The DiRT series is one of my absolute favorite video game franchises of all time, if not the number one. Codemasters’ racing pedigree cannot be overstated as the UK developer has not only been producing the Colin McRae Rally games (now known as DiRT), but also developed the GRID and Formula 1 titles as of late.
They know racing.
Ever since the franchise’s title changed from being called Colin McRae Rally to DiRT, the games moved a bit further away from being a classic point to point rally game with each iteration as Codemasters has added different events like Rally Raid, Rally Cross, Trailblazer (hill climb), Landrush, Head 2 Head and of course most recently Gymkhana which was one of the main focuses of DiRT Showdown.
Hardcore fans of the rally genre had been yearning for a return to more of a pure rally experience which was probably most closely resembled in Colin McRae Rally 2005 which was the last game of the PS2 and Xbox era.
Colin McRae: DiRT was the first game that truly branched out into some of the non-rally racing classes when it was released in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 but it stayed closer to being more of a rally focused game.
When DiRT 2 hit stores in 2009 the game had become much more of an offroad experience that went away even more from what rally fans were after, and entered realm of an X-Games feel with commentary from other drivers like Travis Pastrana or Ken Block and Dave Mirra. While Pastrana had just entered the rally scene along with Mirra, both were X-Games stars in MotoCross and BMX respectively. The vibe had changed and not everyone liked it.
All this time the rallying in the games was still good and enjoyable but the feel of the franchise had changed and the handling became slightly more arcade feeling and less of what the Colin McRae fans were used to – at the same time, this allowed new fans to enjoy the DiRT games because it was more accessible and included different offroad classes.
When DiRT 3 came around in 2011, the game became more of a physics driven experience, focused more on rally and the newly introduced Gymkhana with Ken Block as the cover star. Gymkhana along with the other non-rally classes were still featured in the game but less so and rally fans’ smiles became a bit bigger again. While Codies wanted Gymkhana to be an asset and teaching tool for rallying techniques, it was quite difficult for many players who stopped playing the game because the new mode was tied to the progression system – they couldn’t move on.
Of course there was DiRT Showdown in 2012 but it was not a rally game but more of a fun arcade title that brought back Gymkhana in more of a light and forgiving version as well as demolition derbies and such – while I enjoyed it, it wasn’t a rally game.
This leads me to the main question of this article, what do we want to see from the next DiRT game?
I will preface this with, I am going to be completely selfish here and ignore some of the development challenges that studios have to deal with like team size, dev costs and time – there is never enough time. Also, let me warn you, I will nerd out a bit here.
Rally, in my opinion, is the most true and honest Motorsport we have ever seen. Success in rally is not just based on a driver’s ability to drive on all sorts of terrain and conditions, but requires a top notch car and crew as well as a fearless and sharp co-pilot. Anyone who has ever driven fast on a dirt road or in the snow can appreciate the challenges of doing so. In favor of giving you an entire background story on the sport of rallying, I will now actually talk about what I’d like to see.
The Setup / Repairs
While I can appreciate that some players simply want to hit the track or road in the next DiRT game, please give us the option to set up the car with all of the anal particularities we wish to have control over. I would love to take the car on the shakedown and test out the new tire choice, gear ratio or camber adjustment I just made. For casual players there could be a crew chief making some suggestions based on weather conditions or road surface. Rally drivers are incredibly particular about their setup and I’d love to see some more involvement from a player perspective.
In the past DiRT has featured some of the best damage modeling we have seen in games to date, in many ways it is unrivaled compared to other competing games including big shots like Gran Turismo or Forza but it was more focused on each stage in a vacuum. What I mean by that is; the damage incurred on each stage is erased on the next one and the car looks and feels brand new. This is simply not the case in rallying. Cars take damage, be it light scratches or heavy body or mechanical damage (have you seen Colin McRae’s cars before?).
When it comes to a new DiRT title, I want to see persistent damage throughout the rally and from stage to stage. Of course players should have the ability to repair the car at the service areas where an assessment of the damage is done by the mechanics. Players should then have the ability to allot the limited time available to the repairs of their choice. For example, if you have an overheating problem due to radiator damage taken on the last stage, this would need to be fixed before you spend valuable time on washing the car or switching a damaged bumper. This type of feature was actually available in the Network Q RAC Rally Championship PC title back in 1996 (also known as Rally Championship).
The cherry on top regarding damage and repair features would be having to do emergency repairs on the car a la Nicky Grist’s attempted suspension repair using rocks during a stage. How would that be implemented in a driving game? I have no idea but it sounds awesome compared to ‘terminal damage’. I may be pushing it here though.
The Handling / Driving Model
DiRT 3 went a long way to become more authentic without being overly difficult, please continue with this trend. When hitting the dusty roads or switching surfaces from gravel to tarmac, I can feel the car rolling and shifting as the physics engine did its work. For the next DiRT game I would like to see this trend continue. Rally traditionally requires a lot of weight shifting and driving skill to be quick on loose surfaces. For the next DiRT I want to feel the car move more and work to keep it on the road without being overly difficult. I want to be fast and feel technical without having to hit rewind too often. This is not an easy task by any stretch but if anyone can do it, it’s the guys at Codies.
