DiRT 3

DiRT 3

Developers
	Codemasters
macOS (OS X)	Feral Interactive
Publishers
	Codemasters
OS X	Feral Interactive
Engines
	EGO 2.0
Release dates
Windows	May 24, 2011
macOS (OS X)	January 29, 2015
Reception
Metacritic	86
IGDB	86
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Racing, Simulation
Vehicles	Automobile, Off-roading
Art styles	Realistic
Series	Colin McRae Rally

Warnings

For Games for Windows - LIVE on Windows 8 or later, install the latest Games for Windows - LIVE software.

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

DiRT 3 is a singleplayer and multiplayer racing and simulation game in the Colin McRae Rally series.

Key points

The game features full keyboard support but an Xbox 360 Controller is recommended.

Owners of GFWL version on Steam get Complete Edition for free as a separate library entry.

Benchmark included.

General information

Steam Community Discussions (Complete Edition)

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SecuROM PA and SecuROM 8 DRM.
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Mac App Store (unavailable)		Complete Edition. Does not support online multiplayer.
Steam (unavailable)
Steam (unavailable)		Complete Edition

All non-Steam Windows versions require Games for Windows - LIVE DRM. SecuROM activation limit unknown. A revoke tool is available.

Retail product keys activate on Steam.

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Replace files
Download this archive. Extract it to the installation folder and replace the existing files.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\DiRT3\hardwaresettings\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/44320/pfx/

Some other non user-specific configuration files are stored with the game data. See the Field of view (FOV) section for more information.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\DiRT3\savegame\
macOS (OS X)
Steam	<Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/321040/
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/44320/pfx/

Saves are not compatible between the Steam and Games for Windows - LIVE versions.

Steam saved game data location appears to be a placeholder and remains empty; look for files in the My Games folder

Replay data is stored in %PROGRAMDATA%\Codemasters\DiRT3\ (can take few gigabytes).

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud		Complete Edition only. Approx. 38 MB available.

Video

Graphics settings.

General settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed		Toggle with Alt+↵ Enter. Window is fully resizable.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		2x-8x MSAA, 8x-16x CSAA, and 8x QCSAA.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

Dirt3FovChange user interface.

The parameters concerning the field of view as well as the point of view of each of the in-game cameras are stored in a binary file named cameras.xml. There is one such file for each car in the game. They are located with other car-related data in the subfolders of: <path-to-game>\cars\models. These files can be batch edited using Dirt3FovChange although DLC cars may prove problematic as their data is reportedly stored in a different location. Conveniently, a backup of the binary files will be made in text format before attempting to modify them. This allows a quick restore of the most recent state.

This method is reliable and stable: modifications can be made on-the-fly, while in a race.

Using Dirt3FovChange

Download Dirt3FovChange. Extract the files from the archive into a common folder. Launch Dirt3FovChange.exe. Although an essential part of the process, binXml.exe won't require user input. Set the desired values and click the start button. Launch the game. Test the settings in a race. Exit the race. Alt+Tab ↹ to Dirt3FovChange. Restore the original settings. This will not erase the values you previously entered in the GUI. Tweak said values. In DiRT3, start a new race to check your changes. Repeat until the desired effect is attained. Notes Backing up the files that are about to be modified is never a bad idea. In some cases, you may have to manually point Dirt3FovChange to the DiRT 3 installation folder. It is advisable to restore the original files inbetween modifications. This way, the default settings will always be accessible. Vertical FOV: a larger number will translate into a wider field of view. Adjust FOV for: selects the in-game camera or cameras you want to edit. Head Offset: affects the position of the head-cam (cockpit view). A modification of 0.1 will yield a noticeable change. It is to be noted that the point of view can be placed outside of the car. X: affects the lateral position. A positive value will move the point of view to the left. Y: affects the vertical position. A positive value will move the point of view upward. Z: affects the front/back position. A positive value will move the point of view closer to the dashboard. Head Tilt Change: affects the vertical angle of the camera. Compared to the position values, the tilt value works on a different scale: a modification of 1 will yield a barely noticeable change. A positive value will tilt the camera up.

