===============================================================================
CodeZebra's Guide to DIRT
===============================================================================

Version History:
N/A

Current Version: 1.0

Planned Updates:

*FAQ section (once I start getting questions)
*Car Tuning
*Detailed Track Information
*Track Highlights
*Anything else I'm forgetting.

===============================================================================
Contact:

CodeZebra - [email protected]
===============================================================================
Legal Stuff:

=This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, 
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed 
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other 
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a 
violation of copyright.

=People With Permission (as of July 13, 2008):
N/A
      
=Originally submitted to GameFAQs... you're most likely to find the latest 
version there.
===============================================================================
Special Thanks:

The nice folks at http://www.colinmcrae.110mb.com/dirt.htm

===============================================================================
Foreword:

DIRT is a racing game. It strives to apply the reality of physics while
maintaining an arcade feel so while under normal circumstances it will feel
pretty realistic, in extreme cases it will show that there is an overall
"arcade-y" model to it (ie - going off the course in a spectacular crash only 
to find yourself transported magically back to the track). 
That isn't a bad thing though. It leads to a game that plays well and is 
amazingly fun.

Thanks to the nature of a racing game, I cannot provide you with a turn-by-turn
guide. Each individual has different driving characteristics and you have to
mold those characteristics into what is best to get the fastest time. I will
be providing the things you should think about that will improve your time.

Along with driving tips, I will eventually include detailed appendices on
topics like tuning the cars and the different tracks. I will also add an FAQ
section for questions. Questions will take priority over any planned updates I
have. I'll also add more detail as requested.

This version of the guide is sufficient to get you through the single-player.
Also, I may have used certain words interchangeably (such as campaign for
career...) Please excuse me there and let me know if I did something like that.
I'll edit it.

===============================================================================
Table of Contents

A) GAME MECHANICS (aka what you'll see in the game)

B) THE DIRT DRIVING PHILOSOPHY

C) GENERAL GAME TIPS

D) THE CARS OF DIRT

E) THE TRACKS

===============================================================================

===============================================================================
===============================================================================

===============================================================================
A) GAME MECHANICS
===============================================================================

Once you get past the title screen you'll come up on a screen with several
options. The options are explained a bit in detail below:

===Career

This is the bulk of the single player game. According to my calculation, the
campaign has 66 events set up in a pyramid setup. You start from the bottom
tier with 11 events (let me know if my calculation is wrong... I've never been
good at counting things) and go up to the final Champion of Champions tourny.
It seems like you have fewer events later on, but it is decievingly so. Even 
though you have fewer events, each event consists of more than one race. More
later on, with more stages and such in rallies and whatnot. Here is a list of
types of events in career mode: (Oh, and you can also have Colin McRae explain 
by pressing triangle (PS3) for discipline information)

=CORR
    A traditional race with other cars in the listed CORR category.

=Rally
    A test of driving skill in a point-to-point race for the best time. You get
a navigator that will essentially narrate the track for you. Very helpful.

=Crossover
    1 v. 1 battles for the win in a track where a pair of cars begin on two
sides of the track and in the course of the race will traverse both sides, thus
ensuring fair racing. At minumum you will be dealing with a semifinal and a
final race.

=Rally Raid
    Similar to a rally - you get a navigator and all - but with other cars
present and racing against you.

=Rallycross
    Races similar to a Rally Raid, but on tracks with half-dirt half-tarmac
and no navigator.

=Hill Climb
    Going uphill on a point-to-point race for the best time in various classes
of cars. (The big rig hill climbs are especially interesting.)

You can select an event and scroll left/right to get more information about
the cars eligible as well as the tracks.

===Championship

You will find here rally events that extend for multiple stages. One key thing
to remember here is that in a single rally race that extends multiple segments,
you keep all the damage you take so keep your damage to a minimum. You can 
choose from a long championship and a short championship, with each setting
letting you know how many races are point-to-point and how many are circuit-
type.

===Rally World

Here you find Single Race, Single Event, and Time Trial. The names themselves
pretty explanatory and you're free to configure the events as you desire.
Just be aware that a Single Race might be 1 stage while a Single Event could
extend over multiple races.

===Multiplayer

Obvious... You can play Online, over a LAN, or set Online Options here. More
detail on multiplayer later... I'm not so keen on multiplayer, however, so
don't expect this sooner than other single player details.

