In 2022 [0], Jan David Nose (jdno) released a game / programming challenge called _Auto Traffic Control_ [1]. Rather than controlling airplanes with UI interactions, the simulation is a GRPC server that expects the player to construct a game client that issues flight paths.

I tried to make a game client for jdno's ATC [2]. My client was deficient, as I tried to treat the movement as a fixed interval, by only submitting flight plans that moved in cartesian directions. Only by cheating, modifying the simulator, could my greedy algorithm land any planes [3]. I suspect I was supposed to continuously model and poll the future positions of airplanes when developing a flight plan.

I suspect that I won't have much competition on the leaderboard, despite the asterisk, as jdno eventually archived the project [4]. Originally, the project was self-publication while looking for work. The Rust Foundation hired him a little while afterward.

[0] https://jdno.dev/auto-traffic-control/

[1] https://auto-traffic-control.com/

[2] https://github.com/Nzen/hircine-anise-okkoz

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czsSjy1Uqyk 1.5 minutes

[4] https://github.com/jdno/auto-traffic-control/commit/b5972dfb...

Flight Control was one of my favorite iOS games of all time. Simple, polished, quick to play. Sucks that there is no way to play it on iOS again, seems it is still available for purchase on Steam, but it was really well suited to the phone format, not really something I'd sit down to play at a desktop.

Flight Control was very closely remade as "Planes Control" [1] and gets regular updates with new levels, etc. Not sure if the developer acquired the assets of the original, but it's very close to what I remember playing as a kid

[1] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/planes-control/id1015114550

United Airlines offers the game for entertainment while you're flying.

https://liveandletsfly.com/united-airlines-air-traffic-contr...

Heathrow ATC (for the ZX Spectrum) was one that I played extensively back in the day: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/10530 I wonder if there are earlier examples of popular ATC games? They're simpler than flight simulators so you'd think there would be more of them.

Edit: playable version - https://archive.org/details/zx_Heathrow_International_Air_Tr...

Mini Airways - ATC simulator comes close in base mechanics but adds some complexity

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2289650/Mini_Airways__ATC...

There’s an open source ATC sim called OpenScope that’s a bit more complex and is mostly keyboard based. I think HN would appreciate it.

https://github.com/openscope/openscope

Flight Control HD was one of the first iPad games I had. I under-appreciated how much easier this game was with a finger than a trackball.

OptiFlight is similar to mini metro for planes

https://www.krishsuchdev.com/OptiFlight

I missed Flight Control so bad that I sent Claude on a wild goose chase to decompile the IPA in ghidra and rewrite it in Swift 6. Still working through it, obviously will never get released, but it's been cool to watch.

I love both of those and actually only started playing Mini Metro this month. Such synchronicity(!), although mediated by whatever is probably happening on the Play Store, this is less surprising then it would have been 50 years ago.

There's a VR version called Final Approach that's quite fun

https://store.steampowered.com/app/380670/Final_Approach/

Yes so long Flight Control : Look at this recording : the proximity alert and the music

[0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qti2ffpu2k&t=42s

On Android there is Endless ATC. It also appears to be on Steam.

Oh, it's from an ATC point of view. I was expecting simulations of actual airports, for example to simulate Heathrow you wander around a construction site, to simulate LAX you stand in an endless queue that never moves, and to simulate Munich you get something like the backrooms but with more glass and less pits.

I was reminded Mini Metro too. It has a fun sequel on PC, mini motorways.

After trying this one, I'd agree it seems mechanically identical to Flight Control but with a sort of stylistic low-res pixellated 3d look.

Gameplay from 2011:

https://youtu.be/WLHI5Fu--0I?t=48