Result

• 

  Default FOV, default head position.

• 

  Custom FOV of 65, default head position.

Disable and replace post-processing filter

The game has a controversial post-processing filter which can only be disabled by deleting a file in the game's installation folder. Without the filter, the game looks even less vibrant than it did prior, but as the original filter is disabled, it can now be replaced entirely.

1. Copy the following text and paste it into a new file named Dirt3_HFX.ini (click "Expand" on the right to show the text):

PreprocessorDefinitions=
Techniques=AmbientLight@AmbientLight.fx,DPX@DPX.fx,HDR@FakeHDR.fx,LiftGammaGain@LiftGammaGain.fx,Curves@Curves.fx,Tonemap@Tonemap.fx
TechniqueSorting=AmbientLight@AmbientLight.fx,DPX@DPX.fx,HDR@FakeHDR.fx,LiftGammaGain@LiftGammaGain.fx,Curves@Curves.fx,AdaptiveFog@AdaptiveFog.fx,AdaptiveSharpen@AdaptiveSharpen.fx,AdvancedCRT@CRT.fx,After@Splitscreen.fx,ContrastAdaptiveSharpen@CAS.fx,ASCII@ASCII.fx,AspectRatioPS@AspectRatio.fx,Before@Splitscreen.fx,BloomAndLensFlares@Bloom.fx,Border@Border.fx,CA@ChromaticAberration.fx,Cartoon@Cartoon.fx,Chromakey@Chromakey.fx,ChromaticAberration@Prism.fx,CinematicDOF@CinematicDOF.fx,Clarity@Clarity.fx,ColorMatrix@ColorMatrix.fx,Colourfulness@Colourfulness.fx,Daltonize@Daltonize.fx,Deband@Deband.fx,Depth3D@Depth3D.fx,DepthHaze@DepthHaze.fx,DisplayDepth@DisplayDepth.fx,Emphasize@Emphasize.fx,EyeAdaption@EyeAdaption.fx,FilmGrain@FilmGrain.fx,FilmGrain2@FilmGrain2.fx,FilmicAnamorphSharpen@FilmicAnamorphSharpen.fx,FilmicPass@FilmicPass.fx,FXAA@FXAA.fx,GaussianBlur@GaussianBlur.fx,GlitchB@Glitch.fx,GP65CJ042DOF@DOF.fx,HighPassSharp@HighPassSharpen.fx,HQ4X@HQ4X.fx,HSLShift@HSLShift.fx,KNearestNeighbors@Denoise.fx,Layer@Layer.fx,LeiFx_Tech@3DFX.fx,Levels@Levels.fx,LevelsPlus@LevelsPlus.fx,LightDoF_AutoFocus@LightDoF.fx,LightDoF_Far@LightDoF.fx,LightDoF_Near@LightDoF.fx,LumaSharpen@LumaSharpen.fx,LUT@LUT.fx,MagicBloom@MagicBloom.fx,MagicDOF@DOF.fx,MartyMcFlyDOF@DOF.fx,MatsoDOF@DOF.fx,Mode1@FineSharp.fx,Mode2@FineSharp.fx,Mode3@FineSharp.fx,Monochrome@Monochrome.fx,MotionBlur@FakeMotionBlur.fx,MultiLUT@MultiLUT.fx,MXAO@MXAO.fx,Nightvision@NightVision.fx,NonLocalMeans@Denoise.fx,Nostalgia@Nostalgia.fx,PerfectPerspective@PerfectPerspective.fx,PPFXBloom@PPFX_Bloom.fx,PPFX_Godrays@PPFX_Godrays.fx,PPFXSSDO@PPFX_SSDO.fx,ReflectiveBumpmapping@ReflectiveBumpMapping.fx,RingDOF@DOF.fx,SMAA@SMAA.fx,StageDepth@StageDepth.fx,SurfaceBlur@SurfaceBlur.fx,Technicolor@Technicolor.fx,Technicolor2@Technicolor2.fx,TiltShift@TiltShift.fx,Tint@Sepia.fx,Tonemap@Tonemap.fx,UIDetect@UIDetect.fx,UIDetect_After@UIDetect.fx,UIDetect_Before@UIDetect.fx,UIMask_Bottom@UIMask.fx,UIMask_Top@UIMask.fx,Vibrance@Vibrance.fx,Vignette@Vignette.fx

