Game Field Piece Arrangement for Dynamic Chain Formation
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing puzzle games that utilize chain formation of pieces to award points and deal damage to enemies often suffer from a lack of speed and predictability, making the gameplay experience less engaging for both beginners and experienced players.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus and method that alternately arranges odd and even numbers of pieces on imaginary lines on a game field, allowing for a chained state to be determined and erased, creating a more dynamic and unpredictable chain formation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pieces are arranged in a linear or grouped manner for chain formation, then the chaining process becomes predictable and easy to understand, but the sense of speed and excitement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from linear or grouped piece arrangement to a two-dimensional grid-based arrangement where pieces are distributed across multiple rows and columns. This dimensional change creates a more complex chain formation pattern that maintains ease of understanding through structured grid positioning while enhancing the sense of speed and excitement through more dynamic and unpredictable chain reactions across the grid.
2Adaptability or versatility
If continuous chain formation is implemented to increase game interest, then gameplay becomes more engaging, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the chain formation process into discrete steps: identifying connected pieces of the same type, determining chain boundaries, and executing erasure operations. This segmentation reduces processing complexity by breaking down the continuous chain formation into manageable segments that can be processed systematically through iterative algorithms, while still maintaining high game engagement through continuous chain possibilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary actions by pre-defining the grid structure and piece arrangement patterns before gameplay begins. This allows the system to pre-calculate potential chain formations and optimize the erasure processing sequence, reducing real-time processing complexity while maintaining continuous chain formation opportunities that keep players engaged.
3Ease of operation
If simple piece arrangement is used for beginner-friendly gameplay, then ease of operation is improved, but the unpredictability and excitement are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different arrangement patterns in different regions of the grid. Some areas may have pieces arranged to encourage chain formation for beginner-friendly gameplay, while other areas contain pieces that create more unpredictable and exciting chain reactions. This localized variation in arrangement quality allows the game to maintain ease of operation through structured patterns while introducing unpredictability through regional variations that challenge experienced players.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus erases, on the basis of a chained state of a plurality of pieces arranged on a game field, the pieces in the chained state. The arrangement of the pieces in the game field is controlled such that, in a predetermined region on the game field, an odd number of pieces and an even number of pieces are alternately arranged on imaginary lines in an advancing direction on the game field. For example, the information processing apparatus erases a serial piece group formed as a chain by determining, starting from operation for any one piece on the imaginary line corresponding to a frontmost row among the imaginary lines, whether a piece of a same kind as the one piece is present in left and right pieces adjacent to the one piece present on a next imaginary line in the advancing direction from the operated one piece.