Rance IV:Cut Content

A key object called the "Type 100 Spy Plane" exists in the game's data, with the following description, fully translated into English by the English patch.

A debug fighter the imperial army uses to scout out maps.
With this, the map can be explored freely. (Equipped with
two 20mm cannons.)

If used, Rance will claim he is riding the fighter, at which point the game will softlock. If the code involved is corrected, the game will make an equally faulty attempt to get key input from the user (which will fail), at which point Rance will return from "scouting" with no changes. There is no attempt to actually use the input from the user, even if it were correctly handled.

It is possible that the plane was used as a teleportation or level select tool at some stage, but all code related to its function was removed (or never implemented).

Unused Equipment[]

Several unused equipment items are present in the game's code. These include:

Darkness Stick: A Dark-Aligned staff with 12 ATK and 20 STR. Notably, this would be the most powerful Staff in the game if it had been included (Freak's Rocket Punch, technically a Staff, has higher ATK but much lower STR).
Sefran Clothes: 10 DEF.
Priest Clothes: 8 DEF. Resist Dark.
Steel Armor: 27 DEF.

Mysterious Paper[]

While not cut content, this "feature" is easily missed. The "Map" option available from the dungeon right-click menu is actually tied to the "Mysterious Paper" item given to Rance by Sill at the start of the game, which the Item menu hints is a map. Sure enough, if Rance tosses the paper, not only will he never get it back, but the Map feature will cease to work without any explanation from the game (the menu item essentially does not function).

In an oversight of sorts, throwing away the paper also makes it impossible for the player to check the current time, as the time is only displayed when you check the map.

Unused Monster[]

Tucked in alongside the monster combat sprites is a sprite of a girl holding a pair of shoes and chuckling. No data exists for this enemy in the code. Given the difference in art style, this was either intended as a rough sketch or doodle, or as a bonus enemy similar to Shivan (who not only stylistically resembles her, but is stored right next to her on the sprite sheet).

This appears to be an early version of the Shoe Thief (くつとり女) enemy, best known from the nyo series.

Unused Julia Sequence[]

Short, surviving code exists that suggests there was going to be a part of Chapter 3 where Julia temporarily leaves the party. The variable, VAR0573, is used in three places: once to stop Maria from using the Return Bonsai while she is missing (VAR0537==3), once to silently rewind time if the day ends while she is missing (also 3, and see the Time Mechanics section for more details), and a final time during the end of chapter cutscene, where the variable is updated to 4. This suggests that the scene where Julia holds down the button at the end of the chapter used to be more complicated. Presumably, the party would leave her behind while holding down the button, and go adventuring to find the bridge, which would be the third step of an otherwise removed sequence. In the final game, the player leaves Julia on the button in the same room, and the sequence continues to its end straight away.

Unused Targeting Messages[]

An unused section of code would have given the player special messages if they Attacked an ally or an empty square, telling them that they can't do that. The game would then act as though the player had cancelled their action, allowing them to select again in the case of Shoot attacks, but potentially ending their turn in the case of moving and then using a Weapon Attack. In the final game, allies and empty squares cannot be selected during targeting, rendering the messages unused.

Character-specific, ally targeting messages exist for attack magic, but these are technically used, since they also appear if you cancel out of an attack spell. Another unused message exists for Assaulting an ally, but Assaulting an empty square would simply return the player to the menu. Similar checks exist, but without any message, for Merrim's monster encyclopedia.

Hidden Statistic[]

The original release of Rance IV up through version 1.01e included an additional entry in the Stats page for each character: "Monsters Killed." This text was removed in a certain unknown version (the version included in Rance VI Special Edition?) and remains missing in the English release and in TADA's version 2.05A.

Rance's personal kills stat is still used as part of the Complete Code (below). VAR0218 tracks the total kills for all party members combined, but is seemingly unused in all versions.

Error Messages[]

The game includes several inaccessible error messages, which were left untranslated. The recurring movement code includes error handlers that read "だめだーーーーＸが大きい" or "Ｙが大きい" or in other words, "It's no good----X is too big." The menu code includes 'この選択肢はＸ方向が大きすぎます。' and 'この選択肢はＹ方向が大きすぎます。' for creating a menu off-screen. The only error message that has been translated reads: 'Processing error, bug. [new line] ............." This error is completely inaccessible, but given its position in the code, it would have been called if an invalid combat action was selected from the menu.

