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Cpt_ManlyPink@programming.devto Godot@programming.dev•Daily Godot Tip #1: You can hold ctrl and drag a node from the scene into a script to automatically create an onready variable for that node4·1 year agoIt’s awesome shortcut and I use it all the time. But there is nuance
For it to work there is specific order of actions
- start dragging
- before letting go mouse button, press and hold ctrl
If you hold ctrl at the start it does something different ( don’t have Godot at hand to confirm what it was )
Sorry, you’re right Only after you “rm -rf” root directory at least once and try to exit vi/vim, you have truly learned Linux
I am longtime Linux user ( but I don’t consider myself an expert ).
Here are some considerations and knowledge bits I have accumulated:
- If you’re using terminal - especially when you copy commands from internet try to look up command and flags you’re about to execute. Be VERY thoughtful when running any command with recursive flag ( usually
-r
or-R
, depends on the command ). There are multiple commands, when misused without understanding, can ruin the system. For example runningrm -rf <directory>
( deletes all files and directories that are in<directory>
) and providing incorrect directory, like OS root directory, can ruin everything. There are many stories how Linux beginners brick their OS ( it’s almost like rite of passage ). While it’s not strictly required to use Linux, I strongly suggest to try to learn the terminal commands, but be mindful of what you execute. Few other commands to respect:mv
- moves files/directories,chmod
- changes directory/file permissions,chown
- changes directory/file owner. - If you put
sudo
in front of the command, it means it will be executed as an administrator, giving that command additional power. It’s required in many cases, but when paired with point above, it can potentially do more damage. - In some cases you may be required to use
vi
orvim
to edit files, learn the commands to write, exit the application (:q
to quit ). There are many memes about Linux beginners trying to exit vi/vim - If anyone suggests to give file
777
permissions, likesudo chmod 777 somefile.sh
( which means, every OS user can do everything with specific file ), usually it’s quick and hacky workaround. While not in every case possible, you should always strive to find least permissions needed whenever possible - In most Linux distributions, there is pre-installed terminal application Zenity ( can check with
zenity --version
). It allows you to make simple window applications without programming, and gives ability to pass input information to other commands. Personally I use it to quickly store bookmarks I find. With keyboard hotkey I show zenity window with 2 text inputs ( url, title), and input texts are stored in database. Can read about Zenity here: https://help.gnome.org/users/zenity/stable/. There are color pickers, calendars, tables and so on. For super-simple example, following line will create simple info window with 4 buttons ( 1 default for info window, and 3 extra buttons )
zenity --info --extra-button=TEXT --extra-button=TEXT2 --extra-button=TEXT3 --width 50 --height 50
- As other people have mentioned, you can always run
man cp
( orcp --help
) wherecp
ir command you would like to learn more about, see all flags and required arguments ( in this casecp
is command for copying files and directories ) - Some useful commands
find
- well… finds files/directories ( examplefind -name ~/Desktop "*.txt"
, finds all files with txt extension on desktop )grep
- find text in filestail
- show last lines of long file ( mainly used for log files )head
- show first lineswget
- allows you to download files when provided with URLcurl
- make HTTP requests to sites, retrieve HTTP responseswatch
- repeat command with time intervals ( examplewatch -n 1 ls -la ~/Desktop
, will list Desktop files repeatedly with 1 second interval.watch
command can be useful when you want to watch for some changes in file lists, file contents and many other cases
- QDirStat - Very cool application, I use it regularly ( https://github.com/shundhammer/qdirstat ). When provided with directory, after it’s done analyzing, it will show chart of what files takes up the space and if you wish can locate/delete them from the application window ( bigger rectangle means bigger file ). Super-useful when trying to understand what takes up the storage.
- If you’re using terminal - especially when you copy commands from internet try to look up command and flags you’re about to execute. Be VERY thoughtful when running any command with recursive flag ( usually
Personally, I am an experienced beginner, I in no way have expertise in specifics but I’d like to think I have some learning experiences that can be shared.
TL; DR
Make stuff, if stuck change approach, continue learning.
What to make when starting - make teeny tiny simple games
Doing one full game from tutorial is great way to learn how to solve regular problems in game projects.
The simpler the better. Make tiny games. Some random examples
For example from official documentation “Dodge the creeps” https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/getting_started/first_2d_game/index.html
Of course there are many more tutorials like that
Pitfalls while learning
At least in my experience, there are some areas that are easy to pick up and start implementing in the game but can get you stuck on details when you’re just beginning. For any of points below, I would recommend to attempt, but also recognize when you’re stuck and better to move on, and return to this topic later in your learning journey:
Useful stuff to learn about early
There are some topics I would recommend learning about early as it can help you to solve basic problems. Give at least cursory glance about these topics, so you know what’s available. None of these are required, but in certain situations can be a game-changer: Signals, groups, Collision layers and masks, Globals/Autoload, Shaders, Tweens
Learning resources
F1
then search for Node or method you want to read up onAssets
Personally I like to use pre-made assets while I am prototyping and checking out the idea. For me, it helps greatly if you can see your game concept coming together. Much better than using default Godot icon everywhere or plain shapes.
There are many places to get assets
Extra
When your very first game is ready, you can use itch.io to publish it either publicly or only for certain people. Makes easy to provide game for testing and share with friends