Program, game device, and game control method

Abstract

In games that involve combining multiple objects, this provides a more strategic gameplay experience. [Solution] A program for running a game in which objects are placed, wherein the program causes a computer to execute the following: a movement control process that moves the objects based on user operations; a placement process that places the objects in a predetermined area in accordance with the movement of the objects by the movement control process; a determination process that determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of a group of objects composed of multiple objects placed in the predetermined area is a predetermined shape; and an event control process that executes a predetermined process based on the determination result of the determination process.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , [Figure 1] ,

[0007] , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a game device, and a game control method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a puzzle game in which a user combines a plurality of blocks is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in such games, games with high strategicity are demanded by users.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a game with high strategicity.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The program according to the present invention is a program for executing a game in which objects are arranged, and based on a user's operation, a movement control process for moving the objects, an arrangement process for arranging the objects in a predetermined area in response to the movement of the objects by the movement control process, a determination process for determining whether or not the shape of the outer periphery of an object group composed of a plurality of objects arranged in the predetermined area is a predetermined shape, and an event control process for executing a predetermined process based on the determination result of the determination process. It is a program for causing a computer to execute.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1]This is a diagram illustrating how a user manipulates their pieces (blocks). [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates how a user manipulates their pieces to adjust the launch position. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates how to return the block of pieces selected by the user to its original position. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates how, after launching a block from the player's hand, the user manipulates the block to adjust its direction of movement. [Figure 5] This diagram explains the criteria for determining whether a piece in hand can land on the board area. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates how a player can adjust the direction of movement of a piece after it has stopped. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a game screen in Stage Mode. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates how a rectangular shape can be formed at a given launch position in Stage Mode. [Figure 9] This diagram illustrates the movement directions that suggest a rectangle is formed in stage mode. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates the conditions under which a rectangle is formed in stage mode. [Figure 11] This diagram illustrates an example where two rectangles exist simultaneously in stage mode. [Figure 12] This diagram illustrates how, in Stage Mode, a group of blocks constituting a rectangle is removed, and some of the blocks move. [Figure 13] This is a diagram to explain the Jammer Stage, a special stage in Stage Mode. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of the screen for the Frame Stage, a special stage in Stage Mode. [Figure 15] This diagram illustrates how a rectangle is formed using a predetermined rectangular frame in the frame stage. [Figure 16] This is a diagram showing an example in which peg blocks are arranged at the frame stage. [Figure 17] This is a diagram for explaining a ghost stage which is a special stage in the stage mode. [Figure 18] This is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating scores in the stage mode. [Figure 19] This is a diagram showing an example in which a chain is formed in the stage mode. [Figure 20] This is a diagram showing an example of a screen during a game in the puzzle mode. [Figure 21] This is a diagram for explaining an example of displaying a hint in the puzzle mode. [Figure 22] This is a diagram for explaining an operation when a flip is set in the puzzle mode. [Figure 23] This is a diagram for explaining an operation when a magnet block is installed in the puzzle mode. [Figure 24] This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 25] This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] This is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure when operating a block of a single chess piece in the stage mode. [Figure 27] This is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure when operating a block of a chess piece in a single stage in the puzzle mode.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, an example of a puzzle game will be described in which a user of a game device operates an object (block) which is a chess piece, arranges the block within the screen, and aims to form a predetermined shape in combination with blocks that are already arranged.

[0009] [1. Game Description] First, let me explain the game's overview.

[0010] In this embodiment, the game has two modes, a stage mode and a puzzle mode, which will be described later. The user of the game device can choose one of these modes to play the game. Details of these modes will be described later.

[0011] [1-1. Basic operations] First, we will explain the basic operations common to both modes. Below, as an example of a game device, we will explain how to play a game using a smartphone by operating the touch panel, referring to the diagrams.

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating how a user manipulates their hand of pieces. The smartphone screen 107 displays a board area 108 composed of square grids, and a hand area 109 separated by an area boundary 115, where the user's manipulated hand pieces 111a-c are placed. The board area 108 has grids that define the units in which the blocks are placed. These grids serve as a basis for determining rectangles and question frames, and for identifying the positions of blocks, as described later, within the board area 108. However, these grids do not necessarily have to be displayed on screen 107. Although Figure 1 shows an example with three hand pieces, the number of hand pieces is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the hand pieces, blocks 111a to 111c, are formed from blocks of, for example, 1 to 4 units, where one unit is considered to be a square square on the board area 108. In the example in Figure 1, block 111a is formed from 2 units of blocks arranged horizontally, block 111b is formed from 2 units of blocks arranged vertically, and block 111c is formed from 1 unit of block. Furthermore, a launch line 110 is provided on the hand piece area 109 side within the board area 108. This launch line 110 is a line that can serve as the starting point for moving a block of hand pieces that the user can manipulate upwards.

[0013] First, the user selects one of blocks 111a to c by touching the screen where the blocks are placed. Specifically, when the user touches the touch panel, the system selects the block corresponding to the touched location. When a block is selected, it is placed in front of the launch line 110. Then, when the user lifts their finger from the touch panel, the selected block is launched upwards. Figure 1 shows the user selecting block 111b, and block 111b being placed in front of the launch line 110. At this time, the position of the original selected block is displayed in a different color from the other blocks, making it easier to identify the selected block when multiple blocks are displayed.

[0014] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, various shapes of blocks are arranged in the board area 108. These blocks and the hand pieces are arranged so that they fit within the squares. In other words, the blocks and the hand pieces are placed in positions corresponding to the squares. When a user releases their finger from the screen to launch a block, the block continues to move upwards at a constant speed while the user's finger is off the screen. If there are no other blocks in the direction of movement, the block continues to move upwards until it leaves the board area 108, at which point it disappears from the screen. Leaving the board area 108 means, for example, that the block moves outside the screen 107, and the block disappearing from the screen means, for example, that it is not placed in the board area 108. When a user releases their finger from the screen to launch a block, and there is a block placed at the launch destination, the movement of the block is obstructed by that block, and the block stops moving before reaching it. In other words, the block stops moving as if it were in contact with a block placed in its path.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, when the user has selected a piece block and has not yet lifted their finger from the screen, a cursor is displayed at the planned stopping position of the piece block, and the trajectory 114 of the piece block when launched is displayed in a different color (for example, semi-transparent). In the example in Figure 1, since block 112 is already placed in the board area 108, a stop warning cursor 113 is displayed in front of block 112 at the planned stopping position of piece block 111b. By displaying the block's trajectory 114 and the stop warning cursor 113 in this way, the user can adjust the launch position of their block while viewing the planned stopping position of their block.

[0016] Figures 2(a) and 2(b) show an example of the operation involved in selecting block 111b as a piece and determining the starting point for launch. As shown in Figure 2(a), the position of the hand block 111b is moved left and right by moving the user's finger left and right while trapping (long-pressing) the touch panel that displays screen 107. When the user's finger is touching the screen, the tip of the hand block 111b does not extend beyond the launch line 110. Also, as shown in Figure 2(b), even when the user moves their finger diagonally upward, the hand block 111b does not extend beyond the launch line 110. In other words, the starting position for launching a piece block is controlled by the user sliding their finger across the touch panel, which changes the left-right coordinates of the touch position. Therefore, the piece block can be moved without being obscured by the user's finger.

[0017] Figures 3(a) and 3(b) show an example of the operation to deselect the selected block 111b of the hand pieces. As shown in Figure 3(a), if the user moves their finger diagonally downwards while keeping it in contact with the screen, the piece block 111b also moves in accordance with the movement of the finger. Then, as shown in Figure 3(b), if the hand block exceeds the area boundary line 115, the hand block 111b returns to its original position in the hand area 109. In other words, the selection of the hand block 111b is deselected when the hand block 111b is moved completely back into the hand area 109.

[0018] Figures 4(a) to 4(d) show an example of an operation to change the position of a launched piece. Even after launching a block, if the user keeps their finger on the touch panel and moves their finger (slides it), the movement of the launched block will be controlled according to the direction of the movement. For example, as shown in Figure 4(a), with existing blocks 402 and 405 in place, if block 401a is selected from the available blocks 401a to 401c, and the user touches the touch panel and moves their finger downwards while block 401a is moving upwards, block 401a will move in the direction of returning to the user's side, as shown in Figure 4(b). Specifically, the position of the moving piece block in the board area 108 can be changed according to the slide operation. In other words, the launched piece block 401a is selected again according to the user operation, and the position of the selected piece block 401a in the board area 108 can be controlled according to the user operation. This allows for a greater variety of control options when manipulating the player's blocks. Furthermore, while touching the touch panel, the movement speed of the player's blocks is slower than when not touching the panel. Additionally, if the player touches the touch panel after launching a block, a stop warning cursor will appear at the block's intended stopping position, and its trajectory to that position will also be displayed.

[0019] Furthermore, if the user moves their finger horizontally while keeping it on the touch panel, the hand block will also move horizontally. However, since the hand block has already been launched, it will appear to move in the direction of the sum of the vectors of the hand block's direction of movement (upward). Figure 4(c) shows an example where, by moving the user's finger horizontally while keeping it on the screen, the hand block 401a moves diagonally to the upper right and stops in front of the existing block 402.

[0020] Note that since the hand block has already been launched, it cannot be returned to its pre-launch state after being launched. In other words, a hand block cannot be moved to hand area 109 after being launched. As shown in Figure 4(d), when the user moves their finger downwards while keeping it on the screen, pulling the piece block 401a back towards them, the piece block 401a cannot move below the launch line 110. In other words, the position of the piece block after launch can be controlled within the range above the launch line 110. As described above, when controlling a block after launching it, as shown in Figure 4, it is not necessary to touch the position where the block is displayed; the block moves in the direction in which your finger moves. By manipulating the hand blocks in this way, it is possible to avoid problems such as the hand blocks being obscured by the finger, compared to when the user directly specifies the position of the hand blocks in the board area 108, thereby improving usability.

[0021] Additionally, the stop warning cursor, which indicates the expected stopping position of the player's block, may not be displayed. For example, if there are no blocks or other objects placed in the path of the player's block, the block will not stop if it is launched, and therefore the stop warning cursor will not be displayed. The following explains an example where the stop warning cursor is not displayed, referring to Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, area 505 is provided above the board area 108 as an extension of the board area 108. The area above area 505 is not displayed on the screen. In other words, the board area 108 and area 505 are visible to the user, but the area above board area 108 and area 505 is not displayed on the touch panel and is therefore not visible to the user.

