Beginner's Guide to Learning Godot: A Suggested Pathway That Worked For Me
A list of resources and a learning strategy for one of the best game engines in town.
Hello there! Welcome to this personal guide on how to learn Godot confidently in a short space of time, based on personal experience.
Welcome to the Guide
This is a guide on specifically how to learn Godot. By the end of this guide, if followed, you will be confident with the Godot Engine.
Guide Difficulty: Absolute Beginner to Godot; minor knowledge of programming suggested.
One of the most powerful skills today is the ability to learn. This is not a guide on how to use the Godot Engine but instead a guide on how to learn the Godot Engine. I will be providing resources specifically to how to use The Godot Engine, so stay with me!
Godot Engine need to knows
Before we get started, here are the key facts to know:
The Godot Engine is a games engine, which means you can make games with it. It is also a fantastic prototyping tool (allowing you to build game concepts quickly and easily).
The Godot Engine itself is a game. Remember that as you continue - you're actually playing a Godot Game by using the engine itself. A lot is possible. It is a very versatile engine. See for yourself - check out the Godot Showcase.
Godot is Open Source. An entire community is behind the workings, improvements and maintenance of Godot. Hopefully one day you will be, too! As an additional result...
Godot is Free to use. There are no licenses attached to releasing games in Godot at the time of this post.
Godot uses a scripting language called Gdscript. Gdscript is a "high level, dynamically typed programming language” which is very similar to the Python programming language". I'm telling you this because I believe the skills you learn in Gdscript are somewhat transferable to Python, and that is a very worthwhile endeavour!
Godot recently released Version 4. Previous to this was Version 3, just in case you were wondering. Most of the tutorials and content out there will be geared towards Version 3, so if something is really going wrong and you definitely followed the tutorial to a letter... it may be outdated. That isn't the end of the world, oh no- it is instead a clue to the next investigation!
Godot's documentation is amazing. When it comes to learning a new thing, documentation can be super helpful. In this case, it is.
With these key concepts understood we are going to get into my suggested pathway into learning Godot as quickly and as efficiently as possible!
Step 0 - Get the Godot Engine installed
Objective:
Get access to the Engine everyone's talking about
What are you doing reading this?? Go download a copy already! Available on the Godot homepage:
That was an important step, I assure you.
Result:
You now have the engine installed!
Step 1 - Understand basics of the Godot Engine
Objective:
Get a basic understanding of how to navigate the Godot Engine
See how things happen within Godot to a basic degree (how to create nodes, and, for that matter: what even are nodes?)
Godot has fantastic documentation. This means that most of the information you could possibly need is just a search away within the official sources.
We begin by following the few starting pages it has to get a nice introduction to the key Godot concepts.
TODO:
Either just read these pages or have a play or try to follow along (recommended if you are completely new to games making :) )
[ ] Read the Godot Documentation > Getting Started > Introduction
To learn the foundational basics one must be formally introduced.
[ ] Read the Godot Documentation > Getting Started > Step by Step
A step-by-step guide to tour your new digital playground.
[ ] Read the Godot Documentation > Getting Started > Your First 2D Game
See some of the tools in action in the sense of 2D.
[ ] Read the Godot Documentation > Getting Started > Your First 3D Game
See the tools in use for 3D. Look how similar it is to 2D!
Result:
Basic understanding of what the Godot Engine is, and where to look when you need to find something
Seen how things click together and work as one
Step 2 - Gain exposure to full basic extent of GDScript
Objective:
Have a brief tour of what GDScript can do (seeing is enough for this stage - understanding fully comes later!)
This may sound like an unneeded step but I can assure you: when you have the basics actually nailed down everything else becomes easier in the long run. I promise you.
The best source I have seen for this is hands down the GodotTutorials.com website.
I myself only finished up to Episode 18. But don't let me deter you from finishing the whole thing!
TODO:
[ ] Complete the Introduction to GDScript Course (at least until Ep18 complete)
Grab your favourite notepad, a choice beverage and get stuck in. Don't deviate and you will finish this tall order as quickly as possible. Take breaks when you need to. Don't rush - it could take a few days, and that is okay.
Result:
You have seen the basics of GDScript. It doesn't have to be completely off-the-back-of-your-hand in memory - exposure is enough.
Step 3 - Visit only a few high-quality Tutorials (all optional)
Objective:
Discover how a game actually comes together in Godot
Improve knowledge on GDScript by seeing other people's use-case scenarios
We are now going to view other people's work, on the internet, as case studies. Tutorials can teach you ways other people get into (and around) problems.
