I'm interested in 2D game developement.
That's quite a list you got there.

Those are all
great questions. You are definitely on the right track. However, your questions are broad enough that my answers would just be long lists of lists, and that won't help you. May I ask you a few questions so I can better answer yours? First of all, what computer programming experience do you have? If none or very little, I highly recommend purchasing a copy of
The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners. I own a copy and think it is an excellent start to learning how to build 2D games. I also suggest you start with 2D games for two reasons: 1) You need to learn about the general aspects of programming games, and 2) It is easier to start off with 2D, as the programming is a bit easier. I can also recommend the game development tools from
Garage Games. I like Torque Game Builder for 2D and the Torque Game Engine for 3D.