[0022] Figure 5(a) shows an example where some of the blocks are placed in the board area 108. As shown in Figure 5(a), a portion of the grid is displayed in area 505, and a portion of block 506 is visible in this area 505. Since the hand piece block 501 on the launch line 110 is a block with 3 units of blocks arranged vertically, its movement is obstructed by block 506, which is partially visible in area 505. In this case, at least a portion of the hand piece block 501 can stop in board area 108, so the stop warning cursor 511 is displayed.

[0023] Similarly, in the example in Figure 5(b), a portion of the grid is displayed in area 505, and a portion of block 506 is visible within area 505. However, in the example shown in Figure 5(b), blocks 507 and 508, which are not displayed, exist outside area 505 and above the board area in the direction of movement of the player block 502. On the other hand, there are no blocks in area 505 and board area 108. In this case, the stop warning cursor is not displayed, and if the player launches the player block in this state and moves it without touching the touch panel again, the player block 502 will continue to move upwards, exceeding board area 108, and will disappear from the screen as a sacrificial piece.

[0024] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 5(c), a portion of the grid is displayed, and a portion of block 504 is visible in area 505. In the example shown in Figure 5(c), a portion of block 504 is placed in area 505, but no blocks are visible in the direction of movement of the player's block 503. The player's block 503 is a set of two blocks arranged horizontally, and in the example in Figure 5(c), due to the shape of block 504, which is partially placed in area 505, if the player's block 503 is launched as is, it cannot stop within area 108 of the board. Therefore, in this case as well, it disappears from the screen as a sacrificial piece. In other words, if there are no blocks placed in board area 108 or area 505 in the direction of Block 503's movement after it is launched, Block 503 will move upward above the board area and will not be placed in board area 108. Furthermore, blocks that are invisible or parts of blocks that are not visible are not recognized as blocks that obstruct the movement of your pieces.

[0025] This allows, for example, when a desired piece block is not placed in the hand area and it is desirable to replace the hand block as quickly as possible, to select and launch an unnecessary hand block, deliberately sending it through the board area to be sacrificed. Furthermore, if a piece that has been launched is discarded, a new piece will be placed in the hand area. This allows for quick replacement of hand pieces.

[0026] As explained above, after launching a block piece, the user can touch and move their finger on the screen, changing the block's position on the board area 108. When the block reaches the stop warning cursor, it stops, and when it stops, it stops along the grid. After a predetermined time has elapsed since the block stopped, its stopping position is finalized, and the block is placed along the grid. On the other hand, if the user touches and moves their finger on the screen before the predetermined time has elapsed since the block stopped, the block will move. In other words, since it is possible to select the launched block until the predetermined time has elapsed since the launched block stopped, the user can change the position of the launched block on the board area by sliding their finger before the placement of the launched block is finalized.

[0027] Figures 6(a) and 6(b) show an example of attempting to select a block to be launched before the placement of the launched block is finalized. In the example in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), with existing blocks 605-608 in place, block 601b is selected from the available blocks 601a-c, and block 601b is launched.

[0028] As shown in Figure 6(a), when the player block 601b reaches the position of the stop warning cursor and stops, a landing effect 602 is displayed. While the landing effect 602 is displayed, the player is given time to move the player block 601b, and if the user does not touch the touch panel during this time, the placement of the player block 601b at its stopping position is finalized. In other words, even after the movement of the launched player block has stopped, the player can still select the launched player block for a predetermined period of time. However, if the user is touching the touch panel when the predetermined time has elapsed and the display of the landing effect 602 ends, the display of the landing effect 602 will continue, and the placement of the player block 601b at its stopping position will not be finalized. Therefore, in this case, even if the predetermined time has elapsed since the player block 601b stopped, the player can move the player block 601b by sliding it.

[0029] Figure 6(a) shows an example where the player's block 601b initially stops, but then moves to the right when the user slides their finger to the right while touching the touch panel, causing the stop warning cursor 603 to reappear. Subsequently, when the player's block 601b reaches the position of the stop warning cursor 603, as shown in Figure 6(b), the player slides their finger to the left while touching the touch panel, causing the block 601b to move to the position of the stop warning cursor 604. In this way, users can control the pieces in their hand with greater detail, for example, by moving them to avoid obstacles or placing them in various positions to combine more pieces. This allows for a game with even greater strategic depth. In this embodiment, the direction of movement of the launched block is always unidirectional (upward). However, the movement of the launched block can be controlled by changing its direction of movement through operations performed after the block is selected. In other words, the direction of movement of the launched block can be changed based on user operations after the block has started moving.

[0030] On the other hand, there may be cases where the user touches the touch panel to select the next block to launch, rather than moving the block after it has stopped. In such cases, if the user's finger touches the touch panel before a predetermined time has elapsed after the launched block has stopped, and the touch location is on a different line than the vertical line of the stopped block, and the touch location is on another block in the player area, the stopping position of the stopped block is forcibly determined and placed. The block at the location touched by the user's finger is then considered to have been selected. In other words, if the user's finger touches the touch panel before a predetermined time has elapsed since the movement of the player's block stopped, the control regarding the selection of the player's block will be changed according to the position on the screen determined by the location of the touch panel touched by the user.

[0031] [1-2. Explanation of Stage Mode] Next, the game content of the stage mode in this embodiment will be described. Figure 7 shows an example of a screen during gameplay in stage mode. In Stage Mode, the user selects a block from multiple pieces (blocks 706a-c) and launches it upward from the launch line 704, connecting it with blocks placed on the board area 701 to form a group of blocks. If the group of blocks forms a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid-by-grid basis, the blocks constituting that rectangle are removed, and the user is awarded points. This is a game where players compete for points by removing block groups to form rectangles of 2x2 or larger on a grid-by-grid basis, and by achieving the predetermined quota, the player can clear the stage indicated by stage number 716.

[0032] On the other hand, in the stage mode of this embodiment, the launch line 704 also serves as a clear failure line, which determines whether the stage has been cleared. When blocks placed in the board area 701 move at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow 703 while still on the board, and at least one of the blocks placed in the board area reaches the launch line 704, which is the clear failure line, the stage is cleared. Note that the launch line does not necessarily have to also serve as the clear failure line; the launch line and the clear failure line may be provided separately. As a block approaches, the block displayed in the off-board area 707 is incorporated into the board area 701, and the entire board area 701 scrolls in the direction of arrow 703 as the block approaches. The off-board area 707, like area 505 in Figure 5, is an extension of the board area and displays a portion of the grid horizontally on screen 107 at the top of the board area, but it is not used for determining whether a rectangle is formed.

[0033] In Stage Mode, the main focus is on Normal Stages, where the goal is to reach a predetermined total score. However, there are also special stages, such as Bonus Stages, which have different goals than the Normal Stages. Details of the Special Stages will be explained later. First, let's explain the details of the Normal Stages.

[0034] In Stage Mode, the number and size of blocks pre-placed on the board area differ for each stage number, and the difficulty of the game increases as the stage number increases. The score gauge 717 shows the progress towards achieving the objective for that stage. As points are earned, gauge 717a moves to the right (the amount of gauge 717a increases), and when gauge 717a reaches its maximum, the objective for that stage is achieved. The objective for Normal Stages is mainly to reach a predetermined score in that stage. In Normal Stages, points are basically earned by clearing blocks from the board area 701 by forming rectangles of 2x2 or more on a grid-by-grid basis, as described above.

[0035] The hand area 702 contains three hand block 706a-c. The user selects one of these blocks, fires the selected block, and once the block stops and its stopping position is determined, the hand block displayed in the next hand block preview section 712 is added to the hand area 702. The addition of a new hand block can be done at any time after the selected block has been fired. In the example in Figure 7, the hand piece block 706 placed in the hand piece area 702 includes blocks of three different shapes, but all or some of the blocks may be of the same shape. By allowing players to select from multiple block shapes for their pieces, the game offers increased user control and options, and requires players to consider the block shapes, resulting in a more strategic gameplay experience. In stage mode, in addition to the player's pieces (706 blocks), players can also choose from items called "weapons." Weapons include bombs, rockets, and time stops, and the player piece area (702) displays icons for bombs (713), rockets (714), and time stops (715). Below these icons (713-715), the number of uses for each weapon is also displayed. These weapons are fired by the user touching the touch panel, moving the weapon to the desired position, and releasing their finger, similar to the player's pieces. Details about these weapons will be described later.

[0036] In addition, in Stage Mode, there are other controllable icons besides the player's blocks and weapons. The pause button 708 is an icon provided for the user to temporarily pause the game; the game pauses when the user places a trap on the pause button 708. The fast-forward button 711 is used to scroll the blocks in the board area 701 in the direction of the arrow 703, for example, when there are almost no blocks in the board area 701 and shooting the player's blocks will not earn points. Also, while the user is touching the touch panel to manipulate the player's blocks, the fast-forward button 711 becomes semi-transparent to make the board easier to see.

[0037] The Change Button 710 is used to completely swap the block 706 of pieces placed in the piece area 702. However, swapping the block 706 of pieces requires the user to spend in-game currency, and the required in-game currency points are displayed below the Change Button 710. The in-game currency display area 709 also displays the in-game currency points the user currently possesses. In the example in Figure 7, the user possesses 1234 points of in-game currency, and operating the Change Button 710 to completely swap the block 706 of pieces placed in the piece area 702 will consume 123 points of in-game currency.

[0038] In Stage Mode, you may acquire a Change Item that allows you to completely replace the block 706 of pieces located in the piece area 702. If you possess a Change Item, the number of Change Items you have will be displayed below the Change Button 710 instead of the required in-game currency points. In-game currency is consumed only if you do not possess a Change Item. If you do possess a Change Item, you can use it without consuming in-game currency to completely replace the block 706 of pieces located in the piece area 702.

[0039] Next, Figure 8 will be used to explain how to eliminate blocks by forming a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid-by-grid basis in stage mode. In stage mode, when the user selects block 706 as a piece and the selected block is placed in front of the launch line 704, a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid-by-grid basis is formed when the block is launched from that position. In this case, the color of all blocks 801-803 that make up the rectangle changes, indicating that it is possible to eliminate this group of blocks.

[0040] Figures 9(a) and 9(b) show examples of forming a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid-by-grid basis by selecting a block from the hand after firing. In the examples in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), it is assumed that with existing blocks 904-906 in place, block 900b is selected from the hand blocks 900a-c, and block 900b is fired. Even after launching a block piece, if it is possible to manipulate the block piece through subsequent sliding operations to form a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid basis, it is announced that it is possible to delete the block group that makes up that rectangle in accordance with the sliding operation. For example, as shown in Figure 9(a), before the player's block 900b is launched, if the block is placed at the position of the stop warning cursor 901, a rectangle cannot be formed, so the color of the blocks in the board area 108 does not change. Subsequently, when the player's block 900b reaches the position of the stop warning cursor 901 and the user traps the screen and moves their finger to the left, a new stop warning cursor 902 is displayed, as shown in Figure 9(b). When the player's block 900b is placed at that position, the block group consisting of blocks 904, 905, and the player's block 900b can form a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid basis, so the colors of the corresponding blocks 904 and 905 change, indicating that it is possible to clear the block group.

