Transformers (PlayStation 2, International)

Transformers
Developer: Atari Melbourne House Publisher: Atari, SA Platform: PlayStation 2 Released in US: May 11, 2004 Released in EU: May 7, 2004, 2005 (Director's Cut) Released in KR: 2004 This game has unused areas. This game has unused code. This game has a hidden developer message. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused enemies. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused music. This game has unused text. This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article

Transformers is loosely based off the Transformers: Armada TV show. Much like the show, the premise revolves around collecting tiny little robots and using them to fight other robots. Gotta catch 'em all!

To do: tfa.zip\CONFIGS\0_DEFS.TMD are a bunch of debug options. See if any work and what they do. The .ELF contains some debugging text.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Unused Text “Think of this as a piece of fan fiction, that [they] got paid to write ;)"

Unused Textures Lots of leftovers from reworked levels.

Unused Models Like the toy mock-ups, but digital.

Unused Level Data Includes early level placements and unused soundbank data.

Unused Cinema Scripts Autobot HQ couldn’t decide where to direct Laserbeak.

Hidden Cheats

Several cheats need to be entered on certain screens.

Extras Menu screen

Code	Result
Circle, Square, Circle, Square, L1, L1, L1, Square	Unlocks the Movies option.
Circle, Square, Circle, Square, L1, R1, L1, Circle	Unlocks the Art option.
Circle, Square, Circle, Square, R1, L1, L1, L1	Unlocks the Music option.

Difficulty screen (under New Game)

Code	Result
Square, Circle, Circle, R1, L1, Left, Left, Right	Allows the player to spawn into the warp gate just before the boss fight in Deep Amazon.
R1, R1, R2, L1, L1, L2, Circle, Circle	Allows the player to spawn into the warp gate just before level completion in Alaska. Interestingly, the game has a second code for this unlock (Circle, Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Right, Left, Left, Right), but said code can't actually be entered.
L1, R1, L2, R2, Left, Left, Right, Square	Allows the player to spawn into the warp gate just before the boss fight in Pacific Island.
R2, R2, L1, L2, R2, R1, L2, L2	Unlocks everything. Grants access to all levels and Mini-Cons.

Autobot HQ screen

Code	Result
Up, Up, Down, Down, L1, L2, L1, L2	Gives infinite stealth when using the stealth-field Mini-Con Covert.
Down, Up, Up, Down, R1, R2, R2, R1	Mini-Con partners will deal an absurd amount of damage to foes.

In-game pause screen

Code	Result
Left, Right, Left, R1, R2, R1, Right, Right	Makes enemies invisible.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Audio

Unused Music

File directory: sound\music\mega1.ms

The intro for the Megatron boss fight is skipped over completely and goes straight into the main composition, leaving this 42-second intro unused. The intro plays in build 5171, however that build lacks the ambience during segments where Megatron is performing melee moves on the player.

(Source: https://youtu.be/bgKWv0TnUvc)

File directory: sound\music\zzzzlast.ms

The intro for the Starscream boss fight from Build 3944 is also present. This earlier version lacks guitars in the last couple seconds.

zzzzlast.ms (Unused)	starscr1.ms (Used)

Unused Voiced Lines

The European version has dialogue dubbed into four additional languages. This also includes all unused dialogue. The audio files are respectively ordered in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

File directory: sound\english\audiocue\misc\mg_mock.ms

This likely would have played during the Megatron boss fight.

Megatron: I'll crush you, with my bare hands.

(Source: Rakoj)

File directory: sound\english\audiocue\misc\redalert\ra_mq1.ms

This information is normally stated by Optimus Prime in HQ after defeating Megatron.

Red Alert: Sir, our ancient enemy Unicron has appeared in orbit around Cybertron once again. Our homeworld is at the brink of annihilation. Countless lives will be lost. His defenses are far beyond our current firepower, but if we can assemble the power of enough Mini-Cons, we may be able to defeat him. Sir, we must acquire more Mini-Cons.

(Source: Rakoj, Brandon_T)

File directory: sound\english\audiocue\spaceshp\op_s05.ms

A slightly different take on used dialogue.

Optimus Prime: Roger that. The nose of the ship seems to be buried in the ice. The bridge has been completely destroyed. You're lucky to be alive. There's an open cargo hatch just ahead. Get out there and find Starscream. I'll interrogate him when you're done.

File directory: sound\english\audiocue\spaceshp\ra_s05.ms

Another slightly different take on used dialogue.

Red Alert: Roger that. The nose of the ship seems to be buried in the ice. The bridge has been completely destroyed. You're lucky to be alive. There's an open cargo hatch just ahead. Recommend you get out there and find Starscream. I have a lock on him, he's still in the area.

Removed Levels

While the following levels were removed from the game, references to them can still be found.

Amazon (Merged)

File directory: tfa.zip\LEVELS\EPISODES\03_AMAZON_2\GEOMETRY\OCCLUDER.TXT

Early on during development, both Amazon levels were a single level. Later on, the level was split into the Amazon and Deep Amazon levels. A single reference to this merged Amazon level still exists in the form of its file directory. For reference, the first Amazon level's folder directory is called 01_AMAZON_1.

