{"author_link":"\/author\/terry\/","author_name":"Terry","author_uid":"80","comments":[{"author_name":"mcgraw","author_uid":"5989","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 3:47am","epoch":1387165320,"text":"Interesting concept here!"},{"author_name":"@Micle2000","author_uid":"8084","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 3:51am","epoch":1387165560,"text":"Really love the twist on the theme! Didn't see it coming from the start."},{"author_name":"Zolmeister","author_uid":"29241","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 5:43am","epoch":1387172280,"text":"Great concept, extremely clever. I noticed the audio changes too, very cool."},{"author_name":"gamepopper","author_uid":"21252","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 9:25am","epoch":1387185600,"text":"Really loved the concept!"},{"author_name":"somepx","author_uid":"29702","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 9:58am","epoch":1387187580,"text":"Ok, this is ace! Subtle color & audio change are really nice touches, 'Maestro' :D"},{"author_name":"Tao","author_uid":"23135","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 10:36am","epoch":1387189860,"text":"What can I say. Just lovely."},{"author_name":"Spit Tex","author_uid":"11277","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 12:52pm","epoch":1387198020,"text":"Great game, took me a while to figure out how it fitted in with the theme, but I love the concept, great job."},{"author_name":"the","author_uid":"29514","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 2:52pm","epoch":1387205220,"text":"Great visual effects. But sometimes it is going to end so unexpected."},{"author_name":"conormn","author_uid":"31095","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 4:17pm","epoch":1387210320,"text":"Really enjoyed this. Great concept. Glad you got it out of there :)"},{"author_name":"lucasncv","author_uid":"10289","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 4:26pm","epoch":1387210860,"text":"Living forever is really hard apparently. Well, "living". Nice take on the theme!"},{"author_name":"lekochen","author_uid":"12928","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 4:40pm","epoch":1387211700,"text":"I feel kind of sad :("},{"author_name":"Chris Mondok","author_uid":"31703","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 5:12pm","epoch":1387213620,"text":"I really like the mechanics, the sound, the graphics, and the mood. The way the pallet changes is very cool. Unfortunately, I didn't find it fun to play. Having to keep returning to the fountain is frustrating, especially in a game that makes the player want to explore."},{"author_name":"Loren","author_uid":"17687","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 5:40pm","epoch":1387215300,"text":"wonderful experience, really nice execution. I love how you represented the theme :)"},{"author_name":"Raphy","author_uid":"24241","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 6:18pm","epoch":1387217580,"text":"Well executed, really neat idea ! I love the concept and how it relates to the theme."},{"author_name":"Dir3kt","author_uid":"12434","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 7:30pm","epoch":1387221900,"text":"Brillant! Reminded me of Passage, but still very different. Best entry played so far."},{"author_name":"MarekkPie","author_uid":"11038","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 8:56pm","epoch":1387227060,"text":"3deep5me! Awesome work, Terry."},{"author_name":"rvaquero82","author_uid":"25612","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 10:15pm","epoch":1387231800,"text":"Great Concept"},{"author_name":"Sink","author_uid":"26274","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 10:22pm","epoch":1387232220,"text":"Interesting mechanic. It made you want to explore but it limited you which was a cool thing to battle with. Nice idea and great mood."},{"author_name":"rezoner","author_uid":"21594","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 10:43pm","epoch":1387233480,"text":"Disturbing mood. The audio experience is kinda like X-COM. I like."},{"author_name":"Ted Brown","author_uid":"12485","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 11:00pm","epoch":1387234500,"text":"I got the concept immediately, and what a great concept it is. But my goals were not very clear. While the tantalizing glimpses of other areas kept me coming back after dying, it eventually became too cumbersome to start over.\r\rSo then: mission accomplished. =)"},{"author_name":"Thein","author_uid":"22449","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 11:27pm","epoch":1387236120,"text":"Nice idea and great atmosphere. The music really adds to the mood. It was very frustrating trying to explore while worrying about making it back, but I'm guessing that was intended. Good job!"