godot-4

Godot 4 Development Skill

Expert guidance for Godot 4 game development using GDScript 2.0, scene composition, physics systems, and performance optimization.

GDScript 2.0 Typed Syntax

Always use static typing for performance and IDE support.

BAD: Untyped variables and functions

var health = 100
var player
var enemies = []

func take_damage(amount):
    health -= amount
    return health <= 0

GOOD: Fully typed with explicit return types

var health: int = 100
var player: CharacterBody2D
var enemies: Array[Enemy] = []

func take_damage(amount: int) -> bool:
    health -= amount
    return health <= 0

@export and @onready Patterns

Use typed @export for inspector values and @onready for node references.

BAD: Untyped exports, get_node in _ready

@export var speed = 300
@export var jump_force = -400

var sprite
var collision

func _ready():
    sprite = get_node("Sprite2D")
    collision = get_node("CollisionShape2D")

GOOD: Typed exports with hints, @onready with type annotations

@export_range(100, 500, 10) var speed: float = 300.0
@export_range(-800, -200, 50) var jump_force: float = -400.0
@export var gravity: float = 980.0

@onready var sprite: Sprite2D = $Sprite2D
@onready var collision: CollisionShape2D = $CollisionShape2D
@onready var animation: AnimationPlayer = $AnimationPlayer

Scene Composition and Node Architecture

Structure games as composable scenes, not monolithic scripts.

BAD: Monolithic player script handling everything

extends CharacterBody2D

var health = 100
var ammo = 30
var inventory = []

func _process(delta):
    update_health_bar()
    update_ammo_display()
    update_inventory_ui()
    check_pickups()
    handle_combat()

GOOD: Component-based scene composition

# Player.gd
extends CharacterBody2D
class_name Player

@onready var health_component: HealthComponent = $HealthComponent
@onready var inventory_component: InventoryComponent = $InventoryComponent
@onready var weapon_component: WeaponComponent = $WeaponComponent

func _ready() -> void:
    health_component.died.connect(_on_died)
    weapon_component.fired.connect(_on_weapon_fired)

func _on_died() -> void:
    animation.play("death")
    set_physics_process(false)