If "diehard" means people who have played a lot of the previous Wipeout titles, then I am not a diehard player. But starting with WO HD, I will die hard (and do almost every night)
I don´t think the "diehard" players dislike WO HD at all - I´d rather believe they indeed love Wipeout so much (including the potential of WO HD, when everything runs smoothly for everybody), that they want the game to be absolutely perfect in every way. A cry out of desperation - for perfection.
Hatred? My mind is absolutely blank ... I am a relatively new guy: Why the hell should I hate The Old Soldiers? I simply don´t understand. If not for them, the aura and history surrounding Wipeout wouldn´t exist, all the splendid initiatives (as seen on WO-zone) wouldn´t exist. They are indeed a motivating factor.
Believe me, if I ever meet an old soldier around Makana Island, I´ll present him/her a gift! ...........
(Shaped as a missile or a rocket)