Godot Digest 13
Two new betas for 4.4 with several fixes, an official review of the past year of Godot development, and a new video from Brackeys!
As usual, let’s check the most interesting news in the past two weeks.
Game Dev News
One of the most prominent pieces of news these past weeks was the interview with the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer. The most discussed bit was the affirmation that Xbox would discontinue the exclusivity of games under their studios, and you can see those games, sooner or later, being published on all possible platforms. After seeing their financial report for Q2, where hardware sales are in decline by 29%, and Game Pass is on its record in revenue, this decision seems obvious. He mentioned before that Xbox has lost the hardware race, so it is natural for them to adopt a publisher approach rather than a hardware manufacturer.
For the Q2 report, you can see the highlights here:
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/xbox-q2-hardware-sales-down-29-as-game-pass-experiences-record-growth
Regarding the interview, here is an overview:
The Video Game History Foundation launched the digital archive for video games, a collection of over 30,000 curated files from its physical collection. This is a huge step toward improving game preservation efforts and accessibility, as everyone now has access to these games online.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/video-game-history-foundation-launches-digital-archive
We have a new feature in Steam. Now, Steam will warn players when a game has been abandoned. If the latest update of an early-access game is more than 12 months old, Steam will warn players.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/steam-now-warns-players-if-early-access-games-have-been-abandoned
Official News
2024 was one of the best years for Godot and its community. That’s reflected in the new official blog post, which reviews the past year's achievements and revisits the most important announcements by month. It's a nice read to revisit the most important news of the past year in the Godot world.
https://godotengine.org/article/2024-cherry-picks/
Godot 4.4 Beta 2 and 3 have been released these past two weeks. As mentioned previously, 4.4 has been feature freeze since Beta 1, so these betas are for bug and regression fixes. Check the changelog here:
https://godotengine.org/article/dev-snapshot-godot-4-4-beta-2/
https://godotengine.org/article/dev-snapshot-godot-4-4-beta-3/
From the Community
Here are some of the latest tutorials and resources from the Godot community.
Integrating FMod — FinePointCGI
FMod is one of the most used audio engines in games. This in-depth tutorial explains how to integrate FMod with Godot and use it for different audio effects, such as spatial audio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kD7Q3O5P-s
Create a cozy fire environment — Coding Quests
Check this tutorial to create a 3D scene with a cozy fire pit that makes a pleasant environment for the scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9NgZGuCdDk
Damage number effect — Michael Games
Continuing with the series of tutorials on creating an AARPG, Michael now focuses on building a dame effect and a global script to manage damage numbers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph7tj2dEsrg
Using the Dialogue Manager addon — Nathan Hoad
Introductory video on how to use Dialogue Manager 3 with Godot. Dialog Manager is an add-on for non-linear dialogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydzj1bT_pC8
Here is the link to Dialog Manager if you want to check it out:
https://dialogue.nathanhoad.net/
Make an auto-runner — Heartbeast
This is a new tutorial series by Heartbeast on creating an auto-runner type of game.
First part is about project setup:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxKTn37uF-A
Second part is about character input and movement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Mlr_DEhks
Third part is about implementing the character controller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4SuDipW6zc
Four part is regarding character animation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xILW6I1T2mo
Part 5 is about adding double jump and coyote time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46cDvJcxm-k
How to create character interaction — Rapid Vectors
In this tutorial, we will learn how to make the main character interact with other characters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXi-f_vfsKs
FPS Movement | Voxel terrain — Nathan Hoad
This is the second part of a series on making a voxel game in Godot. This time, we will add player movement to the scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuusq4tc9iI
Code contributors guide — Octodemy
We have something different with this tutorial. If you have ever considered contributing to Godot but find it intimidating, this is the first part of a two-part tutorial that walks through the process of contributing to the project.
This first part focuses on setting up the development environment, building Godot, and the PR flow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeUDvHS9vtQ
The second part covers creating a new feature for the engine using C++ and submitting your changes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEOt79up5LE
Dynamic fog shader — FencerDevLog
In this video, Fencer demonstrates how to create an infinitely changing fog effect using domain warping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys-HqTn9-yY
How to get started with 3D game dev — Rapid Vectors
This is a full tutorial on how to start 3D game development by doing a simple 3D game. The tutorial has several learning points but is still an introduction to the topic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ-CGM7jxj8
In-engine screenshots — The Shaggy Dev
This is a great short video on how to generate screenshots using Godot. It is straightforward and valuable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrVutnQ0odo
Dialog balloons with scripts for your characters — Rapid Vectors
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a Dialog Balloon with customized conversational scripts so your player and the character can communicate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcpU9qKDg9Q
Equipment System | Part 1 — Michael Games
Michael focuses on the equipment system in his series on creating an AARPG game. The first part concerns building equipment resources (armor, weapons, etc.) that the player can find and add to the inventory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRGT3u17GYA
How to make a platformer | Part 1 — MakerTech
A new tutorial series from MakerTech, where she focuses on building a platformer game. This first episode will be about project setup, creating a test scene, and beginning work on the player.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZSBH7JZpN4
How to make 3D games —Brackeys
Yes, a new video from Brackeys. This doesn’t happen often, so enjoy it! This is about how to make 3D games with Godot. Keep in mind that this is more like an overview than a proper step-by-step tutorial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke5KpqcoiIU