Formation Armed F (Arcade)

Formation Armed F
Developer: Nichibutsu Publishers: Nichibutsu, Fillmore Platform: Arcade (Nichibutsu Legion hardware) Released internationally: August 1988 This game has a hidden developer message. This game has unused graphics. This game has debugging material.

Formation Armed F is an ambiguously-named shooter that revolves around the gimmick of "Armers", tiny ships that act like "Options" in other shooters. Collect the "F" powerup to send them into formation, ahead of your ship.

Does that title make sense yet?

Debug Menus

A hidden debug menu can be accessed in this game (and other games using the Nichibutsu Legion hardware) through the following method:

1. Turn the Service Mode dip switch on.
2. Hold 2P Up + Button 1 + Button 2.
3. Keep those buttons held and turn Service Mode off.

This is a simple test of the character graphics ROM.

• 1P Start: Go to next test.
• 1P Left/Right: Change palette number.
• 1P Up/Down: Change graphics ROM offset.

This is a slightly more complicated test of the object graphics ROM.

• 1P Start: Go to next test.
• 1P Left/Right: Change palette number.
• 1P Up/Down: Change graphics ROM offset.
• 2P Left/Right: Toggles horizontal / vertical tile flipping.
• 2P Up/Down: Alters the "CHANGE" value, which seems to be for palette cycling effects.

A slow vertical scrolling test of every stage in the game. Press 2P Start to toggle between showing the foreground, the background, or both.

HAIKEI 1: Offset of the current foreground block.

HAIKEI 2: Offset of the current background block.

COUNTER: Current Y position of the camera.

B1 TRAMP: ID of the current foreground block.

B2 TRAMP: ID of the current background block.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Hidden Message

Put the following code in MAME's armedf.xml cheat file to see a hidden message during the credits.

  <cheat desc="Secret Message">
    <script state="run">
      <action>maincpu.pb@63CF0=01</action>
    </script>
  </cheat>

This translates as "This is Hatch. I love Marina!!!"

(Translation: divingkataetheweirdo)

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Graphics

The Nichibutsu owl is in the object graphics ROM, just hanging out.

(Source: Original TCRF research)