Clay Pigeon Shooting Simulator Games

The Laser Clay Shooting System (レーザークレー射撃システム) is a light gunshooting simulation game created by Nintendo in 1973. The game consisted of an overhead projector which displayed moving targets behind a background; players would fire at the targets with a rifle, in which a mechanism of reflections would determine whether or not the 'laser shot' from the rifle hit the target.

The concept behind the Laser Clay Shooting System came from Hiroshi Yamauchi, while Gunpei Yokoi was behind the development of the system. It was released in deserted bowling alleys in Japan in 1973; upon release, it was a commercial success. However, the success of the system quickly evaporated as a result of the 1973 oil crisis and the ensuing recession in Japan, which left Nintendo ¥5 billion in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy. In 1974, Yamauchi, in an attempt to revive Nintendo, released a smaller, cheaper version of the Laser Clay Shooting System, titled 'Mini Laser Clay'. Deployed mostly in arcades, players shoot moving targets, provided by a 16mm film projector, at an arcade cabinet. This system featured several games and achieved significant success for Nintendo throughout the mid to late 1970s, which helped the company out of its financial situation.

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It simulates the clay target game. There should be different version for launching clay for trap, double trap, skeet as it is played on field.

Overview[edit]

The Laser Clay Shooting System was a shooting simulation that were present in many former bowling alleys in Japan. In the simulation, players fire their laser rifles at moving targets produced by an overhead projector. A series of reflections determines whether or not the target was hit by the 'laser shot'; when a hit is registered, the projector displays a picture of a destroyed target.^[1]

The Laser Clay Shooting System was redesigned in 1974 and was renamed 'Mini Laser Clay'. This game would be displayed in arcades as opposed to bowling alleys. Mini Laser Clay consisted of two shooting ranges in which up to four players could play simultaneously. Players would pay ¥100 to shoot ten clay pigeons with two shots per pigeon; players would 'pull' each clay pigeon by stepping on a button near their feet. High scores would earn players tokens which could be exchanged for prizes.^[2] Cheaper models of Mini Laser Clay featured single players who would shoot targets, projected by a 16mm film, at an arcade cabinet with a revolver.^[3]

History[edit]

The idea for the Laser Clay Shooting System Game started in 1971, when Hiroshi Yamauchi read a newspaper article about shooting (also referred to as 'Ball Trap') competitions. He then asked his assistant Gunpei Yokoi about the possibility of using their current product, the 'Opto-Electronic Gun SP', for shooting simulations. Days after Yamauchi's request, Yokoi asked Yamauchi to buy him a rifle for the purposes of designing an 'electronic Ball Trap simulation' by using the rifle as a prototype. Assisting in the development were Masayuki Uemura and Genyo Takeda. The project was approved in 1971 and was dubbed the 'Laser Clay Shooting System'.^[1]

Yamauchi wanted to see shooting simulations developed in deserted bowling alleys in Japan; bowling in Japan was a 1960s fad which was replaced by Karaoke by the end of that decade. The first Laser Clay Shooting System was unveiled to the public in early 1973, despite technical setbacks which were fixed in extremis on the same day it was unveiled. Nintendo proceeded to buy out deserted bowling alleys in various strategic locations, in which they were fitted with the simulation system. Costing between ¥4 and ¥4.5 million to install, each system included overhead projectors which displayed airborne targets behind a mountainous or forest landscape, and a mechanism that consisted of reflections which detected whether or not the 'laser shot' hit the flying target on the projector.^[1][4]

Yamauchi was successful in the first few weeks of operation, as his 'test locations' were running at capacity. In February 1973, with imminent success of the Laser Clay Shooting System, Yamauchi established a new Nintendo subsidiary, Nintendo Leisure System Co., Ltd., to handle the maintenance and orders of the system. He then continued to buy out more former bowling alleys and fitted them with Laser Clay Shooting Systems, and the subsidiary had many pre-orders for them. As a result, the factories dedicated to building these systems were running at capacity around the clock in order to meet public demand. Advertising for the Laser Clay Shooting System featured Japanese actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba.^[5]

