Use a standard gamepad to better control your 2D games.
Video games of yesteryear were mainly composed of simplistic 2D animations and graphical capabilities. Today, 3D gaming has taken over the games industry, allowing players to experience more complex versions of the games we all know and love. However, if you still enjoy creating 2D video games, there are free programs available to get you started at no cost.
Instructions
1. Obtain an animation development tool. To create 2D games for free, you need an object modeling application such as sprite animation software. Go to your favorite online search engine and type the aforementioned keywords combined with "Open Source" or "Freeware". These tools will help you get started in developing every character and object you will use in your 2D game.
2. Create all game objects and elements. Develop the main character for your 2D game, and every element in which the character will interact. You can even create the actual worlds or levels that your character will explore, and provide full color to each of them. An animation tool may come with royalty-free demonstrations for you to use in your projects. Save each object to your computer once you are finished.
3. Acquire a game editor. Just like animation development programs, there are reliable game editors that are freely distributed on the Internet in the form of freeware and open source. Moreover, these are typically backed by helpful communities willing to assist you and are also willing to try out the 2D games you create.
4. Animate your objects. Through the game editor, assign each of your 2D sprites a specific behavior. Game editors are typically user-friendly and allow you to easily incorporate commands on each object without the need for complex programming languages. Assign your main character to move by walking, flying, jumping or crawling. Make the game opponents shoot or move toward your main character to indicate an attack. These are just the basic scripts you can assign, though with a game editor, your only limit is your imagination.
5. Test your progress. Save your current project to your computer, as this allows you to actually play the game as it progresses. Make note of any odd behavior, or any game mechanics you wish to modify. Go back to the game editor and make your changes until you are satisfied with the 2D game in question.
Tags: game editor, main character, animation development, character will, each object