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by jdno 1404 days ago
"Flight Control" was one of the first games I ever played on iOS, and one of the inspirations for Auto Traffic Control. I like how engaging the game was, considering it had only a single input and a very simple set of rules.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_Control_(video_game)

The other game that influenced the design of ATC is "Sector 33". In this game, players had to do a little bit of math using the speeds and distances of planes to coordinate their approach to an airport.

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/Sector33/iOS/index.html

Ideally, I'd like to combine the colorful art style and casual randomness of Flight Control with the simple arithmetic of Sector 33. I want to make it interesting for players to watch their creation play the game, and give them a sense of accomplishment when multiple aircraft land in perfect intervals one after the other.

Here is a little bit more background about the inspiration for the game in case you want to know more: https://www.jdno.dev/auto-traffic-control/