Dino Rex

Dino Rex
Developer: Taito Publisher: Taito Platform: Arcade (Taito F2 System) Released internationally: 1992 Released in JP: November 1992[1] This game has unused graphics. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences.

Dino Rex is a fighting game about six digitized fighting dinos unstuck in time like a bunch of Billy Pilgrisaurs.

Unused Graphics

Block #: 1617-1619
File names: bls_selaro, bls_selpac, bls_seltri

Three pictures for an alternate version of the fighter select sceen. Only the Allosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, and Triceratops have graphics in this style.

Block #: 1620
File name: bls_title

A shrunken-down version of the art on the game's flyer that, given the file name, would have appeared somewhere on the title screen.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Debug Functions

Exception Handler

This game has a basic exception handler that displays the exception name, the values of the program counter and stack pointer, data/address registers, and the internal task number at the time of the crash.

Test Mode Menu

Place the following code in MAME's dinorex.xml cheat file and enable it to replace the normal service mode with a test menu:

  <cheat desc="Test Mode Menu">
    <script state="run">
      <action>maincpu.mw@003E5A=0x98FA</action>
    </script>
    <script state="off">
      <action>maincpu.mw@003E5A=0x8C38</action>
    </script>
  </cheat>

Use 1P Joystick to navigate the menu and 1P Start to select a test. "Exit" will reset the game; be sure to turn the Service Mode dip switch off before selecting this to avoid being sent back to the menu.

  <cheat desc="Extra Test Functions">
    <script state="run">
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699EE=0x9A2A</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699F2=0x9AFC</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699F6=0x9EAE</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699FA=0xA20A</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699FE=0xA82E</action>
    </script>
    <script state="off">
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699EE=0x9A28</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699F2=0x9A28</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699F6=0x9A28</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699FA=0x9A28</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@0699FE=0x9A28</action>
    </script>
  </cheat>

Back Ground Select

Allows the user to view the game's seven different fighting arenas. The user can break destructible objects by bringing them into the middle of the frame.

Controls

• 1P Joystick: Moves camera at 1 pixel per frame.
• 2P Left/Right: Moves camera left or right by 6 pixels per frame.
• 2P Up/Down: Moves camera up or down to the next BG/FG chunk.
• 1P Start + 2P Start: Exits viewer.

Bonus Stage Select

Allows the user to start one of the game's three bonus rounds. Press 1P Start + 2P Start to end the game early.

Sudden Death Game

Starts a sudden death match between two CPU-controlled opponents. Goes back to the main menu after the match ends.

Screen Position Check

A basic test of the five background layers and object graphics. Layer 0 is the HUD layer and is unmarked, Layers 1 and 2 are the two different FG/BG layers and are marked with green and red crosses, and Layer 3 is the object layer and is marked with a yellow cross sprite.

Controls

• 1P Start + 2P Start: Exits to main test menu.

Mask Character Test

Displays the contents of the "Mask", or HUD, graphics ROM.

Controls

• 1P Joystick: Scrolls through character set.
• 1P Button 1 / Button 2: Changes the current palette.
• 1P Start + 2P Start: Exits to main test menu.

Screen Character Test

Displays the game's assembled foreground and background graphics.

Controls

• 1P Left/Right: Adjusts block number by 1.
• 1P Button 1 + 1P Left/Right: Adjusts block number by 10.
• 1P Button 2 + 1P Left/Right: Adjusts block number by 100.
• 1P Start + 2P Start: Exits to main test menu.

Object Character Test

Displays every assembled sprite graphic in the game.

Controls

• 1P Left / Right: Adjusts frame number by 1.
• 1P Button 1 + 1P Left/Right: Adjusts frame number by 10.
• 1P Button 2 + 1P Left/Right: Adjusts frame number by 100.
• 1P Up / Down: Changes the "Zoom" number. Increasing this value will shrink the sprite.
• 1P Start + 2P Start: Exits to main test menu.
• 2P Joystick: Moves the cross-shaped cursor.
• 2P Button 1: Places the selected sprite at the cursor's position. Up to 25 sprites can be placed at once.
• 2P Button 2: Deletes the most recently placed sprite.

RAM/ROM Check

Tests Work RAM (600000 to 60FFFF), Screen RAM (900000 to 90E0FF) and the data ROMs (0x100000 to 2FFFFF). It takes a long time for this test to run, and the only ways to exit the test are to either reset the cabinet or hold 1P Start + 2P Start when the Data ROM test is about to finish.

(Source: ねこ自慢ブログ (升) Wayder Cheat 0.169)

Regional Differences

...But does it make sense? The translations on this page need to be proofread. If you are fluent enough in this language, please make any corrections necessary!

Cutscenes are in English in all sets, but the Japan version has an additional set of Japanese subtitles for each scene.

The Japanese set has Kanji text underneath the "Insert Coin" / "Push 2P To Start" messages. They roughly translate to "Accepting mid-match entries" and "Now able to compete".

(Source: Original TCRF research)