2D games are drawn in a two-dimensional space using two-dimensional objects. To represent its position, each game object will have an `x` and a `y` coordinate.
40
votes
3answers
7k views
Optimizing an XNA 2D game
Does it make sense to implement the logic to skip rendering objects outside the viewport or should I not care about it and let the Framework do it?
19
votes
3answers
4k views
How do you approach resolution independence in raster based graphics content?
Those games that are not fortunate enough to run on a locked platform spec, like handhelds, need to run across various resolution formats and aspect ratios.
In a 3D game you might have a HUD or menu ...
40
votes
10answers
4k views
New to creating AI - where to start?
I am new to game programming and am trying to make a basic 2d top-down space game with 2 space ships that fight each other. I am doing well with the user controlled space ship, but have no idea how ...
33
votes
15answers
15k views
What tools do you use for 2D art/sprite creation? [closed]
What cheap/free tools do you use for 2D art and/or animation?
I don't really like Gimp's interface, Paint.NET is limited and GraphicsGale is sort of archaic. Cosmigo ProMotion looks like it could be ...
32
votes
8answers
12k views
How to learn 2d animation?
Where can I learn how to do simple 2d animation well? Or is it really just literally drawing every single frame of something in photoshop? Is there tips or tricks? Tutorials to help get started?
...
50
votes
8answers
5k views
2D graphics - why use spritesheets?
I have seen many examples of how to render sprites from a spritesheet but I havent grasped why it is the most common way of dealing with sprites in 2d games.
I have started out with 2d sprite ...
48
votes
6answers
5k views
Implementing a 2D destructible landscape (like Worms)
What steps would be involved in constructing a destructible 2D landscape, like in Worms? Ideally, What are some ways that this process could be made efficient as possible?
44
votes
15answers
27k views
Are there any 2D gaming libraries/frameworks/engines for Android? [closed]
Are any such things available to help me build my Android game?
46
votes
8answers
2k views
How to prevent homing entities from orbiting their targets
I am developing a 2D space game with no friction, and I am finding it very easy to make a homing entity orbit a target. I am curious about anti-orbiting strategies.
A simple example is a homing ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Is there a simple way to group two or more sprites, so all of them will be dependent on each other?
I think that this question is very similar to this one, but I'm not sure if the answers are universal.
So, my goal is:
Place two sprites in fixed position, for example player and his eyes
Make ...
6
votes
1answer
4k views
Tools for 2D skeletal animation
What good free and widely used tools are there for editing 2D skeletal animations? Preferably, one that allows me to write custom animation exporters.
One pretty good indie tool that I know of ...
56
votes
26answers
38k views
Recommended 2D Game Engine for prototyping [closed]
What high-level game engine would you recommend to develop a 2D game prototype on windows? (or mac/linux if you wish)
The kind of things I mean by "high-level" includes (but is definitely not limited ...
41
votes
4answers
14k views
How is 2D lighting implemented?
I am wondering what the best way to approach a "lighting" effect in 2D games is. For instance, if my main character is glowing, what techniques can I use to complete the visual effect of the character ...
49
votes
15answers
17k views
Cross Platform 2D Graphics Engines [closed]
I'm looking for a 2D graphics engine that would allow me to release to Windows, Mac and the iPhone, much the way Unity does for 3D.
Is there a good engine that does this and is specific to 2D?
43
votes
7answers
3k views
2D Platformer AABB collision problems
I have a problem with AABB collision resolution.
I resolve AABB intersection by resolving the X axis first, then the Y axis.
This is done to prevent this bug: http://i.stack.imgur.com/NLg4j.png
...
11
votes
4answers
3k views
Curved movement between two points
What is a good technique to enable an object to move between to points in a nice curved motion?
The end position could also be in motion, such as the trajectory of a homing missile.
12
votes
4answers
8k views
How can I calculate the angle between two 2D vectors?
I am working on some movement AI where there are no obstacles and movement is restricted to the XY plane. I am calculating two vectors, v, the facing direction of ship 1, and w, the vector pointing ...
