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Quadrun

2025-08-30T05:50:40Z

2600:1700:E5D0:A9A0:F4DB:E488:21E3:D176:

{{Short description|1983 video game}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Quadrun
| image = Quadrun cover art.jpg
| caption =
| developer = [[Atari, Inc.]]
| publisher = Atari, Inc.
| designer = Steve Woita<ref name="giantlist">{{cite web|title=The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers|url=https://dadgum.com/giantlist/|last1=Hague|first1=James}}</ref>
| released = November 1983<ref>{{cite web |title=Atari VCS game release dates |url=https://www.atariarchive.org/atari-vcs-game-release-dates/ |website=Atari Archive}}</ref>
| genre = [[Shoot 'em up]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
| platforms = [[Atari 2600]]
}}
'''''Quadrun''''' is a video game for the [[Atari 2600]] developed by Steve Woita and published in 1983 by [[Atari, Inc.]]<ref name=giantlist/> One of the four Atari Club games available exclusively via mail order, this title may have been available later in stores in very limited quantities. Only approximately 10,000 cartridges were initially made. ''Quadrun'' is the first Atari 2600 game with [[Speech synthesis|voice synthesis]] ("Quadrun! Quadrun! Quadrun!"); the only other is ''Open Sesame'', made by [[Bit Corporation|Bit Corp]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Quadrun | website = Atari Protos| url=http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/quadrun/quadrun.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Quadrun - Silver Label | url=http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=381 | access-date=2005-09-12 | archive-date=2005-11-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051107180339/http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=381 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Earl | last=Green | title=Quadrun | url=http://gamervision.com/games/quadrun-for-atari-video-computer-system | access-date=2011-02-08 | archive-date=2011-07-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711071830/http://gamervision.com/games/quadrun-for-atari-video-computer-system | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Gameplay==
[[image:Quadrun.gif|thumb|left|Gameplay screenshot]]

The object of ''Quadrun'' is to destroy enemies ("captors") and rescue friendly characters ("runts") who are attempting to escape from the arena's central building. The player character is invincible, but has only a limited supply of their weapon, an energy ball that destroys the enemies on contact.

The game is a series of waves of enemy characters. In a given wave, enemies appear one at a time in the vertical section of the arena. Enemies come in different shapes and attack with different patterns, although all the enemies in a single wave will be of the same type. Some captors proceed straight through the arena, while others split in half, zig-zag or reverse direction. The player must launch the energy ball at the enemy character, then switch to the other side of the arena in order to catch it again. If the player does not catch the ball on the other side, it is lost.

At random times during a wave, a runt will attempt to escape and run through the horizontal section of the arena. The player must move into that section and touch the runt before it collides with the ends of the arena, which are deadly to the touch. If the runt is not rescued, an energy meter at the top of the screen will shrink. It will shrink again if an enemy character is not destroyed during its pass through the arena. If the bar disappears, the game ends. The game also ends if the player loses all energy balls, either through failing to catch them or through a collision with an enemy character.

After the player completes five waves, the player faces a random attack wave where the enemies can be of any type at any time. Prior to the start of the random wave, the energy meter returns to full length and the player receives bonus points for their remaining stock of energy balls. Points are also scored for each enemy destroyed and each runt rescued.

==Development==
According to programmer Steve Woita, the game was playtested by a group of young girls who kept saying, "It's not like ''[[Ms. Pac-Man]]''." Based on this Atari decided to only produce 10,000 carts, assuming it would be a flop.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

==Legacy==
''Quadrun'' was part of the 2005 ''[[Atari Anthology]]'', a collection of classic games for the then-current [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] and [[PlayStation 2]] consoles. It was also included on the plug-and-play [[Atari Flashback 2]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-quadrun_s10412.html ''Quadrun''] at Atari Mania
*{{AtariAge software|id=381}}

[[Category:1983 video games]]
[[Category:Atari 2600 games]]
[[Category:Atari 2600-only games]]
[[Category:Atari games]]
[[Category:Shoot 'em ups]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]

Gravitar

2025-08-30T05:35:42Z

2600:1700:E5D0:A9A0:F4DB:E488:21E3:D176:

{{Short description|1982 video game}}
{{for|another use|Gravitar (band)}}
{{distinguish|Gravatar|Gravastar}}{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Gravitar
|image = gravitar.png
|caption = Arcade flyer
|developer = [[Atari, Inc.]]
|publisher = Atari, Inc.
|designer = Mike Hally Rich Adam Joe Coddington (hardware)
|programmer = '''Arcade''' Rich Adam '''2600''' Dan Hitchens
|platforms = [[Arcade video game|Arcade]], [[Atari 2600]]
|released = '''Arcade'''{{vgrelease|NA|August 1982<ref>{{cite web|title=Production Numbers|url=http://www.atarigames.com/atarinumbers90s.pdf|publisher=[[Atari]]|year=1999|archive-date=10 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510143012/http://www.atarigames.com/atarinumbers90s.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} '''2600'''{{vgrelease||October 1983<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hahn |first1=Duane Alan |title=1983: Atari 2600 Video Game Release Dates with Pop Culture Atmosphere |url=https://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-history-1983.html |website=Random Terrain}}</ref>}}
|genre = [[Multidirectional shooter]]
|modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
}}

'''''Gravitar''''' is a 1982 [[multidirectional shooter]] [[video game]] developed and published by [[Atari, Inc.]] for [[arcade video game|arcades]]. Using the same "rotate-and-thrust" controls as ''[[Asteroids (video game)|Asteroids]]'' and ''[[Space Duel]]'', the game was known for its high level of difficulty.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gravitar|url=http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/gravitar/gravitar.htm|website=AtariProtos.com}}</ref> It was the first of more than twenty games that Mike Hally designed and produced for Atari. The main programmer was Rich Adam, and the cabinet art was designed by Brad Chaboya. An [[Atari 2600]] version programmed by Dan Hitchens was released in 1983.<ref name="giantlist">{{cite web|last1=Hague|first1=James|title=The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers|url=https://dadgum.com/giantlist/}}</ref>

==Gameplay==
[[File:gravitar2.png|thumb|left|The north planet in the second universe]]

The player controls a small blue spacecraft in a [[planetary system|solar system]] with several planets to explore. If the player moves their ship into a planet, they will be taken to a side-view landscape. Unlike many other shooting games, [[gravity]] plays a fair part in ''Gravitar'': the ship will be pulled slowly to the deadly star in the overworld, and downward in the side-view levels. Great precision is demanded of the player, as the ship rotates too slowly to allow a player to correct their mistake if they apply too much thrust and fly toward an obstacle.

The player has five buttons: one each to rotate the ship left or right, one to shoot, one to activate the [[Rocket engine|thruster]], and one for both a [[tractor beam]] and force field. ''Gravitar'', ''[[Asteroids (video game)|Asteroids]]'', ''[[Asteroids Deluxe#Legacy|Asteroids Deluxe]]'' and ''[[Space Duel]]'' all used similar 5-button controlling systems.

In the side-view levels, the player has to destroy red bunkers that shoot constantly, and can also use the tractor beam to pick up blue [[fuel]] tanks. Once all of the bunkers are destroyed, the planet will blow up, and the player will earn a bonus. Once all planets are destroyed, the player will move onto another solar system.

The player will lose a life if they crash into the terrain or get hit by an enemy's shot, and the game will end immediately if fuel runs out.

''Gravitar'' has 12 different planets. ''Red Planet'' is available in all 3 phases in the universe; it contains a reactor. Shooting the reactor core activates a link. Escaping the reactor successfully moves the player to the next phase of planets, awards bonus points and 7500 units of fuel. Reactor escape time reduces after each phase and eventually becomes virtually impossible to complete.

[[File:reactor.png|thumb|The reactor is at the end of a narrow tunnel.]]

After completing all 11 planets (or alternatively completing the reactor three times) the player enters the second universe and the gravity will reverse. Instead of dragging the ship towards the planet surface, the gravity pushes it away. In the third universe the landscape becomes invisible and the gravity is positive again. The final, fourth universe, has invisible landscape and reverse gravity. After completing the fourth universe the game starts over, but the reactor escape time will never reset back to high levels again.

The programmers thought that even the best players could never complete the most difficult planets on the invisible levels. Neither of the key developers themselves, Mike Hally and Rich Adam, have ever completed their own game "without cheating" (their words).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cooganphoto.com/gravitar/interview.html#interview |title=Interview with Mike Hally and Rich Adam |accessdate=2012-04-10}}</ref>

==Development==
''Gravitar'' was developed under the name ''Lunar Battle''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cooganphoto.com/gravitar/lunar-battle.html |title=Lunar Battle is the Gravitar prototype|last1=Coogan|first1=Dan|accessdate=2012-04-18}}</ref> 5,427 arcade cabinets were produced.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.andysarcade.de/gravitar.html|title=AndysArcade.De - Gravitar (Atari)|website=www.andysarcade.de}}</ref>

==Ports==
The silver label version of Atari 2600 ''Gravitar'' was originally only available to Atari Club members.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=222 |title=AtariAge information of Atari 2600 home version. |accessdate=2012-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418125537/http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=222 |archive-date=2012-04-18 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It was later sold in stores in limited quantities. Atari eventually released it in the red box and label style with larger distribution.

