I played Lunar Lander (1979, Atari coin-op) for the first time just a few years ago. It made a big impression on me and ever since, I have wanted to make a game like this.

In Lunar Lander, you try to safely land on a craggy planet before running out of fuel by rotating your ship and thrusting in the desired direction.

Gravitar (1982 Atari coin-op)

Gravitar focuses on flying through caverns and shooting at targets while saving prisoners. It’s very difficult and even has a level where you fly around a planet with gravity pulling you toward the center of the screen.

Sky Diver (1978, Atari VCS)

Time your jump out of a moving plane and pull the ripcord before hitting the target in Sky Diver. Points are scored based on the accuracy of your landing. You have limited steering ability once your parachute is open and must take wind speed into account.

Sub-Terrania (1993, Sega Genesis)

I love Sub-Terrania! Fly around a map using lander-style controls, shoot enemies and save prisoners-but with a snazzy soundtrack and nice presentation.

What does Tappy Lander borrow from these games?

• The gameplay mechanics. Gravity pulls you down toward the target and you control your ship by thrusting in different directions.
• You must not hit the landing pad too hard and more points are rewarded for accurate landings.
• Get bonus points for rescuing floating vegetables, stranded in space.
• Lots of dodging and maneuvering around traps and obstacles.

What does Tappy Lander do differently?

• There is no fuel to worry about. Fly forever!
• Controls are simplified: You can only thrust up, left or right.
• No shooting. It’s all about precision flying.
• In addition to touching items for points, there are items you must collect to complete a set.
• More stuff that I’ll talk about in a future post!

The next post will probably address controlling the game and UI. See you then!

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