Learning GDScript by Developing a Game with Godot 4 : A Fun Introduction to Programming in GDScript 2. 0 and Game Development Using the Godot Engine.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vanhove, Sander, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Video games--Development.

Video games.

Video games--Programming.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (0 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), 2025.

Place of Publication:

Birmingham : Packt Publishing, 2024.

System Details:

text file HTML

Summary:

Learn the Godot 4 game engine and GDScript 2.0 as you build your own game and transform into a proficient programmer with this illustrated guide Key Features Learn the fundamentals of programming as you write GDScript 2.0 Explore the world of GDScript 2.0 with this comprehensive introduction to the language Work with Godot 4's robust features and built-in tools to create captivating 2D and 3D games, simulations, and interactive applications Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book Description In the digital landscape driven by interactive experiences, the demand for creative individuals with the skills to create captivating games has never been higher. Written by Sander Vanhove, a seasoned game developer with over 20 games to his credit, this book will serve as your entry point into game development, showing you how to leverage the powerful features of the open-source, versatile GDScript 2.0 to develop your ideas, from simple platformers to complex RPGs. Whether you're an aspiring game developer, a hobbyist seeking a creative outlet, or simply someone intrigued by the world of game programming, this book will guide you through the intricacies of the Godot 4 game engine. Starting with a primer on the fundamentals of programming, you'll cover everything from data to logic, while familiarizing yourself with Godot's built-in tools such as the physics engine, navigation, and cameras. As you progress, you'll unlock deeper insights into more advanced tools that will take your programming to the next level. Aided by easy-to-follow step-by-step tutorials, examples, exercises, and experiments, you'll seamlessly integrate this newfound knowledge to create a Vampire Survivor-like game from scratch. By the end of this book, you'll have become proficient in leveraging the Godot 4 game engine to bring your gaming visions to life. What you will learn Develop your GDScript 2.0 programming skills from basic to advanced, emphasizing code cleanliness Harness Godot 4's integrated physics engine to control and manipulate in-game objects Design a vibrant and immersive game world by seamlessly integrating a diverse array of assets Master the art of processing input from various sources for enhanced interactivity Extend the reach of your game by learning how to export it to multiple platforms Incorporate simple multiplayer functionality for a dynamic gaming experience Who this book is for This book is for programmers, game designers, game developers, and game artists who want to start creating games in Godot 4. If you're new to coding or game development, looking for a new creative outlet, and want to give Godot 4 and GDScript 2.0 a try, this book is for you. While no prior knowledge of programming or Godot is required, this book gradually introduces more complex concepts as you advance through the chapters.

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Copyright and credits

Dedication

Contributors

Table of Contents

Preface

Part 1: Learning How to Program

Chapter 1: Setting Up the Environment

Technical requirements

Godot game engine and open-source software

Some background on the engine

What is open-source software?

Getting and preparing Godot

Downloading the engine

Creating a new project

Light mode

Creating the main scene

A brief UI overview

Writing our first script

The Godot Engine Documentation

Join our community!

Summary

Quiz time

Chapter 2: Getting Familiar with Variables and Control Flow

What are variables?

Variables - Drawers in a filing cabinet full of data

Naming variables

Variables in GDScript

Printing out variables

Changing a variable's value

Mathematical operators

Other assignment operators

Data types - Integers, floats, and strings

Integers

Floats

Strings

What are constants?

Constants in GDScript

Magic numbers

Creating new scenes

Getting started with control flow

The if statement

The if-else statement

The elif statement

Commenting in code

Indentation

Boolean logic

The match statement

The ternary-if statement

Additional exercises - Sharpening the axe

Chapter 3: Grouping Information in Arrays, Loops, and Dictionaries

Arrays

Creating an array

Accessing values

Accessing elements backward

Changing the elements of an array

Data types in arrays

Strings are secretly arrays

Manipulating arrays

Don't be scared of errors or warnings

Loops

For loops

While loops

Continuing or breaking a loop

Dictionaries

Creating a dictionary

Data types in dictionaries

Accessing and changing values.

Creating a new key-value pair

Useful functions

Looping through dictionaries

Nested loops

Null

Chapter 4: Bringing Structure with Methods and Classes

Methods are reusable bits of code

What is a function?

Defining a function

Naming a function

The return keyword

The pass keyword

Optional parameters

Classes group code and data together

Defining a class

Instancing a class

Naming a class

Extending a class

Each script is a class!

When are certain variables available?

The scope of a function

Types help us to know how to use a variable

What is type hinting?

