Corona use object properties from Tiled layers

Question

I am new to Lua scripting, and game development. So please I am just a noob in Lua.

I have searched the net for solutions to my problems, without any luck.

I use Photoshop, Corona, Dusk, json and Tiled on windows7.

I am creating a "board" like game, i.e. Setlers. I am using a world map, as the background. The background image of the game area is a world map (world.png file). I have no problem here.

I would like to create transparrent clickable objects matching the countrys borders on my gamemap with all parameters and values (I have added in Tiled) stored in the object. So When the player clicks on the country the transparrent object (on top of the map) is the one clicked and an eventlistener acts on the click.

In Tiled I can create all the objects I need, naming them + assigning parameters and other values. If I add object.alpha value in Tiled, the alpha value is passed on to corona and working there. How can I read these data from the json/tmx file in Corona and adding them to a lua table?

The way I am thinking to use the Tiled map and its objects, is to create one polyline trace of each country’s border (creating one object per country). Then place each “country traced object” on top of the world.png map, also naming the object with the countrys name like “object.name = TileBritannia” and also the other properties for use in game.

My problem is getting the objects info, like object.name, and an eventlistener reacting to a click on the object.

1. Is a polyline the right way to create a clickable area on a map, when I use a png file as a background image?

2. What is the best way to create a country border objects, in one layer or with all countries as individual object layers in Tiled.

3. Can I create one layer with sub objects and still access them in my code?

4. How do I get the object name and other properties, set in Tiled.

When I try to use the (local britannia = tiledMap:load("britannia.json")) the "load" is not working, getting a nil value.

I am looking for a code that will extract/get/read the object.name i.e. “objBritannia” or "TileBritannia". from the json/tmx file.

When I try to read the different parameters from the json file, I don't get the result I expect. I get the result = function: 046A73B0, was hoping for an object name of some sort.

Please provide links to or code example.

I have edited the question. Thanks

Answer 1

For questions 1 and 2: I have not used Tiled, but based on Corona Tiled, you have the right strategy in mind. That page makes me think that you can just use tap event listener to detect tap. If you are having issues with the example on that web page, please update your question to be more specific. If tap event handling doesn't work (maybe you're talking about a different Tiled lib), look a Polygon fill and Point in Polygon detection, because that's basically what you need to do. Try some stuff from there. If it still doesn't work for you, then update your question with specifics otherwise it will be likely get closed (it is a little too broad as it is).

For #3, Lua is a dynamic language that supports adding properties to objects in one line. So upon the example on the Corona Tiled page, all you would have to do is

tiledMap = require("tiled") 
local britannia = tiledMap:load("britannia.json")
britannia.name = "Britannnia"
local Zulu = tiledMap:load("zulu.json")
zulu.name = "zulu"

Naturally you will probably have a whole bunch so you will create a function that you call for each tile. It's not clear what map.layer["objBritannia "].nameIs("TileBritannia") is supposed to do so I can't comment.