Difference between revisions of "Armed Police Batrider"

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For the '''Option special level up''', the same principle applies: the player has to drop three option items and collect the next one.
 
For the '''Option special level up''', the same principle applies: the player has to drop three option items and collect the next one.
  
The player has to be careful when activating those special level ups, as they will trigger additional bosses at the end of Stage 5 (see the [[Armed_Police_Batrider#Hidden_Boss_Requirements|Hidden Boss Requirements]] section for more details) . This may be undesirable to some players.
+
The player has to be careful when activating those special level ups, as they will trigger additional bosses at the end of Stage 5 (see the [[Armed_Police_Batrider#High_Way-_Sobut.28Green.29.2C_Blunt.28Yellow.29.2C_Envy.28Red.29|Hidden Boss Requirements]] section for more details) . This may be undesirable to some players.
  
 
=== Characters / Ships / Styles ===
 
=== Characters / Ships / Styles ===

Revision as of 21:19, 24 May 2023

Logo batrider.png
Armed Police Batrider
APBatrider Poster.jpg

Poster for the game

Developer: Raizing
Music: Manabu Namiki
Kenichi Koyano
Hitoshi Sakimoto
Program: Shinobu Yagawa
Art: Kazuyuki Nakashima
Hiroshi Yokoyama
Masayuki Taguchi
Masaharu Tokutake
Yuki Yonei
Release date: February 13, 1998
Previous game: Soukyugurentai
Next game: Battle Bakraid

Gameplay Overview

Controls


  • A: Shoot
  • A (After charging): Without pressing the button, you charge an "aura", which can kill enemies at close range, after that pressing the button will release a powerful attack.
  • B: Bomb
  • C: Reconfigure your option (only works with the Battle Garegga characters)

Controls In Game

  • Hold Start + Tap B: Shows score calculations. A "?" will appear to the left of the level name. To exit, repeat command.
  • Hold Start + Tap A/C: Changes autofire bullet speed. Tap A to increase or tap C to decrease. The number left of the level displays bullet speeds of 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20 (default), 30.
  • Hold Start + Tap UP: For Revision B which does not have a C button. Also lowers autofire rate.

Bullet Color Commands

Input the command and continue tapping the directional button to loop through color choices during game play. Color Choices in Order: [Yellow loops back to Blue]

  1. Blue (Default)
  2. Green
  3. Purple
  4. Pink
  5. Red
  6. Orange
  7. Yellow
  • Hold Start + Tap Right: Changes the NML (most common shot type such as lasers) color. Continue tapping to choose between 6 colors.
  • Hold Start + Tap Down: Changes the MSL (destructable) color.
  • Hold Start + Tap Left: Changes the BAL (ball shots) color.

Shooting Frequency

To change your autofire rate, tap the A button in the frequency you want to set auto-fire to.

Options when Invincible DIP switch is set

  • Hold Start: During the game, the message "SLOW !?" will appear on screen and thus the game will slow down.
  • Press Start: During the game will pause the game and display "PAUSE !"
  • Press 1P + 2P Start: Will end the game with your current character(s) and show the credits. Skip by Start.

Character Specific Commands

  • Control Tag-T's razorblade bomb: Press B then hold a direction to throw them, then tap B.
  • Control Silver Sword's Napalm: Hold a direction then tap B. The Napalm will fly in the opposite direction that you held.

Garegga Formation Commands (with at least one option)

Handy Notes:

You can change formation while shooting and charging.

To change formation while charging, input the command and push C instead of A.

If you want to perform a charged shot and change formation at the same time, input the command and push A while charged.

[Notation with numbers is numpad notation]

Formation Directional Input Numpad Not.
V-formation Right, Down, Down-Right + A 623+A
Front-formation Up, Down, Up + A 828+A
Back-formation Down, Up, Down + A 282+A
Control-formation Left, Down, Down-Left + A 421+A
Circle-formation Left, Down-Left, Down, Down-Right, Right + A 41236+A

Unlockable Secrets


The following codes are to be done at the title screen after inserting a coin. There are also dip switch settings to unlock these as well (if playing on emulator).