===Options

You can set options here... another obvious thing? The options you can change
include Profile Settings, Control Setup, On Screen Display (OSD), Sound, and
Bonus Codes (which I think you have to call and pay for to get? not sure on
this quite yet).

===History

This takes you to where you can see all the cars you have unlocked and check on
the many statistics that the game keeps about your driving.

===Extras

Some legal stuff and videos that you can unlock. (As far as I know, only
Champion of Champions video and 100% career complete video to unlock.)


===============================================================================
B) THE DIRT DRIVING PHILOSOPY
===============================================================================

DIRT is not really a game I can provide an in-depth turn-to-turn guide for. I 
do not have the fastest times and thus cannot claim to have the best method.
However, I can convey to you the basic idea behind driving faster and harder.
For some of you these ideas may be subconsciously accessed all the time without
being obvious while for others it may just be completely alien. The ideas
presented here will help any kind of person improve their game by making them
aware of the fundamentals of driving in the races DIRT puts you in. Thinking
this way will help you with the game on difficulty levels up to Pro Am. For
Pro, you'll have to add your own touches to get by although the following 
points are still very valid.

There are three intricately related points you must always keep in mind:

    1. Control
    2. Grip
    3. Speed

These three factors you must keep in mind while you are driving. They are 
all very important things to keep in mind. Here's a sample of how it works: 
it's a given that you'll always want control no matter what is going on, 
otherwise you'll crash and that doesn't exactly help your speed. The amount of 
grip you need changes depending on the situation and sometimes you can get away
with having less grip (such as sliding through a hairpin turn) while still 
having enough control and other times you can have too much grip causing you to
go out of control (coming down off a crest, for example). If you manage your
control and grip well, the speed will come naturally. Similarly, you can go too
fast into a turn thus leading to a loss of grip and a loss of control. Or you
could go into a tight turn too slow leading to too much grip with your input of
control leading to an overall loss of control.

It may sound overwhelming but if you're already playing the game and doing
decently then you're already taking care of these things in your mind. But with
more information your mind can better assess the situation and hopefully get
better times and thus winning more races.

One of the most important concerns is track type. "Tight" materials like tarmac
have more grip so you need to adjust for the increased friction you will have 
and a higher resistance to sliding. Generally I've found that unless you are
using a very high-powered car that can push through the resistance, it is
better to retain as much control as possible to allow for a speedier exit. On
"looser" materials like loose gravel or the various kinds of dirt you'll have
less grip at higher speeds so trying to maintain your grip will slow you down,
so you'll have to maintain speed and control while giving up a bit of your
grip. Drifting is more and more useful the "looser" the surface is.

Also note - the weaker cars may not have to worry as much simply because their
acceleration and top speed are not high enough to get into situations where 
speed and grip control are conflicting as much. Keep that in mind.

Another important consideration is elevation changes. This mainly affects grip
but as mentioned before grip can affect control and speed. Say you're going 
over the top of a crest. Since your car was previously pointed upward, it will
continue going that way until more or less because the acceleration of gravity
won't change its direction instantaneously. Thus the wheels will meet the
road with less force and you will lose grip. This means that if you have to
turn right after the crest, you will not have enough grip if you're going too
fast over the crest. The opposite effect happens when you land from a jump or
come out of going downward from a crest. Your car is forced toward the ground
by the gradient in elevation and you'll get more grip. If you try turning you
run the risk of oversteering. So if you're going over a crest and you know
there is a turn coming up, make sure you slow down so that you can maintain
your grip and thus enough control (unless you know you can go off the crest,
land, and use the extra grip to slide through the turn).

The parenthetical idea brings up an interesting point. A lot of times the first
time through a track you're going to crash a lot or go a lot slower than you
could have. Practice is vital in this game. You'll race on these tracks many
times, often increasing in speed each time. The more you practice a track the
better you will understand the intricacies of each curve and also the car you
are using.

The final concern I can think of right now is acceleration and braking. Simply
put, accelerating will decrease your turning ability by shiftin weight to the
back of the car leading to understeer. Braking will put weight on the front of
the car and increase oversteer. However, braking is a bit more complicated in
that it can also lock up your wheels and make you lose control all together or
ironically lock up your wheels intentionally to throw you into a slide for
better control. I can't exactly tell you how to drift because it is more of an
intuitive thing than anything else. The DIRT manual is about as helpful as any
advice will get. For me personally I found that the specific methods in the 
manual don't exactly work for me and I've come up with workarounds. Similarly,
I feel that you'll do a lot better if you learn for yourself how you personally
drift.

