Game Board Object Trajectory Control for Mobile Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing computer games that are engaging and rewarding on devices with limited display resources, such as smartphones and tablets, while maintaining user engagement and providing progressive challenges to encourage repeat play.
Innovation Solution
A method for controlling a user interface that involves displaying a game board with multiple objects, detecting user input trajectories to select sequences of objects sharing characteristics, determining a target direction, and generating a new game object with a movement vector to extend beyond the board, allowing for the removal or transformation of other objects based on user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the game provides progressive challenges and complex mechanics to maintain user engagement, then user engagement and reward are improved, but the device complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The game is divided into distinct levels with progressively increasing complexity. Each level introduces new mechanics or challenges in manageable increments, allowing players to master fundamentals before encountering more complex scenarios. This segmentation enables engaging gameplay without overwhelming the player or requiring excessive computational resources at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The game dynamically adjusts its complexity based on player performance and progression. As players advance through levels, new mechanics are introduced and existing mechanics become more complex, creating a dynamic difficulty curve that maintains engagement while adapting to the player's skill level rather than requiring maximum complexity from the start.
2Ease of operation
If the game is designed to be accessible and easy to understand at introductory levels, then ease of operation is improved, but the ability to provide progressive challenges is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The game implements preliminary action by establishing simple core mechanics and basic object interactions in early levels. Players first learn to identify and interact with basic game objects using simple rules. This foundation is built before introducing more complex mechanics, ensuring accessibility while preparing players for future challenges through gradual skill acquisition.
Solution Approach 2:
The game uses partial action by implementing a subset of possible game mechanics at each level. Rather than presenting all complex features simultaneously, only necessary mechanics are activated at each stage. This allows the game to remain accessible while progressively introducing additional mechanics to provide challenging gameplay experiences as players advance.
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment there is provided a method of controlling a user interface responsive to user input with a displayed game board comprising a plurality of object positions on said interface, the method comprising the following implemented by at least one processor of a device in communication with said interface and at least one memory: displaying a game board having a plurality of first and second game objects displayed on said game board positions, each first and second object having one or more characteristics stored in said at least one memory, the second game objects having a third characteristic, detecting an input trajectory comprising a selection of a sequence of one or more neighbouring first game objects sharing at least one same characteristic in response to user input, determining a target direction comprising a portion of said input trajectory with respect to the game board, and generating a further game object having a movement vector comprising said target direction in dependence on said portion of said input trajectory, the target direction extending to the boundary of the displayed game board.