7
votes
5answers
2k views
3D Illusion of a 2D Planet Texture
Several years ago I overheard a technique that gives the user the illusion of a rotating planet by using a 2D texture. Given that the user isn't able to change its position or viewport.
What's the ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
How do I calculate the angle of the slope at a point on a 2D bitmap terrain?
I have an arbitrary destructible bitmap terrain like the one in "Worms". It's easy to work out if a character or missile intersects the terrain, but how do I work out the angle of the slope at the ...
12
votes
4answers
3k views
2D non-tile based map editor
I am currently developing a relatively simple 2D, topdown oriented adventure game for the iPhone and was wondering what would be the easiest way to create the maps for my game. I figured I would need ...
6
votes
1answer
642 views
Set sprite to face direction of mouse
I'm building a html5 canvas game and I need a way to get my sprite to face the mouse cursor. I have the X and Y co-ordinates for the sprite, and also the X and Y co-ordinates of the pointer. All I'm ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Collision resolution in case of collision with multiple objects
I have static objects and movable objects. The collisions are detected using the separating-axis-theorem.
For example, in this situation I have two static objects (in red):
and a movable object ...
99
votes
6answers
15k views
How was collision detection handled in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past?
I would like to know how the collision detection was done in The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past.
The game is 16x16 tile based, so how did they do the tiles where only a quarter or half of the ...
18
votes
4answers
2k views
Find Nearest Object
I have a fairly sizable game engine created, and I'm adding some needed features, such as this, how do I find the nearest object from a list of points?
In this case, I could simply use the ...
26
votes
5answers
2k views
How would you handle different aspect ratios in a 2d platformer?
A long time ago, 4:3 pretty much the only apect ratio you would find on a pc. Today the most common one is 16:10, but most new monitors (especially laptops) are 16:9
I'm writing a 2d platformer and I ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
Can I achieve a torchlight effect (lighter area around a light source) in a 2D game?
I am thinking of writing myself a simple 2D game. It will not shine with perfect graphics or gameplay at first, but I'd consider it my first step in PC game development. So, imagine such simple ...
4
votes
7answers
4k views
What is a good book to start programming a 2D C++ game?
I have a degree in Computer Science and while I was in college, I created a simple 2D game in Game Maker. I would like to recreate this game in C++ as a start to learning how to create games in C++. ...
4
votes
2answers
389 views
How can I find a projectile's launch angle?
I am making a 2d game in which units fire arrows at each other.
I know the shooter's and the target's position and the initial velocity of the projectile. I want to know the angle the projectile ...
4
votes
1answer
324 views
Collision Detection with SAT: False Collision for Diagonal Movement Towards Vertical Tile-Walls?
I'm developing my first tile-based 2D-game with Javascript. To learn the basics, I decided to write my own "game engine". I have successfully implemented collision detection using the separating axis ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
How to store 2D tile-map
I want to create a 2D map composed of small tiles, that should look like voxels (eg. this just from side).
I think I can make a structure like Voxel2D, that have int X, Y and some Color, and every ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views
Sidescroller variable terrain heightmap for walking/collision
I've been fooling around with moving on sloped tiles in XNA and it is semi-working but not completely satisfactory. I also have been thinking that having sets of predetermined slopes might not give me ...
3
votes
5answers
510 views
How to randomly place rectangle inside a larger bounding rectangle without intersecting other rectangles inside
Let us consider the case: there is an overall bounding rectangle (call this Rb) which contains a number of rectangles within it (call this set SRo). Now I would like to randomly position a new ...
2
votes
4answers
2k views
Scrolling background loop
I'm trying to scroll my background forever and so I'm using the background image twice. When the first one goes off screen, it should relocate to the end of the second one. However, there seems to be ...
0
votes
2answers
747 views
Can you help me find resources for developing a top-down 2D game in Java?
I just started reading about games, and I'm going to develop a game where a person is moving around on a 2D map. My preferred language is Java. Is that suitable to develop games?
