Book Image

Corona SDK Mobile Game Development: Beginner's Guide

Book Image

Corona SDK Mobile Game Development: Beginner's Guide

Overview of this book

Corona SDK is the fastest and easiest way to create commercially successful cross platform mobile games. Just ask Robert Nay, a 14 year old who created Bubble Ball - downloaded three million times, famously knocking Angry Birds off the top spot. You don't need to be a programming veteran to create games using Corona. Corona SDK is the number one tool for creating fun, simple blockbuster games. Assuming no experience at all with programming or game development you will learn the basic foundations of Lua and Corona right through to creating several monetized games deployable to Android and Apple stores. You will begin with a crash course in Lua, the programming language underpinning the Corona SDK tool. After downloading and installing Corona and writing some simple code you will dive straight into game development. You will start by creating a simple breakout game with controls optimized for mobile. You will build on this by creating two more games incorporating different features such as falling physics. The book ends with a tutorial on social network integration, implementing in app purchase and most important of all monetizing and shipping your game to the Android and App stores.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Corona SDK Mobile Game Development Beginner's Guide
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface

Time for action – setting up and activating Corona on Windows


Let's set up Corona SDK on our desktop.

  1. Download Corona SDK from the following URL: http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/. You will have to register as a user before you can access the SDK.

  2. The file extension for the Windows version of Corona should end in .msi, otherwise known as a Windows Installer, a component of Windows made for installing programs by Microsoft. Double-click on the file. The filename should be similar to CoronaSDK.msi.

  3. Follow the onscreen directions for installation.

  4. Corona will install directly to your Programs folder by default. On Microsoft Windows, select Corona from the list of Programs in your Start menu or double-click the Corona icon on the desktop. Upon successful activation, you should begreeted with the following screen:

    Note

    The process to activate the SDK should be the same as that of the Mac procedure once you launch Corona for the very first time.

    Tip

    If you run into issues with images not displaying properly, check to see if you're using an up-to-date OpenGL graphics driver that is 1.3 or higher.

    Note

    Be aware that Corona SDK on Windows can only build for Android devices, not for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch). A Mac can only build for iOS devices in Corona but can also build applications for Android.

  5. To create device builds, Java 6 SDK needs to be installed on your PC. You will need to go to the JDK download page: http://jdk6.java.net/download.html and click the Download button under the Java SE 6 option.

  6. On the next page, select the Accept License Agreement radio button and then click on the Windows x86 link to download the installer. You will be asked to log in or create a user account on the Oracle website if you don't already have one.

  7. As soon as the JDK is downloaded, run the installer. Once installed, you'll be able to create device builds for Android on your PC.

What just happened?

Installing the SDK on Windows has a different setup to that of the Mac OS X. While executing the installer file, Windows will automatically present a designated location to install the application such as the Programs folder so you won't have to manually choose a destination. Upon a successful installation you will see the Corona SDK icon on your desktop for easy access or highlighted in the Programs list in the Start menu, assuming you're accessing it for the first time. When you authorize Corona on your machine and sign in with your login information, it is ready for you to use and will lo in automatically every time it is launched.