Type hinting variables

Type hinting arrays

Learning about the Variant type

Type hinting function parameters

Type hinting function returns

Using void as a function return

Inferred types

null can be any type

Autocompletion

Using type hinting for named classes

Performance

Editor adding type hints

OOP primer

Inheritance

Abstraction

Encapsulation

Polymorphism

Chapter 5: How and Why to Keep Your Code Clean

Back to naming things

Naming conventions

General naming tips

Public and private class members

Make short functions

DRY

Do one thing (KISS)

Defensive programming

Programming style guides

White spacing

Blank lines

Line length

Utilizing the documentation

Accessing a class's documentation

Directly accessing a function or variable's documentation

Going to the definition of a function or variable

Searching the documentation

Accessing the online documentation

Part 2: Making a Game in Godot Engine.

Chapter 6: Creating a World of Your Own in Godot

Game design

Genre

Mechanics

Story

Creating a player character

Adding a sprite

Displaying health

Manipulating nodes in the editor

Creating the player script

Referencing nodes in a script

Caching node references

Trying out the player script

Exporting variables to the editor

Setters and getters

Changing values while the game is running

Different types of exported variables

Creating a little world

Changing the background color

Adding Polygon2D boulders

Node drawing order

Creating an outer wall

Getting creative

Chapter 7: Making the Character Move

Vector math refresher

The 2D coordinate system

What is a vector?

Scaling vectors

Adding and subtracting vectors

More vector operations

Moving the player character

Changing the current player node

Applying forces to the player

Process and physics process functions

Mapping input

Using the input

Smoothing out the movement

Debugging a running game

Breakpoints

Remote tree

Chapter 8: Splitting and Reusing Scenes

Saving a branch as a new scene

Creating a separate player scene

The root node of a scene

Using saved scenes

Organizing scene files

Additional exercises - Sharepening the axe

Chapter 9: Cameras, Collisions, and Collectibles

Making a camera that follows the player

Setting up a basic camera

Adding drag margins

Making the camera look ahead

Smoothing out the look ahead

Collisions

The different physics bodies

The Area2D node.

Adding a collision shape to the player node

Creating static bodies for the boulders

Creating static bodies for the walls

Creating collectibles

Creating the base collectible scene

Inheriting from a base scene

Connecting to a signal

Writing the code for collectibles

Using collision layers and masks

Your turn!

Chapter 10: Creating Menus, Making Enemies, and Using Autoloads

Creating a menu

Control nodes

Creating a basic start menu

Setting the main scene

Making enemies

Constructing the base scene

Navigating enemies

Writing the enemy script

Damaging the player in a collision

Spawning enemies and collectibles

Making a Game Over screen

Shooting projectiles

Creating the base scene

Writing the logic of the projectile

Spawning projectiles

Storing highscores in autoloads

Using an autoload

Creating a HighscoreManager autoload

Autoloads in the remote tree

Adding a UI in the main menu and game scene

Using the highscore in the main menu

Chapter 11: Playing Together with Multiplayer

A crash course in computer networking

What is a Transport Layer?

What is an Application Layer?

Networking in Godot Engine

Learning about IP addresses

Using port numbers

Setting up the base networking code

Creating the client-server connection

Adding UI

Running multiple debug instances at the same time

Synchronizing different clients

Updating the player scene for multiplayer

Synchronizing EntitySpawner

Synchronizing the enemy and collectibles

Synchronizing the projectile

Fixing the timer and end game

Synchronizing the timer.

Synchronizing the end of the game

Running the game on multiple computers

Showing the IP address of the server

Connecting from another computer

Part 3: Deepening Our Knowledge

Chapter 12: Exporting to Multiple Platforms

Exporting for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Downloading the export template

Making the actual exports of the game

Uploading our game to Itch.io

What is Itch.io?

Exporting our game to the web

Uploading to Itch.io

Exporting our game to other platforms

Mobile platforms

Consoles

Chapter 13: OOP Continued and Advanced Topics

The super keyword

Static variables and functions

Enumerations

Lambda functions

Creating a lambda function

Where to use lambda functions

Passing parameters by value or reference

Passing by value

Passing by reference

The @tool annotation

Chapter 14: Advanced Programming Patterns

What are programming patterns?

Exploring the Event Bus

The problem

The solution

Understanding Object Pooling

Implementing the Object Pool in our game

Working with State Machines

An example state

Chapter 15: Using the File System

What is the file system?

File paths

User path

Creating a save system

Writing data to the disk

Reading data from disk

Preparing the save manager for use in the game

Adjusting the game to use the save manager

Having a look at the save file

Chapter 16: What Next?

Ideas for your next projects

Starting a new project.

Extending the survivor-like game.

ISBN:

9781801812498

1801812497

OCLC:

1430975485