When I was in college, I wrote a variation of this game for the Atari 800 computer (1.77 Mhz). It worked and was playable, problem was I didn't have enough time to figure out a fast way to fill so I did an "invisible reverse fill". That is, I would invisibly "fill" the section where the Qix was (in memory) and fill the reverse (if not already filled). For example, if the first box you draw is a little one at the bottom of the screen, it would "reverse fill" the Qix side (almost all of the area), just to be able to know where the little box you filled was. What happened was the screens were slow filling when they were almost empty (close to 0% claimed). As you claimed more area, then they would speed up filling. The game was written about 30 years ago so I no longer have it but I have bragging rights to say that I was able to get it to work. It was written in a language called Action! for Atari 800 family. Quite an accomplishment for 1986 ish. I did not have sparks nor do I think I had twin Qix. Also, the Qux was not shaped like a helix, it was a spinning starfish shape that bounced around the screen. Oh well.
Thank you for showing us all these different versions. Qix is such a fun game. I play it on both Switch and 3DS (the Gameboy version from the eshop). The latter is my favorite of the two, such a simple concept, yet so addictive and fun to play.
Recall playing Qix at the Ambassador Lanes bowling alley in Edgeware, London UK while my dad was bowling 10pin. It was in the early 70s and it was a cocktail cabinet, must have been a minicomputer. Incidentally, it was also published for the TRS-80 CoCo
LOVE qix so much. Wish there were more accurate ports. Really like the music for Fancy Qix too, sounds like a cover of something but can't think of what
Wow! The C64 version had only minimal sound no music and looks like it was programmed in basic. The Sharp X68000 was a powerful piece of equipment back in the day.
The Sharp X68000 version was not official. It was a clone & the sound Blows. I have no clue why there seems to be a screaming Asian woman in the music. lol I only added it because the game play was on key with the original game. I did not add a few others because the differences were too great.
That would happen every once in awhile. As long as no part of the Qix is touching your line, you are fine, even if it is on either side. So, sometimes when the Qix is moving fast, and therefore its individual lines are spread out a lot, you can get lucky.
The copy of Qix on GB64 contains two disk images. The first, QIX0.D64 loads fine for me in VICE. although the drive indicator does blink after the first level, so I don't know if it will mess up on higher levels. I'm not very good at Qix and didn't have a joystick handy, so I didn't get past level 2.
No it didn't. The game kicked ass on the original Gameboy. Probably the second best of the launch titles after Tetris. And not one single person playing it thought "This really needs some stupid pattern that shows up with you create boxes."
I love Qix!! Thanks for the comparison video! I've came across a remake on Google Play. It appeared soooo challenging! Got stuck on level 12, heh.. Anyone tried it?
I was aware of them.The problem was, I could not locate a working image. This project was delayed 3 months because of it. I settled on this one because of that.
I'm actually impressed with several of these ports. But I have to go with the Sharp X-68000 version. You get to play against an updated & better looking Qix enemy, while still getting to see all the pictures from Super Qix. That sets this one apart from all the others in this video.
Does anyone know a method for quickly determining what side to fill? For example, suppose you are starting with a fresh screen and draw some zigzaggy box. How does the game know which side to fill right away? Is there some generic algorithm that can be used that works for any combination of boxes already drawn and filled?
It's easy actually. It fills whatever section the qix isn't in. So if you can manage to trap it in a very small space, you can fill almost the entire board.
@@MiriOhki That doesn't answer my question. From a programming perspective, how would the programmer know what side the Qix is on relative to a complex "zipzaggy" shape?
@@davidjames1684 when you complete a shape, all the system has to do is check both side, 'in' and 'out'. If the qix is on one side, that is the 'out'. The side the qix is not in is the 'in'. It also leads to what you see in, I believe, the gameboy clip, where there are two qix. If both sides have a qix on them, you get a split qix, which ends the round and, iirc, gives a bonus to the next one. The zigzagging doesn't matter. The shapes you make are made up of one continuous line. The qix (barring multiple) is going to be on one side or the other.
@@MiriOhki My point is that it is not so easy to tell many times which side the Qix is on. For a simple shape like a small square box, it is simple, but if you have a complex shape with spirals and the Qix is somewhere in there, it is not so obvious.
Does anyone know how was called ZX Spectrum version with sharks and squids? You had to catch the sharks, and if they eat squids they could eat through your network that you made... I played it when I was 4 and only remembered it visually. :(
I think the slower pace of the Gameboy version is the best fit for Qix. Makes the game more relaxing and open ended, as going for high percentages (even 99%) is a much more viable option.
