Program, system, method, and server

Abstract

To provide a game system, a game method, a game program, and a game server for improving the degree of freedom of movement of a puzzle element to enable execution of a game at a favorable tempo.SOLUTION: A game system 1 comprises: an element selection unit 30 for selecting a first puzzle element; a movement control unit 35 for moving the first puzzle element; a connection unit 45 for generating a connection puzzle element when the first puzzle element becomes into contact with a puzzle element having an appearance that is the same as that of the first puzzle element; an operation control unit 50 that, when a second puzzle element whose type differs from that of the first puzzle element becomes into contact with the first puzzle element or the connection puzzle element, makes the second puzzle element perform predetermined operation; an erasure control unit 55 for erasing the first puzzle element or the connection puzzle element from a game area 100 when at least any one condition of a case that a player's operation to the first puzzle element is eliminated and a case that a predetermined time has passed from a point of time at which the first puzzle element is selected by the element selection unit 30 is satisfied; and a reward generation unit 75.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game system, a game method, a game program, and a game server, and more particularly to a game system, a game method, a game program, and a game server using puzzle elements. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a program that causes a computer to execute a display control step of controlling the display of multiple types of puzzle elements on a display screen, a change step of changing the type of one puzzle element identified based on a player's operation to the same type as the type of a puzzle element at any position adjacent to the position of the one puzzle element, and an erasure step of erasing the adjacently arranged puzzle elements when a predetermined number or more of the same type of puzzle elements are arranged adjacent to each other (for example, see Patent Document 1). According to the program described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to improve the strategic nature of the game while facilitating the operability required of the player. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-202839 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a game using conventional puzzle elements, the movement of the puzzle elements within the game area displayed on the display unit of an information terminal or the like is limited. In addition, it is required to operate multiple puzzle elements falling from above to below the game area while considering appropriate combinations of the puzzle elements, or to operate the puzzle elements while constantly considering which type of puzzle element should be changed to the same type as the type of the adjacent puzzle element after considering combinations and arrangements of multiple puzzle elements, as in the program described in Patent Document 1. Therefore, in a game using conventional puzzle elements including the program described in Patent Document 1, while the strategy of the game can be improved, it may be difficult to progress through the game at a good pace due to the pressure of having to appropriately arrange the puzzle elements while the degree of freedom of movement of the puzzle elements is low.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a game system, a game method, a game program, and a game server that improve the freedom of movement of puzzle elements and enable the game to be played at a good tempo. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a game system capable of playing a game using puzzle elements within a game area, the game system comprising: an element selection unit which selects a first puzzle element from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in response to a player's operation; a movement control unit which moves the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit within the game area in response to the player's operation; a combination unit which, when a puzzle element having an identical appearance to the first puzzle element comes into contact with the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit, combines the puzzle element having an identical appearance to the first puzzle element to generate a combined puzzle element having as its components the puzzle element having the identical appearance to the first puzzle element; an operation control unit which, when a second puzzle element of a different type from the first puzzle element comes into contact with the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, causes the second puzzle element to perform a predetermined operation without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element; and an erasure control unit which erases the combined puzzle element from the game area when at least one of the following conditions is met: when the player's operation on the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit has ceased, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the element selection unit selected the first puzzle element. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The game system, game method, game program, and game server according to the present invention can provide a game system, game method, game program, and game server that improve the freedom of movement of puzzle elements and enable the game to be played at a good tempo. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the game system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a data configuration diagram of each storage section of the storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of puzzle elements in the game system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5]11 is a schematic diagram of an action on an object in the game system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a schematic diagram of an action on an object in the game system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing in the game system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a game system according to a modified example of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Embodiment Mode] <Overview of Game System 1> The game system 1 according to the present embodiment is a game system that can be executed on an information terminal such as a smartphone, and can apply a predetermined action to puzzle elements and / or a predetermined object by using one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in a game area displayed on the display unit of the information terminal. In the game system 1, a puzzle element can be moved to any position in the game area in response to a player's operation, and when the puzzle element comes into contact with another puzzle element of the same type, a combined puzzle element is automatically formed in which the puzzle element and the other puzzle element are combined. In addition, when the puzzle element or the combined puzzle element comes into contact with a puzzle element of a different type from the puzzle element, the different type of puzzle element executes a predetermined action. An example of the predetermined action is an action of being bounced by the puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, and the bounced puzzle element of the different type moves in the game area in the direction of the bounce.

[0010] In the game system 1, a puzzle element or a combined puzzle element may be removed from the game area when a predetermined condition is satisfied. When a puzzle element or a combined puzzle element is removed from the game area, the game system 1 may apply a predetermined action to an object in contact with the puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, or to an object in the vicinity of the puzzle element or the combined puzzle element. The predetermined action may be, for example, the destruction, removal, or movement of the object.

[0011] In this way, the game system 1 has the freedom of movement to move puzzle elements to any position within the game area. Therefore, even if multiple types of puzzle elements are randomly present within the game area, the game system 1 can form a combined puzzle element by combining a puzzle element selected by the player with one or more puzzle elements having the same appearance by moving the selected puzzle element within the game area. Furthermore, this combined puzzle element can also be freely moved within the game area in response to the player's operation.

[0012] Furthermore, when a puzzle element or a combined puzzle element moving within the game area comes into contact with a puzzle element or an object of a different type from the type of the puzzle element or the type of the puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element, the game system 1 can cause the different type of puzzle element or object to execute a predetermined action (e.g., a bounce action). Therefore, the puzzle element or combined puzzle element operated by the player can move by pushing aside puzzle elements or objects of different types that exist within the game area. As a result, the game system 1 can also cause the puzzle element or combined puzzle element operated by the player to scramble other puzzle elements and / or objects in the game area, and change the position of the other puzzle elements and / or objects in the game area from their initial positions.

[0013] Therefore, in the game system 1, by moving puzzle elements or combined puzzle elements within the game area, the combined puzzle elements can be shaped as desired by the player, or the combined puzzle elements can be brought into contact with a specific object desired by the player, and a specific action can be applied to the specific object when the combined puzzle element is erased, etc. This allows the game system 1 to freely move puzzle elements and / or combined puzzle elements according to the player's intention, making it possible to play a game with a good tempo.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows an overview of the game system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 1(a) shows an example in which a game is executed on an information terminal 3 and a state at the start of execution of the game is displayed on a display unit 10 having a touch panel (for example, a display screen of the information terminal 3), and Fig. 1(b) shows an overview of an example of the game being executed.

[0015] First, as shown in Fig. 1(a), at the start of a game, the game system 1 places one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in the game area 100 of the display unit 10 of the information terminal 3. For example, the game system 1 places a plurality of puzzle elements 5a, a plurality of puzzle elements 5b, a plurality of puzzle elements 5c, a plurality of puzzle elements 5d, a plurality of puzzle elements 5e, and a plurality of objects 7 in the game area 100. In the example of Fig. 1(a), each puzzle element and object is placed with a certain degree of grouping, but the puzzle elements and objects may be placed randomly in the game area 100.

[0016] The puzzle elements may be elements that can receive an operation from the player, and the objects may be elements that cannot be operated by the player. The puzzle elements may be elements that represent the characteristics of a predetermined character (for example, a face). Furthermore, the game system 1 may display, on the display unit 10, a move counter 102 indicating the number of moves allowed to the player in one game (for example, the number of times a game element is allowed to be selected by the player in one game), a goal 104 to be achieved by the player in the game (for example, the type and / or number of objects to be eliminated in one game, or a score), and / or a time during which the player can continue to select the puzzle element selected by the player (a time during which the player can select). The move counter 102 may display, on the display unit 10, near the game area 100.

[0017] Next, when the player selects one puzzle element in the game area 100, the game system 1 controls the selected puzzle element so that it can be moved to any position in the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a case will be described in which the player selects one puzzle element 5a from multiple puzzle elements (for example, by touching the display unit 10 with a finger). In this case, the game system 1 moves the one puzzle element 5a within the game area 100 in response to the player maintaining the touch and sliding the finger on the display unit 10. The game system 1 can control the puzzle element to be movable in any direction, such as up, down, left, right, diagonally, etc., within the game area 100.

[0018] When the player moves the one puzzle element 5a and the one puzzle element 5a comes into contact with another puzzle element 5a (puzzle element of the same type as the one puzzle element 5a), the game system 1 combines the other puzzle element 5a with the one puzzle element 5a to form a combined puzzle element 9. Each time the one puzzle element 5a comes into contact with another puzzle element 5a that does not form a combined puzzle element 9, the game system 1 combines the other puzzle element 5a that has come into contact with the one puzzle element 5a or, if a combined puzzle element 9 has already been formed, the combined puzzle element 9. When combining one or more puzzle elements 5a with the one puzzle element 5a, the game system 1 forms a chain-like combined puzzle element 9, and combines the multiple puzzle elements 5a with a combined region 8 (for example, a linear region). The length and / or width of the combined region 8 may be constant or not constant.

