Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES • Hacker News Board

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#81

Post by dylan604 » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:27 PM UTC

ethagknight wrote: post #4

The mission accomplished regardless of crash or land is hilarious

As long as you delivered the proper ordinance on the designated target, then the mission was accomplished whether you live or not. They have more planes and more pilots for the next mission.

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#82

Post by stouset » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:30 PM UTC

debo_ wrote: post #25

I never had much trouble landing on the carrier, but refueling in the sky? I think I only managed it a few times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vetEg8J-wcw

How in the hell is that tanker flying at ~1,200 knots (1,400mph)!? That is nearly Mach 2!

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#83

Post by throwaway150 » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:31 PM UTC

> After about a minute of flying the game checks your state and plays a little cutscene showing either a textbook landing or an expensive fireball.

So the game does not let the player go all the way to perform the landing? That'd be dissatisfying?

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#84

Post by wat10000 » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:34 PM UTC

throwaway150 wrote: post #83

> After about a minute of flying the game checks your state and plays a little cutscene showing either a textbook landing or an expensive fireball. So the game does not let the player go all the way to perform the landing? That'd be dissatisfying?

It's probably not feasible to display the graphics to take it all the way to touchdown on the NES.

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#85

Post by dylan604 » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:35 PM UTC

Sometime ago I bought a USB NES controller to use with an emulator. I took it on work trips to kill time mainly playing Zeldas. This bit of nostalgia makes me want to knock the dust off of it and load this up.

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#86

Post by wat10000 » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:38 PM UTC

stouset wrote: post #82

debo_ wrote: post #25

I never had much trouble landing on the carrier, but refueling in the sky? I think I only managed it a few times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vetEg8J-wcw

How in the hell is that tanker flying at ~1,200 knots (1,400mph)!? That is nearly Mach 2!

Same way your F-14 was able to carry up to 40 air-to-air missiles, unlimited cannon rounds, and the space shuttle at the end of the game is tougher and takes more fire to destroy than the aircraft carrier you destroy in mission 2.

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#87

Post by thinkingtoilet » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:43 PM UTC

ru552 wrote: post #63

thinkingtoilet wrote: post #10

I remember this being next to impossible as a kid. The whole game was tough, but this was on another level.

It was tough, but it wasn't Battletoads tough.

Was most of Battletoads tough, or just the sewers part? It's been so so long.

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#88

Post by wat10000 » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:44 PM UTC

cm2012 wrote: post #23

moron4hire wrote: post #19

This is one of those cultural memes ("The Top Gun landing was ImPoSsIbLe") that tells on the person saying it for not having read the manual. If you don't read the manual, the landing sequence is pretty much impossible to figure out. If you do, you pretty much get it the first and every time after that.

That said, this is bad game design. A manual should never be needed.

There's nothing bad about a game that needs a manual. It's not going to be everyone's preference, but that's true of everything. Some people like games that you can learn by playing. Some people like deep games that require external material. There's nothing wrong with either one.

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#89

Post by dynm » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:44 PM UTC

Incidentally, this is not a blog that makes it easy to look at the archives!

- No link to other posts

- This post is at https://relaxing.run/blag/posts/top-gun-landing/

- https://relaxing.run/blag/posts/ gives a 403

- https://relaxing.run/blag/ gives a 403

- https://relaxing.run/ gives a full-page picture of some beautiful mountains

- No Atom/RSS link hidden in source

Not a complaint! If this is an intentional choice, I respect it.

Re: Carrier Landing in Top Gun for the NES

#90

Post by JanNash » Mon, Dec 15, 2025, 5:48 PM UTC

wat10000 wrote: post #68

jcalvinowens wrote: post #62

I love sim hijinks. It's possible to reliably land a 737 on the carrier in X-plane: just take off with 30min of fuel, drag it in with full flaps and high power, and set the parking brake before you touch down.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's possible in real life. The Navy tested a C-130 on the USS Forrestal and accomplished 21 landings. I'm sure a C-130 has better short-field performance than a 737, but they were also testing it with substantial cargo on board. Official figures for required runway distance for a 737 are far in excess of a carrier's deck length, of course, but those figures include weird things like "safet…

Also, of course, the 73 would have to have a hook, which shortens the landing quite some (as well as the lifespan of the fuselage, I assume), as long as you catch the wire, that is. Wingspan-wise, this could also work. @RedBull, how bout it?!