How did Duck Hunt for the NES know where you were pointing the gun?
In: 7118
If you’ve ever noticed the screen flash whenever you shoot, that’s what it relies on. The process when you pull the trigger is basically
1. Make everything black except one target for like a 20th of a second (I forgot exactly how long, but it’s short enough to not take you out of the game)
2. Check the light sensor in the gun to see if it’s pointed at the white (which is why doing The Lightbulb Thing works, though this also has issues on modern displays)
3. If the gun “sees” the current white, tell the game that the “current” target has been shot and move on to the next target (which you’re probably not aiming at since you were aiming at the last one)
It’s less knowing where the gun’s pointed and more asking “Ok but did they hit *this* one?” for every on-screen target every time you pull the trigger.
Latest Answers