For brand-new players or “noobie noobs,” FAF can be brutal. Maybe keep the kids in a sandbox until they’ve put in some playtime or shown basic skills, before releasing them to the blood-thirsty high-rated players who like to pick off noobs or punish them for taking the “wrong pile of rocks.” (Referring to the DG map with its unwritten house rules.) The learning curve is just too steep for new players to jump straight onto the main server—most don’t have any fun and leave.

The “foe” system also needs work. Foeing should be temporary—maybe 1 day, 5 days, whatever—because players forget who they foed. Suddenly they can’t host a game because others can’t see their lobby. Permanent foes just shrink the active player base. A timed expiration would let wounds heal without permanently cutting connections.

International play is another huge issue. Right now, Russian, AU, and North American players can rarely get a smooth game together. Two out of three games restart within a few minutes of launch. That kills momentum and frustrates everyone. Think about it—FAF is supposed to be a global platform, but cross-region games barely function. That cuts the player pool in half (or thirds), making it harder to get games started at all. Back in 1995, Gamespy with C&C hosted thousands of players and every game launched. FAF should be able to do the same. If that means scrapping the current setup and starting over, then do it.

So:

Give new players a sandbox before throwing them into the general population.

Put a timer on “foe” lists so the community doesn’t shrink.

Fix international game play, even if that means rebuilding the infrastructure.

Finally, maybe turn on a light-touch abusive language filter. Just enough to remind players not to cross the line during games—but not so strict that “bad bunny” gets flagged as a racial slur. lol