I do feel obliged to point out that the 5200 version is NOT actually the "Atari 5200 / XL / 800" version. The computer version was... umm, kinda terrible. The qix is a small sprite lacking the dynamic-ness of the original in both appearance and behavior, and it's really really slow filling in captured area. Also, you know, it's a one-button controller, but that's hardly the game's fault. It runs in a higher resolution than the 5200 version, though, so the playfield looks nicer. But the score area is raw text in the standard Atari computer font, and aside from being huge for no good reason, just looks tacky.
+CptJistuce I own the real Qix cart for Atari 8-bit and played it on my Atari 80XL. It looks and sounds much better than what's in this video. Totally the wrong version.
Then there must be a third version I've never seen, because the A8 version I know sounds, ummm, cacophonous, and has tiny sprite Qixes that were easy to implement, but capture none of the dynamic nature of the title enemy. Regardless, 5200 Qix is one of the best ports of the game(the only better releases I know of are just emulation of the arcade board). And superior to any one-button version by default.
I know i'm replying to an old post. Their are three versions. 1: 5200 2: 5200 conversion to Atari Computers 3: Atari Computer Version. The video appears to be the 5200 conversion Atari Computer. Some conversions are amazing. Some just lack the quality of the 5200 ports. Qix seems to be one that in fact lacks.
It's a good thing that Apple had a hold of the education market back then because their graphics and sound on the Apple II were terrible, not counting the Apple II GS which came much later. If they didn't have that market hold I'm pretty sure they would have faded out of existence or would have been bought by IBM or someone else.
There was a very different version of Qix for the Atari 8-bit computers, which I bought on ROM cartridge. It was visually worse; the Qix itself looked like a spinning animated sprite rather than being properly drawn as line art, and the score displays were just done with built-in Atari fonts. I'm actually not sure whether there was an official release for the 8-bit computers based on the much better 5200 version. But I have a copy of it for mine, which I'd gotten through... channels. Having actually spent money on the bad version, it was one time that I didn't have any moral qualms about this.
There's a much better C64 version of Qix, released a few years later alongside modern Taito titles like Bubble Bobble, Renegade, Arkanoid, Operation Wolf, etc. th-cam.com/video/S2uYh12ZMI8/w-d-xo.html
the only port i like is for the original gameboy, its great with a link cable for multiplayer. if anyone is interested in a modern take on qix check out cubixx hd.
Watching this video again, I actually think the NES version is decent too. I wish it would have been included as one of the NES games in "Animal Crossing". lol
Bring the arcade home! Remember the arcades filled with video games? Relive that experience in your home. We offer new arcade machines loaded with 60 classic arcade games. Check it out at www.classicarcadewarehouse.com
The official Taito release on the C64 is a much better version than the crappy clone you included for this video. You should update this video to show that version instead.
Qix is the etch a sketch of video games.Funny how this classic arcade game had clones as well.Going from gals panic to cacoma knight.By the way i'm also getting sick of being asked to use google+.WTF youtube stop it all ready i don't have a mobile device nor i do use facebook !!!!!!
Breaking news for all fans: we've reinvented Qix on mobile, and it's free! Check out QIX GALAXY in Google Play!!! Global release on iOS is coming mid April!!! More at zgames.com/games/qix_galaxy
![Arcade Longplay [987] Qix (US)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/R8t1DpLFThQ/mqdefault.jpg)
When I was in college, I wrote a variation of this game for the Atari 800 computer (1.77 Mhz). It worked and was playable, problem was I didn't have enough time to figure out a fast way to fill so I did an "invisible reverse fill". That is, I would invisibly "fill" the section where the Qix was (in memory) and fill the reverse (if not already filled). For example, if the first box you draw is a little one at the bottom of the screen, it would "reverse fill" the Qix side (almost all of the area), just to be able to know where the little box you filled was. What happened was the screens were slow filling when they were almost empty (close to 0% claimed). As you claimed more area, then they would speed up filling. The game was written about 30 years ago so I no longer have it but I have bragging rights to say that I was able to get it to work. It was written in a language called Action! for Atari 800 family. Quite an accomplishment for 1986 ish. I did not have sparks nor do I think I had twin Qix. Also, the Qux was not shaped like a helix, it was a spinning starfish shape that bounced around the screen. Oh well.
This game has a very Tron-ish feel to it!
Thank you for showing us all these different versions. Qix is such a fun game. I play it on both Switch and 3DS (the Gameboy version from the eshop). The latter is my favorite of the two, such a simple concept, yet so addictive and fun to play.
Recall playing Qix at the Ambassador Lanes bowling alley in Edgeware, London UK while my dad was bowling 10pin. It was in the early 70s and it was a cocktail cabinet, must have been a minicomputer. Incidentally, it was also published for the TRS-80 CoCo
LOVE qix so much. Wish there were more accurate ports. Really like the music for Fancy Qix too, sounds like a cover of something but can't think of what
Could have included the version from 'Bully' as a bit of an easter egg?
