G.A.S. (Gas Attendant Simulator) is the ultimate fuel pump fantasy. With the help of your NES Zapper, G.A.S. will take you on a point and click adventure don’t point, don’t click adventure.
Don’t Leave the Pump Unattended
The NES Zapper trigger normally functions as a “momentary reset switch.” When the trigger is pulled, it turns on for a split second, “clicks,” and then turns off.
But what if the trigger never clicks? If you pull the Zapper trigger just the right amount and hold it there, the trigger stays “on.” This function, that we call the Zapper Button Hold (ZBH), had never been used before in an NES game.
But what to do with it?
Fill’er up!
In G.A.S. you’ll embark on a career in the fuel service industry. Work your way up from small jobs to major pumping initiatives.
Push your trigger finger to its limits. Block out distractions. Focus on your goals. But be sure to take a smoke break once an hour. That’s your right as an employee.
Impress your superiors and you’ll move up in the world, and maybe even further.
Pump and Grind
G.A.S. was built by Alan Files and Brian Burke (Brian and Alan Games) over the course of several months in early 2023.
The G.A.S. project began with Alan discovered the ZBH and made a simple test ROM demonstrating its function. Realizing that they had something great before them, Alan and Brian used G.A.S. to push their boundaries as game creators.
G.A.S was programmed by Alan in C programming language and based upon the NES C tutorials by NESDoug as well as the NES C Library by Shiru. G.A.S. was Alan’s first game using Nintendo’s MMC1 mapper chip. In addition to programming G.A.S., Alan created all the music in the game.
Brian was responsible for all of the in-game art in G.A.S. With the use of MMC1, Brian was faced with the challenge (and opportunity) of far more space in which to store game graphics. This additional space allowed Brian to create complex, detailed backgrounds rather than repetitive tiled ones as well as layered sprites for the first time.
Credit or Debit?
The first run of G.A.S. cartridges were hand-built by Alan and Brian from derelict copies of John Elway’s Quarterback and were given away at the CORGS video game show in Columbus, Ohio in May 2023. A copy of G.A.S. was raffled off to benefit the CORGS show while a few copies were given away to friends and well-wishers.
Copies of G.A.S. will be available for purchase in the near future.
Get a copy of the ROM here for free!
