DiRT Rally Thread

[Mike_grpA]

The Alpine A110 is the best car in the class. It's massively over-powered, but necessary, because the Mini and the Fulvia can't keep up with it on higher difficulty settings.

That sounds like one of the stages in Greece, Abies Koiláda, which is probably the most frustrating stage in the game.

Yeah I bought the A110 when I started the game, because I didn't want one of the FWD cars, it's so good to drive, so much fun. The stage was one in Greece, as there's only the two small rallies in Greece as a taster that you can play while the game downloads in the background.

I'm currently doing the 70's championship in the Kadett, which is another very cool car.

Liberal use of the handbrake is very helpful for rotating FWD (and AWD) cars. it's pretty much an essential skill to learn.

You should only need the handbrake for hairpins really. The car should be set up to rotate well with the throttle and brake. The handbrake initiates a slide without transferring weight to the front wheels, so it should only be used for tight corners where you can't get the back end around without it. The vast majority of AWD cars don't allow the locking of the back wheels only with the handbrake either, so the handbrake should be avoided in all but the tightest of hairpins in those. That's how it is IRL anyway, so I tend to stay away from it in the game, because the game seems pretty realistic.

 

[JR98]

I seem to have run into a bug with a replay. Just did a run of one of the German stages in the Hyundai WRC but this happens when trying to view the replay.


I've restarted the event multiple times and it still happens

Edit: Just ran a stage of Wales in a Fiesta RS and it's happening there too

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Yeah I bought the A110 when I started the game, because I didn't want one of the FWD cars, it's so good to drive, so much fun.

The only problem is that its brakes are apparently made of wet paper towel. I just did Hammerstein and Ruschberg back-to-back, and both stages have some really heavy braking zones. I had to keep revising my brake markers, especially towards the end of Ruschberg. When I got back to service, I found the brakes had less than 40% of their life left.

 

[Mike_grpA]

The only problem is that its brakes are apparently made of wet paper towel. I just did Hammerstein and Ruschberg back-to-back, and both stages have some really heavy braking zones. I had to keep revising my brake markers, especially towards the end of Ruschberg. When I got back to service, I found the brakes had less than 40% of their life left.

Really? I've only done the first championship with it, but didn't notice any issues. Are you locking the brakes up at all? So far my favourite rally is Finland, the camber of the road and huge number of jumps makes for very interesting driving lol.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I've only done the first championship with it, but didn't notice any issues. Are you locking the brakes up at all?

I'm in the midst of a Professional championship, so wear might be scaled according to difficulty. I have just done two stages at Monte Carlo with no real problems, so it's probably just the Germany stages that present a challenge.

So far my favourite rally is Finland, the camber of the road and huge number of jumps makes for very interesting driving lol.

I'm not the biggest fan of Finland. I have a lot of confidence through the Hamelathi stages, but none through Pitkajarvi. Too many blind crests and roads that are much more narrow.

 

[Mike_grpA]

I'm in the midst of a Professional championship, so wear might be scaled according to difficulty. I have just done two stages at Monte Carlo with no real problems, so it's probably just the Germany stages that present a challenge.


I'm not the biggest fan of Finland. I have a lot of confidence through the Hamelathi stages, but none through Pitkajarvi. Too many blind crests and roads that are much more narrow.

Germany does have a lot of straights followed by tight corners, but I don't remember having a problem there in the open championship, so you might be right about it scaling, though that would be a bit weird. Might be in the setup, as I moved the brake bias to the middle in that car, in a bid to get some more rear braking on corner entry. Maybe that evened up the wear a bit, as the stock setup has quite a bit of front bias.

As for Finland, try having a 5 year old kid talking your ears off whilst trying to focus on driving and listening for the co-driver calls, that makes it a real challenge with all of those blind crests and deceptive corners lol.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

So after some shuffling around (and deleting LBP3 and TLOU — note to self, new HD is top of the Xmas list) the game was finally able to install. It took me about two dozen tries to get through the first stage in the Mini — this is a massive change of pace from the other racing games I've been playing lately.

That said, it's a blast. Feels incredibly fun even when you're barely surpassing road speeds. Very happy with the purchase.

 

[Mike_grpA]

So after some shuffling around (and deleting LBP3 and TLOU — note to self, new HD is top of the Xmas list) the game was finally able to install. It took me about two dozen tries to get through the first stage in the Mini — this is a massive change of pace from the other racing games I've been playing lately.

