Top Corona SDK Alternatives

2D games are not a dying breed of entertainment, even in this decade. Some people enjoy playing such games and wish to develop games but lacking in technical and coding knowledge. Corona SDK aims to eliminate the hassles of advanced coding knowledge to create impressive 2D games using the popular Lua programming language.

Platform independent development

The Corona SDK allows developers to create apps and games without having to worry about different operating systems and platforms. The same app or game can be published in various formats compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. This ensures code stability and reduces unnecessary code rewrites and compatibility checks during installations.

Developers can export the same project into versions that are executable in various platforms, all at once. Every single one will have the same features – the functionality is also not compromised after switching platforms.

Based on the Lua framework

Corona SDK is powered by Lua, a scripting framework that is easy to learn and has well-documented tutorials for anyone who wishes to learn. Lua is a straightforward, lightweight, but usable language that is used by some well-known titles like Civilization and WarCraft.

Lua syntax is easy to use and offers flexibility – the language is forgiving to the beginners who have little or no knowledge about coding. Combined, the Lua framework and Corona SDK makes the best pair to start learning game development.

Live simulation and testing

It enables developers to test and see how the code runs in real-time, using the simulator. The simulator feature accurately mimics the working of a device that allows users to interact with the system. The tool can simulate real-time particle physics effects and animations flawlessly. The Corona SDK simulator is integrated within the IDE itself, so there is no need for extra configuration. Thus it enables to optimize the development workflow and be more efficient.

The live testing feature is another intuitive feature that lets you push apps to actual devices via the network. It is almost similar to sideloading apps in Android. The difference is that here it's done via network. Any devices connected to the development system via LAN can be used as a testing environment – which is updated instantly, saving you time for re-building app and installing.

Easy to set up and extend

The Corona SDK is easy to set up and extend functionalities. Just download the software, install and start using the IDE immediately – test the code changes live using the simulator tool and minimize the dependence of third-party testing tools.

Use the Corona Marketplace to download and install dozens of plugins used to extend the feature-set of the app or game being developed, including analytics, hardware-dependent features, and in-app monetization. It allows developers to use any advanced C/C++ libraries to extend functionality and integrate these into Visual Studio or XCode.