ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the basics of jumping that make up every 2D platformer. No matter the design of the game, every platformer will feature at minimum two kinds of jumps—a standing jump and a moving one. The important element of 2D design is the “camera.” One of the reasons for the continued popularity of 2D design for game designers is the fact that the game screen and camera are one; as opposed to the camera being a separate entity in 3D design. As design and technology evolved, games allowed the player to move in multiple directions and attack off-screen enemies. Level design and the camera go hand-in-hand, because the player’s only view of the obstacles and level come from the camera. Depending on the complexity of the design, platformers of the 1990s went in one of several directions for their jumping.
