Godot Engine: What is this game engine and what does it do?

Understanding the Godot Engine: What is this gaming platform?
Step-by-step guide to installing the Godot Engine
The structure of nodes and scenes in the Godot Engine: organizational principles
Programming in the Godot World: Language Features
Exploring the 2D and 3D capabilities of the Godot Engine
Pros and cons of the Godot game engine
Conclusion

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If you've ever considered creating games but found learning a game engine too complicated, you might want to check out the Godot Engine. It's one of the most promising open-source technologies available today, attracting a growing number of indie developers. In this article, we'll analyze the key features of the Godot Engine, as well as its pros and cons.

Contents

The Godot Engine is a powerful and feature-rich game engine that allows developers to create both 2D and 3D video games. It's open-source, allowing users to freely modify and adapt it to their needs. Godot supports multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, as well as mobile systems and consoles, making it a versatile tool for game development. The engine also includes its own programming language called GDScript, which simplifies the process of creating game logic and interactions. Its features include an intuitive interface, a scene system, and the ability to use various additional libraries and plugins, which significantly expands the engine's functionality. Godot Engine is an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced developers thanks to its flexibility and extensive documentation.
To install Godot Engine, you need to follow a few simple steps. First, visit the developer's official website, where the latest version of this game engine is available. On the download page, you will find different versions for various operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. Select the appropriate file for your platform and download it.
Once the download is complete, open the installer file. If you are using Windows, this will be an archive that needs to be unzipped to a convenient location. For macOS and Linux, the process may differ, as additional configuration may be required. For macOS, simply drag the Godot icon to the Applications folder. On Linux, you may need to run commands in the terminal to install the necessary dependencies.
After installation, launch the Godot Engine, and you will see an interface that offers the option to create a new project or open an existing one. Now you are ready to start developing your games, taking advantage of all the features this engine provides.
The structure of nodes and scenes in the Godot Engine - how it is organized.
The Godot game engine allows you to use several programming languages to create games. The main language is GDScript, which was developed specifically for this engine. It has a simple and intuitive syntax, making it accessible for beginners and convenient for experienced developers.
In addition to GDScript, Godot supports other languages, such as VisualScript, which provides the ability to program using visual blocks, and C#, which allows you to use the powerful features of this popular platform. This choice of languages gives developers freedom of choice, allowing them to use the tool that best suits their skills and the needs of the project.
Godot also offers the ability to integrate with programming languages such as C++ and Python, which expands functionality and enables the creation of more complex and productive applications. This gives developers a rich set of tools to realize their ideas and create unique game projects.
Working with 2D and 3D graphics in the Godot Engine
The Godot Engine has a number of both positive and negative aspects.
Among its main advantages is its openness and accessibility, as it is a free, open-source platform. This allows developers not only to use the engine without financial investment but also to modify its code, adapting it to their needs. Furthermore, Godot supports multiple platforms, simplifying the process of porting games. A user-friendly interface and a visual editor make the development process intuitive, even for beginners. It's also worth highlighting the flexibility of scripting, allowing the use of both GDScript and other programming languages.
However, despite all its advantages, Godot also has its drawbacks. For example, its functionality may be less developed compared to larger engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, which can limit developers' capabilities. The user community is also smaller, making it difficult to find help and resources. Additionally, some developers note that Godot's performance may be inferior to competitors in more complex projects.
Thus, the Godot Engine is an interesting tool for creating games, but like any technology, it has its limitations.

Understanding Godot Engine: What is this gaming platform?

Godot Engine is a free tool for creating 2D and 3D games that was developed in 2007 by two Argentine programmers, Juan Liñetzky and Ariel Mansour. Initially, this technology was used for software development and was called Larvotor. Over the years, it has undergone many changes, including different names such as Legacy, NG3D, and Larvita. In 2014, Godot was made open source and continues to evolve thanks to the active support of both the community and the non-profit Godot Foundation.

Currently, Godot occupies one of the leading places among game engines, competing with Unity, Unreal Engine and Construct. This tool is suitable for both educational purposes and for developing commercial games in 2D and 3D. Godot is compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD, and Android. It is also possible to launch and work with the editor directly through a browser. Exported projects can be adapted for all of the above platforms, including iOS.

Step-by-step guide to installing Godot Engine

One of the features of Godot Engine is its ability to function in standalone mode, which eliminates the need for a full installation on the operating system. To get started, simply visit the official website, select the desired version, download the ZIP archive, unzip it, and run the executable file called stable_win64. Godot Engine is also available for installation through the Steam platform.