Code Effect
Up Up, Down Down, Left Right, Left Right, A B, Start Unlocks the guest characters
Up Up, Down Down, Left Right, Left Right, B A, Start Unlocks single ship team
Up Down, Up Down, Left Right, Left Right, A B, Start Unlocks Boss Rush mode
Press A + B simultaneously while highlighting mode (normal, adv, etc) Unlocks Stage Edit

After unlocking Boss Rush mode, highlight Boss Mode and either tap Left/Right to play a special version of a stage, once on normal then on advanced.

Here are the dip switch settings if you're using MAME (v 0.231 pictured here):

MAME dip switch settings
Dip switch settings.png

Power-ups

Like many games in the genre, Armed Police Batrider features a power-up system via items dropped by enemies.

There are 5 different shot levels, and the player can use both small and large Shot items to power up. Picking up a large Shot item will immediately make the character reach the next level, whereas several small items are required in order to level up. The number of items to pick up are as follows:

Level Items required
1 Starting level
2 1
3 2
4 4
5 8

Special level ups

In addition to this, it is possible to achieve Shot and Option special level ups. Doing so will make the corresponding weapon reach the maximum level instantly.

For the Shot special level up, the player has to drop three shot power up icons and pick up the next one. This can be done with either large or small shot icons - these are tallied independently of each other.

For the Option special level up, the same principle applies: the player has to drop three option items and collect the next one.

The player has to be careful when activating those special level ups, as they will trigger additional bosses at the end of Stage 5 (see the Hidden Boss Requirements section for more details) . This may be undesirable to some players.

Characters / Ships / Styles


Selection Options

  • A: Strong Shot, weak option
  • B: Strong Option, weak shot
  • C or A+B: Strong Shot & Option, slower speed
  • Start: Faster Speed, weak option & shot

Shot Type

Shot type concerns bullet trajectory/guidance. Front - shot is front-facing/vertically forward.
Wide - shot has a wide arc trajectory.
Search- shot is homing.
Garegga - shot is respective to Garegga counterpart.

Power Type

Power type concerns bullet properties. Vulcan - shot that has no special properties.
Beam - shot that shoots a beam.
Laser - shot that has penetrative properties.
Napalm - shot that has explosive properties.

Characters

D.D

D.D A B C Start
Shot type: Wide
Power type: Vulcan
DD-A.png DD-B.png DD-C.png DD-Start.png

Main Shot: Wide shot that becomes a 7-way shot at Level 3.

Option Shot: Diagonal 4-way bullets.

Special Weapon: Gravity bomb that deals area-of-effect damage.



Shorty

Shorty A B C Start
Shot type: Search
Power type: Napalm
ShortyA.png ShortyB.png ShortyC.png ShortyStart.png

Main Shot: Wide shot that becomes a 6-way shot at Level 4.

Option Shot: Homing missiles.

Special Weapon: Broad laser that attacks an area in the front of the ship.



Jyuji

Jyuji A B C Start
Shot type: Front
Power type: Beam
JyujiA.png JyujiB.png JyujiC.png JyujiStart.png

Main Shot: Forward shot that becomes a 3-way shot at Level 3.

Option Shot: Laser beams.

Special Weapon: Summons a phoenix to attack an area in front of the ship.



Maria

Maria A B C Start
Shot type: Wide
Power type: Beam
MariaA.png MariaB.png MariaC.png MariaStart.png

Main Shot: Wide shot that becomes a 5-way shot at Level 3.

Option Shot: Pods with a flickering shot.

Special Weapon: 6 lock-on turrents that come from behind the ship.



Golden

Golden A B C Start
Shot type: Front
Power type: Vulcan
GoldenA.png GoldenB.png GoldenC.png GoldenStart.png

Main Shot: Forward shot that becomes a 5-way shot at Level 4.

Option Shot: Standard bullets.

Special Weapon: 3 cannons on each side that attack an area in front of the ship.



Strawman

Strawman A B C Start
Shot type: Search
Power type: Beam
StrawmanA.png StrawmanB.png StrawmanC.png StrawmanStart.png

Main Shot: Foward shot that becomes a 8-way shot at Level 3.

Option Shot: Special bullets with lock-on properties.

Special Weapon: Winder attack with explosive properties.




Birthday

Birthday A B C Start
Shot type: Front
Power type: Napalm
BirthdayA.png BirthdayB.png BirthdayC.png BirthdayStart.png

Main Shot: Forward shot that becomes a 6-way shot at Level 3.

