Qwak! (arcade game)

Infobox VG
title= Qwak!


caption=
developer= Atari Inc.
distributor= Atari Inc.
released= ^{North America} 1974
genre= shooter
platforms=Arcade
input= optical gun
cabinet= unique
cpu= discrete
sound= Amplified Mono (one channel)
display= Horizontal orientation, raster (black and white), Standard Resolution.

"Qwak!" is a 1 player arcade game by Atari Inc., originally released in 1974. It simulates duck hunting, where by players fire at flying on-screen ducks using a rifle with a light gun attached to the end.cite web
title = Atari Coin-OP/Arcade Systems
url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/arcade/arcade70.html
accessdate = 2007-12-28 ]

Technology

The game is housed in a custom cabinet that includes a light gun. The game PCB is composed of discrete technology and incldues Atari/Kee's Durastress technlogy.cite web
title = Atari: The Lost Years of the Coin-Op, 1971 – 1975, Part III
url=http://www.armchairarcade.com/aamain/content.php?article.102
accessdate = 2007-12-28 ]

Marsh reeds and a tree branch are provided by a screen overlay representing perspective of looking up from the ground.

The game can be set by the operator to have time limits, extended time and free games.

Gameplay

One duck flies across the screen at a time, giving the player three shots to hit it. A hunting dog runs out and collects the fallen prize if the player was successful with their aim.

Legacy

* In 1982, Atari Inc. developed a prototype for a duck themed game also similarly entitled "Qwak". With the goal of "Help mama duck and her three ducklings get home safely", the player shifts picture blocks into place to create a safe path for the ducks to get home. There were 15-puzzles with cute animations, and a player's score is determined by how long the ducks are on-screen and by how many get home safely.cite web
title = Qwak (1982) at KLOV
url=http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9215
accessdate = 2007-12-28 ] The developers are unsure whether this was originally designed for a touch-screen or not. It could have been a joystick game that happened to be in development when they were interested in evaluating touch-screen technology. They felt that the touch-screen would make a more intuitive interface, but were apparently wrong. The most common comment at the focus-group was "could you put a joystick or buttons on it. It would be easier"...cite web
title = System 16 - 6502 Colour Raster Hardware (Atari)
url=http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=764
accessdate = 2007-12-28 ]

* Nintendo produced a version of "Qwak!" for the Famicom in 1984, called "Duck Hunt".cite web
title = Controller's History Dynamite from 1UP.com
url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3143627
accessdate = 2007-12-28 ]

References