However, in October, 1973, OPEC dramatically raised the price in oil, which would eventually trigger the 1973 oil crisis. As a result, the Japanese economy, which imported over 98% of their requirements for oil, was forced to scale back on all unnecessary amenities in anticipation of an imminent recession. As a result, Nintendo received cancellation requests of the Laser Clay Shooting System from its clients, and, in less than a year, nearly all of its orders were cancelled. Having invested billions of Yen in their product, Nintendo's profits were cut in half, and they found themselves ¥5 billion in debt, in which Yamauchi would spend 7 years paying off. Yamauchi would cancel his 'electronic Ball Trap' project as a result, and Nintendo's future was uncertain. What kept Nintendo (and Yamauchi) going was that they were listed on the stock market, and Nintendo still had to answer to shareholders, some of whom continued their support of the floundering company.^[6]

In 1974, as Laser Clay had still maintained some popularity in Japan, Yamauchi redesigned the Laser Clay Shooting System into a smaller and cheaper version, and dubbed it 'Mini Laser Clay'. This redesigned system was intended for arcades. Yamauchi pitched to professionals: 'With such a machine in your arcade venue, you will undoubtedly draw the attention of the whole neighbourhood.' Since orders from arcades were low, Nintendo needed cheaper methods to make the product. As a result, Yokoi came up with the idea of using 16mm projectors and video; this allowed the system to be sold in the form of arcade cabinets.^[7][8] In 1974, Wild Gunman, the first game of its kind, was released. Alongside Wild Gunman, Nintendo designed an adult version of the game titled Fascination; instead of cowboys, the game featured a Swedish woman in an evening dress who would dance around on the projection. Then, when the women struck a pose, players would shoot off key parts of her clothing until she was completely nude. However, the game was never released to the general public.^[7]

While the Mini Laser Clay system started slow, Nintendo eventually garnered sufficient sales, and they continued to sell the system to more arcades. In 1976, Shooting Trainer was released on this system, attracting many international players; this was followed by New Shooting Trainer in 1978. Other games released for the Mini Laser Clay system included Sky Hawk (1976), Battle Shark (1977), and Test Driver (1977).^[9] Some sources say that Duck Hunt (1976) was part of the Laser Clay Shooting System,^[10] while others say that it was part of the 'Nintendo Beam Gun Series' – a separate project to bring shooting simulations into the home.^[11] According to Gizmodo, it was part of a revamping of the Laser Clay Shooting System.^[12]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. ^ ^abcGorges, p. 182.
2. ^Gorges, p. 184.
3. ^Gorges, p. 186.
4. ^Temperton, James (April 12, 2003). 'The History of Nintendo'. Cubed3. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
5. ^Gorges. pp. 182–183.
6. ^Gorges. pp. 183–184.
7. ^ ^abGorges. pp. 184, 186.
8. ^'History of Nintendo Worldwide 1889–1979'. Nintendo. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
9. ^Gorges. pp. 186, 188.
10. ^O'Dell, Jolie (May 16, 2010). '10 Awesome Vintage Video Games You Can Play Online'. Mashable. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
11. ^Kohler, Chris (February 27, 2007). 'Video: 1976 Duck Hunt'. Wired News. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
12. ^Wilson, Mark (July 14, 2009). 'Electronic Games 1979: Addictive, Exciting, Primitive As Hell'. Gizmodo. Retrieved April 4, 2011.

References[edit]

• Gorges, Florent (2010). The History of Nintendo. 1 (1889–1980). Collaborated by Isao Yamazaki, translated by Raphael Mourlanne. Triel-sur-Seine, France: Pix 'n Love Publishing. ISBN978-2-918272-15-1.

Long before I picked up a shotgun for the first time, my experience of shooting involved a NES Zapper and the Nintendo game Duck Hunt. A small box-shaped television would project a pixelated duck on to a convex screen made of thick glass, at which my friends and I would shoot wildly. Accuracy never felt like a major consideration to the game’s developers, and pointing the toy gun in the general direction of the TV would kill your target and send an on-screen pet retriever bounding off to collect the digital quarry.

