FlatOut 2

FlatOut
FlatOut	2004
FlatOut 2	2006
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage	2008
FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction	2011
FlatOut 4: Total Insanity	2017

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

FlatOut 2 is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person and third-person action, racing and tricks game in the FlatOut series.

Key points

Can use multiplayer with OpenSpy.

Remade as FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage in 2008.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability[edit]

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		US: SecuROM 7 DRM Europe: StarForce 4 DRM^{[Note 1]} Poland: DRM-free
Amazon.com
GamersGate

GOG.com
Green Man Gaming
Mac App Store		No online play ^[4]
Steam
ZOOM Platform
GamersGate (unavailable)		DRM: Deliver2Mac

StarForce DRM for this game does not work on modern versions of Windows (see above for affected versions).

Version differences[edit]

The Mac App Store version does not support online play.^[4]

The Linux version found at GOG uses Wine wrapper to run the game.

Essential improvements[edit]

Patches[edit]

The latest version is Patch 1.2 (US and EU)

Opening the launcher[edit]

After the first time launching the game, the launcher won't show up again rendering the player unable to reconfigure the settings.

Launch parameter^[5]
Use the `-setup` command line argument.

Delete Device configuration file^{[citation needed]}
Locate `<path-to-game>\Savefile` or in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore` and delete/remove `device.cfg`.

Skip intro videos[edit]

Use ThirteenAG's widescreen fix^[5]

Skip intro fix^{[citation needed]}
Download BFS file and place it in the installation folder. Open the `filesystem` file with a text editor. Add this new line at the bottom: `mcz-fo2noint.bfs`

Music from other FlatOut's (and Wreckfest) in FlatOut 2[edit]

Download mod^{[citation needed]}
Download this file or this file if you don't want music from Wreckfest. Extract to the `<path-to-game>` Open the `filesystem` file with a text editor. Add this new line at the bottom: `combinedsoundtrack.bfs` or `combinedsoundtrack_wreckfest.bfs` respectively

ZolikaPatch[edit]

Removes forced VSync and the 100FPS cap, enables Multiplayer via OpenSpy and re-enables Split Screen mode

Applying ZolikaPatch^{[citation needed]}
Download the ZPatchFO2_v#.#.zip file. Extract the contents of the download to `<path-to-game>\` (replace the file(s) when prompted).

Game data[edit]

Configuration file(s) location[edit]

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Savegame\^{[Note 2]}
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2990/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.

Save game data location[edit]

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Savegame\^{[Note 2]}
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2990/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

Save game cloud syncing[edit]

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video[edit]

Game launcher (access with -setup parameter).

Ingame video options

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		Native support for Steam and GOG version, but the HUD and menu are stretched. Use ThirteenAG's fix for retail or to optimize the digital versions further.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen		Use ThirteenAG's fix.
4K Ultra HD		Use ThirteenAG's fix.
Field of view (FOV)	See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed	See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See Windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)	Up to 16x.
Anti-aliasing (AA)	Up to 8x MSAA.
Vertical sync (Vsync)	Use ZolikaPatch to disable it.
60 FPS
120+ FPS	Frame rate is capped at 100 FPS. Use ZolikaPatch to remove the cap.

Field of view (FOV)[edit]

Set FOVFactor^{[citation needed]}
Install ThirteenAG's fix. Edit `Flatout2.WidescreenFix.ini`. Set `FOVFactor` to the desired value.

Windowed[edit]

Force windowed mode^{[citation needed]}
Download d3d9hook. Extract `d3d9.dll` to <path-to-game>.

Input[edit]

Input options

Remapping options

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		No mouse support in-game.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		Must be enabled in options and plugged in before launching; default controls are unintuitive but can be rebound in options.
Full controller support		Requires user to press `↵ Enter` on the keyboard to begin a race. No controller support in menus.
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Additional information
Button prompts		Not functioning on more recent controllers; prompts do not match required input.
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback		For XInput controllers see XInput force feedback vibration in DirectInput games.
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio[edit]

Audio options

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, Effects.
Surround sound		Up to 7.0 output with DirectSound3D restoration software.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support		DirectSound3D.^[6] Select Hardware 3D in launcher.