That said, it's a blast. Feels incredibly fun even when you're barely surpassing road speeds. Very happy with the purchase.

Do what I did mate, buy one of the 2TB Seagate Expansion Portable HDDs. They have a Samsung Spinpoint 2TB SATA drive in them, which is a direct replacement for the PS4's HDD. All you have to do is back up your PS4 stuff to a USB, format the new HDD, which you can do whilst it's still in the external HDD enclosure, open the enclosure and remove the HDD, swap it into your PS4, and then restore the PS4. The best bit is you can then attach the USB controller that you took off the Spinpoint onto the old 500GB PS4 HDD, and put that in the enclosure, and you then have yourself a 500GB external HDD. Saves tossing out a perfectly good HDD.


Here's a link to the exact HDD you want (same one I used):
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Seag...rtable-Hard-Drive-from-Bing-Lee-/162194708732

And here's a link to a how-to video, using the old Seagate Backup Plus Slim, which has the same HDD inside as the one I used, but in a different enclosure:


Sorry for the OT

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It took me about two dozen tries to get through the first stage in the Mini — this is a massive change of pace from the other racing games I've been playing lately.

More than any other racing game, the key is to keep your average speed up. Attacking each corner the way you would in a circuit racing game will just cost you time.

 

[sems4arsenal]

So after some shuffling around (and deleting LBP3 and TLOU — note to self, new HD is top of the Xmas list) the game was finally able to install. It took me about two dozen tries to get through the first stage in the Mini — this is a massive change of pace from the other racing games I've been playing lately.

That said, it's a blast. Feels incredibly fun even when you're barely surpassing road speeds. Very happy with the purchase.

Yeah the key is to drive about 90% all the time.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Might be in the setup, as I moved the brake bias to the middle in that car, in a bid to get some more rear braking on corner entry.

Rear wear is my issue. The car becomes quite unsettled under braking, and I can hear it rattling. I always shift the brake bias to the middle, but while that makes it more stable - especially when trail braking - it doesn't help with the wear.

 

[Mike_grpA]

Rear wear is my issue. The car becomes quite unsettled under braking, and I can hear it rattling. I always shift the brake bias to the middle, but while that makes it more stable - especially when trail braking - it doesn't help with the wear.

Hmm, strange. Maybe you just brake harder than me or something. I'll keep an eye on it next time I use that car in Germany. You using any assists? Wheel or controller?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I use a controller and 2% ABS. It only really happens on the second stage when one of them is a long stage.

 

[Brend]

So after some shuffling around (and deleting LBP3 and TLOU — note to self, new HD is top of the Xmas list) the game was finally able to install. It took me about two dozen tries to get through the first stage in the Mini — this is a massive change of pace from the other racing games I've been playing lately.

That said, it's a blast. Feels incredibly fun even when you're barely surpassing road speeds. Very happy with the purchase.

Now you'll know what I've been raving about all year.

Bleh, I wish my install didn't break for the second time so I could play, it takes so damn long I really can't be bothered going through with it.

 

[Scaff]

So after some shuffling around (and deleting LBP3 and TLOU — note to self, new HD is top of the Xmas list) the game was finally able to install. It took me about two dozen tries to get through the first stage in the Mini — this is a massive change of pace from the other racing games I've been playing lately.

That said, it's a blast. Feels incredibly fun even when you're barely surpassing road speeds. Very happy with the purchase.

As PM has said you need a very different approach than with circuit driving.

Short shifting and partial throttle become far more important and pretty much the norm (particularly when you get to the RWD Group B machinery) and average speed more important that ever.

If it gets you hooked I would also recommend Seb Loeb Rally Evo, which is as ugly as sin, but a great rally sim with a good mix of tracks and cars that you don't get in Dirt.

Take a look at my youtube nonsense for an idea of the two..

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdPFq8dPjiz1UK1zW34OZ6w

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I find that softer suspension generally works better than firm suspension - not only for riding the bumps, but for absorbing the body roll. That way, you can put more lateral energy through the car and be confident that the car will remain stable, and so carry more speed into the corner. I generally go one step softer (for both suspension and damping) than the default.

That said, stiff suspension works better in Germany and Monte Carlo so that you can rotate the car a little quicker.

 

[Mike_grpA]

I use a controller and 2% ABS. It only really happens on the second stage when one of them is a long stage.