Clay Pigeon Shooting Games

Approximately 20 years later, the DryFire training system took the accuracy requirement a lot further. The system sent a laser dot across a wall in your house that early users would try to catch. While fun, the technology was still in its infancy and never recreated the clay shooting experience.

Two years ago, DryFire received a makeover. Software developer and distributor Wordcraft International re-launched the product after consulting with the shooting community about the flight of clays, how they react in different conditions and how much lead you need to break them. In doing this, the company became the UK’s leading target simulator. It now boasts over 2,500 units around the country, and businesses are catching on.

The first shotgun theatre is now located in Rotherham at the South Yorkshire Shooting Club. An air rifle range at its roots, the club’s owner, Trevor Horner – a canny businessman who also behind the Idleback shooting chair – argues that the industrial estate location is a benefit. “The object was to offer a shooting facility to an urban district rather than being limited to rural setting, and when DryFire became available, it was an obvious next step for the club.”

Built like a large home cinema room, the simulator projects a typical Olympic Trap layout with a picturesque wooded background on to a 5x5m wall. In the centre of the room is a table, on which sits a Marocchi shotgun with a laser pointer in its top barrel, a light magnetic electronic unit attached to the action, and a pressure sensor wrapped around the trigger.

The computer system is quite incredible. One laptop will easily run the DryFire program and you can save each shooter’s profile according to their height and choice of shotgun, including barrel length, preferred chokes, cartridges, point-of-impact and of-pull. This is a useful feature for a club like South Yorkshire that’s attracting an increasing number of shooters. Some come for coaching sessions while others use it for fun, but a lot of people have returned for second, third and fourth goes. Your personal profile records several thousand shots and can replay them to measure your development.

Trevor continues: “The system is there for novice shooters and sportsmen. You can come along to practise a single shot if there’s a target you’re struggling with, because DryFire tells you what the fault is. There’s also corporate and fun days we put on where we blend it with the airgun side of the shooting club.”

Clay Pigeon Shooting Games Online

Once set up on the laptop, the product is easy to use. You aim at a dot in the centre to calculate your eye line in relation to the projector, and you’re away. You can select from a seemingly endless number of layouts for all disciplines, including game, and training options.

My first DryFire attempt was dismal. Just two out of 15 targets broke, and each shot gave detailed explanation about how bad I was: yet it had an addictive video-game like quality. After three goes, during which I amassed a total score of 8ex-40, it was time to figure out how I could improve. Andrea Roach, managing director at Wordcraft International, was on hand to offer assistance and showed me through the AimPoint feature.

Developed in the past few years after studying bucket loads of data about clay target flight lines, AimPoint provides the user with a travelling cross-hair on the screen that moves in front of the target to give you the correct lead picture in each situation. In addition to this, Andrea took me through the on-screen information that pops up following each missed or made shot: “The pointing error is the distance between the centre of the clay and the centre of the shot cloud. It tells us how far below and to the left we are away from this particular target. You can see how far the target had travelled by the time you pulled the trigger, and how many seconds it had been in the air for.”

My aim was the issue with most of the targets, but on occasion I had simply let the clay travel too far and lost too much power in the shot to break it. This is where talented shooters, or those with coaches, could break down the shot in detail and build up different ways of approaching certain situations.

After Andrea’s advice on a new choke setup, and the help of AimPoint, my scores started to creep up. One’s natural reaction on these systems is to aim at the clay no matter what – that’s what 25 years of pixel-based gaming does to you. But with the arrival of Nintendo Wii, the intuition of X-box Kinect, and now the lifelike clay simulation of DryFire, interactive computer systems have never been more clever.

If you approach the DryFire simulatorat South Yorkshire Shooting Club in the same way you would a clay target at your favourite outdoor shooting ground, the experience won’t feel like a simulation, but a real and useful training system that can improve your target-hitting capabilities.