We have stopped developing with the Corona SDK
Due to recent developments, we will no longer be using Corona SDK. If anyone wants to know why, all I can say is that’s because of all the little things stacking up on each other such as:
- Dropping ArmV6 support, first on Android and now on iOS.
- Forcing 32 bit frame buffers for Android (to fix gradient banding issues) which causes slowdowns, without an option to disable it.
- Launchpad Analytics appended to each app but simply I do not want Ansca to track my apps… Yes, I know there is an option to disable this but it’ll be back on as soon as you add something like game network, ads, etc…
- They are still adding new features while there are major stuff waiting to be fixed such as properly working masks, better (retina, rotation, etc) sprites, etc…
- Outdated core engine, Box2D
- Bloating app size day by day with the stuff I won’t be using such as Papaya, super rewards, etc.
- We wanted iAds, Ansca added InMobi. We wanted iAds, Ansca added Inneractive. We wanted iAds….well, still nothing…
- Simulator vs Device inconsistency
I still think CoronaSDK is an good alternative but simply, it’s not suited for us anymore…
Btw, following CoronaSDK projects maintained by us will be discontinued as well. If anyone wants to continue working on those projects may do so freely.
* This project is taken over by Jay himself, thank you Jay…
For anyone looking for similar LUA based cross platform alternatives, I would suggest looking at Gideros or Moai SDK + Rapanui
Edit 2: Since I made that post, there were some improvements to the SDK such as Box2D update (appears to be WIP), new sprite API, off-screen culling, etc. I’m glad to see things are improving…
Hi,
Great article have you checked V-play SDK?
Amazing post with great information.
Can i sell game made with corona without buying its license.
As far as I know, yes you can…
But you can’t sell IAP, without license, can you?
I’m not sure about the current state of things but if the IAP is a part of basic free version of the CoronaSDK, you can.
Hi have the above issues been addressed ?? Or do i need to look at other alternatives ? I.E unity ?
Hi Jin, I’m not really following the CoronaSDK but as far as I know they’ve had major changes to core (plugin system) and licensing models. I assume most of the issues should be addressed by now. As for my self, I’m sticking with Unity so I can definitely suggest looking at it. Also if you are not aware, Unreal Engine & Cry Engine recently announced *very* indie friendly licensing models. You should also check them out…
https://www.unrealengine.com/blog/welcome-to-unreal-engine-4
http://www.cryengine.com/news/crytek-announces-its-cryengine-as-a-service-program
I entirely agree with Pixel’s comments.
An app won’t even appear in the Play Store if your user’s phone uses an armv6 processor. i.e android phones that are a bit over a year old.
This is because when you build your app in Corona, Corona puts an entry in the Manifest that tells Google that your app is incompatible with any phone that has a armv6 processor. Thus Google filters out your app, and does not even make it visible in the Play Store.
We have just discovered this fact, after spending months developing our app, and publishing it, only to find that it is invisible to a large section of our market.
Corona dropped support for android armv6 phones sometime last year (on the grounds that an armv6 processor doesn’t run fast enough). They kept this pretty quiet, and they still boast that they have great cross platform capability.
It looks like we are going to have to start all over again with another development system.
So there you are. If you want your app to be available to android phone users who don’t change their phone every year, forget Corona, and use another product to develop your app.
Where can I find Jay’s autocompletion list?
Actually, I’m not sure as I’m not following it’s status for a while. I think best way would be the asking to him directly…
Well, that’s the problem. I’m a newcommer to corona, and don’t really know who Jay is and where to find him at all. Could you help me out on that? :)
Ah, sure… :)
Jay (Jennings) is the author of Corona Project Manager (CPM) which uses that autocompletion list…
His site is http://coronaprojectmanager.com and apparently he’s also offering a new tool now http://outlawgametools.com
Thx, I’m gonna contact him then. I really appreciate your support, and gl with unity :)
I think you should look at Gideros especially if you have done some coding in Corona. I originally used Corona in the early days and was on the beta program.
Gideros offers everything Corona does but most importantly exports projects to xcode/eclipse for local builds so no rogue code in your app. Can be extended using plugins and also has a free trial. Has a very active forum with tutorials/code snippets.
It isnt as mature as Corona which means 3rd party libs are lacking (like a full UI lib) but its catching up fast.
Hi Er,
I am quiet new to lua scripting and corona sdk. I am basically a C# programmer (coder), corona seemed to be fitting for quick game development. Will there be a 3d game programming in corona anywhere near the future? While searching YouTube and google for tutorials I came across one video about 3d wireframe of a Utah tea pot being rotated in corona simulator.
