Free (or Affordable) Platformer Engine?

[AyGee]

I've got ideas rolling around, and I'd like -something-, some kind of goal, to keep me motivated to draw and put to use what little I remember from college.  Lately, I've been considering tinkering with creating a game of my own, but my experience with such is paltry at best.  Despite that, I want to try and make something a little more... I guess the word would be 'action-y' or 'engaging?'  I'd like to try my hand at something other than a turn-based RPG or a point-and-click adventure.

I know I've got an old copy of Flash floating around somewhere, but I was never terribly good at actionscript; even with tutorials I could never make a thing that moved when the arrow keys were pressed.  Does anyone know any good resources or engines for creating a platformer of sorts?  I know asking this question pretty much means the project is doomed from the start, but I need something to keep me going anymore.

[Eggdodger]

Oh, hey! I watch you on FA. I didn't know you used these forums.

Anyways, I've been interested in the idea of making a platformer, myself. I thought that might be a fun first project.

I'm going to assume nobody's steered you in the direction of GameMaker yet. It's a good entry-level program, even for somebody without coding knowledge. Check out the free version and see if it's to your liking. If not, hey, no loss. (Undertale, Hotline Miami and the freeware version of Spelunky were all made in GameMaker, if you want a point of reference as far as its capabilities)

 

jMonkeyEngine is another free engine, but it requires knowledge of java programming. There are plenty of tutorials and even mobile apps out there to help you learn, though, if you're committed to it.

[AyGee]

Hey Egg!  And thanks for the suggestion.  I'm gonna plonk around with GameMaker and see what turns out.  Sounds like it has a pretty good pedigree backing it up.