Notes on Game Development Course with Lua and Love2D

Course Overview

• Learn to build games using Lua and Love2D.
• Taught by Steve, an experienced game developer.
• Covers basics of Lua programming language and using it to create games.

Course Structure

• Introduction to Lua
  • Lua designed in 1993, high-level procedural programming language.
  • Mainly used in games (Love2D, Roblox, games built with C or C++).
  • Used in various applications like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apache HTTP server, etc.
• Setting Up Your Development Environment
  • Use any text editor (VS Code recommended).
  • Installation steps for Lua on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Lua Basics

• Variables and Data Types
  • nil, number, string, boolean, table.
  • Variables can be local or global.
• Operators
  • Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, ^, %.
  • Comparison: ==, ~=, <, >, <=, >=.
  • Logical: and, or, not.
• Control Structures
  • If-else statements, loops (for, while, repeat-until).

Lua Functions

• Function Basics
  • Define a function using function keyword.
  • Can return values with return.
  • Local and global function scope.

Table Operations

• Creating and Manipulating Tables
  • Similar to arrays, dictionaries, objects, etc.
  • Use {} to define tables.
  • Access elements using index or key.
• Table Functions
  • table.insert, table.remove, table.concat.
• Multi-dimensional Tables
  • Tables within tables, accessing nested elements.

Object-Oriented Programming in Lua

• Basic Concepts
  • LUA does not have native OOP, simulate OOP using tables and functions.
• Inheritance and Polymorphism
  • Use metatables for inheritance.
  • Example with pet and dog objects.

Love2D Basics

• Setting Up Love2D
  • Download and install Love2D.
  • Create main.lua file.
• Main Functions
  • love.load: Initialize game.
  • love.update: Update game state.
  • love.draw: Render game.
• Drawing Shapes
  • Use love.graphics to draw shapes (rectangle, circle, etc).
  • Set colors using love.graphics.setColor.

Creating and Managing Game States

• Game States Overview
  • Use different states for menu, game, paused, game over, etc.
  • Implement state management logic.
• Implementing Game States
  • Example states: menu, paused, running, ended.
  • Functions to change game states.

Sound and Music in Love2D

• Implementing Sound Effects and Background Music
  • Load and play sounds using love.audio.
  • Use different sounds for different events (e.g., explosions).

Asynchronous Programming and Randomness

• Using Coroutines
  • Create coroutines for asynchronous tasks.
• Random Number Generation
  • Seed the random number generator using math.randomseed.

Final Project: Asteroids Game

• Game Overview
  • Basic mechanics of an Asteroids game.
• Player Implementation
  • Drawing player, moving player, collision detection, lives.
• Asteroid Implementation
  • Randomly generate asteroids, manage collisions, split into smaller asteroids.
• Sound Effects and Music
  • Add sound effects for events (e.g., shooting, explosions).
• Game States and Levels
  • Manage different game states, implement level progression.
  • Example level progression: More asteroids per level.
• Adding UI Elements
  • Display scores, lives, and game over screen.

Additional Features to Consider

• Homework and Extensions
  • Create a settings page.
  • Improve performance.
  • Add more enemies, items, or multiplayer support.
  • Enhance the game's visual design and polish.