View source for Gran Trak 10

{{good article}}
{{short description|1974 arcade game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Gran Trak 10
|image = Gran Trak 10 1974 Flyer.jpg
|image_size = 200px
|caption = Advertising flyer for the game
|developer = [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]]<br/>[[Cyan Engineering]]
|publisher = {{vgrelease|NA|Atari|JP|[[Namco]]<ref name="Akagi"/>}}
|designer = Larry Emmons<br/>[[Allan Alcorn]]
|released = {{vgrelease|NA|May 1974|JP|September 1974<ref name="Akagi"/>}}
|genre = [[Racing video game|Racing]]
|modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
|platforms = [[Arcade game|Arcade]]
}}

'''''Gran Trak 10''''' is an [[arcade game|arcade]] [[driving video game]] developed by [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]] through its subsidiary [[Cyan Engineering]], and released by Atari in May 1974. In the game, a single player drives a car along a race track, viewed from above, avoiding walls of pylons and trying to pass as many checkpoints as possible before time runs out. The game is controlled with a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals, and a [[gear stick]], and the car crashes and spins if it hits a pylon.

Atari founder [[Nolan Bushnell]] had originally planned to develop a driving video game inspired by [[Chicago Coin]]'s arcade [[electro-mechanical game]] ''Speedway'' (1969) when he founded the company, but cancelled it in favor of a simpler game, ''[[Pong]]'' (1972). Atari eventually began development on a driving video game, ''Gran Trak 10'', in late 1973. It was initially designed by Larry Emmons of Cyan, with the mechanical design handled by Eigen Systems, though after several design and production problems were uncovered during an initial small production run in March 1974 the design was overhauled by [[Allan Alcorn]], the designer of ''Pong'', with wider distribution beginning in May. The game's circuits include possibly the first instance of [[integrated circuit]]-based [[read-only memory]] (ROM), which thereafter became the standard for arcade games, replacing [[diode]]-stored graphics.

''Gran Trak 10'' was developed during a time of several internal changes at Atari; as a result communication problems led Atari to not accurately track the expense of manufacturing the game. It was initially sold to distributors for a net loss of US$100 per cabinet; although this flaw was fixed it contributed to a total loss of $500,000 for the company that fiscal year, placing Atari in financial difficulties. The game itself was successful, and led to several versions of the game being produced in 1974 by Atari and its subsidiary [[Kee Games]], including a smaller cabinet version titled ''Trak 10'' and a two-player version titled ''Gran Trak 20'', as well as numerous later racing games. ''Gran Trak 10'' was the first arcade car driving video game, though Atari had released the spaceship racing game ''[[Space Race (video game)|Space Race]]'' in 1973, and a simple racing game, ''Wipeout'', was included with the 1972 [[Magnavox Odyssey]] console.

==Gameplay==
''Gran Trak 10'' is a single-player [[racing video game]] in which the player drives a race car along a race track, shown from above. The player controls the car with a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals, and [[gear stick]], as in a real car. The gear shifting requires the player to shift between reverse, first, second, and third gears as needed, but the pedals are digital controls rather than analog, so the player cannot control his speed by applying differing levels of pressure. The steering wheel turns the car only while it is being turned, rather than having a neutral "straight" position. Braking does not stop the car instantly and turning while braking will cause the car to skid. The course is defined on the screen by walls of white dots representing pylons, which if hit stop the car and spin it. There is only a single track layout. The track contains one black path representing an oil slick, which prevents the player's car from turning. At the top of the screen are two numbers; the number on the right is the remaining time in the game, starting at 78 and counting down by 2s, while the number on the left is the number of checkpoints the player has passed, and counts up by 2s.<ref name="manual"/>

The time per game, though the counter always starts at 78, is by default 105 seconds and is adjustable by the game operator; changing the time adjusts both the speed of the counter and how long a player spends crashed after hitting a pylon. A switch on the internal circuit board can turn off crashes entirely, while another allows for two games to be played for a [[quarter (United States coin)|quarter]] rather than one. A placard on the front of the game gives suggested ratings for the score in a given game, from "License Revoked" for 10 or fewer points to "Real Pro" for greater than 40; the operator's manual suggests changing or removing this card if the time per game is adjusted.<ref name="manual"/>

