JP2002078967A - Block puzzle game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a puzzle game machine that is amusing and interesting to a player. SOLUTION: By optionally dropping a compressed block 37 in place of color blocks 35, 36, 38 and 39, compressing by half the vertical size of all bocks below the row of the fallen compressed block 37 and sliding them downward, 'chain clearance' of blocks of the same color in combination is made to occur.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a block in which a plurality of types of blocks are dropped from above a game area on a screen, the position or order of the dropped blocks is adjusted by operating buttons, and the blocks have a predetermined relationship with the landed blocks. The present invention relates to a block puzzle game machine which erases these blocks when the game is the same type and advances the game.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plurality of blocks are dropped from above a game area on a screen, a landing position is adjusted by a player's operation, and when a block that has landed one after another satisfies a predetermined condition, the block is erased. There is a game to progress. This type of game machine competes for gaining as much as possible by adding points by erasing blocks, and it is possible to further increase the score by fostering accurate judgment and operation for the player's own game. , Interest is not exhausted.

In a puzzle game using such a plurality of blocks, there is a puzzle game in which when a landed block and an adjacent block satisfy a condition that they have the same color, these blocks are erased.

[0004] An example of such a puzzle game will be described. First, in a display area such as a TV screen, "red", "blue", "yellow", "green", "white"
Blocks of any of the six colors "black" appear as a plurality of blocks, fall, move downward, and land.
The blocks of the same color are erased by arranging the blocks of the same color vertically or horizontally in a state of landing. On the other hand, when the blocks remain without being erased and the inside of the game area is completely filled with the blocks, the game ends.

[0005] After arranging and erasing the blocks of the same color as described above, the blocks located above the created space are shifted downward, so that the blocks of the same color are connected vertically or horizontally and these blocks are continuously connected. And then disappear. This is called "chain elimination" and is a factor that gives players a sense of exhilaration.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of "chain erase". As shown in FIG. 4A, the blocks in the left column are stacked in the order of “white”, “green”, “yellow”, “blue”, “red”,
Blocks in the right column are “black”, “white”, “green”, “yellow”, “blue”
When stacked in the order of “red”, a “black” block is placed at the bottom right (position indicated by A in the figure) on the right side of the right column, and a “black” block at the bottom right of the right column. By making it the same color,
The “black” blocks are erased (see (b)). As a result, the blocks in the upper right column are shifted into the resulting space, so that the right column also has "white", "green", "yellow", "blue", and "red" in order from the bottom as shown in FIG. Will line up the blocks. Since the left and right blocks are arranged in the same color, the two rows of blocks disappear at a stretch,
Two chains are erased.

[0007]

In such a puzzle game, however, in order to generate "chain elimination", as described above, a predetermined area is set in an area where blocks are not relatively high or are not stacked at all. There is no other way than to place blocks of color and erase the blocks in the block row to make space in the block row.If many blocks are already stacked, the means to generate "chain erase" is limited, and the player's It was a cause of spoiling interest.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a puzzle game machine which is rich in game characteristics and intriguing for a player by increasing means for generating "chain eraser".

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a block puzzle game machine according to the present invention, a horizontal position of a block aggregate composed of a plurality of types of blocks falling from above a game area on a screen is changed. Position changing means capable of changing the order of upper and lower or left and right of the block assembly, and the position of the block assembly in the air by operating each of the means. Or a block puzzle game machine that adjusts the order and lands, and when the landed block and the landed block in a predetermined positional relationship are of the same type, erases these same types of blocks and proceeds with the game, A part or the whole of the block block composed of the aggregate of the landed blocks is compressed, and the blocks having the predetermined positional relationship are newly combined. When the type and configured to clear these same types of blocks.

Here, as the blocks in the block puzzle game machine of the present invention, all or a part of the blocks are colored with a predetermined color such as "red", "blue", "yellow", "green", "white", "black" or the like. , Or the whole or part of the block is displayed with a predetermined character, or the block is distinguished by including different characters, figures, symbols, patterns or combinations of these in the block. But are not limited to these.

The shape of the block is not limited to a square, but may be a square, a triangle, a polyhedron, a circle,
A star shape or the like (a three-dimensional shape corresponding to these in the case of a 3D screen) can be used.

Therefore, the above-mentioned "blocks are of the same type" means that the colors are the same when the types of blocks are distinguished by color in the above-described example, and when the types of blocks are distinguished by characters or characters. Or, it means that the characters and the like are the same, and when the shapes are distinguished, the shapes are the same.

The above-mentioned "erasing a block" includes an explosion or crushing of a block on a screen and disappearing.