Option Shot: Special bullets that explode on impact, dealing area-of-effect damage.

Special Weapon: 4 sawblades that come out in a spread formation.



Tag-T

Tag-T A B C Start
Shot type: Search
Power type: Laser
Tag-T A.png Tag-T B.png Tag-T C.png Tag-T Start.png

Main Shot: Forward shot that becomes a 3-way shot at Level 2.

Option Shot: Homing lasers with penetrative properties.

Special Weapon: Spinning razorblade that can be thrown in the ship's movement direction.




Adam

Adam A B C Start
Shot type: Wide
Power type: Laser
AdamA.png AdamB.png AdamC.png AdamStart.png

Main Shot: Wide 3-way shot.

Option Shot: Penetrating bullets.

Special Weapon: Daggers that cover all areas around the ship.




Silver Sword

Silver Sword A B C Start
Shot type: Garegga
Power type: Vulcan
Silver SwordA.png Silver SwordB.png Silver SwordC.png Silver SwordStart.png

Main Shot: Forward 3-way shot.

Option Shot: Standard bullets.

Special Weapon: Napalm cone aimed in the direction opposite of the ship's movement.




Grasshopper

Grasshopper A B C Start
Shot type: Garegga
Power type: Laser
GrasshopperA.png GrasshopperB.png GrasshopperC.png GrasshopperStart.png

Main Shot: Forward shot that gains penetrating bullets at Level 2.

Option Shot: Standard bullets.

Special Weapon: Chain gun that fires bullets in a narrow cone in front of the ship. Spent shell casings are discharged at oblique angles behind the ship.




Flying Baron

Flying Baron A B C Start
Shot type: Garegga
Power type: Vulcan
Flying BaronA.png Flying BaronB.png Flying BaronC.png Flying BaronStart.png

Main Shot: Forward 3-way shot that becomes a 4-way shot at level 3.

Option Shot: Standard bullets.

Special Weapon: Barrage of homing missiles.




Wild Snail

Wild Snail A B C Start
Shot type: Garegga
Power type: Laser
Wild SnailA.png Wild SnailB.png Wild SnailC.png Wild SnailStart.png

Main Shot: Forward 3-way shot that becomes a 4-way shot at Level 3. Penetrating bullets at all levels.

Option Shot: Standard bullets.

Special Weapon: Twin flamethrowers that lock on to nearby targets.




Gain

Gain A B C Start
Shot type: Front
Power type: Laser
GainA.png GainB.png GainC.png GainStart.png

Main Shot: Forward shot that becomes a 3-way shot at Level 3.

Option Shot: Large swords that function as penetrating bullets.

Special Weapon: Magic circle that deals area-of-effect damage in front of the ship.




Chitta

Chitta A B C Start
Shot type: Wide
Power type: Vulcan
ChittaA.png ChittaB.png ChittaC.png ChittaStart.png

Main Shot: Forward 3-way shot.

Option Shot:

Special Weapon: Genie in a bottle that hits an area in front of the ship.




Miyamoto

Miyamoto A B C Start
Shot type: Wide
Power type: Napalm
MiyamotoA.png MiyamotoB.png MiyamotoC.png MiyamotoStart.png

Main Shot: Forward shot that becomes wider per shot level.

Option Shot: Special bullets that explode on impact, dealing area-of-effect damage.

Special Weapon: Sword slashes that propel wind blades in a wide cone in front of the ship.




Bornnam

Bornnam A B C Start
Shot type: Search
Power type: Vulcan
BornnamA.png BornnamB.png BornnamC.png BornnamStart.png

Main Shot: Forward 3-way shot that becomes a 5-way shot at Level 3.

Option Shot: Homing bullets.

Special Weapon: Summons a demon to attack an area in front of the ship.




Car-pet

Car-pet A B C Start
Shot type: Front
Power type: Napalm
Car-petA.png Car-petB.png Car-petC.png Car-petStart.png

Main Shot: Forward shot that becomes a 3-way shot at Level 2. Has penetrating bullets at Level 3.

Option Shot: Tracable witches with explosive shots.

Special Weapon: Enlarged area-of-affect ship which can be moved in any direction.



Items


Secret Extends

In addition to score extends (per 1.5 million), there are 3 ways to get more:

  1. On Highway, the large blue hovercraft must be destroyed when it stops in the tunnel. It will be right above the yellow turret craft.
  2. Miss 3 max/large bomb items.
  3. Miss 3 extend items. This special extend will give top your extends up without the rank gain.