Filename	"Levels/Episodes/01_Amazon/Geometry/Occluder.txt" 

Pacific Island

File directory: tfa.zip\LEVELS\EPISODES\04_AIRCRAFTCARRIERDEFEATED\GEOMETRY\OCCLUDER.TXT

As per the storyboard images present in the Extras menu, Pacific Island was originally a very different level and was the third level in the game. At some point during development, Pacific Island was completely reworked and had elements from the cut Volcano level implemented into it. Unlike Amazon (Merged), there are many leftovers for this early Pacific Island level. One of them is present in the post-boss variant of the Mid-Atlantic level, which specifies its file directory.

Filename	"Levels/Episodes/03_Pacific_Island/Geometry/Occluder.txt" 

The other leftovers include textures present in both Mid-Atlantic and Pacific Island.

Starship (Vertical)

File directory: tfa2.zip\WEATHERMANAGER.TMD & WEATHERREGIONS.TMD

There is evidence to suggest that the Starship level was originally split into two levels, much like how the Mid-Atlantic levels are. For reference, Mid-Atlantic is internally two separate levels, one with the aircraft carrier present and one without. Certain files refer to this cut level as "SpaceshipVertical", suggesting that the horizontal and vertical sections were two separate levels. The final game has both the horizontal and vertical sections merged into one level. In addition, earlier builds include the soundbanks for StarshipVertical, further reinforcing that the Starship level was internally two separate levels at one point during development.

Test Maps

Mentioned in the .ELF executable are two test levels which were scrubbed from the game:

• 0x564470 (00_None)
• 0x564480 (00_Testbed)

Unused Areas

Forest in Alaska

To do: Some better photos of the area itself.

A portion of Alaska dense in trees is hidden behind several mountains, unable to be accessed normally. There is no collision data for this area, so it cannot be walked on. It is likely that this area is a byproduct of the terrain generation and thus was never intended to be a playable area.

(Source: Hahmonen)

Starship Rear

To do: Photos.

In the crashed Starship level, the entire rear of the Starship is modelled out and has incredibly basic collision. It is not possible to reach this area normally without abusing a bug.

Rainy Pacific Island

To do: Some sort of media illustrating this in a retail build.

File directory: tfa.zip\LEVELS\EPISODES\07_EASTERISLAND\LOCALWEATHER.TDB

Pre-release screenshot of Pacific Island with rainy weather and a different skybox.

Early iterations of Pacific Island had rainy weather, which was eventually replaced with a more sunny atmosphere for the final product. The rainy weather was never actually removed, but was merely disabled - Pacific Island's local weather .TDB file is still set up for rainfall. Rain can be re-enabled by modifying Pacific Island's ENVIRONMENT.TDB.

3507 
~IncludedFiles 
{
	"../../../WeatherRegions.tmd" 
	
} // IncludedFiles

~FileDictionary 
{
	~DefaultWeather 
	{
		"Blur Type" 
		"Prevailing Wind Direction" 
		"Weather Setting" 
		
	} // DefaultWeather
	~WeatherRegion 
	{
		"Description" 
		"Falloff Distance" 
		"Inner Radius" 
		"Location 2D" 
		"Prevailing Wind Direction" 
		"Weather Setting" 
		
	} // WeatherRegion
	
} // FileDictionary
~Instances 
{
	~DefaultWeather 
	{
		ObjectId:       1 
		NotDefault 3 
		NotDefault 178 
		NotDefault "07_EasterIsland" 
		
	} // DefaultWeather
	~WeatherRegion 
	{
		ObjectId:       2 
		NotDefault "IslandStorm" 
		NotDefault 516 
		NotDefault 555 
		NotDefault -800.725 -125.814 0 
		NotDefault 178 
		NotDefault "RainStorm" 
		
	} // WeatherRegion
	~WeatherRegion 
	{
		ObjectId:       3 
		NotDefault "IslandShower" 
		NotDefault 222 
		NotDefault 316 
		NotDefault 978.637 -332.988 0 
		NotDefault 182 
		NotDefault "RainStorm" 
		
	} // WeatherRegion
	~WeatherRegion 
	{
		ObjectId:       4 
		NotDefault "darkcoast" 
		NotDefault 190 
		NotDefault 373 
		NotDefault 541.527 901.996 0 
		NotDefault 187 
		NotDefault "RainStorm" 
		
	} // WeatherRegion
	~WeatherRegion 
	{
		ObjectId:       5 
		NotDefault "Join" 
		NotDefault 14 
		NotDefault 424 
		NotDefault 1121.16 393.409 0 
		NotDefault 180 
		NotDefault "RainStorm" 
		
	} // WeatherRegion
	
} // Instances

Unused Mini-Con Abilities

There is data for 21 cut Mini-Cons present in the game. However, 18 of these Mini-Cons only have rudimentary data present in tfa.zip\METAGAME.TDB. The data for those 18 Mini-Cons has been placed in a subpage.

Misc. Mini-Cons

Endgame (Dark Energon Gun)

To do: Weapon stats and .ELF stuff.