The Atmosphere
Rally is filled with atmosphere and oozes with passion. DiRT 2 actually made some good steps towards feeling more atmospheric albeit it being a bit more of an X-Games vibe, it proved that it can be done. For the new DiRT title I want to boot up the game and not only have menus filled with little Rally references and history but also be greeted by a living and buzzing world set in a rally theme. Some of the presentation should take players into the team headquarters, the rally parc ferme and eventually the service area. I want to see a rally game buzzing with the sports’ iconic atmosphere.
The Co-Pilot
In previous Colin McRae Rally and DiRT games the co-pilot was of course featured as he/she is essential to being fast at a rally but the focus has always been on the driver. In the next DiRT game I would love to see a way players can see the sport from the less glamorous perspective of the co-pilot as for every Loeb, McRae or Vatanen, there is an Elena, Grist or Richards who helped them win a World Championship. The new DiRT game could feature being a co-pilot and actually reading pace notes from a connected table or even the new Kinect. While this is not an easy thing to implement, it could be a neat addition adding to the authenticity and immersion for players.
Team Management
As I said before, rallying is a team based Motorsport and every single member matters, from driver to co-pilot and of course the mechanics as well as the team directors. Driving or co-piloting a car in the next DiRT game could be accompanied by some team management aspects like building a more skilled team, better parts and support all the way to a world class rally team. Of course Codies doesn’t have the WRC license but the system could work the same just with different labels. Now DiRT is not a management sim and shouldn’t be in the future but having some management aspects that can be accessed via mobile or tablet could add to the experience when away from the PC or console.
The Stages
Rally is incredibly challenging for the drivers and the cars because of the secret star of each event – the stages. Every rally is different as it takes place in different countries and even continents during diverse conditions like massive rocks and water splashes like the Safari Rally, ice and snow of Rally Sweden or the fast tarmac of the Deutschland Rally. Having challenging but fun and varying stages is key. In the new DiRT game I would love to see an even greater variety and lengthier special stages that can be driven in different weather conditions and times of day.
The Progression / Modes
The past the couple DiRT games have focused on a cross class progression system that required us to compete in the various classes without a focused championship or rally career mode. I think it is time to bring it back. To put it simply I would like to see two specific things in the next DiRT game. Please give us a focused rally career mode that may start with driving a second hand 2 wheel drive car on local rallies where players start getting a hang of what rallying is all about. I would also be completely fine if we started with the Super 1600 or S2000 classes. From there players can work their way up all the way to the WRC class by attaining sponsors, contracts and so on. I don’t want this to turn into GRID 2 but a rally focused progression or career mode would be much more immersive and personal. What if you didn’t do well enough and couldn’t continue or finish a season because cash ran out? Food for thought.
Alternatively, I would love to see something like a legends or classics mode where players get to progress from the earlier classic rally cars such as the Alpine A110 and progress through the golden age of rallying of the 80s and 90s all the way into the Loeb era. A trip down rally memory certainly be a cool thing to do for fans of this great sport.
The Cars / Liveries
Rally cars are absolutely iconic machines and something to be celebrated. A vehicle that is able to be durable and smooth enough to handle the very difficult conditions of a special stage is an engineering marvel. While DiRT has included a vast list of cars in the past which included classics like the Lancia Delta Integrale, the Audi S1 and many more, I would love to see a roster that includes not only the 92 Manufacturers World Championship winning HF Integrale Evolution but also the HF Turbo and everything in between. While asking Codies to model and set up potentially many hundreds of rally cars is a lot, I would be satisfied if I could purchase them as DLC.
When it comes to liveries, I have mostly enjoyed the livery schemes of DiRT 3 and prior games but I do miss some of the classic paint schemes like the Repsol or Martini sponsored cars. Of course much of this stuff is tied to licensing and other restrictions but this doesn’t stop Codemasters from letting the community make the liveries as custom content similar to what Forza has done. Players could create and share their liveries in game as opposed to having to mod the PC version of the game. Again, this requires extra work but would benefit the game greatly with regards to authenticity and player investment.
Rally School
When it comes to rallying, techniques are very important to go fast and do it safely. While the ‘If in Doubt, Flat Out’ rule is one I follow, I have equally often hit rewind on my controller or wheel when playing DiRT 3. For players that would like to learn true rally skills like the Scandinavian flick or how to properly take a jump out of a turn or into one, I would love to see an in-game rally school where I am being run through various skill tests, not challenges, there is a difference. Players should be taught how to drift through a long but tightening gravel turn, not to drift 100 meters and so on to complete it.
Driver training could be accomplished by putting the player on the passenger seat – literally put the point of view on the cockpit passenger seat – and have an instructor take you through the section before you do it. This way players can see how it is done properly and added immersion by truly being on the passenger seat.
Of course not everyone wants to do driver training or be forced to pass tests, make it optional and maybe have a few cars unlock early upon successfully completing a test or give the player a license to be allowed on a special stage, etc.
Lastly, let’s not call it DiRT 4 and either go back to simply DiRT or DiRT: Rally Returns – that last one is pushing it 😉
Please make sure to let us know what you think about what we want to see in the next DiRT game from Codemasters and also tell them yourself, you can partake in a 20 minute survey the studio has setup right here.
