Introduction to Duck Hunt

For our final project in ECE476, we implemented a multi-duck and multi-player version of the Nintendo classic Duck Hunt on the Atmel Mega32 microcontroller.

In 1985, Nintendo released a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) called Duck Hunt, and it was hugely popular with kids at the time. When we were doing the lunar lander lab, we began to wonder what other old school games could be remade on the MCU. Ultimately, we decided on Duck Hunt.

The essence of the game is that you are a hunter, with your trusty dog, hunting ducks. The game consists of your dog scaring the ducks out of the long grass, you shoot them down, and the dog retrieves them. The ducks are shot using the NES light-sensitive zapper gun. Our implementation allowed the player to select one or two ducks to be flying at a time. There is also an option for a second player to control the ducks using a Sega Genesis controller. If the shooter can down enough ducks each level, he advances until beating the game. Our game comes complete with sound effects and slightly annoying music, as per the NES design.