DiRT 2 developer interview

Let Codemasters take you on a ride with DiRT 2 as its Chief Game Designer Matt Horsman puts you in the driver's seat.

Can you give a rundown on what DiRT 2 is and about?

DiRT2 is the sequel to the acclaimed best-selling off road racer of 2007, DiRT. The game takes players on a thrilling off road world tour, taking in a wide variety of race styles through exotic real-world locations including Morocco, Malaysia, China and the Baja desert.

What makes DiRT 2 different from other racing games?

Our greatest achievement is being able to create a fun and exhilarating racing experience that is steeped in realism and modern day relevance.

Integrating real brands such as Monster Energy and DC Shoes to sponsor our in-game events such as the Rallycross events at London Battersea and including the X Games, where you can compete against the latest off road driving superstars such as Ken Block and Travis Pastrana makes DiRT 2 the closest thing you can have to a real life off road racing experience.

How much input did Ken Block and other professional drivers have in the game?

Ken Block has visited the studio multiple times, and has given us feedback throughout the project as we have sent Ken versions of the game to play at home.

He has been a great help not only on the handling, as you would expect, but also the track design and the overall feel to make sure that when playing the game the entire experience is a realistic portrayal of life on the road, living the life of an extreme sports superstar.

With the development team's vast experience in the genre, what do you feel you had to do new this time around?

We spent a lot of time evaluating DiRT once it came out in 2007, both researching and obtaining feedback on what our fan-base really thought about DiRT and how we could improve it.

The two things on the top of the list were improved car handling and a more in-depth multiplayer experience. I am happy to say, two years on, that we have nailed both areas with a new handling system, allowing for real driving techniques where players can utilise weight shift to pull off amazing Scandinavian flicks, and the list of multiplayer features is almost endless.

The team have done a fantastic job; I couldn't ask any more of them.

How do you intend to use PlayStation Network in your plans for expanding DiRT 2?

We have made sure that our online community on PlayStation Network will be looked after once the game has been released. We have special admin controls at Codemasters HQ which will allow us to change the online experience once we have received feedback from our fans.

What are the hallmarks of a good rally game?

Rally plays a big part in the DiRT 2 experience, and as a sport it's renowned for being one of the hardest motorsports in the world. It's highly dangerous and exhausting and DiRT 2 reflects this. It's the only racing game I have experienced where the concentration needed is so high that you can't even blink, and you feel exhausted after completing a couple of rally stages, as you know one little mistake and you're toast.

What makes a good DiRT 2 soundtrack?

DiRT 2 is set in a festival racing experience in the world of extreme sports, so we needed to select music that related to this perfectly. We knew that the music would play an important role in creating the atmosphere between races as the player chills out in their RV and to build up the anticipation before a race. Therefore we put a higher level of effort in this area than any previous game we have created.

The result is a soundtrack that is not only relevant to today's music scene with tracks from great bands such as Queens of the Stone Age and Ladyhawke, but one that is globally appealing and fits perfectly with DiRT 2.

Were there any strange stories or anecdotes which emerged in the development of the game?

One of the funniest was right at the start; the design team were pushing for extreme locations to feature in the game, rather than the more traditional routes. This was tamed down a little to make sure all the locations in the game could feature in a real life event. So the first location we settled on was the Croatian Riviera with its smooth gravel, beautiful vistas and most importantly, tight twisty roads suitable for a rally stage.

However when the art team visited the location we had quite an angry phone call from them in Croatia, as we found out that they could not walk more than three feet from the road edge as the area is covered in land mines! So the designers, in a way, got their extreme location after all.

What do you want people to come away with once they've played the game?

As with any game I create I want people to come away with large smiles on their faces and a feeling of money well spent, and of course a thirst for a sequel!

Any final comments to say about DiRT 2?

If you want to live the life of a modern off road star and have the experience of playing an action-packed racing game, our game is the one you want. We've had a lot of fun making it, and I think that shows in the actual final product. We're hoping people are going to see that when they can get their hands on the demo.