[0041] Next, using Figure 10, we will explain a method for determining whether the outer perimeter of a group of blocks composed of multiple blocks is rectangular or not. First, once block A stops moving on the board and its position is fixed, it is determined whether there are any other blocks touching one side of the outer perimeter of the fixed-position block A. If there is another block B touching it, that other block B is identified as an adjacent block. Then, the combination of block A and adjacent block B is identified as block group AB, and it is determined whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the identified block group AB forms a rectangle. Specifically, it is determined whether the outer shape of block group AB is a rectangle. The size of the rectangle at the time of determination is required to be 2x2 or larger in terms of grid units. Furthermore, if there is another block C that is adjacent to any other side of the perimeter of block A whose placement has been determined, block C is identified as an adjacent block. Then, the combination of block A and adjacent block C is identified as block group AC, and it is determined whether or not the shape of the perimeter of block group AC forms a rectangle. Furthermore, the combination of block A, adjacent block B, and adjacent block C is identified as block group ABC, and it is determined whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the identified block group ABC forms a rectangle.

[0042] Furthermore, it is determined whether there are any other blocks that are adjacent to any one side of the perimeter of the identified adjacent block B. If there is an adjacent block D, that other block D is identified as an adjacent block. Then, the combination of block A, adjacent block B, and adjacent block D is identified as block group ABD, and it is determined whether the shape of the perimeter of the identified block group ABD forms a rectangle. In this way, for adjacent blocks, it is determined whether there are any other blocks that are adjacent to any one side of its perimeter. If there are other adjacent blocks, those other blocks are identified as adjacent blocks. The combination of the block whose placement is determined and the identified adjacent block is identified as a block group, and it is determined whether the shape of the perimeter of the identified block group forms a rectangle. The same process is repeated until there are no more adjacent blocks. In other words, the system determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of all variations of the block group is a predetermined shape.

[0043] As shown in Figure 10(a), since block 1012 is in contact with edge 1015a of the outer perimeter of block 1015 whose placement has been determined, this combination of block 1012 and block 1015 is identified as the first block group, and it is determined whether or not the shape of the outer perimeter of this first block group forms a rectangle. In this case, since the outer perimeter of the first block group is approximately C in shape, it is determined that it is not a rectangle. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10(a), since the other outer edge 1015b of block 1015 is in contact with block 1014, this combination of block 1014 and block 1015 is identified as a second block group, and it is determined whether or not the outer shape of the second block group forms a rectangle. In this case, since the outer shape of the second block group is approximately U-shaped, it is determined that it is not a rectangle. Furthermore, it is determined whether the outer perimeter of the third block group, which is formed by the combination of block 1015, block 1012, and block 1014, forms a rectangle. In this case, since the outer perimeter of the third block group is approximately C-shaped, it is determined that it is not a rectangle.

[0044] Furthermore, since block 1013 is adjacent to the outer edge 1012a of block 1012, which is adjacent to block 1015 whose placement has been determined, the combination of block 1015, block 1012, and block 1013 is identified as the fourth block group, and it is determined whether or not the shape of the outer perimeter of the fourth block group forms a rectangle. In this case, since the outer perimeter of the fourth block group has the shape shown in the figure, it is determined that it is not a rectangle. Furthermore, since block 1011 is in contact with edge 1012b of block 1012, the combination of block 1015, block 1012, and block 1011 is identified as the fifth block group, and it is determined whether or not the shape of the outer perimeter of the fifth block group forms a rectangle. In this case, since the outer perimeter of the fifth block group has the shape shown in the figure, it is determined that it is not a rectangle. Furthermore, since block 1014 is in contact with the outer edge 1013a of block 1013, which is in contact with block 1012, the combination of block 1015, block 1012, block 1013, and block 1014 is identified as the sixth block group, and it is determined whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the sixth block group forms a rectangle. In this case, the outer perimeter of the sixth block group is rectangular, as shown by the dashed line 1016. Therefore, it is determined that the sixth block group is rectangular. The same judgment process will be applied to combinations of the five blocks 1011 to 1015. As described above, the shape of the outer perimeter is determined to be a predetermined shape for all variations of a block group composed of combinations of multiple blocks.

[0045] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 10(b), the block group formed by the combination of rectangular blocks 1001 and 1002 and square block 1003 contains a rectangle enclosed by the dotted line 1004 as the grid in which the blocks are placed, but because the shape of the outer perimeter is not rectangular, in such cases it is not determined to be a rectangle.

[0046] The process of determining whether the outer shape of a block group is rectangular or not is performed for each block group, and all block groups are subject to this determination. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shape of the outer perimeter of each identified block group within the board surface was determined to be rectangular each time a block group was identified, but the order of identification and determination does not matter. In other words, all block groups within the board area may be identified first, and then the shape of each block group may be determined to be rectangular or not. Also, in this embodiment, the shape of the outer perimeter was determined to be a predetermined shape for all variations of the object group, but it may be possible to determine this for only some of the variations.

[0047] Furthermore, if the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group is determined to be rectangular, the user will be granted a reward. In addition, in response to the determination that the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group is rectangular, the blocks that make up the block group will light up as part of a special effect. According to this embodiment, the determination is made based on whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the identified block group is rectangular or not. Therefore, it is not necessary for blocks to exist in all squares within the rectangular area, and there may be squares within the rectangular area that do not contain blocks.

[0048] According to this embodiment, in order to determine whether the outer shape of a block group is rectangular or not, for example, whether or not the block group has a cavity will be determined to be rectangular. Therefore, even if the outer shape is the same, the user can choose between a rectangle with a cavity and a rectangle without a cavity, which increases the number of ways the user can combine blocks compared to when this choice is not possible.

[0049] Furthermore, since the outer shape of all variations of a block group is determined to be rectangular or not, for example, if multiple block groups are composed of common blocks, each block group will be subject to determination. In other words, if each block group is determined to be rectangular, multiple rectangular block groups will exist simultaneously. Therefore, compared to determining only one block group, it becomes possible to provide users with a more strategic game.

[0050] Next, using Figure 11, we will explain an example in which multiple 2x2 or larger rectangles that do not contain each other are formed. Here, containment means that the entirety of one rectangle overlaps with the other rectangle. Depending on the arrangement of blocks in the board area, it is possible to form multiple 2x2 or larger rectangles by placing a single block of a player piece. For example, as shown in Figure 11(a), if the blocks are arranged and player piece block 1100 is placed in area 1101, then as shown in Figure 11(b), a 3x3 rectangle 1102 is formed, consisting of player piece block 1100, block 1104, block 1105, block 1106, and block 1108. At the same time, a 2x3 rectangle 1103 is also formed, consisting of player piece block 1100, block 1104, block 1105, block 1106, and block 1107. Furthermore, if a rectangle is formed, a visual effect is displayed in that block group, and if two or more rectangles are formed simultaneously, the visual effect of the larger rectangle is displayed on top. In the example in Figure 11(c), the visual effect 1109 in the block group forming the 3x3 rectangle 1102 is superimposed on the visual effect 1110 in the block group forming the 2x3 rectangle 1103.

[0051] In the example in Figure 11, blocks 1100, 1104, 1105, and 1106 form a 2x2 rectangle on a grid basis. However, since this rectangle is contained within the 3x3 rectangle 1102 (or the 2x3 rectangle 1103), it will not be counted in the number of simultaneously formed rectangles. Similarly, blocks 1100, 1104, and 1107 also form a 2x2 rectangle on a grid basis. However, since this rectangle is contained within the 2x3 rectangle 1103, it will not be counted in the number of simultaneously formed rectangles or in the score.

[0052] As described above, when a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a grid-by-grid basis by placing the player's blocks, points corresponding to that rectangle are calculated, and an animation and score indicating the formation of the rectangle are displayed. The displayed score is awarded to the user. The blocks that make up that rectangle are then removed from the board area. Note that while the animation and score indicating the formation of the rectangle are displayed after a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a grid-by-grid basis by placing the player's blocks, the scrolling of the entire board is paused. In this case, the larger the rectangle formed, the longer the scrolling pause will be.

[0053] Furthermore, when a rectangle is formed and the block group is removed, some of the blocks move upwards as a result of the removal of the block group. This upward movement of some blocks moves them further away from the launch line 704, which also serves as the clear failure line. When some blocks move at this time, if there is an object on the board that is obstructing their movement above them, the block stops before that object and its position is fixed. On the other hand, if there is no object obstructing the movement above the block, the block moves outside the board area. In other words, as shown in Figure 12(a), for example, when the block group in area 1200 is cleared, blocks 1201 and 1202, which were located below that block group, lose their support and move to the upper side of the board area 701. At this time, in addition to blocks 1201 and 1201, which have lost their support, blocks 1203 to 1205 are also located in the board area 701. In this case, as shown in Figure 12(b), block 1201 stops moving in front of block 1203, but block 1202 is cleared because there are no blocks above it, so it extends beyond the board area 701.

[0054] In addition, in normal and special stages, special blocks may be placed in board area 701 in addition to regular blocks. There are four types of special blocks that appear in stage mode: hard blocks, super blocks, thunder blocks, and peg blocks. These special blocks do not appear as player pieces, but like regular blocks, they move at a constant speed from outside the board area in the direction of arrow 703 as the screen scrolls. Furthermore, there are special blocks that are exclusive to special stages. Note that the shape of these special blocks is the same as the regular blocks placed in board area 701. In addition to these special blocks, there may also be a wall at the top of the board to prevent player pieces from passing through the board area and becoming discarded pieces.

[0055] Hard blocks are blocks that cannot be removed unless a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed twice in a grid. As mentioned above, if a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed in a grid while a hard block is present, the hard block is not removed and is converted into a regular block. Hard blocks may also be blocks that cannot be removed unless a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed in a grid while a super block is present, and the score is doubled. Note that the score multiplier is not limited to double; multiple types of super blocks with different multipliers such as triple or quadruple may be provided, and there are no particular limitations on the score multiplier.

