CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This nonprovisional application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-110914 filed with the Japan Patent Office on Jun. 14, 2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a non-transitory storage medium having stored therein information processing program, an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and an information processing method for moving an operable object in a virtual area.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

Conventionally, there has been a puzzle game apparatus for moving and fixing objects in a virtual puzzle area. In this game, when the object to be operated (hereinafter referred to as “operable object”) is placed in the virtual puzzle area, a new operable object appears. As objects are sequentially fixed in this manner, when the objects are fixed in predetermined conditions, the objects so fixed are erased from the virtual puzzle area. In addition, objects that cannot be erased may be set in the virtual puzzle area.

In this game, in principle, there has been proposed a game in which an operable object cannot be moved through an object that is not an operation target (hereinafter referred to as a “non-operable object”), but it is possible to pass through a non-operable object by performing a predetermined operation on the operable object. In the games described on “Dr. MARIO Gyakuten! Special Effect Drug & Bacterial Eradication” (marketed on May 31, 2015, Instruction Manual, [online], May 31, 2015, [Search on Jun. 11, 2019], the Internet <URL: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/data/software/manual/manual_ax8a.pdf>), when an operable object is vigorously slid, the operable object is possible to pass through the non-operable object in its sliding direction.

It is an object of the present disclosure to improve the operability of passing through of an object in a conventional game as described above.

In a non-transitory storage medium according to one aspect has stored an information processing program that is executed by at least one processor of an information processing device, the information program causes the at least one processor to: move an operable object in accordance with a coordinate input from a user in a virtual area; on condition that the operable object is contacted with a non-operable object, restrict movement of the operable object in a direction toward the contacted non-operable object; on condition that the non-operable object exists between a current position of the operable object and a designated position designated by the coordinate input, determine whether there is a target position to which the operable object can move, wherein the target position is a position between the current position and the designated position, and is a position on the designated position side with reference to the position of the non-operable object; and generate rendering information for rendering the virtual area, the operable object, and the non-operable object, wherein the at least one processor, in the moving of the operable object, on condition that it is determined that there is the target position, moves the operable object to the target position regardless of the restriction, and in the generation of the rendering information, on condition that the non-operable object exists between the current position and the designated position, generates the rendering information that has a screen effect different from that when the non-operable object does not exist between the current position and the designated position.

This configuration improves the operability because the user can recognize by the screen effect that there is a possibility that the operable object may pass through the non-operable object despite the restriction of the movement by the non-operable object.

The at least one processor may determine that there is the target position on condition that there is an area which size is equal to or larger than the size of the operable object at a position that is a candidate for the target position. With this configuration, it is possible to move the operable object by passing through the non-operable object when there is enough area on the other side of the non-operable object to move the operable object.

In the movement of the object, when there are a plurality of the target positions, the at least one processor may move the operable object stepwise in order from the target position close to the current position on condition that there are a plurality of the target positions. With this configuration, the user can easily recognize at which position of the plurality of target positions the operable object can be moved.

In the movement of the object, the at least one processor may fixe the operable object at the current position on condition that the operable object is restricted from moving due to contact with the non-operable object and there is not the coordinate input, and may keep the operable object at the current position without fixing the operable object at the current position on condition that the operable object is restricted from moving due to contact with the non-operable object and there is the coordinate input. With this configuration, the user can easily select a moving destination of the operable object after passing through the non-operable object.

In the generation of the rendering information, the at least one processor may generate rendering information in which the display mode of the operable object is changed from the first mode to the second mode while the operable object is kept at the current position. This configuration also improves the operability because the user can recognize, by the screen effect, the possibility that the operable object may pass through the non-operable object by releasing the restriction of the movement by the non-operable object.

In the generation of the rendering information, the at least one processor may change the operable object brighter than in the first mode as the second mode. With this configuration, the screen effect can be easily recognized.

In the generation of the rendering information, the at least one processor may cause the operable object to shake as the second mode. This configuration also improves the operability because the user can recognize, by the screen effect, the possibility that the operable object may pass through the non-operable object by releasing the restriction of the movement by the non-operable object.