==Legacy==
''Gravitar'' inspired the 1986 computer game ''[[Thrust (video game)|Thrust]]''.<ref name=Zzap>{{cite magazine|title = THRUST|first1=Gary |last1=Penn|first2=Gary |last2=Liddon |first3=Julian |last3=Rignall|date = May 1986|magazine = [[Zzap!64]]|publisher = [[Newsfield]]|issue = 13|pages = 16–17}}</ref>

Dual-stick shooter ''[[Black Widow (video game)|Black Widow]]'' was offered as a conversion kit for ''Gravitar''. The kit included a new marquee, control panel, side art, and an additional wiring harness. The kit used the original ''Gravitar'' [[printed circuit board|PCB]], with a few small modifications and a new set of [[Read-only memory|ROM]] chips. Many factory-built ''Black Widows'' were produced using unsold ''Gravitar'' cabinets, and although they contain original (not ''Gravitar'' conversion) board sets, they had ''Black Widow'' side art applied over the ''Gravitar'' sideart.

''Gravitar'' is part of the ''[[Atari Anthology]]'' for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], and [[PlayStation 2]] as well as the ''[[Atari Anniversary Edition]] Vol. 2'' for [[Dreamcast]], [[PlayStation]], and [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]. ''Gravitar'' is also included in the [[Atari Flashback|Atari Flashback 3]]. In April 2019, ''Gravitar'' was added to the TeslAtari game collection included in [[Tesla Motors|Tesla]] vehicles.

In the 1983 [[List of James Bond films|James Bond film]] ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'', [[Domino Vitali|Domino Petachi]] ([[Kim Basinger]]) is seen about to play ''Gravitar'' before meeting up again with Bond ([[Sean Connery]]) at [[Monte Carlo Casino|Casino de Monte Carlo]]. The indoor scene was filmed at [[Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)|Elstree Studios]] in [[Hertfordshire, England]] - the arcade cabinets used would have been sourced from Atari's European factory in Ireland.

A revamped version of the game, titled ''Gravitar: Recharged'', part of the ''[[Atari Recharged]]'' series, was released on May 12, 2022 for [[Atari VCS (2021 console)|Atari VCS]], and on June 2 for [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Nintendo Switch]], [[PlayStation 4]], [[PlayStation 5]], [[Xbox One]], and [[Xbox Series X/S]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Major |first=The |date=2022-05-12 |title=Gravitar: Recharged Launches Today on Atari VCS as a Timed Exclusive |url=https://www.gamesenquirer.com/post/gravitar-recharged-launches-today-on-atari-vcs-as-a-timed-exclusive |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=GamesEnquirer.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811155110/https://www.gamesenquirer.com/post/gravitar-recharged-launches-today-on-atari-vcs-as-a-timed-exclusive |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dellosa |first=Catherine Ng |title=Gravitar: Recharged is coming to all platforms on June 2nd, letting players revisit the hit retro franchise |url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/gravitar-recharged/coming-to-all-platforms-on-june-2nd/ |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=www.pocketgamer.com |date=11 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

==Records==
Dan Coogan, of [[Phoenix, Arizona]], set a ''Gravitar'' world record, scoring 8,029,450 points from December 22 to 23, 2006, playing for 23 hours and 15 minutes. The previous world record for score was 4,722,200, which held for 24 years, set by Ray Mueller of [[Boulder, Colorado]], on December 4, 1982, after playing for 12 hours and 21 minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forums.twingalaxies.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1579 |title=Twin Galaxies |accessdate=2008-03-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709105747/http://forums.twingalaxies.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1579 |archive-date=2012-07-09}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{KLOV game|id=8000}}
* [http://www.arcade-history.com/?page=detail&id=1006 ''Gravitar''] at the Arcade History database
* [http://www.cooganphoto.com/gravitar Dan Coogan's ''Gravitar'' Page]
* [http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?161077-Atari-Gravitar-Advanced-Play-tips Videos of ''Gravitar'' advanced gameplay]
* [http://8bithorse.blogspot.com/2012/12/gravitar.html ''Gravitar'' history and legacy in the 8 Bit Horse Blog]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1982 video games]]
[[Category:Arcade video games]]
[[Category:Atari 2600 games]]
[[Category:Atari arcade games]]
[[Category:Atari games]]
[[Category:Multidirectional shooters]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer hotseat games]]
[[Category:Vector arcade video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]