[0056] Thunder blocks are similar to regular blocks, but if a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a grid unit basis while a thunder block is included, not only the blocks in that rectangle but all blocks placed in the board area are broken down and removed. In this case, points are awarded according to the number and size of the broken-down blocks. Peg blocks are blocks that do not move when a group of blocks is removed. For example, in Figure 12(a), if block 1201 is a peg block, block 1201 will not move even if the group of blocks in area 1200 is removed. Note that, as with regular blocks, if a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a grid unit basis while a peg block is included, the peg block will also be removed.

[0057] Next, we will explain the weapons available in Stage Mode. As mentioned earlier, the weapons include bombs, rockets, and time stops, each of which is useful for gaining an advantage in the game. Note that if there are no blocks in the path of movement and you fire a weapon and pass through the board area, the number of weapons you possess will not decrease.

[0058] Bombs are fired by manipulating them in the same way as the player's blocks. When a bomb stops in front of a block on the board and its stop is confirmed, it eliminates all blocks within a certain range (for example, a 5x5 grid) from the stopping position. In this case, points are awarded based on the number of blocks eliminated and the size of the grid units that make up the eliminated blocks.

[0059] The rocket is launched by manipulating it in the same way as the hand blocks. When it stops in front of a block in the board area and its position is confirmed, all blocks (including special blocks) on the board area are moved back by a predetermined number of squares. As all blocks move upward, they move away from the launch line 704, which also serves as the failure line, giving the player time to avoid failing the level.

[0060] Time Stop is launched by manipulating it in the same way as the player blocks. When it stops in front of a block on the board and the stop is confirmed at that position, the scrolling of the entire board stops for a predetermined time. In special stages with a time limit, the countdown of the time limit also stops.

[0061] In Stage Mode, three blocks are displayed in the hand area, but sometimes a special item is displayed instead of the hand blocks. Special items can be launched and their movement direction controlled in the same way as the hand blocks. In Stage Mode, a hammer may be incorporated as a special item instead of a hand block. If the user selects the hammer and launches it, and it stops in front of a block in the board area and the stop is confirmed at that position, the block adjacent to the upper side of the stopping position will be removed. In this case, similar to when a rectangle is formed and a group of blocks are removed, the block that had part of it positioned below that block will move to the upper side of the board area.

[0062] Next, we will explain the special stages. In Stage Mode, the normal stages are usually displayed, but special stages are set at predetermined intervals to keep the user from getting bored. In this embodiment, the special stages provided are the Naughty Stage, Crown Stage, Exam Stage, Time Stage, Jammer Stage, Frame Stage, and Ghost Stage. The following describes each of these stages.

[0063] The Naughty Stage is a stage that is cleared by eliminating a specified number of blocks to form rectangles (including elimination using special blocks and weapons), and is the same as the Normal Stage except for the conditions for achieving the objective.

[0064] The Crown Stage has the same objective completion conditions as the Normal Stage, but the scoring method is different. Points are awarded only when a rectangle is formed that includes the specified blocks.

[0065] The Exam Stage is a stage that is cleared when the score obtained from forming a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid exceeds a predetermined value. In this embodiment, the larger the rectangle, the higher the score obtained, and the details of the score calculation method will be described later. Also, the required score differs for each stage.

[0066] Time stages are similar to normal stages in that they have a time limit, and the goal is to clear the stage by reaching a predetermined score within that time limit. Also, as mentioned earlier, if you use a time-stop weapon, the countdown of the time limit will also stop.

[0067] The Jammer Stage is a stage in which a special type of block called a Jammer Block, which is a 1x1 unit block, appears. Unlike normal blocks, Jammer Blocks cannot be treated as edges of a rectangle when determining whether a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a grid basis. In other words, Jammer Blocks are blocks that are not identified as a group of blocks. The Jammer Stage will be explained below with reference to Figure 13.

[0068] For example, as shown in Figure 13(a), when a hand block 1300 is placed in area 1301, the block fits within a 3x2 area on a grid basis, including the jammer block 1302. However, since the jammer block 1302 is not treated as an edge of the rectangle, a 3x2 rectangle is not formed in this case, and the block cannot be removed at this stage.

[0069] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 13(b), when a 3x1 block of hand pieces 1305 is placed in area 1303, the blocks will fit within a 3x3 area on a grid basis, including the jammer block 1302. In other words, the block group consisting of block 1300, block 1304, and block 1305 encloses the jammer block 1302 and forms a 3x3 rectangle. In this case, since the jammer block 1302 is surrounded by normal blocks, a 3x3 rectangle is formed, and the block group including the jammer block 1302 is eliminated. In this embodiment, the jammer block appears as a special block pre-placed in the board area, but the jammer block may also appear as a hand piece block.

[0070] Frame stages are similar in basic gameplay to normal stages, but the objective is that a square frame appears at the end of the stage, and the stage is cleared when the blocks that form a rectangle within that frame are eliminated. In addition, thunder blocks do not appear as special blocks in frame stages, but a wall appears behind the square frame, and the entire board scrolls as the wall approaches.

[0071] Figure 14 shows an example of the frame stage screen. In the example in Figure 14, a 3x3 square frame 1401 is displayed in the board area 1400, and the stage is cleared when a rectangle is formed using the 3x3 square frame 1401 by placing the player's blocks. The X-shaped blocks 1402 behind the square frame 1401 represent walls, and the entire horizontal direction is filled with walls. In this embodiment, the square frame that appears at the end of the frame stage is always a square or rectangle, but the frame that appears at the end of the frame stage does not have to be a rectangle. If the frame that appears at the end of the frame stage is not a rectangle, the stage is cleared when the blocks are placed so that the shape of the outer perimeter of the frame matches that of the block group.

[0072] When forming a rectangle with a 3x3 square frame, as shown in Figure 15(a), blocks 1501a and 1501b may be adjacent to the outside of square frame 1502, and the rectangle can be formed by blocks 1502a-c and block 1505 so that it matches square frame 1502. Also, when a square frame appears at the end of the stage, as shown in Figure 15(b), square frame 1503 may not be adjacent to wall 1504. In this case as well, the rectangle can be formed by blocks 1503a-d and block 1506 so that it matches square frame 1503. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 16(a), peg block 1602 may be placed in front of square frame 1601, and as shown in Figure 16(b), peg block 1604 may be placed inside square frame 1603.

[0073] Furthermore, in frame stages, the stage is not considered cleared if only the square frame crosses the clear failure line. In this case, the user can use the rocket weapon to move the square frame back above the clear failure line, and then place their hand blocks to complete a rectangle that matches the square frame, thereby clearing the stage.

[0074] Ghost stages are stages in which ghosts, which do not interfere with blocks, appear randomly in the game board area. In other words, ghosts are objects that are placed to overlap with blocks in the game board area, or that are not identified as blocks. Ghosts are eliminated by forming rectangles that include them, and the stage is cleared when a predetermined number of ghosts are eliminated.

[0075] Figure 17(a) shows an example of the Ghost Stage screen. As shown in Figure 17(a), Ghost 1701 appears in 1x1 units and is displayed semi-transparently. The area in which ghosts appear is limited to the area within the board area 701, excluding the top line 1704 and the one square above the launch line 704, and they appear randomly. Ghost 1701 does not interfere with blocks, and does not follow the entire board while it is scrolling, so it may overlap with blocks. As in the example in Figure 17(a), multiple ghosts may appear, but they will not overlap in the same position. Also, when the rocket weapon is used, the ghost does not move backward, and it remains even when the bomb weapon is used. Furthermore, even when a rectangle including a thunder block is formed and all blocks in the board area are cleared, the ghost remains, and even when the block that the ghost is overlapping on is cleared with the special item hammer, the ghost remains. Thus, ghosts are only cleared when a rectangle is formed that includes the block that the ghost is overlapping on.

[0076] Additionally, a ghost gauge 1703 consisting of multiple divisions is displayed at the top of the board area 701. Each time a ghost is eliminated, the divisions 1703a to c of the ghost gauge 1703 are filled with ghost icons 1702. The goal is achieved when all divisions 1703a to c of the ghost gauge 1703 are filled with ghost icons 1702. The number of divisions in the ghost gauge 1703 (the number of times the goal is achieved) varies depending on the stage, ranging from 1 to 5.

[0077] Furthermore, in some stages, the ghosts may move, with types including those that move only vertically, those that move only horizontally, those that move randomly, and those that warp to a different location. For example, there is a mechanism where, regardless of whether the ghost has been eliminated or not, the ghost is warped (its position is changed without moving within the board area) when a rectangle is formed a predetermined number of times. Therefore, as shown in Figure 17(b), if a ghost is overlapping a block, it is necessary to launch block 1705 from your hand into area 1708 as shown in Figure 17(c) before the ghost moves, thereby forming a rectangle with the block group consisting of block 1705, block 1706, and block 1707 and eliminating the block. At that time, the color of the ghost overlapping the block that forms the rectangle may be changed to indicate that the ghost can be eliminated.

[0078] Next, we will explain how to calculate the score using Figure 18. Basically, points are awarded to the user when a rectangle is formed, but points are also awarded to the user when a weapon is used or when a rectangle is formed including special blocks, depending on the result. The score when a rectangle is formed is the value obtained by multiplying the size of the rectangle (height x width) in units of squares by the number of blocks included in that rectangle. The value obtained by multiplying by the number of blocks included in the rectangle includes, for example, the value obtained by multiplying by the number of blocks that make up the block group in which the rectangle was formed. Additionally, if a block is broken up by a bomb weapon or a thunder block, the user is awarded points equal to the number of squares occupied by the broken-up block. In other words, even if a block is removed from the board area by an object other than a block, the user is awarded points corresponding to the removed block.

[0079] Here, we will explain a specific example of how to calculate points when a rectangle is formed, using Figure 18. First, let's assume that blocks 1809 and 1810 are placed in the board area 701 as shown in Figure 18(a). Then, as shown in Figure 18(b), the user first manipulates block 1801 to form rectangle 1803 with the block group consisting of blocks 1801 and 1809. After that, let's assume that the user manipulates block 1802 to form rectangle 1804 with the block group consisting of blocks 1802 and 1810. In this example, the points for forming rectangle 1803 are 3 x 2 x 2 = 12 points, and the points for forming rectangle 1804 are 2 x 3 x 2 = 12 points, for a total of 24 points.