Missing two songs only present in the Xbox release, Nine Black Alps - Cosmopolitan, and AFI - Rabbits Are Roadkill On Rt. 37 although it can be restored using this mod FO2 MusicPlus

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Polish				2 versions - Polish retail and fan translation. Download this file to use the fan translation.
Russian				Russian/CIS retail release only, patch for digital releases can be found here.
Spanish

Network[edit]

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	8	Hot seat Rag Doll mini-games (Party Mode). See also FlatOut 2 Splitscreen Mod.
LAN play	8
Online play	8	Use the patched FlatOut2.exe or ZolikaPatch. Not available in the Mac App Store version.^[4]

VR support[edit]

3D modes	Native	Notes
vorpX		G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues fixed[edit]

Juddery motion despite having a consistent frame rate[edit]

Use either 50Hz or 100Hz if your monitor is capable. If using G-Sync/FreeSync, use a third-party tool to cap the frame rate at 50 fps or leave it uncapped for 100 fps. Only leave it uncapped if your PC is capable of delivering 100 fps consistently.^{[citation needed]}

Other information[edit]

API[edit]

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work* on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.*
Linux

Middleware[edit]

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	DirectSound3D
Multiplayer	GameSpy	GameSpy has been shut down; use the patched FlatOut2.exe or ZolikaPatch.

System requirements[edit]

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	2000	2000 SP4, XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium III 1.5 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2000+ 1.5 GHz	Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM)	256 MB	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	3.5 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce FX 5xxx ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	256 MB of VRAM

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.6.8
Processor (CPU)	Intel
System memory (RAM)	512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	4 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 7300 ATI Radeon X1600 Intel GMA X3100 128 MB of VRAM

Linux
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	Ubuntu 14.04, Linux Mint 17
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz
System memory (RAM)	2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT ATI Radeon HD 5770

Intel GPUs are not supported.

Notes

↑ This version of StarForce DRM does not work on Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Windows 11.^[2]^[3] For supported versions of Windows the StarForce driver may need to be updated manually using SFUPDATE.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/2990/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (2990) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

↑ GOG.com Now Supports Linux! - July 24, 2014
↑ Windows 8.1 support - StarForce Support
↑ Windows 10 support - StarForce Support
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Mac App Store - FlatOut 2
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Verified by User:Nessy on 2022-03-21
↑ FlatOut 2 with 3D spatial sound 🎧 (OpenAL Soft HRTF audio)

[4] This version of StarForce DRM does not work on Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Windows 11.^[2]^[3] For supported versions of Windows the StarForce driver may need to be updated manually using SFUPDATE.

[gamedir-7] 2.0 ^2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

[Proton_path_note-8] 3.0 ^3.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/2990/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (2990) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

[1] GOG.com Now Supports Linux! - July 24, 2014

[StarForce_Windows_8.1-2] Windows 8.1 support - StarForce Support

[StarForce_Windows_10-3] Windows 10 support - StarForce Support

[Mac_App_Store-5] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Mac App Store - FlatOut 2

[2022-03-21-6] 5.0 ^5.1 Verified by User:Nessy on 2022-03-21

[9] FlatOut 2 with 3D spatial sound 🎧 (OpenAL Soft HRTF audio)

[1]

[Note 1]

[4]

[5]

[Note 2]

[Note 3]

[6]

[2]

[3]

Developers

	Bugbear Entertainment
macOS (OS X)	Virtual Programming
Publishers
Retail (Europe)	Empire Interactive
Retail (North America)	Vivendi Universal Games
Russia/CIS	Buka Entertainment
Digital	Strategy First
Engines
	ROMU Engine
Release dates
Windows	June 30, 2006
macOS (OS X)	October 3, 2008
Linux (Wine)	July 24, 2014^[1]
Reception
Metacritic	76
IGDB	83
Taxonomy
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person, Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Racing, Tricks
Vehicles	Automobile, Off-roading, Track racing
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Contemporary
Series	FlatOut