Coding Observations[]

Time Mechanics[]

Rance IV's time mechanics are very unusual and are documented here for posterity. Basically, time largely passes at random: every time the player moves, there is a 1 in 5 chance that time will progress by 15 minutes. In version 2.05, time is "slowed" in Chapter 5 by making it only progress on a 1 in 10. Time also progresses in certain, fixed instances:

Time is set to 8am at the start of the game, and is oddly set to 8am again when Rance enters town. Time is also set to 8 if you visit camp before the first fight with Freon. These changes suggest that time originally passed on the surface.
Obviously, sleeping at the diner or the Tulip #3 (manually or automatically) advances time to 8am. It's actually switched to morning the moment you hit "Rest," not after any nighttime activities.
Time advances 15 minutes at the start of every battle.
Resting in camp advances time by one hour.
Using a transport device (the riding platforms Rance uses to get from area to area) advances time by one hour.
Using the Return Bonsai advances time by two hours.
- This includes the cutscenes where you reunite with Kanami and where you recruit Merim.
- This and all other two-hour time changes are not capped, theoretically setting the game into hour 24.
The Tickboom has the power to advance time by a single hour. There's no cap on this, theoretically sending the game to hour 24, hour 25, or beyond.
Time advances two hours when using Holy Water on Naturi's corpse.
Time advances two hours after the Magical Farmer tells you your first day's work is complete.
If the day ends while Rick is out of the party in Chapter 3, time will rewind two hours, to make sure the day doesn't end during the Ladykiller scenario. This was also programmed to happen during the unused Julia scenario.
Time is set directly to 10pm after Rance defeats Freon.
Time is set to 10am at the start of Chapter 2.
Time is set to 8am at the start of Chapter 3.
Time is set to 9pm after Rick loses his helmet.
Time is set to 9am at the start of Chapter 4.
Time is set to 11pm at the start of Chapter 6.

Sure enough, time does not change at the start of Chapter 5, the only chapter with this distinction.

Camp has a check to advance the hour if enough minutes have passed whenever you enter camp, even though the game always checks to progress the hour when it changes the minutes.

The time mechanics themselves are mostly irrelevant to the experience. They are required in a few plot sequences and as a part of certain optional quests, like the Pervert Mouse. A small subset of fixed encoutners, like the Love Me Tender, reset daily, and version 2.05's Mikan mechanics are tied into the day cycle. Given its appearance on end-of-chapter banners, it is possible that Alicesoft intended the day cycle as a high score mechanic?

Complete Code[]

Like other Alicesoft games from the era, Rance IV includes a "Complete Code" in the end credits, which could presumably be used to submit to contests or the like. It is generated as follows:

Rance's level minus 8.
The letter "H"
Rance's max HP minus his level.
The letter "L"
Rance's total kills.

Oddly, between step 3 and 4, there is another step that will never trigger: if VAR0057 is 1, the letters "DB" will also appear, but VAR0057 will always be 0. This doesn't seem to be simple text dump protection like the kind seen in Rance II: the variable is also referenced earlier, where if VAR0057 is 0, there will be a 10000ms pause between the final scene and the start of the credits. Since VAR0057 is always 0, the delay is always there.

It is possible that VAR0057 was a debug variable, and "DB" was there to tattle on any cheating fans. Alicesoft has used debug variables to skip mild, presentation elements like cutscene timing in the past (see Toushin Toshi II, where debug mode sets text speed to max, or Rance 02 vanilla, where being in debug mode will skip the opening video), and while this is not guaranteed, the low variable number may suggest the variable was included relatively early in the development process (although VAR0057's pre-set designation, M_X, is more often used to track the mouse position). If VAR0057 was a debug variable, it was mostly removed by launch time, since these are the only remnants. It would be curious to see if there are any remnants of this variable in the System 2 version of Rance IV for PC-98, but like many System 2 games, it currently can't be decompiled.

Version 2.05A[]

TADA's version 2.05A includes two debug functions that are inaccessible in the finished game. One is a code to give the player a single copy of every item in the game (which is possible to access via a cheat code in the English version of the patch, version 1.01 or higher). Unfortunately, there isn't enough room to store every unique item in the game, so even in later chapters (when the inventory is expanded), the player will be stuck discarding item after item, making the code less useful than it sounds. The other debug function, the only occupant of the new, EXTRADBGDBG.adv file, is an unused function to output the status of the IM (mouse input) command.

Version 2.05A circumvents several blocks of code instead of outright deleting them, leaving them dummied. This includes a section of combat code and every instance of the code that used to present a Yes/No menu when trying to exit a room.

Notes[]

This game has a Notes page.

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