Beginning Game Development with Godot : Learn to Create and Publish Your First 2D Platform Game

Learn the fundamentals of Godot by diving headfirst into creating a 2D platformer from scratch. This book is a hands-on, practical guide to developing 2D games using the Godot Engine 3.2.3/3.3, with the help of GDScript. Author Maithili Dhule begins by explaining some basic tools and techniques used to make games, the factors that need to be considered while choosing a game engine, and pointing out the benefits of using Godot. She then walks you through downloading the engine and guides you as you explore key features of its interface. Next, you’ll receive a concise introduction to the basics of GDScript, the main scripting language used in Godot, before moving on to essential topics such as Godot’s node-scene architecture, the interaction of various physics bodies, the creation of game scenes, and writing scripts. As the book progresses, you’ll learn how to create and animate your game character, design the game world, add enemies, and implement a coin-collection system. You’ll also see how the user’s gaming experience can be enhanced through the addition of parallax backgrounds, a title screen, music, and sound effects. Toward the end of the book, you’ll learn how to export your game to different platforms, both mobile and PC, as well as possible avenues for monetizing the game. Throughout the book, theoretical concepts are supplemented with concrete, ready-to-implement examples that you can try out. Upon finishing this book, you’ll be able to make and publish your first 2D platform game. Beginning Game Development with Godot is for game development enthusiasts of all levels interested in creating their own games. What You Will Learn Understand the Godot engine and the benefits of using it for game development Master the fundamentals of programming in GDScript Use the Godot graphical interface to design and animate players, the game world, menus, and various games scenes Create your first 2D game in Godot and publish it to various platforms Who This Book Is For Aspiring game developers who may be new to game development, as well as experts exploring the potential of the Godot Engine. Table of Contents About the Author About the Technical Reviewer Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: The Art of Creating Games Chapter 1: Introduction The Birth of Video Games Principles of Game Design Game Progression Put the Player in Control Give the Player Choices Create Immersive Scenarios Have a Creative Vision What Is a Game Engine? How Do We Choose a Game Engine? Why Choose Godot? The Graphics Engines Are Amazing It’s Easy on the Eyes It’s Open Source It Can Be Run on Multiple Platforms It Supports Live Editing It Has Its Own Scripting Language There Is a Vast Community Support The Documentation Is Extensive You Can Tinker with It Teamwork Is a Breeze It’s “MegaByte”-Sized Key Takeaways Part II: Starting Out with Godot Chapter 2: Getting Started with Godot Downloading the Engine Creating a New Project Exploring the Engine Interface FileSystem Scene Dock Inspector Dock Workspaces Animation Panel SpriteFrames Panel Output Panel Debugger Panel Audio Panel 2D Toolbar Playtest Buttons Tips and Shortcuts Key Takeaways Chapter 3: GDScript in a Nutshell What Is GDScript? Scripting Variables and Data Types Integer Float Boolean String Declaring a Variable Explicit and Inferred Typing Constants Enums Keywords Comments Output Functions Array Random Number Generation Operators and Computation Mathematical Operators Comparison and Logical Operators if-else Statements Dictionaries Looping for Loop while Loop Key Takeaways Chapter 4: Exploring Game Physics Collision Objects The Node-Scene Architecture Adding Nodes to the Scene Creating a Rigid Body Adding a Sprite Node Adding a Collision Shape Playing Your First Scene Properties of RigidBody2D Duplicating a Node Creating a Static Body Key Takeaways Part III: Designing the Game Chapter 5: Adding Game Graphics What Are Game Assets? OpenGameArt.org Itch.io Gameart2D Kenney.nl Choosing the Right Assets Importing Game Art Creating the Main Game Scene Creating Game Objects as Scenes Designing the Main Game Scene Creating the Player Linking the Player to the Main Scene Moving the Player Using Keyboard Input Assigning Keyboard Input Adding a Background Image Key Takeaways Chapter 6: Game Animations Giving Life to the Player Importing Images for Animation Animating the Player Creating Animations with Individual Images Idle Animation Run Animation Jump Animation Other Player Actions Creating Animations Using a Sprite Sheet Introduction to Godot’s Animation Player Key Takeaways Chapter 7: Building the Game World Importing the TileMaps Creating Individual Tiles Camera-Follow Creating a Parallax Background Design Ideas Key Takeaways Chapter 8: Counting Wins and Losses Adding Coins to the Game Animating the Coin Creating a Coin in the Game Level Collecting Coins Collecting the Coin Using Signals Creating More Collectibles Adjusting the Rewards Adding Enemies Detecting Ledges with a Raycast Colliding with the Enemy Collision Layer and Collision Mask Player Enemy Coin Detecting Falls Changing Scenes Fall Area and Finish Level Area Collision Key Takeaways Part IV: Game Enhancements and Export Chapter 9: Game GUI Creating the HUD HBoxContainer and VBoxContainer Creating a Script for the HUD Custom Signals for Coin Collection Displaying the Player’s Lives Turning the Player Red on Getting Hurt Creating the Title Screen Background Adding Text Adding a Panel Adding Buttons Attaching a Script to a Button Adding an Image to the Title Screen The Game Over Screen Adding Music to the Game Adding Sound Effects Jumping Coin Collected Key Takeaways Chapter 10: Publishing Your Game Game Enhancements Creating Global Variables Defeating the Monsters Adding Touchscreen Buttons Exporting Your Game Downloading Export Templates Exporting to PC (Windows) Exporting to Mobile (Android) Exporting to Browser (HTML) Publishing Your Game Itch.io Exporting Tips Monetizing Your Game What’s Next? Key Takeaways Index Learn the fundamentals of Godot by diving headfirst into creating a 2D platformer from scratch. This book is a hands-on, practical guide to developing 2D games using the Godot Engine 3.2.3/3.3, with the help of GDScript. Author Maithili Dhule begins by explaining some basic tools and techniques used to make games, the factors that need to be considered while choosing a game engine, and pointing out the benefits of using Godot. She then walks you through downloading the engine and guides you as you explore key features of its interface. Next, you'll receive a concise introduction to the basics of GDScript, the main scripting language used in Godot, before moving on to essential topics such as Godot's node-scene architecture, the interaction of various physics bodies, the creation of game scenes, and writing scripts. As the book progresses, you'll learn how to create and animate your game character, design the game world, add enemies, and implement a coin-collection system. You'll also see how the user's gaming experience can be enhanced through the addition of parallax backgrounds, a title screen, music, and sound effects. To complete the book, you'll learn how to export your game to different platforms, both mobile and PC, as well as possible avenues for monetizing the game. Throughout the book, theoretical concepts are supplemented with concrete, ready-to-implement examples that you can try out. Upon finishing this book, you'll be able to make and publish your first 2D platform game. Beginning Game Development with Godot is for game development enthusiasts of all levels interested in creating their own games. You will: Understand the Godot engine and the benefits of using it for game development Master the fundamentals of programming in GDScript Use the Godot graphical interface to design and animate players, the game world, menus, and various games scenes Create your first 2D game in Godot and publish it to various platforms