In the moving of the operable object to the target position, the at least one processor, when moving the operable object to the target position, may move the operable object after a predetermined interval from a timing at which it is determined that there is the target position. With this configuration, it can be perceived that the movement restriction by the non-operable object was canceled and the passing through was performed. In addition, when it is necessary to arrange the operable object at the position where the movement is restricted, it can be realized easily.

In the generation of the rendering information, the at least one processor may generate rendering information for rendering a line connecting the current position and the designated position as the rendering information having the screen effect. This configuration also improves the operability because the user can recognize, by the screen effect, the possibility that the operable object may pass through the non-operable object by releasing the restriction of the movement by the non-operable object.

The at least one processor may automatically move the operable object in an automatic movement direction when there is no coordinate input from the user in the moving of the operable object.

In the moving of the operable object, the at least one processor, in the movement of the operable object, may fix the operable object at the current position of when the operable object contacts the non-operable object in the automatic movement direction.

In the moving of the operable object, the at least one processor may inhibit movement of the operable object in a direction opposite to the automatic movement direction.

In the moving of the operable object, the at least one processor may fix the operable object as the non-operable object in the virtual area.

In the virtual area there may be the non-operable object other than the non-operable object changed from the operable object.

The non-operable object may has a plurality of types, and the information processing program may further cause the at least one processor to, on condition that the non-operable objects of the same type are adjacent to each other by the predetermined number or more, erase the predetermined number or more of the non-operable objects of the same type from the virtual area.

An information processing apparatus of one aspect comprises: a memory storing a computer-readable program thereon; and one or more processors. The one or more processors, when executing the computer-readable program, performs: moving an operable object in accordance with a coordinate input from a user in a virtual area, and on condition that the operable object is contacted with a non-operable object, restricts movement of the operable object in a direction toward the contacted non-operable object; on condition that the non-operable object exists between a current position of the operable object and a designated position designated by the coordinate input, determining whether there is a target position to which the operable object can move, wherein the target position is a position between the current position and the designated position, and is a position on the designated position side with reference to the position of the non-operable object; and generating rendering information for rendering the virtual area, the operable object, and the non-operable object, wherein the one or more processors, on condition that it is determined that there is the target position, moves the operable object to the target position regardless of the restriction, and the one or more processors, on condition that the non-operable object exists between the current position and the designated position, generates the rendering information that has a screen effect different from that when the non-operable object does not exist between the current position and the designated position.

An information processing system of one aspect comprises: a memory storing a computer-readable program thereon; and one or more processors. The one or more processors, when executing the computer-readable program, performs: moving an operable object in accordance with a coordinate input from a user in a virtual area, and on condition that the operable object is contacted with a non-operable object, restricts movement of the operable object in a direction toward the contacted non-operable object; on condition that the non-operable object exists between a current position of the operable object and a designated position designated by the coordinate input, determining whether there is a target position to which the operable object can move, wherein the target position is a position between the current position and the designated position, and is a position on the designated position side with reference to the position of the non-operable object; and generating rendering information for rendering the virtual area, the operable object, and the non-operable object, wherein the one or more processors, on condition that it is determined that there is the target position, moves the operable object to the target position regardless of the restriction, and the one or more processors, on condition that the non-operable object exists between the current position and the designated position, generates the rendering information that has a screen effect different from that when the non-operable object does not exist between the current position and the designated position.

An information processing method of one aspect performed in a computer of an information processing apparatus comprises: moving an operable object in accordance with a coordinate input from a user in a virtual area, and on condition that the operable object is contacted with a non-operable object, restricts movement of the operable object in a direction toward the contacted non-operable object; on condition that the non-operable object exists between a current position of the operable object and a designated position designated by the coordinate input, determining whether there is a target position to which the operable object can move, wherein the target position is a position between the current position and the designated position, and is a position on the designated position side with reference to the position of the non-operable object; and generating rendering information for rendering the virtual area, the operable object, and the non-operable object, wherein the moving of the operable object, on condition that it is determined that there is the target position, moves the operable object to the target position regardless of the restriction, and the generating of the rendering information, on condition that the non-operable object exists between the current position and the designated position, generates the rendering information that has a screen effect different from that when the non-operable object does not exist between the current position and the designated position.

