To win people over to a project, I believe you have to explain your choices and, as far as possible, involve those who keep it alive. It’s an idea I took from Lean. So I’ll try to explain mine simply.
FunnyDarts is a project close to my heart. I want it to stay accessible, to grow with your ideas and, above all, to last.
Why not everything for free?
Some will say: “Making something similar costs almost nothing!” There’s some truth in that: you can start with very little. But creating an application and keeping it alive over time are two different things.
Behind it there is development time, testing, fixes and expenses. There are also evenings and weekends taken from family life.
Giving everything away for free can be a pleasure at first. But if the project grows, so do its needs. Without resources, how do you scale the servers, find help or have someone take over when I’m not available?
I don’t want to offer you a great experience today only to have to stop everything one day for lack of money or energy.
Two models considered
I looked at two ways of keeping FunnyDarts alive.
The first relied on voluntary contributions, sponsorship and advertising. That support can help, and I welcome it gratefully. But I don’t want the future of the project to depend solely on it arriving, nor to spend my time looking for advertisers or accepting content that doesn’t fit the spirit of FunnyDarts.
So I chose another path: keep the Offline version free to use and offer paid access to the online services, suited to different uses.
And to play, everyone starts with what they already have: 📱 FunnyPad, a tablet or a phone, without buying anything. Then, if they feel like it, 👁️ FunnyEye, cameras that score the darts by themselves, or 📶 FunnyLink, a Bluetooth electronic dartboard. All of it stays free, at your own pace.
The goal is not to make every player pay at all costs. It is to give the project the means to run and to improve.
Building to last
The revenue must first cover the costs and gradually adapt the infrastructure to the number of players.
If FunnyDarts grows enough, it could also pay for help: to improve follow-up, support you, develop new ideas and stop the whole project from resting on a single person.
I can’t promise that everything will always be perfect. But I want to build the conditions to fix problems, keep the application evolving and ensure its continuity.
And the prices?
The prices were set on the basis of simulations made today: the cost of servers, online services, payments. Unfortunately, no one can say for sure any more that nothing will change in the years to come.
The only guarantee I can offer you, I will keep: as long as your subscription has no break, you keep its starting price, even if prices change one day. The exact conditions are set out in the terms and conditions of sale.
That is the meaning of my choice: a project that is accessible, independent and built to last, rather than an entirely free project that runs out of steam.
Thank you to everyone who plays, tests, reports a problem or suggests an idea. You too are helping to shape the future of FunnyDarts.
FabienCreator of FunnyDarts
P.S. Did you notice the underlined H in Lhobby? It’s not a typo: it’s a nod to the Home (in French, Habitation), because you play from home, and to Hobbies, because you come for the fun.