Main source seems to be here: https://github.com/markmoxon/archimedes-lander/blob/main/1-s...
Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
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Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#12There’s an online emulator for the Lander on the Acorn. Not easily playable in a phone due to the control scheme though. https://archi.medes.live/
Direct link to play Lander - https://archi.medes.live/#disc=lander&autoboot
Thanks for the tips – a blast from the past straight back to my School Daze (48K).
Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#13There’s an online emulator for the Lander on the Acorn. Not easily playable in a phone due to the control scheme though. https://archi.medes.live/
To be honest, it wasn't easily playable on the Arch as Lander or Zarch.
Remarkable game for its time, as was the machine. It always felt like if Acorn had been based in the US, the world would be using Acorn machines. Instead, based out the UK it was hard to get economies of scale to mass produce and ship world wide.
Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#14Main source seems to be here: https://github.com/markmoxon/archimedes-lander/blob/main/1-s...
He's annotated all the Elite source code as well, and even fixed some flickering many decades after the original was released.
(edit) https://github.com/markmoxon/cassette-elite-beebasm?tab=read...
Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#15Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#16According to Wikipedia, "Lander" is only a demo, the actual game is "Zarch" [1]. Later ported to the Amiga, and renamed "Virus" (which is the title I knew, having grown up on the Amiga). Very impressive, and cool to read the ARM assembly since it looks similar today of course. :) [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zarch
I've always felt that calling Lander a "demo" was harsh. It's a fully featured game in itself, and has features that Zarch doesn't (such as falling rocks and hover mode). Yes, Zarch was the result of continued development of Lander, but Lander stands on its own, and to me, that makes it a game in its own right, not a demo. It's also a lot more relaxing to play. There's nothing more chill than flying over the bucolic…
It's a demo because Braben called it one!
It's technically a game; there's no win condition but there is lose condition (3 lives) and a scoring system.
But I don't think most people play it as a game (aiming to get a new hiscore), they play it as a toy, slowly become more adept at the controls and meander the landscape, the points don't matter.
Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#17There’s an online emulator for the Lander on the Acorn. Not easily playable in a phone due to the control scheme though. https://archi.medes.live/
To be honest, it wasn't easily playable on the Arch as Lander or Zarch. Remarkable game for its time, as was the machine. It always felt like if Acorn had been based in the US, the world would be using Acorn machines. Instead, based out the UK it was hard to get economies of scale to mass produce and ship world wide.
No the PC would still win as it has Office and other tools.
Yes Archimedes probably would beat Amiga(which Commodore messed up), Atari .
Apple Macs would also exist as they had Pagemaker and the Apple Laserwriter. These were out before the Archimedes.
Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#18Happy days of flying the Lander ship straight into the landscape again, and again! :D
I got an Acorn Archimedes after my first computer (BBC Micro) and was utterly blown away by the elegance of the ARM instruction set. I remember being quite disgusted when I got my first job developing an engine for the Playstation 1 and had to optimise it for the MIPS R3000. There was none of the ARM elegance there. It was, well, ugly!
I'm still yet to see any assembler that's quite so elegant (although my low level coding days are thankfully long behind me).
Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#19Re: Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've always felt that calling Lander a "demo" was harsh. It's a fully featured game in itself, and has features that Zarch doesn't (such as falling rocks and hover mode). Yes, Zarch was the result of continued development of Lander, but Lander stands on its own, and to me, that makes it a game in its own right, not a demo. It's also a lot more relaxing to play. There's nothing more chill than flying over the bucolic…
It's a demo because Braben called it one! It's technically a game; there's no win condition but there is lose condition (3 lives) and a scoring system. But I don't think most people play it as a game (aiming to get a new hiscore), they play it as a toy, slowly become more adept at the controls and meander the landscape, the points don't matter.
OK, I guess if Braben says it's a demo, then it's a demo - fair point!
I still think it's a harsh term, especially when Lander has features that Zarch doesn't, and a really different atmosphere.
Ah well, me and Lander will be hovering here in the corner, throwing rocks at Zarch and all its fancy features. ;-)