[0019] Then, the game system 1 allows the combined puzzle element 9 to be freely moved within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation on the one puzzle element 5a, i.e., the top puzzle element 5a of the combined puzzle elements 9. When a puzzle element (e.g., puzzle element 5b) of a type different from that of the puzzle element 5a and an object 7 come into contact with the one puzzle element 5a and the combined puzzle element 9, the game system 1 controls the one puzzle element 5a or the combined puzzle element 9 to repel (or push aside) the different type of puzzle element and object 7. For example, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the game system 1 controls the combined puzzle element 9 to repel the object 7, puzzle element 5c, puzzle element 5d, etc., and the repelled object 7 and puzzle element 5c, etc. collide with other objects 7 and puzzle elements 5c, etc., and the collided object 7 and puzzle element 5c are further repelled.

[0020] Here, the game system 1 can provide a virtual game area that is connected to a part of the edge of the game area 100 and is invisible to the player. For example, in the example of FIG. 1(b), the virtual game area can be provided on the upper side 100a side of the game area 100 when viewed from the front. The game system 1 can also control an object or puzzle element that is bounced by one puzzle element 5a or the combined puzzle element 9 operated by the player, an object or puzzle element that is further bounced by the bounced object or puzzle element, and / or a puzzle element 5a near the end of the combined puzzle element 9 opposite to the puzzle element 5a operated by the player, to be present in the virtual game area based on the bounced state, the moving path of the combined puzzle element 9, etc. In the example of FIG. 1(b), the puzzle element 5ba bounced by the combined puzzle element 9 is bounced up to the virtual game area, and a part 9a of the end of the combined puzzle element 9 is also located in the virtual game area based on the operation of the player. This allows the game system 1 to have objects and puzzle elements exist in the virtual game area in addition to the game area 100, thereby expanding the range of fun of the game.

[0021] Next, when the player stops the operation on the first puzzle element 5a (for example, when the touch operation on the first puzzle element 5a is stopped), or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the player started the operation on the first puzzle element 5a even if the player is continuing the operation on the first puzzle element 5a, the game system 1 erases the first puzzle element 5a and the combined puzzle element 9 operated by the player from the game area 100. As a result, the player is given a predetermined reward (score, item, etc.). In addition, when erasing the first puzzle element 5a and the combined puzzle element 9, the game system 1 applies a predetermined action to the first puzzle element 5a, the combined puzzle element 9, and / or the object 7 that satisfies a predetermined action condition such as being in contact with or in the vicinity of the combined area 8. The predetermined action is, for example, an action to change the size or state of the object 7 or an action to move the object. As an example, when a predetermined number of predetermined actions are applied to the object 7, the game system 1 may erase the object 7 from the game area 100. The game system 1 gives a predetermined reward to the player based on the type and number of the erased objects 7, their positions within the game area 100, and the like.

[0022] In this way, in a game in which the goal is to erase the object 7 by applying a predetermined action to the object 7 a predetermined number of times, the game system 1 allows the player to freely select game elements and freely move the selected game elements in the game area 100 to form a combined puzzle element 9. The player then moves the combined puzzle element 9 in the game area 100 so as to appropriately contact the object 7 while pushing aside puzzle elements of a different type from the selected puzzle element, and erases the combined puzzle element 9 at a predetermined timing, thereby applying a predetermined action to the object 7. As a result, the game system 1 allows the player to enjoy the game at a good tempo without compromising the strategic nature of the game. In addition, the game system 1 allows the player to enjoy the randomness of the arrangement of the puzzle elements and objects, since the arrangement of the multiple puzzle elements and objects in the game area 100 changes from time to time as the player moves the combined puzzle element 9.

[0023] The information terminal 3 is an information terminal such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a notebook computer, a tablet PC, a PC, a portable game machine, and / or a home game machine. Details of the game system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below, but it should be noted that the names and numbers in the above and following descriptions are merely examples, the present invention is not limited to these proper names and numbers, and these proper names and numbers do not necessarily relate to real proper names and numbers.

[0024] <Details of Game System 1> Fig. 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of the game system according to this embodiment, and Fig. 3 shows an example of the data configuration of each storage section of a storage unit included in the game system according to this embodiment.

[0025] [Game System 1 Configuration Overview] The game system 1 according to the present embodiment is a game system capable of executing a game using puzzle elements within a game area 100. The game system 1 includes a display unit 10 that displays the game area 100, a display control unit 15 that controls the display of the display unit 10, an input unit 20 that accepts instructions from a player, a storage unit 25 that stores various information used in the game, an element selection unit 30 that selects puzzle elements, a movement control unit 35 that controls the movement of the puzzle elements, a contact determination unit 40 that determines whether or not a puzzle element contacts another puzzle element, a combination unit 45 that combines puzzle elements with each other or skill elements with each other, an action control unit 50 that controls the action of another puzzle element that contacts a puzzle element or a combined puzzle element, an erasure control unit 55 that controls the erasure of puzzle elements and combined puzzle elements from the game area 100, an action generation unit 60 that generates a predetermined action on an object, a replenishing unit 65 that replenishing puzzle elements in the game area 100, a skill element generation unit 70 that generates skill elements, a reward generation unit 75 that generates a reward for the player, and a progress control unit 80 that controls the progress of the game.

[0026] The storage unit 25 has a puzzle element information storage section 250 that stores information about puzzle elements, a skill element information storage section 252 that stores information about skill elements, an object information storage section 255 that stores information about objects, and a player information storage section 260 that stores information about players.

[0027] The game system 1 may not only have the above-mentioned multiple components in the same device or location physically, but also may have some of the above-mentioned multiple components installed in physically separate locations. In this case, each component may be connected by a communication network such as the Internet. For example, the game system 1 may have an external server perform some of the functions of the components. The game system 1 may also be configured as one or more servers. In this case, the game system 1 is configured by combining an information terminal, components of one server, and components of another server. In addition, in this embodiment, a collection of predetermined components can be understood as one "information processing device", and the game system 1 may be formed as a collection of multiple information processing devices. The method of allocating multiple functions required to realize the game system 1 according to this embodiment to one or multiple hardware devices can be appropriately determined in consideration of the processing capacity of each hardware device and / or the specifications required for the game system 1. Furthermore, various information stored in the storage unit 25 may be updated by user instructions or information received via the input unit 20, or may be updated as needed by acquiring predetermined information from a predetermined server located outside the game system 1.

[0028] [Gaming System 1 Configuration Details] In the following description, a case will be described in which a player mainly uses an information terminal 3 (for example, a smartphone) to execute a game provided by the game system 1. The information terminal 3 is configured to have at least a display unit 10 and an input unit 20.

[0029] (Display unit 10, display control unit 15) The display unit 10 is controlled by the display control unit 15 and displays the game area 100 in which the game is executed, one or more types of puzzle elements, one or more objects, one or more skill elements, and / or various other types of information related to the game that are arranged in the game area 100. The display unit 10 outputs various processing results and information stored in the storage unit 25 so that the player can perceive them. Specifically, the display control unit 15 causes the display unit 10 to display various processing results in each component and information stored in the storage unit 25 as data, still images, moving images, and / or text in a predetermined format. The display unit 10 may display information received from an external server.

[0030] In this embodiment, the shape of the game area 100 is described as a rectangle, but the shape of the game area 100 is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a circle, an ellipse, a trapezoid, a star, a shape in which a rectangle is connected to a region of a predetermined shape (e.g., a trapezoid or a rectangle) of a different size, a shape with a convex or concave part, etc. In addition, the display control unit 15 may display a part of the puzzle element outside the game area 100 as long as it is within the display area of ​​the display unit 10 and the majority (at least half or more) of the area of ​​the puzzle element is located within the game area 100. This can emphasize the dynamism of the movement of the puzzle element.

[0031] (Input unit 20, input surface 200, input control unit 210) The input unit 20 accepts inputs such as predetermined instructions and operations from the player. The input unit 20 supplies the instructions to predetermined components of the game system 1. Each component that accepts the instructions performs a predetermined function. For example, the input unit 20 is a touch panel, a tablet, a mouse, a motion sensor, or the like. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the input unit 20 is a touch panel provided in the information terminal 3. The touch panel may be capable of detecting multi-touch. Specifically, the touch panel as the input unit 20 has an input surface 200 to which operations and the like from the player are input, and an input control unit 210 that acquires information regarding the operations input to the input surface 200. The touch panel is disposed on top of the display unit 10, and the surface of the touch panel corresponds to the input surface 200.

[0032] The input surface 200 detects a position specified by a player's operation on the input surface 200 (for example, a touch operation, a tap operation, a slide operation, etc.). The input surface 200 supplies the detected information, i.e., position information indicating the detected position, to the input control unit 210. The input control unit 210 acquires the position information from the input surface 200 and supplies it to the element selection unit 30 and the movement control unit 35.

[0033] (Storage Unit 25) The storage unit 25 stores various types of information related to the game system 1. Each storage section of the storage unit 25 supplies predetermined information to a predetermined component of the game system 1 in response to a request from the other component.

