Announcing: OutRun Enhanced Edition, with High Score Saving & Improved Freeplay Mode

DarrenF

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Announcing: OutRun Enhanced Edition, with High Score Saving & Improved Freeplay Mode

A friend (Chris White) and I have created a modification (aka ROM hack) for OutRun (Sega, 1986) to provide:

- high score saving (using existing hardware, no add'l NVRAM req'd)
- improved freeplay mode (with attract)
- enhanced music selection screen (plays music)
- selectable "km/h" / "MPH" speed display
- various bugfixes

It is released and available to all for free. Download and read all the details at my webpage:

http://www.finck.net/outrun/

and on my friend's blog:

http://reassembler.blogspot.com/2011/08/outrun-enhanced-edition.html

It requires patching the ROMS and programming (4) 27C512 EPROMs (all of the game code for the primary CPU).

No add'l hardware modification is required. High-score retention with power off may only be ~1 week (same as original bookkeeping data). You may optionally upgrade your memory back-up capacitor to improve this storage time. (The original has a 0.1F cap; 0.5F and 1.0F are commonly available.)

Enjoy!
Darren
 
AWESOME! I look forward to trying this. I'm assuming that freeplay mode is optional? Thanks for doing this Darren!!!!
 
AWESOME! I look forward to trying this. I'm assuming that freeplay mode is optional?

Yes. The original already had freeplay mode (dipswitch selectable). It just sucked (no attract... repeated start-up and game mode with no one home). This version improves it so that it goes thru attract mode, and doesn't auto-start the game.
 
Anyone willing to burn me some EPROMs? I would love to add this to my Outrun.
 
Wow, thanks for doing this!! Exciting to hear that a mod was done for this game. I will def be using this..
 
Excellent. I've had a couple requests for an Outrun score save over the years, but I never owned the game (or sought it out). Several folks here are going to be very happy to see this. Nicely done.
 
This is spectacular!! Now I can seriously consider adding Outrun to my game search. I don't have a ROM burner but..anyone willing to burn them I would purchase a set. ;)
 
if its just 27c512s I can burn them, I have about 30 in stock right now. Problem is I paid too much for them. So it would be 4.00 each then 5.00 shipping for all. Let me know if you guys want these...or I can make it an even 20.00 to ship 4 if paid for as a gift.
That is if Darren is okay with it.. ??
 
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if its just 27c512s I can burn them, I have about 30 in stock right now. Problem is I paid too much for them. So it would be 4.00 each then 5.00 shipping for all. Let me know if you guys want these...or I can make it an even 20.00 to ship 4 if paid for as a gift.
That is if Darren is okay with it.. ??

Chris & I released the patcher & code to everyone for their free use; so long as improvements and re-distributions OF THE CODE remain free and open.

How much someone pays for an EPROM device, and/or programming services, is none of my business nor concern.... so long as they know that the code modifications we shared are free. Those that have an EPROM programmer (or know a friend with one) can self-serve. Those that don't, will presumably need to pay fair market value for the material and labor associated with providing any other programmed EPROM. _I_ am not really interesting in getting in to the "business" of selling programmed EPROMs; don't really feel like dealing with buying the things, and emailing back and forth with people, and complaints about shipping not being fast enough, etc., etc. If that means you, or Steph, or anyone else, makes a few bucks selling EPROMs with Sega's code + our mods programmed on them... I guess that's just how things go. No biggie to me.
 
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Awesome!!! I can't wait to get these installed into my machine! I have everything I need to burn these ROM's....except the know how of patching the ROM's. Can anybody help??
-Mark
 
Awesome!!! I can't wait to get these installed into my machine! I have everything I need to burn these ROM's....except the know how of patching the ROM's. Can anybody help??
-Mark

Check your PM inbox...
 
I sold my Outrun a while back, but I am still really glad to see this done. I sold my After Burner(s) as well, but it would be great to see a freeplay hack for that as well, if you are looking for additional projects.

Thanks!
 
Check your PM inbox...

Can I get in on that?
Rep given for some awesome work you guys!

Now which Cap number is it? someone should bundle that for a minor fee...
 
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OK...

<humble>

Hold on just a sec, guys. It was inevitable... a bug has been discovered.

It is caused by the fix to the spurious sound in attract mode. If you're patching your ROMS, REMOVE THE FOLLOWING FROM THE outrun_v100.txt FILE BEFORE PATCHING WITH THE JAVA PATCHER (don't use the other patcher for now, as the patches will need to be updated):

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Spurious sound in attract mode
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

ADDRESS: 0x56de
0x0C79, 0x0005, 0x0006, 0x080C, // cmpi.w #5,($6080c).l
0x6E00, // bgt


That bit fixes a very minor bug in attract mode, but apparently causes a somewhat bigger bug: If you finish without achieving a top 20 high score, the music continues forever in attract mode (until another game is started). This should not happen. It should stop the music the 1st time the high scores are displayed in attract mode.

I just re-tested without the above "bugfix" (and cause), and the sound cuts off properly. If you're patching, please make the above change and proceed with patching and programming. All other features are unaffected.

Thank you for you patience.

In case you didn't notice from the instructions, webpage, or post... this has only be tested by me for a handful of hours. YOU ARE a "beta tester" if you use this.

</humble>

...hey... it's free.
 
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