DiRT Rally DiRT Rally out on Steam Early Access

[Alex Franchini]

Codemasters has surprised everyone with today's launch of Dirt Rally on Steam, under the Early Access label.

Judging from the official Steam Announcement, Dirt Rally features at launch (which is right now) 17 cars and 36 stages taken from 3 different locations (Monte Carlo, Acropolis and Wales).

SEE ALSO: Brand New Community Made DiRT Rally Videos

As you can see from the announcement, one of the biggest bullet points is "Simulation Handling". While we still haven't tried it yet, Codemasters definitely seems to be aiming for a more unforgiving driving model, with a "brand new model that simulates everything from the way the surface of the road behaves to limited slip differentials." Exactly how sim-like it will be remains to be seen, but it's indeed a good start.

Dirt Rally will also feature asynchronous events, team management providing improved repair times, league support.

Dirt Rally is currently in Early Access and available for the price of 26,99€, and it's going to receive new content in the form of cars, tracks and features for free.

Are you surprised as well by the Codies' announcement? Let us know your opinion in the comments!

 

[Kevin Knorpp]

 

[samekyo]

https://youtu.be/NsI-OZgArak?t=9m56s
In real life You'd be done. In DiRT You don't need to brake before the corner.
http://www.twitch.tv/ca4s/c/6623511
Good example at 0:55. Car stops over few meters.
For a contrast- here is how long it takes to brake from sixth gear into left two short corner:
https://youtu.be/AaP1vNZCCSU?t=1m
Straight from Greece:
https://youtu.be/gAPbS9Viw3M?t=53s
here is braking from sixth gear into thirth (it's 3 tightens, colin uses gear description instead angle system)
https://youtu.be/5a4X6n4igus?t=29s
Notice how long it takes him to slow down, AND HE STILL GOES TOO FAST!
I strongly recommend for everyone to watch whole fideo (it's just 7 mins long) as there is also some great gravel footage. Car dances from corner to corner. Not in DiRT.
Monte Carlo (ff to 37m29s)

 

[Rufus Baggsby]

Once again with the grip levels... Those of you who state it has too much grip, what are you comparing it to? What is your reference in concluding that?

This is a forum and you should expect that people will have different opinions from yours. However, my reference is 42 years of RL driving experience in all kinds of conditions and all kinds of vehicles.
400-odd bhp on a loose, wet or frozen surface should result in much less grip than the game currently provides regardless of tyres or what type of person you are.
Try the Audi Sport Quattro on one of the Greek stages and you will find (as someone has already mentioned,) that the car has too much inertia so it slows itself down and you don't need to brake much. The same inertia/grip issue makes it very hard to get the car sideways.
IMO the issue isn't just about grip, but also inertia and surface resistance.
I hope they can get it right as it would be a shame to waste those superb graphics.

 

[samekyo]

This is a forum and you should expect that people will have different opinions from yours. However, my reference is 42 years of RL driving experience in all kinds of conditions and all kinds of vehicles.
400-odd bhp on a loose, wet or frozen surface should result in much less grip than the game currently provides regardless of tyres or what type of person you are.
Try the Audi Sport Quattro on one of the Greek stages and you will find (as someone has already mentioned,) that the car has too much inertia so it slows itself down and you don't need to brake much. The same inertia/grip issue makes it very hard to get the car sideways.
IMO the issue isn't just about grip, but also inertia and surface resistance.
I hope they can get it right as it would be a shame to waste those superb graphics.

Hello Rufus!
Can ask You to post Your opinion over Codemasters forums, please? I am going to post there a direct video comparison from real world onboards next to DiRT Rally onboards to prove that physics are wrong. No matter where I try to prove this, there is always this argument "I am club riving rally amaterur, so I know how real worlds cars behave, hence Your argument is invalid, because RBR grip is too lose (...)". I cannot fight this fight alone, and I want a RBR replacement so far since I've tried DR with its immersive sound and graphics...
Thank You for Your time.

 

[Richard Eriksson]

Hello Rufus!
Can ask You to post Your opinion over Codemasters forums, please? I am going to post there a direct video comparison from real world onboards next to DiRT Rally onboards to prove that physics are wrong. No matter where I try to prove this, there is always this argument "I am club riving rally amaterur, so I know how real worlds cars behave, hence Your argument is invalid, because RBR grip is too lose (...)". I cannot fight this fight alone, and I want a RBR replacement so far since I've tried DR with its immersive sound and graphics...
Thank You for Your time.

The fact that RBR is not feeling right (too loose, being one problem) does not make your argument invalid as far as i think.