I'll keep an eye on it next time I'm there. I don't use any assists, as I use a wheel. I use a load cell brake, and have the pedal adjusted very stiff, just a preference, so thanks to that I can accurately modulate the pressure of the pedal. Perhaps the ABS system has something to do with it. Would be a bit weird if it did though. I'll check it out next time I use that car on that rally. Drove the Kadett there yesterday, and it was really fun. That car is a little beast for what it is.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Do what I did mate, buy one of the 2TB Seagate Expansion Portable HDDs.

*snip*

Sorry for the OT

You sir have solved things. The only reason I haven't already bought that is to give my family something to get me for the holidays other than gift cards. Either way, it'll be mine no later than the 26th of December now. 👍

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Drove the Kadett there yesterday, and it was really fun. That car is a little beast for what it is.

I prefer the Stratos myself. The Kadett would be a good choice if I was the only driver, but it feels gutless in competition.

 

[Mike_grpA]

You sir have solved things. The only reason I haven't already bought that is to give my family something to get me for the holidays other than gift cards. Either way, it'll be mine no later than the 26th of December now. 👍

You'll love the extra space mate. 500GB feels so tiny when game installs can be in excess of 50GB each. Although, I'm now down to less than 200GB free space lol. To be fair though, it's taken almost 90 games to get the HDD that full

I just loved the fact that I could put the old 500GB PS4 drive into the Seagate enclosure and use it as a nice little portable HDD. It's been very useful for taking my music collection to friends' places (I've got a lot of music). I've got two other external HDDs (a 1tb portable and a 2tb desktop one), but it's nice to have one dedicated just to my music collection

I prefer the Stratos myself. The Kadett would be a good choice if I was the only driver, but it feels gutless in competition.

It's more than good enough against the AI, and I got it because my first real car was a Holden Gemini, which is Australia's rebadged Opel Kadett. 👍

 

[ScandyFlik]

It's great seeing there's still an audience here at GTp. I've not been up on DR lately unfortunately. Anyone ever find any decent car setups/database for some of the tricky cars? I tend to stick with the elder ladies, 60's and 70's and throttle control just isn't enough sometimes with the over rotation. Haven played awhile so that could have a lot to do with it

 

[Cowboy]

Spent a lot of my XBOX time this week just getting used to the driving physics. After a few hours, I've finally gotten so I can push cars without failing terribly. Argolis Greece and Jäsma Finland are my two favorite locations, and really the whole game itself I can call awesome.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I have finally bought and upgraded all of the cars. It was a bit of a grind, but I did quite enjoy some of the twelve-stage rallies that I did to raise money, particularly Monte Carlo.

 

[Titzon Toast]

I hadn't played this game in ages until last night, I'd forgotten just how good the physics are.
I set my DOR locked 540 and put everything else to default. Very nice.
Does anyone know where I might find some ffb settings to try please?
Thank you.

 

[Ameer67]

I will be now be joining the "DiRTy" crowd.

 

[Cowboy]

I will be now be joining the "DiRTy" crowd.

View attachment 615707

I'd recommend not starting off with the Sweden stage

 

[Mike_grpA]

I hadn't played this game in ages until last night, I'd forgotten just how good the physics are.
I set my DOR locked 540 and put everything else to default. Very nice.
Does anyone know where I might find some ffb settings to try please?
Thank you.

Anywhere between 540 and 720 is great I reckon. 540 would be the lower limit for me though, because anything under that would require too little wheel work, and I love just how much you have to wrestle the wheel around in Dirt Rally. I'm currently using 630, so smack bang in the middle of that range. I think maybe anything over 720 might be a bit too much though. maybe when my rig is welded up properly to remove all the flex, I'll bump the DOR up again.

I'd give you my FFB settings, but my rig is put away and I can't really be bothered getting it out to check. Pretty sure the wheel needs to be hooked up to see the FFB menu, doesn't it?

 

[35mm]

Anywhere between 540 and 720 is great I reckon. 540 would be the lower limit for me though, because anything under that would require too little wheel work, and I love just how much you have to wrestle the wheel around in Dirt Rally. I'm currently using 630, so smack bang in the middle of that range. I think maybe anything over 720 might be a bit too much though. maybe when my rig is welded up properly to remove all the flex, I'll bump the DOR up again.