A compressed block capable of compressing the size of each block is moved toward the block block, and the compressed block is in the same row as at least one of the blocks in the block block with which the compressed block contacts and / or By compressing all blocks in the same row, part or all of the block chunk can be compressed.

That is, for example, the compressed block is dropped from above the block lump to compress the vertical size of a predetermined block in the block lump, or the compressed block is moved horizontally from the left and right of the block lump. And compress the horizontal size of the predetermined block in the block chunk, or, when "depth" can be displayed as in a 3D game, the compressed block is converted from the near side to the back of the screen into the block chunk. By moving the block, a predetermined block in the block block can be compressed three-dimensionally.

[0016] Further, by moving the walls at the left and right ends of the game area of the screen inward, and compressing the blocks sandwiched between the walls at the left and right ends, a part of the block lump or You can also compress everything.

Furthermore, each block has a predetermined "weight".
Is set, and when the total loading weight of all the blocks stacked on the target block is equal to or more than a certain value, the target block is compressed, so that part or all of the block lump can be compressed.

The predetermined positional relationship includes, for example, an up-down relationship, a left-right relationship, a diagonal relationship, and a relationship at fixed intervals. Here, the fixed interval is 1
This means that target blocks are arranged at predetermined intervals such as every other block and every other block.

Further, in the block puzzle game machine of the present invention, position changing means for changing a horizontal position of a block aggregate composed of a plurality of types of blocks falling from above a game area on the screen; It has an order changing means capable of changing the order of the upper and lower or left and right of the body, and by adjusting the position or order of the block assembly in the air by operating each of the means, the landing is performed, When a block and a landed block having a predetermined positional relationship are of the same type, in a block puzzle game machine in which the same type of block is erased and the game proceeds, the vertical size of the landed block can be compressed. The block is arbitrarily dropped in place of the block assembly, and the compression blower is operated by operating the position changing means. By adjusting the position of the block and landing, and compressing the vertical size of all the blocks in at least one row below the landed compressed block and shifting it downward, it will be newly adjacent to the left and right When the blocks are the same type, the same type blocks are erased.

Further, when a block located in the same row as the block and located above is shifted downward into the space created by erasing the same type of block, the same type of block that is further vertically or horizontally adjacent is removed. When erasing is performed continuously, another block having a number or size corresponding to the number of blocks that have been continuously deleted is arranged as an obstacle in the game area of another player.

[0021]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a specific block diagram showing a system configuration of a game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a game machine 10 has a microprocessor (hereinafter, “CPU”) having arithmetic processing and control functions.
11). An image processing device (hereinafter, referred to as “PPU”) 12 and an input / output (hereinafter, “I /
O ") interface 13 and working R
AM 14 is connected. The I / O interface 13 is connected to a first player operation device (first controller) 15a and a second player operation device (second controller) 15b, which are examples of operation means. The PPU 12 has 1
Video RAM (V-
RAM) 16 is connected. CPU 11 and PPU 12
Is connected to an edge connector 17 for detachably connecting the memory cartridge 20. In addition, PPU
The output of 12 is supplied to a CRT of a home television receiver (not shown) as an example of display means via an RF modulation 18. On the other hand, the memory cartridge 20
And a character memory (ROM) 23 mounted on the PC. The program memory 22 stores program data, and the character memory 23 stores character data.

When the game machine is started by a player's operation, the CPU 11 reads an operation program for executing the game from the program memory (ROM) 22 and starts executing the operation program. Reads characters from character memory (ROM) 23,
For example, an image for starting the game is displayed. The player operates the 3D stick and the A button (not shown) of the operating device in accordance with a screen or voice instruction. Input signals from the 3D stick and the A button are sent to the CPU 11 via the I / O interface 13. The working RAM 14 is used as a work area of the CPU 11.

Here, the game screen on the CRT will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The display area 30 on the CRT is provided with a game area for the number of players so that a plurality of players can play the game, but FIG.
The game areas 32, 33, 34 are shown. From the upper side of each of the game areas 32, 33, and 34, the area is square.
In addition, two color blocks of any one of the six colors "red", "blue", "yellow", "green", "white", and "black" are connected in the vertical direction (however, two appear in different colors). (Color blocks 35 and 36 in game area 32, game area 34
(See middle color blocks 38 and 39). At this time, each player moves the color block to the left or right by moving the 3D stick of the operation device to the left or right, increases the falling speed of the color block by moving the 3D stick to the bottom, and further presses the A button to move the color block. The order of the color blocks to be landed is adjusted by manipulating the falling blocks by changing the order of the top and bottom.

