Godot 4 Game Development Projects: Build five cross-platform 2D and 3D games using one of the most powerful open source game engines

by Chris Bradfield

Learn to create interactive cross-platform games such as a 3D Minigolf, a 2D Arcade classic, and much more with the all-new Godot Engine 4.0

Key FeaturesMaster the art of developing cross-platform gamesHarness the power of Godot's node and scene system to design robust and reusable game objectsEffortlessly and effectively integrate Blender into Godot to create powerful 3D gamesPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionGodot 4.0 is one of the most sought-after open-source game engines, and if you’re enthusiastic about exploring its features, then this book is for you. Written by an author with over twenty-five years of experience, the Godot 4 Game Development Projects introduces the Godot game engine and its feature-rich 4.0 version. With an array of new capabilities, Godot 4.0 is a strong alternative to expensive commercial game engines. If you’re a beginner, this book will help you learn game development techniques, while experienced developers will understand how to use this powerful and customizable tool to bring their creative visions to life.

This updated edition consists of five projects with an emphasis on the 3D capabilities of the engine that will help you build on your foundation-level skills through small-scale game projects. Along the way, you’ll gain insights into Godot’s inner workings and discover game development techniques that you can apply to your projects.

Using a step-by-step approach and practical examples, this book covers everything from the absolute basics to sophisticated game physics, animations, and much more. By the time you complete the final project, you’ll have a strong foundation for future success with Godot 4.0 and you’ll be well on your way to developing a variety of games.

What you will learnGet acquainted with the Godot game engine and editor if you're a beginnerExplore the new features of Godot 4.0Build games in 2D and 3D using design and coding best practicesUse Godot’s node and scene system to design robust, reusable game objectsUse GDScript, Godot’s built-in scripting language, to create complex game systemsImplement user interfaces to display informationCreate visual effects to spice up your gamePublish your game to desktop and mobile platformsWho this book is for This book is for game developers at all levels, from beginners seeking an introduction to experienced programmers aiming to delve into the intricacies of Godot Engine 4.0. It is a valuable resource for newcomers and a treasure trove of insights for experienced developers. Prior programming experience is a prerequisite.

Table of ContentsIntroduction to Godot 4.0Coin Dash – Build Your First 2D GameSpace Build a 2D Arcade Classic with PhysicsJungle Running and Jumping in a 2D Platformer3D Dive into 3D by Building a Minigolf CourseInfinite FlyerNext Steps and Additional Resources

264 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 11, 2023

Reviews

[Ricardo Shimoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good introduction to the Godot game engine by creating 5 different mini-games, which can be expanded as much and as far as the reader wants to, touching several common aspects of 2D and 3D games - animations, synchronization, scripting, basic physics, dynamic instantiation, signals, global variables, state machines, shaders, and exporting the game to other platforms.

That said, it's quite a small, easy to read book and it definitely serves as an entrance door to tackle other common game development topics (asset workflow, pathing, AI, debugging, performance optimization, to name a few) - getting the reader more excited to pursue more on their own.

Finally, it's important to say that, just like any other ever-evolving platform, Godot has some bugs here and there so using it require some flexibility from the reader (eventually changing the initial version of the editor used) - I used 4.2 (stable) and had no problems

[Harry Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book to get you started in Godot 4, giving a great tour around the most important features of the engine via five different project examples (plus a section at the end covering some extra little bits).

I liked the variety of the projects, each one feeling sufficiently fresh and also like a step up from the previous one without the difficulty curve becoming too steep. The author also drip-feeds you some independence as each project goes on, referencing that we're just repeating something we've done before as a nice check that the knowledge is being retained.

It isn't without issue though, there are a few references throughout the book to an appendix for more information on certain topics which as far as I can tell doesn't exist, and also some minor mistakes throughout the book that you might not catch if you're not paying attention which would leave you then having to spend unnecessary time debugging.

My biggest gripe is that, like a lot of educational content, it does sometimes say things like "this isn't the proper way to do this, but it's good enough here" without ever explaining how to do it properly or why this implementation is wrong, but that's so common in this genre that it's hard to hold it against this book in particular.

Overall a really good introduction to Godot and I feel both more knowledgeable and motivated to keep going with more ambitious projects having read it.