3D tic-tac-toe

2025-08-30T05:21:23Z

2600:1700:E5D0:A9A0:F4DB:E488:21E3:D176: /* Computer implementations */

{{short description|Abstract strategy game}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{redirect|Qubic|the cosmology project|Qubic experiment}}
[[File:3D Tic Tac Toe.jpg|thumb|3-D Tic-Tac-Toe played with glass beads]]
'''3D tic-tac-toe''', also known by the trade name '''Qubic''', is an abstract strategy board game, generally for two players. It is similar in concept to traditional [[tic-tac-toe]] but is played in a cubical array of cells, usually 4×4×4. Players take turns placing their markers in blank cells in the array. The first player to achieve four of their own markers in a row wins. The winning row can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal on a single board as in regular tic-tac-toe, or vertically in a column, or a diagonal line through four boards.

As with traditional tic-tac-toe, several commercial sets of apparatus have been sold for the game, and it may also be played with pencil and paper with a hand-drawn board.

The game has been analyzed mathematically and a [[first-player-win]] strategy was developed and published. However, the strategy is too complicated for most human players to memorize and apply.

== Pencil and paper ==

Like traditional 3×3 [[tic-tac-toe]], the game may be played with pencil and paper. A game board can easily be drawn by hand, with players using the usual "naughts and crosses" to mark their moves.

In the 1970s, 3M Games (a division of [[3M|3M Corporation]]) sold a series of "Paper Games", including "3 Dimensional Tic Tac Toe". Buyers received a pad of 50 sheets with preprinted game boards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25257/3-dimensional-tic-tac-toe|title=Gaming Unplugged Since 2000|publisher=BoardGameGeek}}</ref>

== Marker sizes variation ==

Gobblets Gobbler<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McFeetors |first1=P. Janelle |last2=Palfy |first2=Kylie |title=We're in Math Class Playing Games, Not Playing Games in Math Class |journal=Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School |date=1 May 2017 |volume=22 |issue=9 |pages=534–544 |doi=10.5951/mathteacmiddscho.22.9.0534}}</ref> and Otrio,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kubota |first1=Runa |last2=Troillet |first2=Lucien |last3=Matsuzaki |first3=Kiminori |title=2022 International Conference on Technologies and Applications of Artificial Intelligence (TAAI) |chapter=Three Player Otrio will be Strongly Solved |date=December 2022 |pages=30–35 |doi=10.1109/TAAI57707.2022.00015|isbn=979-8-3503-9950-9 |s2cid=257408458 }}</ref> use marker sizes (small, medium, large) as the replacement of the third element. Players can 'steal' the opponent spot by placing larger marker at the top of the opponent smaller marker or just simply competing with overlapping spot.

== "Qubic" ==

"Qubic" is the brand name of equipment for the 4×4×4 game that was manufactured and marketed by [[Parker Brothers]], starting in 1964.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72461215&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch
|publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office
|title=Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR)}}</ref> It was reissued in 1972 with a more modern design. Both versions described the game as "Parker Brothers 3D Tic Tac Toe Game".

In the original issue, the bottom level board was opaque plastic, and the upper three clear, all of simple square design. The 1972 reissue used four clear plastic boards with rounded corners. Whereas pencil and paper play almost always involves just two players, Parker Brothers' rules said that up to three players could play. The circular playing pieces resembled small poker chips in red, blue, and yellow.

The game is no longer manufactured.

===Reviews===
*''[[The Playboy Winner's Guide to Board Games]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/playboywinnersgu00free|title=The Playboy winner's guide to board games|first1=Jon|last1=Freeman|first2=John|last2=Jackson|date=6 August 1979|publisher=Chicago : Playboy Press|accessdate=6 August 2023|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

