How to make a Zapper or R.O.B. game

[puppydrum64]

Curious if this is possible. It should be since NESMaker is capable of doing anythingvthe NES can do

 

[Logana]

Yeah it’s 100% possible, you just need to know how they work and know how to make a game based around it, you would basically have to code it all yourself since nesmaker was build around adventure games and more action based games as well, more of a code heavier thing to do with this tool

 

[Jonny]

Zapper

The Zapper is a light gun, often associated with the game Duck Hunt. It reads light from a CRT SDTV and sends the brightness of the area where it is pointed on the controller port.

wiki.nesdev.com

Sequence of operations part is interesting.

 

[Nishi]

Curious if this is possible. It should be since NESMaker is capable of doing anythingvthe NES can do

Just remember that all TV's today (LCD, OLED, Plasma, ect) have to high of a refresh rate and Zapper gun games don't work on them. So you will need a old CRT TV.

 

[PasseGaming]

Yup, unfortunately no one has figured out a way to make those old games work on non-CRT's. I one of RetroUSB's yearly x-mas games used ROB. Never had the opportunity to give it a play as I don't own a CRT any longer.

 

[CutterCross]

Yup, unfortunately no one has figured out a way to make those old games work on non-CRT's. I one of RetroUSB's yearly x-mas games used ROB. Never had the opportunity to give it a play as I don't own a CRT any longer.

That's not entirely true concerning the Zapper, and there are likely ways to work around these limitations for ROB. But yeah, the practicality aspect is why nobody here is really making an effort to add Zapper or ROB support to their projects. The documentation has been out there for years, but you'd be hard-pressed to find people dedicated enough to add support for such peripherals.

There's also the issue of, y'know, needing to actually own these peripherals in the first place for hardware testing. ROB is notoriously difficult to get a hold of nowadays without spending a superfluous amount.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCZ-Z-OZFUs

 

[PasseGaming]

I've seen that stuff before, an yeah there are a bunch of ways to pull it off, but to the common gamer, they aren't going to want to do all that junk to get it to work. Hell, I'd love to use the zapper again and I don't really feel comfortable doing any of the above options. Hopefully, one day someone figures something that that wont either break the bank, ruin original hardware, or require some sort of degree in electronics.

 

[Talisaerin]

It's PC specific, so it would only work with emulators... but there's the Sinden Lightgun available. (He states in his indigogo faq that he is working to add functionality to consoles, though he doesn't say the NES is included in that or whether it will be through DIY mods like his PS1/PS2 vids or if they'll be ready made options)