What shall I choose between CoronaSDK or AirPlay?

Question

1st Question is I want to write a board game for iOS and Android so I'm coming up with CoronaSDK and AirPlay. Since I have a mac, development platform is not an issue but the problem is which one should I choose. I'm fluent with PHP and web languages and familiar with C but it's a new language for Lua. I know a lot of people prefer Corona but why not Airplay? It even provides more devices and able to write in C/C++.

2nd Question is I want a SDK with shortest development time and easier coding. I don't need complex 3D or animation engine since the game is a board game like chess or monopoly. What would you recommend?

Really appreciate anyone trying to answer my questions here :)

Answer 1

Lua is a far more productive language than C++. I spent 6 months writing a game using C++ (not Airplay admittedly, I was using a different framework) and got about halfway through before I came to grips with how excessively long it was taking. Then I started using Corona three months ago and am about to release my game.

Also, Lua is pretty similar to PHP so you shouldn't have any trouble picking it up in a weekend. Simpler actually

Basically, the answer to both your questions boils down to it is much faster and easier to develop using Lua in Corona. Although they have differences in features (eg. Airplay deploys to more platforms but apparently lacks a web view) those pros and cons mostly cancel each other out, so the choice mostly comes down to the programming language.

Answer 2

Without any experience in using either Corona or Airplay, on the surface level I'd say Corona might be easier because it uses a high-level language, Lua, but then if you're already familiar with C, but have never used Lua, maybe that advantage is lost. The advantage of Airplay on the other hand is that it supports a lot of platforms. If you only need iOS and Android though, maybe that doesn't really matter either.

I think if you feel like C++ would be easier for you, there's not much reason to go with Corona. Both even have similar pricing models, but Corona costs more unless you're making over $100,000 a year, but if you do, you probably don't care either way.