This Mini-Con would be equipped in the R2 slot and is capable of summoning a black hole which deals an insane amount of damage to anyone unlucky enough to be caught within it. The player would be able to charge Endgame to unleash a larger and more damaging black hole. The black hole is capable of ragdolling enemies into its center, granted they don't die first. Despite this Mini-Con having the most data out of all the cut Mini-Cons, it is impossible to equip it in retail builds. As per prototype builds and unused placement files, Endgame was placed on the lone Dropship patrolling the Pacific Island volcano. While that Dropship still exists in the retail game, nothing is placed on it.

This Mini-Con is functional in Build 3944 and Build 5171.

File directory: tfa.zip\STRINGS\ENGLISH.TXT

In the retail game, Endgame has some strings present:

"KEY_MINICON_NAME_DarkEnergonBlaster"			"Endgame"
"KEY_MINICON_DESC_DarkEnergonBlaster" 			"Dark Energon Gun"
"KEY_MINICON_DESC_LONG_DarkEnergonBlaster"		"This Mini-Con creates a hole in the fabric of space, drawing nearby objects into its heart."
"KEY_MINICON_DESC_LONG2_DarkEnergonBlaster"		"Hold the R2 button to charge the blaster, release it to fire. The longer the weapon charges, the greater the effect."

(Source: Hahmonen)

File directory: tfa2.zip\ANIMATION\MISCELLANEOUS\MINICONS

Endgame would have used the "Exotic" model and texture set. The Exotic texture set still has Endgame's name in the filename. While the model and textures are used, there is an unused red palette which, as indicated by earlier builds, is intended for Endgame.

File directory: sounde.zip\SOUND\ENGLISH\MINICONS\DARKENERGON.VAC

The firing sound and the sound emitted by the black hole still exist in the game.

DarkEnergon_Fire
DarkEnergon_Hover

File directory: tfa2.zip\EFFECTS

Endgame also has some unused effects.

• DARKENERGONBULLET.FXB
• DARKENERGONCHARGE.FXB
• DARKENERGONIMPACT.FXB
• DARKENERGONMUZZLE.FXB

Bug-Out (Emergency Warp Gate)

This Mini-Con has strings describing it in the November 10, 2003 prototype, describing that this Mini-Con can summon temporary warp gates. There exists a Mini-Con model named after this character. While this Mini-Con does not function in the retail game, it is fully functional in Build 3944 and can be used by hacking the game.

There is also a reference to this Mini-Con as "EmergencyWarpGate" in tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD. The .ELF executable also has a few references to Bug-Out at the following hex addresses:

• 0x55da30 (taMiniconCreator<taMiniconAbilityEmergencyWarpGate>)
• 0x562340 (taMiniconAbilityEmergencyWarpGate)
• 0x562380 (taTransformerContextMessage<taMiniconAbilityEmergencyWarpGate>)

Fake-Out (Decoy Launcher)

There are strings in the November 10, 2003 prototype naming this Mini-Con as Fake-Out, being capable of summoning "a false projection of the Autobot" to lure enemies. While this Mini-Con can be equipped in Build 3944, it does not function correctly and fails to actually distract enemies.

There are two references to a Decoy Launcher Mini-Con in the .ELF file:

• 0x54d810 (taMiniconAbilityDecoyLauncher)
• 0x55e040 (taMiniconCreator<taMiniconAbilityDecoyLauncher>)

"DecoyLauncher" is also referenced in tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD. Unfortunately, nothing else remains of this Mini-Con in retail builds.

Unused Enemy Attributes

Backup Unicron AI

Traditionally, Unicron will travel to fifteen set locations on Cybertron in order to attack. If Unicron's pathfinding fails and cannot pinpoint these locations, Unicron will resort to a backup system where it will find a random location within a small distance of itself and begin its attack. Unicron will also no longer do its random route changes during later phases. This is only accessible by directly editing the .ELF executable.

(Source: PrincessTrevor)

Unused Starscream Health Value

File directory: tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD

Starscream has a health value that is overwritten inside of the Antarctica and Starship's respective CREATURE.TDB file, therefore this default value doesn't get used.

Default HP	Antarctica HP	Starship HP
1275	1500	2000

Unused Enemy Attacks

The .ELF reveals names for attacks for various enemies which were cut from the game. When specified, animations can be found in the respective character's .VBIN file.

Starscream

• 0x54c610: Starscream_GroundStab
• 0x54c430: StarscreamSonicBoom
• A vertical melee attack.
  • This attack is used in Build 3944. Starscream does a jump in the air, then slashes down vertically with his sword which ragdolls the player on hit.
  • Starscream's .VBIN contains an animation for this attack.
    • MELEEVERT

Cyclonus

• 0x54c5c0: Cyclonus_RotorBlast
• 0x54c5f0: Cyclonus_RotorRam
• 0x54c5d0: Cyclonus_DeathFromAbove
  • Cyclonus' .VBIN contains three animations for this attack
    • DEATHFROMABOVE1
    • DEATHFROMABOVE2
    • DEATHFROMABOVE3

Tidal Wave

• 0x56a5d0: TidalWave_MissileFingers

Megatron

• 0x54c640: Megatron_KnifeMelee
• 0x54c650: Megatron_HornRam
• 0x54c690: Megatron_BackBreaker
  • Megatron's .VBIN contains three animations for this attack.
    • BACKBREAKER1
    • BACKBREAKER2
    • BACKBREAKER3

Jetsniper/Jetlaser

• 0x54c380: GrenadeJS
  • It's not possible to determine if this attack belongs to the Jetsniper, Jetlaser, or if both variants could utilize this attack.

