Armed Police Batrider
Poster for the game
Developer: | Raizing |
---|---|
Official site: | 8ing Museum |
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 |
Armed Police Batrider (JP:アームドポリスバトライダー) is a vertically scrolling shoot em' up developed by Raizing and published by Eighting in the year 1998. It is well known for its large roster of playable characters and vast amount of secrets to find. It shares many aspects with one of Raizing's previous titles Battle Garegga, having a similar dynamic rank system and set of mechanics.
After its original release, Armed Police Batrider only received its first home port 24 years later on the Sega Astro City Mini V in 2022. Possibly due to copyright issues, the music was slightly changed.
For replay videos, visit the Video Index.
Contents
- 1 Gameplay Overview
- 2 Strategy
- 2.1 Hidden Boss Requirements
- 2.1.1 Manhattan City - Bashinet MKII
- 2.1.2 Sky High - Bashinet
- 2.1.3 Sewage System - Black Heart
- 2.1.4 Zenovia Airport - Gob-Robo
- 2.1.5 High Way- Tsumujimaru/Hayatemaru
- 2.1.6 High Way- Sobut(Green), Blunt(Yellow), Envy(Red)
- 2.1.7 After High Way Stage- Black Heart MkII
- 2.1.8 Zenovia City- Glow Squid
- 2.1.9 Zenovia City- Bashinet-R
- 2.1 Hidden Boss Requirements
- 3 Story
- 4 Development History
- 5 Version Differences
- 6 Trivia
- 7 Gallery
- 8 Other
- 9 References & Contributors
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]
- Blue (Default)
- Green
- Purple
- Pink
- Red
- Orange
- 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):
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 early in the game, 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
Depending on the button pressed when a character is selected, the following properties can be altered.
- Type A: Press A - Strong Main shot, weak Option, starting firerate 15hz
- Type B: Press B - Strong Option, weak Main shot, starting firerate 12hz
- Type C: Press C or A+B - Strong Main shot & Option, slower Speed, starting firerate 20hz
- Type D: Press Start - Faster Speed, weak Option & Main shot, starting firerate 10hz
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
Shorty | A | B | C | Start | ||||||||
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Main Shot: Wide shot that becomes a 6-way shot at Level 4. Option Shot: Homing missiles. Special Weapon: Giga laser that attacks an area in the front of the ship.
|
Maria | A | B | C | Start | ||||||||
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Main Shot: Wide shot that becomes a 5-way shot at Level 3. Option Shot: Flickering cannon Special Weapon: 6 lock-on turrents that come from behind the ship.
|
Golden | A | B | C | Start | ||||||||
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Main Shot: Forward shot that becomes a 5-way shot at Level 4. Option Shot: Twin laser shots Special Weapon: 3 cannons on each side that attack an area in front of the ship.
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Adam | A | B | C | Start | ||||||||
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Main Shot: Wide 3-way shot. Option Shot: Penetrating bullets. Special Weapon: Daggers that cover all areas around him.
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Silver Sword | A | B | C | Start | ||||||||
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Main Shot: Forward 3-way shot. Option Shot: Standard bullets. Special Weapon: Napalm cone aimed in the direction opposite of the ship's movement.
|
Flying Baron | A | B | C | Start | ||||||||
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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.
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Chitta | A | B | C | Start | ||||||||
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Main Shot: Forward 3-way shot. Option Shot: Special Weapon: Genie in a bottle that hits an area in front of the ship.
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Bornnam | A | B | C | Start | ||||||||
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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.
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Items
Secret Extends
In addition to score extends (per 1.5 million), there are 3 ways to get more:
- On Highway, the large blue hovercraft must be destroyed when it stops in the tunnel. It will be right above the yellow turret craft.
- Miss 3 max/large bomb items.
- 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:
- Enter Service Mode (either through a test menu on PCB or by dip-switch in emulator).
- 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.
Requirements | ||
---|---|---|
• Destroy the car shop building FIRST then the billboards afterwards. This will make birds fly out of the rubble while the announcer says "Wonderful!" if the requirement is done correctly. • Your team must have one surviving Mahou character. • Will trigger if playing with a single Mahou character team. |
Requirements | ||
---|---|---|
• Destroy the big blue bombers. If they're all destroyed properly, the announcer will say "Cool!" • Your team must have one surviving Mahou character. • Will trigger if playing with a single Mahou character team. |
Requirements | ||
---|---|---|
• Destroy all of the flipping turrets. BH appears if they're all destroyed properly. • Your team must have one surviving Garegga character. • Will trigger if playing with a single Garegga character team. |
Requirements | ||
---|---|---|
• Destroy the side panels of the cannon turret. The announcer will say "Good!" 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). |
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. |
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. • You will always face at least the boss corresponding to stage 2. |
To trigger more than one boss, these are the requirements: • Bosses for stages 2/3 - Get a shot special level up. • Bosses for stages 2/4 - 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. |
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. |
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. |
Requirements | ||
---|---|---|
• Destroy these 3 missile turrets, with bombs, that pop out of the ground. • Requires one surviving Mahou character. |
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
- Despite Glow Squid appearing as a cameo boss in this game, it`s BGM "Erupter" was not used, using instead the "Stab and stomp!" BGM.
- Car-Pet previously appeared as an NPC (Non-playable character) in Shippu Mahou Daisakusen.
- The color palettes of Grasshopper-A and Grasshopper-S are swapped. Grasshopper-A uses it`s Diving Fox color, while Grasshopper-S uses it`s default color from Battle Garegga.
Gallery
See (Template Page)/Gallery for our collection of images and scans for the game.
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
- System11 Forum Thread
- Official 8ing page
- World of Arcades
- Dubs
- Special thanks to Trap, Satis, Plasmo, Icarus, and Olifante for helping with MAME overlay with ranking percentages.