Tactile

Even though modern games come with stunning and highly realistic graphics, the truth is that some of us still go back to the classics. Since 2D games are kind of hard to find nowadays, your best bet would be to create your own game or at least, a new map for the game you are currently playing.

Tactile is a lightweight utility that provides you with most of the tools you need to create a tilemap. Providing that you can get your hands on some 2D assets, you should be able to create a map exactly as you want.

Following the installation, the app doesn’t create a desktop icon so make sure to remember the folder that you set during the setup. When launched, the program gives you two options, namely to create a map from scratch or to open an existing map that you can edit.

When creating a new map, you need to specify the rows and columns along with the tile’s width and height. If you want to add or remove rows and columns later on, you can do so from the Map menu. In case you are just interested in editing a current map or use an old one as a base, then you simply load the map and go through each tile to make the necessary modifications.

It is worth mentioning that the app enables you to play with various tiles, objects and group layers. At the same time, editing and design can be done with the standard tools you would expect in similar apps, including bucket fill, eraser tool, Ellipse, Tile stamp and Point tool. The program supports the YAML map format as well as JSON and XML.

Tactile is an intuitive tool that packs all the tools you need to put your creativity to work. Whether you want to improve a map of your 2D favorite game or create a completely new one, the tool is up for the task.