[0080] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 18(c), the user first places block 1811 in a way that prevents the formation of a rectangle. Then, the user manipulates block 1805 to form rectangle 1806 using the block group consisting of block 1805, block 1811, block 1809, and block 1810. In this example, the score for forming rectangle 1806 is 3x5x4 = 60 points, which is a higher score than the example in Figure 18(b). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 18(d), the user first places multiple block pieces 1812-1815 in a way that prevents the formation of a rectangle. Then, the user manipulates block 1807 to form rectangle 1808 using the block group consisting of block 1807, block 1809, block 1810, block 1812, block 1813, block 1814, and block 1815. In this example, the score for completing rectangle 1808 is 3x5x7 = 105 points, which is a higher score than the example in Figure 18(c). In other words, if a group of blocks forms a rectangle, the user is given a score based on the size of the group and the number of blocks that make up the group. This allows users to choose from various ways of playing the game, such as actively creating rectangles to progress through the game, even if it results in a lower score, or aiming to create rectangles with a large number of blocks to earn a high score, even if it means taking the risk of failing to complete the level. As a result, it becomes possible to provide a more strategic game.

[0081] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, when a rectangle is formed and that group of blocks is deleted, the blocks that were supported by that group of blocks move. In this case as well, based on the determination of the arrangement of the moved blocks, the group of blocks is identified and it is determined whether or not the identified group of blocks forms a rectangle. In other words, a rectangle is formed, and the blocks in that group are removed. The movement of the blocks that were supported by that group can then create a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid-by-grid basis. Hereafter, when a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a grid-by-grid basis, a group of blocks is removed, the blocks supported by the removal of the group move, and the moved blocks create yet another rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid-by-grid basis, this is called a chain. When a chain occurs, the score is calculated by multiplying the size of the rectangle on a grid-by-grid basis (height x width) by the number of blocks included in that chain. When a chain is formed in this way, a higher score is obtained. The following explains specific examples of when a chain occurs.

[0082] For example, as shown in Figure 19(a), suppose the user manipulates block 1901 and forms rectangle 1902 with the block group consisting of block 1901, block 1906, and block 1907, as shown in Figure 19(b). In this case, first, because rectangle 1902 is formed, blocks 1901, 1906, and 1907 within rectangle 1902 are deleted. Then, as shown in Figure 19(c), blocks 1903 and 1904, which were supported by the deleted blocks, move in the direction of the arrow. Based on the changes in the positions and finalization of the arrangement of blocks 1903 and 1904, the block group is identified for each of blocks 1903 and 1904, and it is determined whether or not the identified block group forms a rectangle. The method for identifying and determining the block group at this time is the same as the method explained using Figure 10, for example. In Figure 19(c), a new rectangle 1905 is formed by a group of blocks consisting of block 1908 and the moved block 1903. In this example, the score for forming rectangle 1902 as the first chain is 2x3x3 = 18 points. The score for forming rectangle 1905 as the second chain is 2x2x(3+2) = 20 points. Note that if rectangle 1905 is formed independently and not as part of a chain, the score is 2x2x2 = 8 points, so a higher score can be obtained when a chain occurs.

[0083] Furthermore, the example in Figure 19 shows the case of one chain (2 consecutive), but the chain continues until no more rectangles are formed, so the longer the chain, the higher the score. Specifically, if a chain occurs and continues for n consecutive times, the score when a rectangle is formed in the nth consecutive chain is (number of vertical squares in the nth consecutive rectangle) × (number of horizontal squares in the nth consecutive rectangle) × (number of blocks in the 1st consecutive chain + number of blocks in the 2nd consecutive chain + ... + number of blocks in the nth consecutive chain).

[0084] Note that the method for calculating the score when a rectangle is formed is just one example, and scores may be calculated in other ways. For example, in the examples of Figure 18(c) and Figure 18(d), the example in Figure 18(d), which has more blocks, is given a higher score, but it may also be possible to give a higher score to the example in Figure 18(c), where there are gaps within the rectangle (there are squares where no blocks are placed).

[0085] [1-3. Explanation of Puzzle Mode] Next, the game content of the puzzle mode in this embodiment will be described. Figure 20 shows an example of the game screen in puzzle mode. In puzzle mode, the user selects a block to launch from multiple pieces blocks 2006a to j, places the piece within the puzzle frame 2003 defined in the board area 2001, and clears the stage described in stage number 2016 when the shape of the outer perimeter of the group of blocks connected together matches the shape of the puzzle frame 2003.

[0086] On the other hand, unlike Stage Mode, the entire board does not scroll and move closer, and the question frame 2003 and wall 2005 never exceed the launch line 2004. Also, placing a hand block 2006 does not replenish the hand blocks. Unlike Stage Mode, even if a rectangle is formed by the placed hand blocks, the blocks are not removed and no points are awarded. The hand area 2002 contains up to 10 hand block 2006 of multiple shapes, and all of these hand blocks must be manipulated to place blocks within the question frame 2003. Then, a group of blocks is identified based on the combination of placed blocks, and it is determined whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the identified group of blocks matches the shape and position of the question frame 2003. If they match, the level is cleared. In this embodiment, if, among the identified block groups, there are block groups whose outer shape matches the shape and position of the question frame 2003, but at the same time, there are also block groups that are not placed within the question frame 2003, then the game will not be cleared. In other words, the clearing condition includes the fact that all blocks placed in the board area are placed within the question frame 2003.

[0087] In puzzle mode, no new blocks are added to your hand, so walls (2005) are often placed in the board area (2001) to prevent your hand blocks from passing through the board area and becoming discarded. In puzzle mode, walls are placed to hold block groups within the puzzle frame, and depending on the shape of the frame, walls may be placed not only on the top row of the board area but also partially on the second row or lower. Peg blocks may also be placed to hold block groups within the puzzle frame, and if peg blocks are present, walls may not be present. Furthermore, magnet blocks may be placed as special blocks exclusive to puzzle mode. Details of magnet blocks will be described later. On the other hand, hard blocks, super blocks, thunder blocks that appear in stage mode, and jammer blocks and ghosts that appear in special stages, do not appear in puzzle mode. Also, in puzzle mode, the shape of the puzzle frame and blocks differs from stage to stage, and there are no special stages.

[0088] As described above, the user aims to clear the stage by using all of the blocks they are given in advance. If the user fails to match the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group to the shape of the puzzle frame 2003 within the allotted time, they will fail to clear the stage. Similarly, if there is no wall 2005 and the user's blocks pass through the board area and become discarded pieces, they will also fail to clear the stage. Another example of failure is if the user places their blocks outside of the puzzle frame 2003.

[0089] In puzzle mode, the shape of the puzzle frame 2003, as well as the presence or absence of walls and peg blocks, differ for each stage number, and the difficulty of the game increases as the stage number increases. Also, since the objective is to match the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group to the shape of the puzzle frame 2003, the play time 2007 is displayed instead of the objective gauge in puzzle mode. In this embodiment, it is possible to set whether to turn the display of the play time 2007 on or off. The pause button 2008 is an icon provided for the user to pause the game midway, and the game will pause when the user selects the pause button 2008.

[0090] The Undo button 2010 is used to undo the placement of a block if the user has made a mistake in the placement or order of the block pieces. When the user selects the Undo button 2010, the most recently placed block piece is returned to the block piece area 2002. Note that there may be a limit to the number of times the Undo button 2010 can be used. If the number of times the Undo button 2010 has been used reaches the limit, and the user has made a mistake in the order of moving or placing the block pieces, making it impossible to match the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group to the shape of the puzzle frame 2003, the game will be cleared. Also, while the user is trapping to move a block piece, the Undo button 2010 becomes semi-transparent to make the board easier to see. The Hint button 2011 is used to tell the user which block piece to move next from the block pieces 2006 in the block piece area 2002, and where to place that block, for one move at a time. However, using the Hint Button 2011 requires the user to spend in-game currency, and the required in-game currency points are displayed below the Hint Button 2011. Additionally, the in-game currency display area 2009 shows the user's current in-game currency points. In the example in Figure 20, the user possesses 1234 in-game currency points, and using the Hint Button 2011 to obtain a hint will consume 123 points.

[0091] If the user selects the hint button 2011 at the start of the stage, for example as shown in Figure 21(a), if the order and placement shown in correct example 2101b and correct examples 2105b-2108b are the correct answers for the pieces blocks 2101a, 2105a, 2106a, 2107a, and 2108a, then a semi-transparent shadow 2104 of correct example 2101b, which represents the first move in the correct answer, will be displayed in the question frame 2103 as the first piece block to be placed, as shown in Figure 21(b). This shows the user that they should place piece block 2101a so that it matches the semi-transparent shadow 2104. Furthermore, if the user has not been trapped for a certain period of time in that stage, it is assumed that the user is struggling with the order and placement of the blocks they are manipulating, and the hint button 2102 will blink for about 10 seconds to encourage the use of the hint button.

[0092] In addition, in puzzle mode, some stages may have special gimmicks. Specifically, some stages may have flips that reverse the player's block pieces. Figure 22 is a diagram illustrating the operation when flips are set. There are left-right flips to reverse the block horizontally and up-down flips to reverse it vertically. Neither flip nor an object is a block, so they do not obstruct the movement of the player's block pieces. However, if a flipped piece passes over a position where a flip is set, the block will be reversed regardless of whether the user has set a trap or not. In this case, the block will be reversed no matter which part of the block passes over the flip.

[0093] For example, as shown in Figure 22(a), left and right flips 2201 are placed in the board area, and a player piece, block 2202, is launched by the user. In this case, when the tip of block 2202 reaches the position of the left and right flip 2201, the block flips around an axis of a vertical line passing through the center of block 2202, as shown in Figure 22(b). Note that a block can only be flipped once and cannot be flipped again. In other words, after a block is flipped, the color of the left and right flip 2204 changes, and it is clearly indicated that the block will not flip again even if it passes over the left and right flip 2204 until the flipped block 2203 is placed. Therefore, once a block has been flipped, it cannot be returned to its original state even if it is moved downwards while being trapped and passed over the left and right flip again.

[0094] Next, we will explain the magnetic blocks, which only appear in puzzle mode. Magnetic blocks are blocks that stop the launched pieces by attracting them from the side. A specific example will be explained below with reference to Figure 23.

[0095] For example, as shown in Figure 23(a), a magnetic block 2301 is placed on the board area, and the user operates a hand block 2302 to launch it so that it passes through the square to the right adjacent to the magnetic block 2301. In this case, as shown in Figure 23(b), the movement of the hand block 2302 stops when it reaches the square to the right adjacent to the magnetic block 2301 (when the hand block 2302 reaches position 2303 in Figure 23(a)), so that it is attracted to the magnetic block 2301.

[0096] If the user touches the screen again before a predetermined time has elapsed since the movement stopped, the movement of the hand block 2302 in the direction of travel will resume, as shown in Figure 23(c). Then, when the hand block 2302 has moved one square in the direction of travel (when it reaches position 2304 in Figure 23(c)), if the user lifts their finger from the screen again, the hand block 2302 will stop by being attracted to the magnet block 2301 again, as shown in Figure 23(d), and the movement of the hand block 2302 will stop once more.