[0034] (Storage unit 25: puzzle element information storage section 250) The puzzle element information storage unit 250 stores information about puzzle elements used in the game. A puzzle element is an element that can be operated by a player. Specifically, the puzzle element information storage unit 250 stores puzzle element information in association with a puzzle element ID that identifies the puzzle element. The puzzle element information is, for example, information such as the type of puzzle element, the name of the puzzle element (for example, the character name such as Eevee or Charmander), the time during which the puzzle element can be selected by the player, and / or an image of the puzzle element.

[0035] (Storage unit 25: skill element information storage section 252) The skill element information storage unit 252 stores information about skill elements having a skill that generates a predetermined effect in a predetermined area of ​​the game area 100 in response to an instruction from a player. A skill element is an element that is generated in the game area 100 by the skill element generating unit 70 when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The effect of the skill element can be generated in a predetermined area, such as an area that includes the skill element up to a predetermined distance from the center, or an area that includes the skill element up to a predetermined distance in a predetermined direction from the center. The effect may be, for example, an effect of erasing, transforming, destroying, or moving puzzle elements and / or objects included in the area in which the effect occurs.

[0036] Specifically, the skill element information storage unit 252 stores skill element information in association with a skill element ID that identifies a skill element. The skill element information is, for example, information on the effect of the skill element, the direction and range in which the effect is exerted, the skill element generation condition, and / or an image of the skill element.

[0037] (Storage unit 25: object information storage section 255) The object information storage unit 255 stores information about objects used in the game. An object may be an element that cannot be operated by a player and that disappears when a predetermined condition is met. Specifically, the object information storage unit 255 stores object information in association with an object ID that identifies the object. The object information is, for example, information such as the type of object, the name of the object, an image of the object, and / or a condition for the object to disappear.

[0038] (Storage unit 25: player information storage section 260) The player information storage unit 260 stores information about players who play a game. Specifically, the player information storage unit 260 stores the player information in association with a player ID that identifies the player. The player information is, for example, information about the name of the player, the character acquired by the player, the reward acquired by the player (including points, benefits, points, etc. acquired by playing the game), and the like.

[0039] (Element selection unit 30) The element selection unit 30 selects a puzzle element desired by the player (hereinafter referred to as a "first puzzle element") from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in the game area 100 in response to a player's operation (i.e., a touch operation that is an input operation by the player on the input surface 200) received by the input unit 20. That is, the element selection unit 30 compares the positions of the puzzle elements arranged in the game area 100 with the position information received from the input control unit 210, and selects the puzzle element existing at the position indicated by the position information as the first puzzle element.

[0040] The element selection unit 30 selects the first puzzle element while the input unit 20 is accepting the player's operation, or while the input unit 20 is accepting the operation and before the erasure control unit 55, which will be described later, erases the first puzzle element. Specifically, the element selection unit 30 selects, as the first puzzle element, a puzzle element that exists in the position information of a position selected by the player through a touch operation from among a plurality of puzzle elements displayed in the game area 100. Furthermore, when the element selection unit 30 selects the first puzzle element, it refers to the puzzle element information storage unit 250 and acquires information indicating the type of the first puzzle element. The element selection unit 30 supplies the position information of the selected first puzzle element to the movement control unit 35. Furthermore, the element selection unit 30 supplies information (type information) indicating the type of the first puzzle element to the contact determination unit 40. Furthermore, the element selection unit 30 supplies information indicating the time when the first puzzle element was selected and information indicating whether the first puzzle element is selected to the erasure control unit 55. In addition, unless otherwise specified below, the skill element can be handled in the same manner as the puzzle element.

[0041] (Movement control unit 35) The movement control unit 35 moves the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit 30 within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. That is, the movement control unit 35 moves the first puzzle element within the game area 100 in response to the detection result of the player's operation (e.g., the movement of the player's finger, etc.) by the input unit 20. The movement control unit 35 freely moves the first puzzle element within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation while the player is selecting the first puzzle element selected by the player, or while the player is selecting the first puzzle element and until the erasure control unit 55, which will be described later, erases the first puzzle element. Specifically, the movement control unit 35 acquires position information indicating the position of the first puzzle element within the game area 100 from the input unit 20. Then, the display control unit 15 causes the display unit 10 to display a state in which the first puzzle element is moving within the game area 100 based on the position information of the first puzzle element received from the movement control unit 35.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, unlike a matrix-shaped game area, for example, puzzle elements can be placed at any position within the game area 100 (i.e., can be moved to any position). In other words, the puzzle elements can be present at any position within the game area 100 (however, if an area within the game area 100 is provided to which movement of puzzle elements is prohibited, the puzzle elements can be present at any position excluding that area) in response to the player's operation. The movement control unit 35 supplies position information of the first puzzle element within the game area 100 to the contact determination unit 40.

[0043] (Contact determination unit 40) The contact determination unit 40 determines whether the first puzzle element operated by the player is in contact with another puzzle element, and whether the first puzzle element is in contact with an object. The contact determination unit 40 also refers to the puzzle element information storage unit 250 to determine whether the type indicated by the type information of the first puzzle element received from the element selection unit 30 is the same as the type indicated by the type information of the other puzzle element in contact with the first puzzle element operated by the player. The puzzle elements being of the same type (same kind) may refer to the appearances (i.e., the external design (appearance)) of the puzzle elements being the same. The puzzle elements being "in contact" includes the states where the two "collide" and "butt". The contact determination unit 40 can use a contact determination (collision determination) algorithm known in the art to determine the contact (collision) between the puzzle elements. The contact determination unit 40 supplies information indicating the determination result to the joining unit 45, the operation control unit 50, and the action generation unit 60.

[0044] (Connection part 45) When another puzzle element (a puzzle element of the same type as the first puzzle element and / or a puzzle element of a different type) comes into contact with the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit 30 (i.e., the first puzzle element moving within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation) under a predetermined condition, the combining unit 45 combines the first puzzle element with the puzzle element that has come into contact with it. For example, when a puzzle element of the same type as the first puzzle element comes into contact with the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit 30, the combining unit 45 combines the first puzzle element with the puzzle element of the same type to generate a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element of the same type as components. In other words, when the judgment result of the contact judgment unit 40 indicates that the type of the other puzzle element that has come into contact with the first puzzle element is the same as the type of the first puzzle element, the combining unit 45 combines the other puzzle element with the first puzzle element to generate a combined puzzle element.

[0045] Then, when the first puzzle element constituting the combined puzzle element (i.e., the first puzzle element at the top) contacts another puzzle element of the same type, the combining unit 45 combines the puzzle element of the same type with the combined puzzle element to generate a new combined puzzle element. That is, when a plurality of puzzle elements of the same type contact the first puzzle element, or when a plurality of puzzle elements of the same type contact the first puzzle element sequentially, the combining unit 45 generates a combined puzzle element by combining the plurality of puzzle elements of the same type with the first puzzle element in a chain shape. In this case, the combining unit 45 can combine the plurality of puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element (wherein the top puzzle element is the first puzzle element operated by the player) with a combined region. Here, the shape of the combined region can be various shapes. For example, the combined region may be various shapes such as a thin line shape, a wide line shape, a dotted line shape, a shape of a plurality of rectangles connected together, a shape of a plurality of circles or ellipses connected together, a band shape in which the width changes continuously or irregularly between one puzzle element and another puzzle element adjacent to the one puzzle element. Here, an example will be described in which the bonded region is a bond line whose length and / or thickness (width) is variable.

[0046] In this case, the movement control unit 35 moves the combined puzzle elements in the game area 100 with the first puzzle element at the front in response to the player's operation on the first puzzle element (the first puzzle element selected by the player). The movement control unit 35 moves one or more subsequent puzzle elements excluding the front puzzle element, following the movement of the front first puzzle element. In this case, the combining unit 45 may vary the distance between the multiple puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element in response to the moving speed of the front first puzzle element (the first puzzle element being operated by the player), and change the length and / or width of the connecting line connecting the multiple puzzle elements. For example, the faster the moving speed, the longer and / or narrower the connecting line may be, and the slower the moving speed, the shorter and / or wider the connecting line may be. In addition, when there are multiple connecting lines, the lengths and / or widths of the connecting lines may be the same or different. However, it is preferable that the length of the connecting line has a maximum length, and it is also preferable that the width of the connecting line has a maximum width. Then, the display control unit 15 causes the display unit 10 to display the combined puzzle elements based on the processing results of the element selection unit 30, the movement control unit 35, and the combining unit 45. This allows the player to feel that the combined puzzle elements are moving dynamically.

[0047] Here, when the combining unit 45 combines a further puzzle element with the combined puzzle element, there is no particular limitation on the combining position of the newly combined puzzle element (new puzzle element). For example, the new puzzle element may be inserted between the first puzzle element at the top of the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element combined next to the first puzzle element, and combined. For example, when the combined puzzle element is composed of two puzzle elements, the first puzzle element at the top (referred to as "puzzle element A") and a puzzle element (referred to as "puzzle element B") combined with the first puzzle element, a puzzle element of the same type as the first puzzle element (referred to as "puzzle element C") comes into contact with the first puzzle element. In this case, the combining unit 45 incorporates puzzle element C between puzzle element A and puzzle element B to generate a combined puzzle element with the configuration of "puzzle element A-puzzle element C-puzzle element B". Note that the "-" part indicates a combining line.

