DiRT Rally 2.0 DiRT Rally 2.0 | Final Update #2 Deployed

[Paul Jeffrey]

A second (lol) final update for DiRT Rally 2.0 has unexpectedly dropped for the rally simulation earlier today.

• Cut track improvements to Sweden.
• Minor performance tweaks.
• Final build release of the game.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Codemasters have today deployed another 'final' update for their DiRT Rally 2.0 title - adding a few minor tweaks to the simulation ahead of closing out development for this highly underrated and somewhat excellent rally simulation.

They already released what was considered to be the very last update a few weeks previously, however it appears that the British development team couldn't quite resist one final quick hotfix update, with a few final minor tweaks and performance improvements - although these have not been considered to be significant enough to warrant a mention in the accompanying change notes.

Update 1.17 Update Notes;

Locations:

• Höljes, Sweden - Adjusted track limits to prevent significant corner-cutting in rare instances.

Miscellaneous:

• Adjusted performance of dynamic trackside signage.
• Minor bug fixes and stability improvements (none notable enough to be highlighted).

Don't forget that if you are a bit of a fan of the sideways action, the RDRC (RaceDepartment Rally Championship) is an outstanding way to participate in some great online action. Amateur racers and real world professional teams and drivers come together to enjoy this outstanding title, and you can get involved too - head over to the RDRC sub forum and get involved!



Original Source; DiRT Rally 2.0 Steam.

Check out the DiRT Rally 2.0 sub forum here at RaceDepartment for all the news and chat around this awesome rally simulation.

 

[ShredatorFIN]

Need to give this another try. I fell in love with WRC9 and neglected this. Anyone tried both?

DR 2.0 has better sound (duh), FFB is (imo) a bit better, car roster is more interesting. Tarmac feels worse. WRC9 has "better" stages but DR 2.0 stages are actually real so there's that if someone cares about it

And of course it has VR, which is very good and runs okay

I'm not expert in dialing the WRC9 FFB though, so who knows. I hated the baseline settings, got it a bit better with tweaking. DR 2.0 FFB feels better to me, and it's mostly loose surface which is pretty spot on

And well, DR 2.0 doesn't have dynamic weather, but it has the evolving road surface that WRC9 doesn't

 

[KittX]

WRC9 has "better" stages but DR 2.0 stages are actually real so there's that if someone cares about it

Couple things about DR stages though, is they could give better attention to cambers in turns, width and profile changes and things like that. There is game-to-real-life comparison of Finnish stages out there, and you notice straight away that DR roads are flatten and less variable. That's what makes WRC stages feeling more real. Similar story with the way trackside objects and foliage are placed, in wrc it's the more natural way. But the models/textures themselves are better in DR.

 

[Joe Gaffey]

Wasn’t it 14gb or something?

14.7GB WTF. I'm on a metered connection so I'll have to leave it until the end of the month to make sure I can spare the bandwith. Completely disrespectful for such little content. Typical Codies crap.

 

[DirkW]

Please, can someone explain to me the nagging about the size of the update? As I understand it, people have the previous version of the game, can use it and also do so. Nobody is forcing them to update the game. It is purley optional. Now, instead of being happy that they get the option to install an improved version free of charge, and without Codemasters being obliged to release the update, people seem to become unhappy because the update has been released. I don't understand this, but maybe that's just me; to me it feels a little like the local restaurant offers a free meal and people become unhappy because it's not being delivered to their home and you have to go there to pick it up

 

[Joe Gaffey]

Please, can someone explain to me the nagging about the size of the update? As I understand it, people have the previous version of the game, can use it and also do so. Nobody is forcing them to update the game. It is purley optional. Now, instead of being happy that they get the option to install an improved version free of charge, and without Codemasters being obliged to release the update, people seem to become unhappy because the update has been released. I don't understand this, but maybe that's just me; to me it feels a little like the local restaurant offers a free meal and people become unhappy because it's not being delivered to their home and you have to go there to pick it up

On Steam you have to update to play, just checked to be sure.
Bandwidth is not free or unlimited for everyone. Some of have metered connections (not always by choice).
I don't mind a large update with lots useful content but a massive update with apparently small changes comes off lazy and disrespectful to customers like me.

 

[DirkW]

On Steam you have to update to play, just checked to be sure.
Bandwidth is not free or unlimited for everyone. Some of have metered connections (not always by choice).
I don't mind a large update with lots useful content but a massive update with apparently small changes comes off lazy and disrespectful to customers like me.

OK in that case that explains it, thanks.

 

[Metla]

where the hell did my ffb disappear to....

 

[Dr. Death]

On Steam you have to update to play, just checked to be sure.
Bandwidth is not free or unlimited for everyone. Some of have metered connections (not always by choice).
I don't mind a large update with lots useful content but a massive update with apparently small changes comes off lazy and disrespectful to customers like me.

On steam you dont have to update NOW to play, you can put the game on "update when asked" instead of automatic update. That being said, im pretty sure the multiplayer would be disable until its updated

 

[Joe Gaffey]

On steam you dont have to update NOW to play, you can put the game on "update when asked" instead of automatic update. That being said, im pretty sure the multiplayer would be disable until its updated

I had turned off automatic updates but the play button in the launcher still changed to update.
There may be some other way to launch without updating but as you say online features would likely be locked out.
Anyway regardless of when I decide to take the update it shouldn't take up a significant chunk of my data allowance unless it is bringing some major updates or fixes.

