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Is DiRT 4 the most complete rallying game yet?
DiRT 4 is coming, but how’s different from DiRT Rally? We asked someone in the know at Codemasters.
For plenty of rally-loving motorsports fans, DiRT Rally offers the ideal blend of action, speed and realism, proving itself as one of the best rallying games we’ve played in recent years. DiRT 4 is on the way in June, though, and it looks set to be a bit more forgiving to newcomers, as well as sporting some differences in gameplay to the more difficult DiRT Rally.
It’s the older game that provides one of the most realistic rallying experiences, but it can be a daunting introduction to the world of virtual rallying. It’s not easy to get the hang of, for starters, and if you’re not good enough, you’ll probably struggle to enjoy it.
DiRT 4, on the other hand, is a different kind of beast that appeals to both newcomers and seasoned veterans, making it ideal as an introduction to rally racing. Ahead of its launch, we asked Codemasters about what makes the latest entry in the series tick and how different DiRT 4 is from its far more serious predecessor – read on to find out.
DiRT 4 packs in two different handling modes
“We know that DiRT Rally had an incredibly steep learning curve, where as a driver you were expected to either sink or swim,” Christina McGrath, Senior Community Manager for DiRT 4, explains. “A lot of players thrived in that ‘do-or-die’ scenario, but for DiRT 4, we’re giving players two different handling models to choose from. We know that some people found diving straight into a simulation handling experience in DiRT Rally difficult and frustrating, so this was the best way for us to diversify the experience of the game and make it more accessible for new audiences, while still offering the DiRT Rally fans that more hardcore style of racing.”
The two different handling modes comprise Gamer and Simulation. The Gamer handling model isn’t just a suite of assists applied to the same base mode, says McGrath, they’re individual handling models. That means that while some details are applicable to both handling models, the base experience for each mode fundamentally differs.
While McGrath can’t quite explain what’s going on behind the scenes, she does point out that it’s a combination of incredibly clever and special things working under the hood. “It still offers the quality, reward and thrill you’d expect from a DiRT game – it just allows players a less intense experience of it,” she says.
That’s not to say there’s nothing for those who love the more demanding, realistic aspects of DiRT Rally, and that’s where the refined Simulation mode comes in.
“Our simulation stuff for DiRT 4 is very much based in the foundations of that experience,” says McGrath. “But it’s refined in certain areas. One of the places players will most definitely feel the difference is in our aerodynamics. We've worked on aerodynamics across all disciplines, and the way the vehicle travels in the air feels a lot more stable and authentic to the real-life experience. Hopefully our fans can see from the trailers we’ve put out so far that this is the case, and when they get their hands on the game they’ll feel a lot more nuance to how the aero works.”
Certainly an interesting way of getting around
© Codemasters
Codemasters have also worked on making the assists more realistic, says McGrath, and she provides an example by highlighting off-throttle braking. “When you’ve got this feature switched on, which you can do with varying degrees of strength, the brakes are automatically applied whenever the throttle is released. So, for all of those players who like to use the ‘lift off’ method, it’s a very natural-feeling assist that helps slow the vehicle down for what’s ahead.
“When learning the skills of off-road racing, you're very much taught to be either on the throttle or on the brake, and so this particular assist helps players implement a driving style closely associated within this particular motorsport. It’s not about putting players on rails, or turning the car for them – it’s about supporting them using the techniques and skills of the sport to improve their stage times.”
Introducing a better tarmac experience
Codemasters have also put lots of effort into developing the tarmac experience in DiRT 4, following on from feedback of DiRT Rally. “For DiRT 4, Cooper Tires – the official tyre provider of the FIA World Rallycross Championship – provided us with all of their data, and that gave us a great starting point for modelling the tyres. It wasn’t done just with data though; with the cross-ply tyres and the surfaces Rallycross cars interact with, both the tarmac and the looser surfaces, the data gets a little more vague as you get further away from the slip angles you’d expect from a normal tyre. So from that vagueness onwards, it’s very much back to playtesting how we’ve interpreted that data and assess the way the cars feel to drive in-game.”
“That’s where having professionals like Petter Solberg, Oliver Solberg, and the drivers of the championship on board comes in handy,” says McGrath. They’re able to validate or help us tweak how it’s set up, and it was amazing to go out to the Barcelona Rallycross earlier this year and have the drivers tell us how realistic the feeling was in-game. Retrospectively we were aware that something was a little awry in how the Rallycross cars felt in DiRT Rally, so to have gotten far closer to a simulation experience and have the WRX drivers’ approval has been really satisfying.”
