SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2 Expand Edition

SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2 Expand Edition
Developer: SNK Publisher: SNK Platform: Neo Geo Pocket Color Released in JP: September 13, 2001 This game has unused graphics. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test.

SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters 2 Expand Edition is the second of three collectible card game-themed games based on popular SNK and Capcom fighting game characters published between 1999 and 2006. In addition to the 240 character and 60 action cards from the first game, the sequel adds 124 new cards, including 40 reaction cards that can be used during an opponent's attack. The sequel also dropped the separate SNK and Capcom versions, instead allowing you to choose which deck you'd like to start with.

Unused Graphic

This unused placeholder card is listed as card 0 within the game's code. Note the "COMMING SOON" graphic in place of the usual portrait, also seen in the first game.

Monochrome Screen Title

Although the game contains a monochrome screen that is displayed when the game is loaded in a Neo Geo Pocket console, there's an unused title (data stored at ROM offset 0x40541) that would have been displayed alongside the message (data stored at 0x40551, right next to the title). With patch 0x40531 = 41 we can load the title instead of the message.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Debug Menu

Patch 0x4b61 = cb loads this debug menu screen. "YAMAUCHI TEST" appears to have been stubbed-out, although some of its entries appear under "TOOL".

(Source: Original TCRF research)

These menus are very similar to the ones in the first game, so only some differences will be presented below.

Tool

A palette editor has been added to "DEMO CHR".

Hirosawa Test

Ishibashi Test

Sugimoto Test

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page.

Some additional text isn't used in the debug menu:

0x7f30:

QUEST
BATTLE
ENDING
CARD
DEBUG
EXIT

0x20868f:

EMU@TEST3

0x244a93:

ZOOM TEST

D Button Menu

After starting a game, press D to open an ingame debug menu. The D button is mapped to an external Neo Geo AES controller used in dev boards, but is also mapped by some emulators (e.g. ares).

Although the menu renders fine when open in the debug menu screen, the font tiles are overwritten by other graphics when open ingame.

(Source: JamesHall7)

Error Messages

Although some error messages are referenced (e.g. at address 0x2186e7), the logic to display them appears to have been stubbed out:

                     deck_rout_err_handler                           
                     XREF[2]:     002186e7(R), 002186ee
0021abc6 3d              push       XIY
0021abc7 f2 38 ac        lda        XIY,DAT_0021ac38 ; data for "DECK ROUT ERR"
         21 35
0021abcc 68 68           jr         T,LAB_0021ac36 ; jump to end of routine
; ...
0021ac36 5d              pop        XIY
0021ac37 0e              ret

These messages are spread out in the ROM:

0x2097e4:

CARD ADD RESUME ERR
CARD SUB RESUME ERR

0x20cf75:

ID ERROR
ERROR   

0x21ac3d:

DECK ROUT ERR
CARD SHUFFLE ERR
CARD ADD ERR
CARD DROW ERR
DISP CARD ERR
DECK TOTAL ERR X
DECK TOTAL ERR X

0x23be7d:

FAIL@DECK@ERR!