All in all these paragraphs covered a basic way of approaching DIRT that will
allow you to win in all races up to Pro Am level. I'm sure it will allow you
to win at the Pro level also, it is just that I haven't done that just yet.
Refining these thought processes over time will get you faster and faster,
perhaps even setting a world record time yourself.


===============================================================================
C) GENERAL GAME TIPS
===============================================================================

These are a collection of tips that I am going to lump here to avoid
classifying them more specifically.

=In races against the AI, if you find that they are gaining on you very
quickly, try and get in front of them (without having them T-bone you).
The AI is generally pretty courteous and will slow down. You don't want a
collision though because that might damage you and hinder you later in the
race.

=When you have a navigator in your car remember that what he says isn't
absolute. That is, if he says, "Right, 3" you do not have to approach that turn 
like you would a "Right, 3" on another track or another part of the course you
are on. Each turn is individual, so practice until you can tell for yourself
how you can handle each turn. What the navigator says is more of a guide than a
definite ruling on the turn.

=In the career mode, play on the lower difficulties first. It's a given I think
since on the tougher difficulties even the slightest mistake will lead to a
loss. Also, playing on lower difficulties is a good way to build up your money
for cars later on. The reason is that if you beat an event on Pro Am, for
example, then the prize winnings for all the lower difficulties up to Pro Am
decreases, so next time you won't get as much money. So I suggest going from
bottom up. It'll also get you exposed to the various tracks more often, which
is ALWAYS a good thing in this game.

===============================================================================
D) THE CARS OF DIRT
===============================================================================

Here you will find the information provided for the cars in the "History"
section. I'm going to ignore liveries since they are just aesthetic
modifications. I'm also going to ignore the vehicle history that you can access
(square button on the PS3) because that is different for every user. You can 
also hear a bit of information about the vehicle from Colin McRae himself
(press the traingle button on the PS3). Also note that depending on your 
nationality the unit of measure will differ. I have chosen to use American 
units since I'm kinda guessing that's where a majority of my audience will be.
The same basic ideas in terms of comparing cars will apply no matter what the
units, so no worries there. Also, I'm not going to rate the cars because the 
power-to-weight ratio is a pretty good indicator of how a car will compare to 
another in the same class (and you'll never be racing more than one class 
together at a time).

Here are the main pieces of information that you will find:

-Power to weight ratio:
    This is probably the most important statistic because the higher the power-
to-weight ratio is, the faster a car will go. Very simple idea, really, and
probably the only statistic you'll really need to worry about.

-Torque:
    Torque is essentially a measure of the ability of a car to accelerate. The
more torque a car can exert, the faster it can transfer the power from the
engine into kinetic energy to get the car moving. Generally the cars with 
higher power-to-weight ratios tend to have more torque anyway so it's not too
much of a concern in the long run. I'd suggest that - unless you're a stickler
for details - you simply keep an eye on the power-to-weight ratio.

-Wheelbase:
    This is how far the center of the front wheels are from the center of the
back wheels. The most important effect this will have is weight distribution.
Cars with engines in the front with a long wheelbase will find it harder to
grip with the rear wheels, for example, leading to a decrease in acceleration
ability. Again, this is one of those things that in the long run you probably
won't notice. However, if you are into the effects of the wheelbase, well...
hopefully now you have a slightly better idea of what it is.

Anyways, here goes:
===Forward-Wheel Drive (FWD) Vehicles:

=Clio (Renault Clio Super 1600)

Power to weight ratio: 209 hp/ton
Torque: 145 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 98 in
Drive Train: FWD

=Corsa (Opal Corsa Super 1600)

Power to weight ratio: 209 hp/ton
Torque: 148 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 98 in
Drive Train: FWD

=C2 (Citroen C2 Super 1600)

Power to weight ratio: 209 hp/ton
Torque: 148 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 92 in
Drive Train: FWD

=Swift (Suzuki Swift Super 1600)

Power to weight ratio: 200 hp/ton
Torque: 137 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 94 in
Drive Train: FWD

===4 Wheel Drive (4WD)

=Grande Punto (Fiat Grande Punto Super 2000)