== Gameplay and analysis ==

=== 3×3×3, two-player ===

The 3×3×3 version of the game cannot end in a draw<ref>[https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/2784654/tic-tac-toe-game-on-the-cube-3%c3%973%c3%973 Tic-tac-toe game on the cube 3×3×3]</ref> and is easily won by the first player unless a rule is adopted that prevents the first player from taking the center cell on his first step. In that case, the game is easily won by the second player. By banning the use of the center cell altogether, the game is easily won by the first player. By including a 3rd player, the perfect game will be played out to a draw. By including [[Stochastic|stochasticity]] in the choosing of the side the player must use, the game becomes fair and winnable by all players but is subject to chance. By making the choice of the player piece (× or ⚬) subject to chance, the game becomes fair and winnable by all players.<ref name="golomb">{{cite book
| first1=Solomon W. | last1=Golomb |first2=Alfred W. |last2=Hales
|editor-last=Nowakowski |editor-first=Richard
| chapter=Hypercube Tic-Tac-Toe
| title=More Games of No Chance
| series=Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Publications
| volume=42
| date=August 2002
| publisher=Cambridge University Press | isbn=9780521155632}}</ref>

=== 4×4×4, two-player ===

On the 4×4×4 board, there are 76 winning lines: 48 that are parallel to an edge of the cube, 24 that are parallel to a face diagonal, and finally 4 body diagonals of the cube.

The 16 cells lying on these latter four lines (that is, the eight corner cells and eight internal cells) are each included in seven different winning lines; the other 48 cells (24 face cells and 24 edge cells) are each included in four winning lines.

The corner cells and the internal cells are actually equivalent via an [[automorphism]]; likewise for face and edge cells. The group of automorphisms of the game contains 192 automorphisms. It is made up of combinations of the usual rotations and reflections that reorient or reflect the cube, plus two that scramble the order of cells on each line. If a line comprises cells A, B, C and D in that order, one of these exchanges inner cells for outer ones (such as B, A, D, C) for all lines of the cube, and the other exchanges cells of either the inner or the outer cells (A, C, B, D or equivalently D, B, C, A) for all lines of the cube. Combinations of these basic automorphisms generate the entire group of 192 as shown by R. Silver in 1967.<ref>{{cite journal
| author=R. Silver
| title=The group of automorphisms of the game of 3-dimensional ticktacktoe
| periodical=Amer. Math. Monthly
| volume=74
| number = 3
| pages=247–254
| date=March 1967
| publisher=Mathematical Association of America
| doi=10.2307/2316015| jstor=2316015
}}</ref>

3D tic-tac-toe was [[solved board games|weakly solved]], meaning that the existence of a winning strategy was proven but without actually presenting such a strategy, by Eugene Mahalko in 1976.<ref>{{cite thesis
|author=Eugene D. Mahalko
|title=A Possible Win Strategy for the Game of Qubic
|publisher=Brigham Young University
|date=1976
|degree=M.Sc.
}}</ref> He proved that in two-person play, the first player will win if there are two optimal players.

A more complete analysis, including the announcement of a complete first-player-win strategy, was published by [[Oren Patashnik]] in 1980.<ref>{{cite journal
| title=Qubic: 4 x 4 x 4 Tic-Tac-Toe
| author=Oren Patashnik
| periodical=Mathematics Magazine
| issue=4
| volume=53
| pages=202–216
| jstor=2689613
| date=September 1980}}</ref> Patashnik used a [[computer-assisted proof]] that consumed 1500 hours of computer time. The strategy comprised move choices for 2929 difficult "strategic" positions, plus assurances that all other positions that could arise could be easily won with a sequence entirely made up of forcing moves. It was further asserted that the strategy had been independently verified. As computer storage became cheaper and the internet made it possible, these positions and moves were made available online.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6pbHEZND52eMzlzWWRCWFdrTm8/edit?pref=2&pli=1&usp=embed_facebook&usp=embed_facebook|title=qubic.dictionary|website=Google Docs|accessdate=6 August 2023}}</ref>

The game was solved again by [[Victor Allis]] using [[proof-number search]].<ref>{{cite book
| chapter=Qubic solved again
| pages=192–204
| author=L .V. Allis
| author2=P. N. A. Schoo
| name-list-style=amp
| date=1992
| title=Heuristic Programming in Artificial Intelligence 3: The Third Computer Olympiad
| publisher=Ellis Horwood, Chichester, UK
| editor=H. J. van den Herik
| editor2=L. V. Allis
}}</ref>

== Computer implementations ==
{{Infobox video game
| title = 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe
| italic title = no
| image = 3dtictactoe.png
| caption = Atari 2600 box art
| developer = [[Atari, Inc.]]
| publisher = Atari, Inc.
| programmer = [[Carol Shaw]]
| released = July 1980<ref>{{cite web |title=Atari VCS game release dates |url=https://www.atariarchive.org/atari-vcs-game-release-dates/ |website=Atari Archive}}</ref>
| genre =
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
| platforms = [[Atari 2600]], [[Atari 8-bit]]
}}

Several computer programs that play the game against a human opponent have been written. The earliest of these used console lights and [[Sense switch|switches]], text terminals, or similar interaction: the human player would enter moves numerically (for example, using "4 2 3" for fourth level, second row, third column) and the program would respond similarly, as graphics displays were uncommon.

