Welcome to getting started with your mobile adventure! If you are interested in building mobile apps, then you've come to the right place. Whether you are interested in building the next Angry Birds, building an educational app that helps children learn while playing, or building an app for a local business, this book will help you from start to finish. In this first chapter, we will be covering the following topics:
- What is Corona SDK?
- The prerequisites for Corona SDK
- Downloading, installing, and using Corona SDK
If you are already working with Corona SDK and have experience with the Lua programming language, feel free to skip to Chapter 3, Creating Your First App. For everyone else, let's get started!
Corona SDK is a mobile development platform that allows you to create cross-browser games, apps, and e-books. This platform utilizes a scripting language called Lua, which is an easy-to-learn programming language.
Not only will Corona SDK help you develop your app faster than by using traditional means, but you will also be able to easily incorporate Box2D physics, Game Center, sprite sheets, social media, and a whole lot more into your app. You can also monetize your apps with advertising options and in-app purchases.
At the time of writing this book, Corona SDK offers a free and paid structure of their product. The free structure, known as Starter, allows you to build and publish apps to iOS, Android, Kindle, and the Nook. However, you will not have access to premium features such as in-app purchases unless you upgrade to the paid product, known as Pro. The Pro version also allows you to download the latest Daily Builds.
Corona Labs, the company behind Corona SDK, is continuously adding new features to their mobile development platform. Even as this book is being written, Corona Labs is adding more features to give you a better product.