At an arbitrary timing during the play, as shown in the game area 33, a compression block 37 appears instead of the color block. This compression block 37
Is a size of 2 × 2 color blocks, and can be moved right and left by a 3D stick and can increase the falling speed similarly to the color blocks. When the compression block 37 lands, all the blocks in at least one row below the landed compression block are compressed to half the vertical size.

The operation of the compression block 37 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 by taking as an example a case where the compression block 37 is arranged on the block in the state shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the size of the compressed block is the same as the size of the color block for convenience. "White" as shown in FIG.
Blocks in the left column arranged in the order of "green", "yellow", "blue" and "red", and the right column arranged in the order of "black", "white", "green", "yellow", "blue" and "red" When the compressed block lands on the right column among the blocks in the above, all the blocks in the right column are compressed to half the vertical size as shown in FIG. as a result,
As shown in (c), a “white” block in the left column, a “white” block compressed in half of the right column, a “green” block in the left column, and a “green” block compressed in half of the right column Are adjacent to each other, they disappear, and the blocks in the left and right rows are shifted downward by the space created as a result. As a result, as shown in (d), a “yellow” block in the left column and a “yellow” block compressed to half of the right column, a “blue” block in the left column and “blue” compressed to half of the right column Disappears because the blocks are adjacent to each other,
"2 chains". Furthermore, since the “yellow” and “blue” blocks disappear, the blocks in the left and right columns are shifted downward into the empty space, and are compressed into “red” blocks in the left column and half of the right column as shown in (e). Since the “red” blocks adjacent to each other are adjacent to each other, they further disappear and become “3 chains”.

Therefore, by using a compressed block, "chain elimination" can be generated even when a large number of blocks are already stacked, and "3 chain" is conventionally used even in a block arrangement which ends with "2 chains". ”Can be generated, and a more exhilarating feeling can be brought to the player, and thus, the player is more interesting.

Also, in order to increase the real pleasure of playing with a plurality of game areas, when one player performs two or more chains, the other player's game area becomes an obstacle different from the color block. It can be configured to arrange hard blocks. The number of hard blocks to be arranged depends on the number of chains. Specifically, when the number of hard blocks is “2 chains”, “3 chains”, “4 chains”, and “5 chains”, one compressed size and a normal size are respectively used. One, normal size 1
One plus one compressed size, two normal sizes. A hard block placed in the game area of another player in response to one player's “chain eraser” can be compressed by a compression block like a color block. This hard block can be erased only by erasing at least one color block adjacent to either the left, right, top or bottom. Normal color block in the placed state,
For example, in FIG. 5, the color block and the hard block in the compressed state are denoted by reference numerals 40, 41, and 4, respectively.
Expressed as 2.

In FIG. 5, the color block 41 in the compressed state is a normal color block 40 as described above.
Is compressed to half the vertical size, but may be another size, for example, 1/3 vertical. Hard block 4
2 is arranged on the color block 41 in a compressed state and on a normal color block, but may be arranged on any block.

When the game progresses as described above and the game area 32, 33 or 34 in FIG. 5 is filled with blocks and the next block cannot be dropped, the player who has played in the game area becomes "out"
It becomes.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing functional blocks of a CPU. The CPU 11 receives the game start instruction, generates a color block or a compressed block by the block generating means 101, and enters the block in the screen (step S1). Next, the block operation means 102 drops the block from above the game area, and the player
When the D lever or the A button is operated, the block is controlled in a position and an order according to the operation, a block drop process is performed (step S2), and the block is landed (step S3). Next, the landing block determination means 103 in the CPU 11 determines whether or not the landed block is a compressed block (step S4).

If it is determined that the block is a compressed block, the process proceeds to step S5, where the block compression processing means 104
All vertical sizes of the blocks under at least one row where the compressed blocks land are compressed in half. After this block compression processing, or when it is determined that the block set in step S4 is not a compressed block, the process proceeds to step S6, and the erasure block determination unit 105 determines whether there is any block that can be erased. If there is an erase block, the process proceeds to step S7, where the block erase process is performed by the block erase processing means 106, and then the process returns to step S6. If there is no block that can be deleted in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8, and it is determined by the game processing unit 107 whether or not the game has ended.
If it is determined that the game has ended, the game ends and the game ends.
If it is determined that the game has not ended, the process returns to step S1 to continue the game.

In the above embodiment, the plurality of falling blocks is a single block formed by connecting two upper and lower color blocks of different colors, but the number is not limited to two and may be three or more. The above number may be connected. Further, the direction in which the color blocks of different colors are connected may be left and right (horizontal direction). Further, the color block does not need to be colored in a certain color, and may be a color block in which only a part thereof, for example, only a line indicating the outline of the block is colored.