[0097] In the example shown in Figure 23, the magnet block 2301 is a 1x1 square magnet block. When a player's block passes through any of the four adjacent squares (above, below, left, or right) to the magnet block, it attracts the block and stops it. Note that magnet blocks, like player blocks, come in various shapes. Regardless of the shape of the magnet block, if a player's block passes through any of the squares adjacent to the edge of the magnet block, it will be attracted and stop moving.

[0098] Furthermore, in puzzle mode, the goal is to clear the level if the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group formed by placing all the pre-assigned pieces on the board area matches the shape and position of the puzzle frame 2003. Therefore, the order and arrangement combinations are not necessarily unique; in other words, multiple combinations may exist. For example, even if the block 2106a, which should be placed third, is placed last, the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group matches the shape of the question frame 2103, and the stage can be cleared.

[0099] [2. Game Device Configuration] Next, we will describe the overview of the game device used to implement the aforementioned game. Figure 24 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the game device 10 according to this embodiment. The game device 10 is a device for controlling the game described above, and is, for example, a portable electronic device such as a smartphone or tablet. The game device 10 has a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a communication unit 14, an operation unit 15, a display unit 16, and a storage device 17, which are connected by a bus 18.

[0100] The CPU 11 reads the control program stored in the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executes various processes. The ROM 12 stores the control program (OS, etc.) necessary to operate the game device 10. Flash memory (NVRAM) may be used instead of ROM 12. The RAM 13 is used as the main memory and temporary storage area of ​​the CPU 11, such as the work area. The communication unit 14 performs communication processing with external devices via the network. The operation unit 15 accepts various operations from the user. The display unit 16 is a touch panel and is part of the operation unit 15. The display unit 16 displays various information, such as the game screen mentioned above. The storage device 17 mainly stores game programs related to the game and various data related to the game.

[0101] The functions and processing of the game device 10 are realized by the CPU 11 reading a program stored in the ROM 12 or storage device 17 and executing this program. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may read a program stored in a removable storage medium such as an SD card, instead of reading a program stored in the ROM 12 or the like. The means for supplying the program to the computer may be a computer-readable storage medium on which the program is recorded, or a transmission medium such as the internet for transmitting the program. Hereafter, the game device 10 will be described as a smartphone with a liquid crystal display panel equipped with a touch panel.

[0102] Figure 25 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the game device 10 according to this embodiment. The storage device 10's memory device 17 stores a program for running the game. The memory device 17 also includes a data storage unit 171 for storing various data necessary for game processing. For example, the data storage unit 171 stores game data 172, etc.

[0103] Game data 172 consists of information related to the game, and includes item data 173 and user data 174.

[0104] Item data 173 includes information such as the number of change items and weapons used in stage mode that the user possesses. User data 174 includes information necessary for progressing through the game, such as the amount of in-game currency the user possesses and the stage numbers the user has cleared.

[0105] Furthermore, the game device 10 is equipped with a game control unit 120, the functions of which are realized by the CPU 11 executing a game program stored in the storage device 17. The game control unit 120 performs the necessary controls for the user to play the game on the game device 10. The game control unit 120 includes a movement control unit 121, a placement unit 122, a determination unit 123, and an event control unit 124.

[0106] The movement control unit 121 controls the movement of objects (piece blocks) based on user operations. Specifically, it controls the movement of objects (piece blocks) according to the user's operations on the screen displayed on the touch panel display unit 16. For example, as shown in Figure 1, when the user touches the touch panel displaying the screen where the piece blocks are placed, the operation unit 15 inputs coordinates (position information) on the screen, and one of the piece blocks is selected. The movement control unit 121 then determines the starting point by placing the selected block in front of the launch line 110. At that time, based on the coordinates on the touch panel identified by the user's operation, the movement control unit 121 determines which square the block to be placed in front of the launch line 110 should start from. However, if the user drags diagonally upwards on the touch panel, the movement control unit 121 determines the positional relationship between the selected block and the launch line and moves the selected block so that it does not extend beyond the launch line 110. In other words, it controls the movement of the block so that the upper edge of the selected block does not appear above the launch line 110. Then, when the user lifts their finger from the touch panel, the movement control unit 121 controls the movement of the hand block toward the area containing squares above the launch line 110. At that time, the movement control unit 121 determines the positional relationship between the hand block and the blocks placed in the board area, and controls the movement of the hand block to stop when it has moved to a position where it can no longer move. Determining the positional relationship between the hand block and the blocks placed in the board area includes, for example, determining whether there are any blocks placed in the direction of the hand block's movement, and if there are blocks, determining their positions. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, for example, the movement control unit 121 also controls the movement of the hand piece block 111b by preventing its movement from being obstructed by the block 112 already placed in the board area 108.

[0107] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4(b) and 4(c), when the player touches the touch panel displaying the screen and slides in a direction different from the direction of movement while the player's block 401 is moving upward, the operation unit 15 receives information about the coordinates (position information) on the screen and the movement of the touched position (displacement of the input coordinates), and the movement control unit 121 controls the movement of the player's block 401. In this way, the movement control unit 121 changes the position of the player's block 401 while it is moving. The movement control unit 121 also performs control such as stopping the player's block once and then moving it again, as shown in Figure 6. In addition, the movement control unit 121 also controls the movement of weapons and special items (hammers) in stage mode, in addition to the player's block.

[0108] The placement unit 122 places an object (a block of a player piece) in a predetermined area (the board area) based on the movement of the object by the movement control unit 121. Specifically, the movement control unit 121 controls the stopping of the block of a player piece, and once a predetermined time has elapsed with the block stopped, the placement unit 122 confirms that the block will be placed at that position. For example, as shown in Figure 6(a), if the block of a player piece 601 reaches the position of the stop warning cursor and stops, and the landing effect 602 is displayed, and there is no user input while the landing effect 602 is displayed, the placement unit 122 confirms the placement of the block of a player piece 601 at its stopping position.

[0109] Furthermore, in stage mode, if the outer shape of a group of objects (blocks) formed by multiple objects becomes a rectangle of 2x2 or larger in grid units, the placement unit 122 deletes the block group in area 1200 that constitutes the rectangle, as shown in Figure 12(a). Based on the deletion of the block group, blocks 1201 and 1202 are moved upwards to change their placement. In addition to the hand blocks, the placement unit 122 also determines the placement of weapons and special items (hammers) in stage mode at their stopping positions.

[0110] The determination unit 123 determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of a group of objects (blocks) composed of multiple objects (blocks) placed in a predetermined area (board area) is a predetermined shape. In stage mode, the determination unit 123 determines whether a rectangle of 2x2 or more is formed on a grid basis based on the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group. In puzzle mode, the determination unit 123 determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group matches the puzzle frame after launching all of the predetermined blocks of the player pieces. More specifically, the determination unit 123 determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of all variations of a block group composed of combinations of multiple blocks is a predetermined shape. In the example shown in Figure 10(a), it determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of each block group identified by the combination of adjacent blocks 1011 to 1015 is rectangular. In this way, the user can change their strategy midway through the game depending on the arrangement of the blocks, aiming to create rectangles with different block groups, thus providing a more strategic game. In the examples shown in Figures 21(a) and 21(b), it is determined whether the shape of the outer perimeter of each block group, identified by the combination of adjacent blocks, matches the shape of the question frame 2103.

[0111] Furthermore, in stage mode, as shown in Figures 19(a) to 19(c), the arrangement of blocks that were supported by a block group is changed by deleting a block group. Specifically, the placement unit 122 identifies blocks that were supported by the block group, in other words, blocks adjacent to the bottom edge of the blocks to be deleted, based on the deletion of blocks that constitute the block group that forms a rectangle, as blocks to be repositioned. In the example of Figure 19(b), block 1903 adjacent to the bottom edge 1906a of block 1906 that will be deleted, and block 1904 adjacent to the bottom edge 1907a of block 1907 that will be deleted, are identified by the placement unit 122 as blocks to be repositioned. Furthermore, if another block is placed on the bottom edge (the edge opposite to the direction of travel) of the identified blocks to be repositioned, that other block is also identified as a block to be repositioned. The placement unit 122 then moves the identified placement change block, for example, upward. If there is a block in the direction of the placement change block's movement, the placement change of the placement change block is finalized at a position in front of the block in the direction of movement relative to the block that is already there. In the example in Figure 19(c), since block 1908 is located in the direction of the placement change block 1903's movement, the position of placement change block 1903 after the placement change is finalized in front of block 1908. Similarly, the position of placement change block 1904 after the placement change is finalized in front of block 1909. In this way, by changing the arrangement of blocks based on the deletion of blocks, it is possible to provide users with a way of playing that, for example, involves predicting the changed arrangement of blocks while aiming to create a predetermined outer frame shape. In response to the placement unit 122 confirming the placement of the placement change blocks, the determination unit 123 determines whether the shape of the outer frame of the block group composed of the multiple blocks in the changed placement is rectangular or not. In this way, by performing further judgment processing in response to changes in the arrangement of blocks based on the deletion of block groups, it becomes possible to create consecutive rectangles.

[0112] The event control unit 124 executes predetermined processing based on the determination result of the determination unit 123. More specifically, if the determination unit 123 determines that the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group is a predetermined shape, the event control unit 124 performs predetermined processing, such as granting a reward. As a reward, in stage mode, the event control unit 124 grants a reward such as points based on the size and number of blocks of the completed rectangle (block group), as shown in Figure 18. In addition, other rewards such as weapons or change items may be given in stage mode. Furthermore, if the determination unit 123 determines that the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group is a predetermined shape, the event control unit 124 may perform predetermined effects, such as illuminating the blocks.

[0113] The game control unit 120 also performs other display-related processing and game progression-related processing when the game is being played. As for display-related processing, the game control unit 120 displays (or hides) game-related objects such as normal blocks, special blocks (hard blocks, thunder blocks, jammer blocks, etc.), and ghosts on the display unit 16 screen; displays the trajectory and stop warning cursor when the user selects a block during gameplay; displays a landing effect when a block stops; and displays hints based on user input in puzzle mode. Furthermore, as for game progression-related processing, the game control unit 120 selects the next stage when a stage is cleared; scrolls the entire game board on the game screen to bring it closer; and measures time using a timer.

[0114] [3-1. Processing flow in Stage Mode] First, let's explain the processing steps during gameplay in Stage Mode.

