Godot 101

About Godot 101

Godot 101 is an introductory module that explores the core concepts of game development using the Godot Engine, with a focus on beginner-friendly tools, scripting, and scene design.

For more advanced features or Godot-specific techniques, check out the other modules available on this site.

1. What is Godot?

Godot is a modern, open-source game engine designed for creating 2D and 3D games with a focus on simplicity, flexibility, and ease of use.
It offers a powerful scene system, visual editor, and its own scripting language (GDScript), making it beginner-friendly while still being capable of handling complex game projects.

2. Key Features of Godot ✅

Open Source & Cross-Platform: 100% free under the MIT license — runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and more.
User-Friendly Editor: Visual, drag-and-drop scene system with a clean and intuitive UI.
GDScript: A lightweight, Python-like scripting language designed specifically for game development.
2D & 3D Support: Built-in tools for both 2D and 3D game development — no plugins required.
Lightweight & Fast: Small install size and quick startup make it ideal for rapid prototyping.
Flexible Architecture: Node and scene system promotes modular, reusable game structures.
Active Community & Plugins: Growing asset library and strong community support for extensions, tools, and learning resources.

3. What Godot is not? ❌

Not a AAA Game Engine: While Godot is powerful, it’s not designed for high-end, ultra-realistic AAA games out of the box. Engines like Unreal may offer more advanced rendering and tooling for large-scale commercial productions.
Not Ideal for Very Low-Level Control: Godot abstracts much of the low-level engine code to simplify development. If you need deep, low-level access to rendering pipelines or memory management, engines like C++-based custom engines or Unity (with C# and plugins) may offer more flexibility.
Not Always Plug-and-Play with External Tools: While Godot has a growing ecosystem, integration with some third-party services or middleware (e.g. certain ad networks, analytics, or proprietary SDKs) may require extra effort compared to more established engines.ol.

4. Comparison with other engines

Engine	2D / 3D Support	Languages	Platforms Supported	License / Cost	Best For
Godot	✅ 2D & 3D	GDScript, C#, C++, VisualScript	Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, Android, iOS	MIT (Free & Open Source)	Indie games, rapid prototyping, learning
Unity	✅ 2D & 3D	C#	Windows, macOS, Web, Android, iOS, Consoles	Freemium / Paid Tiers	Mobile, indie, mid-size commercial games
Unreal Engine	✅ 2D & 3D	C++, Blueprints	Windows, macOS, Consoles, Android, iOS	Free (royalty after threshold)	AAA games, high-fidelity 3D, VR/AR
GameMaker	✅ 2D (Basic 3D)	GML (GameMaker Language)	Windows, macOS, Web, Android, iOS, Consoles	Paid	2D games, solo developers, quick publishing

5. Linux support

Engine	Runs on Linux? (Editor)	Exports to Linux?	Notes
Godot	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Fully supported — native Linux editor and export.
Unity	⚠️ Partial	✅ Yes	Official Linux editor available but may have limited features/stability vs. Windows/macOS.
Unreal Engine	⚠️ Partial	✅ Yes	Linux editor supported but setup is complex; primarily targets Windows/macOS.
GameMaker	❌ No	✅ Yes (with caveats)	Editor not available on Linux; Linux export possible from Windows/macOS builds.