A program written for the [[IBM 650]] used front panel switches and lights for the user interface.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

William Daly Jr. wrote and described a Qubic-playing program as part of his Master's program at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. The program was written in assembler language for the [[TX-0]] computer. It included lookahead to 12 moves and kept a history of previous games with each opponent, modifying its strategy according to their past behavior.<ref>{{cite thesis
|url=http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/www.bitsavers.org/pdf/mit/tx-0/Daly_Thesis_Feb61_Cubic/mastersthesis.pdf
|type=M.Sc.
|title=Computer Strategies for the Game of Qubic
|publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology
|author=William George Daly Jr.
|date=February 1961}}</ref>

An implementation in [[Fortran]] was written by Robert K. Louden and presented, with an extensive description of its design, in his book ''Programming the IBM 1130 and 1800''. Its strategy involved looking for combinations of one or two free cells shared among two or three rows with particular contents.<ref>{{cite book
|title=Programming the IBM 1130 and 1800
|author=Robert K. Louden
|publisher=Prentice-Hall
|chapter=Integer manipulation in FORTRAN
|pages=179–204
|year=1967
|asin=B0006BRBTQ}}</ref>

A Qubic program in a DEC dialect of BASIC appeared in ''101 BASIC Computer Games'' by [[David H. Ahl]].<ref>{{cite book
| title=101 BASIC Computer Games
| date=1975
| author=David H. Ahl
| url=http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/_Books/101_BASIC_Computer_Games_Mar75.pdf
| publisher=Digital Equipment Corporation
| pages=175–177}}</ref> Ahl said the program "showed up", author unknown, on a G.E. timesharing system in 1968.

[[Image:3-D Tic-Tac-Toe-2600.png|thumb|Gameplay of ''3-D Tic-Tac-Toe''|left]]

[[Atari, Inc.|Atari]] released a 4x4x4 graphical version of the game for the [[Atari 2600]] console and [[Atari 8-bit computers]] in 1980.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atari 2600 VCS 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe |url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-3-d-tic-tac-toe_18106.html |accessdate=6 August 2023 |website=Atari Mania}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/atari2600/584536-3-d-tic-tac-toe/data|title = 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe Release Information for Atari 2600 - GameFAQs}}</ref> The program was written by [[Carol Shaw]], who went on to greater fame as the creator of [[Activision]]'s ''[[River Raid]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atariage.com/programmer_page.html?ProgrammerID=80|title=AtariAge - Programmers - Carol Shaw|access-date=2016-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130002402/http://www.atariage.com/programmer_page.html?ProgrammerID=80|archive-date=2016-11-30|url-status=dead}}</ref> It uses the standard joystick controller. It can be played by two players against each other, or one player can play against the program on one of eight different difficulty settings.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/3-d-tic-tac-toe | title=3-D Tic-Tac-Toe at MobyGames}}</ref> The product code for the Atari game was CX-2618.<ref name="ad1">{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/#63379754 | title=(Atari Ad) | publisher=The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, California) | date=5 August 1981 | access-date=6 August 2014|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>

Three-dimensional tic-tac-toe on a 4x4x4 board (optionally 3x3x3) was included in the [[Microsoft]] [[Microsoft Entertainment Pack|Windows Entertainment Pack]] in the 1990s under the name ''TicTactics''. In 2010, Microsoft made the game available on its ''[[Game Room]]'' service for its [[Xbox 360]] console.

A program library named Qubist, and front-end for the [[GTK+|GTK 2]] window library are a project on SourceForge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/qubic/|title=Qubist source code |date=12 December 2018 |publisher=SourceForge}}</ref>

{{Anchor|Anchor 3D}}

== See also ==
* [[Score four]]
* [[Quarto (board game)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/13714 Qubic] at [[BoardGameGeek]]

{{Tic-Tac-Toe}}

[[Category:Abstract strategy games]]
[[Category:Tic-tac-toe]]
[[Category:Parker Brothers games]]
[[Category:Three-dimensional board games]]
[[Category:Paper-and-pencil games]]
[[Category:Tic-tac-toe variants]]
[[Category:Solved games]]