ABOUT

DiRT Showdown, is an arcade racing game where the player must either smash and crash or finesse their way to victory.
The game takes several modes from the pre-existing DiRT franchise and adds some more destruction based gameplay. This allowed the later release of the pure rally game, DiRT Rally.

HEAD 2 HEAD - SAN FRANCISCO

Head 2 Head is a technical race where two players compete on course comprising of a series of tricks.
The player must complete a run on both sides of a mirrored track faster than their rival.
My design focus for the creation of this track was to make the event easy to complete, yet difficult to master while maintaining a satisfying flow.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

To make the route as enjoyable as possible I created a rhythm to the driving.

The tricks follow a simple repeated sequence:

Donut > Jump > Drift

To add difficulty progression not only is the second jump is bigger than the first but there are differences in how the car is setup for the donuts. The initial chicane sets the car up perfectly for the first donut but for the later ones the player approaches them from head on and from more of a distance.

Where possible I like to add elements to my design that are not initially obvious but provide an advantage if the players experiment. For the second donut I have positioned it so that it is possible to go clockwise rather than the suggested anti-clockwise. This reduces the number of degrees from 540 to 360, although it slightly harder to perform due to the angle of approach and the proximity of the bridge.

SMASH HUNTER - NEVADA & LA

In Smash Hunter the player must drive a route which dictated by a number of foam blocks.

The course weaves around and over ramps and platforms.

The blocks are placed in coloured groups of which the player must hit at least five of before going for the next predetermined set.

For DiRT Showdown I created three Smash Hunter courses, one L.A. and two in Nevada.

The arenas are multi-purpose and are used for various other game modes, such as capture the flag.
I used as many of the structures as possible to add verticality and maximise the space.

The routes are designed to be fast and technical but also accessible.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Due to the amount of blocks guidance is very important. Double blocks add visibility and give the player some leeway should they miss any in a sequence. Each block is angled towards the next block or set of blocks. On ramps there is always one placed at the crest.

While the route should be as readable as possible, forcing the player to react and make split second decisions adds to the gameplay, it also adds technical challenge on being accurate.

In couple of places I've added some extra blocks on the apexes of corners. These offer a high risk reward and allow the skilled players to shave vital seconds from their time if they are prepared to drift close to the concrete barriers.

8-BALL - YOKOHAMA - REPLAY CAMERAS

I produced a number of sets of replay cameras for various 8-ball tracks. Here I've captured one of my favourites in Yokohama.
The focus of the gameplay is destruction so the main goal is to capture as many crashes as possible by facing cameras towards the intersections.
Creating the sensation of speed is also paramount. Static cameras are paired, the camera facing the car rises and the rear shot dips. Tracking shots are generally as low to the ground as possible.

All cameras attempt to frame as much car as possible. Additionally a fair amount of camera tilt is added to match the extreme nature if the game.