OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast - A Classic Revived by Fans

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast hasn't been available for purchase for 14 years, but that hasn’t stopped dedicated fans from keeping it alive and kicking. Despite being pulled from digital stores back in 2010 due to the expiration of its Ferrari license, this stylish and beloved racing game remains playable for those fortunate enough to own a copy. Even better, it just received a fan-made update that significantly enhances its performance on modern PCs.

Developer emoose crafted an update in the form of a "wrapper DLL" and a replacement executable compatible with both Steam and disc versions of the game. This update brings a host of improvements, ensuring that OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast continues to deliver a stellar racing experience.

Highlights of the Update:

Graphics:

• Aspect Ratio Scaling: The UI now scales to different aspect ratios without stretching (UIScalingMode = 1 in INI).

• Texture Management: Game scene and UI textures can be dumped and replaced.

• Vehicle LODs: Disabling vehicle LODs reduces ugly pop-in as vehicles approach.

• Z-buffer Precision: Fixed issues causing heavy Z-fighting and distant object pop-in.

• Lens Flare: Effect now loads correctly without modifying game files.

• Stage Objects: Traffic cones and other objects only disappear once they're off-screen.

• Effect Fixes: Resolved issues with engine backfiring effects when using controllers.

• Anti-aliasing: Anisotropic filtering and transparency supersampling reduce aliasing around track edges.

• Reflection Resolution: Increased from the default 128x128 for sharper reflections.
  
  

  
  
  

Gameplay:

• Framerate Control: A built-in framelimiter prevents speedups, with partial framerate unlock at 60FPS.

• Feedback Integration: Restored XInput rumble code from the Xbox release for enhanced feedback.

• Controller Support: Xbox Series impulse triggers are now supported and can be customized.
  
  

  
  
  

Bugfixes:

• Save Corruption: Fixed when remapping controls with multiple input devices.

• Ranking Scoreboards: Corrected faulty anti-piracy checks preventing updates on Steam and other releases.

• Sound Effects: Pegasus animation's clopping sound effect now ends correctly.

• DPI Scaling: Automatically disables on the game window to fix scaling issues.
  
  

  
  
  

Enhancements:

• Borderless Windowed Mode: The game can now run in this mode with the mouse cursor hidden during gameplay.

• Loading Times: Heavily reduced by disabling framelimiter/vsync during load screens.

• Music Options: Supports loading uncompressed WAV or lossless FLAC files.

• Skip Intro Screens: Allows skipping of intro splash screens.

• Music Control: Change music tracks mid-race via Q and E buttons or controller shortcuts (CDSwitcher must be enabled in INI).
  
  

  
  
  

If you could bring any racing game back with a snap of your fingers, OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast would be the perfect choice. It's a piece of art, arguably the best in the OutRun series. The idea of playing it seamlessly on modern devices like the Steam Deck, without the hassle of hunting down a physical copy or needing tech assistance, is simply exhilarating.

So, if you’ve got a copy of this classic, now is the perfect time to dust it off and enjoy it anew, thanks to the passion and dedication of the fan community. Happy racing!