Making 2D Physics based game

[Vanz]

Looking into designing a 2D based physics based game for the Windows Surface tablets. Would want my game to look and feel like Angry Birds or Cut the Rope, in terms of nice crisp moving graphics, but my concept is totally different is SFML the best way to go?

Some Questions about SFML:
1. What if I spend a ton of time using/learning SFML it, then they don't support it anymore am I basically screwed? I guess I'm basically concerned about the future of it.

2. I don't see how they make revenue from SFML as it appears free? What's keeping it from collapsing or not being maintained

3. Will games programmed in SFML work with on Windows RT?

4. Does SFML support touch screeen? Or can I encorporate it somehow?

5. SFML vs. GDI+? Seems like GDI+ is harder, but I already know GDI well, and seems like GDI+ has a solid future, would it make more sense for me to stick with GDI+?

6. Not SFML question but I’ll ask here anyways, I know Poser already, what other program(s) are generally used to make nice smooth looking graphics like  in Angry Birds or Cut the Rope or is this really just the artist being great and using any program?


Thanks, any additional info appreciated...


Vanz

[metulburr]

i dont know about the others, but:

1. What if I spend a ton of time using/learning SFML it, then they don't support it anymore am I basically screwed? I guess I'm basically concerned about the future of it.

Then you would learn basic game programming at least in which you can use else where. People still use pygame for example, and their website is essentially halted for new users, and their last official update was in 2009, but yet people still use it. Seriously though, I doubt SFML is going anywhere. It is essentially the first 3rd party gaming library people are referred to in some forums. Its been around for a bit at this point. As long as someone is working on it, what is there to worry about?

2. I don't see how they make revenue from SFML as it appears free? What's keeping it from collapsing or not being maintained

What is wrong with free? Just because it is free does not mean it would stop being maintained. For example, Ubuntu (as well with every other linux distro) is free/open-sourced, but yet they obtain money. And that is not going anywhere. One method i know they obtian money is from personal tech support.

[zsbzsb]

I will skip to the unanswered questions 

3. Will games programmed in SFML work with on Windows RT?

No, SFML is based on OpenGL which is not supported on Windows RT. However SFML is in the process of being ported to OpenGL ES (for Android and iOS) so it may in the future be possible to use SFML with the Angle Project.

4. Does SFML support touch screeen? Or can I encorporate it somehow?

It supports mice/keyboards/joysticks for input, and if the touch screens use mouse input then you could say yes. On the Android and iOS ports that are coming I believe the implementation will use the mouse API, but I can't say for sure (haven't seen the ports yet).

5. SFML vs. GDI+? Seems like GDI+ is harder, but I already know GDI well, and seems like GDI+ has a solid future, would it make more sense for me to stick with GDI+?

How can you compare GDI+ (software rendering) with hardware OpenGL rendering? And Windows RT uses a form of DirectX rendering anyways. MS is pushing people off of GDI+ and more towards Windows Store Apps that use DirectX (that includes Windows RT), so I only see GDI+ sticking around for 15 years for compatibility reasons (provided the desktop stays that long).

6. Not SFML question but I’ll ask here anyways, I know Poser already, what other program(s) are generally used to make nice smooth looking graphics like  in Angry Birds or Cut the Rope or is this really just the artist being great and using any program?

You need to be more specific, "smooth" can have a wide range of meaning in this broad context 

[eXpl0it3r]

If you had planned on making an app for the Windows store then I have to disappoint you. Those apps need to run with DirectX (or ANGLE) and thus SFML is not (yet) an option.

6. Not SFML question but I’ll ask here anyways, I know Poser already, what other program(s) are generally used to make nice smooth looking graphics like  in Angry Birds or Cut the Rope or is this really just the artist being great and using any program?

You need to be skilled of course, there's no "art" generator otherwise we wouldn't need artists anymore.
With Inkscape you can create quite nice vector graphics, if you know how.