Level Designers: Programs You Use?

Is there any good free programs out there that you can draw some nice backgrounds, platforms, objects etc...?

 

Unity?
There was something on asset store I think.

 

I want to draw my own stuff.

 

What you mean exactly by draw?
There is plenty external software available.
From Paint, Paint 3D, Gimp, To Photoshop and more.

 

Are you even allowed to sell your game if you made one that only uses assets that other people made?

 

Provided you use these assets "legally" I'm sure you can sell your game without a problem. After all, the reason these assets are available is to give developers a choice : spend money now or commit to spending the time instead, whichever is more profitable. There is also a well known phenomena in the early access market known as "asset flipping", where people produce low quality games that mostly use assets taken from other games through the asset store for example.

As for level designing, Unity itself would be the right program for that. Just make a scene with very simple graphics to get the general idea and then start working on getting better graphics in which you could buy from the asset store, or make yourself at least partially using Blender for the 3D mesh, animations and texturing, and photoshop / gimp to make the textures themselves. On top of that some lighting and particle effects can make the whole thing prettier - that is done in Unity directly.

 

Yes I am talking about using the assets legally (IE: Importing them from the asset store either free or not and building your game using those assess then selling your game)

 

The assets you buy on the AssetStore come with a special license agreement that allows you to use them in the games that you publish, and you're allowed to use them whether your game is free or if you're charging money for the game. Either way.