Just a idea - a "reference" project schema

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#1

Hello,

I’ve just started coding a simple game and (apart from how I am excited with Corona) I have found a significant problem - probably that others have also.

I was learning Lua using a book from 2013 and they use storyboard scheme. After spending many hours codding, I have found on Corona docs that storyboard has been replaced by composer and… had to start learning again :-/

The other issue is that most materials (books, docs) discuss individual elements (Lua syntax, sprites, sounds, interface etc.) and there is difficult to get the vision how to piece together all that blocks to get an app.

I know, that every game is diffrent, but what I mean is to show a basic scheme - start page, menu, game, levels, terminating etc. to see how the project could be build. 

Now I am looking at endless runner game on Corona’s blog - it is great, to analyze, but… to complex for first time :wink: Would be wonderful to delve into similar, more simple project and draw a path to own projects :slight_smile:

Drawing on other not always should be cloning. It is also good way to run own imagination and creativity :slight_smile:

Such “reference” game, regular updated, would be very helpful for many starting coders.

Best regards!

JA

#2

I suggest you learn Lua and Corona SDK from online resources (especially the Corona documentation and documentation on lua.org). It’s always better this way considering outdated books.

Also, I don’t recommend looking directly into template/tutorials because they can be confusing before you got the hold of Corona SDK. Firstly, you should understand how the SDK works (events, listeners, objects etc.) and then start developing something small by yourself and make it bigger as you learn more and more. I think that’s the best way of learning.

If you’d like, I can work something out for you. Not an example game maybe but a project template that will show some basic composer functionality, file reading etc. Let me know if something like that would work out for you.

#3

There are tons of these on github. Mine is for a simple platformer game with projectiles, level selection and powerups. You can find it here. I agree with bgmadcloud though, your best bet is to read all of the blog posts and tutorials that Corona themselves put out. They are pretty good about noting when a tutorial is out of date, or when there is updated information available.

#4

[quote name=“bgmadclown” post=“288187” timestamp=“1426954256”]  If you’d like, I can work something out for you. Not an example game maybe but a project template that will show some basic composer functionality, file reading etc. Let me know if something like that would work out for you.[/quote] Oh, that’s would be my sweet dreams:-) Hope many people would be thankful too! Lua is not my first language I learn and I use to draw knowledge from Corona help pages. This is a very good source, inluding video tutorials. Anyway there is someting called “best practices” - rules showing you the best way to get the goal. And who will show it to you better than Corona’s people? :slight_smile: So thanks once more for your proposal, will wait :slight_smile:

#5

Well, that tons are helpful often, but…quantity does not always mean quality. Hope you know what you mean. Time goes fast and when you learn it is good to have a good teacher rather looking at other students, learning from their mistakes :wink: and at the beginning it is impossible to assess whitch one of them is genius, whitch one is wrong way…
The shorter, quicker and optimized way we find, better apps we will write and enthusiasm replace discouragement :slight_smile:
Best greetings!
p.s. Will you convert your project from storyboard to composer?

#6

I’ll try to make it work today but no promises :slight_smile: I’ll do my best to create the template and put the link here once it’s done. It’ll not be a game template like Alex’s but it will be showing some basic concepts of Corona SDK like most used composer functions, including/reading external files, working with folders, listeners etc. Of course, it’ll be the way I use them so keep that in mind when you’re looking into it.

p.s. answer: you can easily convert from storyboard to composer -> http://docs.coronalabs.com/api/library/composer/migration.html

#7

If I were going to offer a syllabus for a Corona SDK curriculum, it’d probably look something like this:

  1. Project settings: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/basics/configSettings/index.html

  2. Event listener system: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/events/detectEvents/index.html

  3. Display objects: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/media/displayObjects/index.html

  4. Transitions: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/media/transitionLib/index.html

  5. Scene management: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/system/composer/index.html

  6. Physics and you: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/physics/physicsSetup/index.html

  7. Saving game data: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/data/readWriteFiles/index.html

This will essentially get you to the place where you can make a game/app with a beginning, middle and end, along with persistent data and have it look correct on multiple devices. You can find sample code for each of these by clicking on Help->Sample Projects in the Corona Simulator. This is abridged, as going through every guide would be the best way to go. I personally like to learn by breaking things, so I would use the above guides to make a simple game, fixing the Runtime or nil errors that come up and learning from those mistakes. 

