Dirt 3

[Binnatics]

Hey folks,

I'm waiting for the new Collin mcCray edition; Dirt 3. It'll come out 24-05-2011. Anyone that exited too?

I've played Dirt 2, it was a gift with my graph. card. Otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. Thought it was too much 'serious racing' for me. I'm more the racing guy who likes GTA and NFS most wanted, that sort of stuff. Don't take it too serious. But when I got it for free I gave it a go and found out it's a stunning experience. The racing is not too difficult, talking about the 'perfect-drive-line-stuff' here. It's off-road and the graphics are super-duper. It's the first game I played with DX11 and that's a diffenrence. The nature looks real and the variety is great.
Had some problems with my save-files getting corrupted though, and due to that some achievements who kept dissappearing. Funny that I had to get them for 5 or 6 times before they finally stayed on my system. I hope they fixed these bugs in this new version, definitely looking forward to it!!

[Art Blade]

generally I'm all into racing, but I have never played any of those Dirt games. I heard it was too realistic and very difficult. Maybe D3 is something I'd like check out.. :)

[JRD]

I like some serious racing... never played Dirt though, but I'd love to see Gran Turismo hit the PC...

I'm also playing a little bit of Burnout Paradise, an old racing game but it's very cool with a very nice city to race  ;)

[Binnatics]

Burnout paradise should be great! I've played various burnout editions at the XBOX360 of a friend of mine. That was insane. I really like the crash-testing where you have to make a crash as big as possible ;)

[Binnatics]

Great news on the Dirt 3 game: The makers have established a 'one-button-connection' to a you-tube account so it will be very easy to publish online videos for any spectacular moves we're about to make  :-X

Gonna set up a youtube account right away  ;)

[Art Blade]

 :-()

I should try and get the game myself so we can do some more MP together  ;)

[Binnatics]

Comes out tomorrow ;) I've ordered it allready!

But no coop in this game I'm affraid. Should there exist something like team-racing? 2 teams racing against each-other. That should be great. It was not present in Dirt 2 anyway, but who nows...

[Art Blade]

if not coop, then race against each other (compete). But then again.. meh. I prefer coop and in particular when there are very small teams.

[Binnatics]

 ^-^ :-X

[Art Blade]

 :-() :-X

[Binnatics]

I wish I could upload my first youtube-posted vid allready. The game is great! Great graphics, smooth driving and cool new game-modes: Off-road drift-courses and Ghymkhana. That last is something like skateboarding in a special arena, but then with a car on a factorybase. Didn't test that last mode yet, but it must be great. AND: I read something about racing in teams  :-X

So far the only minus is that single play is very easy. I remember when I first played Dirt 2 on the hardest difficulty I could hardly make it 3rd in a rallycross or rally race. But now, almost at the first try. Only drifting took me some practice because it's new to me, but then, after let's say 15 minutes I managed to get the platinum plack.

I'll figure out soon enough how youtube uploading works and I'll check out about the team-racing too.

Stay tuned  ;)

[Binnatics]

Okay I checked the MP part in the game: It's quite deverse. You have the normal races like Rallycross or Rally, Landrush or timetrial etc. And off course Gymkhana. Then you also have partymode. That seems to be some sort of a gamelike teamracing. So you have a game that's called capture the flag, or breakout. In capture the flag you have to use your car to steal teh other team's flag (off course, you'll say) but Hey, that sounds funny. Didn't try that so far, but it sounds nice. Breakout is another teambased game where you have to stay uninfected, or maybe infect the other team. With what, and how, I don't know. Didn't try that out.

So far, I think you can team up together by inviting, and then together join a ranked match as a team or, create your own custom game in 'jam sessions'. That sounds cool  8)

There's another new racemode called head to head. This basically consists of 2 parallel tracks who connect to eachother so, that 2 groups of racers start in each their own track and end up in the other track. Usually these tracks are somewhat arena-like, with lots of stiff corners, jumps and bumbs. Nice to do for a change.

The great thing about Dirt games is that most players (I repeat the word most) try to race a fair race. They don't bumb into eachother on purpose and try to pass the other drivers in a clean manner. Surtainly there are few racers who ignore that, but not so much as in other racing games.

[Art Blade]

Looking forward to more impressions :)

From what I gathered from the jewel box (retail game), the car looked like it might perhaps have been at least visually tuned as in placing a lot of stickers and body paint on it, any customisation allowed there? Engine tuning, visual appearance?  :)

[Binnatics]

So far, no engine tuning seen. But I know there is... there was in Dirt 2: You could adjust any performance like gear ratios, break balance and all that sort of stuff. Never seen stuff like hardware upgrades. It should not make sence anyway since rallycars are allways tuned to the max ;)

The liveries are to be collected by winning races and getting enough rep. points. There is no such thing as buying cars. In this game racing teams get "interested in you" because of good driving. They offer you to be the racing stables for any race you start. The more you progress, the more cars are available through this system. And the more liveries off course. So you can't really customize yourself; you can pick pre-customized liveries.

