2D Game Dev: Tools for Getting Started

[potatohead]

This answer is probably already in this thread, but what kind of setup would any of yous recommend for someone looking to get into game dev just for fun?
Im 17 and have taken a game dev class for something fun to do in my last year at school (i'm new to game development, never done it before) so i was wondering what there is that i can do for free at home - i already have a medium knowledge of coding, so i dont mind if theres no coding at all or just pure coding involved.
Any recommendations on what yous think would give me the best experience or would be best suited to me?

EDIT: I use windows if it makes any difference, and preferably i'd like to have the option to make any games playable on iOS as my mate has a dev account, but its not a necessity. Any replies appreciated!

[bscotchAdam]

The first post in this thread is full of recommendations... is there something else you're looking for?

[potatohead]

Naa i was just wondering which one(s) out of the list you would maybe recommend that might be what i'm looking for? theres so many on the list that i dont think it'd be a good idea to download every single one of them and see which one suits me best haha

[bscotchseth]

Game Maker and Inkscape for sure. Very easy to get rolling with, but tons of depth if you stick with it.

[potatohead]

Can you get along with Game Maker fine without having to pay for it? and yeah i defintley plan to see what i can make with inkscape, im good with photoshop so im not entirley new to editing graphics and making objects even though theyre completley different things, so thats a plus

[bscotchseth]

Probably! You should look into it though. We've been using the paid version since 2012, so I'm not entirely sure what the free version even has.

[Ulnarevern]

Game Maker has the favors of everyone who codes here. So if you don't mind coding, this is certainly the best.
If you're a kikoo-programmer like me (I do know the basics of the basis of C), Game Maker (which you can use without coding) or GDevelop (which has close to 0 code lines).
The second one is 100% free and you're supposed to be able to export your games to Android and - I guess - iOS with Intel XDK.


However, concerning Inkscape, it's a vectorial tool, so absolutely not like photoshop. The philosophy behind is probably completely different!

[tofos]

In free version of Game Maker you can make games only for Windows. If it isn't a big problem for you, it will be the best option. No matter if you want to code or not. But you will anyway when you see how easy it is

I'm making game for fun in GM right now. And I've spend a lot of time trying other tools. You can read my brief description about them in this very thread.

[Ulnarevern]

(the longest post on page 3, that is)

[tofos]

That's right. My brief longest post