Note

The second application, prefixed with -stable_win64_console, is a version that, in addition to the main editor, opens an additional window for displaying console information. Typically, this version is used by more experienced users for debugging scripts.

The structure of nodes and scenes in Godot Engine: organizational principles

When you launch the Godot Engine editor, a menu appears in front of you, which offers to create a new project, open an existing one, or go to the asset library (this requires an internet connection). If you select the latter option, a window will appear with many shortcuts that allow you to download plugins, templates, and various demo scenes.

Welcome window of the Godot client on first launchScreenshot: Godot Engine / Godot Engine

Asset Library WindowScreenshot: Godot Engine / Godot Engine

The Godot engine is built on the concept of nodes and scenes. Nodes represent the key elements needed to create a game. These include images, sound effects, animations, timers, text captions, and much more. For example, in the image below, you can see a node named "Crows." This node acts as a parent node, as it contains several child nodes. In this context, the child nodes are all animated crow sprites placed on the playing field.

The viewport shows the Isometric Game Demo project from the asset library. Screenshot: Godot Engine / Godot Engine

In the expanded list, you can select a specific child element, which will then be highlighted in the viewport, allowing you to perform the necessary actions with it.

When an animated sprite is selected, a timeline with StoryboardScreenshot: Godot Engine / Godot Engine

In Godot, node hierarchy plays a key role, as each node is assigned a specific function. The user must connect nodes, which allows the structure of the upcoming game to be built step by step.

In Godot, scenes serve as organizing elements, uniting all other nodes under a single root node. Once a scene is saved, it functions as a new type of node, which can be either a child or the main component of another scene.

Scene in Godot: the arrow indicates the root node Screenshot: Godot Engine / Godot Engine

Thus, in a broad sense, the Godot client is an editor for creating scenes. Depending on how the levels are organized, there can be many different scenes, but the structure always has one main scene that loads when the game starts.

Programming in the World of Godot: Language Features

In Godot, programming is used to enhance the functionality and capabilities of nodes. The engine officially supports four languages: GDScript and C#, as well as C and C++. The last two languages are integrated using GDExtension, starting with version 4.0. In addition, thanks to an active community, external extensions are available for Rust, Nim, Python, and JavaScript.

Using multiple programming languages allows you to create a flexible project architecture that can be customized for a variety of tasks. For example, in one game, the main logic can be implemented in GDScript, while C# is suitable for more complex algorithms. However, in some cases it is quite possible to get by with just one language.

The engine developers recommend that beginners first learn GDScript programming, as this language was specifically designed for working with Godot. Its syntax is simpler than other languages, which helps reduce file sizes and speed up compilation and loading times. It's also worth noting that GDScript shares some similarities with languages such as Python, Lua, and Squirrel, as its creators drew inspiration from these programming languages.

For more detailed information on GDScript programming, we recommend consulting the official manual.

Exploring 2D and 3D Features in the Godot Engine

As stated earlier, the Godot Engine is a suitable platform for creating both 2D and 3D games. The editor features specialized tools, features, and rendering technologies tailored to each type of graphics.

Godot features a unique rendering and physics engine for 2D graphics, offering a wide range of capabilities, including:

Tilemaps in Godot are a grid of tiles used to construct game levels. Using the TileMapLayer node, developers can place small images similar to an artist using a brush, eliminating the need to move each element individually.
particles;
dynamic lighting in a 2D scene;
physics and collisions;
an expanded structure of layers and modifiers - CanvasItem;
an animation system that includes both animation using 2D skeletons and cutout animation techniques.

The editor has a specialized 2D mode that facilitates the creation of 2D scenes, game levels, and interfaces. This mode offers a fixed viewing angle and uses an X and Y coordinate system.

2D mode displaying a demo level of an isometric game. Screenshot: Godot Engine / Godot Engine

Creation Methodology Godot Engine's 3D gaming capabilities have undergone significant changes with the release of version 4.0. The engine currently offers support for three different rendering types. Forward+ is designed for desktop operating systems. It works with graphics APIs such as Vulkan, Direct3D 12, and Metal, which is used in Apple devices. Despite its name, Mobile is suitable not only for projects targeting mobile devices but also for desktop games, especially those that don't involve complex graphics solutions. This version uses the same APIs as Forward+.

GL Compatibility is designed for desktop and mobile systems with limited capabilities and is based on the OpenGL API.