[0048] Furthermore, when the combining unit 45 combines a new puzzle element with a combined puzzle element, the display control unit 15 may display the new puzzle element to be combined for a predetermined time and at a predetermined magnification. For example, in the above example, when the combining unit 45 incorporates puzzle element C between puzzle element A and puzzle element B, the display control unit 15 causes the display unit 10 to display puzzle element C at a predetermined time and at a predetermined magnification. This allows a puzzle element of the same type as the first puzzle element that has come into contact with the first puzzle element operated by the player to be combined with the first puzzle element by being drawn into it, allowing the player to realize that the combination is being executed.

[0049] The contact determination unit 40 also determines whether the combined puzzle element being operated by the player (the combined puzzle element is also operated by operating the first puzzle element at the top) is in contact with other puzzle elements and / or objects. The combining unit 45 then determines whether or not to combine other puzzle elements into the combined puzzle element based on the contact determination (hit determination) of the other puzzle elements with the first puzzle element at the top of the combined puzzle element by the contact determination unit 40. The range determined as "contact" in this contact determination (i.e., the distance from the outer edge of the first puzzle element) may be the same regardless of the type of puzzle element from the viewpoint of facilitating gameplay, or may be different depending on the type of puzzle element from the viewpoint of improving strategy.

[0050] In the above example, the combining unit 45 generates a combined puzzle element by combining the first puzzle element selected by the element selecting unit 30 with a puzzle element of the same type as the first puzzle element. However, the combining unit 45 may generate a combined puzzle element of a different form in accordance with a predetermined condition. For example, there may be a case where a first puzzle element (puzzle element α) and a puzzle element β of a different type from the puzzle element α exist. In this case, the predetermined condition may be a condition for generating a combined puzzle element arranged with a predetermined regularity. The conditions may be, for example, conditions for generating combined puzzle elements in which puzzle elements α and puzzle elements β are arranged alternately (i.e., combined like αβαβαβαβαβαβ...), conditions for generating combined puzzle elements in which a predetermined number of the same type of puzzle elements are arranged in succession (blocks) (i.e., combined like ααααααββββββββααααααβββββ...), and / or conditions for generating combined puzzle elements in which a puzzle element corresponding to the main chain has a different type of puzzle element as a branch (i.e., combined like αααα(-ββββ)ααααα(-ββββ)αααα..., where side chains (branches) consisting of one or more β are combined at various points in a chain-like main chain (trunk) consisting of multiple α).

[0051] (Operation control unit 50) When a puzzle element (hereinafter referred to as "second puzzle element") and / or an object of a different type from the first puzzle element comes into contact with a first puzzle element or a combined puzzle element moving in the game area 100, the operation control unit 50 causes the second puzzle element and / or the object to execute a predetermined operation without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element. The predetermined operation is, for example, an operation in which the second puzzle element and / or the object collides with the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element and is bounced off. In this case, the display control unit 15 causes the display unit 10 to display the second puzzle element and / or the object performing the predetermined operation determined by the operation control unit 50. Note that, when a puzzle element, a second puzzle element, and / or an object that does not constitute a combined puzzle element comes into contact with the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element and is bounced off, and the direction of movement due to the bounce is the direction of the virtual game area, the operation control unit 50 may move the puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or the object that does not constitute a combined puzzle element from the position where each of them exists toward the virtual game area.

[0052] (Erasing control unit 55) When at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: when the player no longer operates the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit 30, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the element selection unit 30 selected the first puzzle element even if the player continues to operate, the erasure control unit 55 erases the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element from the game area 100 at the position where the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element exists in the game area 100 at the time when the condition is satisfied. Here, the "predetermined time" may be set to a different time depending on the type of puzzle element. In this case, the erasure control unit 55 may use the time during which the player can select the puzzle element stored in the puzzle element information storage unit 250 as the predetermined time. Then, the display control unit 15 may start counting down the predetermined time from the time when the element selection unit 30 selected the first puzzle element, and may display the remaining time and / or the elapsed time in or near the game area 100 to present it to the player.

[0053] The display control unit 15 may also change the display form of the combined area (e.g., the color, shape, etc. of the combined area) according to the number of puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element. For example, the display control unit 15 changes the color of the combined area every time the number of puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element increases by a predetermined number. As an example, the display control unit 15 may change the color of the combined area according to the number of puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element, such as making the color of the combined area transparent when the number of puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element is 1 to 9, making the color of the combined area blue when the number of puzzle elements is 10 to 19, and making the color of the combined area red when the number of puzzle elements is 20 to 29. This allows the user to know the number of puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element without referring to the margin of the game area during game play, and therefore, for example, the user can easily know how much reward (points, etc.) can be obtained by erasing the combined puzzle element. Furthermore, the display control unit 15 may change the display form of the combined area according to the remaining time from the time when the element selection unit 30 selected the first puzzle element until a predetermined time has elapsed. Specifically, the display control unit 15 may change the color of the combined region according to the remaining time, and may also blink the display of the combined region or change the blinking speed. For example, when the combined region is formed, the display control unit 15 blinks the display of the combined region at a predetermined blinking speed. Then, the display control unit 15 changes the blinking speed according to the decrease in the remaining time. As an example, the display control unit 15 can increase or decrease the blinking speed. Note that, from the viewpoint of emphasizing to the user that the remaining time is short, the display control unit 15 may increase the blinking speed according to the decrease in the remaining time.

[0054] Furthermore, the display control unit 15 erases the first puzzle elements and / or combined puzzle elements erased by the erasure control unit 55 from the display unit 10. In addition, the display control unit 15 may, in the erasure, apply a display effect such as an explosion to the area in which the first puzzle elements and / or combined puzzle elements to be erased are present and / or to the periphery of the area. The erasure control unit 55 supplies the replenishment unit 65 and the reward generation unit 75 with information indicating the type and / or number of the erased first puzzle elements, or the type and / or number of puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element.

[0055] (Action generating unit 60) When the erasure control unit 55 erases the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, the action generating unit 60 generates a predetermined action on an object in contact with at least one of the first puzzle element, the combined puzzle element, or the combined area, or on a nearby object. In this case, the display control unit 15 causes the display unit 10 to display the state of the object during and / or after the predetermined action generated by the action generating unit 60 is applied to the object. Examples of the predetermined action include an action of destroying, deforming, erasing, changing the color, or moving the object. When the action generating unit 60 erases an object, the action generating unit 60 supplies information indicating the type and / or number of the erased object to the replenishment unit 65.

[0056] For example, the action generating unit 60 refers to the object disappearance condition stored in the object information storage unit 255, and when the disappearance control unit 55 erases the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, the action generating unit 60 erases from the game area 100 the object that is in contact with or in the vicinity of the first puzzle element, the combined puzzle element, or the combined area and that satisfies the disappearance condition. As an example, the disappearance condition is a condition for making an object disappear when the disappearance of the first puzzle element, the combined puzzle element, or the combined area is encountered a predetermined number of times. The action generating unit 60 may generate a specific action, such as an action of reducing the size of the object or an action of damaging the object, depending on the number of times the disappearance of the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element is encountered, until the predetermined number of times set in the disappearance condition is reached.

[0057] Furthermore, when the player moves the first puzzle element at the top of the combined puzzle elements within the game area 100, the movement control unit 35 moves the combined puzzle element in response to the movement. In this way, since the combined puzzle element is made up of multiple puzzle elements connected in a chain shape, the combined puzzle element moves following the movement of the first puzzle element. Furthermore, the puzzle elements can be moved to any position within the game area 100. Therefore, the combined puzzle elements within the game area 100 can be made not only in a straight chain shape, but also in a shape having an arc in part, a meandering shape, or even a spiral shape, depending on the player's operation. Therefore, multiple parts of the combined puzzle element can be brought into contact with one object.

[0058] In this case, since the object is in contact with or in the vicinity of multiple points of the combined puzzle element to be erased by the erasure control unit 55, the action generating unit 60 may increase the effect of a predetermined action according to the number of contact points and / or the number of objects determined to be in the vicinity (hereinafter simply referred to as the "contact number"). As an example, when an object is in contact with multiple points of the combined puzzle element, the action generating unit 60 increases the effect of the action to be generated for the object by the number of contacts. For example, when the disappearance condition of the object is that the object encounters the erasure of the combined puzzle element twice, if the combined puzzle element is erased while the object is in contact with two points of the combined puzzle element, the action generating unit 60 can erase the object by encountering the erasure once, although the object would not disappear unless it encountered the erasure of the combined puzzle element twice.