},{"author_name":"Giovanni Cappellotto","author_uid":"20065","time":"Dec 16, 2013 @ 11:53pm","epoch":1387237680,"text":"Really nice concept, I love it!"},{"author_name":"soy_yuma","author_uid":"7620","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 12:11am","epoch":1387238760,"text":"I'm not so sure I've understood the game. There's no way to collect all items, right? And for some reason I have the ability to die just a few squares away from the fountain."},{"author_name":"recursor","author_uid":"1105","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 1:06am","epoch":1387242060,"text":"I love the way things change when she starts to get older. I kept exploring a little, then running back to the fountain to 'replenish'. After a few times of doing that, it felt like she started aging more rapidly. Nice touch! I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to be doing, but it was still quite fun exploring."},{"author_name":"Christopher Schulte","author_uid":"21249","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 1:27am","epoch":1387243320,"text":"Incredibly concise idea that turns out to be a sophisticated take on the age old question of "is immortality worth it?" The subtle audio and visual changes that come with age, and the desperate struggle for that one last tile to get to the fountain before death really stick with me. Fantastic job."},{"author_name":"jsjwooowooo","author_uid":"7245","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 3:58am","epoch":1387252380,"text":"Quite an interesting game."},{"author_name":"Ludipe","author_uid":"20471","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 10:06am","epoch":1387274460,"text":"Wow, I didn't know you would making a game for this Ludum Dare.\r\rI liked the concept and the ideas you wanted to express in "Fountain", but gameplay is way too much frustrating. Nobody likes backtracking, it's like:\r\r"Sure, I'm getting old, I could return to the fountain or keep exploring. Exploring is exciting because you discover great stuff and going back to the fountain and here again is boring, is not a challenge, I've done it and I could do it again"\r\rI get that backtracking is part of expressing the idea, but I think it adds too little to the game(gameplay wise) compared to how frustrating makes it.\r\rSuperHexagon was one of the hardest things I've played in my life, I loved it because it was a challenge and you designed it so it wouldn't be frustrating. Maybe that's what happens with "Fountain"'s design, it needs to challenge the player with something else that's not time management, it's hard to know.\r\rAnyways, sometimes you just want to make a game about a thought you had and you just want to create it without caring about other details.\r\rHoping to see more games from you soon!"},{"author_name":"headchant","author_uid":"4232","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 11:19am","epoch":1387278840,"text":"My world was littered with corpses before I realized the title. Good game. Made me think\/sad."},{"author_name":"Ysty","author_uid":"17877","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 12:47pm","epoch":1387284120,"text":"Loved the aesthetic and a great use of the theme. Very oppressive mood."},{"author_name":"Maple","author_uid":"1551","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 12:52pm","epoch":1387284420,"text":"This would have been great, but you die so quickly -- You barely have enough time to get back to the fountain after collecting each thing, meaning you pretty much need to know exactly how to get back each time. The concept you have is pretty awesome, and I love exploration games, but I think this would work a whole lot better if it was slower paced. Great job."},{"author_name":"ziomorti","author_uid":"7388","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 1:29pm","epoch":1387286640,"text":"Don't know why but this scared the shit out of me :|\rGreat game, loved the little details."},{"author_name":"murilo","author_uid":"6882","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 1:31pm","epoch":1387286760,"text":"Haha pretty funny when you get old and slow. Interesting concept. Not sure what the goal was though. I did find some treasure or something and a key."},{"author_name":"pusheax","author_uid":"8150","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 5:32pm","epoch":1387301220,"text":"One time I got 2.\rAnother time I was chilling near the fountain with 1."},{"author_name":"Unept","author_uid":"25813","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 8:46pm","epoch":1387312860,"text":"Awesome. Reminds me of my life, except for the whole Fountain of Youth part. :)"},{"author_name":"jomomomo","author_uid":"4914","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 8:53pm","epoch":1387313280,"text":"Nice!"},{"author_name":"FelixNemis","author_uid":"6525","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 10:11pm","epoch":1387317960,"text":"Very nice game, graphics are great, music is pretty good. Very nice mood. Clever take on the theme. This is actually one of only a few LD games that I vote N\/A for humor on.