Godot Digest 03
Welcome to another edition of Godot Digest!
Welcome to another edition of Godot Digest!
These were a couple of slow weeks regarding Godot stuff, but there was some interesting news in the industry.
Let’s get into it!
News
New Godot stable release! Version 3.6 is finally out with many new features, improvements, and fixes. The most significant changes that caught my eye in this release are 2D physics interpolation, LOD, mesh merging, and text-to-speech support. For a list of all the changes in this version, check the official release blog:
https://godotengine.org/article/godot-3-6-finally-released/
New Godot beta release! Version 4.4 Dev 2 is out with one of the most requested features since Godot history…ok, that’s a bit too much… anyway, typed dictionaries are here! Check the full release notes here:
https://godotengine.org/article/dev-snapshot-godot-4-4-dev-2/
Another cool release for Godot. Now, you can use the editor on Meta Quest devices. Thanks to Fredia, based on the port of the editor to Android, the early access version of the editor is now available to use in VR. Check out the blog post, really cool stuff:
https://godotengine.org/article/godot-editor-horizon-store-early-access-release/
Industry News
Some of the most important news in the past weeks regarding the gaming industry.
The Unity runtime fee surprised the industry a year ago and was one of the biggest failures that year. A big part of the increasing popularity of Godot was thanks to the Unity debacle. Now, a year later, the Unity runtime fee is dead. If you want to learn more about this, you can check my article here
https://medium.com/@scastro.me/unity-runtime-fee-is-over-27cc1ba1d0e8
Or, if you prefer, Mike from Gamefromscratch has his report on the matter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOGWfASe4G4
After 16 years, TouchArcade is shutting down. This site has been one of the primary sources of mobile gaming news for millions of others, including me. It would be difficult to replace this source of information, but in the current state of the industry, it is no surprise that publications like this one have to close operations. The main reason for the closure, you guessed it, is money.
https://toucharcade.com/2024/09/16/toucharcade-is-shutting-down/
The Nintendo corporation filed a lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair. There is no information yet about the company’s actual patent rights infringements. Sure, it is Pokemon with guns, but the lawsuit seems more about patent infringements regarding mechanics in the game and not copyright infringement. Does it mean we can’t build games with “catch something” mechanics anymore? If we are in that realm, this could be a severe issue for this developer and a lot more. You can check Pocketpair’s response and more information on the matter in the IGN report
From the Community
Here are some of the latest tutorials and resources from the Godot community.
Map Upgrades | Devlog #13 — Road to Vostok
A new dev blog from one of the most anticipated projects in the Godot community, Road to Vostok. We love this series and can’t wait to get our hands on the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOTDmiEPA5A
Stop Using CONDITIONALS! Use the STRATEGY PATTERN Instead — Pigdev
In this short tutorial, Pigdev teaches us how to solve object interactions using the strategy architecture pattern instead of just conditionals. It is a short and useful tutorial to decouple your code and make it more versatile. Go check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MtpXSiDBGA
How I make my VFX in Godot — Aarimous
This is a brief tutorial on how to make your game look better with visual effects. In particular, for his game Hexagod, Aarimous shows us how to make the game loading animation. This is a really cool effect that can be used in several different projects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8V0cj1HY-o
How to Create Custom Splash Screens — StayAtHomeDev
In this short tutorial teaches how to fully customize the default splash screen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy-ssYTQ3as
3D Particle Systems — Godotneers
This is an extensive tutorial that explains how 3D particles work and how to use them in different scenarios. It’s a long one, but if you want to understand how 3D particles work in Godot, this is the place to start. I can’t recommend this tutorial enough!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ5Ang_Ji8E
Animation Trees Explained Simply — Bitlytic
Animation trees can be daunting when learning a new engine. This tutorial by Bitlytic teaches us the basics so we can start mastering animations in Godot 4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iElHZhOxGYA
Equip Weapon from Hotbar — Maker Tech
As part of the tutorial series on building an ARPG, we now learn how to handle weapons and items in the hotbar. I’m a fan of Maker Tech’s tutorials; go check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPXbBAvwkak
Godot Scripts I add to Every Game — Aarimous
This is a list of recommended scripts to use in your Godot projects. It is a nice list of utilities and scripts that you can incorporate into your current projects or new ones to make your life a bit easier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOI0y1OC_tM
Camera Shake — Queble
Did you wonder how to make a camera shake effect? Don’t look further — here’s a tutorial on how to do it in Godot 4, thanks to Queble.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDzUjJypQ9s
How To Create A Water Shader — StayAtHomeDev
I don’t know what the deal is with water shaders and Godot, but there are a ton of water shaders in all shapes and forms. Here is a new one from StayAtHomeDev that’s also an update from a previous one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLUt14wHrIQ
Parkour Character Controller — Gamefromscratch
Mike recommends a new parkour character controller for Godot that will help you build a modern parkour game. The demo is pretty cool, so even if you don’t use it, check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrEbevKY5oY