Lua

Description

Lua is a very nice and easy-to-learn scripting language specifically designed to be embeddable and able to represent complex data.

Features

• Clean syntax
• Simple, yet extremely powerful and extensible, data structure: tables (can be used as hashtables, vectors, arrays, lists, namespaces, objects, ...)
• Easily embeddable into existing projects
• Lightweight
• Very fast
• Compiled to bytecode, which can be saved to a file
• Easy integrated with all languages that can load C libraries (also FreePascal
• Many other nifty things ;)
• lua makes info files obsolete

Lua Roguelikes

Lua is probably the most popular scripting language for roguelikes. Some of the projects that use Lua:

• Angband - between Angband 3.0.0 and 3.0.6. Since then it no longer supports Lua scripts.
• DoomRL - internally keeping all it's data in Lua. Since 0.9.9.1 a limited form of modding using Lua is possible.
• Portralis - uses Lua a lot to create monster attacks and complex story and quest events. Many gameplay mechanics are now entirely script-based, and future versions will aim to expand it's use even further.
• ToME - a good part of the engine is in Lua and the game itself will be completly in Lua in the next version.
• H-World - all modding in this engine is done through Lua scripts
• Necropolis (Timothy Pruett) Using Lua scripting and custom-built tools users can create new areas, classes, items, etc.
• Bone to be Wild Runs with T-Engine from ToME.
• ODE Runs with T-Engine from ToME.
• Broken Bottle made using the T-Engine4
• Run from the Shadow made using the T-Engine4
• Harrowed made using the T-Engine4
• Ascii Wilderness made entirely using LUA 5 and the Slang graphics interpereter.

Links

• Lua homepage