==Development==
[[File:Gran_Trak_10_photo.jpg|thumb|Time has run out at 8 points, in a ''Gran Trak 10'' cabinet.]]
In 1972, [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]] founder [[Nolan Bushnell]] considered creating a driving video game as one of the company's first games, inspired by [[Chicago Coin]]'s [[first person (video games)|first-person]] [[electro-mechanical game]] ''Speedway'' (1969).<ref name="NGen23"/><ref name="BushnellInt"/><ref name="GAW"/> He decided not to pursue the idea, however, due to the perceived complexity.<ref name="computerspace"/> In late 1973, Atari revisited the idea of a driving video game, unrelated to any prior arcade game. The design was instead created by [[Cyan Engineering]], which had recently become a semi-independent research and development subsidiary of Atari and had previously handled the prototype design of ''[[Gotcha (video game)|Gotcha]]''. Larry Emmons developed the circuits to control the car itself in the game, creating the feel of braking, acceleration, and movement. Emmons also used [[integrated circuit]]-based [[Read-only memory|memory]]—specifically, [[mask ROM]] (read-only memory)—in his circuit design to store graphical data such as the tracks, rather than the [[diode]] arrays that previous arcade games used.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/> This is believed to be the first use of integrated circuit-based memory in an arcade game, and ROMs thereafter became the standard for arcade and console video games.<ref name="NG"/><ref name="RTB"/><!--Some sources claim that ''Gran Trak 10'' uses a diode-based ROM instead and so ''Tank'' is the first to use a mask ROM; ''Gran Trak 10'', however, uses a 74168 chip, which is not diode-based. The confusion seems to come from a metaphor in the ''Gran Trak 10'' operators manual that a ROM is like an array of diodes. Ramtek's ''Clean Sweep'', which also uses a mask ROM, may have been released earlier than ''Tank'', though it is not clear.--> The mechanical designs for the game, including the steering wheel, pedal, and gear shift controllers, were developed by Eigen Systems, located in the same building as Cyan and founded by ex-coworkers of the Cyan founders Emmons and Steven Mayer. At one point, the game's design included a small printer that would print high scores when achieved, but this was removed prior to the final design.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/>

[[Allan Alcorn]], the designer of ''[[Pong]]'', took a leave of absence from the company beginning in September 1973, and around the same time Steve Bristow, who had previously worked with the founders of Atari on the first arcade video game ''[[Computer Space]]'', left to co-found [[Kee Games]]. This in turn left Lloyd Warman, new to the company, as the head of engineering for Atari during ''Gran Trak''{{'}}s development. Alcorn and Emmons have stated that they believed Warman was a good engineer but a poor project manager, which led to the ''Gran Trak'' project running behind schedule and having several design problems. This was exacerbated by a new short-lived Atari management team and product development structure, which led to several communication problems and cost overruns. When Atari began production in early 1974, it had difficulties getting enough circuits to build the cabinets from [[National Semiconductor]], who cited a "hybrid" integrated circuit design by Emmons as non-standard, first refusing to sell them to Atari and then producing only small production runs.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/> According to Alcorn, the non-standard design was a tactic to prevent competitors from copying the design, as other manufacturers would be unable to produce it at all.<ref name="Alcorn"/>

A short run of ''Gran Trak'' systems was produced in March 1974 and revealed other design problems, such as the steering controls; in their prototype system, Eigen used a real car steering wheel and pedals, but the production run used different parts.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/><ref name="GSretro"/> Alcorn returned to Cyan that month and redesigned the game to fix the flaws and use more standard parts; the copying protection scheme was changed to use a custom-designed integrated circuit that was named the same as a standard [[Texas Instruments]] integrated circuit.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/><ref name="USG"/> Alcorn later stated in an interview that neither Warman nor Emmons understood the challenges in converting a prototype design to a product that could be manufactured.<ref name="Alcorn"/> The game entered production soon after, and Atari announced it was shipping a full production run in May 1974.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/><ref name="CB5-4-74"/> Although the design flaws were fixed, the communication problems during development led to one final problem with the game: Atari was unclear on the actual cost of producing the game. As a result, a single ''Gran Trak'' game ended up costing US$1,095 to manufacture, while Atari was selling them to distributors for only $995, losing $100 per sale. Atari soon corrected the problem, but ended the fiscal year with a large loss due in part to the financial failure of the game.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/>

==Reception and legacy==
Atari reported a loss of $500,000 for the 1974 fiscal year, roughly as much as the previous year's profits, with ''Gran Trak'' as one of the major causes. This led Atari into deep financial problems, leaving part of ''Gran Trak''{{'}}s legacy being "the game that nearly put Atari out of business".<ref name="AtariInc246250"/><ref name="GSretro"/> In September 1974, Atari merged with its subsidiary Kee Games; Kee's final game ''[[Tank (video game)|Tank]]'', released that November, was a commercial success, however, and is credited with buoying the finances of the newly merged Atari at a critical time for the company.<ref name="AtariInc131"/> The ''Gran Trak 10'' game itself, after its problems were resolved, was considered a success, and Atari released multiple versions of it: a [[video game clone|clone]] version titled ''Formula K'' was released through Kee Games for different distributors around July 1974, and Atari produced a small cabinet version in late in the year titled ''Trak 10''.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/> According to [[Ralph H. Baer]], ''Formula K'' sold 6,000 units.<ref name="AICsales"/> A two-player version titled ''Gran Trak 20'' was released in August, along with its own clone version from Kee Games titled ''Twin Racer'' and its own small cabinet version, ''Trak 20''.<ref name="AtariInc246250"/><ref name="Trak20"/> Baer estimates that ''Gran Trak 20'' sold 4,500 units.<ref name="AICsales"/>