I'll ask you here the same thing I asked someone over at an AC thread:

Shouldn't we just set the wheel at its maximum rotation (1080) and then leave the game to do the rest?
We know that cars have different degrees of rotation and that the game then mimics it for each car.
There's even the 'Soft Lock' option, so we can know when we're hitting the lock.

Also, there's the 'Saturation' option, which will let you reduce the degrees of rotation without messing with the wheel settings (for example, set it to 50% and the cars now need half the degrees of rotation).

 

[Mike_grpA]

I'll ask you here the same thing I asked someone over at an AC thread:

Shouldn't we just set the wheel at its maximum rotation (1080) and then leave the game to do the rest?
We know that cars have different degrees of rotation and that the game then mimics it for each car.
There's even the 'Soft Lock' option, so we can know when we're hitting the lock.

Also, there's the 'Saturation' option, which will let you reduce the degrees of rotation without messing with the wheel settings (for example, set it to 50% and the cars now need half the degrees of rotation).

Well, for AC on consoles there's no soft lock, which annoys me, but yes, in road racing sims I always leave it up to the game, so I get the right DOR for each car. However, I've set it to 900 in AC recently, because the last patch brought a bug that affects the DOR when the game automatically controls it. When that bug is fixed, I'll go back to "off".

In rally sims, I prefer to not have more than 720 DOR, just because my wheel deck part of my rig is a separate small desk that kind of slots into a tight fit with the base frame the seat and pedals are bolted to, so at high DOR in a rally game, where you're fighting quite hard with the wheel, the desk can move, which almost always results in a crash lol. At below 720, it's enough so I have to fight the wheel hard, but not usually enough to unsettle the desk. Once I've welded up a wheel deck to my rig's base frame, I will set the DOR to "off" for the rally games as well.

As for saturation settings: I use a Fanatec wheel, so changing the wheel's settings is very simple. I have 5 preset profiles of the onboard settings, for different games. My rally profile, for Dirt and SLRE, has the DOR set to 630, while my F1 profile has it at 360 (for Codies F1 games), and my Pcars/AC profile has it set to off, so that the game controls the DOR (although I set it to 900 for AC while this bug is affecting it). So it's much easier for me to simply press a couple of buttons on the wheel to change those settings than it is to mess about with saturation and stuff in each individual game. I can also change the settings on the fly whilst racing if I use the wheel's onboard settings, which is nice when you want some fine tuning.

 

[35mm]

Well, for AC on consoles there's no soft lock, which annoys me, but yes, in road racing sims I always leave it up to the game, so I get the right DOR for each car. However, I've set it to 900 in AC recently, because the last patch brought a bug that affects the DOR when the game automatically controls it. When that bug is fixed, I'll go back to "off".

In rally sims, I prefer to not have more than 720 DOR, just because my wheel deck part of my rig is a separate small desk that kind of slots into a tight fit with the base frame the seat and pedals are bolted to, so at high DOR in a rally game, where you're fighting quite hard with the wheel, the desk can move, which almost always results in a crash lol. At below 720, it's enough so I have to fight the wheel hard, but not usually enough to unsettle the desk. Once I've welded up a wheel deck to my rig's base frame, I will set the DOR to "off" for the rally games as well.

As for saturation settings: I use a Fanatec wheel, so changing the wheel's settings is very simple. I have 5 preset profiles of the onboard settings, for different games. My rally profile, for Dirt and SLRE, has the DOR set to 630, while my F1 profile has it at 360 (for Codies F1 games), and my Pcars/AC profile has it set to off, so that the game controls the DOR (although I set it to 900 for AC while this bug is affecting it). So it's much easier for me to simply press a couple of buttons on the wheel to change those settings than it is to mess about with saturation and stuff in each individual game. I can also change the settings on the fly whilst racing if I use the wheel's onboard settings, which is nice when you want some fine tuning.

Fair enough. 👍


Do you know what happens, then, when you reduce the DOR of the wheel?

There are cars with 1080, 900, 720 and 540 degrees in DiRT Rally. So, for example, if you set your wheel to 2/3 of the DOR (720), which of these will happen?

- all cars turn to 720?;
- the cars with 1080 and 900 degrees will turn to 720, and the rest will be untouched?;
- or all the cars see their DOR reduced by 1/3 (720, 600, 480 and 360, respectively)?

Just curious about this stuff, in case you have any idea.


Also, a heads-up: the DOR bug was sorted in AC with the hotfix (1.10). 👍