In a rather surprising move, Codemastes have released an Early Access version of their newest rally title, DiRT Rally, on Steam.
The early version comes with 17 real-life rally cars from various decades as well as 36 stages in three locations. More features will be added in the coming months as DiRT Rally moves towards becoming a complete title as outlined in the timeline.
After past DiRT titles also focused on Gymkhana and other off-road type events, DiRT Rally very much goes back to Codemasters’ roots in rally games, focusing on the classical point to point rally stage competition.
Sim racers can be hopeful as one of DiRT Rally’s development goals will be realistic physics, as outlined in this Eurogamer preview:
“So we got a new physics programmer in onto Dirt, and he brought fresh eyes to the problem. Starting with a new tire model and a new surface model, he’s basically rebuilt our physics from the ground up. That’s only been possible by having a handling team that wanted more out of the engine, and always asked questions. That pairing has really enabled us to break down the walls of assumption and bring in new features.”
Features
17 CARS OVER 6 NEW AND CLASSIC CLASSES ??? Including BMW M3 Evo; Audi Quattro S1; Lancia Delta HF Integrale and Subaru Impreza
DIVERSE LOCALES ??? 36 challenging stages set across Hafren, Wales; Monte Carlo, Monaco and Argolis, Greece
TEAM MANAGEMENT ??? Hire up to four engineering staff to work on your car between stages
RALLY ASYNC ??? Daily, weekly and month-long challenges against fellow players from around the world without the need to be online at the same time
RALLY SEASONS ??? Compete in a succession of events with the aim of gaining promotion to the next rung on the driving ladder
CUSTOM RALLY EVENTS ??? Take any car on any track and configure and compete in single or multi-stage events against the AI???s times
UPGRADES ??? Unlock the full potential of your car with meaningful improvements to its handling and performance
TUNING ??? Tweak your car set-up based on car, track and weather conditions to best suit your racing style
PHYSICS-BASED ASSISTS ??? DiRT Rally allows players to experience cars in their purest form. It also offers a selection of real world assists similar to those seen in race and road vehicles as traction control and ABS
DAMAGE & REPAIRS ??? Wear and tear is faithfully recreated with a comprehensive and realistic damage model. Damage can be repaired by hiring Engineers to work in the team???s Service Area between stages but with a finite amount of time available
DiRT Rally Early Access is now available on Steam, selling for 26,99???.
