Godot, 1 Year In

Summary

After a year using Godot, the speaker praises its exceptional documentation, friendly community, lightweight performance, Git integration, and the simplicity of GDScript — all of which make it an excellent hobbyist engine and newcomer-friendly tool. They contrast Godot’s clarity and agility with Unity and Unreal’s bloat and industry focus, while acknowledging Godot’s smaller ecosystem, fewer high-end rendering features, and easier decompilation. The speaker also recounts a difficult Unreal-heavy studio experience and the recent ‘Redo’ fork controversy. Ultimately they wholeheartedly recommend Godot for learning and indie projects, while noting industry studios may still prefer the big engines.

Takeaways

• 😀 GDAU (Godot Engine) is a lightweight, open-source game engine with a strong, supportive community that provides thorough and effective documentation.
• 😀 The documentation in GDAU is one of the best aspects, with clear explanations that solve many issues without needing to search forums or use AI tools.
• 😀 GDAU’s community is very positive and appreciates the engine’s potential, emphasizing the importance of having control over the project’s direction and features.
• 😀 Unlike Unity, which has expanded to cater to multiple industries, GDAU stays focused on being a game engine, making it a good choice for game developers.
• 😀 GDScript, the scripting language in GDAU, is simpler and easier to understand than C or C++, making it more accessible for beginners and quicker for developers to use.
• 😀 GDAU is an excellent hobbyist tool, easy to pick up, integrates well with Git for version control, and runs smoothly on a wide variety of devices.
• 😀 A major downside of GDAU is its lack of widespread industry adoption compared to Unity and Unreal, limiting job opportunities for developers who want to work in larger studios.
• 😀 The engine is not as powerful as Unreal or Unity and lacks some advanced features (like terrain support and easy shader creation) which could be problematic for larger, more complex games.
• 😀 GDAU’s node-based structure can make certain tasks (like creating a health system) more complicated compared to the component-based structure in Unity, though it is still possible.
• 😀 The ability to decompile GDAU games is a concern for large studios and IP-heavy projects, as it makes it easier to steal assets or cheat in games, though it is less of an issue for hobbyists.
• 😀 Some users may miss visual scripting and debug drawing features, which are absent in GDAU, but these are not crucial for everyone, especially if they are comfortable with coding.

Q & A

What motivated the user to switch from Unity to GDAU?

The user switched to GDAU after becoming dissatisfied with Unity's recent changes, including retroactive changes to terms of service and the potential fee per install for games. Additionally, they were looking for an open-source alternative, which is why GDAU was chosen over Unreal Engine.

How does the user compare the documentation between Unity and GDAU?

The user finds GDAU's documentation to be superior to Unity's. While Unity's documentation was good, GDAU's is described as extremely thorough and solved most of the user's problems without having to rely on forums or external resources.

What is the user's opinion on the GDAU community?

The user views the GDAU community as very positive and supportive. There is a shared understanding that GDAU may not compete with Unreal or Unity in terms of power, but it is an incredibly effective engine for what it aims to do. The community also appreciates the agency users have in influencing the engine's development.

What does the user think of GDScript compared to C or C++?

The user finds GDScript much easier to understand and write compared to C or C++. GDScript's syntax is described as simple, with a clear distinction between function inputs and outputs, making it more beginner-friendly.

What are the advantages of using GDAU as a hobbyist or independent developer?

GDAU is lightweight, runs on almost any computer, and integrates seamlessly with Git for version control. It is easy to pick up and encourages best practices like using version control. The user appreciates its simplicity and the ability to make quick progress on projects.

What drawbacks does the user highlight regarding GDAU compared to other engines like Unity or Unreal?

The user points out that GDAU lacks some advanced features of Unreal and Unity, such as complex shader creation and terrain support, which require add-ons. GDAU is also not as widely adopted in the industry, which can affect job prospects. Additionally, some development concepts, like composition, are more complicated in GDAU.

How does the user feel about the stigma surrounding GDAU in the industry?

The user acknowledges that GDAU is often dismissed in professional settings as a 'toy engine,' mainly due to its smaller feature set and lack of industry backing. Despite this, the user believes that GDAU is still a powerful engine for hobbyists and smaller projects.

What did the user experience in a studio working with Unreal Engine 5, and how does it contrast with using GDAU?

The user worked at a studio that heavily used Unreal Engine 5, where constant updates and the size of the engine led to slow workflows and frustration, especially for remote workers. In contrast, GDAU's small size (150 MB) allows it to be quicker to download, load, and use, making it more efficient for individual work.

What is the user's stance on the decompiling issue with GDAU games?

While the user notes that GDAU lacks protections against decompiling games, they don't view it as a significant problem for hobbyists. However, they acknowledge that for larger studios and commercial projects, this could be a concern for protecting intellectual property and preventing cheating.

What is the controversy surrounding GDAU, and how did the user react to it?

The controversy arose when GDAU's social media manager made a joke about the 'wokeness' in games, leading to an online backlash. Some users even forking the engine to create 'Redo,' an anti-woke version of GDAU. The user finds this drama amusing but largely sees it as a non-issue.