deleting instruction is performed on a block by utilizing a touch panel, for example, it is then determined that whether or not the block is a block to be left. When it is determined that the block is not a block to be left, the block is erased. When it is determined that all the remaining blocks are blocks to be left, it is determined that the three-dimensional puzzle is solved.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus executing a game for solving a three-dimensional puzzle in a virtual three-dimensional space, comprising:

a displaying means for displaying a three-dimensional puzzle including a plurality of blocks arranged in each of three-dimensional directions of said virtual three-dimensional space and information as a hint for searching a block to be left from an arbitrary block row;

an input determining means for determining whether or not a deleting instruction is performed on any one of the blocks on the basis of input information from an input means;

a deletion determining means for, when said input determining means determines that said deleting instruction is performed on said block, determining whether or not the block to which said deleting instruction is performed is a block to be left;

an erasing means for, when said deletion determining means determines that the block to which said deleting instruction is performed is not a block to be left, erasing the block on which said deleting instruction is performed; and

a solution determining means for determining whether or not said three-dimensional puzzle is solved by determining whether or not all the remaining blocks are said block to be left.

2. A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a deletion information storing means for storing in advance deletion information indicating whether a deletion is correct or wrong by bringing it into correspondence with each of said plurality of blocks, wherein

said deletion determining means performs a determination based on said deletion information corresponding to the block to which said deleting instruction is performed.

3. A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a hint generating means for generating said hint information from said deletion information of the respective blocks making up of said block row.

4. A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said displaying means displays said hint information on a surface vertical to a direction of the row of the respective blocks making up of said block row.

5. A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input determining means further determines whether or not a marking instruction is performed on any one of the blocks on the basis of said input information, further comprising:

a marking means for, when said input determining means determines that said marking instruction is performed on said block, storing information indicating that said block is marked by bringing it into correspondence with the block to which said marking instruction is performed; and

an erasure inactivating means for, when said input determining means determines that said deleting instruction is performed, determining whether or not a block to which said deleting instruction is performed is a marked block, and inactivating the erasure processing on said marked block by said erasing means.

6. A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input determining means further determines whether or not a non-displaying instruction is performed on an arbitrary block on the basis of said input information, and

said displaying means does not display said block on which said non-displaying instruction is performed when said input determining means determines that said non-displaying instruction is performed on said block.

7. A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input means includes a pointing device for designating an arbitrary position on a screen displayed by said displaying means, further comprising:

a gaze calculating means for calculating a gaze from the designated position by said pointing device; and

a specifying means for specifying the designated block by calculating an intersection point between said gaze and a surface of each block.

8. A three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a rotational amount calculating means for calculating an amount of rotation of said three-dimensional puzzle on the basis of an amount of change of said designated position by said pointing device, wherein

said displaying means displays said three-dimensional puzzle rotated on the basis of the amount of rotation.

9. A program product for a three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus executing a game for solving a three-dimensional puzzle in a virtual three-dimensional space, the game program causes a computer of said three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus to execute:

a displaying step for displaying a three-dimensional puzzle including a plurality of blocks arranged in each of three-dimensional directions of said virtual three-dimensional space and information as a hint for searching a block to be left from an arbitrary block row;

an input determining step for determining whether or not a deleting instruction is performed oil any one of the blocks on the basis of input information from an input means;

a deletion determining step for, when said input determining step determines that said deleting instruction is performed on said block, determining whether or not the block to which said deleting instruction is performed is a block to be left;

an erasing step for, when said deletion determining step determines that the block to which said deleting instruction is performed is not a block to be left, erasing the block on which said deleting instruction is performed; and

a solution determining step for determining whether or not said three-dimensional puzzle is solved by determining whether or not all the remaining blocks are said block to be left.

10. A game controlling method of a three-dimensional puzzle game apparatus executing a game for solving a three-dimensional puzzle in a virtual three-dimensional space, including the steps of:

a displaying step for displaying a three-dimensional puzzle including a plurality of blocks arranged in each of three-dimensional directions of said virtual three-dimensional space and information as a hint for searching a block to be left from an arbitrary block row;

an input determining step for determining whether or not a deleting instruction is performed on any one of the blocks on the basis of input information from an input means;

a deletion determining step for, when said input determining step determines that said deleting instruction is performed on said block, determining whether or not the block to which said deleting instruction is performed is a block to be left;

an erasing step for, when said deletion determining step determines that the block to which said deleting instruction is performed is not a block to be left, erasing the block on which said deleting instruction is performed; and

a solution determining step for determining whether or not said three-dimensional puzzle is solved by determining whether or not all the remaining blocks are said block to be left.