I Really Love the Ideas But It Could Use Some More
Ths Shootouts and money collection is a perfect idea but can most certainly be elaborated on in a Shootout sequel. Here are some of my own ideas you can listen to or not. Your choice.
1. Use the money for something besides warning us that the next gang, duo, or criminal will be harder. The first one is $500 and the second one is $10,000 so we know the second guy's harder, big deal. That money could be used to purchase faster and or more powerful guns and stitching equipment to fix up wounds if the player gets injured. There are endless possibilities for the player. You could make the player need food and water for him and his horse and if you don't get the money in time, they both die. The reward money has plenty of secondary uses besides warning us game players of a greater challenge.
2. Extend this game and make bigger surprises. I'm just saying, three criminals that were right in our faces and ready to die. What happened to the option to take them in or kill them. You know the player is just going to shoot them. You need to make some sort of incentive for trying to take the criminal in instead of just walking up to the criminals shooting. The player should also have the option of hunting down his criminals in their hideouts or waiting in the bar for them to show up. This extends the option and adds a less linear way of playing. The bar is a familiar territory for the player with nowhere to hide but many innocent and easy to hit spectators watching. The enemy hideout may have God knows what in their but your the creator of the game so you decide.
3. You could also have special things like cinematic scenes and more weapons and things to have fun with that can be unlocked by going after the big prize bounties.
Overall, if you add a ton of more badguys of varying difficulty, make the money have a purpose, and make the game a lot less linear with choices and different directions of gameplay, it will certainly be a classic. Belive that, it's the truth and it's real.