Rank


Basics

From a technical point of view, rank is value which lowers when playing. The lower the rank value gets to zero, the more difficult the game becomes.
The rank memory address is 0x20F9D0. Depending on the mode (normal, advanced, boss), there is a "starting rank value" at address 0x20F9D8.
Normal "starting rank" is valued at 16252928, Advanced at 14221312, and Boss at 13205504.
To calculate your current rank, we use this simple formula: (100 - (current_rank / starting_rank) * 100). This will give us a human readable value (e.g. 12%).
To have this percentage make sense, we always compare the current_rank against Normal "starting rank".
This is the rank percentage at the Character Select screen (remember, rank starts counting here). So let's take the Advanced mode, which starts at 12.5%, that
means it's 12.5% more rank compared to Normal start.

Starting Rank Warning

When Batrider is booted up, it will start with an incredibly high rank value (normal @ 25%, advanced @ 34%, etc) so it is important that you set it to 0% using this method:

  1. Enter Service Mode (either through a test menu on PCB or by dip-switch in emulator).
  2. Leave the cursor over "GAME MODE" and ONLY press start to initialize the game.

From then on, Normal should be at minimum rank, with the other modes starting at their designated minimum rank percents. Rank starts calculating on the character select screen only (the screen before it immediately starts stage 1).

Extra Credits Warning

Having extra credits/coins inserted means more rank during game play (rank = frame rank + # of credits). Make sure to do your attempts/practice with only a single credit.

Mode Rank Percentages

Normal starts at 25% (with rank reset it begins at 0%)
Advanced starts at 34% (12.5%)
Boss Rush starts at 39% (18.75%)

Extends Rank Increase

If you are at full extends, getting another extend increases rank by about 12.9%
At 2 extends, getting another adds 6%
Getting an extend on the last life raises rank a little over 3%

Rank System - More Information

Consult this post at https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=489830&sid=94e548f7fa3f2f36e57812afab0e8a29#p489830

Scoring



Enemy point values

Main article: Armed Police Batrider/Enemy list

Bosses

Main article: Armed Police Batrider/Bosses

Strategy

Hidden Boss Requirements

Here are the requirements for the hidden bosses in a scoring order. Tips to achieve these will also be added.

Manhattan City - Bashinet Mk2

Requirements
• Destroy the car shop building FIRST then the billboards afterwards. This will make birds fly out of the rubble.
• Your team must have one surviving Mahou character.
• Will trigger if playing with a single Mahou character team.
Destroy the building first THEN the billboard in front
Birds will fly out from the rubble

Sky High - Bashinet

Requirements
• Destroy the big blue bombers. You will get an audio cue if they're all destroyed properly: "COOL!"
• Your team must have one surviving Mahou character.
• Will trigger if playing with a single Mahou character team.
Destroy these blue planes to trigger Bashinet. Keep in mind their wings are separate parts from the core.
Batrider-skyhigh-bashinet.png

Sewage System - Black Heart

Requirements
• Destroy all of the flipping turrets. You will get an audio cue if they're all destroyed properly.
• Your team must have one surviving Garegga character.
• Will trigger if playing with a single Garegga character team.
On Normal difficulty, these will be bullet balls but the requirement is still the same
Batrider-sewage-blackheart.png

Zenovia Airport - Gob-Robo

Requirements
• Destroy the side panels of the cannon turret. You will also get an audio cue if they're all destroyed properly.
• Requires one surviving Mahou character.
• Will trigger on single Mahou character team.
• After defeating Gob, you will fight Bashinet MkII if you triggered the requirements (see above).
You must destroy both sides before the main cannon to trigger the requirements
Batrider-airport-gobrobo.png

High Way- Tsumujimaru/Hayatemaru

Requirements
• For Tsumuji, your team must have 3 different "shot" types (front, wide, etc).
• Tsumuji will appear before the blue hovercraft in the beginning.
• For Hayate, your team must have different "power" types (vulcan, beam, laser, etc).
• Hayate will appear before the stage boss(es).
• Requires one surviving Mahou character.
• Will NOT trigger on single Mahou character team.
Batrider-tsumuji.png
Batrider-hayate.png