In the above-described embodiment, a case where a plurality of color blocks are used as an example of a plurality of types of blocks has been described. However, in addition to this, for example, different characters, figures, symbols, patterns or these By including the display of the combination, a type in which the type of the block is distinguished can be used.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.

[0035]

According to the present invention, when a part or all of a block block composed of an aggregate of landed blocks is compressed, and blocks having a new predetermined positional relationship are of the same type,
Since the same type of block is configured to be erased, "chain erasure" is likely to occur, and it is possible to provide a puzzle game machine that is intriguing to the player.

The compressed block capable of compressing the vertical size of the landed block is arbitrarily dropped in place of a block aggregate, and the position of the compressed block is adjusted by operating the position changing means to land. Then, by compressing the vertical size of all blocks in at least one row below the row of the landed compressed blocks and shifting the size downward, the color blocks newly adjacent to the left and right become identical. Since the same type of block is erased when the type is the same, "chain erasure" is likely to occur, giving the player an exhilarating feeling, and is rich in game characteristics and intriguing for the player.

Further, when a block located in the same row as the block and located above is shifted downward into the space created by erasing a block of the same type, the block of the same type which is further vertically or horizontally adjacent is erased. If the player performs the task continuously, another block of the number or size corresponding to the number of blocks that have been continuously erased is arranged as an obstacle in the game area of another player, so that the player can The exhilaration of the game can be provided, and the real pleasure of playing in a plurality of game areas can be increased, thereby further enhancing the game characteristics.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a specific block diagram showing a system configuration of a game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functions of a CPU of the game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a “chain erase” operation of a conventional block puzzle game machine.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen of the game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a “chain erase” operation of the game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 game machine 11 CPU 12 PPU 13 I / O interface 14 working RAM 15a operation unit 15b operation unit 16 video RAM 17 edge connector 18 RF modulation 20 memory cartridge 21 circuit board 22 program memory 23 character memory 30 display area 32, 33, 34 Game area 35, 36, 38, 39, 40 Color block 37 Compressed block 41 Compressed color block 42 Hard block 101 Block generating means 102 Block operating means 103 Landing block determining means 104 Block compression processing means 105 Erase block determining means 106 Block Erasing processing means 107 Game processing means

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A position changing means capable of changing a horizontal position of a block assembly composed of a plurality of types of blocks falling from above a game area on a screen, and reversing the order of up and down or left and right of the block assembly. Means for changing the position or order of the block assembly in the air by operating each of the means and landing, and landing in a predetermined positional relationship with the landed block. In a block puzzle game machine that erases these same types of blocks and advances the game when they are the same type, part or all of the block block composed of the aggregate of the landed blocks is compressed and newly added. When the blocks having the predetermined positional relationship are of the same type, the blocks of the same type are erased. Block puzzle game machine. 2. Moving a compressed block capable of compressing the size of each block toward the block chunk, wherein the compressed block is in line with and / or at least one of the blocks in the block chunk in contact. The block puzzle game machine according to claim 1, wherein a part or all of the block chunk is compressed by compressing all blocks in the same row. 3. A part of the block block or a block at the right and left ends of the game area of the screen is moved inward, and a block sandwiched between the left and right ends of the screen is compressed. 2. The block puzzle game machine according to claim 1, wherein all the blocks are compressed. 4. The block mass is set by setting a predetermined “weight” to each block, and compressing the target block when the total loading weight of all the blocks stacked on the target block is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 2. The block puzzle game machine according to claim 1, wherein a part or all of the block is compressed. 5. The block puzzle game machine according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined positional relationship is an up-down relationship, a left-right relationship, an oblique relationship, or a relationship at a fixed interval. 6. A position changing means capable of changing a horizontal position of a block assembly composed of a plurality of types of blocks falling from above a game area on a screen, and reversing the order of the block assembly up and down or left and right. Means for changing the position or order of the block assembly in the air by operating each of the means and landing, and landing in a predetermined positional relationship with the landed block. In a block puzzle game machine in which the same type and the same type of block are erased and the game is advanced by erasing the same type of block, the compressed block capable of compressing the vertical size of the landed block is arbitrarily set to the block set. Drop it in place of the body, adjust the position of the compression block by operating the position changing means and land it. By compressing the vertical size of all blocks in at least one row below the reduced block and shifting it downward, when blocks that are newly adjacent to the left and right are of the same type, A block puzzle game machine characterized by erasing blocks. 7. A block of the same type, which is further vertically or horizontally adjacent to a block located in the same row and above the block, is shifted downward into the space created by erasing the same type of block. When erasing is performed continuously, another block of a number or size corresponding to the number of blocks that have been continuously erased is arranged as an obstacle in the game area of another player. The block puzzle game machine according to claim 6.