DiRT Rally DiRT Rally out on Steam Early Access

Codemasters has surprised everyone with today's launch of Dirt Rally on Steam, under the Early Access label.

Judging from the official Steam Announcement, Dirt Rally features at launch (which is right now) 17 cars and 36 stages taken from 3 different locations (Monte Carlo, Acropolis and Wales).

SEE ALSO: Brand New Community Made DiRT Rally Videos

As you can see from the announcement, one of the biggest bullet points is "Simulation Handling". While we still haven't tried it yet, Codemasters definitely seems to be aiming for a more unforgiving driving model, with a "brand new model that simulates everything from the way the surface of the road behaves to limited slip differentials." Exactly how sim-like it will be remains to be seen, but it's indeed a good start.

Dirt Rally will also feature asynchronous events, team management providing improved repair times, league support.

Dirt Rally is currently in Early Access and available for the price of 26,99€, and it's going to receive new content in the form of cars, tracks and features for free.

Are you surprised as well by the Codies' announcement? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
DiRT_Rally_Announce_06.jpg
 
I feel old when it´s crazy to expect a game to be ready when released :D

I do understand what you are saying but in the old days you could never sell alpha code like this. But I do understand people buying it being from the old days and be shocked at what stage it is at.

If anybody wonder it´s not nowhere near ready for primetime :)

correct, in the old days, but times have changed
as much as I don't like it myself, releasing unfinished games became a standard these days
 
I dont like codemaster to release a game calling it a sim without a minimun ffb. But yeah hate me. Since yesterday codemaster is the greatest and 2 days ago they were sh*t. I'll wait to forgive their sh*tty games till they show me something for real, no some smoke and wheel vibration. But thats me, thats all.

If this was a final release/feature complete game I think everybody would agree on that, but no. Like Patrik said, this is an Early Access game, so it's still in development and they want the community feedback to improve the game. It's a gamble: it could end up a really good game if they manage to improve and add features we're asking, or not. But they're absolutely on the right path and the game even at this stage is pretty much being praised for the direction Codies are going with it.
 
ever heard of early access ?
look at where Arma3 started, Assetto Corsa ..etc

it's crazy what some people expect from game that was just announced

why would you tweak FFB, if you physics code isn't finished yet?

I bought AC in Early Access and would buy probably any racing game that pretend to be a sim, like this. I just dont like the idea of them selling a "sim" withouth even a mediocre ffb.

P.S: There are some physics coded. Maybe not perfect or not even close to final version, but that's what I want to feel in the wheel, even the "not complete physics". Even more, I don't think anyone could do great physics in a game withouth having added ffb to feel what the physics you are creating feels realistic.

I mean, you have to add brake pedal to a car to see if the system you installed actually allows you to brake.
 
But it's perfectly controllable even if you break "traction" at 100kph. If you know what to do. That's the whole point of a simulation.

Add information if you refer to the unmodified game or specific mods, otherwise you might risk sounding like a complete fool. Public RWD mods have been a so-so experience to me.

If you prefer semi-sims I have no issue with that personally. I try to enjoy games for what they are.


I think so :thumbsup: . Still I think they should work on FFB and some other things.


No. I do not prefer semi-sims. Actually i am an advocate for full on realism at all costs. For instance i have hadsome issues with pCars over this fact, as well as many other titles. I want the feel to be as close to reality as possible.

Also, your first statement is of course true. Every game is controllable if you know what it expects you to do. It does not mean it's "real", it just means that you know what you are expected to do in the GAME WORLD.

I have over 1500 hours in RBR/RSBR, many in league competition and i have developed mods for it. So i would not say i am inexperienced with it. I can control it just fine and be competitive, but i still do not think it is "realistic" or "the ultimate simulation".

Friends of mine who are also real life rally competitors have had the same sentiment after trying it in the past. We all agree that it is unrealisticly hard to control...