 

[AyrtJ97]

On steam you dont have to update NOW to play, you can put the game on "update when asked" instead of automatic update. That being said, im pretty sure the multiplayer would be disable until its updated

There might be a workaround I don't know of, but in the years I've been using Steam regularly (6-7 years) when a game needs an update, the "Play" buttom is changed to an "Update" buttom so you can't play until the game is updated.

 

[TShrimp]

I have DR 2.0. I like it fine, but the feedback through my wheel is just okay. I was looking at WRC8, and was wondering if it has better or worse feel through the wheel. Also, how does it compare to WRC9? I ask because I can get WRC8 along with 11 other games (including TT) fro $10 USD.

 

[Metla]

I found my missing ffb, it was in another game.

I maxed everything on my wheel to try and get some life out of Dirt 2, then when I jumped into wreckfest the wheel damn near ripped my rig apart, my coffee bounced off its ledge and smashed on the floor.

(note: not the first coffee cup and I have broken by poor positioning)

 

[Epistolarius]

Last last update and the game is just two years old.

Liked it about as much as Dirt Rally 1 when I played it but I wasn't a big fan of the DLC seasons approach, thought the location variety was still a bit lacking with all DLC, Rallycross was a big part of the game I barely played (doesn't help that you can't mix rally and rallycross content), and with like 110 GB install size it's not a game I like to keep around on SSD just to rarely play when I get the urge to drive the great 240Z or something. Hope they keep at least the online aspects... online for a few years still.

 

[Metla]

Am I wrong in thinking releasing patches for a game that is 2 years old is pretty extraordinary?

Anyhow, I must not have played this game since I upgraded my video card, It looks and plays stunning.

And I'm much faster as I've upgraded my pedals, sweet sweet slides in the dirt.

And my FFB is much worse....since I upgraded my wheel? Its like holding a wet pack of tissues.

 

[ShredatorFIN]

Am I wrong in thinking releasing patches for a game that is 2 years old is pretty extraordinary?

For regular AAA game industry (which Codemasters is part of) I'd say yes, it's not common

Assetto, rFactor, Automobilista, iRacing etc. sim developers share this "long-term science project" mentality, but vast majority of AAA studios don't see things that way at all

 

[Epistolarius]

Am I wrong in thinking releasing patches for a game that is 2 years old is pretty extraordinary?

Is it though?

Back before widespread internet adoption and digital store fronts and content delivery you couldn't afford a buggy release and long-term updates weren't an option outside of expansion packs.

These days games are released with a lot of bugs on the regular and are selling a lot of DLC for years to come. Of course the least one can expect are patches? And longer term support if the game is partially built on online functionality.

Also, it's on Codemasters to have such a split between the regular Dirt and a more realistic Dirt Rally franchise and to support only one at a time.

 

[Metla]

Is it though?

yes.

 

[Epistolarius]

yes.

Wait until you find out there's games that are supported for more than two years then, it'll blow your mind...

 

[Metla]

Wait until you find out there's games that are supported for more than two years then, it'll blow your mind...

Not at all, I remember very well the time before widespread internet adoption , and games definitely shipped with bugs, If you were lucky a critical fix might be supplied on a cd with a magazine. But no guarantee and you would have to watch the newsstands like a hawk and then hand over the coin.

Otherwise it was live with the bugs, even if it made the game unplayable. Or you could ring the game hotline in the uk for $2.95 a minute. They might have a work around.

So yeah, Two years of support is pretty extraordiany, even when some companies have adopted a business plan to keep a single title alive and bringing in revenue.

 

[Epistolarius]

Not at all, I remember very well the time before widespread internet adoption , and games definitely shipped with bugs, If you were lucky a critical fix might be supplied on a cd with a magazine. But no guarantee and you would have to watch the newsstands like a hawk and then hand over the coin.

Otherwise it was live with the bugs, even if it made the game unplayable. Or you could ring the game hotline in the uk for $2.95 a minute. They might have a work around.

So yeah, Two years of support is pretty extraordiany, even when some companies have adopted a business plan to keep a single title alive and bringing in revenue.

Yes, I remember. But that's the past and doesn't reflect the current situation. I wrote about this above, arguing in circles hm?

If your game today releases in an unfinished state - which many do - and you expect continued game sales and further DLC & season pass sales, and for your product to be competitive on the market (especially in cases like Codemaster's current split between more and less realism-focused series) you better provide support for your game - especially when the games are tied to online services. Don't like that? Release an offline, finished product. Can't do that? Provide support or live with the consequences. Simple. Companies selling you a product really don't need any sympathy in this regard.

Added edit: Two years might be enough for Dirt Rally 2.0, I'm not sure. But as I said, even with all the season passes content I found the content selection somewhat underwhelming - someone else might see that differently - and more importantly until a Dirt Rally 3.0 or whatever it may be called is released that is all Codemasters has on the "sim-rallying" market at this time. We'll see where Codemaster's new EA-ownership is taking this series.