\rGood luck and keep at it!\rp.s. I'll beat hyper hexagonest one of these days"},{"author_name":"Jeremias","author_uid":"7211","time":"Dec 17, 2013 @ 10:52pm","epoch":1387320420,"text":"Great atmosphere and nice way of "showing things" just through gameplay."},{"author_name":"Colorvade","author_uid":"22146","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 12:57am","epoch":1387327920,"text":"As small and simple as it seems to be, I always like games with a focus on looking around."},{"author_name":"Cory Martin","author_uid":"3043","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 4:57am","epoch":1387342320,"text":"terry (:"},{"author_name":"Cory Martin","author_uid":"3043","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 5:01am","epoch":1387342560,"text":"Pretty cool ambiance. The world's so interesting to explore that I never make it back to the fountain Good stuff!"},{"author_name":"fullmontis","author_uid":"21736","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 12:15pm","epoch":1387368600,"text":"Great game with a great mood."},{"author_name":"JoeManaco","author_uid":"6837","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 6:43pm","epoch":1387391880,"text":"Love it!"},{"author_name":"Lipedal","author_uid":"29565","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 7:23pm","epoch":1387394280,"text":"Ggreat exploration of the theme, and nice touch with the fountain gimmick."},{"author_name":"arrogant.gamer","author_uid":"22995","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 7:41pm","epoch":1387395360,"text":"A sophisticated game, full of possibilities. Of which I got 3 ^o^\/\/ Nice how succinctly you were able to express the concept, and you nailed the theme without needing to name your game "You Only Get One Fountain" or something.\r\rThe fountain itself kind of looks like Marvin the Martian. Is that just me?"},{"author_name":"GarethIW","author_uid":"20364","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 8:11pm","epoch":1387397160,"text":"An extremely melancholic use of the theme. I enjoyed it, and those Spectrum-ass graphics were really refreshing :)"},{"author_name":"Aaants","author_uid":"16061","time":"Dec 18, 2013 @ 9:38pm","epoch":1387402380,"text":"The sound does it for me in this. Very... ominous. Nice one"},{"author_name":"JohnnySix","author_uid":"20903","time":"Dec 19, 2013 @ 1:02am","epoch":1387414620,"text":"Nice, wasn't sure on how to play, but the concept is cool, I never once found my way back to the fountain though. :("},{"author_name":"KunoNoOni","author_uid":"6464","time":"Dec 19, 2013 @ 2:29am","epoch":1387419840,"text":"I can only echo what others have said. It was an awesome idea which had great audio, great visuals and a very cool take on the theme. BUT... sadly I didn't find it fun. I really wanted too, but I felt like I was being punished for exploring. If I went too far I wouldn't be able to make it back to the fountain in time and I would die... yet if I stayed near the fountain there really wasn't much to do. Definitely makes you think. But like they say, you can't have your cake and eat it too ;)"},{"author_name":"irma vep","author_uid":"27024","time":"Dec 19, 2013 @ 8:01am","epoch":1387439760,"text":"Great idea! I like the sound and the graphics most. And this special mood. AND how you formed the theme :)"},{"author_name":"tchem","author_uid":"27459","time":"Dec 19, 2013 @ 12:34pm","epoch":1387456140,"text":"Beautiful!!! simple, immersive and unique."},{"author_name":"Zerkruemler","author_uid":"27446","time":"Dec 19, 2013 @ 4:53pm","epoch":1387471680,"text":"Great Game. I like the way the world changes when you get older."},{"author_name":"lilinx","author_uid":"28339","time":"Dec 19, 2013 @ 9:28pm","epoch":1387488180,"text":"Who cares about how fun or frustrating it gets?\rEventually everybody leaves the garden unexplored, get over it! Thank you for this game."},{"author_name":"Split82","author_uid":"15279","time":"Dec 20, 2013 @ 1:03am","epoch":1387501080,"text":"Excelent mood."},{"author_name":"fluffypillow","author_uid":"26652","time":"Dec 20, 2013 @ 11:05am","epoch":1387537200,"text":"Beautiful. I wonder what are those treasure-like things?"},{"author_name":"cappelnord","author_uid":"7575","time":"Dec 20, 2013 @ 8:45pm","epoch":1387572000,"text":"Very intense game, especially the first time i stumbled over my own remains. Very nice!"},{"author_name":"Czepta","author_uid":"29051","time":"Dec 20, 2013 @ 10:32pm","epoch":1387578420,"text":"Really well done and really difficult. Love the twist of adding your past lives where you died."},{"author_name":"Blue Glaucus","author_uid":"10860","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 12:02am","epoch":1387583820,"text":"Clever use of the theme. It took me a few plays to understand what was going on."