Not that well designed

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Dch48

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I just got the PC version of the game yesterday for $19.99 through Amazon. I wish I could say it's fun to play but it really isn't. The graphics are awesome but the options to configure the difficulty leave a lot to be desired. The game is either too easy and no challenge at all if you use all of the assists or it's totally impossible to beat a single other car when you don't use them. There is no in between.

When I use all of the assists , I only have to hold down the throttle and steer a little and it's practically impossible to lose with the opponent difficulty on 3. If I don't use the braking, throttle and steering assists, I can't beat a single car on any track with their level set at 1. I can't even get within 15 seconds of the 7th place one.

The problem is with the ridiculous amount of sliding that every car does even with all of the car options set for maximum control. What I need to have is the option to turn on the auto-steering help without also having to have throttle and braking control on as well. That would make the game a lot more enjoyable. I have never been able to master power sliding in other games so I never did it and was able to get by that way. Don't tell me to drive slower either because if you do that, you stay on the road but still get beaten by every other car and most of the time by an even larger margin than before.

I also think they should remove the drifting challenges and all of the Gymkhana stuff since those parts are obviously why the sliding of the cars is built in. It should strictly be a racing game and not a trick driving showcase. This game is just too hard or too easy with , like I said, no in between.
 
Have you ever watched rally racing?

Granted, this isn't a super-accurate representation... but those aren't grip cars.

If you can't drive the way you're supposed to.... you either learn or lose.

And the gymkhana stuff is optional. You don't actually need to do any of it to win the game.

Countersteer is the key ^_^

EDIT: not every game is a "grip the road->go fast->win" game.
 
Repeated play ensures success.

Although I do suspect the handling is deliberately hinky in the first race to demonstrate how the flashback system works. I've started the game over a few times and I always wipe out on the same corner at Mutanen.

Stick with it. I suggest tunring off all assists except ABS. If you still think that's too difficult, turn off the HUD so that there is no mini-map - it really forces you to concentrate.

Gazumagi
And the gymkhana stuff is optional. You don't actually need to do any of it to win the game.
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Yes, you do. You need to pass everything in the Gymkhana Academy and finish on the podium at the final event in order to advance to the second season. But it's not too difficult with the difficulty turned down, tricksteer (plus the pathway) and ABS on. You also need to do the gymkhana events in the Summer X-Games, but if you win the Rallycross heat, you don't need to place too high to unlock the final. And it's not really a challenge until the final season and the world tour.

Other than that, there's no need to do any gymkhana.
 
Gymkhana isn't that difficult. Once you learn the ins and outs of the arenas, you can start plotting routes through them. I have a routine on Palace Square that - if you pull it all off - practically guarantees a score of at least 500,000. Of course, there are other stages (like Coliseum Air and Exposition Plaza) that I find very difficult to consistently get good scores on. The most frustrating thing about gymkhana comes in the Battersea Compound; sometimes, you complete a mission, but the game doesn't recognise that the conditions for completing it have been met. I've done dozens of 180-jumps with very little success. Drifting through the pipes is probably another one that can frustrate.

As for the other stages, the same thing applies: repeated play ensures success. There are some stages that I can absolutely thrash the AI on, even with the difficulty up to six and all aids off. Dredger Duel, Udagawachao, Paijanne Approach, Sospel, Horizon Drive and Tupasentie are all among my best stages. At the same time, I'm inexplicably slow on Crocodile Point, Tsavo and Lake Superior. Even with ABS on and the difficult toned down, I don't think I've ever won anything on any of those stages.
 
I've found that the difficulty varies from event to event. I turned off all the assists when I first got the game, and just adjust the difficulty with the AI. I usually play with difficulty 4-5 on Rallying, 2-3 on Gymkhana, 3-4 on Trailblazer, and 3 on Rallycross and Landrush. For rallying, the AI seems to go a little slower at night and on courses with hairpin turns, so I up the difficulty to compensate. Using different cars/class of cars can also change your ability to do well relative to the other drivers.
 
interludes
...At the same time, I'm inexplicably slow on Crocodile Point, Tsavo and Lake Superior. Even with ABS on and the difficult toned down, I don't think I've ever won anything on any of those stages.
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Give those a go in Time Trial using a Raid truck. Those beasts just love the dusty conditions and I found them useful for getting to learn the trailblazer tracks in D2.

Norway is my weak point...:)
 
Truth be told, I'd say the game is a bit easy. Then again I'm using a controller, but there's no tactile feedback and I've turned off everything and set the difficulty at 5. Sure it takes 2-3 tries for some races, but most races are relatively easy. That and the grip is actually surprisingly large.
 
I bought this on the ps3 as an antidote to Gt5 and have found it too be great fun, especially the drifting. Haven't made it to a gymkhana event yet but looking forward. Using a ds3 with all the assists off seems very well balanced but so far my 2 main criticisms are that the career mode seems to rely on paid for dlc too heavily and that the menu system in dirt 2 was miles better
 
Um, career mode can be played without and DLC at all. DLC makes it easier, because there are more career progression points on offer, but if you place highly enough, you can advance with ease. You don't even have to finish each of the series to get to the season final.
 

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