First L: Light Gun
The first credited light gun game, Seeburg Ray-O-Lite, is an arcade duck hunting game appeared in as early as 1936. The earliest light gun video game I have found is the Triple Hunt by Atari in 1977, five years after PONG was invented. There are over 200 video games were produced in the course of thirty years for various kinds of light guns. However, it dies out silently after 2000 when the majority of gamers started to replace their CRT(Cathode Ray Tube) TVs with the new flat screen.
There are three different methods for video game light guns to detect where the light gun is pointing at and all of these methods require the line scanning rate of CRT. Since LCD, Plasma TV and Projector refresh their screens all at once instead of line by line, all three methods become useless. However, Wii has introduced a *new way of pointing and positioning on the screen despite the type of displays the users have. This has enlightened the hope of hardcore light gun gamer. THE NEW AGE OF LIGHT GUN IS COMING!
*new way- Everything about Wii is not new. The infrared light, IR transistor, and motion detector, all of these have been tested out in the NES period in one way or another. Wii did a great job on putting all these ideas together and rebuild them with better technology and design, and then reintroduced them to us fifteen years later.
There are also new third party light guns out there that work with LCD displays using similar technology that Wii has. However, it is nothing new in terms of gaming experience (inputs), the third party gun itself is basically an alteration of the most recent light gun GUNCON2.
Second L: a new Light
My mission of the project is to design a light gun that can open up more game design possibilities. Following are some precedent for a playful interface.
- explore interactivity other than pushing the button and pulling the trigger
- Wii controller has successfully introduced a new game experience by simulating all kinds of movements. However, there should be more than just a rectangular-shape controller.
- All the meters that used to be on the screen should be on the gun.
- Players should be able to “use” the gun or to manipulate the gun during the gameplay.
- カプセル装填兵器シグバルカン( Ink capsule barrel gun ) 1998
- 電脳冒険記ウェブダイバー(Computer Adventure- Webdive) 2001-2002
Make use of all the pins. Gun controller usually uses less than half of all the available pins on the connector which means there is more room for possibilities!- Customization:
- voice-over
- customized parts and stickers
- different type of inputs
- expendable weapon slots
Third L: Judge Dredd’s Lawgiver
I am fascinated by Judge Dredd’s voice activated and multi-ammunition gun, the Lawgiver. To full fill my mission of the project, I decided to create a light gun that the player can change the ammunition on the gun in real-time to activate different weapon in the game.
Fourth L: Love me and help me
Please don’t be hesitated to give me advises and all your old light guns.
Fifth L: technoLogy
Ideally I am going to use Wii remote controller for the screen pointing system, basic stamp for gun interface, Proce55ing for serial communication between Flash and BS2.
04/06/07 I have finally made some progress tonight on the technology aspect of the project. The Wii remote is still buggy with the IR sensors but I am able to make the communication between BS2 and Flash work.
04/09/07 Finished testing PISO chips and they work nice. In my original proposal I was going to make a shifting gear for weapon switching but I was convinced by the class maybe it will be more interesting if different parts gives different powers. Therefore I introduce a new element that replaces the shifting gear, it is the bullet system. How obvious, different kind of bullets gives different weapon ammo in the game. Player has to physical load a symbolic bullet to enable a particular weapon in the game. Different bullet gives a different ammo as well as special functionality that comes with it. Spending the weekend testing the bullet system and built a few bullets too.
GAME DESIGN
the demo game consist two section: one is for testing out all the bullets and knobs and the other is a simulation for all the weapons.
04/11/07 Start building the gun. I cut the basic shape of the gun out of a 1/2″ thick wood board and sanded it to soften the edge. I then covered the top of the gun with a three-way plumping tube and mounted the bullet socket in the back.
04/13/07 Organize wires. I soldered wires to the edge connector for the custom made BS2 PCB board. Tested the circuit before putting them in the white box below the Wii barrel. Numbered all the wires that go into the box.
Making the bullets:
Making the light gun:
