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Wii Zapper and crappy aiming, does it work well for you? :/

itsinmyveins

Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
During pretty much all the Wii-games I've played where aiming is a major part of the game there's been one annoying thing present. When I point my wiimote on my TV screen it doesn't necessesarily mean the reticule will go exactly there -- the point I'm aiming at -- but more like a inch or two lower.

So when I play a game I'm used to it not being "exact" in that sense and it's really not a problem. But I just got RE:UC and started to think about this, even though I haven't bought a Zapper yet. The whole damn reason for buying it is to be able to aim directly at the screen more comfortably, but that's gonna suck if the reticule isn't accurate at all.

So, what I am saying is this: Nintendo, you need to shape up and release some damn update that allows you to modify the aiming more (like the in-game options for aiming in TP but in the main menu) so we, the people with small rooms and big screens, can play using the Zapper as intended.
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
During pretty much all the Wii-games I've played where aiming is a major part of the game there's been one annoying thing present. When I point my wiimote on my TV screen it doesn't necessesarily mean the reticule will go exactly there -- the point I'm aiming at -- but more like a inch or two lower.

So when I play a game I'm used to it not being "exact" in that sense and it's really not a problem. But I just got RE:UC and started to think about this, even though I haven't bought a Zapper yet. The whole damn reason for buying it is to be able to aim directly at the screen more comfortably, but that's gonna suck if the reticule isn't accurate at all.

So, what I am saying is this: Nintendo, you need to shape up and release some damn update that allows you to modify the aiming more (like the in-game options for aiming in TP but in the main menu) so we, the people with small rooms and big screens, can play using the Zapper as intended.
The Remote isn't a light-gun, and doesn't work like one. We've known this.

Ghost Squad has an in-game adjustment that makes the Remote a bit more like a light-gun, but that's about the best you're going to get. They're not going to add more to the system adjustments.
 
To be honest I don't remember if RE:UC has a calibration screen, LCBT definitely does.

That said I feel very comfortable with the zapper, I can reach buttons somewhat better than with the wiimote only (the forward hand doesn't have to lift the gun all alone as it is with wiimote only) and of course it's got a great feel of holding a weapon. I use it for MP3 all the time, too.

As for the aiming, I tend to concentrate on the crosshair on screen, not on the zapper, so I don't feel a disconnection if there is some. Perhaps that would help?
 
Matt said:
The Remote isn't a light-gun, and doesn't work like one. We've known this.

Ghost Squad has an in-game adjustment that makes the Remote a bit more like a light-gun, but that's about the best you're going to get. They're not going to add more to the system adjustments.

I know it's not a light gun but is it too much to ask? I want to be able to aim somewhat precise and it can't be that hard throwing in that option with an update. The options for the wiimote sucks as they are now.

Battersea Power Station said:
I thought you could adjust it so it does match up with the screen area, no?

There is a screen where you can adjust the aiming and so, but it's hardly precise or in depth by any means.

maxmars said:
As for the aiming, I tend to concentrate on the crosshair on screen, not on the zapper, so I don't feel a disconnection if there is some. Perhaps that would help?

Well that's how I do when I play Wii games usually. But when you play railshooters like UC or Crossbow training and such it'd be kind of nice actually being able to aim with the wiimote, it'd be a little more immersive at least.
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
I know it's not a light gun but is it too much to ask? I want to be able to aim somewhat precise and it can't be that hard throwing in that option with an update. The options for the wiimote sucks as they are now.
Actually I think it would be VERY hard and possibly provide conflicts with some games. Besides, outside of certain games, some people might not want the Remote to be that precise.
 
Matt said:
Actually I think it would be VERY hard and possibly provide conflicts with some games. Besides, outside of certain games, some people might not want the Remote to be that precise.

Hey, it worked somewhat good in TP, why not let us use similar options directly from the Wii Menu? How would it provide "conflicts"? If some people don't want the wiimote to be precise they don't have to adjust them.
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
Well that's how I do when I play Wii games usually. But when you play railshooters like UC or Crossbow training and such it'd be kind of nice actually being able to aim with the wiimote, it'd be a little more immersive at least.

Yes it would.. I think the zapper is more of a device to let you handle more easily the wiimote / nunchuck combo. Plus the kitsch appearance of course.

Now that I think about it, in LCBT you don't actually aim with it, the only point where the crosshair matches the zapper position is on the center.
When you move away from the center, the crosshair moves more than the zapper no matter how much sensitivity you select.
 
Matt said:
The Remote isn't a light-gun, and doesn't work like one. We've known this.
The current light-guns use the very same method, since that's the only one that work on non-CRT/SD sets.

You can perfectly have 1:1, provided two things :
- you don't move too much
- you calibrate the screen carefully.
 
I don't share your accuracy problems. But as a poster said before I go off where the thing is aiming, not where I feel it should be. Maybe it's years of playing mis-calibrated light gun games in arcades that gives some the ability.
 
The Zapper works pretty damn well in Link's Crossbow Training, and the basic sensitivity/position adjustment in that game is something I'd like to see in every lightgun-esque title from hereon out.

RE:UC is a bit different. You donÂ’t have the same kind of control over height or sensitivity, and there are some problems with the way you use the Zapper during QTE sequences or reloading that should have been avoidable (itÂ’s one thing flicking the remote during a QTE or to reload, itÂ’s quite another to try and shake the Zapper!) and it doesnÂ’t seem quite as fast or precise as it does in Crossbow Training. That said, it works and while I prefer to use the remote/nunchuk when IÂ’m going for better results, the Zapper is far more satisfying to play with.
 
Wow is Wii aiming really this problematic? I was thinking of getting one for christmas but now i'm not sure.
 
sykoex said:
Wow is Wii aiming really this problematic? I was thinking of getting one for christmas but now i'm not sure.

I'm sure it's better if you've got room enough. But I can't sit that far away from my TV set so I think that's one of the causes for my crappy aiming. Still, there's no reason for more adjustments not being availble.
 
Wow is Wii aiming really this problematic? I was thinking of getting one for christmas but now i'm not sure.

It is if you think its a light gun, if you look at the aiming cursor instead of down the "barrel" its fine.

. Still, there's no reason for more adjustments not being availble.
Except its(the Wii) was made for people who don't like fiddling with menus.
 
sykoex said:
Wow is Wii aiming really this problematic? I was thinking of getting one for christmas but now i'm not sure.


Depends I guess. I'm always a little surprised when people tell me they have problems aiming with the wii remote. I guess I assumed if my mother, little sister, and grandmother can handle it then any gamer with any experience shouldn't have any problems. Assuming things can be dangerous but my family are as casual as they come when it comes to videogames and they all picked it up quickly.
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
I'm sure it's better if you've got room enough. But I can't sit that far away from my TV set so I think that's one of the causes for my crappy aiming. Still, there's no reason for more adjustments not being availble.
Oh. Well I play my DS almost every day and I'm so used to the pointing on that being instant. Is it hard to adjust?
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
I'm sure it's better if you've got room enough. But I can't sit that far away from my TV set so I think that's one of the causes for my crappy aiming. Still, there's no reason for more adjustments not being availble.

How far away are you from your screen? I’ve got a 36” TV and I’m sitting only about 5-6’ back from it, with my sensor bar at the bottom of the TV & I get aiming that feels just about perfect.
 
pvpness said:
Depends I guess. I'm always a little surprised when people tell me they have problems aiming with the wii remote. I guess I assumed if my mother, little sister, and grandmother can handle it then any gamer with any experience shouldn't have any problems. Assuming things can be dangerous but my family are as casual as they come when it comes to videogames and they all picked it up quickly.

Uh, I don't have trouble aiming per se, I just think it sucks that I can't adjust the reticule to be where I aim with the Wiimote.
 
Re: distance from the TV: if you are forced to sit very close to it, e.g. 3-4 feet, you have to absolutely put the sensor bar under the tv or there's going to be a BIG disconnect from where you point and where the crosshair appears.
 
Cosmonaut X said:
The Zapper works pretty damn well in Link's Crossbow Training, and the basic sensitivity/position adjustment in that game is something I'd like to see in every lightgun-esque title from hereon out.

RE:UC is a bit different. You donÂ’t have the same kind of control over height or sensitivity, and there are some problems with the way you use the Zapper during QTE sequences or reloading that should have been avoidable (itÂ’s one thing flicking the remote during a QTE or to reload, itÂ’s quite another to try and shake the Zapper!) and it doesnÂ’t seem quite as fast or precise as it does in Crossbow Training. That said, it works and while I prefer to use the remote/nunchuk when IÂ’m going for better results, the Zapper is far more satisfying to play with.

You know there's a 'Zapper' configuration in the options menu, right? It maps reloading and QTE to the nunchuk.
 
maxmars said:
Re: distance from the TV: if you are forced to sit very close to it, e.g. 3-4 feet, you have to absolutely put the sensor bar under the tv or there's going to be a BIG disconnect from where you point and where the crosshair appears.

I sit maybe 3 meter away from a 40" :P

Yeah, I use the "under" option. It thinks I'm aiming two inches below where I'm actually pointing.
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
I sit maybe 3 meter away from a 40" :P

Yeah, I use the "under" option. It thinks I'm aiming two inches below where I'm actually pointing.

Ooh, The Princess and the Pea(shooter). :lol
 
Great King Bowser said:
You know there's a 'Zapper' configuration in the options menu, right? It maps reloading and QTE to the nunchuk.

Yep, but the only way to use that Zapper configuration effectively is to decouple the nunchuk from the Zapper shell. It makes the game more playable, but if I'm going to hold the Zapper and the nunchuk separately I might as well just play with the remote/nunchuk setup. It should have been possible for Capcom (or Cavia ;-) ) to rework the Zapper config so that reloading had a button command (hold down Z and tap C, for example) and just used C for the third QTE command but they obviously made a decision not to offer this as a fourth config option.
 
Cosmonaut X said:
Yep, but the only way to use that Zapper configuration effectively is to decouple the nunchuk from the Zapper shell. It makes the game more playable, but if I'm going to hold the Zapper and the nunchuk separately I might as well just play with the remote/nunchuk setup. It should have been possible for Capcom (or Cavia ;-) ) to rework the Zapper config so that reloading had a button command (hold down Z and tap C, for example) and just used C for the third QTE command but they obviously made a decision not to offer this as a fourth config option.

Fair enough. I've gotten used to the separate nunchuk configuration, the only gripe is it leaves you holding the Zapper like a pistol from the front handle, I feel they should have made that front handle longer as it feels too small, and I have tiny hands.
 
Zapper seemed like a bad idea on paper, and it's an awful idea in practice. I don't know what Nintendo was thinking on this one. This idea should've been aborted the second they playtested it.
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
How far from you TV set are you sitting?

I'm not the person you quoted, however, I've tested it on two configurations:

*) 28" SDTV (4:3), 6 feet, sensor bar on top of TV, works perfectly.

*) 22" Monitor (16:10), 4 feet, sensor bar on the bottom of the TV, still works perfectly.
 
I've been playing on a 26" SDTV, three to four feet away, with the sensor bar on bottom. Aiming seems perfect.


loosus said:
Zapper seemed like a bad idea on paper, and it's an awful idea in practice. I don't know what Nintendo was thinking on this one. This idea should've been aborted the second they playtested it.
Link's Crossbow Training wouldn't be as half as enjoyable as it is without the Wii Zapper.
 
As I've said; it would be easily remedied with an update allowing for more adjustments to the wiimote. Some of you guys might not have any issues with it but I do and others as well. I suppose that's why some games allow you to adjust the sight even further.
 
The way the wii works for aiming lets it work on basicly every tv or projector out there, the way a lightgun works will not work on an lcd or projector. I'm not sure how the ps3 lightgun is built but I would think it's costing more then how the wiimote handles it.
 
Darkman M said:
:lol You guys bought a zapper.