[0059] (Supplementary part 65) The replenishing unit 65 replenishing the game area 100 with one or more puzzle elements of one or more types, the number of which corresponds to the number of first puzzle elements erased by the erasure control unit 55 (note that, if a combined puzzle element is not generated, the number of first puzzle elements is one) or the total number of first puzzle elements and puzzle elements of the same type as the first puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle elements. The replenishing unit 65 can also replenishing the game area 100 with one or more puzzle elements of at least one type, the number of which corresponds to the total number of first puzzle elements erased by the erasure control unit 55 or first puzzle elements and puzzle elements of the same type as the first puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle elements, and the total number of objects erased by the action generation unit 60. In this case, the display control unit 15 displays the one or more puzzle elements replenishing by the replenishing unit 65 in the game area 100 of the display unit 10. When replenishing a plurality of puzzle elements, the replenishing unit 65 may randomly determine the type of puzzle elements to be replenishing. That is, in this embodiment, at the start of the game, one or more puzzle elements of a predetermined number of types (e.g., x or more types, where x is a number equal to or greater than 1) are placed in the game area 100. The replenishment unit 65 can, for example, randomly determine the type of puzzle element from among the x types. Furthermore, when the replenishment unit 65 replenishes puzzle elements, the display control unit 15 may replenish the puzzle elements from a virtual game area adjacent to the game area 100 toward the game area 100.

[0060] (Skill element generation part 70) The skill element generating unit 70 refers to the skill element generating condition stored in the skill element information storage unit 252 and generates a skill element having a skill that generates a predetermined effect in a predetermined area of ​​the game area 100. The skill element generating condition can be determined appropriately, for example, a condition that the number of puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element is a predetermined number or more, a condition that the type of the puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element is a predetermined type, etc. The skill element generating unit 70 may generate a skill element in a part of the area where the combined puzzle element erased by the erasure control unit 55 was present, or may supply a skill element from the virtual game area to the game area 100 when the skill element generating condition is satisfied. In this case, the display control unit 15 displays the skill element generated or supplied to the game area 100 by the skill element generating unit 70 in the game area 100 of the display unit 10.

[0061] Furthermore, when the skill element generating unit 70 generates a skill element, the element selecting unit 30 can make the skill element selectable in response to the player's operation. Then, the movement control unit 35 controls the skill element selected by the element selecting unit 30 in response to the player's operation so that it can be moved to any position within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. In this case, the movement control unit 35 may change the orientation of the skill element in response to the player's operation. This allows the area in which a predetermined effect of the skill element occurs to be changed in response to the player's intention.

[0062] The movement control unit 35 controls the skill element selected by the element selection unit 30 in response to the player's operation so that it can be moved to any position within the game area 100. The deletion control unit 55 deletes the skill element from the game area 100 at the position where the skill element in the game area 100 exists at the time when the condition is satisfied, when at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: when the player's operation on the skill element selected by the element selection unit 30 is no longer performed, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the element selection unit 30 selected the skill element even if the player's operation is still performed. In response to the deletion of the skill element, the action generation unit 60 generates a predetermined action determined for the skill element on puzzle elements and / or objects existing around the skill element or in a predetermined area in the direction in which the skill element is facing, if the skill element has a directionality that generates an effect. The predetermined action is, for example, deformation, destruction, deletion, movement, etc. of the puzzle elements or objects. In this case, the elimination control unit 55 supplies information indicating the number of skill elements that have been erased to the replenishment unit 65, and the action generation unit 60 also supplies information indicating the number of puzzle elements and / or objects that have been erased to the reward generation unit 75.

[0063] In addition, when the movement control unit 35 is moving one skill element within the game area 100, if another skill element of the same type as the one skill element comes into contact with the one skill element, the combining unit 45 can also form a combined skill element by combining the other skill element with the one skill element. In this case, when a puzzle element, object, or skill element (hereinafter referred to as "other element") different from the skill element or the skill element constituting the combined skill element comes into contact with the skill element or combined skill element moving within the game area 100, the operation control unit 50 causes the other element to perform a predetermined operation. For example, the predetermined operation is an operation in which the other element collides with the skill element or combined skill element and is bounced off. The display control unit 15 causes the display unit 10 to display the other element performing the predetermined operation determined by the operation control unit 50. In addition, in response to the erasure of the combined skill element, the action generating unit 60 may change the effect of the predetermined action in the case of the skill element constituting the combined skill element alone. For example, the effect generation unit 60 may change the specified effect to an effect advantageous to the player, such as expanding the range of occurrence of a specified effect when a combined skill element is eliminated, or increasing the effect on puzzle elements or objects, compared to the specified effect when one skill element is eliminated.

[0064] (Remuneration Generation Department 75) The reward generation unit 75 generates reward information to be given to the player based on the combination puzzle elements and / or skill elements erased by the erasure control unit 55 and / or the type and / or number of objects erased by a predetermined action applied to the objects by the action generation unit 60. The reward generation unit 75 stores the generated reward information in the player information storage unit 260. In addition, the display control unit 15 may display the reward information generated by the reward generation unit 75 in a predetermined area of ​​the display unit 10.

[0065] (Progress control unit 80) The progress control unit 80 controls the progress of the game. For example, the progress control unit 80 can determine the clearing conditions of the game and the number of moves that the player can make in the game at the start of the game. The progress control unit 80 can end the game when the clearing conditions are met or when the number of moves set by the player's predetermined operation is exhausted. Furthermore, even when the number of moves is exhausted, the progress control unit 80 may add or recover the number of moves by using a predetermined item according to the player's selection.

[0066] In addition, when the progress control unit 80 starts a game, the skill element generating unit 70 may select a skill element to be generated during game execution in response to a player's instruction, and generate the skill element in the game area 100 when a skill element generation condition is satisfied. In addition, for example, at the time of starting the game by the progress control unit 80 (or immediately after the game starts), one or more types of puzzle elements are arranged in the game area 100. The element selection unit 30 selects one puzzle element from the arranged puzzle elements in response to a player's instruction received via the input unit 10. Then, the skill element generating unit 70 can also select a skill element to be generated during game execution in response to the type of the selected puzzle element. In this case, the skill element information storage unit 252 further associates the skill element ID with a predetermined type of puzzle element and stores it. This allows the player to generate a skill element in response to the puzzle element selected by the player during the game, thereby improving the strategic nature of the game and the expectation of the occurrence of a skill element.

[0067] [Example of puzzle element behavior in Game System 1] Fig. 4 shows an overview of an example of the operation of puzzle elements in the game system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 4(a) shows an example of the display on the display unit 10 at the start of the game, and Fig. 4(b) and Fig. 4(c) each show an example of the display on the display unit 10 during the game. Note that the example in Fig. 4 shows an example in which multiple types of puzzle elements are arranged in the game area 100 and no objects exist, and the player's fingers are not shown.

[0068] First, as shown in Fig. 4(a), at the start of a game, the display control unit 15 displays a game area 100 in a predetermined area of ​​the display unit 10 of the information terminal 3. Then, the display control unit 15 arranges multiple types of multiple puzzle elements in the game area 100 and displays them on the display unit 10. For example, the display control unit 15 randomly arranges multiple puzzle elements 5f, multiple puzzle elements 5g, multiple puzzle elements 5h, multiple puzzle elements 5i, and multiple puzzle elements 5j in the game area 100 and displays them on the display unit 10.

[0069] Next, the element selection unit 30 selects one puzzle element from the multiple puzzle elements in response to the player's operation. In the example of FIG. 4(b), the element selection unit 30 selects one puzzle element 5h in response to the player's operation. Then, the movement control unit 35 freely moves the one puzzle element 5h in the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. That is, the one puzzle element 5h can be freely moved in any direction, such as up, down, left, right, and diagonal directions, in the game area 100, and moves following the player's operation (for example, an operation using a finger) even if the operation is an operation that draws an arc or a swirl on the display unit 10.

[0070] The contact determination unit 40 determines whether a puzzle element contacting the puzzle element 5h operated by the player is of the same type as the puzzle element 5h. If the puzzle element contacting the puzzle element 5h operated by the player is another puzzle element 5h of the same type, the combining unit 45 combines the puzzle element 5h operated by the player with the other puzzle element 5h of the same type. The combining unit 45 repeats the combining process every time the puzzle element 5h operated by the player comes into contact with another puzzle element 5h of the same type. As a result, a combined puzzle element 9 consisting of a plurality of puzzle elements 5h is generated, as shown in FIG. 4(b).

[0071] The combining unit 45 combines the multiple puzzle elements 5h with a combined region 8. The combining unit 45 can change the shape (e.g., length, width, etc.) of the combined region 8 in response to the movement control of the combined puzzle element 9 by the movement control unit 35. For example, when the combined region 8 is linear, the combining unit 45 can lengthen the length of the combined region 8 in response to the speed at which the player moves the leading puzzle element 5h of the combined puzzle element 9. In addition, when the combined puzzle element 9 is composed of multiple puzzle elements 5h, the combining unit 45 may shorten the length of the combined region 8 at a position away from the leading puzzle element 5h compared to the length of the combined region 8 combined with the leading puzzle element 5h.

