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DiRT 3

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
DiRT 3
DiRT 3 cover
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
DiRT 3 on HowLongToBeat
DiRT 3 on IGDB
DiRT 3 guide on StrategyWiki
DiRT 3 on MobyGames
DiRT 3 on Wikipedia
Colin McRae Rally 1998
Colin McRae Rally 2.0 2000
Colin McRae Rally 3 2003
Colin McRae Rally 04 2004
Colin McRae Rally 2005 2004
Colin McRae: DiRT 2007
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 2009
DiRT 3 2011
DiRT Showdown 2012
Colin McRae Rally (2014) 2014
DiRT Rally 2015
DiRT 4 2017
DiRT Rally 2.0 2019
DIRT 5 2020

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 game developed and published by Codemasters. It is part of the Colin McRae Rally series and the first game in the series to drop the Colin McRae naming. Just like DiRT 2, it include a benchmark mode.

The game was released on May 24, 2011. The Complete Edition release, which includes all of the DLC, was released on March 9, 2012 in European countries and on March 20 in North America. The MacOS version of the Complete Edition of the game, ported and published by Feral Interactive, was released on January 29, 2015.

On Steam, the Complete Edition was treated as a separate game from the original release (Which is noted to have Games for Windows - LIVE DRM), and owners who owns the original release on Steam had received the Complete Edition for free.

Both the original game and the Complete Edition were delisted from all storefronts on December 31, 2016.

General information

Steam Community Discussions (Complete Edition)
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Icon overlay.png
Requires online activation
SecuROM PA and SecuROM 8 DRM.
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
[1]
Windows
Mac App Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Complete Edition. Does not support online multiplayer.[2]
macOS (OS X)
Steam (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Steam (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Complete Edition
Windows
All non-Steam Windows versions require Games for Windows - LIVE DRM.[Note 1] SecuROM activation limit unknown. A revoke tool is available.
Retail product keys activate on Steam.[3]

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Replace files[4]
  1. Download this archive.
  2. 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/[Note 2]
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/[Note 2]
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.
Graphics settings.
General 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.
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
  1. Download Dirt3FovChange.
  2. Extract the files from the archive into a common folder.
  3. Launch Dirt3FovChange.exe. Although an essential part of the process, binXml.exe won't require user input.
  4. Set the desired values and click the start button.
  5. Launch the game. Test the settings in a race. Exit the race.
  6. Alt+Tab to Dirt3FovChange. Restore the original settings. This will not erase the values you previously entered in the GUI. Tweak said values.
  7. In DiRT3, start a new race to check your changes.
  8. 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

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.
Input settings.
Controller settings.
Controller settings.
Driving wheel settings.
Driving wheel settings.
The game can send telemetry data to supported software like SimHub and devices like motion platforms, bass shakers and telemetry displays through the UDP protocol, but the Complete Edition version have broken UDP support, requiring a third-party fix. Also support D-Box haptic/motion platforms through a proprietary protocol.[5] Requires editing the hardware_settings_config.xml file to enable them. (See Enable telemetry)

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
Use X1nput
PlayStation controllers
PlayStation button prompts
Light bar support
Adaptive trigger support
DualSense haptic feedback support
Connection modes

Generic/other controllers
See Controller support for sim-racing device support.
Button prompts Input settings icon - Generic Controller.svg
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
XInput only.
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M
Steam Input
Steam Input API support
Hook input (legacy mode)
Official controller preset(s)
Steam Controller button prompts
Cursor detection
Mouse cursor is always on the screen.

Controller support

Supported devices are based on what was found in the devicesetup.xml file.
Running game on PC set in Japanese language will rename the Logitech racing wheels to Logicool.
Compatible steering wheels Notes
Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo/Turbo S/Carrera/GT2/GT3 RS
Logitech Driving Force Pro
Logitech MOMO
Logitech MOMO Racing
Logitech Driving Force GT
Logitech G25
Logitech G27
Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel
Thrustmaster Ferrari GT Experience Steering Wheel 3-in-1
Thrustmaster Rally GT Force Feedback Pro
Thrustmaster Ferrari F430 Force Feedback
Thrustmaster T500 Default GT rim only.

Enable telemetry

Enable telemetry[6]
  1. Open the hardware_settings_config.xml file located in <user>\Documents\My Games\Dirt3\hardwaresettings\ with a text editior.
  2. Search for a line of text with the word "motion enabled".
  3. Set the "motion enabled" parameter to "true" and change the "ip" and "port" fields to match that of what was set on the supported telemetry software. For example, <motion enabled="true" ip="127.0.0.1" port="20777" delay="1" extradata="3" />
  4. Save the file.

Audio

Audio settings.
Audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Speech, Music, Effects and Engine.
Surround sound
Support for 5.1 and 7.1.[7]
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.[8]
Spanish
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation, Tribo Gamer

Install Rapture3D for 3-dimensional sound (on headphones)

Unlike Colin McRae: DiRT 2, Rapture3D is not included by default.
Instructions
  1. Download Rapture3D "Game" Edition from Blue Ripple Sound.
  2. Install it and launch the speaker layout configuration tool at the end.
  3. Select a Layout according to your setup (Headphone Stero (Compat.) for 3D sound on headphones).
  4. If necessary, go to Decoder and change the Method according to your ears.
  5. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  6. Open hardware_settings_config.xml.
  7. Find <audio mixing="software" />
  8. 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.[2]

Multiplayer types

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

Connection types

VR support

3D modes State Notes
Native 3D
AMD HD3D
Nvidia 3D Vision
vorpX
G3D
Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.
Devices
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[9]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open the hardware_settings_config.xml file.
  3. 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[10]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open hardware_settings_config.xml.
  3. Find <directx forcedx9="false" />
  4. 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[11]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\audio\speech\en\
  2. 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
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP, Vista, 7, 8
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz
AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.8 GHz
System memory (RAM) 2 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
Sound (audio device) DirectX compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 10.9.5
Processor (CPU) Intel 2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM) 4 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
The game is optimized for AMD/ATI graphics cards.


Notes

  1. Games for Windows - LIVE DRM features: SSA activation, supports local profiles.
  2. 2.0 2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/44320/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (44320) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. dirt-3 - Games For Windows - last accessed on 2022-11-16
  2. 2.0 2.1 Released! DiRT™ 3® Complete Edition pulls its best stunt yet. | Feral News
  3. DiRT 3 Complete Edition Available Now [Free upgrade for existing DiRT 3 owners] :: DiRT 3 Complete Edition General Discussions - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  4. Skip Intro Dirt 3 | SkipGameIntro
  5. DiRT 3 - D-Box Catalogue - last accessed on November 5, 2023
  6. Verified by User:Yuuyatails on November 5, 2023
  7. DiRT3 | Blue Ripple Sound
  8. DiRT 3 - Игровой архив - last accessed on 2022-12-27
  9. Verified by User:SargeCassidy on 2022-01-14
    Tested on a GTX 1060 3GB. After selecting QCSAA, I was greeted with the letterboxed green screen that made playing the game impossible, confirming the issue. After making the change described below, I was able to play again.
  10. Verified by User:SargeCassidy on 2022-01-21
  11. Steam Community :: Guide :: How to disable the unskippable voiceovers - last accessed on 2016-11-05