Games
We speak with Codemasters, the developers behind DiRT 5, about the latest in the incredible rally franchise, and what we can expect when the game lands on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
It’s official: DiRT 5 arrives in October 2020, hitting PC, Xbox One, PS4 and, arguably most excitingly, next-gen consoles. The previous instalment in this ace racing series brought together the studied authenticity of sims and the glorious fun of arcade racing to offer a stunning overall package. DiRT 5, fit to burst with incredible new features, looks to be no different.
We caught up with Michael Moreton at Codemasters, the game’s lead designer, to find out more about what racers can expect from DiRT 5, what’s new, and the opportunity and challenge of designing a game for next-gen consoles.
The DiRT series boasts extraordinary visuals, detailed enough for you to feel every mud splash, tyre spin and fender bender. Now, with the game coming to both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, there’s an opportunity to deliver one of the greatest looking racing games around. So what can players expect from these next-gen visuals?
“Expect something that matches the design and goals of the whole game: something bold, ambitious, brave and memorable. We’re really excited about how the power of the new consoles can help us achieve the lofty goals we’ve laid out for DiRT 5, in terms of how we want players to experience it – and the visual approach plays a huge part in that.
“Regardless of the type of racing game we’re developing, Codemasters always finds a way to make each racing world stunning in its own way. Then, you look at DiRT 5, which specifically focuses on adding a layer of artistic style and flair to all aspects of what the player experiences. And then you combine that with the groundbreaking technology sitting in the new generation of consoles, much of which focuses on opening up even more possibilities with graphical fidelity and quality. So yeah…it’s a pretty nice combination!”
Moreton’s excitement over the possibilities of next gen is palpable, citing the unparalleled potential performance and features, and Codemasters aim to take advantage of as many of these as possible – from experimenting with the 120Hz mode or using the incredibly fast loading of next-gen. But with so many new toys to play with, what was the priority when building DiRT for the next generation of consoles?
Morton explains, “The number one priority is getting our engine working on the new hardware! After that we look at what benefits and enhancements we get out of the box from running on next-gen. The key focus after that is to look at all the new features both in terms of hardware and functionality and assess how we can take advantage of these to improve the experience, depth, visuals and immersion in DiRT 5.”
Moreton’s keen to stress that new technology means new opportunities, but adds that it can also create new challenges and push developers to approach things differently.
“A big focus for us is also that we want there to be a balance between all platforms,” he says. “Regardless of generation, the focus is on giving players the best experience possible, whatever platform they’re playing on. There will obviously be console players who don’t switch to new-gen consoles right away, and we’re ensuring that DiRT 5 is an absolute blast for those players, too.”
Having briefly touched upon the challenges of designing a game for new consoles, we ask Moreton to elaborate:
“With every new console gen you have new hurdles to overcome – any development team will tell you this is a time that’s as challenging as it is exciting.
“You often have to rethink the processes and systems you’ve used for years and shape them around what the new technology requires. Thankfully, we’ve got an incredibly talented team here working on DiRT 5, who’ve used the new generation of consoles to be even more creative and ambitious. Once you understand those challenges, it creates a new opportunity, and the team have done a brilliant job at taking those opportunities.”
As for a comparison between Sony and Microsoft’s new flagship consoles, Moreton adds:
“This is one of the biggest steps forward for a console generation that we’ve ever seen, in terms of its capabilities. Whether it’s frame rate, resolution, RAM, GPU size – we’re seeing specs that you just wouldn’t have thought were possible for consoles a few years ago. In our tests and optimisations for Microsoft and Sony’s new consoles, they’re both blowing us away with what’s under the hood. Each has its own intricacies but all in all, they’re just two supreme consoles that are both giving us a lot of license to create.”
A whole new world
As with any long-running series, new modes and features will often be the point of focus when discussing a new title. However, with DiRT 5, it’s notable that a great deal of emphasis is placed on building what’s being referred to as an ‘amplified off-road world’. How exactly does DiRT 5 shake things up, though?
“This is something we’re really excited about,” Moreton says. “Winning is just the beginning in DiRT 5. The onus is on you to shine and succeed in a racing world full of style, personality and colour. It’s what we call the ‘vibe’ of DiRT 5, that drips off every aspect of the game. Everything is amplified – the cars, the music, the tracks, the action; it’s all raised up a notch to create this vibe that you’re dropped into.
“Whether you’re in the middle of a dramatic race, designing liveries, taking photos, or anything else, you have that amplified backdrop that encourages you to be creative and playful.”
He continues by explaining that next-gen technology has given the team a new layer of quality and immersion to add onto DiRT 5, making those amplified moments and features really pop and be memorable, adding, “We want to give players those moments where you can’t help but smile, capture an incredible moment, and show it off to the world. Everything about the next-gen console advances helps us create that.”
As for the modes and features players can look forward to, there’s a story-driven Career mode that heads up the offline modes, featuring voice acting stars Troy Baker and Nolan North, and which leads you through what Moreton describes as “a deep narrative and plenty of player decisions to make.” There’s also an offline race creator where you can mix up all the environments and car types – from classic rally cars to boulder-conquering trucks, souped-up buggies and much more. All these offline modes include split-screen for up to four players.
“As for online, there’s curated playlists of race events to dive into, along with some very special Party Game modes we can’t wait to show more on,” Moreton explains. “You can also express your style and individuality with player profile options, a deep livery editor and Photo Mode.” As for any more additions, Moreton teases, “We’ve still got plenty under our sleeves to reveal in the coming months, including a feature you’ve never seen before from this franchise.”
In the announcement trailer, we were given a taste of how the game will take drivers across the globe and throw down challenges in all kinds of environments and terrain – from ice racing on New York’s East River, to muddy trails in China, to night racing under the Aurora Borealis in Norway. But it’s not just changing terrain that players will have to look out for, according to Moreton:
”We gave a little glimpse into how each environment can be changed up totally by different extreme weather conditions. Both in terms of car handling and visibility, you’ll have to be bold and brave to race through blizzards, sandstorms, electrical storms and more.
“Having dynamic weather and time of day in DiRT 5 means you could start a race at a misty dawn, for example, then as you race, the sun comes out and the sky is beautiful vibrant blue, yet as time continues to tick, a storm comes in and all of a sudden, snow surrounds you. That’s just one example of what you will experience…”
Getting set for Stadia
While DiRT 5 is hitting upcoming next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony, as well as Xbox One, PS4, PC via Steam, it will also be landing on Google Stadia and Windows Store a little later on. But how does developing for the streaming service differ from consoles? Moreton concludes:
“DiRT 5 is set to launch on Stadia at a slightly later date than other platforms, as planned. Stadia versions of our games do require a slightly different development process, but that again has its own advantages at times. We’re learning all the time when it comes to Stadia, and Google have given us tremendous support along the way with getting DiRT 5 developed and optimised for Stadia.”
Whatever the platform, we can’t wait to get to grips with DiRT 5 when it lands in October 2020.
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