Cut Enemies

Evidence of cut enemies exists, though they cannot be spawned in due to their code and/or assets being removed.

Lightning Rod

It is unknown what this enemy would have done. There exists concept art of this enemy in the game's Extras menu, though it cannot be determined if the mechanics described in the concept art were implemented.

The only references to this enemy are in the game's .ELF file:

• 0x5655a0 (taActorLightningRod)
• 0x54ee30 (LightningRod)

This enemy's model and textures are present in Build 3944.

Heavy Tank

According to storyboard images present in the Extras Menu, this enemy was a large tank with two massive cannons. A single remnant is present in the .ELF, which references a laser attack of sorts.

• 0x54cd330 (LaserTankHeavy)

While there's some additional data for this enemy in Build 3944, its model and textures do not exist.

Dead End

To do: Picture of Dead End's model.

The .ELF executable makes reference to "EnemyDeadEnd" at 0x538240, which is located alongside the rest of the game's enemies. This suggests that Unicron's massive Mini-Con was an enemy at some point in development. Mentions of Dead End being an enemy exist as early as Build 3944. In addition, despite only the upper half of Dead End appearing during the final battle, Dead End is fully modelled out.

Iceberg

Literal chunks of ice were considered for inclusion. While it's unlikely these icebergs had malicious intent, they're internally classified as creatures, much like other enemies in the game. Early placement files for Antarctica confirm that icebergs were planned to appear in that level. They were placed in the beginning of the level, where the player would use them to traverse the small river just before the main portion of the level. The final game instead uses static icebergs which aren't internally creatures for this section.

The following remnants can be found in the .ELF:

• 0x561700 (miscellaneous/Iceberg/Icebergs_01)
• 0x561720 (miscellaneous/Iceberg/iceberg_02)
• 0x561740 (miscellaneous/Iceberg/iceberg_03)
• 0x534d00 (taCreatureFactoryMachine<taCreatureIceBerg>)
• 0x535770 (taCreatureIceBerg)
• 0x5362e0 (taCreatureIceBerg)

The file paths described in the first three hex addresses are present in early prototype builds.

TempCreatureBarrier

File directory: tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD

An entity known as "TempCreatureBarrier" is referenced inside CREATURE.TMD. It's unknown what this is supposed to be. Variables pertaining to TempCreatureBarrier indicate that it has a barrier size of 2 and it has 10 health, though it was likely possible to adjust these values if this was placed into a level.

~TempCreatureBarrier 
{
	Float "False" "BarrierSize" 2 "" 
	Bool "False" "Generate" true "" 
	Enum "False" "GenerationDifficulty" "Normal" "[Normal,Hard,Extreme]" 
	Enum "False" "GenerationSpawnType" "Always" "[Narrative,Always,LevelDone]" 
	Integer "False" "Health" 10 "" 
	Quaternion "False" "Orientation" 1 0 0 0 "" 
	Point "False" "Position" 0 0 0 "" 
	Enum "False" "Type" "Invisible" "[Physical,Invisible,Destructable]" 
	
} // TempCreatureBarrier

Cut Jet Bike Vehicle

Pre-release screenshot of the Jetbike in Alaska.

The Jet Bike is a vehicle that would allow up to two Medium Units to ride around in. The player could also drive one around and utilize its built-in machine guns. A prototype build indicates that Jet Bikes would had shown up in at least the Amazon level, while a pre-release screenshot depicts the Jetbike in Alaska. The model and texture for the Jetbike no longer exist in retail, but numerous remnants of them can still be found. The Jetbike is fully usable in Build 3944.

Traces of the Jet Bike can be found in the game's .ELF at the following hex addresses:

• 0x539fb0 (taJetBikeCameraScript)
• 0x54c370 (MachineGunJetBike
• 0x54ee70 (JetBike)
• 0x5509c0 (JetBike_Player)
• 0x5509d0 (JetBike_Ride)
• 0x5509e0 (JetBike_Ride_High)
• 0x55b230 (JetBikeCameraOffset)
• 0x55b240 (JetBikeCameraFocusOffset)
• 0x55b260 (JetBikeCameraFieldOfView)
• 0x565650 (taActorJetBike)

The Jetbike still has an entry in each level's material assignment reflections file (CREATUREMATERIALASSIGNMENT.TDB). For example, here is Deep Amazon's:

~FirstPassReflection 
{
	ObjectId:       17 
	Default 
	Default 
	NotDefault "Jetbike" 
	NotDefault "reflections/amazon2" 
	
} // FirstPassReflection

Cut Game Modes

File directory: ta_xtras.zip\USERINTERFACE\EXTRAS\ICONS & tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD

At some point, Transformers was intended to have game modes present in the Extras menu. An early unused Extras menu graphic still remains. There is also some text referring to what kind of game modes were planned:

Enum "False" "GameModes" "None" "[None,BossMode,ExploreMode]" 

It's not known how Explore Mode or Boss Mode would function. Explore Mode has a string present in prototype builds, describing the mode as "Explore the levels…"

2002-Era Leftovers

The following are very likely to be leftovers from the 2002 version, prior to the game being rebooted in the beginning of 2003.

