Journey
Infinite Sorrow
Jam #1 – Artist
The Incubator
Game #1 – Solo dev
Wild Thyme
Game #2 – Solo dev
Kakakop
(Homemade) Jam #2 – Artist
Trips
(SFA) Jam #3 – Art / Design / Dev
Live, Laugh, Lift
Jam #4 – Art
Kelp Helper
(Girly) Jam #5 – Solo Dev
FROGS
(kinda) Game #3 – Solo Dev
FROGS
(kinda) Game #3 – Solo Dev
Arachnoise
Jam #6 – Art / Dev
Rapid iteration
Tech
Git Good
- Version control == essential
- Even for solo devs
- and artists
Get used to code
- Write your code to be read
- Don't be afraid of the wall of text
- You can do it!
(even this presentation is code)
Explore Godot!
- Great internal docs
- People!
- Tutorials
Strongly type things
- Makes auto complete work
- Stops bugs
Asset Lib
- Built-in, full of community plugins
- Each links to a documented Github repo
Quantity over quality
- 10 ok assets > 1 great one
- 20 variations of one effect, randomized at runtime
- Teaches you what "modular" means for your engine
Now some cool things I've learnt
Climb on shoulders
- Use plugins / other people's scripts
- Not a cheat – just a tool
- Even beginners can use advanced tools
State Machines
plugin / built in
- Managing NPCs & effects without one = spaghetti
- Rudimentary: signal connections in a script
- Sophisticated: State Charts plugin, nice UI
Behaviour Trees
plugin – LimboAI
- Forces modular, separated code
- Reusable scripts (e.g. find_navigable_position)
- Visual debugger!!!
State machines + behaviour trees
Different states, different behaviours – they work great together
Auto Tiling Maps
built in
- You will spend more time on maps than you think
- Set it up properly – even in a jam
- Then you can just draw your levels
Dual Grid System
plugin
- Standard 3x3 bitmask: up to 47 tiles
- Dual-grid: only 15 tiles
- Works with square, hex, isometric grids
Automator
built in – AnimationPlayer
- Animates EVERYTHING. Literally.
- Every editor setting has a key position
- Ours handles transitions, music, and more
Scalable Vector Shapes 2D
plugin
- Vectors, inside Godot
- Scale and animate them, easily
- Feels like Moho or Rive
Phantom Camera
Invaluable for cinematic, organic camera movement and tracking
A couple more invaluable plugins
- Inspector Tabs – separates your inspector into useful tabs
- Smart Editor – IDE-style features in the script editor (start every project
with this)
- Player Controllers & Maaack's Game Template
Go make something