Using Love2D Node

Dora SSR can host Love2D 11.5-style projects as scene nodes. Each LoveNode owns an isolated Lua 5.5 state, virtual window surface, event queue, physics world, and audio bus. The node is rendered into Dora's scene graph, so a Dora project can place, scale, hide, restart, or run several Love projects without giving any of them control of the application window or main loop.

This is source and API compatibility for Love projects. It is not LuaJIT ABI compatibility and it does not embed SDL's application loop.

Create a LoveNode

Put the Love project under a Dora content search path. A minimal project can use the normal Love callbacks in any of Dora's supported source languages:

Lua

LoveGame/main.lua

local love = require("love")
local message = ""

function love.load()
	message = "Hello from an isolated Love state"
end

function love.update(dt)
	-- Update this Love instance.
end

function love.draw()
	love.graphics.clear(0.05, 0.08, 0.12, 1)
	love.graphics.print(message, 24, 24)
end

Teal

LoveGame/main.tl

local love = require("love")
local message = ""

love.load = function()
	message = "Hello from an isolated Love state"
end

love.update = function(_dt: number)
	-- Update this Love instance.
end

love.draw = function()
	love.graphics.clear(0.05, 0.08, 0.12, 1)
	love.graphics.print(message, 24, 24)
end

TypeScript

LoveGame/main.ts

import "love";

let message = "";

love.load = () => {
	message = "Hello from an isolated Love state";
};

love.update = (_dt: number) => {
	// Update this Love instance.
};

love.draw = () => {
	love.graphics.clear(0.05, 0.08, 0.12, 1);
	love.graphics.print(message, 24, 24);
};

YueScript

LoveGame/main.yue

love = require "love"
message = ""

love.load = ->
	message = "Hello from an isolated Love state"

love.update = (dt) ->
	-- Update this Love instance.

love.draw = ->
	love.graphics.clear 0.05, 0.08, 0.12, 1
	love.graphics.print message, 24, 24

Create the node from a normal Dora program:

Lua

Script/init.lua

local _ENV = Dora

local game = LoveNode("LoveGame/main.lua")
if game then
	game.position = game.position + Vec2(80, 40)
	game.scaleX = 0.75
	game.scaleY = 0.75
	game:addTo(Director.entry)
end

Teal

Script/init.tl

local Director <const> = require("Director")
local LoveNode <const> = require("LoveNode")
local Vec2 <const> = require("Vec2")

local game = LoveNode("LoveGame")
if not game is nil then
	game.position = game.position + Vec2(80, 40)
	game.scaleX = 0.75
	game.scaleY = 0.75
	game:addTo(Director.entry)
end

TypeScript

Script/init.ts

import {Director, LoveNode, Vec2} from "Dora";

const game = LoveNode("LoveGame");
if (game) {
	game.position = game.position.add(Vec2(80, 40));
	game.scaleX = 0.75;
	game.scaleY = 0.75;
	game.addTo(Director.entry);
}

YueScript

Script/init.yue

_ENV = Dora

with? LoveNode "LoveGame"
	.position += Vec2 80, 40
	.scaleX = .scaleY = 0.75
	\addTo Director.entry

For an extensionless relative path, LoveNode("LoveGame") searches for an existing file at that exact path first, followed by LoveGame.love, LoveGame.zip, and LoveGame/main.lua. Explicit paths with an extension and absolute paths are used as-is.

conf.lua, main.lua, and project modules are resolved relative to the Love source root. A .love or .zip ZIP package can also be used as a source. Reads, writes, mounts, module loading, and package staging all go through Dora's Content system; the isolated state cannot use native Lua modules or bypass the content policy with host filesystem paths.

game:restart() closes the old state and all instance-owned resources before booting a new state. An error or ordinary love.event.quit() stops only that node. love.event.quit("restart") performs the same full restart on the current LoveNode after love.quit() returns; returning a truthy value cancels it.