Removed Pickups

File directory: tfa.zip\PICKUPS

There's a collection of unused mesh files, all of which depict a simple triangulated cube:

• AMMO.VBIN
• ARMOR.VBIN
• CAMOUFLAGE.VBIN
• HEALTH.VBIN
• MINICONDISK.VBIN
• SIDEKICKHEALTH.VBIN

The folder also has an image named WIRES.ITF, depicting an Autobot symbol in front of a red cross. The final game has no pickups other than Mini-Con disks and Data-Cons, with health instead being dropped from enemies and Data-Cons.

PLAYER Folder

File directory: tfa.zip\PLAYER

A collection of .TXT files are present which aren't used anywhere. Some of these .TXT files are named after characters who do not appear in the retail game, however these characters do show up in the initial story draft. Red Alert and Hot Shot have unique values listed:

Red Alert

1 
~PlayerConfiguration 
{
	MaxHealth:      100 
	JumpHeight(m):  6.25 
	DoubleJumpHeight(m): 3.25 
	ApexJumpHeight(m): 3.25 
	MaxWalkSpeed(m/s): 6 
	MaxRunSpeed(m/s): 23 
	MaxShotsPerSecond: 6 
	
} // PlayerConfiguration

Hot Shot

1 
~PlayerConfiguration 
{
	MaxHealth:      100 
	JumpHeight(m):  6.0 
	DoubleJumpHeight(m): 6.0 
	ApexJumpHeight(m): 6.0 
	MaxWalkSpeed(m/s): 4.8 
	MaxRunSpeed(m/s): 18.4 
	MaxShotsPerSecond: 6 
	
} // PlayerConfiguration

The other characters, Optimus Prime, Cyclonus, Demolishor, Megatron, Scavenger, Smokescreen, Sparkplug, and Starscream have the following values listed. As per other files present in the game such as PANEL.TDB and early footage, it's very likely that these characters were not completed before the game was rebooted. As a result, these characters do not have any unique values listed.

1 
~PlayerConfiguration 
{
	MaxHealth:      100 
	JumpHeight(m):  6.25 
	DoubleJumpHeight(m): 3.25 
	ApexJumpHeight(m): 3.25 
	MaxWalkSpeed(m/s): 6 
	MaxRunSpeed(m/s): 23 
	MaxShotsPerSecond: 3 
	
} // PlayerConfiguration

Sparkplug is present in this folder as well, which further reinforces his status as a playable character in episode 10 of the initial script. Additionally, a double-jump height value is listed in each file, an action which is not possible to do in the final game. A double-jump Mini-Con is listed in tfa.zip\METAGAME.TDB, though it's not known if this Mini-Con was created for the 2002 iteration, or was created sometime after the reboot.

Multiplayer Leftovers

The 2002 iteration of Transformers appears to have had some sort of multiplayer functionality, though it's not known how this multiplayer would function. While a co-op mode was considered for the post-2002 iteration of Transformers, there are no leftovers present for this co-op mode, suggesting no work was put into it. The following leftovers pertain exclusively to the 2002 iteration of Transformers.

CREATURE.TMD Leftovers
Found in tfa2.zip. "Sidekick" is the internal name for the Mini-Con that runs around with you.

PlayerOne,PlayerOneSidekick,PlayerTwo,PlayerTwoSidekick

.ELF Leftovers
As this is prefixed with "ta" (short for Transformers Armada), it's not a leftover from another Melbourne House title.

• 0x5388a0 (taThirdPersonMultiplayerCameraScript)

ENGLISH.TXT Leftovers
Found in the STRINGS folder. These keys are referenced in the 00PLAYER2.TDB file. KEY_READY is found amongst some more generic strings which are in close proximity to the Player 1 & 2 keys.

"KEY_P1"			"P1"
"KEY_P2"			"P2"
"KEY_PLAYER1"			"Player 1"
"KEY_PLAYER2"			"Player 2"
"KEY_READY"			"Ready"

00PLAYER2.TDB
Found in tfa.zip\USERINTERFACE\UIDATA\PREGAME. Makes reference to two players and configuring their Mini-Con. All of the keys referenced in this file are still present in the ENGLISH.TXT file.