[0072] On the other hand, if the contact determination unit 40 determines that the puzzle element contacting the puzzle element 5h and the combined puzzle element 9 is a puzzle element of a different type from the puzzle element 5h, the operation control unit 50 causes the puzzle element of the different type to execute a predetermined operation, for example, an operation of being bounced off by the puzzle element 5h. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a case will be described in which a first puzzle element 5j and a first puzzle element 5g successively come into contact with the leading puzzle element 5h of the combined puzzle element 9. In this case, the operation control unit 50 causes each of the first puzzle element 5j and the first puzzle element 5g to execute an operation of being bounced off in a predetermined direction (upward in the example of FIG. 4(b)) of the game area 100. The bounced first puzzle element 5j and the first puzzle element 5g each move toward the upper part of the game area 100. Furthermore, when a virtual game area is provided in the game area 100, the operation control unit 50 may execute an operation in which a puzzle element is flicked into the virtual game area, such as puzzle element 5j in Figure 4(b), and then falls back into the game area 100.

[0073] Then, when the player stops operating the top puzzle element 5h of the combined puzzle element 9 selected by the element selection unit 30 (for example, when the player stops touching the puzzle element 5h), or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the element selection unit 30 selected the top puzzle element 5h, the erasure control unit 55 erases the combined puzzle element 9 as shown in Fig. 4(c). The erasure control unit 55 can also add display effects such as light emission and explosions to the surroundings of the puzzle elements and combined puzzle elements to be erased.

[0074] Furthermore, the reward generating unit 75 gives the player a reward such as a score depending on the number of puzzle elements 5h constituting the erased combined puzzle element 9. After the combined puzzle elements 9 are erased, a space 106 is formed in the area of ​​the game area 100 where the combined puzzle elements 9 existed. After the space 106 is formed, the puzzle elements present above the space 106 move (fall) toward the space 106. Furthermore, since the combined puzzle elements 9 have been erased, the replenishing unit 65 replenishing the game area 100 with the same number of puzzle elements as the number of puzzle elements 5h constituting the combined puzzle element 9. The type of puzzle elements to be replenished by the replenishing unit 65 may be a predetermined type selected from puzzle elements 5f, puzzle element 5g, puzzle element 5h, puzzle element 5i, and puzzle element 5j, or may be a type randomly determined from puzzle elements 5f, puzzle element 5g, puzzle element 5h, puzzle element 5i, and puzzle element 5j.

[0075] [Example of action on objects in Game System 1] 5 and 6 show an overview of an example of an action on an object in the game system according to this embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 5(a) shows an example of a display on the display unit 10 at the start of a game, and FIG. 5(b), FIG. 5(c), and FIG. 6 each show an example of a display on the display unit 10 during a game. Note that the example of FIG. 5 shows an example in which multiple types of puzzle elements and objects are arranged in the game area 100. Also, the example of FIG. 5 is substantially similar to the example of FIG. 4 except that an object exists in the game area 100, and therefore detailed description will be omitted except for the differences.

[0076] First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the display control unit 15 arranges a plurality of puzzle elements 5k, a plurality of puzzle elements 5l, a plurality of puzzle elements 5m, a plurality of puzzle elements 5n, and a plurality of objects 7 in the game area 100, and causes the display unit 10 to display them. In the example of FIG. 5(a), four objects 7 are arranged near the center of the game area 100, and a plurality of puzzle elements are arranged so as to surround the periphery of the objects 7. Next, the element selection unit 30 selects one puzzle element from the plurality of puzzle elements in response to the player's operation. In the example of FIG. 5(b), the element selection unit 30 selects one puzzle element 5k in response to the player's operation. Then, the movement control unit 35 freely moves the one puzzle element 5k in the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. However, the movement control unit 35 may prohibit the movement of the puzzle element to a position where the object 7 exists, that is, to a position where the puzzle element overlaps with the object 7.

[0077] Then, when the contact determination unit 40 determines that the puzzle element contacting the puzzle element 5k is the same type as the puzzle element 5k, the combining unit 45 combines the puzzle element 5k of the same type with the puzzle element 5k operated by the player. The combining unit 45 repeats the combining process every time the puzzle element 5k operated by the player is contacted with another puzzle element 5k of the same type. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a combined puzzle element 9 consisting of a plurality of puzzle elements 5k is generated. Next, the movement control unit 35 moves the combined puzzle element 9 within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. In the example of FIG. 5(b), the movement control unit 35 controls the combined puzzle element 9 to have a substantially circular shape so as to surround a plurality of objects 7 arranged near the center of the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. In FIG. 5(b), at least a part of the combined puzzle element 9 is in contact with each of the four objects 7.

[0078] In this state, if the player stops operating the combined puzzle element 9 (i.e., if there is no longer a touch operation on the top puzzle element 5k of the combined puzzle element 9 selected by the element selection unit 30 in response to the player's operation), or if a predetermined time has elapsed since the element selection unit 30 selected the top puzzle element 5k, the deletion control unit 55 deletes the combined puzzle element 9 as shown in Fig. 5(c). Then, a space 106 is formed in the area of ​​the game area 100 where the combined puzzle element 9 was located, and the puzzle elements (e.g., puzzle element 5n, puzzle element 5l, etc.) existing above the space 106 move (fall) toward the space 106.

[0079] Furthermore, the action generating unit 60 generates a predetermined action on the object 7 that was in contact with the combined puzzle element 9. For example, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the action generating unit 60 generates an action of cracking the object 7, and the display control unit 15 displays the cracked object 7a in the game area 100. For example, if a condition is set for the object 7 that the object 7 is erased when it encounters the combined puzzle element 9 that is in contact with the object 7 twice, the action generating unit 60 generates an action of cracking the object 7 as described above when the object 7 encounters the first erasure of the combined puzzle element 9, and then erases the object 7 when the object 7 encounters the second erasure of the combined puzzle element 9.

[0080] Next, the replenishment unit 65 replenishes the game area 100 with one or more puzzle elements of one or more types, the number of which corresponds to the number of puzzle elements 5k constituting the combined puzzle element 9 erased by the erasure control unit 55. The replenishment unit 65 selects the types of puzzle elements to be replenished from puzzle element 5k, puzzle element 5l, puzzle element 5m, and puzzle element 5n. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the replenishment unit 65 replenishes a plurality of puzzle elements (e.g., puzzle element 5ka, puzzle element 5na, puzzle element 5la, etc.; the puzzle element 5ka is the same type as the puzzle element 5k, the puzzle element 5na is the same type as the puzzle element 5n, and the puzzle element 5la is the same type as the puzzle element 5l) from above the game area 100 or a virtual game area provided above the game area 100 toward the game area 100. When the deletion control unit 55 deletes an object 7, the replenishment unit 65 adds the number of deleted objects 7 to the number of puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element 9 deleted by the deletion control unit 55, and replenishes one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in a number corresponding to the added number. Furthermore, the reward generation unit 75 gives a reward such as a score to the player according to the number of puzzle elements 5k constituting the deleted combined puzzle element 9, etc.

[0081] [Processing flow of game system 1] FIG. 7 shows an example of the flow of processing in the game system according to this embodiment.

[0082] First, the progress control unit 80 determines the clearing conditions for the game and the number of moves that the player can make in the game. The display control unit 15 controls the display unit 10 to display one or more types of puzzle elements and objects in the game area 100. Then, the element selection unit 30 selects one puzzle element (hereinafter referred to as the "first puzzle element") in the game area 100 in response to the player's selection (step 10. Step will be represented as "S" hereinafter). The movement control unit 35 accepts a movement instruction for the first puzzle element from the player via the input unit 20 and controls the movement of the first puzzle element in the game area 100 (S12).

[0083] Next, if the element selection unit 30 is still selecting the first puzzle element, or if the element selection unit 30 is still selecting the first puzzle element but a predetermined time has not elapsed since the first puzzle element was selected (No in S14), the contact determination unit 40 determines whether the first puzzle element is in contact with other puzzle elements and objects. If the contact determination unit 40 determines that a puzzle element of the same type as the first puzzle element has contacted the first puzzle element, the combining unit 45 generates a combined puzzle element by combining the same type of puzzle element with the first puzzle element (S16). If the contact determination unit 40 determines that a puzzle element of a type different from the type of the first puzzle element has contacted the first puzzle element and / or the combined puzzle element, the operation control unit 50 causes the different type of puzzle element to perform a predetermined operation (S16). The process of S16 is continued until the process of S14 is determined to be "Yes."

[0084] When the selection of the first puzzle element by the element selection unit 30 is cancelled, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the selection of the first puzzle element even if the selection of the first puzzle element is still ongoing (Yes in S14), the erasure control unit 55 executes a process of erasing the first puzzle element and / or the combined puzzle element from the game area 100 (S18). In this case, when an object is in contact with or in the vicinity of the first puzzle element and / or the combined puzzle element to be erased (Yes in S20), the action generation unit 60 generates a predetermined action on the object (S22).

[0085] Then, when the clearing condition of the game is achieved by the erasure control unit 55 erasing the first puzzle element and / or the combined puzzle element and / or the object (Yes in S24), the progress control unit 80 ends the game. Even if no object is in contact with or near the first puzzle element and / or the combined puzzle element to be erased (No in S20), the progress control unit 80 ends the game if the clearing condition of the game is achieved (Yes in S24).

