Pax10 Research and Fun

Well i spent way longer than I should to validate a mere 50 bucks entry fee into the competition. However I always try to be diligent. In this case it was to see if I had any chance with A Shooter. Ya know what.. I think I do. These people really prize playability above all else it seems. Their PAX10-2009 entries were all great games with so much going for them play wise, if not all of them looked amazing.

Here is what their Pax10-2010 says:-
The PAX 10 is a showcase of independent games to be exhibited at the Penny Arcade Expo. Taking submissions until June 15th, our group of 50 industry experts will cull the selection of games into what they collectively feel are the ten best in regard to gameplay and overall fun-factor.

So there ya go, the Yellow highlighted part tells me to go for it. This means of course that the stage I am curently in (make the game more fun etc) is a real meaningful thing to do.

But what is fun ?
This is a tough one at times. One that can send a sane game designer batty. I believe my game has a lot of gameplay. I also think it is quite good fun. However I also feel that more fun can be added. So here are a few things i have done. Starting with the latest :O

I added a star, well i added a number of them. They scroll slowly down the level and you can collect them. YAY collectibles! However this was not enough fun. so after talking to me mate Jeff i have gone back and altered them. They used to just give 1000 points. Now for more fun i made them get incremental points per level. so now the more you collect the WAaay more points you get for the later ones. They can top out at 10K points. I like them.

I have writen a bit about another fun item, which is to play with the starfield. It can get quite crazy with Gigantic stars. Still this is value added fun. So a word to the wise. Finish your game, and in those last few weeks (yes WEEKS!), make it as much fun as you can.

Ok, i am done for tonight, So

G'night