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F1 2012’s creative director Steve Hood has hit back at disgruntled fans criticising changes made to the mechanics found in this year’s game, saying that there’s “no need” for the “outright disgraceful messages” that have been sent to him and his team.
The messages were sent in response to changes made to tyre wear in this year’s game – something Hood has dubbed ‘Wear-Gate’.
“Wow, I’ve got a few heated messages about Wear-Gate and that’s putting it as softly as I possibly can,” Hood wrote on the official F1 2012 forum.
“For some reason a vocal minority seem to jump on bad news, without waiting five minutes for an explanation. I care, we care, we’re doing our best and we’re here to interact with you whenever we can. I like to think we do more than most, but that doesn’t seem to be enough for some people.
“Let me start out by saying I have read almost every tweet sent my way, the majority of the forum posts and I’m well aware of the reaction and why people might want to jump up and down with internet-rage. You care, you want your point to be registered and I understand that. Truly, I do. What I can’t understand or more importantly won’t accept, are some of the outright disgraceful messages sent to myself and those that work with or for me. There is no need for that kind of stuff.”
Hood called on those “with a little more maturity and manners to help make this forum a better place”.
“I’ve spent more of my time elsewhere of late and it’s the last thing I want to be doing,” he continued. “The community team has a tough enough job as it is managing the numerous forums. Let’s not make their job any harder and let’s not turn this forum into a place new players searching for information will never want to return to.
“Historically I’ve gone out of my way to interact via my personal Twitter account and the forum simply because I think it creates a better relationship between those that make key decisions and those that buy the game. I’d like to keep doing this, but it’s a process of give and take. Try and contribute sensibly and politely, it helps us all. The repeat offenders and sarcastic few just get blocked so your voice is quickly lost. If you really do care, how is that going to help?”
Earlier today, Hood posted an image of a series of abusive messages he’d received from one F1 fan via Twitter. One message read, “F**k you piece of sh*t!!!!! You don’t understand nothing of F1 or racing games….”
One user told Hood that his post was a “great response but you should not have the write like that. People need more respect.”
The impact of social media and fan feedback on video game development has been a hotly-debated topic this year.
Earlier this year, fans criticised BioWare for its ending to Mass Effect 3. The developer later released an update altering and extending the closing sequence.
F1 2012 releases on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this Friday. You can read our review here.
