Gamescom 2020's Opening Night Live featured games all across the spectrum, from revealing a medieval-themed Fall Guys second season to having Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown from Back to the Future announce the surprise release of Surgeon Simulator 2. Major franchises like Call of Duty, Ratchet & Clank, and Dragon Age appeared throughout the stream, but titles were also being showcased during the event's pre-show. One such title was Codemasters' off-road racing game Dirt 5, which introduced its Playgrounds feature.
Playgrounds, as shown in the game's latest trailer that also teases a mysterious vampire car, will offer players the freedom to create and share their own monster truck-style stunt arenas, complete with objects like ramps, loops, tunnels, and rings of fire. At launch there will be two backdrops, the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa and an open space in the Arizona desert, as well as three challenge types to set for those who use the arena. Game ZXC spoke with Codemasters Lead Designer Michael Moreton about Dirt 5's Playgrounds editor, other featured modes, and its development for current and next-generation consoles. Interview has been edited for clarity.
Q: How much have you pulled from the past in creating this new entry for the Dirt franchise, and what are you doing to innovate?
A: We took inspiration from several Codemasters titles when we were designing Dirt 5. We really tried to capture some of the attitude and vibrancy present in Dirt 2 and Dirt 3, and added our own hyper-realistic spin on it. We also look back fondly over some of the classic motorsport cars across the series, and have tried to cherry pick the most iconic machines for our vehicle roster. We’ve obviously got a few more modern icons and a heap of esoteric racing machines that fit with our vibrant, challenging off-road locations.
Q: In your opinion, what makes Dirt special versus other racing series like Forza? How are you hoping it will compare against upcoming titles like Forza Motorsport?
A: We think that our amplified style of racing and focus on off-road really makes us stand out against other racing series’. We want players to really enjoy blasting around our stunning tracks, enjoying the view and the experience. We’ve made sure to create a handling model that we know our fans want and love, with depth and nuance to all the different cars. We’ve also created a suite of assists that soften the experience and make a more accessible title.
Q: How is the game's career mode going to help it stand out? Are there plans to add additional story or events later?
A: Career narrative is a new feature for us. We looked at it, in a way, to add a level of polish and grounding for the player. We’ve gone with the best talent through Troy Baker and Nolan North playing our character’s mentor and rival respectively. We’ve also tried to give our career race series and throwdown events more gravitas by using the incredible guys at Donut Media. They created a Dirt podcast that’s used to further the story, provide incidental detail and world information, along with providing vital info around the different race and event types.
As the story unfolds around the player, they can choose the type of race and challenge that they want to take part in; focusing on Modern Rally or trying new challenges in Ice Breaker events. Once we’ve completed development of the main game, we’re looking at adding events and career strands using exciting new cars and racing on new tracks. It’s really important for us to keep our community playing together, and we’ll be looking at dedicating time in each content release for community-driven feedback features, so we can make sure we’re always keeping the player in mind.
Q: How in-depth will the Playgrounds feature be? Is it akin to locking different chunks in place, or will there be more customization at a smaller scale?
A: The creation of Playgrounds was the game’s biggest challenge for us, as it’s something we’ve not attempted before as a studio. We’re proud of the mode we’ve created.
In Playgrounds, players are able to choose an arena to build in, then they use a large number of prefabricated objects to create a challenge. These objects broadly sit in three types: decorative, worldbuilding, and functional. Using these objects, players can string together challenges in one of our three initial challenge types. Once they are happy, players validate their challenge by setting a score; then they can publish it to the Dirt 5 community for all to play. When a challenge is published, a worldwide leaderboard is created, so anyone with an online connection can test their mettle.
Q: Could you elaborate more on the challenge types players will be able to choose from when creating their own maps? Are there more types planned to be added?
A: Sure, the three challenge types we’ve got locked in for launch are as follows:
- Gymkhana: Players set up objects to drift and donut around, along with more specialized items such as “narrow gaps” to encourage precision drive through, drift targets to strike, and bonus blocks to smash. Once the player has set the arena to their liking, they must set a score to beat in a time period.
- Gate Crasher: Players set up a challenging course with checkpoints and a finish gate, then players must weave through all the checkpoints in any order to finish the course in the fastest time.
- Smash Attack: Players set up a host of smashable bonus objects and set a score limit. Players must then reach that limit in the fastest possible time, having to be careful because we’ve put penalty objects that add seconds to the player’s final time.