I'm going to ...
42
votes
2answers
2k views
How can I get textures on edge of walls like in Super Metroid and Aquaria?
Games like Super Metroid and Aquaria present the terrain with the other facing parts having rocks and stuff while deeper behind them (i.e. underground) there's different detail or just black.
I ...
37
votes
4answers
4k views
What to consider when deciding on 2D vs 3D for a game?
How much "harder" is 3D than 2D in terms of:
Amount/complexity of the code
Level of math skills required
Time involved in making art assets
Original title: How hard is 3D game development versus ...
27
votes
6answers
4k views
Learning To Create Better Art (2D Games)
Until one of my games "makes it" big, or I get flooded with gold ingots, I will have to handle most or all of my game art myself. The crux of my question is: how can I learn enough art to get beyond ...
22
votes
6answers
4k views
A way to store potentially infinite 2D map data?
I have a 2D platformer that currently can handle chunks with 100 by 100 tiles, with the chunk coordinates are stored as longs, so this is the only limit of maps (maxlong*maxlong).
All entity positions ...
7
votes
2answers
7k views
Is there a good way to get pixel-perfect collision detection in XNA?
Is there a well-known way (or perhaps reusable bit of code) for pixel-perfect collision detection in XNA?
I assume this would also use polygons (boxes/triangles/circles) for a first-pass, quick-test ...
28
votes
1answer
5k views
Rendering SVG art directly in XNA
Suppose I have a bunch of 2D art in some vectorized format such as SVG. Is there an easy-ish way to render that directly without having to implement a full SVG renderer myself?
Of course I could ...
11
votes
4answers
8k views
Best Way to Create A Map for a 2D Game?
I apologize for the subjective "best" keyword.
My friend and I have started creation of a 2D adventure game. It will be top-down in the style of pokemon or zelda (just the perspective). We have been ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
Best way to mask 2D sprites in XNA?
I currently am trying to mask some sprites. Rather than explaining it in words, I've made up some example pictures:
The area to mask (in white)
Now, the red sprite that needs to be cropped.
The ...
12
votes
1answer
3k views
Terrain Generation for Tile-Based 2D Platformer
I'm currently working on a tile-based 2D platformer similar to Terraria in some ways, although I'm having difficulty with the terrain generation. I have some basics done, although they do not come out ...
10
votes
5answers
3k views
2D Level design/editing/saving questions
I thought about making a simple 2D Sidescroller game like SuperMario.
Then i wondered about how to save, load or create the levels for the game. The first thing i thought of was drawing a simple ...
8
votes
4answers
787 views
What's the most efficient way to find the intersection point of a missile and a bitmap terrain?
Following up on my earlier question about finding the slope of a 2D bitmap terrain I now need to know the best way of finding the point on the 2D terrain that the missile hit. Obviously, I can see if ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
C# Perlin noise - generating “endless” terrain chunks?
I'm currently writing a little side scroller in C#, to both learn C# and have fun. Right now I have a simple random number generator generating the world but it isn't exactly all that great - so with ...
10
votes
5answers
1k views
2D Game dev and Java. Other possibilities than OpenGL?
I recently startet to programm some basic OpenGL stuff in Java, but OpenGL and DirectX is to much to handle and to understand for me and i'm getting bored really fast.
Now i am wondering if there are ...
4
votes
4answers
4k views
2D Platformer Collisions
I've basically asked this question before, and I know it's been asked probably a billion times, but I still can't seem to do it. All I want to know is how I should go about doing basic 4-way, ...
3
votes
4answers
13k views
Android game scrolling background
I'm just trying to figure out the best approach for running a scolling background on an android device. The method I have so far.... its pretty laggy. I use threads, which I believe is not the best ...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Which is the best approach to make a 2D character to be able to use tons of different equipments when in action?
I want to create a 2D game but I'd like to have the character to wear tons of different equipments on different combinations, like a RPG or something.
So let's say the user changes his/her shoulders ...