3507 
~IncludedFiles 
{
	"00PreGame.tmd" 
	
} // IncludedFiles

~FileDictionary 
{
	~Screen 
	{
		"m_DefaultFocus" 
		"m_Name" 
		
	} // Screen
	~TAScreen 
	{
		":Screen" 
		"m_textureFilename" 
		
	} // TAScreen
	~Item 
	{
		"Parent_Screen_Name" 
		"m_Flag" 
		"m_Name" 
		
	} // Item
	~ItemText 
	{
		":Item" 
		"m_Size" 
		"m_TextAlign.horizontal" 
		"m_TextLabel" 
		"m_Width" 
		"m_X" 
		"m_Y" 
		
	} // ItemText
	~ItemActiveText 
	{
		":ItemText" 
		"m_CancelResponse" 
		"m_SelectResponse" 
		
	} // ItemActiveText
	~TAItemText 
	{
		":ItemActiveText" 
		
	} // TAItemText
	~taItemList 
	{
		":TAItemText" 
		
	} // taItemList
	~TACharacterList 
	{
		":taItemList" 
		
	} // TACharacterList
	
} // FileDictionary
~Instances 
{
	~TAScreen 
	{
		ObjectId:       1 
		NotDefault "CharacterList" 
		NotDefault "SelectCharacter" 
		NotDefault "" 
		
	} // TAScreen
	~TACharacterList 
	{
		ObjectId:       2 
		NotDefault "SelectCharacter" 
		NotDefault 0 
		NotDefault "CharacterList" 
		NotDefault 0.8 
		NotDefault 1 
		Default 
		NotDefault 340 
		NotDefault 180 
		NotDefault 300 
		NotDefault "@exit" 
		NotDefault "@push;$ConfigMiniCon" 
		
	} // TACharacterList
	~TAScreen 
	{
		ObjectId:       3 
		NotDefault "Ready" 
		NotDefault "ConfigMiniCon" 
		Default 
		
	} // TAScreen
	~TAItemText 
	{
		ObjectId:       4 
		NotDefault "ConfigMiniCon" 
		NotDefault 0 
		NotDefault "Ready" 
		NotDefault 0.8 
		NotDefault 1 
		NotDefault "KEY_READY" 
		NotDefault 100 
		NotDefault 220 
		NotDefault 300 
		NotDefault "@pop" 
		NotDefault "@exit" 
		
	} // TAItemText
	~TAItemText 
	{
		ObjectId:       5 
		NotDefault "SelectCharacter" 
		Default 
		NotDefault "P2" 
		Default 
		Default 
		NotDefault "KEY_P2" 
		Default 
		NotDefault 120 
		NotDefault 300 
		Default 
		Default 
		
	} // TAItemText
	~TAItemText 
	{
		ObjectId:       6 
		NotDefault "SelectCharacter" 
		Default 
		NotDefault "P1" 
		Default 
		Default 
		NotDefault "KEY_P1" 
		Default 
		NotDefault 120 
		NotDefault 240 
		Default 
		Default 
		
	} // TAItemText
	~TAItemText 
	{
		ObjectId:       7 
		NotDefault "ConfigMiniCon" 
		Default 
		NotDefault "P1" 
		Default 
		Default 
		NotDefault "KEY_P1" 
		Default 
		NotDefault 120 
		NotDefault 240 
		Default 
		Default 
		
	} // TAItemText
	~TAItemText 
	{
		ObjectId:       8 
		NotDefault "ConfigMiniCon" 
		Default 
		NotDefault "P2" 
		Default 
		Default 
		NotDefault "KEY_P2" 
		Default 
		NotDefault 120 
		NotDefault 300 
		Default 
		Default 
		
	} // TAItemText
	
} // Instances

Cut Characters

File directory: tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD
File directory: tfa.zip\PLAYER

Most of these characters show up in the initial story draft, suggesting that these are leftovers from the 2002 iteration. Entries for these characters can be found in CREATURE.TMD under TransformerCreature as a selectable option for the PlacementType field. With the exception of the Mini-Cons, each character also has a .TXT file present in the PLAYER folder.

Smokescreen
Smokescreen has a string key present in ENGLISH.TXT. Considering this string is placed right next to the three playable Autobots, it's suggested that this is a cut playable character. This is further backed up by Smokescreen's involvement in the early story draft. Smokescreen lacks a description key, something which used playable Autobot characters have.

"KEY_SMOKESCREEN"		"Smoke Screen"

Scavenger
Scavenger also has a string key present in ENGLISH.TXT next to the other used Autobot names and descriptions. It's likely that Scavenger was also intended to be playable based off the reasoning in Smokescreen's section. Scavenger also lacks a description key.

"KEY_SCAVENGER"			"Scavenger"

Demolishor
Demolishor only has an entry for the PlacementType field and a file present in the PLAYER folder.

Mini-Cons
Found only in CREATURE.TMD are references to Mini-Cons who don't appear in the game as individual entities. While some of them may be found on their Decepticon's model, they don't actually appear individually - and some don't even appear at all!

• Liftor - partnered with Smokescreen.
• Rollbar - partnered with Scavenger.
• LeaderOne - Megatron's sidekick. Leader-1 appears in Megatron's robot and tank modes.
• Swindle - Starscream's Indy-styled Mini-Con. Swindle doesn't appear at all in the game.
• CyclonusSidekick - belongs to Cyclonus. Crumplezone appears in Cyclonus' helicopter mode to give that mean attack chopper look.
• DemolishorSidekick - Demolishor's buddy Blackout also sat this one out.

Unused .FXB Files

To do: Anything else?

File directory: tfa2.zip\EFFECTS

.FXB files are responsible for handling various effects in the game, such as the Command Unit's motion blade effect, health pickups, the Dropship's exhaust, the various Mini-Con effects, and much more. There's a few .FXB files which are empty and thus go unused:

• GOTAMMOPICKUP.FXB
• GOTHEALTHPICKUPLARGE.FXB
• GOTHEALTHPICKUPSMALL.FXB

Internal Names

To do: Some .CS files name locations in the game world (Starship refers to itself as "Mothership", etc.).