},{"author_name":"Lolshouse Dev Team","author_uid":"29857","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 3:42am","epoch":1387597020,"text":"This was a fun game to struggle with."},{"author_name":"CosmicAdventureSquad","author_uid":"22946","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 9:38am","epoch":1387618380,"text":"Strega:\rNice use of subtle graphic changes to indicate the passage of time and aging. I liked that you conveyed the message of the game the gameplay itself.\r\r(This is a team account)"},{"author_name":"ncannasse","author_uid":"8497","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 10:22am","epoch":1387621020,"text":"Charming but too much minimalist to justify investing time to finish it :)"},{"author_name":"kristoffer zetterberg","author_uid":"27525","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 11:48am","epoch":1387626180,"text":"thought-provoking and touching. your game connects to the theme on so many layers. \r\rspoilers:\rin the end i just stood there next to the fountain, wanting to collect all the things, but knowing that if i stepped away from the fountain i would soon die. forever young, but with no purpose."},{"author_name":"SiENcE","author_uid":"10298","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 4:24pm","epoch":1387642740,"text":"Interesting and atmospheric game. Could have more interaction."},{"author_name":"Xavier","author_uid":"15692","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 7:21pm","epoch":1387653360,"text":"Sublime... as usual."},{"author_name":"Alex Higgins","author_uid":"14001","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 7:46pm","epoch":1387654860,"text":"I'm getting strong Passage vibes from this one, Mr. Cavanagh. I do love it, though, when small game worlds feel massive."},{"author_name":"Tom 7","author_uid":"1984","time":"Dec 21, 2013 @ 8:03pm","epoch":1387655880,"text":"Very good, especially the sound. But I only got two.. :("},{"author_name":"porglezomp","author_uid":"21051","time":"Dec 22, 2013 @ 12:51am","epoch":1387673160,"text":"It feels so sad.\rAnd was it just me, or did the fountain get weaker and weaker every time I used it?"},{"author_name":"Atmospherium","author_uid":"24518","time":"Dec 22, 2013 @ 2:05am","epoch":1387677600,"text":"Great take on the theme. I wish there was a bit more clarity as to what those objects were that I picked up, but it could just be that I didn't get far enough. The audio and visuals really worked well together on this to build up the mood. The color changes in the world were really effective."},{"author_name":"SnoringFrog","author_uid":"20952","time":"Dec 22, 2013 @ 2:58am","epoch":1387680780,"text":"Interesting. I was able to find about 11 unique items, I think, though I only managed to get 4 simultaneously. I tended to just do long suicide runs to explore the map rather than make multiple trips back to the fountain."},{"author_name":"yosh","author_uid":"6851","time":"Dec 22, 2013 @ 10:44am","epoch":1387708740,"text":"The concept is great, however (and maybe it was a bug or me not finding the right way to go) you get to lose pretty fast if you don't do frequent round-trips to the fountain. \rThis limits the exploration time a bit too drastically, removing somehow the fun of the game.\rThe game itself is very polished: change in aspect, music and therefore global atmosphere as long as we age... great mood!\r\rCongratz Terry =)"},{"author_name":"samooJAM","author_uid":"11043","time":"Dec 22, 2013 @ 10:58am","epoch":1387709580,"text":"Quite challenging :)"},{"author_name":"jimmypaulin","author_uid":"6965","time":"Dec 22, 2013 @ 2:56pm","epoch":1387723860,"text":"Moody and atmospheric, cracking graphics and real charm. Actually quite haunting, especially with that soundtrack and the gradually draining colours. I found it a little difficult to empathise with the player character, but perhaps the mysterious aspect was the point..."},{"author_name":"zzzev","author_uid":"12191","time":"Dec 22, 2013 @ 9:21pm","epoch":1387746960,"text":"Fantastic, with a ton to explore and see. The little things like the audio and visual changes as the character ages add a lot to the experience."},{"author_name":"MaTX","author_uid":"8087","time":"Dec 23, 2013 @ 5:30pm","epoch":1387819500,"text":"I like the idea and what the concept expresses (if my interpretation is correct). Not necessarily a "fun" game, but certainly an interest experience for what concerns me.\r\rIncredibly well fitting with "You only get one"."},{"author_name":"BradleySmith","author_uid":"14944","time":"Dec 24, 2013 @ 2:37pm","epoch":1387895520,"text":"I loved this. It was beautiful, really interesting take on the theme too. Reminds me a little bit of Passage by Jason Rohrer. Rated highly."},{"author_name":"oldmanbiles","author_uid":"5882","time":"Dec 25, 2013 @ 2:39am","epoch":1387938840,"text":"Played it for far longer than I expected, touched and horrified at the same time. Excellent little game."