Editor and language support

Love definitions are opt-in and use the existing Dora compilation pipeline:

• Lua, Teal, and YueScript: local love = require("love")
• TypeScript and TSX: import "love"

There is no file comment, project profile, special TSX transform, or default love declaration in ordinary Dora files. This lets one project mix Dora and Love sources without polluting the other files' globals. TypeScript, Teal, and YueScript errors are mapped back to their original source locations.

The declaration files shipped with the current engine are the authoritative list of callable functions and object methods. The table below describes the broader module boundary.

Compatibility status

The ratios below are counts, not percentages. API methods means implemented and declaration-checked methods divided by the fixed Love 11.5 target methods. Compatibility cases means passed cases divided by selected cases in the pinned compatibility snapshot; explicit skips are shown separately. Dedicated workflows are named when that snapshot has no meaningful case count.

The last column intentionally lists only missing behavior, intentional host boundaries, or work that still needs device verification.

Module	API methods	Compatibility cases	Missing or pending verification only
Root callbacks	Dedicated verification	Dedicated workflows	Dora remains the main-loop owner; physical input callbacks still require per-device certification.
love.graphics	294/294	75/107, 32 skips	Compressed formats remain renderer-dependent. Non-target GLSL layout forms, layered/mipmapped Canvas, and several extended batching paths are unsupported.
love.window	29/37	28/36, 8 skips	Eight host-window actions are intentionally unavailable: close, move, minimize, maximize, restore, attention, icon, and message box.
love.event	6/6	4/6, 2 infrastructure skips	Empty wait returns immediately so a Love instance cannot block Dora's host thread.
love.timer	6/6	6/6	No known Love 11.5 API gap.
love.keyboard	9/9	Dedicated workflow	Additional physical layouts, OS repeat, and real IME candidate placement remain device checks.
love.mouse	19/19	Dedicated physical-input workflow	Physical input remains to be certified on Windows, Linux, and mobile devices.
love.touch	3/3	Dedicated injection workflow	Routed pressure is currently 1; physical multi-touch remains a device check.
love.joystick	27/27	Dedicated virtual-device workflow	Physical controllers and rumble output remain device certification items.
love.filesystem	55/59	26/32, 6 skips	C require-path control and host symlink control are the four intentional API gaps.
love.audio	78/78	28/29, 1 upstream placeholder	The backend is a SoLoud approximation. Physical recording, permissions, hotplug, and audible output remain device checks.
love.sound	23/23	4/4	No known Love 11.5 API gap.
love.image	26/26	5/5	Availability of each compressed format remains renderer-dependent.
love.font	27/27	7/7	Binary AngelCode BMFont is outside the target; stb hinting is not pixel-identical to FreeType.
love.data	25/25	8/8	LuaJIT FFI pointers are unavailable.
love.math	43/43	6/8, 2 Love 12 skips	Love 12-only noise names are outside the target.
love.physics	Dedicated verification	21/28, 6 upstream placeholders and 1 Love 12 skip	Box2D 3 and Love 12 semantics are outside the Love 11.5 target.
love.system	8/8	6/8, 2 physical-side-effect skips	Physical vibration remains a device certification item.
love.thread	16/16	5/5	No known Love 11.5 API gap.
love.video	9/9	2/2	Additional codec/container support is outside the Ogg/Theora target.

Lua compatibility boundary

Love states run Lua 5.5. Source code, current Lua 5.5 bytecode, unpack, loadstring, package.loaders, and the 32-bit bit compatibility module are supported. getfenv and setfenv have limited source compatibility for Lua functions and positive stack levels. getfenv(0) returns the isolated state's global table, while replacing a Lua 5.1-style thread environment with setfenv(0, env) is not supported by Lua 5.5 and produces a targeted error. LuaJIT ffi, jit, LuaJIT/Lua 5.1 bytecode, and Lua 5.1 ABI native modules are also rejected with targeted diagnostics. Supply source code or compile bytecode with the Lua 5.5 version shipped by Dora.