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[Horsemama1956]

I just got the game on PC. It looks great. I was wondering if any of the graphics settings are obvious hogs with no benefits. I get 45 or so FPS in the forests, and 60 FPS with an 8 man race around a track. I have everything turned up, at 1920x1080 with 2xAA and v sync on. I just did the first few events.

If you're running DX 11 and Ultra settings lower shadows and Ambient Occlusion to high. I can't tell the difference visually, but go from 60 average to over 90 at 1600x1200, 4xAA Ultra w shadows and AO lowered one.

 

[fresquito]

Finally I've got to play the game. My first impressions follow.

After downloading it (Steam), I tried to launch it. My Live account was somehow put on hold and couldn't use it. After some SMS' fo and back, I got it back. So I launch the game and it appears in window mode and full of dudebro attitude. I start configurating graphics, using the benchmark tool and finally set everything to High, to get something close to 60fps on average. I set my DFGT and was glad to find it is recognized and had to configure nothing.

So I stop there and go for lunch. When I get back to have some rally time, Dirt 3 doesn't launch. I verify cache and it doesn't launch. It appears on the task manager, but not in applications. No matter what, the game won't launch. So I go to the folder where it's installed and I try to launch from there. And it works! Dudebro greets me again and after more videos and menus that I can remember, I finally can drive my car! And it drives well. I'm surprised by the weight of the car, the good feedback and correct handling. It's not a sim, but it's sim enough for me. Rally track is nice, graphics are nice (if artificial) and sound is nice. So once I'm behind the wheel, everything is sweet. It shouldn't have taken this long. So finally after finishing the rally I quit and get some rest.

Some hours later I go back to play some more. It doesn't launch from Steam, as expected, but this time it doesn't launch from the folder either. I try a second time and nothing. I try a third time (yes, I want me some rally more!) and finally it launches. I play the second rally and when I finish it I go back to the first to beat my former 4th place (and I do it!). Now I have to play some circuit with some other cars and a head to head. I don't understand why, I want to rally. I want to race in a long rally championship.

Anyway, now I'm redownloading the game from Steam, hoping it will work correctly this time.

In conclusion: the time I've spent racing in a rally track, it's been a great experience. Everything else ranges from uninteresting to upsetting.

 

[NullPointer]

Wicked moves brah. You should upload that to YouTube.

 

[Shiv47]

Without combing through all 19 pages of this thread, is there any reason not to get the PS3 version of this, with it being on sale at Best Buy this week?

 

[jediyoshi]

graphics are nice (if artificial)

Video games, mang.

 

[samus4ever]

Dirt 3 has me hooked. Can't wait for the new track pack. Monte Carlo was pretty sweet.

Just read it's coming out on the 26th. Sweet!

 

[Diablohead]

Dirt 3 has me hooked. Can't wait for the new track pack. Monte Carlo was pretty sweet.

Just read it's coming out on the 26th. Sweet!

It's not a rally track this time, hope you like the x-games!

 

[Daigoro]

oh damn, new DLC isnt rally? is it Rally X or Gymkhana, or both?

kind of a bummer. i still need to buy Monte Carlo though...

 

[samus4ever]

It's not a rally track this time, hope you like the x-games!

I have no problems if its rally x.

 

[Diablohead]

Hope it opens up. The DLC focus in the game is my real worry though, did i only buy half a game?

It's really bad, like 15 cars are DLC, the montecarlo track should have been in the final game but was unfinished so they sold it as dlc instead, no excuse for the cars though they are already in the game data! at least the external car model is so you can see other people racing them, just can't pick them yourself.

It's also a huge insult that the menu system advertises these packs constantly along the bottom of the screen, fuck that shit.

I love the game but dirt 2 was so much better in most areas now that i've played 3 since launch.

Oh and since the monte carlo release some of the single player events are now not all gold because it adds itself in, so I will have to buy it at some point to 1000/1000 the game :/

 

[besiktas1]

My copy still hasn't arrived from GAME... I can't wait!

 

[NinjaBoiX]

What's with all the Gymkhana hate? It's the best discipline in the game, I love it!