I mean, we have to look at THIS title going forward, and we can look at videos showing that RBR behaves unrealistic at times. But that does not help Codemasters.

Discussions like the one you have pushed here does however, so i am all for posting it to them. I would like them to come here with a rep, as i've stated... We have a lot of knowledge and are obviously willing to help

I think the grip feels just right for most cars, and especially the rwd cars. But i think road surface modeling is a culprit here... Braking is too acute and does not unsettle the car as much as i would like.

And it is a major issue that the leaning of the car can not be felt in the FFB... Makes it really "mushy" feeling to try and flick it at the apex.

But let's forget RBR for this title, let's work with Codemasters on THIS title, without involving how RBR felt. RBR is old and outdated, this is where the potential is 2015...

Our opinions need to be heard. Because yes, they have a good foundation here and they have asked for our help in Early Access, so let's give them a shot here. With what is there at this time, they deserve it... It's coming along.

Monthly updates they say... Should mean quick turnaround. Hopefully FFB is first on the list.

 

[Pedro K]

https://youtu.be/NsI-OZgArak?t=9m56s
In real life You'd be done. In DiRT You don't need to brake before the corner.
http://www.twitch.tv/ca4s/c/6623511
Good example at 0:55. Car stops over few meters.
For a contrast- here is how long it takes to brake from sixth gear into left two short corner:
https://youtu.be/AaP1vNZCCSU?t=1m
Straight from Greece:
https://youtu.be/gAPbS9Viw3M?t=53s
here is braking from sixth gear into thirth (it's 3 tightens, colin uses gear description instead angle system)
https://youtu.be/5a4X6n4igus?t=29s
Notice how long it takes him to slow down, AND HE STILL GOES TOO FAST!
I strongly recommend for everyone to watch whole fideo (it's just 7 mins long) as there is also some great gravel footage. Car dances from corner to corner. Not in DiRT.
Monte Carlo (ff to 37m29s)

100% agree. Bought RBR about a month ago and hadnt played it. Bought Dirt played it first. I now have about the same time on both. RBR (with rsrbr 2015 mod) feels so mush heavier and real, Dirt is the same acarde deal. Let's hope they fix it.

 

[Rufus Baggsby]

Hello Rufus!
Can ask You to post Your opinion over Codemasters forums, please?

Done.

 

[thewarmer]

Not pick this up yet , but i am sure I will be soon adding it to my collection .
I have been a avid Rally fan since the 80's though I have lost interest over the last few year
as I find the current sprint format & fixed servicing & no through the night stages a joke.
However I see the need for proper Rallying Sim in a market awash will track based Sims.

The last few WRC based game fell well short of the mark & Dirt series though fun at first became over filled with all that USA based show stuff.

I loved the first few CM Rally games on the PS1 but then even they failed to become a good rallying game or sim.
Then we had & still have the ageing RBR so its about time some body made a better rally based game.

Yes we all know Codies history fun good looking Games but not Sims.
I have been viewing videos & Forums to see what this new Dirt Rally is about I have read lots of good reports & lots of critical reports too,
This time around Codies seem to need the help of us the end users question is are Codies willing to listen this time around.
I have wasted time in the past mailing then over incorrect car sounds in Dirt & older games . along with other facts like the fact almost all Group B cars could never do hand brake turns due to the old Diff types back then.
Yet you can with a Quattro in Dirt Rally from what I have seen so far.
So that is just one of loads of other short coming with in the current state of the current build.

So I 2nd those who say we has the end user must make our voices heard in such numbers to make Codies take notice, & then just maybe RBR can be put to bed after a long time as the best Rallying sim to date.

I will now see if I can pick this up tomorrow first I need a Steam card as I need a few other things to. But thanks for all the good posts.

 

[samekyo]

"
mickeeiemouse said:
hello folks

you can change the grip levels of every car. i changed the subaru to 'low' grip tires and the difference was subtle at 1st, but it make a huge difference once you get down to the nitty gritty

cars>models>(select you car of choice, mine was impreza, so '555') >tuning. inside here we have 3 default tuning setups for each country. open each 1 and change the tire grip value at the bottom from 'med' to 'low'

try it out, i think its much harder now, much looser feel to things without having to drive too slow

MM"
Try this out guys, it's completely new experience. Much more close to reality.

