Learn about Cross Platform Mobile Game Development with CoronaSDK from Corona Labs. I discuss some of the benefits I've found with Corona and why I chose this platform for our game development.
8. #XGameDev
My Requirements
Primary Secondary
• Bring my iOS Cocos2D • Physics engine
games to Nook
• Database support
• Easy to learn • Kindle Fire
• Inexpensive, • Active Project/New
free=better Features
• Fast!
9. #XGameDev
What I Looked At:
• Cocos2d-android
• http://code.google.com/p/cocos2d-android/
• Last update: May 2010
• Cocos2d-android-1
• http://code.google.com/p/cocos2d-android-1/
• Last update: GitHub says 2 months ago
• Unity 3D
• http://unity3d.com/
• Too costly at the time, they now have some more
competitive pricing
• My games are only 2D, this seemed like using a jack
hammer to hammer a nail
10. #XGameDev
What I Didn’t Look
At
• GameSalad
• http://gamesalad.com/
• Creates HTML5
• Looked promising (now has Win version)
• Moai
• http://getmoai.com
• open-souce/attribution
• paid option too
11. #XGameDev
Why Corona?
•Worked on Nook, Kindle Fire (and
other Android devices)
•Price: Free to try, $350/year for iOS
and Android
•Very simple to learn (currently
teaching to high school students)
•Compiles to native OpenGL ES, so very
fast!
12. #XGameDev
Why Corona? -
Part 2
• Box2D Physics Engine
• SQLite Databases
• GameCenter and OpenFeint integration
• SpriteSheet support
• Facebook Integration
• Basic Flurry Analytics Integration
• Very active development, almost daily builds
• In-App Purchase support
• Documented APIs
13. #XGameDev
Why Corona? -
Part 3
•Develop once, deploy to iOS and Android
•Content Scaling
•Instant Refresh on Simulator
•Particle System
•Glyph Fonts
•Supports tools such as TexturePacker,
PhysicsEditor, SpriteHelper,
LevelHelper, Glyph Designer
14. #XGameDev
Corona Cons
•A good Lua editor is hard to find
•Mac
•Corona Complete
•BBEdit
•PC
•Notepad++
•Cider - http://www.mydevelopersgames.com/CIDER/
15. #XGameDev
Corona Cons
•Win version is limited/behind
•Native iOS components can not be
displayed in simulator
•can find 3rd party widgets that
emulate native components
•Can not build/distribute for iOS
•http://www.macincloud.com/
16. #XGameDev
Code Sample
--Create blue background
local backgroundSky=display.newRect(0,0,display.contentWidth,display.contentHeight)
backgroundSky:setFillColor(98,183,214)
-- Add a cloud to the scene
local randomCloudObject=display.newImage("bg_cloud3.png")
randomCloudObject.x=display.contentWidth/2
randomCloudObject.y=display.contentHeight/2
--Add our hero
local heroAngel=display.newImage("char_jump_1.png")
heroAngel.x=heroAngel.contentWidth
heroAngel.y=display.contentHeight/2