We're really eager to see what our players can produce with these challenges, and as we evolve the game through service there's always a chance that we can potentially add more modes and mechanics.
Q: Will there be extrinsic incentives for players to create great maps? Either likes and shares from the community, or through events hosted by Codemasters?
A: At launch, we’ve given players the ability to ‘Like’ Playgrounds and pin their favorite ones in our Discover mode. These ‘Likes’ from players will all be fed into our database that surfaces new arenas for players. We’ll have a ‘Most Liked’ category along with typical streaming service categories like ‘New’ and ‘Most Played.’
In addition to this, we are aiming to have a Featured section where we hand pick the contents and have the ability to showcase a series of playgrounds we think deserve attention; or we can even highlight a single creator if we choose. Ideally though, we want the players to use the tools we give them to highlight cool stuff for each other, and we’re really excited to see how players interact with the Playground Discover mode.
Q: A slight release delay was announced, with plans to offer early access for Amplified Edition players. Was there a particular reason for this, either for final polishing or some concern regarding the ongoing pandemic?
A: The release date was adjusted slightly in order to give ourselves the best chance going forwards on launch day.
Q: Speaking of, how has the pandemic affected production on Dirt 5? What did your team do to adjust with changing conditions?
Codemasters adapted well to the pandemic; we all transitioned to remote working quickly and with minimum hassle. There were obviously teething problems, as with any operation of scale that needed to be completed quickly, but our IT, production, and facilities staff have been amazing in helping us all get up and running.
We make sure that we talk to each other on Teams as much as we can, we still try to have face-to-face meetings remotely if possible, and we’ve all adjusted to the different challenges that remote work has to offer. Making games is a creative process and working remotely is sometimes challenging as you can’t just wander over to a desk to bother a coder or an artist, or sit and brainstorm in a meeting room to overcome a problem.
Q: The game will also be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X. What has the process been like working on a title for current and next-gen hardware?
A: It’s been a blast! Working with new hardware is always challenging, but also the most exciting time as we get to see what the new kit can do, where we can push limits, and what new features are on offer that allow us to really provide a fantastic experience for our players. This generation’s leap has been fantastic as well, with each of the main hardware manufacturers showcasing fantastic new features that we can add into our games.
Q: How popular do you anticipate next-gen upgrades will be for Sony and Microsoft's consoles? Do you believe more players will buy now and upgrade, or wait to get the game when new consoles release?
A: I think the pandemic has made this generation launch really difficult to judge. I believe that players being able to purchase on current generation, and then get a free upgrade when they purchase their next-generation console, gives them the best of both worlds. Early adopters will always exist, and getting games instantly when their new hardware arrives through the upgrade process will be an added incentive.
Then there are players who adopt later who will be able to get new life out of a game they previously enjoyed through the exciting upgrades we’ve added to next-generation versions. Plus, because we’ve worked hard to ensure we’ve got a great experience across all hardware, we are able to offer cross-generational multiplayer, which should help to ensure that all our servers in multiplayer races have a decent population no matter the user’s chosen hardware.
Q: How will creative mode work between the two generations? Will all content on PS4/Xbox One also be available on PS5/Xbox Series X with upscaled graphics? Or vice versa, with lesser graphics?
A: We’re ensuring Playgrounds are available in a cross-generational capacity, so as you suggest PS4 Playgrounds will function on PS5 and vice versa, the same for the Series X and the Xbox One. Obviously next-generational hardware will have features and enhancements that are associated with that, such as higher resolution and higher frame rates; but the core gameplay that we’ve spoken about will be present on any system and will be optimized for that system.
Q: Are there going to be certain options in Playgrounds that are only be available to those with next-generation systems? For Dirt 5 in general?
A: We wanted to give players of both generations of consoles the best experience we could. So, we’ve taken advantage of the hardware where possible – to introduce super quick loading through the SSD tech offered; to give players blistering frame rates with our 120FPS mode; and to offer players a new experience with the enhanced haptics present in the PS5’s new DualSense pad. However, the core racing experience in the game is shared across all generations, ensuring whatever version of Dirt 5 a player gets, it’s the best experience it can be.
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Dirt 5 releases October 16 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions scheduled later this year. A Stadia release is planned for 2021.
