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Armed Police Batrider Difficulty Settings and Options Explained

A complete guide to Armed Police Batrider’s two difficulty axes, DIP-SW2 mappings, default operator settings, credit-length options and region-specific behavior.
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Armed Police Batrider uses two independent difficulty controls: Start Rank sets the challenge when a credit begins, while Timer Rank controls how quickly that challenge increases during play. Both are four-position settings on DIP-SW2, and the all-OFF position is Normal for each. Lives (fighter units), extra-life thresholds and regional or revision-specific features are configured separately.

What the two difficulty settings actually do

The Raizing/Eighting operator manual separates difficulty into an opening value and a rate-of-increase value. Treating them as interchangeable produces confusing results: lowering Timer Rank does not make the first stage start at an easier rank, and raising Start Rank does not by itself make the game’s later escalation faster.

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Start Rank: the opening challenge

Start Rank is labeled in the manual as “Game start difficulty setting.” It determines the game’s initial difficulty when a new credit starts. The four choices are Normal, Easy, Hard and Very Hard. If a cabinet feels punishing immediately, Start Rank is the setting to check first.

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Timer Rank: the escalation rate

Timer Rank is labeled “How the difficulty rate increases during the game.” It controls the pace at which difficulty rises as a run continues. Its choices are Normal, Low, High and Highest. A lower Timer Rank slows the increase; it does not reset the opening challenge to Easy. Conversely, a high Timer Rank can make a credit become substantially more demanding even when Start Rank is Normal.

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The operator manual’s practical advice is based on customer play time: increase the difficulty-increase rate when credits last too long, and reduce it when they end too quickly. That guidance concerns Timer Rank, not Start Rank.

DIP-SW2 switch mappings

Each control uses a pair of switches on DIP-SW2. “ON/OFF” means the first switch in the pair is ON and the second is OFF. Confirm the ON direction printed on the board or DIP block; physical orientation can differ between hardware layouts.

Control Switch pair OFF/OFF ON/OFF OFF/ON ON/ON
Start Rank DIP-SW2 switches 1–2 Normal Easy Hard Very Hard
Timer Rank DIP-SW2 switches 3–4 Normal Low High Highest

Examples

  • To select Easy starting difficulty, set switches 1 and 2 to ON/OFF.
  • To select Hard starting difficulty, set switches 1 and 2 to OFF/ON.
  • To keep a Normal start but slow escalation, set switches 1–2 to OFF/OFF and switches 3–4 to ON/OFF.
  • To use Very Hard from the first moment and the fastest documented escalation, set switches 1–2 and 3–4 to ON/ON.

The two pairs can be combined freely. For example, Easy Start Rank with Highest Timer Rank begins gently but accelerates rapidly; Very Hard Start Rank with Low Timer Rank begins harshly but increases more slowly.

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How to change the settings on an arcade board

These are operator configuration switches, not guaranteed player-menu options. Use the board’s service documentation and follow cabinet electrical-safety procedures.

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  1. Identify the exact board and revision. Record the game region and revision before changing anything. MAME documents Europe, USA, China, Japan and Korea variants, as well as earlier Japanese and Taiwan releases.
  2. Power the cabinet down. Do not move a physical DIP switch while the board is powered unless the board’s own service instructions explicitly allow it.
  3. Locate DIP-SW2. Read the switch numbers printed beside the block. Switches 1–2 control Start Rank; switches 3–4 control Timer Rank.
  4. Set the required pair. Use the table above, checking the switch order rather than assuming left-to-right orientation.
  5. Check related endurance settings. Fighter-unit count and extra-player thresholds can change how long a credit lasts independently of either rank setting.
  6. Restore power and verify. Start a test credit and confirm that the board has retained the intended configuration. If the game offers a Test or Service Menu, use it to read back settings.

On emulated systems, the equivalent controls may be software fields in a machine configuration or Test/Service Menu. A menu label that says “difficulty” may represent only one of the two rank axes, so verify which value it changes.

Default configuration and credit-length options

The documented factory-style default is every listed switch OFF. In the operator table, that means Normal Start Rank, Normal Timer Rank, three fighter units and one extra player at each 1,500,000 points.

Option Documented choices All-OFF default
Fighter-unit count 1, 2, 3 or 4 units 3 units
Extra-player threshold 1,000,000 points each; 1,500,000 points each; 2,000,000 points each; or no extra player 1,500,000 points each

These settings matter when comparing cabinets. Two machines can have identical Start Rank and Timer Rank yet deliver very different credit lengths because one grants four units and frequent extra players while the other grants one unit and no extra player. Record all four values when documenting a setup: starting challenge, escalation rate, unit count and extra-player rule.

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Other machine options you may encounter

A MAME-derived settings reference lists additional configuration items beyond the two rank controls. Depending on the board or emulator, these can include service mode, credits to start, joystick mode, coin A and coin B pricing, hit score, sound effects, music, flip screen, demo sounds, stage edit, allow continue, guest players, player select and Special Course. Invulnerability is listed as a cheat rather than a normal difficulty choice.

