Total cores are calculated on level end. This is how the score is summed up at that point:
o Bonuses are awarded for: remaining lives, killed percentage on stage (same for both players), max chain number, remaining bombs, remaining shields and by adding that on total score.
o This is how these are calculated in pseudo-code
o BonusLives = lives * 30 * BaselineScore
o BonusKilledPctg = killedPctg * 100 * BaselineScore
o BonusChain = recordChain * 10 * BaselineScore
o BonusBombs = bombs * 5 * BaselineScore
o BonusShields = (shieldsRed + shieldsBlue) * BaselineScore
o TotalScore = Score + BonusLives + BonusKilledPctg + BonusChain + BonusBombs + BonusShields
Here's how scores are added during the level:
o Each extra shield over 5: 5 * BaselineScore
o Each extra powerup over 5: 20 * BaselineScore
o Extra lives over 5: 30 * BaselineScore
o Extra bombs over 8: 10 * BaselineScore
o Most importantly, scores for enemies are calculated when killed, proportionally to their projected lifetime. That means, if killed exactly at the projected lifetime, player gets Score x 1. If killed before, up to 2 x Score. If killed after, exactly 1x Score. Observe the following graph:
o Same score is awarded if killed by bomb or by fire or by stream.
o Base score varies from enemy to enemy
o Projected Lifetime can vary also
Player gets one BaselineScore at play for each chain over 5 per kill.
Level Ending score is in millions, ensuring that no two players score the same.
I'd also like to announce our super-important online leaderboards, that are already integrated in-game. Here's how it goes:
- Custom system for online profiles.
- The game has unlimited number of profiles
- Each profile remembers best score per stage pass
- Sum of best scores is displayed at local leaderboards (ranking for best local profiles)
- Player can choose to publish these profiles online, for public viewing, but also from the game.
- Player can filter online profiles to show local machine profiles only (and their corresponding global place without all the other profiles)
- Instant rank updates.
- System has been tested so far with 40,000 profiles simultaneously.
More good news to come really soon!