Quaintbrush by Jesse Chand

[raw]
made by Jesse Chand for LD20 (COMPO)
Quaintbrush is a game where your paint affects everything around you. Different types of colors have different attributes that can help you solve puzzles. See if you can complete all twenty challenges!

Designed by Jesse Chand for Ludum Dare 20
This is my first Ludum Dare entry.

** MAKE SURE YOU HIT -SAVE- INSTEAD OF -RUN-
The game may not save correctly/freeze if you don't!

Controls:
A/D - Walk
W - Jump, Open doors
Left Click - Draw
ESC - Pause / Quit
R - Restart

The JAM VERSION includes your best times for level completion, a few bug fixes, and a neat soundtrack by Ackute.

Thank you! Please leave a comment after playing!

Ratings

Coolness 3% 156
Overall 3.88 8
Audio 2.45 136
Community 4.00 4
Fun 3.96 5
Graphics 3.12 110
Humor 3.14 48
Innovation 4.25 3
Theme 2.79 132

Feedback

DrunkenOrc
02. May 2011 · 02:54 UTC
Amazing. I was looking forward to this from the screen shots you posted; very fun to play.

Would definitely like to see more content.
Elpizo
02. May 2011 · 05:45 UTC
Love the backgrounds, the whole game is a bit genius.
Danik
02. May 2011 · 13:28 UTC
Fun game, nice level design!
fishbrain
02. May 2011 · 20:12 UTC
VERY cool! nice graphics, nice idea!
alexlarioza
03. May 2011 · 00:57 UTC
Your download isn't available or mediafire is bugging out.
🎤 Jesse Chand
03. May 2011 · 01:49 UTC
Problem solved. I added a mirror so it should be working now. :)

In addition, I uploaded the Jam version of the game, which includes your best times for level completion, a few bug fixes, and a neat soundtrack by Ackute.
alexlarioza
03. May 2011 · 02:56 UTC
FileDropper isn't any better. I've typed in the catchya code a billion times already and I have yet to see a byte downloaded. =[
🎤 Jesse Chand
03. May 2011 · 03:00 UTC
Try the Jam Version, hosted at yoyogames.com. That should definitely work.

Sorry about this. :(
mwest
03. May 2011 · 17:06 UTC
Excellent idea and very addictive - I almost ragequit on the boss level, but beat it at the end!
Grungi Ankhfire
03. May 2011 · 19:10 UTC
Looked great, bummer it doesn't run under Wine in Linux :( Would have loved to try this one. Good luck nonetheless !
SonnyBone
04. May 2011 · 04:08 UTC
Really awesome core concept and very solid gameplay! With a graphical / audio makeover, this could be REALLY solid and make tons of CA$H!!!
Dark Acre Jack
04. May 2011 · 05:48 UTC
Really cool concept.

I must be brain-damaged from the weekend, though. I couldn't figure out how to bypass the turrets.
🎤 Jesse Chand
04. May 2011 · 19:50 UTC
Try painting them red if you can, to slow down their reload time.

Then when they're reloading (when their bar is filled up) sprint through them.
🎤 Jesse Chand
04. May 2011 · 19:51 UTC
Also, if you're ever stuck on a level, you can skip it (without penalty) in the pause menu.
qrunchmonkey
06. May 2011 · 02:36 UTC
Some of the levels are fairly challenging and it's not always clear what you're expected to do. Cool idea though.
TellusE
06. May 2011 · 23:02 UTC
The mechanics are the brilliant high point. I do like how you plan your movements ahead, carefully laying out the tracks before attempting a run.

I'm having a hard time rating the graphics properly. On the one hand it perfectly follows the style you'd find from someone drawing in paint.exe down to the spray brush used when drawing. On the other I had a feeling it might be an even more beautiful impression if targetted more towards water painting. Anyway, such an art direction would require far more than 48 hours :P

I'm really impressed with the mechanisms connected to the drawing, dynamically applying changes in the world based on the quite unpredictable nature of players. Well done :)
chrisp
07. May 2011 · 03:45 UTC
Neat game! My only real criticism is that some of the coordination required was a bit much (particularly on the "you are f*****" level, which was definitely the low point of the game - thank goodness you added a skip feature, because otherwise that would have been the point of inevitable ragequit). Also the use of theme was pretty cursory. But overall this is very impressive for a 48-hour game, especially considering this is your first LD! Well done!
🎤 Jesse Chand
07. May 2011 · 14:57 UTC
qrunchmonkey:
Agreed! One of the major decisions that I added gameplay-wise was the skip feature because I was certain a huge amount of people would likely ragequit if they were really stuck. Being that this is a 48 hour, free indie game, it's very unlikely for someone having trouble with a level to keep going on.

At the same time, I didn't want to dumb down the game and make it too easy. But remember again, that each and every level is fully possible if you know where to draw in the right place, and the skip feature isn't there for players to avoid 'impossible' levels.

TellusE:
Thank you! In terms of graphics, I was originally considering going with an art style I had previously been experimenting with:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2z3qwzl.png

But definitely, the 48 hour limit would've made that very difficult to achieve. If I make a port / sequel, I'll try to do that.

chrisp:
Thanks! Looking back, I do agree that "You are f**ked" is one of the lower points of the game, since it requires little analysis and more skill in platforming.
Switchbreak
08. May 2011 · 21:47 UTC
Really impressive work! It did get a bit too difficult for me around level 10 though.
venzon
08. May 2011 · 21:50 UTC
I got stumped on a couple of the levels, but I think that's a good thing.
hamster_mk_4
11. May 2011 · 03:29 UTC
That was fantastic. The puzzles are unique and well thought out. I like pacing at which you introduce new tool and challenges. For a 48 contest this was a very polished entry.
🎤 Jesse Chand
11. May 2011 · 04:17 UTC
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
Endurion
21. May 2011 · 18:46 UTC
Very neat concept!
Awesome idea, hope you keep fleshing it out.
Some stages are really nasty, sometimes I have the feeling that the jump key is not responding as I'd like it. Other then that, rock solid entry!