In March 1976, ''RePlay'' magazine published a survey of the top 20 arcade games in use, and listed ''Gran Trek 10'' and ''20'' combined as the fifth highest-earning game in the prior year in the United States, below ''[[Tank (video game)|Tank]]'', ''[[Speed Race|Wheels]]'', ''[[Gun Fight]]'' and ''[[Indy 800]]''.<ref name="RePlayChart"/> In Japan, it was among the top ten highest-earning [[1977 in video games|arcade video games of 1977]], and among the year's top seven racing video games (topped by [[Taito]]'s ''[[Speed Race|Speed Race DX]]'').<ref name="GM90"/>

Atari produced numerous other racing arcade games in the same style as ''Gran Trak'', including ''[[LeMans (video game)|LeMans]]'' (1976), ''[[Sprint 2]]'' (1976), ''[[Super Sprint]]'' (1986), and ''[[Badlands (video game)|Badlands]]'' (1989).<ref name="AICfirstracing"/><ref name="GSAtariRacing"/> ''Gran Trak 10'' was the first arcade car [[racing video game]] and the first video game to use a steering wheel, for which it has been called the "grandfather" of car racing video games.<ref name="USG"/><ref name="IGNracing"/> Prior to ''Gran Trak 10'', a simple racing game, ''Wipeout'', had been released in 1972 for the [[Magnavox Odyssey]] [[home video game console]] and a spaceship racing arcade game, ''[[Space Race (video game)|Space Race]]'', had been released by Atari in 1973.<ref name="AICfirstracing"/><ref name="old"/><ref name="VGHttl"/> ''Gran Trak 10'' had an influence on [[Taito]] game designer [[Tomohiro Nishikado]]; while he did not enjoy the game due to its twisting tracks and complex controls, it inspired him to develop his own driving video game, by adapting two older [[electro-mechanical games]], Kasco's ''Mini Drive'' (1958) and Taito's ''Super Road 7'' (1970), into the video game ''[[Speed Race]]'' (1974).<ref name="Smith194"/>

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="Akagi">[[#CITEREF_GamesList|Akagi]], p. [https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n51 51]</ref>
<ref name="manual">[[#CITEREF_Manual|Atari]], pp. 1–2</ref>
<ref name="BushnellInt">{{cite web |last1=Bushnell |first1=Nolan |author1-link=Nolan Bushnell |last2=Weaver |first2=Christopher |title=Nolan Bushnell: Transcript of an interview conducted by Christopher Weaver |url=https://www.si.edu/media/NMAH/NMAH-AC1498_Transcript_NolanBushnell.pdf |access-date=May 20, 2021 |work=[[Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation]] |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |date=November 17, 2017 |page=33}}</ref>
<ref name="NGen23">{{cite magazine |title=The Great Videogame Swindle? |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=23 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=November 1996 |pages=211–229 |url=https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration23Nov1996P2/page/n72}}</ref>
<ref name="GAW">[[#CITEREF_GAW|Ramsey]], p. 24</ref>
<ref name="computerspace">{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/06/12/nolan/index.html |title=The adventures of King Pong |last=Pescovitz |first=David |date=June 12, 1999 |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307161700/http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/06/12/nolan/index.html|archive-date=March 7, 2008 |url-status=dead |author-link=David Pescovitz}}</ref>
<ref name="AtariInc246250">[[#CITEREF_AtariInc|Goldberg, Vendel]], pp. 246–250</ref>
<ref name="NG">{{cite magazine |title=Atari: From Boom to Bust and Back Again |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=4 |publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]] |date=April 1995 |page=37 |issn=1078-9693}}</ref>
<ref name="RTB">[[#CITEREF_Beam|Bogost, Montfort]], pp. 19–21</ref>
<ref name="GSretro">{{cite web|url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=395 |title=A Complete History of Breakout |last=Goldberg |first=Marty |work=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]] |access-date=March 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623034804/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=395 |archive-date=June 23, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="Alcorn">{{cite web |url=http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2012/09/102658257-05-01-acc.pdf |title=Oral History of Allan (Al) Alcorn |date=September 2012 |page=21 |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |access-date=October 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191409/http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2012/09/102658257-05-01-acc.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="CB5-4-74">{{cite journal |journal=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |title=Atari Shipping |date=May 4, 1974 |page=43 |issn=0008-7289 |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/70s/1974/CB-1974-05-04.pdf}}</ref>

