DiRT Rally

[TCrouch]

Dirt Rally is like Dark Souls with race cars. It's the most brutally unforgiving sim you'll play, but as you learn it, you appreciate having your scrotum kicked repeatedly every race.

[fletcher21]

I'm looking forward to trying the more modern cars. The escort felt like driving on ice. I know dirt isn't grippy like asphalt, but it felt like I had zero control and the car was drawn into the roadside obstacles like a magnet.

Does this game play perfectly out of the box, or are there any must do slider adjustments? I feel more over myhead than ken block trying to transition from his supremely edited gymkhana videos to real rally racing.

[TCrouch]

No sliders. Just learning how to properly balance the weight in the car, and learning grip percentages of each tire (it can't accelerate/brake and bite at the same time, or it exceeds the grip of the tire). How to shift the weight of the car for the next corner is more important in Dirt Rally than any other console racing game in history.

It's not magnetized to the sides; what you're not feeling (yet) is the weight shifts in the car, and predicting what the vehicle is going to do. It's as subtle as to have a distinctly different feel under load (bottoming out, it'll push like a pig) and coming over a rise (the ass end will want to kick free)...depending on if you're turning or not, you'll snap the car free in a heartbeat.

But there's no sliders to mess with, or tricks to learn other than practice and experience telling you what the vehicle is going to do in each situation.

[fletcher21]

Good deal, thanks! Very glad I held out on wrc5 to wait for this

[pk500]

Tip, Fletch: Be WAY more careful when driving in DIRT Rally than any other console driving game you've ever played. This is not a game in which you can or should go 10/10ths out of the box.

Patience and consistency will reward you in DIRT Rally. I'm only getting a sense of how hard to push the car and find scraps of that elusive rhythm, and I've had the game since release day.

This is one fantastic driving game. Nothing else like it on consoles in terms of challenge and satisfaction after a good stage. Not even close.

[fletcher21]

Thanks, paul. I was debating between this, f1 and project cars. I think I made the right call.

[pk500]

Thanks, paul. I was debating between this, f1 and project cars. I think I made the right call.

Indeed!

My ranking among those three:

1. DIRT Rally
2. F1 2016 (The best Codemasters F1 game ever. Very fun)
3. Project Cars (Far too much work to tweak controller settings for console. This is a game made for a wheel, period. Plus the developers are arrogant pricks.)

[fletcher21]

How important is the car setup? I don't know squat about it, so I always leave the default setup my crew recommends. The more I play the more addicting it gets! I read a few articles on the game, and the only gripes were not enough tracks, as well as some famous cars being left out. Is there any dlc now or coming up? I need as much dirt as I can get!

[pk500]

How important is the car setup? I don't know squat about it, so I always leave the default setup my crew recommends. The more I play the more addicting it gets! I read a few articles on the game, and the only gripes were not enough tracks, as well as some famous cars being left out. Is there any dlc now or coming up? I need as much dirt as I can get!

I haven't touched the setups. The biggest problem is me -- not the setup.

[TCrouch]

I've never touched a car setup in the game, and I do alright.

Or any racing game, really...learn the vehicle and how to attack the track. In most cases when you think the setup is just trash, you'll find that you can simply back a corner up a little further, or adjust the line/throttle control, and you go faster.

Setups only come into play when you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you've squeezed every ounce of speed from the car that you can, without any mistakes.

Unfortunately, I've never had that feeling...so I never mess with setups

And this takes me back to "learning weight transfer". For example, if you think:

"This car won't turn into the corner, I need to mess with the setup!"
--this means you have too much weight shifted either forward (overbraking), or backward (too much acceleration) when you start your turn-in. A tire can't exceed its maximum grip, as well (more on that in a second). You need to balance the car to get a smooth turn in. So back the corner up a bit (let out a little earlier), and decelerate in a straight line. Your turn in will be markedly improved, and more under control.

"The car snaps loose and I spin out on entry!"
--Way too much brake and turning at the same time. Brake earlier, by the time you start turning, you need to be off the brake with a balanced car.

"I can't get the car to go from one corner to the next, it pushes like a pig!"
--Too much throttle when navigating complex sections. Again, it's weight balance. If the weight is all shifted to the rear, the front tires have no grip, so it won't bite from one direction to the other. Small throttle, balance the car, some turning input, balance the car, etc.

"I spin out every time I accelerate!"
--Easiest one to figure out. Don't accelerate so much. You now exceeded the rear tire's maximum grip, AND shifted weight backward in the car, creating a pendulum effect from the rear end.

And the biggest thing...tire grip. A tire can only do so much all at once. Even on dirt, ice, or snow, there's a grip factor. If you exceed it, the tire will lose grip, and it will slide. Whether that's side-bite, torque, or brake lock-up...find the edge of traction on the tire for that surface. It will change from tarmac to gravel to snow to dirt to you name it. The quicker you find that, the more you know how far to press it during a stage.

And the first time you run a stage that you don't know...do not restart at all. Attack it balls-to-the-walls as fast as you can.

Note the time.

Then, run the same stage again. This time, go half throttle for a lot of it, just like a Sunday drive. I guarantee you that the second, Turtle-paced stage will be faster.

[fletcher21]

Excellent thanks! This game is still new for me, but it's in my top 10 games ever. I was hooked on madden, but this game has made me even forget madden exists. All my gaming time is going to dirt.

[pk500]

Excellent thanks! This game is still new for me, but it's in my top 10 games ever. I was hooked on madden, but this game has made me even forget madden exists. All my gaming time is going to dirt.

Glad you're digging it, man. It is pure magic.

