30-year history of Game light guns

30-year history of Game light guns

A word to see the topic: This year is the 30 anniversary of the advent of FC light guns, let us say the surrounding stories.

A perfect match for light guns and games

As one of the most famous peripherals in the history of the game, the Light gun's history is actually far more distant than the video game itself, dating back even to the 30 's. Before the concept of the electronic game came out, the mechanical structure of the light gun game has been rage, in the large amusement park as a general person to simulate the shooting experience of the convenience props.

After the early, with the first video games in succession, the surrounding light gun soon became the most suitable partner for video games, light gun games (shooter) has gradually become a unique category of video games, and the initial light gun game also in the mainframe hall in the first popular, Players take a variety of avant-garde light guns toward the screen of the pixel pattern fire, imagine that they are destroying bandits, fighters or alien invaders.

It is no exaggeration to say that the overwhelming majority of gamers love the light gun game is innate, no matter how primitive the picture sound, as long as they pick up the model gun aimed at the screen, can instantly produce other games cannot match the sense of generation, so from the history of the first home game "Odyssey" (Magnavox Odyssey), the light gun and light gun games are already auto-attached peripherals and built-in games, and its inventor, Lalf Bell (Ralph H. Baer), who first presented the concept of the video game and implemented it, was also the first to apply for a patent for the game's light gun.

In 1984, the Light gun game ushered in a new revolution. A year ago, Nintendo officially launched the red and white Machine FC began to target the home market, and they also soon launched the FC-specific light gun peripheral: "NES Zapper" (Zapper originally meant for remote control, and in Japan is directly known as beam gun), February 18, 1984, Zapper light Gun in Japan, and then on April 21, another with Zapper light gun FC game "dozen Ducks" (Duck Hunt) listed, in a short period of time became the most popular game, Crazy Drive FC host and light gun sales, When Nintendo launched the NES in the US market a year later, "Beat Duck" became the first-ever bundled game, making it the last of nearly 30 million sales, FC's history behind the Super Mario series, becoming one of the best-selling games in history.

("Beat Duck" this classic scene is already enough to write the game history important scene)

The intriguing FC light gun principle

It is because of the "beat Duck" turned out, let the next few years in the FC on the emergence of a large number of light gun game, said the average quality of course is mixed, but still left a group enough to let the old players remember the works, although we may not be able to correctly name the original. This includes the police skill shooting (Hogan's Alley), contains three models, test accuracy of the drum shooting, test the speed of the police shooting range shot and test the comprehensive quality of the actual combat shooting; the wilderness gunman (Wild gunman), in duel Mode, seize the right moment to defeat the enemy in sight, Shooting is too early or too late to fail, as well as domestic players and "hit the duck" as familiar with the "flying Saucer" (Clay Shooting).

The initial FC light gun game mode is single, the screen is also rough, later with the developers to gain more experience, there have been a lot of diverse design, combined with the first person view shooting and horizontal version of the action of the complex game and large arcade transplant version, players can also freely choose the operation. such as Mr. Crocodile (the Adventures of Bayou Billy), "Wolf action" (Operation Wolf) and other works, it can be said that while the home machine first-person view shooting game is not mainstream, but zapper gun is still the most popular FC era, is also one of the most successful designs.

And for the domestic players at that time, FC light gun is also a lot of people dream of the artifact, the majority of teenagers if there is a game with light gun, in the children's circle is definitely more than now take local tyrants Gold mobile phone is respected ... Although most people have access to pirated parallel imports, it does not affect the happy experience that it brings to us with those games. And many years later, there are still a lot of players have no understanding of the question: Zapper light gun principle is what? Why does the game change when you pull the trigger? How does a normal TV screen in your home receive a signal from a player?

In fact, the principle is not exaggerated, but many people instinctively preconceived, that the light gun is from the muzzle of the emission of light signal alignment screen-although the earliest light gun is indeed designed. and Zapper light gun and similar products have taken the opposite idea, the muzzle is not a transmitting device but the receiving device.

(FC Light gun principle is very simple, but the first one to think of is really great.) ）

Just a great idea to switch ideas.

Specifically, when the optical gun connected to the FC host, the player pulls the trigger signal, while the screen of the game screen in addition to pre-set targets (such as ducks, flying saucers, etc.) outside the area will be black, leaving only the target block location emitting a white flash, this time the muzzle of the receiving device will be sensitive to light intensity changes, In the case of the target will receive enough light intensity signal, then the game to determine the player hit the target, the process is probably a short dozens of milliseconds, generally do not affect the game effect, but for the "Beat Duck" will appear two goals of the game, the screen blink time will be continuous and obvious up, Believe that a lot of players should be impressed with this, the light gun game screen sometimes more "flash".