<ref name="AtariInc131">[[#CITEREF_AtariInc|Goldberg, Vendel]], p. 131</ref>
<ref name="AICsales">{{cite web |url=https://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-was-best-selling-us-arcade-video.html |title=What Was The Best-Selling U.S. Arcade Video Game Prior to Space Invaders? |date=August 30, 2012 |last=Smith |first=Keith |publisher=The Golden Age Arcade Historian |access-date=December 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006102515/http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-was-best-selling-us-arcade-video.html |archive-date=October 6, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Trak20">{{cite web |url=http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7993 |title=Gran Trak 20 |publisher=International Arcade Museum |access-date=March 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615223244/http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7993 |archive-date=June 15, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="old">{{cite web |title=Space Race |url=http://www.old-computers.com/museum/software_detail.asp?id=464 |publisher=old-computers.com |access-date=October 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804171755/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/software_detail.asp?id=464 |archive-date=August 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="VGHttl">{{cite web |url=https://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/1tl200-a-magnavox-odyssey/ |title=1TL200: A Magnavox Odyssey |work=They Create Worlds |last=Smith |first=Alexander |date=November 16, 2015 |access-date=April 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202091941/https://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/1tl200-a-magnavox-odyssey/ |archive-date=February 2, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="RePlayChart">{{cite magazine |title=The Nation's Top Arcade Games |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1976 |issn=1534-2328}}</ref>
<ref name="GM90">{{cite magazine |script-title=ja:結果ベスト3 |trans-title=Best 3 Results |magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]] |issue=90 |publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press]] |date=February 15, 1978 |pages=2–3 |language=ja |url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19780215p.pdf}}</ref>
<ref name="AICfirstracing">{{cite web |url=http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-pre-hisory-of-night-driver-part-1.html |title=The (Pre) History of Night Driver - Part 1: Nurburgring |date=June 2, 2014 |last=Smith |first=Keith |publisher=The Golden Age Arcade Historian |access-date=March 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413104335/http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-pre-hisory-of-night-driver-part-1.html |archive-date=April 13, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="GSAtariRacing">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132076/game_design_essentials_20_atari_.php |title=Game Design Essentials: 20 Atari Games |date=May 30, 2008 |work=[[Gamasutra]] |publisher=[[UBM plc|UBM]] |last=Harris |first=Josh |access-date=March 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021162533/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132076/game_design_essentials_20_atari_.php |archive-date=October 21, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="USG">{{cite web |url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-first-overhead-viewed-racer-was-a-classic |title=The Grandfather of Racing Games |work=[[Eurogamer|USGamer]] |publisher=Gamer Network |date=July 24, 2015 |access-date=March 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305012051/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-first-overhead-viewed-racer-was-a-classic |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="IGNracing">{{cite web |url=http://uk-microsites.ign.com/the-history-of-racing-games/ |title=The History of Racing Games |date=2015 |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |access-date=March 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818130442/http://uk-microsites.ign.com/the-history-of-racing-games/ |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="Smith194">[[#CITEREF_Smith|Smith]], p. 194</ref>
}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |title=Gran Trak 10 Operating and Maintenance Manual |publisher=[[Atari, Inc.|Atari]] |url=http://www.arcade-museum.com/manuals-videogames/G/GranTrak10_OperMan.pdf |date=June 1974 |ref=CITEREF_Manual}}
* {{cite book |last1=Akagi |first1=Masumi |script-title=ja:アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) |trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005) |date=October 13, 2006 |publisher=Amusement News Agency |language=ja |isbn=978-4-9902512-1-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005 |ref=CITEREF_GamesList}}
* {{cite book |title=[[Racing the Beam]] |last1=Bogost |first1=Ian |last2=Montfort |first2=Nick |author-link1=Ian Bogost |author-link2=Nick Montfort |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |date=March 31, 2009 |isbn=978-0-262-01257-7 |ref=CITEREF_Beam}}
* {{cite book |title=Atari Inc.: Business Is Fun |last1=Goldberg |first1=Marty |last2=Vendel |first2=Curt |publisher=Syzygy Press |date=November 25, 2012 |isbn=978-0-9855974-0-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/atariincbusiness0000gold |ref=CITEREF_AtariInc}}
* {{cite book |last1=Ramsay |first1=Morgan |title=Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play |publisher=[[Apress]] |date=January 30, 2012 |isbn=978-1-4302-3352-7 |ref=CITEREF_GAW}}
* {{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Alexander |title=They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982 |date=November 19, 2019 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-0-429-75261-2 |ref=CITEREF_Smith}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{KLOV game|id=7992|name=Gran Trak 10}}

{{1970s Atari arcade games}}

[[Category:1974 video games]]
[[Category:Arcade video games]]
[[Category:Atari arcade games]]
[[Category:Namco arcade games]]
[[Category:Top-down racing video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]