Godot Digest 16
A couple of RCs are released for the first patch of 4.4, and we get the first taste of what 4.5 will yield.
The official news for this edition is all about releases and a lot of community series on creating games. Let’s get into it!
Official News
The first patch for 4.4 is already in the works and almost ready for release. However, some issues with the migration to 4.4 could be showstoppers for some users, so we already have 4.4.1 RC1 and RC2 to solve those pressing issues. Check both posts to learn more about each version.
https://godotengine.org/article/release-candidate-godot-4-4-1-rc-1/
https://godotengine.org/article/release-candidate-godot-4-4-1-rc-2/
The first development snapshot for 4.5 is ready for download! Here are some of the new things to expect in this version: in-editor “mute game” toggle, drop preload resources as UID, allow multi-select nodes at runtime, chunk tilemap physics, and more! Check the official post for more information and RN.
https://godotengine.org/article/dev-snapshot-godot-4-5-dev-1/
From the Community
Here are some of the latest tutorials and resources from the Godot community.
Godot Gets Jiggle Physics — Gamefromscratch
In this video/tutorial, Mike will show you how easy it is to set up jiggle physics using the new SpringBoneSimulator3D node.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClRH5HruUEQ
Day & Night Cycle — Road to Vostok
Usually, we don’t show video blogs for specific games, but in this case, this feature highlight video provides technical information on how this feature was implemented. This video focuses on the implementation of a dynamic system to control not just the day-and-night cycle but completely dynamic weather.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PeXZleBq4M
Tilted square grid shader — FencerDevLog
This algorithm transforms a scene into a pixelated version, creating a diagonal grid that is adjustable in size.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WDIST68epQ
The 4 Most Useful Features in Godot 4.4 — Lukky
Video review from Lukky on the latest release, highlighting the most valuable features for him in this release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2ZrYP6Cyvk
Smooth and Fun Platformer Movement | Platformer Series #2 — MakerTech
Part of the platformer series of tutorials, this second part focuses on 2D platform movement. Add basic movement and tweaks like acceleration and input buffering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTVT1KFToCQ
How to Make Pixel Art Games — Heartbeast
This is a beginner-friendly tutorial on setting up your project to work with pixel art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15t2Y0kXd6E
One-click 3D model to 2D sprite in Godot 4.4 — FencerDevLog
It's a nice trick to generate 2D sprites from a 3D model.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_XV78N7Zuo
How to Make a Ninja Platformer — Heartbeast
A new tutorial series from Heartbeast. This time, the objective is to build a “ninja platformer” game. Think of Ninja Gaiden or similar.
Part 1 will describe the objective of the tutorial series and setup the project with all the basics to get started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1z1trh8bBY
Part 2 is about CharacterBody and collision support.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW7_AJ4Y018
Part 3 will cover basic animations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwYxXq9P7E8
Part 4 explains how to implement gravity and jumping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG0XRveAMfc
Showcasing the new LookAtModifier3D node — Lukky
Excellent video with several demos showcasing the new node's capabilities, introduced in 4.4, LookAtModifier3D.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Ulziwvfh0
How to make Battle City | Part 2 — CyberPotato
This is the second part of the tutorial series on recreating the classic game Battle City. In this video, we implement the player movement and the “snapping” when changing directions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2LxHctC4vQ
P2P Multiplayer with Noray — BatteryAcidDev
Noray is a framework that simplifies the process of creating multiplayer code for your game. If you are unfamiliar with it, this video can provide a good introduction and reveal something you didn’t consider for your project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzWsmsrNCEU
Waiting for 4.5 — Gamefromscratch
Mike gives us a first taste of what to expect in 4.5. This overview video uses the first developer snapshot to provide examples of the new features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wpqgiK0T48
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