 

[isamu]

What's with all the Gymkhana hate? It's the best discipline in the game, I love it!

Same here. Best and most fun. Haters just suck at it, lol.

 

[Daigoro]

It's really bad, like 15 cars are DLC, the montecarlo track should have been in the final game but was unfinished so they sold it as dlc instead, no excuse for the cars though they are already in the game data! at least the external car model is so you can see other people racing them, just can't pick them yourself.

It's also a huge insult that the menu system advertises these packs constantly along the bottom of the screen, fuck that shit.

I love the game but dirt 2 was so much better in most areas now that i've played 3 since launch.

Oh and since the monte carlo release some of the single player events are now not all gold because it adds itself in, so I will have to buy it at some point to 1000/1000 the game :/

that sucks.

 

[awanderingsoul]

It's really bad, like 15 cars are DLC, the montecarlo track should have been in the final game but was unfinished so they sold it as dlc instead, no excuse for the cars though they are already in the game data! at least the external car model is so you can see other people racing them, just can't pick them yourself.

It's also a huge insult that the menu system advertises these packs constantly along the bottom of the screen, fuck that shit.

I love the game but dirt 2 was so much better in most areas now that i've played 3 since launch.

Oh and since the monte carlo release some of the single player events are now not all gold because it adds itself in, so I will have to buy it at some point to 1000/1000 the game :/

The acheivement only tracks from the original events as I got all the single player related acheivements after Monte Carlo was released, although I was a bit annoyed that the events are no longer all gold. 1000/1000 is possible without the DLC though

 

[legend166]

How is the interface in this game?

I bought Dirt 2 and put maybe 10 hours into it. I really enjoyed the racing but the interface/menu/everything else was really painful.

I got a free copy of Dirt 3 with my new system (came with the HD6970). I haven't had a chance to install it yet. Did they manage to put in a non-obnoxious menu set up?

 

[Daigoro]

How is the interface in this game?

I bought Dirt 2 and put maybe 10 hours into it. I really enjoyed the racing but the interface/menu/everything else was really painful.

I got a free copy of Dirt 3 with my new system (came with the HD6970). I haven't had a chance to install it yet. Did they manage to put in a non-obnoxious menu set up?

its a lot better.

The acheivement only tracks from the original events as I got all the single player related acheivements after Monte Carlo was released, although I was a bit annoyed that the events are no longer all gold. 1000/1000 is possible without the DLC though

ah thats good.

of course new DLC still came with new achievements. so to complete the game you will still need the DLC.

but thats good news nonetheless.

 

[toythatkills]

How is the interface in this game?

I bought Dirt 2 and put maybe 10 hours into it. I really enjoyed the racing but the interface/menu/everything else was really painful.

I got a free copy of Dirt 3 with my new system (came with the HD6970). I haven't had a chance to install it yet. Did they manage to put in a non-obnoxious menu set up?

Dirt 3 has the slowest main menu (both loading and getting around) that I've ever experienced. It's full of in your face branding, and really embarassing voiceovers. It's lucky the racing is fun because the front-end is atrocious. (I didn't play Dirt 2 though)

And Gymkhana is rubbish! Play it once in one arena, and you may as well have played them all. The sprint events are a bit more interesting, but the normal ones are painfully dull.

 

[legend166]

Dirt 3 has the slowest main menu (both loading and getting around) that I've ever experienced. It's full of in your face branding, and really embarassing voiceovers. It's lucky the racing is fun because the front-end is atrocious. (I didn't play Dirt 2 though)

And Gymkhana is rubbish! Play it once in one arena, and you may as well have played them all. The sprint events are a bit more interesting, but the normal ones are painfully dull.

That is literally how I would describe Dirt 2.

That is not encouraging.

 

[Diablohead]

Dirt 2 menu was only slow after a race when you would look around then run into your caravan, after that you could rapidly press a button and be racing in seconds.

Dirt 3 pauses you at every step to do a 2-3 second car animation, I don't mind it too much but it can be a bit annoying to wait for triangles to unfold and line up in a row, all can't be skipped unless you edit pc files to remove them.