[AmbientLight.fx]
alAdapt=0.700000
alAdaptBaseBlackLvL=2
alAdaptBaseMult=1.000000
alDebug=0
alDirtInt=1.000000
alDirtOVInt=1.000000
alInt=10.150000
alLensInt=2.000000
alLensThresh=0.500000
alThreshold=15.000000
AL_Adaptation=1
AL_Adaptive=2
AL_Dirt=0
AL_DirtTex=0
AL_Dither=0
AL_Lens=0
AL_Vibrance=1

[Curves.fx]
Contrast=0.650000
Formula=4
Mode=0

[DPX.fx]
Colorfulness=2.500000
Contrast=0.100000
RGB_C=0.360000,0.360000,0.340000
RGB_Curve=8.000000,8.000000,8.000000
Saturation=3.000000
Strength=0.200000

[FakeHDR.fx]
HDRPower=1.300000
radius1=0.793000
radius2=0.870000

[FXAA.fx]
EdgeThreshold=0.125000
EdgeThresholdMin=0.000000
Subpix=0.250000

[LiftGammaGain.fx]
RGB_Gain=1.000000,1.000000,1.000000
RGB_Gamma=1.300014,1.300014,1.300014
RGB_Lift=1.000000,1.000000,1.000000

[Tonemap.fx]
Bleach=0.000000
Defog=0.000000
Exposure=0.404000
FogColor=0.000000,0.000000,1.000000
Gamma=1.000000
Saturation=0.000000

1. Go to <path-to-game>\postprocess, and rename effects.xml to effects.xml.bak. This will backup the original post-processing filter while also preventing the game from recognizing it, thus disabling the filter.
2. Download and run the setup for ReShade
3. In the ReShade setup, select <path-to-game>\dirt3_game.exe as the target executable, select <path-to-game>\Dirt3_HFX.ini as the preset, select DirectX 11 for the API, and select the following effects packages:
   • Standard Effects (should be selected by default)
   • SweetFX by CeeJay.dk
   • Legacy effects
4. Make sure you complete the ReShade installation.
5. Rename <path-to-game>\dxgi.dll to <path-to-game>\d3d11.dll. ReShade might not start properly otherwise.
6. Start the game, press the Home key. You should see the effects have been applied. If you don't, select 'Dirt3_HFX.ini' as the ReShade preset file from the drop-down menu. You can configure the individual filter settings to your personal liking, as well as add more.

Before and after comparison pictures here: [1]

Input

Input settings.

Controller settings.

Driving wheel settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Combined with controller rebinding.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		XInput and DirectInput.
Full controller support		False for DirectInput. Buttons have to be rebound in settings and controller can only be used in game, not in menus.
Controller remapping		Fully remappable. Combined with keyboard rebinding.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

DualShock 4 controllers
DualShock button prompts
Light bar support
Connection modes	unknown

Generic/other controllers
Button prompts

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback		XInput only.
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Speech, Music, Effects and Engine.
Surround sound		Support for 5.1 and 7.1.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Hungarian				Fan translation, download.
Italian
Polish				Fan translation, Download.
Russian				Russian retail release only.
Spanish

Install Rapture3D for 3-dimensional sound (on headphones)

Unlike Colin McRae: DiRT 2, Rapture3D is not included by default.

