Game Engine Tools Glossary

Quick definitions for the core terms used in this workshop.

Godot: A free, open-source game engine.

project: A folder containing your game’s files (scenes, scripts, art, settings).

scene: A saved collection of nodes. You can run a scene, reuse it, and place it inside other scenes.

node: A single building block in Godot (player, camera, gem, UI label, etc.). Nodes form a tree.

Scene Tree: The hierarchy of nodes in the current scene.

script (GDScript): Code attached to a node to control behavior.

GDScript: Godot’s Python-like scripting language.

CharacterBody2D: A node used for 2D characters that move and collide (player movement).

Area2D: A node used for detection (pickups, triggers, hitboxes). Often used for static power-ups.

CollisionShape2D: A node that defines the shape used for collisions.

physics: The part of the engine that simulates gravity and collisions.

signal: A message/event that nodes can send (like “gem collected”).

AnimatedSprite2D: A node that plays 2D sprite animations.

animation: A sequence of frames (idle, move, jump).

velocity: A vector that describes speed and direction (e.g., how fast the player is moving).

is_on_floor(): A common way to check if the player is on the ground.

UI (User Interface): On-screen text and elements like a score label.