Okay, so here is where we start to get into solid advice time rather than "oh, go watch this".
I would advise not spend long on tutorials. I feel people can get stuck in a loop of always learning but never doing. That being said, I have one tutorial I will be recommending to at least watch through.
This tutorial is just of amazing quality and needs to be recommended.
Check out Jmbiv's "How to Make a Retro Text Adventure Game in Godot" series free on YouTube : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpwc3ughKbZfkSPko3azFD4dd4IHSiQeE
Why this? A text adventure game may not be the original intent to get into but it will teach you a lot about how the components within Godot actually work to create a product.
There are definitely some parts that felt like they were a bit over my head at the time towards the end, and that's okay. Keep with it. At least give yourself exposure to seeing how this works. Jmbiv also does a fantastic job at explaining his thinking into why he's doing what he's deciding.
TODO:
[ ] [Optional] Complete the How to Make a Retro Text Adventure Game in Godot Series
Rearm yourself with that notepad and trusty pen and settle in for this whirlwind of a series. Plenty to learn.
[ ] [Optional] Explore some tutorials (not many, if any)
Watch tutorials. Don't worry about copying them unless it helps. Just absorb lots of information. Become a real nerd about this stuff.
Result:
You have seen Godot getting used in ways you haven't before! A mind-opening experience, for sure!
Step 4 - Perform small day-long experiments and projects of different kinds
Objective:
Gain confident comfort with Godot all-around
Now we are at the part which was the nicest part of the whole process. It may be really, really tempting to start a big project and make that story-driven-action-RPG-open-world you have been dreaming of-- SOON! It'll be coming. It'll be achievable.
I'd like you to join me on a little experiment.
Start a new project and just see what you can make. In small, small steps.
Example…
Can I make a button?
Okay, now can I click the button and make it move to a different place in the screen?
Can I make the number show a number and then raise the number by 1 every time I click it?
Can I put a timer in the game that automatically adds to the number by a tiny amount?
As you can see, very small little increments to your project. And heck, if you do the above you have a baseline for an autoclicker game— good job!
The important thing is that you have no end goal, and you just explore what you can do. Give that a go and the task of making something huge won’t be present. It’ll just be fun, creative mode gameplay- er, gamemaking- for you!
Now, when the day is over… have a good night’s sleep! And do it all again tomorrow. Start a new project and go again!
Either make the same thing or create something new. What’s interesting here is that you may have learned a way to make the same thing but easier/better/cleaner. This is one fun part to this strategy.
The other thing is that you get very comfortable seeing a fresh, clean instance of Godot and it’s not a terrifying concept. Instead, it’s just a toolkit teeming with possibility.
Here are some pictures of small one-day projects I did :) Feel free to copy o take inspiration!
TODO:
[ ] Create an aimless project a day!
Make these day long projects like you were Shakespeare: create arguable art pieces and throw them into the fire at the end of the day. Start tiny with your goals and build upon them. If you have tried to do something a bit too difficult just pivot and try something new - constraint breeds creativity.
STEP 5 - END GAME.
Closing words
And there we have it - my suggested pathway to learning Godot. With the above approach I managed to get pretty confident in Godot. I feel like I can do a lot if I just put my mind to it, now. A general feeling of the toolset. It’s really quite an amazing feeling!
Advice on doing bigger projects
When you are feeling confident you may want to make something substantial. If you’re still really new to all this I recommend just expanding the project a day to one project over two days, then four days… see how you go.
You might find something within one of your small projects that you find particularly fun. If you’re interested: do it! I recommend doing what you’re comfortable with, but don’t be afraid to push outside the comfort zone a bit. Remake the same thingit bigger and make it better! At time of writing I am making a game called Knights and Dragons. It was the result of a 2 day long project. It’s one I now intend to release with playtesting and feedback involved into the process! It has been quite the journey.
Advice on being a real Godot nerd
Genuinely, after you have got to this stage you are able to talk in gdscript with others. There’s a whole community out there. Go be a part of it! I recommend joining the Godot Discord and looking into any local Indie Game Dev groups (Discord or your platform of choice). You walk the walk, now it’s time to talk the talk.
Godot Engine discord group: https://discord.com/invite/zH7NUgz
Some days I just get a drink and sit in front of the TV watching YouTube tutorials of Godot best practices. I make a real deal out of it. Get my notepad and just vibe. Always strive to improve - you’re going to make some amazing things.
Many of these links at the beginning apparently go to a now defunct address at blogger.com .. Will there be an update? I'd love to go through this.. Thanks!