 

[Hejak]

Getting back to sensations and grips provided by various surfaces let's take this gameplay footage from DR under concern:

Rally GB in heavy rain. No bigger dancing of the car. It doesn't seem challenging to keep the vehicle on the road at all. This doesn't have anything to do with the tires. In some harsh conditions there are simply no tires that can provide a driver with the amount of grip we see in the above video at such high speeds. This is in my opinion definitely not having to much in common with the reality. This way you will not feel the surface as this is not challenging at all to keep the car on the road.

For my statement to be approved I put this WRC real video from 2014 Rally GB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYjW5idn9pc
It's just wet. It doesn't rain at all. However look how all the cars tend to slide around corners, powerslide, drift, dance, fight to stay on the road. You can't see any of that in DR despite much harder, hardcore weather and surface conditions.

In terms of grips and sensations you get from surfaces - RBR is still simply the king amongst rally sims. It may lack something by a small margin but then DR lacks not just something but a completely DIFFERENT levels of grip. It is easy for game's producers to get people's attention and promise them it is gonna reflect reality. How many times have we heard that in history? The question is whether this time it will be different, if the potential DR undoubtly has will be fully used and changed into a real sim. Right now for me RBR and AC still beat DR in terms of grip levels and sensations that various surfaces provide. Let's hope next big update will show a big improvement in this department. In the end these are the physics, car handling, surfaces' grips that matter the most in this title if it wants to be considered as a SIM.

 

[samekyo]

I've just lined this thread on codemasters forums, hope to get people involved in discussion. Here is crosslink
http://forums.codemasters.com/discussion/6029/does-the-game-has-too-much-grip
Please feel free to add into discussion!
EDIT:
There is an suggestion box section opened over codemasters forums. I am thinking about proposing adding another realism settings in the options menu. Current settings that are appreciated by certain players would remain untouched, on the other hand sim racers would get accurate physics. What do You think guys?

 

[William Levesque]

Tried the game at my brother`s place. Not bad at all.

I don`t think the grip is that high, maybe a bit too much at high speed... The real problem is that I think there`s too much friction, which both make the cars quite slow (they really feel slow, like they have half the power) and slow down the cars quite fast when you brake or go sideways.

Loss of grip itself doesn`t quite feel right, it`s a bit snappy sometimes, but mostly on tarmac. Could be related to the surface/tyre friction.

 

[Pedro K]

I've just lined this thread on codemasters forums, hope to get people involved in discussion. Here is crosslink
http://forums.codemasters.com/discussion/6029/does-the-game-has-too-much-grip
Please feel free to add into discussion!
EDIT:
There is an suggestion box section opened over codemasters forums. I am thinking about proposing adding another realism settings in the options menu. Current settings that are appreciated by certain players would remain untouched, on the other hand sim racers would get accurate physics. What do You think guys?

100% It needs a hardcore mode, physics and damage

 

[samekyo]

Well, I personally am giving up on this title. I made a pool on codemasters forum with real life videos (mainly onboards) showing totally different car behaviour from what we get in DiRT Rally, and people are still convinced DiRT is new reality, and real life videos have too little grip I don't know, maybe someone will mod physics, but at this moment all we can get is somewhat accurate behaviour while in the middle of the corner, and accelerating, but breaking distances (and therefore breaking points) are totally unrealistic even with a tyre grip modification I've mentioned before. Back to RBR.

 

[Kim Eriksson]

But rbr is like driving on ice!

 

[Pedro K]

Well, I personally am giving up on this title. I made a pool on codemasters forum with real life videos (mainly onboards) showing totally different car behaviour from what we get in DiRT Rally, and people are still convinced DiRT is new reality, and real life videos have too little grip I don't know, maybe someone will mod physics, but at this moment all we can get is somewhat accurate behaviour while in the middle of the corner, and accelerating, but breaking distances (and therefore breaking points) are totally unrealistic even with a tyre grip modification I've mentioned before. Back to RBR.

Me too. I am having problems with my steering lock on RBR. I have to use 120 degrees on wheel to match game. Changing wheel lock in game does nothing. Would you know what to do?

 

[samekyo]

If You mean in car animation, it cannot be changed at the moment. I am playing 540 degrees set up in logitech profiler, I don't pay attention to in cockpit wheel rotation animation. Future updates should allow to remove visible wheel.

 

[Skazz]

I play in dashboard cam, no worries about on screen wheel there

 

[thierry.le.hingrat]

until today and despite all ( various ) improvements, suggestions, updates and upgrades still "undriveable".....Not comparable with any prior DIRT version or game like RBR....Hard stuff and NO FUN !

 

[samekyo]

Another bad news from DiRT Rally camp:

"It's technilogically not possible to create stages longer than the ones in the game at the moment I'm afraid."