Wow! The C64 version had only minimal sound no music and looks like it was programmed in basic. The Sharp X68000 was a powerful piece of equipment back in the day.
The Atari 5200 and Atari 8bit computer versions actually differ to some extent in this case, which I guess is pretty rare.
Plus, this video doesn't reproduce the flicker tricks that are used to draw the 5200's Qix so it just looks like a couple lines flashing around.
The Sharp X68000 version was not official. It was a clone & the sound Blows. I have no clue why there seems to be a screaming Asian woman in the music. lol I only added it because the game play was on key with the original game. I did not add a few others because the differences were too great.
Whoa, 12:22-24 is just the Qix saying "gonna give you this one, buddy"!
That would happen every once in awhile. As long as no part of the Qix is touching your line, you are fine, even if it is on either side. So, sometimes when the Qix is moving fast, and therefore its individual lines are spread out a lot, you can get lucky.
I like the amiga version, the mmmm sound of qix is so relaxing
The copy of Qix on GB64 contains two disk images. The first, QIX0.D64 loads fine for me in VICE. although the drive indicator does blink after the first level, so I don't know if it will mess up on higher levels. I'm not very good at Qix and didn't have a joystick handy, so I didn't get past level 2.
Qix would have made an awesome color vector game!
Great work. Congratulations.
I hate the fact that so many of these ports felt the need to add a useless silly pattern to the filled background color. sometimes simple is better.
Black and white gameboy needed it
No it didn't. The game kicked ass on the original Gameboy. Probably the second best of the launch titles after Tetris. And not one single person playing it thought "This really needs some stupid pattern that shows up with you create boxes."
Hey, at least no one tried to add BG music, except that X68000 Qix clone. All in all, the port situation for this game is pretty good.
and .. why the hell is google forcing us to make a Google plus account anyway ? I'm not going to use it.
I love Qix!! Thanks for the comparison video! I've came across a remake on Google Play. It appeared soooo challenging! Got stuck on level 12, heh.. Anyone tried it?
I was aware of them.The problem was, I could not locate a working image. This project was delayed 3 months because of it. I settled on this one because of that.
I'm actually impressed with several of these ports. But I have to go with the Sharp X-68000 version. You get to play against an updated & better looking Qix enemy, while still getting to see all the pictures from Super Qix. That sets this one apart from all the others in this video.
u forget the videoway version from videotron from the early 90's!!!
qix: when a screensaver is made into a video game.
Where is Gal Panic?
Wow, so many versions. I have to try some of these. The Sharp clone is (of course) really interesting. ;-)
Trying to code this in system verilog is a bummer. Idk how to determine which partition has less pixels...
I still play this on my Atari 130 XE or Commodore 74, depending on which system I have hooked up. Great video!
Does anyone know a method for quickly determining what side to fill? For example, suppose you are starting with a fresh screen and draw some zigzaggy box. How does the game know which side to fill right away? Is there some generic algorithm that can be used that works for any combination of boxes already drawn and filled?
It's easy actually. It fills whatever section the qix isn't in. So if you can manage to trap it in a very small space, you can fill almost the entire board.
@@MiriOhki That doesn't answer my question. From a programming perspective, how would the programmer know what side the Qix is on relative to a complex "zipzaggy" shape?
@@davidjames1684 when you complete a shape, all the system has to do is check both side, 'in' and 'out'. If the qix is on one side, that is the 'out'. The side the qix is not in is the 'in'. It also leads to what you see in, I believe, the gameboy clip, where there are two qix. If both sides have a qix on them, you get a split qix, which ends the round and, iirc, gives a bonus to the next one.
The zigzagging doesn't matter. The shapes you make are made up of one continuous line. The qix (barring multiple) is going to be on one side or the other.
@@MiriOhki My point is that it is not so easy to tell many times which side the Qix is on. For a simple shape like a small square box, it is simple, but if you have a complex shape with spirals and the Qix is somewhere in there, it is not so obvious.
Does anyone know how was called ZX Spectrum version with sharks and squids? You had to catch the sharks, and if they eat squids they could eat through your network that you made... I played it when I was 4 and only remembered it visually. :(
I think the slower pace of the Gameboy version is the best fit for Qix. Makes the game more relaxing and open ended, as going for high percentages (even 99%) is a much more viable option.
7:54 what a glick
Agreed. There were at least three versions of Quix on the C64, and this one here was the worst.
I do feel obliged to point out that the 5200 version is NOT actually the "Atari 5200 / XL / 800" version.