There is a specialized mode for working with 3D graphics, which includes a 3D viewport that allows you to manipulate objects in space along three axes: X, Y and Z. In addition to rendering, the 3D editor offers many other useful features.

Here are some of them:

PBR materials are substances that take into account the physical characteristics of the surface.
various types of shading;
In addition to the method based on Metallic and Roughness textures, there is also ORM texturing. This approach involves combining Ambient Occlusion, Metallic and Roughness textures into a single map. Each of these properties is represented in a separate color channel - red, blue or green.
Real-time lighting;
Image processing and special effects, such as volumetric fog, particles, as well as animated sky textures and more;
Basic tools for generating primitives, including procedural geometry;
Physics in 3D space covers aspects such as rigid bodies, collisions, arcade-style vehicle physics and ragdoll systems.
Support for importing models is provided for the .glTF (2.0), .fbx (since version 4.3, which has the Ufbx Importer tool integrated by default), .dae and .obj formats, intended for static objects.
In-game cameras that can display objects in both perspective and orthographic modes, as well as with a truncated space;
VR and AR support.

Loaded building model in 3D viewport Screenshot: Godot Engine / Godot Engine

About all 3D project capabilities can be found in the official documentation.

Advantages and Weaknesses of the Godot Game Engine

Understanding all the intricacies of the Godot engine will allow the developer to assess how this tool meets their needs and requirements for game development.

A convenient and standalone client that supports the Russian language. It does not require installation on the operating system and loads quickly, as do the projects within it. In addition, the client has fairly modest system requirements.

Clear terms. Godot is distributed under the MIT license, which allows you to use it without any costs. Users have full access to the engine's source code, can make modifications, and develop commercial projects based on it.

The absence of additional payments for services and license fees will likely remain unchanged for the near future, which is often typical for commercial game engines. However, users have the opportunity to voluntarily support the aforementioned Godot Foundation.

Cross-platform capabilities. Starting with version 4.0, in addition to exporting for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, HTML5, and WebGL, it is now possible to run projects and make changes to them from various devices. This significantly simplifies the testing process and makes it more convenient.

The architecture, based on a node structure, allows you to organize content blocks using a tree-like hierarchy. This approach facilitates the creation of complex scenes, allowing for the use of a modular principle in their assembly.

An editor that provides a comfortable environment for working with both 2D and 3D graphics. This engine offers a wide range of capabilities suitable for creating a wide variety of games, from pixel platformers to realistic puzzle simulators.

The game PVKK: Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant, created on Godot Engine Screenshot: the game PVKK: Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant / Bippinbits

Support for creating extensions and modifications. In addition to the official GDExtention module, which allows for the development of classes and scripts for integration with the engine, users can also create their own extensions without rebuilding the core.

The 3D graphics capabilities in Godot are significantly inferior to similar features in other game engines. Although the 3D development tools have undergone significant changes since version 4.0, they still remain quite limited compared to what Unity and Unreal Engine have to offer. Simply put, Godot is more suitable for creating games with simplified 3D graphics. If your project aims to achieve photorealistic AAA visual quality, you should consider choosing a different engine.

The selection of assets and plugins in the Godot library is noticeably limited compared to platforms such as the Unity Asset Store and Fab. This is largely due to the fact that all Godot add-ons are developed by the community out of passion, while most content and tool creators are focused on profiting from their products.

Importing models and animations can be challenging. While the built-in FBX model loading tool has proven more reliable than the previous version, FBX2glTF, errors may still occur when working with complex animations. It's also important to understand that this process still involves conversion, and the primary format remains .glTF (2.0).

The console porting process relies on external solutions. Dev kit information cannot be disclosed, which is contrary to the principles of the MIT license. Therefore, porting a game developed using Godot requires cooperation with a publisher or an organization that provides such services. In this case, the dev kit information will be held by a third-party company.

Godot is largely aimed at individual developers and small studios. The platform does not offer priority support, teamwork tools, analytics services, or integration of popular solutions such as sound engines. In addition, as already mentioned, there is no direct support for porting to consoles, which is an important aspect for AA and AAA projects.

Bottom Line

Godot is a powerful and versatile game engine that offers free use with clear terms. Thanks to its relatively simple structure and support for both 2D and 3D graphics, it is an excellent choice for indie developers, small teams, as well as teachers and students.

If you are looking to quickly dive into the development process and create a full-fledged game project without the need to spend money on licenses, then Godot is an excellent choice. This is confirmed by numerous showreels of games created on this engine.