Isn't Aseprite's source code public, though?

https://orama-interactive.itch.io/pixelorama

This software is free and I’ve seen people get some amazing results out of it.

So, there are many answers to your question and it all depends on what you are looking to do.

Speaking in term is FOSS (free and open source software) Inkscape is a great vector program, Gimp is a great raster program and Blender is an amazing 3d one. (I know you said 2d but adding it in just in case)

If you are looking to make simple images then you might want to start with gimp. If it’s specifically pixel style art there are plenty of tutorials online. (https://thegimptutorials.com/how-to-make-pixel-art/)

If you are looking to make clean line art then you will want Inkscape. Think close up perfect circle with no squares or pixels. There are plenty of tutorials for this program as well.

Now, as you grow and learn you will find and learn about other programs that do the same things. Keep them in mind because they may work better for your needs but for the short time you start keep on the path of these two. They are the most know free options there are and will have the most resources to learn from.

Try this one. LibreSprite

here is a tutorial for how to use it

I use Aseprite but that's $20.

This was a great talk with a lot of nuance and history. Loved it.

Okay, I’ll be careful

LMMS and reaper are both goof options. I would recommend LMMS for a beginner because it comes with a lot of free instruments and examples bundled with it.

Be careful with free music sites. Got music for my game from one but now the song is gone. Was able to find it on YouTube where it isn't licensed for free anymore. Now I'm in contact with the composer and asked them whether I should keep or remove the song.

You can also buy a humble bundle, if the previews fit: https://www.humblebundle.com/software/audio-odyssey-vol-2-software

Adding to the options people have already mentioned, if you decide you don't want to write the music yourself you could:

• Find someone to partner with to make custom music for you -- e.g. at in-person gamedev meet ups / club events, friends (or friends-of-friends), "I Need a Team" type forums, etc
• Hire someone to make custom music for you
• Use free music -- e.g. Creative Commons licensed music like Kevin MacLeod's, or free assets from itch.io, etc.
• Buy music that's explicitly sold for use in games -- try searching for asset packs associated with various popular tools like RPGMaker
• Use an AI music generator -- if you can live with people complaining about AI and are ok with the legal uncertainty around it

Trackers are a good fit for sample based music if you can get comfortable with the interface. OpenMPT and Renoise can even host VST plugins. You can get the samples on freesound.org and the plugins on plugins4free.

Reaper is a cheap DAW but it can be a bit overwhelming.

There's also BespokeSynth and SuperCollider although I don't know much about those.

cool :0

Maybe Strudel:

https://strudel.cc/workshop/getting-started/

Can help with composingyour own tunes and I think its dev friendly being javascript based.

...Interesting idea. (And also interesting lore implications? Not that the game has any...)

My main thinking right now is: on startup, have the player on an empty field and force them to move (on both inner and outer "axes") onto a specially marked square (and press spacebar) to enter the main menu. (Controls and what they do will be explained in text.) This gets them accustomed to moving around and pressing the CONFIRM key for menuing.

Then have a special tutorial level to introduce the actual gameplay -- similar to the "real" levels, but much slower BPM and attacks are scripted instead of randomly chosen. I don't want to force anyone to complete the tutorial before entering the actual levels, but it would be the menu item that the player first lands on (aside from maybe the one for changing the controls to something less strange than A/D/J/L).

The tutorial level would require some more code, but at this point that might be worth it. (And also it would add another option for user-made custom levels if somehow people decide to edit those in.)

...Honestly, the one thing I'm most concerned about at the moment is getting players to read text, especially if it's off to the side to avoid covering the playfield.

Probably a good idea, but not one that fits my current vision of the game, unfortunately. Especially since my main idea for adding complexity is increasing the number of sides (square->pentagon->hexagon), so each level already has a different-looking playfield.

...Right, I kind of forgot that the directory structure for my repo doesn't need to look anything like the directory structure of the releases. Thanks for prompting me to think about that.

Total aside: from an organization perspective, I would suggest using an assets (or whatever) folder so that the root of your repo is all config/readme/setup/etc.

Ahhhh, it's so quick and busy that I just missed the black hex entirely 😅

If you can make level 1 a single hexagon and introduce the hexagon of hexagons in level 2, people might understand it faster.

It's definitely something that could be tutorialized with visuals instead of text (in the final game, of course).

The first thought that comes into my head is watching a quick, scripted example of failure - a quick flash and a Grey hex explodes and loses, another spawns and dodges once or twice before losing, then it's your turn.

Or not, I'm kinda high and just spitballing.

You control the little black hexagon on the rings and can move it along the rings. You just want to avoid the flashes. Specifically the ones that turn the whole hexagon white.

That was certainly not the first piece of feedback I was expecting to get, but it is one that's good to take into account! I forgot that what seems obvious to me might not be obvious to people who've never seen the game before. I'd like it if players could learn the full game without resorting to textual tutorials, so I'll have to find ways to teach things more clearly, but for now I've updated the README to hopefully make things more clear. Thanks for the feedback!

I've read the description and watched the gameplay video 3 times and still have literally no idea what the gameplay is 😅

Thank you so much for the feedback! Yes! Many people ended up saying the same thing and yes! I've already fixed it but I'll post when the update is ready. A planting and pet system for the game are also being implemented, as well as special effects 😆

ha ha ha ha WHAT!? Jokes aside, I understood a little of what you mean (very hard!) 😁 and yes, I will add many of the things you ask me if it is to make the players happy ⭐