A ragdoll in Flatout 2.
Ragdoll Physics is the main and major feature in all FlatOut games. They appear in every game in the series.
Ragdolls in FO:UC.
As the name suggests, the player and other drivers can launch from the windshield, fall and land in many varied ways. The games also have many ragdoll minigames, including bowling, darts, highjumps, football and stone skipping.
FlatOut
FlatOut introduced ragdoll physics in racing games. When colliding with fast speeds against any fairly heavy object, the character will smash through the windscreen and launch out of the car. The player can land in various ways. It is even possible to land your ragdoll onto another car, but doing so is a challenge and can take many tries. There are many minigames involving ragdolls. Using the "Ctrl" button (or nitro button), the player can launch the driver. Holding the button will increase the distance, but tapping will only allow the player's character to fly out a few meters. There is a cheat code (RAGDOLL) which when you enable it, go to any race and press the 'Gear Up' button on your keyboard, will toss out your driver at max force.
FlatOut 2
Ragdoll physics in Flatout 2 have been improved a lot. However, the cheat code does not exist anymore and is replaced with a cheat that disables the ragdolls to launch from their cars. To eject your driver, the vehicle must be going considerable faster than in the first FlatOut, but the bright side is you can see your driver get run over by other vehicles, hit other objects such as barrels and walls, and even laying down, for as long as you want. Ragdolls in the game introduce a new feature, aerobatics. Aerobatics allow you to control your ragdoll player in mid air, making it easier to complete minigame tasks, however, using them will increase drag, slowing down your player. Nudge (available only in stunts) gives you a little upward force, decreasing drag. In the Stone Skipping minigame, the Nudge button is replaced with "Skip" button, as soon as you land in the water you must press it to skip. By forcing the NPC drivers to launch from their car, you earn the "Crash Out" achievement.
A ragdoll in Flatout 1 in the German version of the game.
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage
Ragdoll physics are nearly unchanged from the previous title, only being a tad more realistic in the terms of being less "elastic"-like.
Trivia
- The ragdolls/drivers were changed in the German versions to crash test dummies due to the fact that it was deemed too violent for the game ratings system in Germany.
- On Jack Benton, the words "Flat Out 2" are seen on the bottom of his shoes. This is possibly an eastereEgg.
- FlatOut 2 was the first game in the series to focus on the drivers substantially, unlike the original FlatOut game where the drivers' appearance were only seen during gameplay.