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Later hardware may expose these values in a Test or Service Menu instead of a physical DIP block. The exact menu names and availability depend on the implementation, so use the service documentation for the specific cabinet or emulator rather than assuming every listed item exists on every revision.

Difficulty settings versus ship selection and gameplay controls

Batrider has a separate player-facing selection layer. MAME’s driver documentation describes the selection button as changing ship characteristics such as shot and option power, speed and default autofire rate. Those changes affect how a selected ship plays; they do not replace Start Rank or Timer Rank.

Some hidden ship or option features are enabled through DIP switches or unlock commands. Enabling one of those features should not be described as changing the game’s difficulty unless the particular revision explicitly connects it to a rank value. Keep operator configuration, ship selection and hidden-feature unlocks as separate categories when documenting a setup.

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Regional and revision differences

“Batrider” is not one completely uniform ROM. MAME identifies Europe, USA, China, Japan and Korea variants, along with earlier Japanese and Taiwan releases. A setting or control shown in one revision may be absent, permanently enabled or implemented differently in another.

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Japanese versions and the B Version

The revision reference dates an early Japanese release to December 22, 1997, and the Japanese B Version to February 13, 1998. The source comments describe the game as marketed for two-button cabinets while noting that the original version needs a third button to control hidden-ship options. The B Version adds joystick-command support for cabinets that do not have that third button.

Korean B Version

The Korean B Version is documented as having three unlock-code features enabled and lacking some advanced in-game options. That is a revision-specific behavior, not evidence that every regional ROM has those features enabled by default.

Why the version label matters

Before troubleshooting an apparently missing option, write down the region, revision letter and ROM set. A cabinet that behaves differently from an emulator may be using a different revision rather than a faulty switch. The same precaution applies when comparing operator manuals, MAME entries and home ports.

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Emulators and home ports

Arcade DIP switches are board-level controls. An emulator may expose them under an input, machine configuration or Test/Service menu, while another frontend may hide them entirely. Do not assume that a player-facing “difficulty” slider maps one-to-one to Start Rank or Timer Rank.

The first home port arrived on Sega Astro City Mini V in 2022. Its presence does not establish that the port exposes the arcade board’s DIP switches, uses the same defaults or includes every revision-specific unlock. For a home version, consult that release’s own menu and documentation and describe its options separately from the arcade settings.

Practical tuning examples

Goal Start Rank Timer Rank Why this combination fits
Gentler opening for beginners Easy Low or Normal Reduces the initial challenge and avoids a rapid early escalation.
Normal opening with longer credits Normal Low Keeps the standard start while slowing the rate of increase.
Shorten very long customer sessions Normal High or Highest Leaves the opening familiar but raises difficulty faster, matching the operator manual’s stated use case.
Experienced-player challenge Hard or Very Hard High or Highest Raises both the initial demand and the pace of escalation.
Hard opening without the fastest ramp Hard or Very Hard Low Creates a demanding start while keeping later growth comparatively measured.

These combinations describe the documented controls, not a promise of a particular stage-clear time or score. Actual credit length also depends on unit count, extra-player rules, ship choice and player skill.

Troubleshooting a setup that seems wrong

The game still feels hard after selecting Easy

Check that switches 1 and 2 are actually ON/OFF in the board’s numbering order. Then inspect switches 3 and 4: Timer Rank may still be High or Highest, causing the run to escalate quickly after an Easy start. Finally, verify that the ROM revision and region match the manual you are using.

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Changing Timer Rank did not make the opening easier

That is expected. Timer Rank controls the rate of increase, while Start Rank controls the starting value. To change the opening, adjust switches 1–2.

A setting works in MAME but not on the cabinet

Compare the exact ROM set, region and revision. MAME may expose software settings that correspond to a later hardware implementation, while an original board may require physical DIP switches or a service-menu entry. Also confirm that the cabinet is reading DIP-SW2 after a full power cycle.

A player reports different ship options or button behavior

Check the revision and cabinet button count. The original version’s hidden-ship controls may require a third button; the Japanese B Version supports joystick commands for two-button cabinets. Korean B behavior also differs because some unlock features are enabled and some advanced options are absent.

A concise operator checklist

  • Record region, revision and ROM set.
  • Set DIP-SW2 switches 1–2 for Start Rank.
  • Set DIP-SW2 switches 3–4 for Timer Rank.
  • Confirm fighter-unit count and extra-player threshold.
  • Check continue, coin, sound, screen-flip and other machine options in the applicable Test/Service Menu.
  • Keep ship-selection and hidden-feature controls separate from difficulty documentation.
  • Test after rebooting and note the final switch positions in the cabinet’s service log.

Bottom line

For the documented arcade configuration, Start Rank answers “How hard does a new credit begin?” and Timer Rank answers “How quickly does that difficulty rise?” Both use four settings on DIP-SW2, with OFF/OFF as Normal. The all-OFF setup gives Normal for both ranks, three fighter units and one extra player every 1,500,000 points. Because regional and revision differences affect controls and unlocks, identify the exact board or ROM before assuming an option is universal.

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