On the one hand, they want to produce a car that feels real and challenging to the hardcore sim-racers, but if they do that too well then it risks alienating the casual gamer who just wants to jump in and have some immediate fun.
It’s a balancing act that the official F1 games have had to tread in recent years, and it’s something that was central to one of the big changes made to this year’s F1 2023 release.
As part of a concerted effort by game developers Electronic Arts, a new handling model was introduced to help the game’s cars feel both more stable and more realistic – pleasing both sides of the audience.
As F1 2023’s senior creative director, Lee Mather told Autosport: “There was a significant amount of work done to achieve what sounded like a fairly simple goal.
“There was a point where we were discussing areas of the handling that we felt were weak, not just in terms of the tech, but also in terms of the experience that the players had.
“It's very easy to get caught up in: ‘oh, this is really cool tech, let's develop that.’ But then you have to think what is the end goal of making that change?
“The brief that was given to the handling team was stability. We wanted a car that was stable, easier to drive, and, when it's at its best, is a very easy car to drive.”
Source: Autosport