Also most of the best car paint jobs are only available in single race or online, in the career you have to use DC SHOES or something shitty on your car, the castrol paint for the toyota isn't in the career :/

The acheivement only tracks from the original events as I got all the single player related acheivements after Monte Carlo was released, although I was a bit annoyed that the events are no longer all gold. 1000/1000 is possible without the DLC though

That is good to know, game makes you think you need to buy it :/

 

[Android18a]

Dirt 2 and Dirt 3 both had branded menus, but I think it actually stands out more as out of place in Dirt 3.

Dirt 2 had the whole X-Games and festival thing going on, the branding felt like a natural part of the experience and I don't think it detracted. I even quite liked the chatter. Interesting loading scenes had stats flying around and photos of where you where about to race, all sorts of stuff to keep it interesting.

Dirt 3 has the sheen of a professional racer with DC Shoes slapped all over it for no obvious reason. And the loading scenes are boring car pans and triangles. I find myself looking out of the window half the time.

I vastly prefer Dirt 2 in almost every respect. Dirt 3 is still fun, but suffers from identity issues wheras Dirt 2 was confident in itself.

 

[BruiserBear]

Dirt 2 and Dirt 3 both had branded menus, but I think it actually stands out more as out of place in Dirt 3.

Dirt 2 had the whole X-Games and festival thing going on, the branding felt like a natural part of the experience and I don't think it detracted. I even quite liked the chatter. Interesting loading scenes had stats flying around and photos of where you where about to race, all sorts of stuff to keep it interesting.

Dirt 3 has the sheen of a professional racer with DC Shoes slapped all over it for no obvious reason. And the loading scenes are boring car pans and triangles. I find myself looking out of the window half the time.

I vastly prefer Dirt 2 in almost every respect. Dirt 3 is still fun, but suffers from identity issues wheras Dirt 2 was confident in itself.

I completely agree. While I'm still enjoying DIRT 3, I'd be lying if I didn't say DIRT 2 felt like a more polished and cohesive experience.

 

[Diablohead]

I like the car pan as the cars look fucking stunning on pc when everything is sharp and smooth, maybe that along with some on-screen stats would be the perfect mix.

 

[Lima]

The career in Dirt 2 fucking sucked at the end though. You always raced the same tracks over and over again. Even with half of the events Dirt 3 felt long enough.

 

[papersleeves]

I kinda like Dirt 2 but as weird as it may sound, I hate the animated menus. That alone is the reason why I am not playing Dirt 2 as much as I should. Does Dirt 3 have those fucking menus too?

 

[fresquito]

I used the unlock everything mod and I'm a happy man. Now I can play rallies without worries. If I feel like playing anything else, it's there, but it's no more forced on me (I was about to stop playing the game).

 

[1-D_FTW]

Got in on the free Dirt 3 code yesterday. Assuming I don't have technical issues and I enjoy it as much as I did Dirt 2, what's the best way to spend 800 MS points? Is it the Monaco DLC? I refuse to put any money into my account for DLC, but since I have 800 points parked in there forever, figure I'll spend it. Or would you guys recommend the Guts and Glory pack instead?

 

[Diablohead]

Got in on the free Dirt 3 code yesterday. Assuming I don't have technical issues and I enjoy it as much as I did Dirt 2, what's the best way to spend 800 MS points? Is it the Monaco DLC? I refuse to put any money into my account for DLC, but since I have 800 points parked in there forever, figure I'll spend it. Or would you guys recommend the Guts and Glory pack instead?

If you are going to buy anything buy the track, the car packs are just that, boring car packs of cars which should have been in the game to begin with, don't support that kind of shit.

 

[1-D_FTW]

You make it sound like even Monaco is questionable. I don't have to spend the points. I can keep them parked for some rainy day. Is Monaco even worth the 10 bucks? I just assumed people were all excited about the DLC for this game.

 

[PaulLFC]

If you're running DX 11 and Ultra settings lower shadows and Ambient Occlusion to high. I can't tell the difference visually, but go from 60 average to over 90 at 1600x1200, 4xAA Ultra w shadows and AO lowered one.

This is good to know, thanks. Any other settings that have a high impact on framerate?

With everything on high and 2xAA my GTX460 gets between 60 and 80 fps in the benchmark, but with things on Ultra it plummets to 12 fps.

 

[Diablohead]

You make it sound like even Monaco is questionable. I don't have to spend the points. I can keep them parked for some rainy day. Is Monaco even worth the 10 bucks? I just assumed people were all excited about the DLC for this game.

To keep things simple, the game has a few rally tracks but is sorely lacking more of a mix, monte carlo was not finished in time for release, at least that's what we know.

The car packs already have their 3rd person models in the game, buying those packs downloads the rest of the car so you can use it, aka these cars were already made just held back. The group B car trailer codemasters released before dirt 3 release showed all 5 group B cars, in the retail game you only get 3 before you have to buy the other 2.

The menu system also constantly advertises new packs "coming soon" and "out now on the marketplace", they are not trying to hide anything.

 

[Lima]

I love the game so buying the DLC is no big deal for me. It's not like not buying it will change everything. Every time a new pack comes out it is one of the most downloaded packs on Live.

 

[sneaky77]

The Montecarlo tracks are some of the best of the game, is a pity it was DLC.

I got tired of this game far quicker than Dirt2, and I am not sure why. I guess I was expecting more rally from all their interviews.

 

[isamu]

Game has me hooked. It's a pity hardly anyone plays the Party modes. Still need a couple achievements from that mode.

Oh and I have YET to see anyone run the Monte Carlo track online. WTF is up with that?

 

[1-D_FTW]

Had a chance to play some and it's definitely better than I thought. For some reason, I feared it was going to be a step back from Dirt 2 (although I haven't played Gynsucka and I know I'll hate that).

Not really seeing how this is going to have more content than Dirt 2, though. From a quick count, Dirt 2 had 10 locations and this has 4? I can see why Diablohead has the attitude he has, because it's clear they just cut shit out of the full game to make as DLC. Monaco clearly should have been in. And cars that were in Dirt 2 are now giving me for sale signs on Live Marketplace? Distasteful to say the least.

Completely justifies me not picking it up at launch and skipping the 33 percent off Steam sale. But for 0 dollars, I can appreciate the cool things about it. And they'll get 10 bucks for Monaco from me, but only because I have 800 points in my account and wouldn't spend them for another year if I don't.

Also dumbfounded that Codemasters can't solve the DX11 crash to desktop. Took me one race to have it happen. Just switched to DX9. But they'll never get me to pay full price retail for one of their products again until it's fixed.

 

[Submarino Conversível]

The game runs very well on my old X2 5200+, HD4770 512MB, 4GB RAM, with almost all full settings.

Dirt2 already did, this runs even better.

30FPS inside the car, with few drops here an there to 25 max.

45~60FPS on outside cameras, depending on the event (rally cross or p2p rally).

It's good that they cut all that X-Games feeling from Dirt2, even if the events are still in.

Pretty sad that they cut half of the content for DLC. Fuck that.

 

[isamu]

With all of its flaws, and yes there are many of them, the addictiveness of the online racing more than makes up for it. I've been racing online for several hours a day every day and simply can't put it down. It's digital fucking CRACK, and rally games aren't even my favorite racing discipline! Can you imagine when I get my hands on F1 2011? Geezuz Kreiss....

 

[Snuggles]

Just started playing this. It looks and runs great, but jeez, I wish it would shut the fuck up and let me play the game already.

 

[toythatkills]

Just started playing this. It looks and runs great, but jeez, I wish it would shut the fuck up and let me play the game already.

You can play, right after you've uploaded that race to Yootoob.

 

[1-D_FTW]

Kind of irked about the G27 support. This game will not save my settings. Only game setting it won't. Every time I restart, I have to go into controls and change the default setting from keyboard to G27 (and get a warning of do I really want to change those). Equally annoying, none of my custom wheel settings are retained. So I have to manually re-enter. And unlike Dirt 2 or F1 2010, the LED shifter lights are not supported on the G27.