I have had some experience on the 'partymode' in online racing. It's funny. You can play games like capture the flag or hide and seek all by steering your car in the right direction. A total new way of fps-like online gaming :)

Stay tuned ;)

Oh and one more thing: Online are cars available that need to be paid for through windows marketplace: ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!
I will NEVER do that.
I'm not sure if that will influence the racing because I don't know if these cars have extra value in horsepower or drivability. Maybe no horsepower but I'm allmost sure about the last: I saw a Hummer H3 avaiable through payment which I remember from dirt 2: That car has amazing handling  >:((

[Art Blade]

Thanks :)

And oh dear, that's a very bad development if games can only be won by buying content. As soon as one player has bought it, he'll render the rest of the players inferior unless they buy it in return.  >:((

[Binnatics]

I had a very odd experience in Dirt 2: My savegames kept on getting corrupted for some reason. Therefore I lost all my SP progress. In the SP campaign you unlock certain vehicles (fast, extremely fast in general) and since I lost my total progress and unlocks (over 2 times) I started doing online racing without the advantage of these vehicles... In some races it was inevitable to loose, but in most games I had a fair chance. So F**** GfWL marketplace, I won't buy these vehicles ;)

[Binnatics]

Finally,

I managed this "you-Tube-Direct-uploading". Here's an impression of Dirt 3 RallyX.

There was a special achievement in this race to finish first in the first lap... I think I did ;)
DiRT3-RALLYCROSS-L.A. COLISEUM-1-PERFECT OVERTAKE

[Art Blade]

nice  :) :-X Sounds good, looks good.. maybe I should get this game after all  :-()

Funny thing, the very last sound of the vid is the noise of someone braking hard so the tyres squeal on tarmac. Only there isn't any tarmac but sand and dirt.. a mystery to me how tyres can squeal on sandy grounds. Same goes for a lot of films with car chases on surfaces like grass, sand, dirt, anything soft and squishy and loose, yet the tyres constantly squeal  :D ^+-+

[Binnatics]

I don't get it; You mean the howling of the tires when I enter the corner, sliding a bit? That sounds like asfalt to me, and it looks like it... Tarmac if you please. The track is half dirt, (60% or so) and the rest is tarmac, what looks and behaves like asfalt to me. So that would mean it makes sence... the howling.

Anyway, I got some unadulterated buggy-on-dirt impressions here. A must-see for any buggy freek ;)

DiRT3-LANDRUSH-SMELTER-1-EPIC BATTLE

DiRT3-LANDRUSH-SMELTER-2-EPIC MOVE

This must unleash some saliva  :-()

[Binnatics]

Again I'm aware of how dumb Games for Windows Live is acting... Just got my first updated to be installed. That's a good thing since the numerous crashes I had with the game lately, even 3 times a BSoD (!!) but the funny thing is that GfWL will only start updating when you just fire the game. GfWL pops up and says it has to update. So it starts and after that you need to close the game (!) and wait for the install-wizzard to do his w@&k. The launch the game again  >:((

No, then Steam; It automatically downloads and installs an update when available right at the moment you sign in. Thus before launching any game. GfWL is SO incredibly ST#PID  :-\\

[Binnatics]

Here's a GYMKHANA impression. I found out about GYMKHANA that it is important to follow one trick by another and as fast as you can. Variety and speed make your multiplyer go up, time and crashes will make it go down. So you're allways in a freekin' hurry and have to be creative. See a trick; do it. Break out, see another and do it again... fast thinking ;)

DiRT3-GYMKHANA-L.A. COLISEUM-1-GYMKHANA GREAT RUN

[Art Blade]

Re: Squealing sounds. I only saw sand, no asphalt (tarmac) so if there actually was tarmac, then indeed it makes sense :)

That gymkhana.. looks like I wouldn't have to learn anything to do that. I always dive like that  :-D Then again, driving straight.. difficult  :-() As for avoiding obstacles: Moving obstacles like cars, no problem. But give me one single lonely tree in a desert and I will  hit it and crash my car  ??? :-D

No, seriously.. that gymkhana looks cool. The graphics in general look really nice, wow  :-X

[Binnatics]

here's some more, sweat-dripping, finger-shaking Dirt 3 material. I'd better start spoilers to not overload the topic with Youtube images ;)

Spoiler

Here's a good end to a bad moment in 'trailblazer':
DiRT3-TRAILBLAZER-NORWAY-1-SWEET SCANDINAVIAN FLICK
And here's another GYMKHANA impression. What you see is a nice part of a GYMKHANA sprint, at the special GYMKHANA compound:
DiRT3-GYMKHANA SPRINT-DC COMPOUND-2-GYMKHANA GREAT RUN

[Binnatics]

Stadium trucks... Dirt... rain... what else would you desire...?

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tHDOUNEbvw

[Art Blade]

 ;D :-X