Waiting for your response
Sidharth
Hi Sidharth,
As far as I know wireframe teapot was just an experiment. Corona is focused on 2d and they are doing it well. But if you need 3d, I would suggest looking at other 3d engines such as Unity, Shiva, etc…
Hi Erdener, That was a quick response thank you very much. Are there any SDK that uses C# as its language? Most of the sdks and game engines uses JavaScript or something like JavaScript. Can you throw some light on it?
Thank you and Regards,
Sidharth
hi Siddharth,
Unity 3D supports C#, Javascript and Boo
Hi Sidharth, as Ajay noted, if you want to use C# Unity is the way to go… :)
Take a look at http://xamarin.com/. Create iOS, Android, Mac and Windows apps in C#.
How much more complex is Unity3D over using Corona? I am new to Corona and just started to pick it up, but wondering if I should put my time into Unity3D instead. I am ok with more complexity, but I am attracted to Corona for how fast you can develop with it.
I want to do multiple types of projects, not just games. Is Unity3D good for other projects like business apps and kids apps or is it primarily good for games?
Hi Christopher,
Actually it’s a bit more complex yes, but not that much once you get used to it… Each scene object can it’s have own code attached and as you might know, you’ll need to use either C# or a customised version of java for programming. Lua is much simpler compared to this.
Regarding you 2nd question, it’s theoretically possible to code business apps with it but I think that would be a bit overkill. It puts in some core elements required for all the 3d stuff which makes even an empty project’s binary size very large. It’s possible to reduce it a bit more by using PRO versions but still…
But there are other things to consider, for example, Unity allows us to use Amazon’s in-app purchase system by using a 3rd party plugin. As far as I know, in Corona, it’s still not supported unless you go with the Enterprise version and code your own plug-in…
I hope this helps…
Have to say I agree with Admin. Bless their cotton socks Ansca are trying get it right with a relatively small organisation. I chose corona over unity as it seemed the simpler to get going with. Now having gone a long way down the road of coding I’m not sure I’d stick with corona for my next project.
The issue for me is waiting for ansca to keep up with the mobile world – which is impossible as its moving so quickly and there are so many things to choose from. Theres a model that solves that crowdsourcing – put a plugin architecture out there and who know what the crowd can build and own.
They’ve recently launched “enterprise” option that allows adding your own plugins and off-line builds which solves the main problem (at least for me) with the indie/pro versions. I’m not sure about the pricing but might be good idea to ask them if you are looking for a long term commitment to CoronaSDK.
I agree there are other options but each have their own shortcomings. Fx, Moai gives you more access but at the same time that feels too much low level and require more coding. Regarding Gideros, it’s going good but as the user base grows it seems to hit more & more bugs previously they were unaware of.
At the end, it’s your business and the tool get the job done sooner/easier should be the one you are using…
What is the status today?
i have the same question. What do you think of Corono as of today
Well, things seems to be getting improved day by day and CoronaSDK is the most mature platform among the competition. They have a free trial, so I would suggest giving it a shot…
Thanks for providing this information! It is always helpful to see which direction other developers are going and, more importantly, why they chose that direction.
Given that the Unity logo is present on the website, I assume that you decided Unity was the best path for your development. Can you give some insight as to why you chose Unity?
Hi Andy,
I’m glad to hear that… Yes, we have decided to go with Unity mostly because of it’s 3D support as we were planning few 3D titles. But it’s extendibility (through asset store) & community support also helped that decision. Also, when paid you are actually buying/owning it (current version) instead of annual leases as offered by other solutions…
I seems like my app runs fine on IOS iPhone 3G armv6 but was wondering when and where its documented they Corona no longer supports armv6 for IOS specifically (I know it doesn’t for Android). And do you have any idea on market percentage for armv6 devices?
Thanks,
Nyle
Hi Nyle,
Check out the daily builds summary for v 2011.707 => “iOS: Removed armv6 now that iOS 4.3 is the new baseline.”
http://developer.anscamobile.com/corona-daily-builds/summary?page=2&destination=
Also that forum thread for some discussion about market share…
http://developer.anscamobile.com/forum/2011/12/17/corona-drops-support-2nd-generation-itouches-and-iphone-3g
Thank you very much!
Erdener,
I’m the COO at Ansca. We are sorry to hear you are moving off Corona, but we appreciate the openness and specific feedback. I’m going to send you an email directly to discuss and see if there is anything we can do.
Thanks,
David
Hi David,
I appreciate your attention and thank you…
I still think CoronaSDK is more mature than other LUA based alternatives (as of today) and I hope you can keep it that way. But simply, I’d like to see all currently implemented features running bug free before adding new stuff… Anyway, I’ll reply to your email shortly…