Games
Learn how to leave your rivals in the dust in Codemasters’ brand new racer.
Racing games might be common, but the skills required to master the loose surfaces, unpredictable weather and narrow roads of the rallying world are very different to those that work on F1 tracks or street circuits.
Due for release on June 9, DiRT 4 is the latest release in a series that began life as Colin McRae Rally and it’s a game that benefits from the kind of detailed approach that those earlier editions of the franchise demanded.
To give you the best possible chance at quickly being able to climb to the top of the podium we’ve come up with a number of key skills and ideas designed to speed up your learning and adapt to the challenges offered here.
DiRT 4 includes a driving school mode entitled Dirt Academy that is there to teach you basics of braking, cornering and throttle control, but the actual mechanics of driving can only take you so far.
In a game that can be unpredictable and unforgiving, these tips will put you in the right mind-set before you even begin.
1. Start with a rally
Aside from traditional rallies, DiRT 4 also offers the more modern Land Rush and Rallycross disciplines. Both of these modes are very different to a rally in terms of setup (not least given that multiple vehicles take to the track at the same time), but the core racing skills and vehicle management are, for the most part, transferable.
As such, it makes sense to begin your DiRT 4 journey by seeking to tame the rally side of the game. This is the most technical and challenging element in terms of controlling the car and keeping it in perfect track position, and practising these skills stands you in good stead for avoiding and outmanoeuvring opponents in the other available types of racing.
If you can master the snow in Sweden and the rain in Wales then you can rest assured that you’ll be able to tackle pretty much anything.
2. Choose Michigan as your first destination
Straight out of the gate you’ve the option to indulge in rally stages located in Australia, Spain, Sweden, Wales and the USA. It’s the USA, with stages taken from rural Michigan, that represents the best starting point to get to grips with the rules of the road and your chosen car’s performance.
Michigan’s trails are slightly wider than most of those featured in other areas of the world and there’s much less to worry about when it comes to frequency of hairpin turns, blind corners and trackside obstacles.
There are trees positioned all around you, but they’re far enough from the track edge that you can remain safe so long as you are paying attention. From here you can test yourself across the other countries.
3. Listen as well as look
For anyone already well-versed in rally games (or the real life enterprise) this will be second nature to you, but for the newcomers: get used to relying on your ears just as much as you do your eyes.
Your co-driver does a great job of calling out what’s coming up in terms of corners, including how sharp they are, jumps, obstacles and any other dangers. Listening to them and getting used to absorbing information quickly and accurately is key to setting fast times, particularly on tracks that feature lots of blind corners and dangers hidden on the other side of high bumps and jumps in the road.
The co-driver typically calls out what’s coming up two to three corners in advance; so get into the practice of making a mental map of the course in your head using only their descriptions.
4. Don’t play fair in Rallycross
If you’re not bumping and nudging your opponents in Rallycross then you’re not driving properly. Controlled aggression is par for the course in a discipline that features four cars racing over a number of short laps – the winner's usually the one not afraid to make regular vehicular contact.
Of course, you don’t want to go overboard to the point that you’re putting your own race at risk and/or purposefully flipping your fellow competitors – but you certainly do want to use every inch of track. If that means sideswiping someone as you’re drifting through a corner then so be it.
You can bet they’ll repay the favour given the chance.
5. Understand the Rallycross Joker Lap
In each four-lap Rallycross race you must perform a Joker Lap once per session. This involves taking a detour from the usual route, across an extra part of the track designed to slow you down, test your technique and increase your lap time. Timing is everything when it comes to performing your Joker Lap.
If you’re stuck in traffic then you might want to take your Joker early, re-join the race at the back of the queue, but with clear track ahead of you, and hope you can make up enough time to take the lead once the rest have taken their Joker. Alternatively, if you’re out in front then taking the Joker on the last lap might be the best idea so that you can take advantage of the already clear track presented to you.
Whatever the case, take the time to learn the Joker route before each race begins.
6. Save your headlights
If you’re racing in Sweden, at night, with snow under your wheels and heavy rain on your windscreen then the absolute last thing you want to do is find yourself without headlights. Any knock into a trackside pile of snow and ice, or nearby trees, has the potential to dramatically reduce your already compromised visibility and ruin any chance of getting onto the podium.
Of course, you need to weigh the up risk/reward proposition of driving fast against driving with a view to keeping your electronics healthy and fit for purpose. Make use of any and all practice sessions you’re afforded before taking to the track proper with the intent of setting a time, even if that means jumping out of a competition to race the course in free play.
The more you understand how your car reacts in challenging conditions the less chance you have of finding yourself in a challenging situation.
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