[0115] Figure 26 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure when manipulating one piece block in the stage mode of this embodiment. Before the processing shown in Figure 26, first the game control unit 120 displays a screen related to starting the game on the display unit 16 of the game device 10. When the user operates the operation unit 15 to select stage mode and the game control unit 120 receives an instruction to start the game from the operation unit 15, the game in stage mode begins. The game control unit 120 then scrolls the entire board at a predetermined speed to control the blocks placed on the board so that they move closer to the clear failure line. When the user touches the screen of the display unit 16 with their finger and selects one of the three piece blocks placed in the piece area, the processing shown in Figure 26 begins (S100).

[0116] In S101, the movement control unit 121 sets a block of the hand piece selected by the user as the target of movement, and controls the movement of the said block of the hand piece according to the user's finger operation. For example, when the user lifts their finger from the screen, the movement control unit 121 controls the movement of the block of the hand piece so that it moves upward from the launch line, based on the information input by the operation unit 15. If the user moves their finger while trapping (long pressing) when the block of the hand piece is being controlled to move upward, the movement control unit 121 controls the movement of the block of the hand piece so that it moves in the direction the finger moved. If the movement control unit 121 controls the movement of the block of the hand piece so that it cannot stop in the board area and moves off-screen as a discarded piece, the game control unit 120 replenishes the hand piece area with a new block of the hand piece and terminates the process shown in Figure 26. Furthermore, if the operation unit 15 receives input that the user's finger movement returns the selected piece block to its original position in the piece area before it is launched, the movement control unit 121 performs movement control to return the controlled piece block to its original position and terminates the process.

[0117] In S102, the placement unit 122 determines the placement of the hand piece block at its stopping position when the hand piece block stops along the grid due to the movement control of the movement control unit 121 and a predetermined time has elapsed while it remains stopped. The game control unit 120 also replenishes the hand piece area with a new hand piece block.

[0118] In S103, the determination unit 123 determines whether the block group formed by connecting adjacent blocks is a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid basis, given that the block placement was determined in S102. As mentioned above, whether or not it is a rectangle is determined from the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group, and it is acceptable for there to be grid squares within the rectangle that do not contain blocks. If, as a result of this determination, a rectangle of 2x2 or larger on a grid basis is not formed, the processing related to the block of the target piece is terminated (S106).

[0119] On the other hand, if the result of the judgment in S103 is that a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a grid basis, in S104 the event control unit 124 calculates a score according to the size of the block group that makes up the formed rectangle, the number of blocks (and the number of chains).

[0120] Then, in S105, the placement unit 122 removes the block group that constitutes the formed rectangle from the screen, and consequently moves the block that was supported by the removed block group upward. After that, returning to S103, the determination unit 123 determines whether or not a rectangle (chain) of 2x2 or more is formed on a grid basis as a result of this block movement.

[0121] As described above, the game device 10 progresses the game in stage mode by repeating the process shown in Figure 26 for each selected block of pieces. Then, as previously stated, when the game control unit 120 determines that the objective given for each stage has been achieved, or when the entire board scrolls and at least one of the blocks placed in the board area reaches the clear failure line and the stage is not cleared, the game for that stage ends, and the game progresses to the next stage or the same stage again by the same process. If the objective has been achieved, the game control unit 120 displays a message on the display unit 16 indicating that the stage has been cleared.

[0122] [3-2. Processing flow in puzzle mode] Next, we will explain the processing steps during gameplay in puzzle mode.

[0123] Figure 27 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure when manipulating a block piece in one stage in the puzzle mode of this embodiment. Before the processing shown in Figure 27, first the game control unit 120 displays a screen related to starting the game on the display unit 16 of the game device 10. When the user operates the operation unit 15 to select puzzle mode and the game control unit 120 receives an instruction to start the game from the operation unit 15, the puzzle mode game starts, and the game control unit 120 starts measuring the play time. Then, as the game control unit 120 starts measuring the play time, the processing shown in Figure 27 starts (S200).

[0124] In S201, the movement control unit 121 identifies a block of the piece to be controlled in response to the user's operation and sets that identified block as the target of movement. Then, it controls the movement of the block of the piece in response to the user's finger operation. For example, when the user lifts their finger from the screen, the movement control unit 121 controls the movement of the block of the piece to move upward from the launch line based on the information input by the operation unit 15. If the user moves their finger while trapping (long pressing), the movement control controls the movement of the block of the piece to move in the direction the finger is moving.

[0125] In S202, the placement unit 122 determines the placement of the piece block at the stopping position when the piece block stops along the grid due to the movement control of the movement control unit 121 and a predetermined time has elapsed while it remains stopped.

[0126] In S203, the determination unit 123 determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group that makes up the board area matches the shape and position of the question frame, now that the placement of the hand pieces' blocks has been determined in S202. If the determination unit 123 determines that they match, the process proceeds to S204; otherwise, the process proceeds to S206.

[0127] In S204, the determination unit 123 determines whether all of the player's block pieces have been launched. If all of the player's block pieces have been launched, the process proceeds to S205. In S205, the game control unit 120 displays an animation on the screen of the display unit 16 indicating that the stage has been cleared. Once the animation indicating that the stage has been cleared in S205 is finished, the process ends (S208). On the other hand, if it is not determined that all of the pieces in hand have been fired (S204·No), proceed to S206.

[0128] In S206, the determination unit 123 determines whether or not the failure conditions are met. Failure conditions include, for example, that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the start of the game, or that all of the player's blocks have been launched despite the fact that the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group does not match the question frame. If the failure conditions are not met, return to S201 to select the next block to launch. If the failure conditions are met, proceed to S207.

[0129] In S207, the game control unit 120 notifies the user of an incorrect answer through the screen of the display unit 16. In this case, the game control unit 120 prompts the user to press the undo button to move the piece back one move, or displays a message indicating that the stage has not been cleared. Then, it terminates processing for the stage being processed (S208).

[0130] As described above, by performing the process shown in Figure 27, the game device 10 progresses through one stage of the puzzle mode. When the stage is cleared in S205, the game for that stage ends, and the player moves on to the next stage, where the game progresses through the same process. If the player fails to clear the stage, the game control unit 120 may allow the user to choose whether to play the same stage again or play a different stage. In this embodiment, the clear condition includes firing all of the player's blocks (S204, Yes), but even if not all of the player's blocks have been fired, the clear condition may be determined if the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group matches the shape and position of the question frame. In this case, if the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group matches the shape and position of the question frame (S203, Yes), the process may proceed to S205 without going through S204.

[0131] As described above, according to this embodiment, in stage mode and puzzle mode, a movement control process is performed to move objects (blocks of pieces) based on user operations; an object placement process is performed to place the objects in a predetermined area in accordance with the movement of the objects by the movement control process; a determination process is performed to determine whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the object group composed of multiple objects placed in the predetermined area is a predetermined shape; and a processing control process is performed to execute a predetermined process based on the determination result of the determination process. In this way, it is determined whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the object group composed of multiple objects placed in the predetermined area is a predetermined shape, so the object group may be completely filled with objects or there may be empty space within the object group. Therefore, the user can be allowed to choose how to form the object group according to the situation, and a highly strategic game can be provided.

[0132] Furthermore, since objects placed in a designated area and objects moved by movement control processing have multiple shapes, the order in which users select objects becomes important, providing a more strategic game. In addition, when moving objects, the direction and position of the moving object can be changed based on the user's actions after movement has started, making it easier to place objects in the desired location. Therefore, this increases the strategic depth compared to cases where moving objects cannot be controlled by the user.

[0133] [4. Variant] While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiments, the game device was described using a portable electronic device equipped with a touch panel, such as a smartphone or tablet, as an example, but if it is possible to substitute user input using a touch panel with controller input, the invention may also be applied to a game device equipped with such a controller.

[0134] In the above embodiment, the determination of whether the outer perimeter shape is a predetermined shape is made by determining whether there are adjacent blocks touching any one side of the outer perimeter of the block whose placement has been determined, identifying them as a group of blocks, and then determining whether there are blocks touching any one side of the outer perimeter of the adjacent block. However, it is also possible to determine whether any one side of the outer perimeter of the block whose placement has been determined is touching the group of blocks.

[0135] Specifically, if block E, which is adjacent to one side of the outer perimeter of block A whose placement has been determined, forms a block group EF with block F, then block A and block group EF are identified as block group AEF. Then, it is determined whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the identified block group A and B forms a rectangle. In other words, all combinations of blocks adjacent to at least one side of the placed blocks, starting from at least one side of the outer perimeter of the blocks whose placement has been determined, are identified, and each of these combinations is identified as a block group.

[0136] In the above embodiment, the determination of whether the outer shape is a predetermined shape is made by determining the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group, but it may also be determined by the shape of the outer perimeter of the grid group, which is composed of all the squares on which the blocks are placed.

[0137] Identifying the grid group and determining whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the identified grid group is a predetermined shape may be performed in the same manner as in the above embodiment. However, an example of determining whether the shape of the outer perimeter is a predetermined shape by determining the shape of the outer frame (outer perimeter) of the grid group composed of all the grids on which the blocks are placed will be explained using Figure 10. In the modified version of the game, whether or not a rectangle is formed is determined by connecting the edges of each block located inside each edge of the grid squares in the board area, so that a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a square-by-square basis. In other words, it is determined whether or not the shape of the outer frame of the group of squares, which is composed of all squares that contain multiple adjacent blocks, is rectangular. Because of this determination method, it is not necessary for blocks to exist in every square within the rectangular area; it is sufficient that the outer frame of the group of squares containing blocks is rectangular. Therefore, as in the example in Figure 10(a), even if there are squares without blocks inside the group of squares, if the outer frame of the group of squares containing blocks is rectangular, the blocks in that group of squares are eliminated. In this way, the shape of the outer perimeter of the blocks can be easily determined, and even if there are voids in the group of squares, it can still be determined to be rectangular, thus increasing the strategic range of the game. Furthermore, in order to determine whether a rectangle of 2x2 or larger is formed on a grid-by-grid basis by connecting the edges of each block that are located inside each edge that makes up the grid, for example, as shown in Figure 10(b), the area enclosed by the dotted line 1004 does not include the entirety of block 1002, so the area enclosed by the dotted line 1004 is not determined to form a 2x2 rectangle on a grid-by-grid basis.

[0138] In this case, as shown in Figures 10(a) and 21(a), the determination unit 123 determines whether the shape of the outer frame of the group of blocks, which is composed of all the squares containing multiple blocks that are adjacent to each other, is a predetermined shape. At that time, the determination unit 123 determines whether the shape of the outer frame of the group of blocks, which is composed of all or some of the squares containing all the blocks that are adjacent to each other, is a predetermined shape. In the example of Figure 10(a), the determination unit 123 determines whether the shape of the outer frame of the group of blocks, which is composed of all the squares containing blocks 1012 to 1015, is a rectangle.