System Names

Prefixes can be observed in the .ELF executable and if specified, certain files.

• Transformers' project name is "TA" or "TFA" - short for Transformers: Armada. In addition, "ta" is a prefix used for various references in the .ELF executable.
• "AN" refers to Antioch, which is a system responsible for animations. Antioch's prefix can be found in some .VBIN model files.
• "VL" refers to Vertigo, Melbourne House's graphics engine (found at offset 0x51fe40 in the .ELF). Vertigo also seems to be the general name for the game engine itself. Transformers specifically runs on the Vertigo 2 engine and is the last released game to use the engine (though Test Drive Unlimited on the PS2 uses parts of Vertigo, despite it being mostly Eden Games' engine).
• "KR" refers to Kraken, which is a user-interface library (found at offset 0x51feb0 in the .ELF).
• "FL" refers to Fish File Library (found at offset 0x51fe60 in the .ELF). Fish is a file loading library and its name be found in the header of various files with extensions such as .BT, .BMD, .BDB, and .VBIN model/animation files.
• "SL" refers to Sirens Sound Library (found at offset 0x51fe70 in the .ELF).
• "TDG" refers to Technology Development Group Support Library (found at offset 0x51fe90 in the .ELF).
• "ML" refers to the Maths Library (found at offset 0x51fea0 in the .ELF).
• "RE" refers to the Racing Engine, a system which was used in prior Melbourne House titles such as Grand Prix Challenge and was fitted into Transformers.
• "HI" refers to Human Instrumentality, a meta-animation system (found at offsets 0x538e70, 0x538ec0, and 0x538dc0). The system allows for different animations to play at the same time while staying in-sync with each other. The name of this system is an intentional reference to Neon Genesis Evangelion.

File directory: tfa.zip\CONFIGS\0_DEFS.TMD

The following system names are mentioned in the 0_DEFS.TMD startup debug menu file.

To do: I think Ecco handles the trees and grass while Poddy is a scripting engine, but I'm not 100% sure.

• Ecco
• Poddy
• Grip is related to the controller.
• Anoki is a precursor to the Antioch animation system. Anoki is used Men in Black II: Alien Escape. Transformers uses the upgraded Antioch animation system, so this particular instance of the Anoki name is likely just a holdover from an earlier engine iteration.
• Lingva is related to how the game handles different localizations.
• Cyclone handles the game's FMVs.

Levels

Some early level names can be found in various places in the game.

File directory: tfa.zip\LEVELS

Internal	In-Game Text
01_AMAZON_1	Amazon
02_ANTARCTICA	Antarctica
03_AMAZON_2	Deep Amazon
04_AIRCRAFTCARRIER 04_AIRCRAFTCARRIERDEFEATED	Mid-Atlantic
05_GREENLAND	Alaska
06_SPACESHIP	Starship
07_EASTERISLAND	Pacific Island
08_CYBERTRON	Cybertron

Other internal level names can be found elsewhere.

File directory: tfa.zip\LEVELS\EPISODES\01_AMAZON_1\CINEMA & GEOMETRY

Textures and a cutscene script filename refers to the ruins at the end of the Amazon level as being Machu Picchu. In real life, Machu Picchu isn't actually located in the Amazon rainforest, but let's ignore that.

File directory: ta_xtras.zip\USERINTERFACE\EXTRAS\EXTRAS.TMD

In one particular instance in the game, Starship is internally referred to as "Nemesis". This name seems to stem from earlier builds of the game, where the Starship level's description refers to the ship as the Nemesis.

File directory: tfa2.zip\WEATHERMANAGER.TMD

It appears that Alaska was called Siberia at some point. Considering how Alaska is internally referred to as Greenland, the Siberia name seems to be a very early leftover.

File directory: tfa2.zip\LEVELS\EPISODES\07_EASTERISLAND\CINEMA

Pacific Island goes under the internal name of "Island", which is evident by a .CS cinema file. Some concept art also refers to the level as Island.

(Source: Mecha (Nemesis))

Difficulties

Generic difficulty names. Despite Easy difficulty being cut, it is consistently assigned to whatever Normal difficulty is named, even in earlier builds.

Internal	In-Game Text
Easy	Recruit
Normal	Recruit
Hard	Veteran
Extreme	Commander

Also found in tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD is a reference to Cadet difficulty, which is very likely to be an early name for Normal difficulty.

Mini-Con Weapon Names

File directory: tfa.zip\STRINGS\ENGLISH.TXT

Some Mini-Cons have different weapon names. The Mini-Con name is provided for reference.

