Writer's Block: Gamer's Choice

[foolish_m0rtal]

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Duck hunt, FTW! I always wanted to shoot that random dog that ran around at the bottom of the screen from time to time.

But Wait!:

Throughout the game, the player is accompanied by a nameless dog that laughs at the player if no duck is hit, and congratulates the player if a duck is hit. Since then, the nameless dog has passed into video gaming folklore.



According to urban legend, the dog can be shot, but this is not possible in the console version of the game. The feat of shooting the dog is possible in a bonus round of the game's arcade version, Vs. Duck Hunt. In this situation, the dog can be shot only after the final duck has flown from the screen or been hit. This is quite difficult, as the window of opportunity, timewise, is quite narrow.

However, if the player succeeds, the shot turns the dog's face black with powder, his carefree expression immediately turning to one of rage, which is directed at the player with a menacing glare. After briefly exiting the screen, the dog then returns to the foreground, hobbling on crutches, and chides the player by saying, "Ouch, shoot the ducks, not me!" However, players will get no bonus points if they are able to hit the dog.



How it Works:

Dear Cecil:

A friend and I were playing Nintendo, the original eight-bit system, and we played Duck Hunt, a game that requires a "light gun." I was wondering: How exactly does the Nintendo game "know" where you are pointing the gun on the screen when you shoot ducks?!? Very mind-boggling!

— Matt

You're going to give yourself such a smack when you hear this one. Stripped of the high-tech accoutrements (by 1980s standards, anyway), it's the oldest trick in the book. You think you're using the gun to shoot at the TV, right? But really the TV is shooting the gun.

Here's what happens. You shoot at a duck, which appears on an ordinary TV screen. The gun is connected to the game console; pressing the trigger blackens the screen, then causes a duck-shaped white target to appear momentarily. If your aim is true, a photo sensor in the gun detects the shift from dark to light, and bingo--dead duck. In short, the TV emits the light pulse and the gun detects it, not the other way around.

Read Full Article Here

How Stuff Works.com Addresses the Light Gun


P.S. Cross-stitch will always rock:

Comments

[annamaryse.livejournal.com]

LOVE me some Duck Hunt,too.