But i still love RBR, for it's time it was the best and closest to real life... The gravel dynamics are still the best. But it is old. It is built in a time where hardware restrictions caused some limitation of the simulation, making it feel stiff and binary. Thus making it unrealistically hard to control.

I know from real life experience that some of the things that RBR physics requires you to do for handling the car would definitely not happen in real life, and would probably get you killed if you tried it.

This new offering feels much more gradual and "nice" in the physics model, so thus is easier to control, but every bit as advanced under the hood. This is the benefit of modern computation power...

The same can be said for GP Legends for instance.

But over the time it has become some sort of truth that RBR is the only true attempt and that nothing EVER will surpass it. As soon as a modern try appears you dismiss it for being "easy" or use derogatory statements as "sim-cade". This despite the fact that the underlying models are probably far superior to RBR, due to modern hardware having the power to drive more sophisticated physics models.

So to summarize, i still maintain RBR is NOT the pinnacle of simulation, it has many flaws, one being it is WAY harder to control than what a real car is. I maintain my point that this is due to the underlying physics model being old now. I love it, i really do, but it does not feel like a real rally car does. It did a good job, but we have to move on. It's time for RBR to finally be left in favor of something better...

And this may very well be it. I really hope so. But Codemasters will need our support, the support of the sim-racers. We need to let go of the old and embrace this, as this is what we have told them that we want. We now get what we asked for, so we should give them credit for it.

Otherwise it would show to marketing dptmnts. that "sim" is not viable and we would get more Ken Block Gymkhana action-titles instead...
 
Well it become the truth because there has hardly ever been an effort to make a rally simulation. Certainly not from Codemasters. I haven´t tried Milestones WRC 4 yet though :)

But yes certainly you would believe that there would not be a problem these days to surpass RBR the question is just if they really want to go all out but Dirt Rally is not close yet. On tarmac and ice you can really feel the one CG point they use to turn the car around. Feels awkward nothing I have ever felt driven a real car with steering that happen even before you start to turn the wheel. Maybe it feels good with gamepad and deadzones...

Hopefully they are serious and they are not just doing a pr stunt to appeal for us RBR 2 wanters ending with making a simcade.
 
Well it become the truth because there has hardly ever been an effort to make a rally simulation. Certainly not from Codemasters. I haven´t tried Milestones WRC 4 yet though :)

But yes certainly you would believe that there would not be a problem these days to surpass RBR the question is just if they really want to go all out but Dirt Rally is not close yet. On tarmac and ice you can really feel the one CG point they use to turn the car around. Feels awkward nothing I have ever felt driven a real car with steering that happen even before you start to turn the wheel. Maybe it feels good with gamepad and deadzones...

Hopefully they are serious and they are not just doing a pr stunt to appeal for us RBR 2 wanters ending with making a simcade.

I tried Monte Carlo first time before and i can clearly see your point on the tarmac feel. I loved the feeling on gravel, but i really hated the tarmac feel now that i've tried it.

As you say, it is far to direct. Steering is twitchy beyond what is reasonable.

As for ice... There is more grip on ice than on tarmac when using spiked studs. Actually spiked studs and ice is the grippiest of all rally surfaces. It's like driving on rails.

But still, the odd steering remains a different problem. Very direct and nervous.

Needs fixing. But that's why us simracers NEED to get involved in this Early Access, so we can voice these things :)
 
Hello! It is an option. Just as playing DiRT 1, 2 and 3 was. We want rally simulator, Codemasters seem to be able to deliver. They need to hear that voice, otherwise all they'll get are posts from their current forums community sorrounding previous DiRT games.

Sure, I agree. If you don't ask you don't get. And the louder you shout the more chance of getting it.

But campaigning against other stuff that other people want but doesn't affect me as I can quite happily ignore it, doesn't that seem, well, a bit petty ? Or am I missing something ?
 
There are so many experienced Sim racers out there who now how it should feel,
( believable handling ) don't they use them in development of a game like this ??
it would be difficult for me to understand if they don't use that knowledge base..
I mean a simracer who test the thing before its out in the shops..........
 

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