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An Audi in DiRT Rally 2.0 sprays up mud while cornering.
© Codemasters
Games
Why DiRT Rally 2.0 is the most realistic offroad racer ever
We speak with Codemasters to find out more about DiRT Rally 2.0.
เขียนโดย Jamie Stevenson
5 min readPublished on
The original DiRT Rally was an unapologetically challenging offroad racing game that captured the thrill of throwing a car down a narrow, slippery road as fast as physically possible. Indeed, it’s no surprise that it was dubbed the Dark Souls of rally games. Last week saw DiRT Rally 2.0 announced and we spoke with Ross Gowing, Chief Games Designer on DiRT Rally 2.0 at Codemasters, who gave us the inside scoop on how the Codemasters team have made their next game the most authentic representation of offroad racing yet.
What are the new features you’re most excited about introducing in DiRT Rally 2.0?
We’re really excited for players to get their hands on our revised and updated vehicle handling model – we’ve been working with real-world rally drivers Jon Armstrong and Ryan Champion to ensure the way our vehicles play matches up with how they behave in real life. We’ve also introduced track degradation, which sees the track surface evolve based on where the player starts in the running order – the optimal place to start is after the first few cars have swept the stage of loose material, and then beyond that players will see the surface start to rut and become more and more challenging to drive.
The first game looked incredible. What are the visual tweaks you’ve made to the follow up to keep it ahead of the pack?
We’ve tried to improve the way the game looks across all areas – locations, vehicles, menus, the lot. Our Environment Art team have done some incredible work on how rich and detailed our locations look, our Animation team have got crowd members and character models looking and moving better than ever before, and our Vehicle Art team have got our cars looking incredible.
Can you tell us about the modes in the game? Will there be any significant additions, or will the existing ones be tweaked?
Significant additions include Historic Championships, where players can progress through a number of era-themed championships and make their way from rally classics through to their modern counterparts, as well as an official WRX Championship mode. There’s a new Time Trial mode, as well as an expanded Custom mode that allows players to jump straight in with whatever combination of vehicles or locations they want and play that by themselves or online with others.
There’s also a Team mode, where the player can expand their vehicle garage, hire and train staff, and progress through the ranks as well as compete against other players from around the world.
Will the game feature a traditional career mode? How will a ‘career’ or ‘championship’ mode work in the game?
As I’ve mentioned, there are a number of different ways for players to experience all of our content; but in terms of traditional career mode we give players the opportunity to work their way up Career Ladders for both Rally and Rallycross, facing increasingly tough levels of competition. Getting to the top is one thing, staying there is quite another!
A VW Golf Mk II seen during a race in DiRT Rally 2.0.
Are you ready for DiRT Rally 2.0?© Codemasters
What about the vehicle list – what are the most exciting additions there?
We’re really excited for players to get their hands on two new Volkswagens from different eras – the classic MK II Golf from the '80s and the brand new Polo R5. The Porsche 911 RGT is another stand-out addition, as well as a few other surprises tucked away.
The first game could be very challenging – has the difficulty been tweaked, or are you still aiming to offer the most realistic experience possible?
We’re not afraid to make a difficult game – throwing a car down a stage at high speed and keeping it in one piece is a serious challenge! We’re aiming to represent everything we love about rallying as authentically as we possibly can.
What about the locations? How many can we expect, and what are the most impressive new courses?
We’ll be releasing with six rally locations and eight locations from the official WRX calendar. Our most impressive new location is Argentina, which will see players threading their car through enormous rock formations and trying not to get distracted by the incredible views!
Will you be including any ‘retro’ elements in the game? Any classic cars or courses?
DiRT Rally prides itself on giving players a spread of cars and locations from across all eras of rallying, so depending on when you think ‘retro’ is there’s something for everyone.
Did you take inspiration from any classic rally games?
We’re always looking at what we’ve done in the past and how we can refine or improve that to make something really special. Many of us can think back to the PS1/PS2 era of rally games, when every event felt like it was days long and left you completely exhausted by the end!
What can you tell us about weather and condition effects?
Our track surfaces are affected by weather and conditions – give driving down a wet, degraded stage in the pitch dark a try and let us know how you get on!
DiRT Rally 2.0 will be hitting PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on February 26, 2019.
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