Spent my 800 points on Monte Carlo. Very cool track. And up there with Kenya in the looks department. They really should have traded Monte Carlo for one of the bland environments if they were going to be so skimpy with the stock game.

Game has me hooked. It's a pity hardly anyone plays the Party modes. Still need a couple achievements from that mode.

Oh and I have YET to see anyone run the Monte Carlo track online. WTF is up with that?

I can see that. As a fellow Sega arcade lover, Codemaster games always remind me of Sega... If Sega still existed... And if arcades still existed. Codemaster games are what I envision they'd have been like. Whenever I crack open a new Codemasters game, the visuals give me that same awe I used to get when I saw one of the glory Sega games in the arcade. Marvelous times we live in. Having this in our homes.

 

[retroBrand]

This game is so good, yet so annoying at the same time. Like Dirt 2, I wish there were more events, because the game is too short. I got the game on Sunday, and I've completed the single player already. That's not right, at least not in my opinion.

This post is so good, I might upload it to YouTube, amigo.

 

[kamspy]

If we could only get Dirt 3's graphics and handling, Dirt 2's car buying and Dirt 1's UI and event tree.

Oh and less and/or cheaper DLC. I bought Monte Carlo and felt a little burned. It's a cool pack, but they're all basically different routes around the same track. At least that's how it looks. I'd have no problems buying cars. Hell, make them $0.50/ea and I'd probably end up spending more money than I would had I bought the packs.

Oh, and full Steamworks.

 

[Horsemama1956]

This is good to know, thanks. Any other settings that have a high impact on framerate?

With everything on high and 2xAA my GTX460 gets between 60 and 80 fps in the benchmark, but with things on Ultra it plummets to 12 fps.

My first though might be drivers. Which ones are you using and what are the rest of your specs? I have a 460 and get 92 avg and 70 something minimum in the benchmark with the settings I posted.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Got my hands on this for 17 as I traded Civ5 on steam for it. Can't wait to play it. Dirt 2 on PC was absolutely perfect in terms of IQ and performance.

 

[gregor7777]

I'm having a good time with it despite some annoying design decisions.

Obviously the interface is shit. It's so shit, I might upload it to youtube.

I'll tell you what they nailed though: going behind the wheel view, hitting a big puddle of water and having the wipers come on to clear the screen with the swooosh sound effect. So sweet.

 

[retroBrand]

And what the hell have Codemasters done with all the great tracks from the first two games? How can they sit on all that great content, like Scotland and Malaysia, and put out a game with so few stages?

So few tracks, so few cars...then have the nerve to charge 800p for ONE location. Come on Codemasters.

 

[1-D_FTW]

And what the hell have Codemasters done with all the great tracks from the first two games? How can they sit on all that great content, like Scotland and Malaysia, and put out a game with so few stages?

So few tracks, so few cars...then have the nerve to charge 800p for ONE location. Come on Codemasters.

The best compliment I can give to Monte Carlo is it seems like it belongs in Dirt 2.

There's some things I definitely like about 3, and it's a good game despite its warts, but track design is definitely < Dirt 2.

 

[isamu]

I can see that. As a fellow Sega arcade lover, Codemaster games always remind me of Sega... If Sega still existed... And if arcades still existed. Codemaster games are what I envision they'd have been like. Whenever I crack open a new Codemasters game, the visuals give me that same awe I used to get when I saw one of the glory Sega games in the arcade. Marvelous times we live in. Having this in our homes.

Why did you borrow my brain without asking me first?

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Several pics incoming as I played the game for a bout 45 minutes and spectated some online games (the online looks really fun and it's not just classic racing too).

Everything runs at perfect 60fps maxed out w/VSYNC......

Sorry if it seems a little excessive

I also like how you can move the cam during replays.

 

[Truespeed]

Several pics incoming as I played the game for a bout 45 minutes and spectated some online games (the online looks really fun and it's not just classic racing too).

Everything runs at perfect 60fps maxed out w/VSYNC......


I also like how you can move the cam during replays.

I see they kept the piss filter. Why do they continue to do this? Any way to tone it down?