SVG Level Builder is dead. Any alternatives?

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#1

I just bought SVG Level Builder after watching a youtube video showing how easy it was to turn Inkscape graphics into physics bodies. As it turns out, SVG Level Builder is horribly outdated and will not work with the current Corona version :

File: slb-svgparser.lua

Line: 558

ERROR: object:setReferencePoint() is only available in v1Compatibility mode. Use anchor points instead.

This really sucks because a) I already paid for it, and b) the concept behind it is great. 

That particular error looked easy to solve but after I did, all sorts of other errors kept popping up and I decided to give up. 

Are there any similar alternatives for this? In particular I would love to have something that I could use to build maps like the ones in Super Stick Man Golf 2.

#2

I’ve just received word from the author that he’s planning to release a fix within a week. Initially I bought the library at binpress.com and they had an outdated version. Although the new one he uploaded today had issues too he promised to look into them and release a fix if he was able to resolve them.

#3

If you are looking for alternatives, Dusk engine or MTE engine are both very good. They don’t have that visual interactive phase that SVG level builder offers, but they offer more important future features that will be important like performance, speed, optimization, make your life easier to use their stuff, etc.

Also I believe corona has a composer GUI in beta stages for that visual part. To me just looking at Tiled / knowing what my code will output and pressing a quick CTRL+R(quick refresh on simulator) is far enough tools to see a quick visual representation/testing.

#4

I’ve started working with Dusk since MTE seems not to be for sale currently. I’ve contacted the author but I’m still awaiting a response.

Dusk seems to be working alright so far but it’s not exactly what I need for this particular game. I need really precise shapes with mostly curves. Still by the lack of a better alternative I’m adapting my game so that it’s still fun with square tiles.

Thanks for tips though. I haven’t worked with Tiled before and now that I’ve tried it I realize it makes workflow quite fast indeed.

#5

Not sure what you mean by precise shapes but, they are just game engines to help out. Physics shapes are more the corona sdk core functions so that shouldn’t change with any game engine. I know there are very good guides on the MTE engine when you buy it to show you some cool use of weird shapes and collision filters etc that are pretty useful. The creator of MTE I believe is in a middle of a life thing (he said he would be absent for only a few days on the forums) I’m sure he would gladly love the business and you just caught him when his servers are down for a few days.

On a side note, sounds like maybe PhysicsEditor would be a useful tool for you?

#6

Ah, I didn’t know about the author of MTE being absent for a few days. I can wait, no problem.

I do own TexturePacker/PhysicsEditor but that’s just for small objects, like players, enemies, etc. Being able to create my levels with SVG editor will be ideal as I’m trying to do something like Super Stick Man Golf 2 where the maps is very “curvy” (and really big). In the case of SSMG2 the map curves are what make the game what it is. I will be starting another thread with a screenshot of this game to see what people suggest using. 

#7

I’ve just received word from the author that he’s planning to release a fix within a week. Initially I bought the library at binpress.com and they had an outdated version. Although the new one he uploaded today had issues too he promised to look into them and release a fix if he was able to resolve them.

#8

If you are looking for alternatives, Dusk engine or MTE engine are both very good. They don’t have that visual interactive phase that SVG level builder offers, but they offer more important future features that will be important like performance, speed, optimization, make your life easier to use their stuff, etc.

Also I believe corona has a composer GUI in beta stages for that visual part. To me just looking at Tiled / knowing what my code will output and pressing a quick CTRL+R(quick refresh on simulator) is far enough tools to see a quick visual representation/testing.

#9

I’ve started working with Dusk since MTE seems not to be for sale currently. I’ve contacted the author but I’m still awaiting a response.

Dusk seems to be working alright so far but it’s not exactly what I need for this particular game. I need really precise shapes with mostly curves. Still by the lack of a better alternative I’m adapting my game so that it’s still fun with square tiles.

Thanks for tips though. I haven’t worked with Tiled before and now that I’ve tried it I realize it makes workflow quite fast indeed.

#10

Not sure what you mean by precise shapes but, they are just game engines to help out. Physics shapes are more the corona sdk core functions so that shouldn’t change with any game engine. I know there are very good guides on the MTE engine when you buy it to show you some cool use of weird shapes and collision filters etc that are pretty useful. The creator of MTE I believe is in a middle of a life thing (he said he would be absent for only a few days on the forums) I’m sure he would gladly love the business and you just caught him when his servers are down for a few days.

On a side note, sounds like maybe PhysicsEditor would be a useful tool for you?

#11

Ah, I didn’t know about the author of MTE being absent for a few days. I can wait, no problem.

I do own TexturePacker/PhysicsEditor but that’s just for small objects, like players, enemies, etc. Being able to create my levels with SVG editor will be ideal as I’m trying to do something like Super Stick Man Golf 2 where the maps is very “curvy” (and really big). In the case of SSMG2 the map curves are what make the game what it is. I will be starting another thread with a screenshot of this game to see what people suggest using.