Game Entity Movement Between Board and Interaction Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing computer-implemented games for devices with limited display resources, such as smartphones and tablets, poses challenges in providing engaging gameplay with adequate interaction and complexity, especially in match-three games, where users must interact with a small screen while maintaining player engagement and skill development.
Innovation Solution
A computer device configured to display a game board area and interaction area, with a processor controlling game entities to move between these areas, providing visual feedback and interaction patterns to enhance user engagement and complexity, including the ability to create and deploy heroes with varying levels and attack patterns across multiple heights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the game board area is made smaller to fit limited display resources, then the device can be more portable and energy-efficient, but the user interaction complexity and player engagement decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The game interface is segmented into multiple interactive zones including a game board area, a sidebar area with additional controls, and an interaction area. This segmentation allows complex game mechanics to be distributed across different spatial zones, enabling rich interaction despite limited overall display area.
Solution Approach 2:
The game utilizes multiple visual layers and depth dimensions within the constrained 2D display area. Game entities can exist at different heights and depths, with the interaction area providing an additional dimensional space for advanced player actions, effectively expanding the playable space without increasing physical display area.
2Adaptability or versatility
If more game entities and interaction patterns are added to increase player engagement, then the game becomes more rewarding and complex, but the computational resources and processing power required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The game implements dynamic entity systems where game entities can transform between different states (e.g., from game board elements to interaction area entities). This dynamic approach allows the same computational resources to be reused across different game phases and entity types, reducing overall processing requirements while maintaining high gameplay complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Game entities serve multiple functions depending on their location and state. The same entity type can function as a matchable element on the game board, a deployable unit in the interaction area, or a scoring element, allowing the game to achieve high versatility with a limited set of reusable computational objects.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the interaction area is expanded to allow more hero deployment options, then the strategic depth and player skill development increase, but the visual clarity and ease of understanding for new players decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Different zones of the interaction area are assigned distinct visual characteristics and interaction qualities. The sidebar area has differentiated controls from the main interaction space, and entities at different heights or positions exhibit unique visual properties. This local differentiation allows strategic complexity to be organized in a visually distinguishable manner, helping players navigate complex options without overwhelming visual clutter.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer device is configured to provide a computer implemented game. At least one processor of the computer device is configured to determine that one more matches have been made by a plurality of game elements in a game board area and in response to provide one or more game entities in the game board area. The at least one processor is configured to control one or more of the game entities to move from the game board area to an interaction area.