Instructions

Download Rapture3D "Game" Edition from Blue Ripple Sound. Install it and launch the speaker layout configuration tool at the end. Select a Layout according to your setup (Headphone Stero (Compat.) for 3D sound on headphones). If necessary, go to Decoder and change the Method according to your ears. Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open hardware_settings_config.xml. Find <audio mixing="software" /> Change software to rapture3D, and save the file. Notes If you have a custom HRTF file for OpenAL Soft, it might be better to use .zip\bin\Win32\soft_oal.dll from that tool and rename it to <path-to-game>\OpenAL32.dll because Rapture3D Game has only six predefined HRFT methods and will not allow raw ".mhr" files. However, entering a multiplayer lobby will crash the game.

Network

The Games for Windows - LIVE version requires a Microsoft account for online play (optional for offline play).

The Mac App Store version does not support online multiplayer.

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
Local play		2	Split-screen.
LAN play		8
Online play		8

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

VR support

3D modes	Native	Notes
Native 3D		AMD HD3D
Nvidia 3D Vision
vorpX		G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.
Devices	Native	Notes
TrackIR		Supports: Yaw, Pitch, Roll, X, Y, Z.

Issues fixed

Black/Green screen after selecting QCSAA

This can happen on post-Kepler GPUs such as GTX 750 Ti, GTX 900, GTX 1000 series and newer due to their lack of support for the anti-aliasing method. The original anti-aliasing this method improves upon, CSAA, is not selectable in-game by such GPUs and as such not covered here.

Force MSAA
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open the hardware_settings_config.xml file. Find the multisampling= line and change its' value from 8xqcsaa to 8xmsaa.

Low game performance

Set QHD or 4K resolution with DSR/VSR enabled[citation needed]
VSR is supported if your native resolution is FHD or QHD. Dirt 3 may achieve noticeable FPS boost then. Game is generally not very demanding.

Game never opens but sits in the process list using cpu on Windows 10/11

This is caused by HDR, turn it off in the display settings or use Alt+Winkey+B.

Using the keybind to turn it back on after starting will severely impact the framerate if using a FSE mode lower than the desktop resolution.

Change difficulty

After selecting your difficulty upon first creating a new profile, it isn't obvious as to how to adjust the difficulty for all races moving forward.

1. Start a single-player race, either in the "DiRT TOUR" career mode or regular single-player.
2. Wait for the pre-race menu to appear.
3. In the pre-race menu, go to "Difficulty and Assists". Here, you'll be able to adjust the difficulty to your liking. Under the Advanced settings, you'll be able to fine tune difficulty settings, such as driving assists and AI opponent difficulty.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c, 11

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.

Force DirectX 9

Change line in config file
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open hardware_settings_config.xml. Find <directx forcedx9="false" /> Change false to true, and save the file. Loading the race may takes longer compare to instantaneous load when playing in DirectX 11[citation needed].

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	OpenAL	Rapture3D can be installed and used optionally.
Cutscenes	Bink Video
Multiplayer	Games for Windows - LIVE, Steamworks

Disable the narration

Instructions
Go to <path-to-game>\audio\speech\en\ Delete or rename en_generic.nfs For other languages go to their respective folders, for example for spanish delete or rename sp_generic.nfs located in <path-to-game>\audio\speech\sp\

Fast menu transitions

Instant menu transition with no delay.

You'll be kicked from party automatically each time before online race start.

Use DiRT 3 CE Super Fast Menus Mod

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP, Vista, 7, 8
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.8 GHz	Intel Core i7 AMD Phenom II
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	3 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	15 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8000 series ATI Radeon HD 2000 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	AMD Radeon HD 6000 series 1 GB of VRAM DirectX 11 compatible
Sound (audio device)	DirectX compatible

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.9.5	10.10.2
Processor (CPU)	Intel 2.0 GHz	Intel 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	4 GB	8 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	14 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce GT 120 ATI Radeon HD 4670 Intel HD Graphics 4000 256 MB of VRAM	Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 AMD Radeon HD 6970 Intel Iris Pro 1 GB of VRAM

The game is optimized for AMD/ATI graphics cards.