Power to weight ratio: 209 hp/ton
Torque: 184 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 99 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=207 S2000 (Peugeot 207 Cup Super 2000)

Power to weight ratio: 227 hp/ton
Torque: 184 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 101 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Impreza 06 (Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec-C)

Power to weight ratio: 181 hp/ton
Torque: 311 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 100 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Evo IX (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)

Power to weight ratio: 191 h/pton
Torque: 420 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 104 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=307 (Peugeot 307)

Power to weight ratio: 216 hp/ton
Torque: 426 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 103 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=C4 (Citroen C4 Concept Car)

Power to weight ratio: 236 hp/ton
Torque: 419 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 103 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=R4 (Colin McRae R4)

Power to weight ratio: 308 hp/ton
Torque: 245 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 98 in
Drive Train: 4WD

===Classic

=Celica (Toyota Celica GT-Four)

Power to weight ratio: 227 hp/ton
Torque: 369 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 100 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Impreza 95 (Subaru Impreza WRX-RA STI version II)

Power to weight ratio: 227 hp/ton
Torque: 295 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 100 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=205T16 (Peugeot 205 T16)

Power to weight ratio: 426 hp/ton
Torque: 351 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 100 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Delta S4 (Lancia Delta S4)

Power to weight ratio: 508 hp/ton
Torque: 354 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 96 in
Drive Train: 4WD

===Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)

=131 Abarth (Fiat 131 Abarth)

Power to weight ratio: 218 hp/ton
Torque: 178 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 96 in
Drive Train: RWD

=Stratos (Lancia Stratos)

Power to weight ratio: 272 hp/ton
Torque: 221 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 86 in
Drive Train: RWD

=Escort (McRae Motorsport Escort Mk2)

Power to weight ratio: 290 hp/ton
Torque: 245 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 81 in
Drive Train: RWD

=R5 Maxi (Renault 5 Maxi Turbo)

Power to weight ratio: 354 hp/ton
Torque: 229 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 96 in
Drive Train: RWD

=New Stratos (New Stratos by Fenomenon)

Power to weight ratio: 399 hp/ton
Torque: 275 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 90 in
Drive Train: RWD

===CORR Super Buggy

=Hawley (Aaron Hawley Super Buggy)

Power to weight ratio: 236 hp/ton
Torque: 145 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 112 in
Drive Train: RWD

=Schwalbe (Scott Schwalbe Super Buggy)

Power to weight ratio: 272 hp/ton
Torque: 159 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 103 in
Drive Train: RWD

===CORR Pro 4

=Chevy (Chevrolet Silverado)

Power to weight ratio: 336 hp/ton
Torque: 719 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 121 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Tundra (Toyota Tundra)

Power to weight ratio: 318 hp/ton
Torque: 429 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 126 in
Drive Train: 4WD

===Class 1 Buggy

=McMillin (McMillin Racing Car)

Power to weight ratio: 308 hp/ton
Torque: 424 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 120 in
Drive Train: RWD

=Ickler (Ickler Jimco buggy)

Power to weight ratio: 372 hp/ton
Torque: 428 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 120 in
Drive Train: RWD

===Hill Climb Big Rig

= Kenworth (Kenworth T2000)

Power to weight ratio: 245 hp/ton
Torque: 1217 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 160 in
Drive Train: RWD

= Freightliner (Freightliner Century Class S/T)

Power to weight ratio: 308 hp/ton
Torque: 2697 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 155 in
Drive Train: RWD

===Hill Climb Unlimited

=FTO (Mitsubishi FTO)

Power to weight ratio: 590 hp/ton
Torque: 482 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 99 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=405T15

Power to weight ratio: 535 hp/ton
Torque: 471 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 114 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=quattro (Audi Quattro S1 Pikes Peak)

Power to weight ratio: 535 hp/ton
Torque: 435 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 88 in
Drive Train: 4WD

= Escudo (Suzuki Escudo)

Power to weight ratio: 844 hp/ton
Torque: 579 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 108 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Celica GT (Toyota Celica GT Pikes Peak)

Power to weight ratio: 871 hp/ton
Torque: 1106 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 100 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Tacoma (Toyota Tacoma)

Power to weight ratio: 871 hp/ton
Torque: 1106 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 107 in
Drive Train: 4WD

===Rally Raid T1

=L200 (Mitsubishi L200 Triton)

