Battle Gear 4


Battle Gear 4 is an arcade racing game by Taito Corporation released in July 2005. It is the fifth product of the Battle Gear series. In 2006 the cabinets have then been updated to the Battle Gear 4 Tuned specification, which contains more cars, courses, and a new game mode.

System

The game runs on the Taito Type X motherboard, and has capability of connecting to the Internet. The typical controls include the gas and brake pedals, a steering wheel, a + / - gear stick, and a handbrake. A "Nitrous switch" is available as well, which triggers either the Nitrous Oxide system on tuned NA cars, or a scramble boost function on tuned cars utilizing forced induction. Both boosts in engine power come at the cost of reduced handling. A newer variant of the cabinet Battle Gear 4 Tuned Professional Version, sports a further clutch pedal, and an H-shaped gearbox control. They are used together to simulate full manual shifting. The professional version was released in November 2006.
The Type X motherboard has a function to connect to the Internet. This allows the machine to access time attack records and similar information online, and to upload the new records. When coupled with the NESYS network entry key, the key users can have their cars "downloaded" from the virtual garage, and used during the play. The BG4 entry keys are not compatible with the BG3 series entry keys. Subsequently, any rewards that a player gained are uploaded onto the server. The player can connect to the BG4 garage, and perform extensive modifications to the car. The online servers were shut down on March 31, 2019.

Changes from ''BG3''

When compared to Battle Gear 3, there are certain features changed in this game.
There are at least 5 options of gameplay, in Battle Gear 4 Tuned.
  1. Event race. From time to time Taito announces special races that are restricted to tuned cars. Each key is only allowed to participate once in each event race. Players attempt to set the best time to compete against other players.
  2. Race mode allows players to race various level of opponents on different tracks. The opponents are computer cars within the same class of the players' car. The game defaults the opponents' skill levels from 1 to 10, but it can be extended to level 98. Levels over 10 can only be unlocked by beating the previous level of opponents.
  3. Drift mode is the new add-on in BG4 Tuned. In this mode, the player drifts his car around the corners, attempting to gain the maximum number of points. The time is not recorded on the machine, but the drift points.
  4. One make race is similar to the race mode, but the opponents appear with the exactly same car model as the player.
  5. Time attack is the mode where the player attempts to set the best time finishing the track. Players can select other player's ghost car to run with them.
  6. Battle mode pits the drivers against each other. This extra mode can only be selected when there are more than one entrants joins the game, up to 4 players if 4 cabinets are available.
The game displays the result to a keyless player, and the additional title and awarded BG to the player using a key. Information are uploaded to the server, and the player can access the BG later on, provided that the machine is online.

Tuning system

Any player having the entry key can register an online garage account at the Taito website. This entitles the player to an extensive modification system that allows the player to customize his ride. Different from BG3, the player can now not only purchase external parts but also purchase performance parts. The "money" is calculated as battle gold, mentioned above.
As for the parts, a player can purchase upgrades for the brake, engine, mufflers, transmission, suspension, tyres and aerodynamic parts. One can also tweak the look of the car with custom wheels, gauges and decals.
Depending on the car model, engine swaps are possible. This may range from a variant with forced induction, to swapping in a different engine from another vehicle by the same manufacturer. For example, the Nissan 350Z can have the V6 engine swapped with an RB26DETT found in the Skyline GT-R or a VK45DE from the Cima. Drivetrain and transmission swaps are also possible. For example, the Ford Focus ST170 can have, in place of its standard Getrag 6MT and FWD drivetrain, the Focus WRC's 6-speed sequential transmission and AWD drivetrain.

List of tracks

Battle Gear 4 Tuned has 24 tracks available to the players. All tracks available in the reverse direction.
  1. Total Beginner
  2. Total Beginner B
  3. Total Beginner C
  4. Beginner
  5. Beginner B
  6. Beginner C
  7. Beginner D
  8. Intermediate
  9. Intermediate B
  10. Intermediate C
  11. Intermediate D
  12. Expert
  13. Expert B
  14. Expert C
  15. Expert D
  16. Ace
  17. Ace B
  18. Ace C
  19. Ace D
  20. Dreadnaught
  21. Dreadnaught B
  22. Super Dreadnaught
  23. Super Dreadnaught B
  24. Super Dreadnaught C

    Cars

Cars are divided into 5 classes, class S, A, B, C, D. Below is a brief list of cars, grouped into sections.

Normal cars

"Normal" cars are cars that featured in the game, sans any special decals and such.

Class S

Cars that clock, the maximum available for a stock car in Japan. Vehicles in this category include:
Class B cars generally less powerful than the class A cars, and have around 190 to. Cars in this category include:
These cars push even less power form the engine, but generally easier to handle because of that. They clock around 120-185 horsepower. Cars in this category include:
These are generally light, low-powered cars, and has around 80 to. Cars in this category include:
Several cars have additional paints, decals, vinyls and parts that can be selected. It usually comes with handling changes unless the car is already customized. Cars that can have special decals and packages are
In addition, the cars driven by the D1 Grand Prix Top Secret Team driver Youichi Imamura, who Taito sponsors, are also featured in the game, these include the A'PEXi Mazda RX-7 and the ORC Nissan 350Z. Both cars are tuned mainly for drifting.