Equally happy on tarmac, dirt or gravel
© Codemasters
Introducing new cars, circuits and Classifieds
Once you’ve got accustomed to the new gaming dynamics of either Gamer or Simulation, you can also expect to see a host of new cars, circuits and features introduced especially for DiRT 4, making it well worth a look even if you’re a die-hard DiRT Rally fan.
Lydden Hill, Hell and Holjes are iconic Rallycross tracks carried over from DiRT Rally, but Codemasters has also introduced two more tracks, including one of the biggest races of the WRX calendar in Loheac, and one of the most dramatic in Montalegre.
“Each circuit is very different in their experience too,” says McGrath. “Loheac’s very fast and flowing, whereas Montalegre’s a bit more rough and ready. The start of Montalegre’s very special too – the track’s very wide, and the first straight is very long – so it’s usually five abreast at incredibly fast speeds there. It makes for some very fun racing and some incredibly viewing too!”
It’s the introduction of the Classifieds feature we’re most excited by, however, opening up a whole world of historic sports cars that you can buy and race. McGrath explains that while DiRT Rally structured its championships around vehicle age, DiRT 4 championships are designed around car class. This means that when you kick off your career campaign, you won’t be forced into a Mini or an Alpine – you can jump into something a lot more modern.
“That makes getting into the more historic rally cars a little harder, as rather than having them on offer to you during a certain Championship, you’ll have to carry on checking the Classifieds for those iconic rally legends. And with our new Team Management functionality, you’ll also need to make sure that you’ve got enough room in your team garage to buy them first.”
New tracks and more progressive gameplay
Your Stage is another big differentiator between DiRT 4 and DiRT Rally, with the newer game letting you create and customise your own rally stages. It’s ideal for people with a wide range of abilities.
“We’ve been able to tailor and tune our game for a much wider variety of players than ever before,” says McGrath. “Built into the Your Stage technology are two key components that allow this to happen: the length of track, and the complexity of track. With these two adjustments we – and the player – have control over the two main factors for creating a progressive game with a learning curve.”
“The complexity component of generation covers many internal factors such as camber, corner severity, undulation, width and more. We now have the ability to create nice short tracks with simple complexity and these tracks are ideal for introducing new and less experienced players to the world of rally. With the system being completely scalable, we can then ramp this up to longer, less complex stages, short complex stages, and all the way to 16km technical monsters.”
“Under the hood there’s a lot more going on, and we have a huge amount of control over many additional factors, including elevation and different rule sets that allow unique track construction per location. This means we can use the same system to make Spain feel like Spain, while Australia is made to feel like Australia, which is completely different in terms of stage composition.”
A 600bhp monster that takes some catching
© Codemasters
It’s this customisation that really opens up DiRT 4 to a new type of player, with more exciting experiences available as a result. “One awesome example of this is the ability to add more straight sections into our tracks,” says McGrath. “In the past this has been avoided to a certain extent, because in order to try and maximise the amount of gameplay within the very tight track budget, it was always deemed as a lesser feature. Your Stage now allows us the ability to show just what a feature section of straights can be – and not only can we add a few more straights into tracks, but we have control over how many and how long these sections can be.”
Straight sections of track may not sound like a big deal, but they can completely change the way the game plays. “These can often prove to be truly fearless sections of track,” says McGrath. “Their straightness encourages the player to go flat out, but the changes in the track surface, undulation, objects and trees keep the player alert, as the consequences of going wrong when flat out could easily end your rally. This provides a great new experience for the player that comes in all shapes and sizes but is always exhilarating.”
DiRT Rally fans needn’t fear DiRT 4 has been totally dumbed down – it’s anything but, and you’re sure to find something in the new title to sink your teeth into. The challenges you enjoy the most in DiRT Rally are still present and correct if you select the new Simulation mode. But the Gamer mode makes the rallying experience a whole lot more accessible, opening up the fun of DiRT to a new generation. It means DiRT 4 could be the most complete rallying game yet, and you can look forward to it touching down next month.
DiRT 4 will be released on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June. For more gaming coverage, follow @RedBullGames on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