},{"author_name":"f7f5","author_uid":"21437","time":"Dec 25, 2013 @ 8:38pm","epoch":1388003580,"text":"I liked the concept and the atmosphere (credits to the music and visual effects) but something in the gameplay didn't work for me - maybe the difficulty in knowing if you have time to come back - and it couldn't keep me hooked for long."},{"author_name":"xrm0","author_uid":"25867","time":"Dec 28, 2013 @ 12:20pm","epoch":1388232900,"text":"Nice color changes"},{"author_name":"stvr","author_uid":"26473","time":"Dec 30, 2013 @ 2:50am","epoch":1388371500,"text":"The way the world desaturates as you age is powerful. It also makes the glitchy maze impossible! Brutally hard and very poignant."},{"author_name":"dudsen","author_uid":"27029","time":"Jan 2, 2014 @ 6:51pm","epoch":1388688360,"text":"Hm. Don't know how I feel about this one. Pretty brutal punishing of the player."},{"author_name":"rincewind_cz","author_uid":"25122","time":"Jan 4, 2014 @ 11:04pm","epoch":1388876340,"text":"The grass was greener\rThe light was brighter\rWith friends surrounded\rThe nights of wonder"},{"author_name":"huhwhozat","author_uid":"3023","time":"Jan 5, 2014 @ 3:27am","epoch":1388892120,"text":"Wow, Terry. You have a unique gift for realizing an idea in all aspects of execution. That said, it is of course a bit frustrating to play a game that is designed to thwart completion. I do realize that is part of the point. :) Gameplay is a little unclear though - there is no indication of anything to collect and I didn't realize there was anything out there until I read the comments. Then again it could be argued that there is purposefully no goal."},{"author_name":"goerp","author_uid":"14225","time":"Jan 5, 2014 @ 4:55pm","epoch":1388940600,"text":"The mood is well set by the gameplay and music.\rWith the title as it is, the aging process was easily understood. \rThe game got pretty hard when aging because not only would the path become unclear but quite suddenly your movement would slow down to a crawl. I've played VVVVV, so I can imagine that you meant the game to be hard.\rBut the purpose, goal, mechanics and other was not so clear and in this game I got a bit too little in return for my exploration to keep me curious. When I did find something it disappeared and I didn't have a clue if it did anything, changed anything. \rI can imagine that with a bit more work it can really be journey of discovery and wonder."},{"author_name":"joekinglake","author_uid":"14924","time":"Jan 5, 2014 @ 5:01pm","epoch":1388940960,"text":"Great idea, liked the interpretation of the theme. Reminiscent of Passage. Nice job here!"},{"author_name":"Christina Nordlander","author_uid":"20504","time":"Jan 5, 2014 @ 11:01pm","epoch":1388962560,"text":"I saw this in a recommendation, and, what can I say? Every word is true. Great graphics (remind me of early Zelda), beautiful music. I like how you've shown the character's aging: not only in the character sprite, but also in landscape colour washing out and the music going away. The speeded-up aging makes a lot of sense and is a nice challenge. I can't really say much about it, it would dilute the experience.\r\rI have no idea whether it's winnable, but I'll be coming back to this one after voting has ended.\r\rI think I'll wrap up my voting here and end this LD on a high note."},{"author_name":"LTPATS","author_uid":"29798","time":"Jan 6, 2014 @ 6:50pm","epoch":1389033900,"text":"Wow, great use of the theme. The audio and visual cues add a really nice touch! Reminds me of a slowing heartbeat, which may have been the intention? Overall a really good game, it accomplishes a lot with very little."},{"author_name":"mcapraro","author_uid":"28472","time":"Jan 6, 2014 @ 7:47pm","epoch":1389037320,"text":"i love the concept of fading the environment over time as you lose health, great idea!"}],"images":["ld28\/80-56707675f966921014b3ea21a2ba038e.jpg","ld28\/80-5b39b4164d0ffb11cf0c170f76c8d996.jpg","ld28\/80-b2ec43bf7d65f06df421c8a88685c2a9.jpg"],"links":[{"url":"http:\/\/terrycavanaghgames.com\/fountain\/","text":"Flash"},{"url":"http:\/\/terrycavanaghgames.com\/fountain\/fountain_src.zip","text":"Source"}],"metadata":{"g_key":"21515","g_author":"80","g_event":"LD28","g_eventkey":"20","g_subevent":"COMPO","g_urlkey":"21544","g_title":"Fountain","g_status":"UCHK1","g_place":"102","g_commentcount":"86","g_site2_node_id":"0","g_hide":"N","g_has_icon":"Y","g_rqueue":"0","g_random":"0"},"nds":[],"node":null,"orig_images":["http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/compo2\/\/308734\/80-shot0.png-eq-900-500.jpg","http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/compo2\/\/308734\/80-shot1.png-eq-900-500.jpg","http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/compo2\/\/308734\/80-shot2.png-eq-900-500.jpg"],"text":"A little game that I've wanted to get out of my head for a long time.","title":"Fountain"}