Fully documented source code for Lander on the Acorn Archimedes
This site contains reconstructed source code for Lander, David Braben's epic game for the Acorn Archimedes, with every single line documented and (for the most part) explained.
Lander was the very first game to be released for the ARM processor, and it is both a milestone and a masterpiece.
My hope is that this site will be useful for those who want to learn more about Lander and what makes it tick. It is provided on an educational and non-profit basis, with the aim of helping people appreciate the second classic game from this legend of 3D coding (the first classic being Elite, of course).
Note that the code on this site is not David Braben's original source code, as that hasn't been released. Instead, it is a fully buildable source that's been lovingly reconstructed from a disassembly of the original game binaries, and which produces 100% identical game files. All of the variable and routine names are my own invention, but the code itself matches the original source.
Suggestions for your visit
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To start your journey into the secrets of Lander, you might like to try the following:
- See the quick start guide to find out how to use this site.
- Read more about this project and how it came to be.
- Check out the deep dive articles for lots of details about how Lander works under the hood.
- Dive straight into the source code, though you might want to read these notes first, which explain some of the terminology used in the commentary.
- Jump straight to a random routine from the source code - who knows where you might end up? You can also click the ∞ at the top of the page to keep jumping through the source code; it's a good way to explore.
If you prefer a darker theme for your Lander explorations, you can change the site's colour scheme by clicking the icons in the top-right corner.
If you want to play with the code
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If you are interested in building a working copy of Lander from the source, then you'll enjoy exploring the accompanying GitHub repository, which contains fully commented and buildable source code for Lander.
This repository can be assembled on modern computers to produce a working game disc that can be loaded into an Acorn Archimedes or an emulator. If you want to experiment with the code, this is the place to go.
Similar projects
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And finally, you may also be interested in my other software archaeology projects:
- Fully documented source code for Elite on the BBC Micro and NES
- Fully documented source code for Revs on the BBC Micro
- Fully documented source code for Aviator on the BBC Micro
Right on, Commanders!