Power to weight ratio: 100 hp/ton
Torque: 376 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 109 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Warrior (Rally Raid UK Desert Warrior)

Power to weight ratio: 118 hp/ton
Torque: 354 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 110 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Nissan Pickup (Dakar Nissan Pickup)

Power to weight ratio: 136 hp/ton
Torque: 266 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 110 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=BMW X3 (BMW X3 CC X-Raid)

Power to weight ratio: 127 hp/ton
Torque: 457 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 112 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Touareg (Volkswagen Race Touareg 2)

Power to weight ratio: 127 hp/ton
Torque: 369 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 111 in
Drive Train: 4WD

= Montero (Mitsubishi Montero EVO MPR11)

Power to weight ratio: 109 hp/ton
Torque: 304 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 109 in
Drive Train: 4WD

===Rally Raid T4

=Kamaz (Kamaz 4911)

Power to weight ratio: 64 hp/ton
Torque: 1991 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 165 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=MAN (MAN TGA)

Power to weight ratio: 73 hp/ton
Torque: 2213 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 173 in
Drive Train: 4WD

===Rallycross Modified

=Exite (Lotus Exige)

Power to weight ratio: 227 hp/ton
Torque: 146 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 91 in
Drive Train: RWD

=Audi TT (Audi TT)

Power to weight ratio: 417 hp/ton
Torque: 256 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 96 in
Drive Train: FWD

===Rallycross Supercars

=Saab (Saab 9-3 T16)

Power to weight ratio: 435 hp/ton
Torque: 496 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 103 in
Drive Train: 4WD

=Xsara (Citroen Xsara 4x4 T16)

Power to weight ratio: 390 hp/ton
Torque: 531 ft lbf
Wheelbase: 101 in
Drive Train: 4WD

===============================================================================
THE TRACKS
===============================================================================

*Found on: http://www.colinmcrae.110mb.com/dirt.htm

*I will be adding my own details in a future update.

===Rally Cross
France - Circuit de Ducs
UK � Croft
UK - Knockhill

===Hill Climb
Pikes Peak Full
Pikes Peak Short A
Pikes Peak Short B
Pikes Peak Short C
Pikes Peak Short AB
Pikes Peak Short BC
Windy Point Full
Windy Point Short A
Windy Point Short B

===Rally Raid
Jamul Valley
Lower Otay Lake
San Ysidro Mountains

===CORR
Bark River
Chula Vista A
Chula Vista B
Crandon

===Rally
Australia � Canberra - Bendora
Australia � Canberra - Bendora B
Australia � Canberra - Brindabella
Australia � Canberra - Brindabella B
Australia � Canberra - Tidbinbilla
Australia � Canberra - Uriarra Forest
Germany - Ockfen Biebelhausen
Germany - Ockfen Biebelhausen B
Germany - Ockfen Ockfen
Germany - Ockfen Ockfen B
Germany - Ockfen Sonnenberg
Germany - Ockfen Sonnenberg B
Italy � Sardinia - Mount Di Li Conchi
Italy � Sardinia - Mount Di Li Conchi B
Italy � Sardinia - Cunconi
Italy � Sardinia - Cunconi B
Italy � Sardinia - Tempio Pausania
Italy � Sardinia - Tempio Pausania B
Japan - Gumma-Ken - Komoro
Japan - Gumma-Ken - Lake Ono
Japan - Gumma-Ken - Maebashi
Japan - Gumma-Ken - Maebashi B
Japan - Gumma-Ken - Numata
Japan - Gumma-Ken - Numata B
Spain � Girona - Calogne
Spain � Girona - Calogne B
Spain � Girona - Puntabrava
Spain � Girona - Puntabrava B
Spain � Girona - Tossa de Mar
Spain � Girona - Tossa de Mar B
UK - Kielder Forest - Butteryhaugh
UK - Kielder Forest - Butteryhaugh B
UK - Kielder Forest - Crawberry Crag
UK - Kielder Forest - Deadwater Moor
UK - Kielder Forest - Falston
UK - Kielder Forest - Falston B

===Crossover
Australia - Canberra Park
Germany - Avelsbachring
Italy - Pozzo della cava
Japan - Numata Raceway
Spain - Circuito de Girona
UK - Kielder Raceway

===Shakedown
Australia Shakedown
Germany Shakedown
Italy Shakedown
Japan Shakedown
Spain Shakedown
UK Shakedown