[Gangrel]

I miss the league. It seems Chaps is busy, so is it worth setting up another league and having multiple admins? Or can we somehow add some onto the current one?>

[DChaps]

Ok, so a quick event for this weekend. Something I have not tried, so I have no idea how it will work for a league. This is just a one off for this weekend. I hope to have the next season posted by end of day tomorrow to start next week, and yes we can have more admins so I am glad to add some as I may need help this season.

https://www.dirtgame.com/uk/leagues/lea ... dsp-racing

https://www.dirtgame.com/uk/leagues/vie ... 43/pending

Date range: 09/16/2016 10:00pm EDT - 09/19/2016 03:00am EDT
Event gamemode: Rallycross
Vehicles: X Classic
Stage Retry: No, Event Restart: No
Owned Vehicles: No, Career Engineers: No
Track: Norway, Hell - Full Circuit
Conditions: Midday / Sunny
AI difficulty: Hard
Heats: 4 Laps
Semis: 6 Laps
Final: 10 Laps

[fletcher21]

Thoughts on Loeb rally? It's dirt cheap. Graphics are poor, but apparently it's full of content and a decent driving model.

[pk500]

Thoughts on Loeb rally? It's dirt cheap. Graphics are poor, but apparently it's full of content and a decent driving model.

I only played the Loeb demo, but it was pure sh*t. Driving model sucks. Graphics blow. It's a low-buck, budget title in every way.

Stick to DIRT Rally. If you insist on a WRC license, WRC 5 is fun. But it's so basic and easy compared to DIRT Rally. WRC 5 was a pleasant, mindless diversion for me before DIRT Rally was released. But I traded it in faster than you can say Marcus Gronholm once I played DIRT Rally.

[fletcher21]

I've been reading and there's speculation the Loeb demo plays a lot worse than the final game. Not sure how true it is. Could be a decent diversion once I am bored with dirt. If only dirt had a few more countries it'd be a 10/10.

[pk500]

I've been reading and there's speculation the Loeb demo plays a lot worse than the final game. Not sure how true it is. Could be a decent diversion once I am bored with dirt. If only dirt had a few more countries it'd be a 10/10.

How can you get bored with DIRT Rally? You've mastered it? If so, I need to see video.

Friends don't let friends waste their money on Loeb.

[fletcher21]

I've been reading and there's speculation the Loeb demo plays a lot worse than the final game. Not sure how true it is. Could be a decent diversion once I am bored with dirt. If only dirt had a few more countries it'd be a 10/10.

How can you get bored with DIRT Rally? You've mastered it? If so, I need to see video.

Friends don't let friends waste their money on Loeb.

I love dirt, I'm just thinking outside the box. You can never have too many racing games. I already know wrc 5 is not that great, but many people praise Loeb evo as a solid game packed with material. I ordered it off Amazon for $19. Worst case I wasted a few bucks, but I want to give it a shot. I don't see any racing game on this console touching dirt, though. Only thing missing was a few cars (Castrol celica) and some more courses. What we do have is on another level.

[fletcher21]

I was getting killed, so I looked into the settings. For some reason, all the assists are turned off to begin. You can adjust them from 1 to 5. Even just turning the traction control and stability control to 1 is HUGE. I can execute hairpin turns with precision now, and it really helps with wheelspin.

Anyone else think the asphalt courses are the easiest by a mile? I can drive like a pro on them, but the stages like Greece I struggle badly. I'm grinding away for money trying to buy new cars. Really want to get the current ford rally car.

[Gangrel]

Ok, so a quick event for this weekend. Something I have not tried, so I have no idea how it will work for a league. This is just a one off for this weekend. I hope to have the next season posted by end of day tomorrow to start next week, and yes we can have more admins so I am glad to add some as I may need help this season.

https://www.dirtgame.com/uk/leagues/lea ... dsp-racing

https://www.dirtgame.com/uk/leagues/vie ... 43/pending

Date range: 09/16/2016 10:00pm EDT - 09/19/2016 03:00am EDT
Event gamemode: Rallycross
Vehicles: X Classic
Stage Retry: No, Event Restart: No
Owned Vehicles: No, Career Engineers: No
Track: Norway, Hell - Full Circuit
Conditions: Midday / Sunny
AI difficulty: Hard
Heats: 4 Laps
Semis: 6 Laps
Final: 10 Laps

Tried it, reminded myself I hate rallycross because I suck at it. I need some tips badly.......

[10spro]

Ace, you need a playseat.

[Gangrel]

Haha. I need skill. Can't buy that!

[fletcher21]

I won the open championship easily in the overpowered rwd Renault. It's unfair how much better that car is than the competition. I bought the Ford 500 and entered the clubman championship. That car is a handful with its power plus rwd. Not very fun. I needed an AWD car, but my money was shot. I figured out a way to grind money.

Start a custom championship with 6 rounds and 10 stages. Payout per round is 100,000. Pick the Renault from the 60s. Start the championship, but retire from any event besides Germany, as it's the easiest by far. The 10 stages will take about 50 minutes, and you'll get about 90k after paying for damage. I won the German event by something like 10 minutes over second. On the long stages I was winning by over a minute. I'm saving for the 2010 focus rs. :Cool:

This might ruin the fun for some people, but with my skill level the high HP rwd cars are just not enjoyable.

[F308GTB]

FYI, Race Department will be having a cross-platform rally championship based on Dirt. They'll have individual and team (2 drivers/team) championships. Any interest in multiple DS teams to go against the world?

http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/r ... fo.129108/
http://www.racedepartment.com/forums/rd ... nship.139/