High Way- Sobut(Green), Blunt(Yellow), Envy(Red)

Color to Stage How boss(es) are determined Requirements for multiple
• Sobut/Green corresponds to Sewer System.
• Blunt/Yellow corresponds to Sky High.
• Envy/Red corresponds to Airport.
• What you pick for stage 2,3 & 4 determines what boss(es) you can get at the end of the Highway stage. To trigger more than one boss, these are the requirements:
• Bosses for stage 2/3 - Get a shot special level up.
• Bosses for stage2/4 - Get an option special level up.
• Bosses for stages 2/3/4 - Get both shot and option special level ups.
• Requires a surviving Batrider character for each boss.

After High Way Stage- Black Heart MkII

Requirements
• Your team must have at least 2 different ship types (selected through pressing the A, B, C or start button at ship selection, and indicated by the color of the ship).
• Requires one surviving Garegga character.
• Will NOT trigger on single Garegga character team.
Batrider-blackheartmk2.png


Zenovia City- Glow Squid

Requirements
• Destroy the 4 circular turrets. There are two near the beginning and two near the end.
• Requires one surviving Garegga character.
• Battle occurs after Grubby (and Bashinet-R).
• This boss has two phases just like its Garegga counterpart.
To destroy these turrets, destroy the surround guns, then the bridge that connects both turrets. These turrets have an armored opening that, once up, will allow you to do damage to them.
Batrider-glowsquid.png


Zenovia City- Bashinet-R

Requirements
• Destroy these 3 missile turrets, with bombs, that pop out of the ground.
• Requires one surviving Mahou character.
Pictured is the first turret you will need to bomb. After this, the next one is beside a green tank and the other is right above the 2nd.
Batrider-bashientr.png

Story

2019 AD

Zenovia, a man-made island located 2 kilometers south of Manhattan Island.

The island was built 15 years ago as a desperate measure by the government who were concerned about the increasing crime rate due to the high population count and concentration of man-made structures on the island. Gigantec Cybertron (GC), a fast-growing company at the time, built a large facility on the island. People who had given up on Manhattan Island moved to the island one after another. This led to the "New New York" boom. However, as time went by, problems over the location and ownership of the island surfaced. Contrary to initial expectations, the crime rate began to increase.

In addition, the expansion of the main body of the island was carried out in parallel with these problems. The island's main body was being enlarged one after another. It was only a matter of time before the island became a slum. A few years later, the island continued to grow in a distorted manner, with the GC building towering in the center of the island. The structures that have continued to proliferate and change into a bizarre appearance. The island has taken on a nightmarish aspect, with the towering GC building at its center, and a structure that has continued to grow and change into an odd shape.

The island is infested with all kinds of crimes. It had become a lawless zone where thugs who have undergone cyborg surgery roam about. And the changes were not limited to the island. The "old" New York City was also experiencing a greater number of violent crimes than ever before.

The government, fed up with the situation, began to take over the police force in exchange for the freedom of criminals captured in secret. The government decided to treat them as an organization outside the police force. Named "Zero Cops," they were given the name of "cops who are not supposed to exist. They are deployed to crack down on violent crimes and illegal activities.

The "Zero Cops" are completely controlled by a tiny "chip" implanted in their temples and when they reach a certain level of contribution, they are free to go. However, if they fail to comply with the orders, they will be subjected to pain or a swift death.

Their mission this time is to invade the island of Zenovia in teams of three. The GC Corporation will take full control of the island and will be held responsible for cybernetic surgery experimentation and testing newly developed weapons on criminals.

Official 8ing Page of the Batrider Story


Development History

If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.


Version Differences

  • Include information here about differences in a game between various versions. This includes regional differences, patch updates/bugfixes, and the like.

Trivia

  • Cool facts and random tidbits go here!

Gallery

See (Template Page)/Gallery for our collection of images and scans for the game.


Video References

Armed Police Batrider Video Index

Other

Note about Training/Easy Mode

While the training/easy mode is only 3 stages and is a gentle introduction to the game, if your character grazes any bullets it will immediately set off the auto-bomb.

References & Contributors

  1. System11 Forum Thread
  2. Official 8ing page
  3. World of Arcades
  4. Dubs
  5. Special thanks to Trap, Satis, Plasmo, Icarus, and Olifante for helping with MAME overlay with ranking percentages.