[0086] On the other hand, if the conditions for clearing the game have not been achieved (No in S24), the progress control unit 80 determines whether or not there are still more moves remaining to continue the game (S26). If there are still more moves remaining (Yes in S26), the element selection unit 30 is again able to select puzzle elements. If the progress control unit 80 determines that there are no more moves remaining (No in S26), it ends the game.

[0087] [Modification of the embodiment] 8 shows an overview of an example of a modified version of the game system according to the present embodiment. Specifically, in the modified version of the game system 1, a game is played in which the goal is to carry and place an object 7 into a predetermined reachable area 110 provided within the game area 100 or part of the outer edge of the game area 100. This modified version has substantially the same functions and configurations as the game system 1, except that the object is not necessarily eliminated by the disappearance of the combined puzzle elements, and therefore detailed description will be omitted except for the differences.

[0088] 8, the display control unit 15 displays a reach area 110 at a predetermined position on the outer edge of the game area 100, and also arranges a plurality of puzzle elements 5f, a plurality of puzzle elements 5g, a plurality of puzzle elements 5h, a plurality of puzzle elements 5i, a plurality of puzzle elements 5j, and an object 7, and causes them to be displayed on the display unit 10. In this case, the object 7 is arranged at a position away from the reach area 110. Note that it is sufficient that the puzzle elements to be arranged are one or more types, and that the number of puzzle elements to be arranged is one or more.

[0089] Next, the element selection unit 30 selects one puzzle element from the multiple puzzle elements in response to the player's operation. Then, the movement control unit 35 freely moves the one puzzle element within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. Next, if the contact determination unit 40 determines that a puzzle element contacting the one puzzle element is of the same type as the one puzzle element, the combining unit 45 combines the puzzle element being operated by the player with another puzzle element of the same type to generate a combined puzzle element consisting of the multiple puzzle elements. The movement control unit 35 moves the combined puzzle element within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation.

[0090] When the contact determination unit 40 determines that the puzzle element contacting the combined puzzle element is a different type of puzzle element from the puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element, and when the contact determination unit 40 determines that the object 7 contacts the combined puzzle element, the action control unit 50 causes the different type of puzzle element and the object 7 to execute a predetermined action, i.e., an action of being bounced off by the combined puzzle element. The bounced puzzle element and the object 7 move in the game area 100 and the virtual game area in the direction in which they were bounced off. When the player moves the combined puzzle element in the game area 100 and moves the object 7 to the arrival area 110 while using the combined puzzle element to bounce off the different type of puzzle element and the object 7, the progress control unit 80 determines that the game goal has been achieved.

[0091] In this manner, in the modified version of the game system 1, the other game elements and the object 7 in the game area 100 can be shuffled by the puzzle element selected by the player or the combined puzzle element generated by the player moving the puzzle element in the game area 100. Then, due to this shuffling, the object 7 moves in the game area 100 while being knocked away by the puzzle element selected by the player or the combined puzzle element, or by other game elements or objects 7 knocked away by the puzzle element selected by the player or the combined puzzle element. The player can move the selected puzzle element or the combined puzzle element so that the object 7 enters the reach area 110.

[0092] In the example of FIG. 8, one reachable area 110 is shown, but the number of reachable areas 110 may be more than one. The number of objects 7 may be one or more. Furthermore, the shape of the game area 100 may be irregular. For example, a convex part may be provided near the center of the lower end of the game area 100, one or more objects 7 may be arranged to the left of the convex part, and a reachable area 110 may be provided at the lower end of the game area 100 to the right of the convex part. Also, an object to be placed in the reachable area 110 and an object to be eliminated by the disappearance of the combined puzzle elements or the combined area may be simultaneously placed in the game area 100. As an example, a convex part may be provided near the center of the lower end of the game area 100, one or more objects 7 to be placed in the reachable area 110 may be arranged to the left of the convex part, a reachable area 110 may be provided at the lower end of the game area 100 to the right of the convex part, one or more objects to be eliminated by the disappearance of the combined puzzle elements may be arranged above the reachable area 110, and one or more other puzzle elements may be arranged in the other game areas 100.

[0093] Furthermore, when the object 7 enters the reachable area 110, the puzzle element or the combined puzzle element operated by the player may remain displayed in the game area 100 even if the operation on the puzzle element or the combined puzzle element operated by the player is stopped (i.e., the player releases his / her finger from the display unit 10) or a predetermined time has passed while the operation is continuing. When the skill element generating unit 70 generates a skill element, if at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: when the player's operation on the skill element selected by the element selecting unit 30 is no longer performed, or when a predetermined time has passed since the element selecting unit 30 selected the skill element even if the player's operation is continuing, the deletion control unit 55 deletes the skill element from the game area 100 at the position in the game area 100 where the skill element exists at the time when the condition is satisfied. Then, in response to the deletion of the skill element, the action generating unit 60 may delete puzzle elements existing around the skill element or in a predetermined area in the direction in which the skill element is facing. For example, puzzle elements between the object 7 and the reachable area 110 can be eliminated by arranging a skill element at a predetermined position in response to a player's operation.

[0094] [Game Program] Each of the components of the game system 1 according to the present embodiment and the modified examples shown in Figs. 1 to 8 can be realized by executing a program (i.e., a game program) in a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), that is, by software processing. Also, it can be realized by writing a program in advance into hardware as an electronic component such as an integrated circuit (IC). Note that software and hardware can also be used in combination.

[0095] The game program according to this embodiment and the modified example can be incorporated in advance in, for example, an IC or a ROM. The game program can also be provided as a computer program by recording it in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor recording medium. The recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD. Furthermore, the game program can be stored in advance in a computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet, and provided by downloading it via the communication network.

[0096] The game program of this embodiment and the modified example acts on a CPU, etc., to cause the game program to function as the display unit 10, display control unit 15, input unit 20, storage unit 25, element selection unit 30, movement control unit 35, contact determination unit 40, combination unit 45, operation control unit 50, erasure control unit 55, action generation unit 60, replenishment unit 65, skill element generation unit 70, reward generation unit 75, progress control unit 80, input surface 200, input control unit 210, puzzle element information storage unit 250, skill element information storage unit 252, object information storage unit 255, and player information storage unit 260 described in Figures 1 to 8.

[0097] [Effects of the embodiment] The game system 1 according to the present embodiment allows puzzle elements to be freely moved within the game area 100 in response to the player's operation. When a puzzle element of the same type as the puzzle element being moved by the player comes into contact with the puzzle element, a chain-like combined puzzle element can be generated by combining the puzzle element of the same type with the puzzle element, and other puzzle elements of a different type from the puzzle element that come into contact with the puzzle element and / or the combined puzzle element are repelled by the puzzle element and / or the combined puzzle element. As a result, the game system 1 allows the player to freely move the puzzle element and the combined puzzle element selected by the player within the game area 100 while pushing aside puzzle elements of a different type from the puzzle element (i.e., while shuffling the puzzle elements in the game area 100), providing a game in which the puzzle elements can be moved with a high degree of freedom and the randomness of the arrangement of each puzzle element can be enjoyed.

[0098] In addition, since the game system 1 allows a high degree of freedom in moving puzzle elements as described above, it also allows a high degree of freedom in how the puzzle elements and / or combined puzzle elements selected by the player are brought into contact with the object to be eliminated. For example, the combined puzzle elements can surround the object, or the combined puzzle elements can come into contact with multiple points on the object. This reduces the pressure of having to properly arrange the puzzle elements in the game system 1, allowing the game to proceed at a good tempo.

[0099] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. Furthermore, the technical elements of the above-described embodiments may be applied alone, or may be divided into multiple parts such as program parts and hardware parts and applied. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 1. Game System 3. Information terminal 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 5j puzzle elements 5ba, 5ka, 5la, 5na puzzle elements 7. Objects 7a Object 8 Combined area 9 Combined Puzzle Elements 9a part 10 Display section 15 Display control section 20 Input section 25 Storage Unit 30 Element Selection Section 35 Movement control section 40 Contact determination section 45 Joint 50 Motion control section 55 Erase control section 60 Action generating part 65 Replenishment Department 70 Skill Element Generation Section 75 Remuneration Division 80 Progress Control Unit 100 Game Areas 100a Top 102 Hand counter 104 Goal 106 Space 110 reach area 200 Input Surface 210 Input control section 250 Puzzle element information storage section 252 Skill element information storage unit 255 Object Information Storage 260 Player information storage unit

Claims

1. A game system capable of executing a game using puzzle elements in a game area, an element selection unit that selects a first puzzle element from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in response to an operation by a player; a movement control unit that moves the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit within the game area in response to an operation by the player; a combining unit that combines the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance without separating them before the first puzzle element is deleted when the first puzzle element selected by the element selecting unit comes into contact with the puzzle element having the same appearance as the first puzzle element, thereby generating a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance as components; an operation control unit that, when a second puzzle element of a type different from the first puzzle element comes into contact with the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, causes the second puzzle element to execute a predetermined operation without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element; a deletion control unit that deletes only the combined puzzle element from the one or more types of one or more puzzle elements when the player no longer operates the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit; a replenishment unit that replenishes the one or more types of puzzle elements to the game area in a number corresponding to the total number of the first puzzle elements or the first puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element and the puzzle elements having the same appearance as the first puzzle elements erased by the erasure control unit; Equipped with A game system in which the erasure control unit erases all of the puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element from the game area, regardless of the positional relationship between the first puzzle element that makes up the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element that has the same appearance.

