Overview
This guide will help you get DiRT running optimally on modern computers (4+ CPU cores) and modern operating systems (Windows 8.1/10).A fresh download of DiRT may leave you in a crash state upon starting your first race, or unable to select the proper resolution you desire. Steps are needed to make hardware sound acceleration work. This guide does not go in depth into the graphics tweaks that can be done to enhance the graphics using the xml config files. There are other guides for that purpose.
Introduction and Explenation
I noticed one day, that there were no guides in the DiRT Hub in Steam. I’m sure there is a guide out there on youtube, and i might just make one myself to add here, but i thought it would be handy to have a guide like this directly accessible within Steam. An added benefit, is that I won’t have to keep track of an obscure bookmark to a guide that might (and have been) get lost during a site archive or take down. You know how it goes as games get older. Anyways, i hope this helps or is a convenience.
Although i do love the new release of Dirt Rally, i still return to DiRT when i want more variety in offroad disciplines (i love trophy trucks and buggies! anyone heard of Leadfoot?).
Can’t Set Native Resolution In-Game
Codemasters tried their best to assess the computer and its capabilities upon launching the game.
They put certain hardware types in buckets that limit or restrict certain configurations, so to try and guide users to an optimal play experience for each system. More often than not though, systems will be detected incorrectly and lock out resolution options. There are ways to fiddle with the xml files and get it to mitigate these estrictions, but the quickest way to get the game to use your proper monitor resolution is the following.
First, find your DiRT install directory:
Use Steam
Right Click on Dirt>Properties>Local Files Tab>Browse Local Files
Copy/Paste (insert your drive letter at the begining)
:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonDiRT
Find and delete hardware_settings_restrictions.xml
OR
Find and open the “hardwaresettings” folder. You should see the file below:
Open this file with notepad or a document editor such as notepad++ (don’t use Word or WordPad)
Turn on WordWrap and find the following (click to engorge 🙂
Set the Resolution Vsync and Refresh Rate to that which match your monitors native resolution and refresh rate. Vsync is up to your preference. Go google it if you don’t know what it is. If you input any options that your system doesn’t support, the game will default to 640×480 the next time you boot it.
Save this file and load up DiRT to see results.
Crashing When Starting a Race
First, find your DiRT install directory:
Use Steam
Right Click on Dirt>Properties>Local Files Tab>Browse Local Files
Copy/Paste (insert your drive letter at the begining)
:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonDiRTsystem
Open hardware_settings_restrictions.xml
Find:
<threadStrategy parallelUpdateRender=”true” workerMapFile=”system/workerMap8Core.xml”
change workerMap8core.xml to workerMap4core.xml
OR
You should also see the files below:
Rename the workerMap8Core.xml to something like workerMap8Core_.xml or workerMap8Core.xml.bak
Make a copy of the workerMap4Core.xml file in this same directory
Rename this copy to workerMap8Core.xml
Save Changes
Hardware Sound Acceleration
DiRT was published in a transition period of XP>Windows Vista. You’ve probably heard this before, so i won’t go into detail, but Hardware Sound Acceleration via a sound card was natively supported on DirectX versions on Windows XP, but were “not supported” directly, in Vista due to retiring a DirectX component called DirectSound.
Software was made available by Creative and Realtech to emulate or translate the video game’s calls to driver functions of a soundcard to the new software based sound component of Vista.
Creative’s Alchemy is the program that can accomplish this if you have certain types of sound cards. Most Creative sound cards are capable of using Alchemy, as well as some other enthusiast soundcards that licensed the ability to use their software on their own soudcards.
Creative eventually released a program package that allows you to have “X-Fi” soundcard features without having a traditionaly capable soundcard. This is called X-Fi MB3 (and 2 and 1… prior, but 3 is the latest version)
If you have either of the above programs or soundcards, you can or most likely already have Alchemy installed. If you don’t, go look up how to get it.
Open alchemy from your start menu
If DiRT is not detected on your system, click “Add” and match the settings here (just change the drive letter or path to where your game is installed)
Highlight the new DiRT entry, and click the arrows pointing to the right to move it to the right, active column
Run DiRT and go to the Sound options menu. You should now have 1 or more new options “DirectSound” and or “OpenAL”. Choose one (opinions vary about which one sounds better, you decide for yourself by testing) and set the quality to high and save, DiRT will prompt you to restart.
Give it a go, you’ll hear more evironmental/ spacial seperation of sounds and opjects, including more sounds from your competitors and gravel.
Conclusion
Since DiRT has native Xinput support (thank goodness), xbox type controllers, both wired and wireless work natively with the game.
Steering wheels are another guide, for another type of gamer to make.
Some of these tips apply directly to Race Driver Grid as well.
I hope this serves as an archived guide to get DiRT running for those that can’t find the online guides anymore or can’t be bothered to search on youtube to find a video tutorial. If nothing else, its here for me to refer to when it’s been a while and i’ve forgotten a thing or two about getting it running.
“If in doubt, flat out”
-RIP Colin McRae