Good luck!

#8

Great job! Thanks a lot!

#9

I’ve just finished the template and uploaded it to GitHub. Hope this works out for you abram.

https://github.com/sekodev/empty_template_coronasdk

Great syllabus Alex. I’ve also included it in the GitHub page in case anyone needs it.

#10

I don’t know how to thank you…

Viva la Corona! Viva Seigneur bgmadclown!

:slight_smile:

#11

As soon as you learn more, I’m waiting for your contributions :wink:

I’ve just renamed the project -> https://github.com/sekodev/starter_template_coronasdk

#12

Will do all my best :slight_smile:

#13

I suggest you learn Lua and Corona SDK from online resources (especially the Corona documentation and documentation on lua.org). It’s always better this way considering outdated books.

Also, I don’t recommend looking directly into template/tutorials because they can be confusing before you got the hold of Corona SDK. Firstly, you should understand how the SDK works (events, listeners, objects etc.) and then start developing something small by yourself and make it bigger as you learn more and more. I think that’s the best way of learning.

If you’d like, I can work something out for you. Not an example game maybe but a project template that will show some basic composer functionality, file reading etc. Let me know if something like that would work out for you.

#14

There are tons of these on github. Mine is for a simple platformer game with projectiles, level selection and powerups. You can find it here. I agree with bgmadcloud though, your best bet is to read all of the blog posts and tutorials that Corona themselves put out. They are pretty good about noting when a tutorial is out of date, or when there is updated information available.

#15

[quote name=“bgmadclown” post=“288187” timestamp=“1426954256”]  If you’d like, I can work something out for you. Not an example game maybe but a project template that will show some basic composer functionality, file reading etc. Let me know if something like that would work out for you.[/quote] Oh, that’s would be my sweet dreams:-) Hope many people would be thankful too! Lua is not my first language I learn and I use to draw knowledge from Corona help pages. This is a very good source, inluding video tutorials. Anyway there is someting called “best practices” - rules showing you the best way to get the goal. And who will show it to you better than Corona’s people? :slight_smile: So thanks once more for your proposal, will wait :slight_smile:

#16

Well, that tons are helpful often, but…quantity does not always mean quality. Hope you know what you mean. Time goes fast and when you learn it is good to have a good teacher rather looking at other students, learning from their mistakes :wink: and at the beginning it is impossible to assess whitch one of them is genius, whitch one is wrong way…
The shorter, quicker and optimized way we find, better apps we will write and enthusiasm replace discouragement :slight_smile:
Best greetings!
p.s. Will you convert your project from storyboard to composer?

#17

I’ll try to make it work today but no promises :slight_smile: I’ll do my best to create the template and put the link here once it’s done. It’ll not be a game template like Alex’s but it will be showing some basic concepts of Corona SDK like most used composer functions, including/reading external files, working with folders, listeners etc. Of course, it’ll be the way I use them so keep that in mind when you’re looking into it.

p.s. answer: you can easily convert from storyboard to composer -> http://docs.coronalabs.com/api/library/composer/migration.html

#18

If I were going to offer a syllabus for a Corona SDK curriculum, it’d probably look something like this:

  1. Project settings: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/basics/configSettings/index.html

  2. Event listener system: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/events/detectEvents/index.html

  3. Display objects: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/media/displayObjects/index.html

  4. Transitions: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/media/transitionLib/index.html

  5. Scene management: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/system/composer/index.html

  6. Physics and you: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/physics/physicsSetup/index.html

  7. Saving game data: http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/data/readWriteFiles/index.html

This will essentially get you to the place where you can make a game/app with a beginning, middle and end, along with persistent data and have it look correct on multiple devices. You can find sample code for each of these by clicking on Help->Sample Projects in the Corona Simulator. This is abridged, as going through every guide would be the best way to go. I personally like to learn by breaking things, so I would use the above guides to make a simple game, fixing the Runtime or nil errors that come up and learning from those mistakes. 

Good luck!

#19

Great job! Thanks a lot!

#20

I’ve just finished the template and uploaded it to GitHub. Hope this works out for you abram.

https://github.com/sekodev/empty_template_coronasdk

Great syllabus Alex. I’ve also included it in the GitHub page in case anyone needs it.