Is there a way to use .tm_properties to do what I did in TM1? If so, can someone post an example .tm_properties?
AFAIK .tm_properties is not really equivalent of TM1 projects, but it is more like customization of TM2 settings that is being applied only on the files that lay within the folder where .tm_properties is placed. So it is more like equivalent of GIT's .gitconfig, see:
http://blog.macromates.com/2011/git-style-configuration/
Also I recommend browsing this ML archives, as there's many posts about why projects were removed from TM2. Frankly I used TM1 projects at very beginning I was using TM1, but since I started rely seriously on SCM (GIT in fact) I do not use them anymore at all.
One thing that would make TM2 more pleasant for these, who are used to projects, is symlinks to folders being expandable, not just being clickable as it is now.
Cheers,