A freeware 2D library for C++ with full example game and source code, online and downloadable documentation, and yes it's free and no, theres no catch, just because it took me so frickin long to get a workable system packaged up I thought I'd save some other people the pain....

grab it from www.itsallagame.com



2DG is possibly the fastest way to prototype/create small to medium 2D projects be it games/apps or whatever, it removes all the worry of loading sounds/bitmaps/music dealing with unloading/management of resources, handling directdraw/direct3d devices and just gives an exceptionally simple and easy interface for the 2D application/game programming.

This is accomplished through 6 simple Class Interfaces that provide the functionality for ...

rendering and automatic/manual loading of images
automatic/manual loading and playback of sound effects/music
loading and rendering of text
loading/linking of button layouts setup though the custom Button Editor
keyboard/mouse input support

The SDK is based on the principle of hierarchical simplicity, you need to do very little in order to get sounds/bitmaps flying around by using the autoloading systems (detailed in the Class Interfaces) or delve slightly deeper into the classes to get more functionality.

The Quadranoid example project was written in under 2 days inclusive of (programmer) graphics and sound using 2DG

This library is given away free to promote sharing of technology, it allows those without the interest in all the ridiculous hoops required to jump through to get something up and running within Windows to concentrate on creating the game