Lander is a clone of the arcade game Lunar Lander, which was a vector game where one tried to land a spaceship on landing bases scattered on the lunar surface, between hills and valleys. To simulate the original's vector graphics as closely as possible, it uses the higher 640x192 graphics mode, but with 4 colors to add things like red rocket flames when you hit the thrust key. The game is completely keyboard driven, allowing you to thrust 45 degrees left and right, as well as straight up. But be aware that you have momentum, so you will have to adjust your thrust in order to land without crashing. This requires you coming in both not too fast vertically and with very little movement horizontally. If you manage to land safely within 15 seconds from the start of each round, you get bonus points. As you progress through the levels, the landing platforms start to come in smaller sizes with increasingly difficult terrain, and the gravity on your ship gets stronger. You also have limited fuel for each round.
Lander's author, Mike Sweet, released this as Shareware (asking for $10) at the end of August, 1989 on Delphi, and it soon migrated to Compuserve and BBS's. It was written entirely with the C compiler for OS-9 Level II, featuring high res graphics and variable volume sound effects.
Title: Lander
Author: Mike Sweet
Publisher: Mike Sweet
Released: August 31, 1989 as Shareware
Requires: Color Computer 3 ONLY, 128K RAM (with shrunken OS9Boot), 256K RAM (to launch from GUI), OS-9 or NitrOS9 Level II. RGB type display recommended.
Download the latest version of NitrOS9 Ease of Use (EOU), which includes Lander pre-installed.