Mini-Con Name	Retail Weapon Name	Internal Weapon Name
Skirmish	Heavy Blaster	HeavyAssaultBlaster
Sparkjump	Heavy Arc Gun	HeavyElectricArcGun
Jumpstart	Super Hvy Arc Gun	SuperHeavyElectricArcGun
Flashbang	Rocket Launcher	ClusterRocket
Endgame	Dark Energon Gun	DarkEnergonBlaster
Airburst	Flak Cannon	FlakBurst
Claymore	Proximity mines	DropMine
Twister	Vortex Projector	VortexCannon
Slipstream	Glide Wings	Glide
Discord	Scrambler	AreaEffectScrambler
Pressurepoint	Melee Booster	MeleeDamageEnhance
Smackdown	Super Melee Booster	EnergonMeleeWeapon
Hawkeye	Energon Vision	EnergonSensor
Fullspeed	Super Dash	EnhancedDash
Covert	Stealth Field	Stealth
Stronghold	Super Armor	SuperHeavyArmor
Rangefinder	Range Enhancer	WeaponDistanceEnhance
Firefight	Super Hvy Blaster	SuperHeavyAssaultBlaster
Shockpunch	Combat field	ElectroField
Shieldwall	Ballistic Shield	EnergonScreen
Comeback	Reactivation	Revive
Blaster	Default weapon	AssaultBlaster

The Blaster weapon is the default R1 weapon that you start the game with.

Enemies

Internal names pertaining to enemies in general.

File directory: tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD

Some enemies have internal names which differ from their official names.

Internal Name	Official Name
ArtilleryGuy	Artillery Unit
LightGrunt	Light Unit
MediumGrunt GrenadeGrunt	Medium Unit
HeavyGrunt	Heavy Unit
Sarge	Command Unit
ShieldArm	Rollarm Unit

File directory: tfa2.zip\CREATURE.TMD

To do: What is Reign of Fire supposed to be?

Some of Tidal Wave's attacks have names associated with them.

• Mortar: refers to Tidal Wave's artillery attacks.
• Burning Beam: Tidal Wave's head lasers.
• Snap Slap: the melee attack Tidal Wave uses.

Starship Symbols

File directory: tfa.zip\LEVELS\EPISODES\06_SPACESHIP\GEOMETRY

The abstract symbols used in the beginning of the horizontal portion of Starship have specific meanings as described by their filename. The symbols seem to refer to the room they're associated with. "WARPGATE" corresponds to the room where the first Warp Gate is located, while "RESTRICTED" corresponds to a room which cannot be entered.

WARPGATE	RESTRICTED

Test Files

TEST_CAR.TXT
File directory: tfa2.zip\PHYSICS

DavidF refers to David Flower, who is credited as the physics and simulation programmer.

#error - file no longer used - DavidF 21/03/03

Test Reflections
File directory: tfa2.zip\REFLECTIONS

Build Dates

Starting at offset 0x532d90 in the .ELF is information regarding when the game was built and the build version. The retail European and Director's Cut builds share the same build date and build version, despite the Director's Cut being released a year later.

USA/South Korea	Europe/Director's Cut
Transformers Armada $Revision: 6240 $ $Date: 3/23/04 11:22a $ GOLD	Transformers Armada $Revision: 6242 $ $Date: 27/03/04 12:05p $ GOLD

(Source: PrincessTrevor)

There is also information regarding when two internal systems were built. Starting at offset 0x52a6f0 in the .ELF is information regarding when "GenTriStrip" had been built and what its build version is.

GenTriStrip $Revision: 73 $ $Date: 27.06.03 2.27p $ REL

Starting at offset 0x53d4d0 in the .ELF is information regarding when the game's racing engine physics was built and its build version.

RacingEnginePhysics $Revision: 63 $ $Date: 6/10/03 5:37p $ RETAIL

Regional Differences

The European version of the game has some notable differences compared to versions released in other regions:

• All text and voice acting is dubbed in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Non-European versions of the game only include the English text and voice acting.
  • Both versions only include the credits in English, meaning the non-English voice actors don't get credited.
    
• There are two sets of cutscenes: one for 60Hz televisions (prefixed with n) and one for 50Hz televisions (prefixed with p). Non-European versions only have the 60Hz cutscenes.
  
• The two cheat code videos which are present in non-European versions are removed to make room for the extra languages. This is also applicable to the Director's Cut version.
  • As a result, the European version has some unused strings regarding those cheat videos which are unique to that version.
  • Instead of the videos, the European version includes two collections of in-game screenshots. Many of the screenshots were previously included in press kits and showcase early versions of the character models and level design, such as Hot Shot with regular tires and Rainy Pacific Island.

There are some minor text changes between the European and US English localizations. Changes that are harder to notice are red for clarity.

Key	US	Europe
KEY_CONTROLLER_MISSING	The DUALSHOCK®2 analog controller is not detected. Please insert a DUALSHOCK®2 analog controller into controller port 1.	The analog controller (DUALSHOCK®2) is not detected. Please insert an analog controller (DUALSHOCK®2) into controller port 1.
KEY_GALLERY_INSTRUCTIONSHEETHOTSHOT	Instruction sheets: Hot Shot	Instruction Sheet: Hot Shot
KEY_GALLERY_TVTHEMEORCH	Transformers theme: Orchestral	Transformers theme - Orchestral

Revisional Differences

The Europe-exclusive Director's Cut version, released in 2005, has a bonus "Making Of" video that details the game's development which is accessed through a newly created menu. The game is otherwise identical to the previous European release, right down to it having the same build version and date.