DiRT Preview

ActionTrip: It seems that "collision" will be the name of the game. What's your team doing to compete against realistic damage models like we've seen in the PS3 game MotorStorm?

Gavin Raeburn: DIRT: Colin McRae Off=Road certainly ticks all of the boxes in having a comprehensive damage and deformation system that affects not only the vehicles but also environmental objects as well. Everything behaves exactly as it would in real life, so for example, metal crumples, plastic snaps and plants bend and flatten. Hit a large tree at high speed and your car will literally end up wrapped around it. Letting players experience the force of every bone-jarring collision goes beyond just the deformation effects, with particle and camera effects all playing a vital role in adding to the drama. Nuts, bolts and all manner of chassis and engine parts can now be thrown from the vehicle in big crashes. Finally, to let players relive the frenzy of each crash, the replay mode allows them to rewind and watch collisions as many times as they like, with the added ability of switching to a slow-motion camera to really see the destruction unfold.

ActionTrip: We're interested in knowing a bit more about the new vehicles that will be included in the game.

Gavin Raeburn: DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road will feature more cars than any previous CMR title, with much greater diversity. As well as the very latest 2 and 4 wheel-drive rally cars, including the Suzuki Swift and Citroen C4, the full car list includes heavily modified Rally Cross cars and 850bhp Unlimited Hill Climb monsters such as the Toyota Celica GT. There will also be Super Buggies, Pro-4 Trucks and European Off-Road SUVs, plus a special unlock car that's exclusive to DIRT. Each vehicle has a fully modelled high-detail interior, plus multiple officially licensed and fictional liveries.

ActionTrip: The CM franchise was often recognized as giving a truthful depiction of real-life rally tracks. As we understand it, this goal hasn't changed with DIRT. Which parts of the world will we be traveling to this time around?

Gavin Raeburn: This is still definitely the goal for DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road, but even more so because the tracks are all based on real roads and circuits from around the world. We've used satellite height data and individually researched and photographed tracks from real rally locations in places like the UK, Germany and Australia. There are also fully recreated licensed off-road circuits such as Bark River from the American CORR series and European Rally Cross events such as Knockhill, plus the full 20km of the official Pikes Peak Hill Climb and Rally Raid tracks based in San Diego, California.

ActionTrip: Are you planning to offer any twist to the CM single-player Career mode?

Gavin Raeburn: Unlike previous games, DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road's single player career mode has replaced the old-style linear progression with a pyramid structure. Layers of the pyramid are unlocked based on the player's success in each championship, leading to the ultimate goal of being Off-Road Champion. Each individual layer presents a variety race options across the various disciplines, allowing the player the choice over what and where to drive next. This freedom means that it will not be necessary to compete in every single championship to reach the final goal, but player's will still want to try everything on offer in order to add all the cars in the game to their personal collection.

ActionTrip: What can we expect of the game's multiplayer mode?

Gavin Raeburn: DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road's multiplayer mode will allow you to pit yourself in real time against 100 opponents. We'd like the player to feel like an online challenge is always at hand, so the game has been designed to pool large numbers of players together and sessions will persist even after the original host has left; this should avoid the small hyper-competitive fractured groups that tend to form in other racing games, which can be uninviting to those who don't race online every day. Of course, if a group of friends want to race just by themselves, they still can. In addition, we've made optimal use of leader boards so you will be informed of how well you are doing, even while driving on your own.

ActionTrip: Do you think the CM series would do well on Nintendo's Wii system? Or do you perhaps feel that the console's controversial Wii-mote might complicate things a wee bit?

Gavin Raeburn: To get the best out of a Wii version we would have had to design a completely different game to take advantage of its unique features. We never say never, of course, but there certainly won't be a version at launch.