2. The game system of claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion connects the plurality of puzzle elements having the same appearance to the first puzzle element in a chain form when the plurality of puzzle elements having the same appearance come into contact with the first puzzle element.

3. The game system according to claim 2 , wherein the connected puzzle elements include the first puzzle element, the plurality of puzzle elements having the same appearance, and connecting regions connecting the respective puzzle elements.

4. An object is placed within the game area; an action generating unit that generates a predetermined action on the object in contact with the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, or on the object in the vicinity of the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, when the erasure control unit erases the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element; The game system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

5. a skill element generating unit that generates a skill element having a skill for generating a predetermined effect in a predetermined area of ​​the game area in response to a predetermined condition; Further comprising: The element selection unit is capable of selecting the skill element, A game system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the movement control unit is capable of changing the area in which the specified effect occurs by changing the orientation of the skill element in accordance with the player's operation.

6. A game system capable of executing a game using puzzle elements in a game area, an element selection unit that selects a first puzzle element from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in response to an operation by a player; a movement control unit that moves the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit within the game area in response to an operation by the player; a combining unit that combines the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance without separating them before the first puzzle element is deleted when the first puzzle element selected by the element selecting unit comes into contact with the puzzle element having the same appearance as the first puzzle element, thereby generating a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance as components; an operation control unit that, when a second puzzle element of a type different from the first puzzle element comes into contact with the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, causes the second puzzle element to execute a predetermined operation without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element; a deletion control unit that deletes only the combined puzzle element from the one or more types of one or more puzzle elements from the game area when the player no longer operates the first puzzle element selected by the element selection unit; Equipped with the game area has a virtual game area connected to the game area and invisible to the player; When the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element is in contact with a puzzle element that does not constitute the combined puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or an object placed in the game area, the operation control unit moves the puzzle element that does not constitute the combined puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or the object to the virtual game area, A game system in which the erasure control unit erases all of the puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element from the game area, regardless of the positional relationship between the first puzzle element that makes up the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element that has the same appearance.

7. A game method for a game system capable of executing a game using puzzle elements in a game area, comprising: an element selection step of selecting a first puzzle element from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in response to an operation by a player; a movement control step of moving the first puzzle element selected in the element selection step within the game area in response to an operation by the player; a combining process for combining the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance without separating them before the first puzzle element is deleted when the first puzzle element selected in the element selection process comes into contact with the puzzle element having the same appearance as the first puzzle element, thereby generating a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance as components; an action control process for causing a second puzzle element of a different type to execute a predetermined action without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element when the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element comes into contact with the second puzzle element; a deletion control step of deleting only the combined puzzle element from the one or more types of one or more puzzle elements from the game area when the player no longer operates the first puzzle element selected in the element selection step; a replenishing step of replenishing the one or more types of puzzle elements in the game area in a number corresponding to the total number of the first puzzle elements or the first puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element and the puzzle elements having the same appearance that have been removed in the removal control step; Equipped with The gaming method includes a step of controlling the erasure of all of the puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element from the game area, regardless of the positional relationship between the first puzzle element constituting the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance.

8. A game method for a game system capable of executing a game using puzzle elements in a game area, comprising: an element selection step of selecting a first puzzle element from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in response to an operation by a player; a movement control step of moving the first puzzle element selected in the element selection step within the game area in response to an operation by the player; a combining process for combining the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance without separating them before the first puzzle element is deleted when the first puzzle element selected in the element selection process comes into contact with the puzzle element having the same appearance as the first puzzle element, thereby generating a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance as components; an action control process for causing a second puzzle element of a different type to execute a predetermined action without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element when the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element comes into contact with the second puzzle element; a deletion control step of deleting only the combined puzzle element from the one or more types of one or more puzzle elements from the game area when the player no longer operates the first puzzle element selected in the element selection step; Equipped with the game area has a virtual game area connected to the game area and invisible to the player; When the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element comes into contact with a puzzle element not constituting the combined puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or an object located in the game area, the action control step moves the puzzle element not constituting the combined puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or the object to the virtual game area; The gaming method includes a step of controlling the erasure of all of the puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element from the game area, regardless of the positional relationship between the first puzzle element constituting the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance.

9. A game program for a game system capable of executing a game using puzzle elements in a game area, comprising: On the computer, an element selection function for selecting a first puzzle element from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in response to an operation by a player; a movement control function for moving the first puzzle element selected in the element selection function within the game area in response to an operation by the player; a combining function that, when the first puzzle element selected in the element selection function comes into contact with a puzzle element having the same appearance as the first puzzle element, combines the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance without separating them before being deleted, and generates a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance as components; an operation control function for causing a second puzzle element of a type different from that of the first puzzle element to execute a predetermined operation without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element when the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element comes into contact with the second puzzle element; a deletion control function for deleting only the combined puzzle element from the one or more types of one or more puzzle elements from the game area when the player no longer operates the first puzzle element selected in the element selection function; a replenishing function of replenishing the one or more types of puzzle elements in the game area in a number corresponding to the total number of the first puzzle elements or the first puzzle elements constituting the combined puzzle element and the puzzle elements having the same appearance that have been erased in the erasure control function; Run the command, A game program in which the elimination control function erases all of the puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element from the game area, regardless of the positional relationship between the first puzzle element that makes up the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element that has the same appearance.

10. A game program for a game system capable of executing a game using puzzle elements in a game area, comprising: On the computer, an element selection function for selecting a first puzzle element from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types in response to an operation by a player; a movement control function for moving the first puzzle element selected in the element selection function within the game area in response to an operation by the player; a combining function that, when the first puzzle element selected in the element selection function comes into contact with a puzzle element having the same appearance as the first puzzle element, combines the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance without separating them before being deleted, and generates a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance as components; an operation control function for causing a second puzzle element of a type different from that of the first puzzle element to execute a predetermined operation without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element when the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element comes into contact with the second puzzle element; a deletion control function for deleting only the combined puzzle element from the one or more types of one or more puzzle elements from the game area when the player no longer operates the first puzzle element selected in the element selection function; Run the command, the game area has a virtual game area connected to the game area and invisible to the player; When the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element comes into contact with a puzzle element not constituting the combined puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or an object placed in the game area, the motion control function moves the puzzle element not constituting the combined puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or the object to the virtual game area; A game program in which the elimination control function erases all of the puzzle elements that make up the combined puzzle element from the game area, regardless of the positional relationship between the first puzzle element that makes up the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element that has the same appearance.

11. A game server capable of providing a game using puzzle elements in a game area, a movement control unit that moves a first puzzle element selected from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types within the game area in response to an operation by a player; a combining unit that combines the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance without separating them before the first puzzle element is deleted when the selected first puzzle element comes into contact with the puzzle element having the same appearance, thereby generating a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance as components; an operation control unit that, when a second puzzle element of a type different from the first puzzle element comes into contact with the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, causes the second puzzle element to execute a predetermined operation without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element; a deletion control unit that deletes only the combined puzzle element from the one or more types of one or more puzzle elements when the player no longer performs an operation on the selected first puzzle element; a replenishment unit that replenishes the one or more types of puzzle elements to the game area in a number corresponding to the total number of the first puzzle elements that have been erased by the erasure control unit, or the first puzzle elements that constitute the combined puzzle element and the puzzle elements that have the same appearance as the first puzzle elements; Equipped with A game server in which the erasure control unit erases all of the puzzle elements that constitute the combined puzzle element from the game area, regardless of the positional relationship between the first puzzle element that constitutes the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element that has the same appearance.

12. A game server capable of providing a game using puzzle elements in a game area, a movement control unit that moves a first puzzle element selected from one or more puzzle elements of one or more types within the game area in response to an operation by a player; a combining unit that combines the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance without separating them before the first puzzle element is deleted when the selected first puzzle element comes into contact with the puzzle element having the same appearance, thereby generating a combined puzzle element having the first puzzle element and the puzzle element having the same appearance as components; an operation control unit that, when a second puzzle element of a type different from the first puzzle element comes into contact with the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element, causes the second puzzle element to execute a predetermined operation without combining the first puzzle element with the second puzzle element; a deletion control unit that deletes only the combined puzzle element from the one or more types of one or more puzzle elements when the player no longer performs an operation on the selected first puzzle element; Equipped with the game area has a virtual game area connected to the game area and invisible to the player; When the first puzzle element or the combined puzzle element is in contact with a puzzle element that does not constitute the combined puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or an object placed in the game area, the operation control unit moves the puzzle element that does not constitute the combined puzzle element, the second puzzle element, and / or the object to the virtual game area, A game server in which the erasure control unit erases all of the puzzle elements that constitute the combined puzzle element from the game area, regardless of the positional relationship between the first puzzle element that constitutes the combined puzzle element and the puzzle element that has the same appearance.

Images