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FlatOut

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Title Screen

FlatOut

Also known as: Racing Game: Chuui!!!! (JP)
Developer: Bugbear Entertainment
Publishers: Empire Interactive (EU/US), Konami (JP)
Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Linux
Released in JP: October 13, 2005 (PlayStation 2)
Released in US: July 12, 2005
Released in EU: November 5, 2004


CodeIcon.png This game has unused code.
ObjectIcon.png This game has unused objects.
GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.


ProtoIcon.png This game has a prototype article
PrereleaseIcon.png This game has a prerelease article

FlatOut is the first entry in the infamous destruction-derby style racing series. It proved to be a massive breakthrough for Bugbear, at the time a small European studio, spawning multiple sequels (including some that fans would rather forget for much the same reasons most Carmageddon fans would rather forget TDR2000).

Featuring a typically questionable yet charming low-budget game soundtrack composed of unsigned rock bands, the first FlatOut is considered a noteworthy staple in the racing genre. With a unique roster of stock-car-themed early-70's muscle cars and imports to choose from, players can take their suicidal "ragdoll" on a joyride through multiple under-construction and highly-destructible environments such as racetracks, small towns, and forests, as well as a few demolition derby arenas, and infamously a unique stunt mode where players would watch their driver launch out the windshield to perform large-scale versions of various sports. At the end of the day, you'll find yourself plowing into cardboard boxes and traffic cones on the last lap of a heated race that will comedically catapult your vehicle into outer space.

Now that's flyin' FlatOut.

Hmmm...
To do:
  • A prototype showcasing many lost assets was publicly released by Bugbear for free download, featuring a cut Volkswagen "Beetle" Type 1.
  • Later development builds (never accounted for) were used mainly for promo screenshots, with vehicles sporting "bug-catchers" (done) and completely different liveries than in the final. Could be good for a Prerelease page.
  • See if the Japanese version has any other differences.

Sub-Page

Read about prototype versions of this game that have been released or dumped.
Prototype Info
Read about prerelease information and/or media for this game.
Prerelease Info

Unused UI Assets

Unused UI and texture assets exist in the BFS (Bugbear File System) archives.

Copyright Screens

A copyright screen that was only used in the public demo release is present in the final game's files but is never used. Note the "Rating Pending" symbol.

Unused/Demo Version Final (PAL/US Version)
Fo1 copyright us.png Fo1 copyright.png

Vehicle Logos

Vehicle logos were supposed to make an appearance in the vehicle select screen, however, they remain mysteriously unused.

Fo1 car logos.png

Background Images

Various early background images remained in the game's archives. Multiple show unused vehicles with unused liveries.

Third Winter Track

The game has two tracks set in a Winter landscape, but present in data\tracks\winter\textures is map_winter3a/b/c.dds, which looks like a placeholder.

Map winter3a.png

In data\menu\bg winter3.tga is found, possibly a leftover, definitely unused.

FlatOut 1 Winter3.png

Early Vehicles And Modifications

Over time, the player/AI vehicles went through multiple revisions. Early screenshots showcase vehicles with special liveries that never were released to the public.

Early Main Menu Thrasher Wreck

The main menu wreck is based on a Thrasher, a Gold class muscle car with an incredible amount of damage not possible on vehicles during normal gameplay. The common.dds file under data\tracks\menu\textures reveals the aforementioned supercharger on the lower left of the image. Notably, its engine texture is bright and shiny compared to the one used for player vehicles.

Unused Menu Wreck Version Final Player/AI Version
Fo1 common.png Fo1 common 1.png

Intriguingly enough, this Trasher appears to have the name "Blocker" notably applied to its rear fenders. The name "Blocker" would make itself onto the Fiat 131 coupe-lookalike instead.

Fo1 body.png

Unused Bonus Car

An unused bonus car icon is found in the data/menu folder. The bonus car is also referenced in the script files as the skull. It seems to have been reused in Ultimate Carnage as the Bonecracker.

Cars icons flatout.png

In the car_icons.bed file, there's a line referring to it, but it's commented out

--// carbonus = {  316, 136, 79, 68 },

Unused Wheel Textures

Unused wheel textures are found in the data/cars/shared folder. The other appears to be a chrome five-spoke steel wheel from a first-generation Ford Mustang, circa 1966.

Fo1 tire 03.png Tire 04.jpg

Unused Supercharger/Turbocharger

At one point in development, the ability to fit the player's vehicle with a visual Supercharger/Turbocharger modification was removed.

The following audio files were to be used for either the turbo or supercharger.

super_onlow

turbo_pop_high_b

turbo_whine_a

Texture used for the parts shop version.

Fo1 upgradeparts supercharger.png

Regional Differences

Japanese Version

In Japan, the game was renamed Racing Game: Chuui!!!! It's not entirely certain why, but in any case the game got a new logo that also replaced most instances of the FlatOut logo in-game (such as one of the signs in the main menu).

The name change was ultimately irrelevant, as Japanese releases of subsequent FlatOut games kept their original names, albeit as FlatOut 2 GTR in the second game's case.

German Version

Probably one of the biggest selling points of the game (and of the FlatOut series in general) is the drivers flying off of their vehicles with the best ragdoll physics the mid-2000s offered. However, for the German release things were altered a bit in order to avoid a higher age rating from the country's ratings board: the human drivers were replaced with crash test dummies, a change that would also be seen in subsequent FlatOut titles released there. The male/female icons when creating a profile were altered as well, and all screams the human drivers use when flying are not used in this version.

Curiously, the Japanese release features a mixture of both: regular race events and demolition derbies use the humans, while the stunt events use the dummies. The male/female driver icons are also those of the humans in this version.

In all versions, these files exist.

International German
Fo1 male.pngFo1 female.png Fo1 male ctd.pngFo1 female ctd.png

Platform Differences

A patch 1.2 only released for US retail version and added an extra trailer in main menu.