My "crazy" idea to generate revenue for the FAF project:
The Team Match Maker (TMM) could introduce a premium feature allowing players to use real money to customize specific game options. In the lobby, players can still do whatever they want without needing premium; this feature would be exclusive to the TMM.
Players could set the fee themselves, which should only amount to a few euro cents.
Here are some possible options, though more ideas are welcome:
No-Share / Full-Share
Custom Map Generator settings
Favorite team color
Prebuilt units
"Decapitation" mod
Premium players could also choose to enforce vanilla settings, simply to support the FAF project or flaunt their financial dominance. Premium players might receive a premium icon or awards as a perk.
If there are multiple premium players in a match, the one who contributes the highest amount determines the settings and pays the fees. There could also be an option for a player to only participate if they are the sole premium player in the match.
I predict this idea will provoke outrage, but I'm posting it anyway.
This is about revenue and money, and small sacrifices from players are necessary to keep the project alive.
FAF is a free project, and I don’t see a human right to play in the TMM for free.
If someone is adamant about playing with vanilla settings, they could load up premium currency to enforce those settings or host a lobby game. There’s also a high likelihood that no premium players will be present in a match, which would result in vanilla settings being used.
Sorry for the players in countries with a criminal goverment, where these criminals started a bad thing and the whole country got cut off the international payment system and then the currency went down to hell. but the FAF project should not account for that. I assume and expect that 90% of players who would complain about such a premium feature would continue playing regardless.
This isn’t about making radical changes. A few prebuilt units here, a different team color there – the world won’t end.
At the end of the day, the better team always wins.