Understand this, you have to sigh this is only a conversion of ideas of the great idea, can be in the conditions of the most inexpensive way to achieve simulated shooting, do not need how complex special equipment, to ensure that the light gun become popular around, although there are many shortcomings, such as the need to adjust the contrast of the TV to distinguish between light and shade, Unable to achieve multiple targets continuous shooting, precision can only be fixed in a range, but it is enough for quite a long time to be followed by the learning to emulate.

To the 16-bit host SFC and MD ERA, with the performance of the host, the picture becomes more sophisticated, but also requires a more accurate and more sophisticated light gun game performance. The second generation of light guns on the home machine is born, in principle, it is still the spirit of the light gun as a receiver, the basic idea of sensing the change of the screen light, the difference is the way to determine the target.

At that time, the TV screen is to take interlaced scanning way to generate images (before the close-up watching TV players must have intuitive experience screen is a "spell" up), the second generation of light gun according to this point, when the trigger and no longer require the screen to turn black, but at a very fast speed to a frame sweeping the screen of strong light signal, From left to right, also from top to bottom, when the muzzle corresponds to the position of receiving this signal, the system will be based on the time difference to calculate the coordinates of this point of determination, it is clear that you are at this point the position of the muzzle, if at this time set a good target is in this position, that is to determine the hit.

Compared with the first generation of light guns, the advantages of the second-generation light gun is self-explanatory, you can determine the position of multiple targets at the same time, and the coordinates can be accurate to the order of magnitude per frame, so from 1993 onwards, until the LCD TV completely replace the traditional CRT TV, everyone is almost along this line of thought, It is more and more sophisticated, from SFC, MD start to PS, SS, has been in the PS2 and the Xbox era.

(Light gun games are an important part of the mainframe office for a long time.)

Birth, development, success, decline

This period of light gun game ushered in another period of rapid development, Sega in the arcade of a variety of games was unusually hot, with the advent of 3D games is to let the light gun game found its most suitable type, FPS. "VR swat", "The House of Death" two classic series of many players are also familiar with, and many manufacturers want to take this ride, and some are not FPS class, and even the shooting theme does not have much to do with the work of hard-adapted into light gun shooting ... In the peripheral aspects of the home machine, SFC's "Rocket Barrel" light gun, MD dual-sight Menacer light gun, and later PS host Guncon series of light guns are also players are very familiar with the surrounding products.

And with the TV screen itself ushered in a new round of evolution, LCD screen, high-definition television replaced the original screen, the second generation of light gun is also invalid, the third generation of light gun immediately put on the agenda, and at this time a variety of body sense technology has matured, to realize the light gun is not a problem, the typical representative, Nintendo in 2007 for the Wii launched the laser gun accessories Wii Zapper, although essentially just the Wii handle with gun styling kit, but also in principle and the Wii itself in the sense of the body positioning, through the screen/underneath the additional installation of infrared sensor strips on both ends of the infrared, To allow the front of the Wii Remote Infrared camera positioning, and the same time PS3 GUNCON3 light gun is probably the case.

It is also because of the popularity of the game, gradually weakened the light gun game itself charm, like this feeling of the players have the opportunity to choose more complex equipment, the same-to-the-same shooting game gradually lose interest in the player would rather return to the handle mouse, light gun seems to gradually become dispensable embellishment, The decline of the arcade is to let the final position also gradually fall, and now the light gun, as well as the light gun game, although not extinct, but also seems to be too much to say, just a kind of game of the ordinary periphery only.

However, in many industry insiders, as well as senior players in the eyes, the light gun itself is expected to usher in a new opportunity, is this two years, the rise of virtual reality technology. Just as the FPS game and the head-mounted display are made in a perfect match, the light gun is also supposed to be the best partner for the first virtual reality game, just like having a heavy model gun in front of the mainframe to get a close-up experience, shooting from a realistic view of the first-person generation, and it seems that only a real weapon can feel. , it is not difficult to imagine that with a number of big brands, such as Sony have decided to participate in this market, looking for a new round of game breakthrough, perhaps the light gun game and the light gun itself, can also write a new paragraph of history.

3/20FC Light gun 30 Anniversary review

So when the first home game was invented in the 70 's, it came with a design similar to a light gun.

30-year history of Game light guns