The computer version was... umm, kinda terrible. The qix is a small sprite lacking the dynamic-ness of the original in both appearance and behavior, and it's really really slow filling in captured area. Also, you know, it's a one-button controller, but that's hardly the game's fault. It runs in a higher resolution than the 5200 version, though, so the playfield looks nicer. But the score area is raw text in the standard Atari computer font, and aside from being huge for no good reason, just looks tacky.
+CptJistuce I own the real Qix cart for Atari 8-bit and played it on my Atari 80XL. It looks and sounds much better than what's in this video. Totally the wrong version.
Then there must be a third version I've never seen, because the A8 version I know sounds, ummm, cacophonous, and has tiny sprite Qixes that were easy to implement, but capture none of the dynamic nature of the title enemy.
Regardless, 5200 Qix is one of the best ports of the game(the only better releases I know of are just emulation of the arcade board). And superior to any one-button version by default.
I know i'm replying to an old post. Their are three versions. 1: 5200 2: 5200 conversion to Atari Computers 3: Atari Computer Version. The video appears to be the 5200 conversion Atari Computer. Some conversions are amazing. Some just lack the quality of the 5200 ports. Qix seems to be one that in fact lacks.
The arcade player just kept driving into trees.
It's a good thing that Apple had a hold of the education market back then because their graphics and sound on the Apple II were terrible, not counting the Apple II GS which came much later. If they didn't have that market hold I'm pretty sure they would have faded out of existence or would have been bought by IBM or someone else.
Nice Qix fix. I'm sure you have a few projects on the go but I think Spelunker would make a good lets compare.
Is that the same Taito company that created Bubble Bobble?
funshine97 yes
Casty59 AJ I thought so.
funshine97 Qix was actually developed by Taito of America as opposed to Japan which did the bubble bobble games and many others.
Roudansk Alamir I see.
Yeah, that and Space Invaders.
There was a very different version of Qix for the Atari 8-bit computers, which I bought on ROM cartridge. It was visually worse; the Qix itself looked like a spinning animated sprite rather than being properly drawn as line art, and the score displays were just done with built-in Atari fonts.
I'm actually not sure whether there was an official release for the 8-bit computers based on the much better 5200 version. But I have a copy of it for mine, which I'd gotten through... channels. Having actually spent money on the bad version, it was one time that I didn't have any moral qualms about this.
There's a much better C64 version of Qix, released a few years later alongside modern Taito titles like Bubble Bobble, Renegade, Arkanoid, Operation Wolf, etc. th-cam.com/video/S2uYh12ZMI8/w-d-xo.html
Saw Poison Control trailer yesterday
Noticed the QIX gameplay
Found an iPhone game, Stealin, with pure QIX gameplay
If this was in Switch...
was still working on it when You commented. lol
There's a really good version on the Genesis called Ultimate Qix too, really good, but tough game.
VOLFIED. I remember playing this version of the game on the pc, god it was hard af but interesting at the time which was more than 15 years ago.
What happens when the timer runs out in the original arcade?
More Sparx appear, I believe they eventually become Super Sparx the longer you take
A lot of nice versions here though I think the 5200 is closest to the arcade version
ギャルズパニックの元ネタですね！(o´∀`)b
the only port i like is for the original gameboy, its great with a link cable for multiplayer. if anyone is interested in a modern take on qix check out cubixx hd.
indeed they are !
only game were you made your own pattern
No doubt lifted from "Gals Panic" I see.
I have this game on Taito Legends 2 for PS2
Watching this video again, I actually think the NES version is decent too. I wish it would have been included as one of the NES games in "Animal Crossing". lol
Bring the arcade home! Remember the arcades filled with video games? Relive that experience in your home. We offer new arcade machines loaded with 60 classic arcade games. Check it out at www.classicarcadewarehouse.com
Screen saver of DEATH!
o.O the Atari lynx has the resolution of a sugar cube! lmfao!
Now you just need to show the MZ-700 version :)
The official Taito release on the C64 is a much better version than the crappy clone you included for this video. You should update this video to show that version instead.
Yes .,the quix was not so fast.
Qix is the etch a sketch of video games.Funny how this classic arcade game had clones as well.Going from gals panic to cacoma knight.By the way i'm also getting sick of being asked to use google+.WTF youtube stop it all ready i don't have a mobile device nor i do use facebook !!!!!!
you know the videoway is dead when styx is not in the liste
I think there was a wii ripoff of this game. I dont remember the name though.
Volfied
I WANT THIS MUSIC
there are so many variants of these, especially with Hentai themes lol try them on mame :D
Apple II port is slow...
Breaking news for all fans: we've reinvented Qix on mobile, and it's free! Check out QIX GALAXY in Google Play!!! Global release on iOS is coming mid April!!!
More at zgames.com/games/qix_galaxy
HORRIBLE. Perfect example of the dumbing down of computers for fucking tablets.
Are you gonna do a remake