No, I didn't :S

But the same still goes for the ordinary wiimote, I just assume it'd be more annoying with a zapper.

Diablohead said:
The way the wii works for aiming lets it work on basicly every tv or projector out there, the way a lightgun works will not work on an lcd or projector. I'm not sure how the ps3 lightgun is built but I would think it's costing more then how the wiimote handles it.

And that's why they should give us more aiming options.
 
I tried it... let's just say I confirm that the Wiimote with or without the zapper is not a replacement for lightgun peripheral. Aiming was absolutely terrible for Ghost Squad.
 
Darkman M said:
:lol You guys bought a zapper.

I sincerely do not understand the hate.. It makes everything more practical and helps people who don't play such games have a gentler introduction.
 
without the Zap we wouldn't enjoy Link's Crossbow Training!


it works pretty well for me...tried Umbrella Chronicles last night and it was very accurate, at least I guess...I was sitting two meters from my TV and couldn't see shit because I left my glasses at work
 
Darkman M said:
:lol You guys bought a zapper.
It's a solid peripheral that honestly compliments every ability (i.e., aiming, shooting, walking, zooming) in LCT.

Like maxmars, I'm not understanding what's so disastrously wrong with it.
 
Hopefully this fairs well with HotD remix. I can understand Link and RE:TUC, since they were built from the ground-up for the Zapper. But HotD needs careful attention.
 
It can really get better than this even if you'd dream of it.

The pointer works in relation with the sensor bar so the closer you are from the TV the more angle you will have with the sensor bar. This means it's harder to aim realistically.

The only workaround to this is a game that would let you decided where are the screen edges are. The problem with this is that if you yourself move just a little bit you're off.
 
Ranger X said:
It can really get better than this even if you'd dream of it.

The pointer works in relation with the sensor bar so the closer you are from the TV the more angle you will have with the sensor bar. This means it's harder to aim realistically.

The only workaround to this is a game that would let you decided where are the screen edges are. The problem with this is that if you yourself move just a little bit you're off.

But you know, you could adjust the wiimote in TP.. It's just for the damn thing to pick up the signal and add the adjustment -- like one inch upwards or whatever -- so you'll see the reticule where it should be. So yes, you can "work around" it like that. And I'd be happy with it, at least.
 
Ranger X said:
It can really get better than this even if you'd dream of it.

The pointer works in relation with the sensor bar so the closer you are from the TV the more angle you will have with the sensor bar. This means it's harder to aim realistically.

The only workaround to this is a game that would let you decided where are the screen edges are. The problem with this is that if you yourself move just a little bit you're off.
Strange. Wouldn't the zapper work the same as just using the Wiimote in the WiiPlay shooting game? You point at a part of the screen and shoot. How does it differ in these shooting games?
 
It works pretty well for me. I actually tape the sensor bar to the TV just under the screen sometimes with shooting games for better accuracy. I also sit at least 5 feet back.
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
But you know, you could adjust the wiimote in TP.. It's just for the damn thing to pick up the signal and add the adjustment -- like one inch upwards or whatever -- so you'll see the reticule where it should be. So yes, you can "work around" it like that. And I'd be happy with it, at least.

Well, Ghost Squad and LCT let you do just this, and it works fine.
 
Hmmm...I bought this for my 8 year old nephew for Christmas. Hopefully he doesn't have too much trouble with it.
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
But you know, you could adjust the wiimote in TP.. It's just for the damn thing to pick up the signal and add the adjustment -- like one inch upwards or whatever -- so you'll see the reticule where it should be. So yes, you can "work around" it like that. And I'd be happy with it, at least.

Yeah i read about that option. But it seems it gets disajusted easily unless you stay in place like a brickwall. (just saying, according the experience you seem to have with it)
 
Ranger X said:
Yeah i read about that option. But it seems it gets disajusted easily unless you stay in place like a brickwall. (just saying, according the experience you seem to have with it)

Uh, I don't know about it getting disadjusted though. Didn't experience it that often.. Anyways, giving us that option for the main menu would be great. It can be damn annoying when playing games that won't let you readjust the sight.
 
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