Gaming
esports
6 professional tips to help you succeed in DiRT Rally 2.0
Codemasters has announced a brand new DiRT game – be prepared for the challenge with these tips from a pro.
DiRT Rally 2.0 is coming out in February 2019 and, as with the first game, mastering it will be a challenge. We've got your back though.
We have some top tips directly from Ross Gowing, the Chief Games Designer at Codemasters,as well as Jon Armstrong, a professional rally driver turned sim racer who has already logged over 320 hours on the game. With their help, you'll be in the best position to succeed.
1. Start the game with assists on
Jon Armstrong playing DiRT 2.0
© Codemasters
Jon: The best thing to do when you start the game is to have the assists on,especially if it’s your first time playing it. So, have the brake assist, throttle control onand things like that. I’d also advise players to start with automatic gearboxes because that will make your life a lot easier. But if your skill level is intermediate, I’d skip this one.
2. Pick a slower car
Jon: Start off with a slower car so you can hone your skills with that. If you start with something that is too quick then it becomes a bit overwhelming and you can easily crash.
Ross: Definitely go with a front-wheel drive first, like a R2 class car, and then move onto a four-wheel drive.
Jon: When you’re comfortable with a front-wheel drive car, and you can drive it at a reasonable speed without crashing it, then I’d advise a player to move up.
3. Listen to your co-driver
Jon Armstorng and Ross Gowing at the DiRT 2.0 launch at the Gaming Sphere
© Codemasters
Jon: One of the most important things for me is to listen to your co-driver, especially when you’re beginning the game because you won’t be familiar with the stages. Your co-driver calls will be vital to helping you get through the course as they will inform you of any hazards that are approaching. That’s something we do in Rally too – we listen to our co-drivers and drive at a speed he’s telling you to go and so on. It’s the same in the game.
Ross: It’s also important to not just to keep your pedal flat to the floor, that’s not how it’s done. Ease off and start at a comfortable pace before building up your speed gradually.
4. Learn the track
Jon: Players themselves shouldtry and learn the tracks off by heart. It’s helpful because you’ll know what’s coming up and what to expect. Some of the tracks have a lot of growth and a lot of bushes, so don’t always rely on thinking you know where you are on the track. Still listen to your co-driver, but this should elevate you a lot as a driver.
5. Research rally driving
Ross: Looking at the classic principals of rally, such as weight transfer and things like that – researching that online will help the players. It’ll make a difference just by learning about attitude of the car.
6. Practise
DiRT Rally Audi Argentina
© Codemasters
Jon: It doesn’t sound like much, but to get good you just have to practise. There are certain things you do better such as clutch, throttle control, how you break before a corner, how you use the handbrake in tight turns and things like that. You do need the knowledge of how to do those things, which is the hard part, but you can’t get good by just knowing – you need to keep doing it over and over.
Ross: Practise focus. Concentrating for those extended periods of time makes such a big difference. That was something I never really appreciated before until we got John into the studio. You think it’s fine just to jump into a game and give it a blast, there’ll inevitably be someone talking over your shoulder, and it’s so easy for something to go wrong whereas with John, he’s very much in the zone and single-minded when he’s driving.
Whats a good time?
Jon: On the New Zealand track, 7 minutes 50 seconds.
Ross: Well, for some of the people who are good and not professional rally drivers I’d say 8 minutes 30 seconds is a great amateur time.