[0139] In the above embodiment, the outer perimeters of the hand pieces and pre-placed blocks are almost straight, and the determination is made as to whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the block group is a predetermined shape. However, the shape of the outer perimeter is not limited to being composed of straight lines, and may include curves. Even if the blocks include curves, as mentioned above, the determination is made as to whether the shape of the outer frame of the group of squares composed of all the squares on which the blocks are placed is a predetermined shape. Note that although the squares of the board area were described as squares, they may also be rectangles or regular hexagons.

[0140] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which a flip mechanism is installed to invert the blocks vertically or horizontally in puzzle mode, but other mechanisms may also be installed. For example, a mechanism may be installed that rotates a block when a piece passes over it. When rotating a block, a mechanism that rotates it by 90 degrees or 180 degrees may be installed.

[0141] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which a block piece is selected and placed in front of the launch line, and then launched upwards from that position. However, launch lines may be provided in all four directions—up, down, left, and right—to allow the blocks to be launched. This increases the number of patterns in which blocks can be placed, thus providing a more strategic game. Note that the recommended app icon 718 in Figures 7 and 20 is an icon for accessing other games. Tapping this recommended app icon 718 will display a website introducing other games that are currently set as recommended games, or an app store for downloading other games.

[0142] [5. Addendum] The present invention can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0143] (1) A program according to a first aspect of the present invention is a program for running a game in which objects are placed, and is a program that causes a computer to execute the following: a movement control process (121) which moves the objects based on user operations; a placement process (122) which places the objects in a predetermined area in response to the movement of the objects by the movement control process (121); a determination process (123) which determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of a group of objects composed of a plurality of objects placed in the predetermined area is a predetermined shape; and an event control process (124) which executes a predetermined process based on the determination result of the determination process (123).

[0144] (10) A game device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a game device for executing a game in which objects are placed, and is characterized by comprising: a movement control means (121) for moving the objects based on user operation; a placement means (122) for placing the objects in a predetermined area in accordance with the movement of the objects by the movement control means (121); a determination means (123) for determining whether the shape of the outer perimeter of a group of objects composed of a plurality of objects placed in the predetermined area is a predetermined shape; and an event control means for executing a predetermined process based on the determination result of the determination means (123).

[0145] (11) A game control method according to a first aspect of the present invention is a game control method for executing a game in which objects are placed, and is characterized by comprising: a movement control step (121) for moving the objects based on user operation; a placement step (122) for placing the objects in a predetermined area in response to the movement of the objects by the movement control step (121); a determination step (123) for determining whether the shape of the outer perimeter of the object group composed of a plurality of objects placed in the predetermined area is a predetermined shape; and an event control step (124) for executing a predetermined process based on the determination result of the determination step (123).

[0146] According to the inventions described in (1), (10), or (11) above, when forming a group of objects, the user can choose to leave empty spaces without objects or fill them all with objects, thus providing a highly strategic game.

[0147] (2) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (1) above, the determination process may determine whether the shape of the outer periphery is a predetermined shape for all variations of the object group.

[0148] (3) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (1) or (2) above, the object may have multiple types of shapes. According to the invention described in (3) above, since the user needs to consider the shape of the object, a more strategic game can be provided.

[0149] (4) In a first aspect of the present invention, in any of the embodiments (1) to (3) above, the object to be moved by the movement control process may be selected from among a plurality of objects. According to the invention described in (4) above, the user's operations and choices are increased, making it possible to provide a more strategic game.

[0150] (5) In a first aspect of the present invention, the predetermined shape may be rectangular in any of the embodiments (1) to (4) described above. Since rectangles, such as squares and rectangles, are easier to recognize than complex shapes, the invention described in (5) above makes it possible to encourage users to create groups of objects of various sizes. Therefore, the variety of objects to be created increases, making it possible to provide a more strategic game.

[0151] (6) In a first aspect of the present invention, in any of the embodiments of (1) to (5) above, the event control process (124) may grant a benefit if the determination process (123) determines that the form is the predetermined form. According to the invention described in (6) above, it is possible to encourage users to continue playing in order to receive rewards.

[0152] (7) In a first aspect of the present invention, in any of the embodiments of (1) to (6) above, the arrangement process (122) may be configured to remove the group of objects determined to be in the predetermined shape by the determination process (123) from the predetermined area.

[0153] (8) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (7) above, the arrangement process (122) may change the arrangement of objects placed in the predetermined area based on the deletion of the group of objects. According to the invention described in (7) or (8) above, it is possible to encourage the user to play while predicting the arrangement of objects after they have been removed, thereby providing a more strategic game.

[0154] (9) In a first aspect of the present invention, in any of the embodiments of (1) to (8) above, the movement control process (121) may determine a starting point for moving the object based on user operation, and move the object from the determined starting point toward the predetermined area. According to the invention described in (9) above, since the object is moved from a starting point determined by the user toward a predetermined area, the difficulty level is increased compared to when the user directly determines the position where the object is placed, and the strategic aspect of the game is enhanced.

[0155] (02B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (1) above, the predetermined area is an area having a grid, the placement process (122) places the objects in the predetermined area along the grid, and the determination process (123) determines whether the shape of the outer frame of the group of grids, which is composed of all the grids on which a plurality of objects in an adjacent grid relationship are placed, is a predetermined shape, as the shape of the outer perimeter of the group of objects. According to the invention described in (02B) above, the shape of the outer perimeter of an object can be easily determined, and even if there are voids in the grid, it can be determined to be a predetermined shape, thereby increasing the range of strategic possibilities in the game.

[0156] (04B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (3) above, there may be multiple types of shapes for the object to be moved by the movement control process (121). According to the invention described in (04B) above, since the user needs to consider the shape of the object to be moved, a more strategic game can be provided.

[0157] (07B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in any of the above embodiments (1) to (6), the determination process (123) may determine whether the shape of the outer frame of the group of grids, which is composed of grids that contain all or some of the objects in which the grids are adjacent to each other, is the predetermined shape. According to the invention described in (07B) above, it is possible to aim for different groups of objects to form a predetermined shape, thereby providing a more strategic game.

[0158] (09B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (6) above, the event control process (124) may provide a score based on the size of the group of objects determined to be of the predetermined shape by the determination process (123).

[0159] (10B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (6) or (09B) above, the event control process (124) may provide a score based on the number of objects in the object group determined to be of the predetermined form by the determination process (123). According to the invention described in (09B) or (10B) above, the rewards given can be varied depending on the size and number of objects in the object group, and the user can be encouraged to play the game aiming for high-scoring combinations.

[0160] (13B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (8) above, the determination process (123) may determine whether the shape of the outer frame of the object group composed of the multiple objects in the changed arrangement is a predetermined shape, as the arrangement of the objects is changed by the arrangement process (122). According to the invention described in (13B) above, the user can be prompted to play the game while predicting the arrangement of the objects after they are removed, thus providing a more strategic game.

[0161] (14B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in any of the embodiments of (1) to (8) above, the placement process (122) may determine the position in which to place the object based on the movement of the object by the movement control process (121). According to the invention described in (14B) above, compared to operations in which the user directly determines the position where an object is placed, problems such as the object being obscured by a finger can be avoided when using, for example, a touch panel, and operability can be improved through indirect operation.

[0162] (16B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (9) above, the movement control process (121) may stop the movement of the object when the movement of the object is obstructed by an object placed in the predetermined area.

[0163] (17B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (9) or (16B) above, the movement control process (121) may change the direction of movement of the object that has started moving based on user operation after the movement of the object has started.

[0164] (18B) In a first aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (9) or (16B) above, the movement control process (121) may change the position of the object that has started to move based on user operation after the movement of the object has started. According to any of the inventions described in (16B) to (18B) above, the user can control objects in more detail through their actions. For example, they can move objects by placing obstacles in front of them, or place objects in various positions to combine more objects, thus providing a game with a higher level of strategy.

[0165] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, in the embodiment of (17B) above, the movement control process (121) may move the object that started moving in the direction of its return based on the user's operation after the object's movement has started. In this way, the user can have more variations when controlling the object, and a more strategic game can be provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] 10 Game device, 11 CPU, 12 ROM, 13 RAM, 14 Communication unit, 15 Operation unit, 16 Display unit, 17 Storage device, 18 Bus, 120 Game control unit, 121 Movement control unit, 122 Placement unit, 123 Judgment unit, 124 Event control unit, 171 Data storage unit, 172 Game data, 173 Item data, 174 User data

Claims

1. A program for running a game where objects are placed, A movement control process that moves the object based on user operations, A placement process that places the object in a predetermined area in accordance with the movement of the object by the aforementioned movement control process, A determination process to determine whether the shape of the outer perimeter of a group of objects, which is composed of multiple objects arranged in the predetermined area, is a predetermined shape, Based on the determination result of the aforementioned determination process, an event control process is performed to execute a predetermined process, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

2. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination process determines whether the shape of the outer perimeter of all variations of the object group is a predetermined shape.

3. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that the object has multiple types of shapes.

4. The program according to claim 3, characterized in that the object to be moved by the aforementioned movement control process can be selected from among a plurality of objects.

5. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined shape is rectangular.

6. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that the event control process grants a benefit when it is determined by the determination process to be in the predetermined form.

7. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that the arrangement process removes the group of objects determined to be in the predetermined shape by the determination process from the predetermined area.

8. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that the arrangement process changes the arrangement of objects placed in the predetermined area based on the deletion of the group of objects.

9. The program according to claim 1, wherein the movement control process determines a starting point for moving the object based on user operation, and moves the object from the determined starting point toward the predetermined area.

10. A game device for running a game in which objects are placed, Movement control means for moving the object based on user operation, A placement means for positioning the object in a predetermined area in accordance with the movement of the object by the movement control means, A determination means for determining whether the shape of the outer perimeter of a group of objects, which is composed of multiple objects arranged in the predetermined area, is a predetermined shape, An event control means that executes a predetermined process based on the determination result of the determination means, A game device characterized by having the following features.

11. A game control method for running a game that places objects, A movement control step that moves the object based on user operation, A placement step in which, in accordance with the movement of the object by the movement control step, the object is placed in a predetermined area, A determination step of determining whether the shape of the outer perimeter of a group of objects, which is composed of multiple objects arranged in the predetermined area, is a predetermined shape, An event control step which executes a predetermined process based on the determination result of the determination step, A game control method characterized by having the following features.

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