Create a Complete 2D Survivors Style Game in Godot 4 from Udemy

This course will cover everything you need to know about creating a small 2D arena survival roguelike game from start to finish in the Godot Engine 4. This course covers many aspects of creating a survivors style game including:

Auto-attacking abilities
Hordes of enemies that increase in difficulty over time
Roguelike ability and player upgrades
Permanent progression with saving and loading
Levelling up by collecting experience dropped from enemies

This list is not exhaustive - please see the course outline for a glimpse into the topics that are covered.

The goal of this course is to show you how to take an empty project and turn it into a small, complete game. In doing so, this course will give you a robust exposure to many aspects of the Godot engine from input handling, to tilemaps, to saving and loading data, to audio, and more. By the time you complete this course, you will feel comfortable working on your own projects in Godot 4. You will walk away from this course with a solid foundational understanding of making games that are not only functional but also fun.

This course will help you greatly if:

You are ready to dive into a crash course for the newly released Godot 4
You have some game development knowledge and want to learn Godot 4
You have some programming knowledge and want to make games
You struggle to complete games and want to start and finish a project
You regularly participate in game jams and want to improve your ability to craft a fun but short experience

Please note that this course is focused purely on the start-to-finish process of making a survivors style game. With that goal in mind, there is no time spent explaining fundamental programming concepts. Familiarity with programming is strongly recommended before taking this course. Any programming experience is fine - GDScript is easy to use.

Several lessons are available to for you to preview for free. Please take a look at those videos before enrolling to determine if the pace of this course is right for you.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Arena survival roguelike mechanics - auto attacking abilities, enemy hordes, experience drops, and roguelike upgrades
Godot engine fundamentals - scene composition using a variety of nodes, scripting, custom user signals, and more
Animations - using squash and stretch to make static sprites pop and give life to your games

Ui - containers for layout and sizing, apply theme styling using textures and nine-patch, and use of various other control nodes
Publishing - build the complete game for windows, linux, web, mac, and update executable icons
Saving and loading - save and load permanent player progression data

Arena survival roguelike mechanics - auto attacking abilities, enemy hordes, experience drops, and roguelike upgrades
Godot engine fundamentals - scene composition using a variety of nodes, scripting, custom user signals, and more
Animations - using squash and stretch to make static sprites pop and give life to your games
Ui - containers for layout and sizing, apply theme styling using textures and nine-patch, and use of various other control nodes
Publishing - build the complete game for windows, linux, web, mac, and update executable icons
Saving and loading - save and load permanent player progression data

Syllabus

Setup Godot 4 and become familiar with building scenes in the engine.

Godot Download, Orientation, and Setup

Creating the Player

Player Movement

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Provides a robust exposure to many aspects of the Godot engine, from input handling and tilemaps to saving/loading data and audio, which are essential for building games

Covers the start-to-finish process of making a survivors-style game, which can help learners complete their own projects and participate in game jams

Teaches how to build a complete game for Windows, Linux, Web, and Mac, and update executable icons, which is useful for publishing games

Assumes familiarity with programming concepts, so learners without prior experience may find it challenging to follow along with the course material

Focuses on Godot Engine 4, so learners using older versions of the engine may encounter compatibility issues or differences in the user interface

Explores arena survival roguelike mechanics, such as auto-attacking abilities, enemy hordes, experience drops, and roguelike upgrades, which are popular in modern games

Reviews summary

Create complete godot 4 game

According to learners, this course successfully guides students through creating a complete 2D Survivors style game from start to finish using Godot 4. The project-based format is highly praised for covering many essential game development concepts and Godot features like UI, saving, tilemaps, animations, and meta-progression in a practical way. While the instructor is generally found to be clear, the course assumes prior programming knowledge and the pace can feel fast for those less experienced, making it best suited for learners with some existing technical background ready to build a specific game genre.

Instructor explanations are clear and concise.

"The instructor is clear and concise. ... Highly recommended for anyone wanting to make this type of game."

"The explanations are clear for the most part. I had some programming experience but was new to Godot, and I could follow along..."

"The instructor does a great job explaining the 'why' behind decisions, not just the 'how'."

Covers many relevant Godot 4 topics hands-on.

"...covering all the essential mechanics of a survivors-style game in Godot 4."

"Covers many Godot 4 features like tilemaps, UI, saving/loading. ... great practical experience."

"Covers auto-attacking, upgrades, enemies, UI, sound - everything needed. Godot 4 specific too, which is great."

"I gained robust exposure to many aspects of the Godot engine from input handling, to tilemaps, to saving and loading data, to audio, and more."

Successfully guides building a full project.

"This course was fantastic! It takes you from zero to a complete game, covering all the essential mechanics..."

"A really solid course. I appreciated starting from scratch and building a full game."

"Absolutely loved this course! As someone who struggles to finish projects, this was perfect. The step-by-step approach..."

"It delivers exactly what it promises: a complete survivors game. I walked away with a finished project."

Assumes prior programming knowledge; pace varies.

"I had some prior programming knowledge, which helped a lot."

"My only minor critique is that sometimes the pace felt a little fast... even with programming background."

"Requires programming basics, as mentioned, so not for absolute beginners."

"...if you don't have a solid programming background, you might struggle with some parts."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Create a Complete 2D Survivors Style Game in Godot 4 with these activities:

Review GDScript Fundamentals

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Reinforce your understanding of GDScript syntax and basic programming concepts to prepare for the course's scripting-heavy approach.

Browse courses on GDScript

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Review GDScript documentation and tutorials.
Practice writing simple scripts in Godot.
Experiment with variables, functions, and control flow.

Read 'Godot Engine Game Development Projects'

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Gain a broader understanding of Godot game development by exploring different project types and techniques.

View Godot 4 Game Development Projects: Build five... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Godot Engine Game Development Projects'.
Work through the projects that seem most relevant to the course.
Take notes on key concepts and techniques.

Prototype a Simple Enemy AI

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Practice implementing basic enemy behavior, such as chasing the player and attacking, to solidify your understanding of game logic.

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Implement a simple player character with movement.
Create a new Godot project.
Create an enemy character that follows the player.
Implement a basic attack for the enemy.

Four other activities

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Document Your Learning Journey

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Reinforce your understanding by documenting your progress, challenges, and solutions throughout the course.

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Start a blog or journal to record your learning experience.
Document new concepts and techniques you learn.
Reflect on challenges you face and how you overcome them.

Study 'Game Design Workshop'

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Deepen your understanding of game design principles to create a more engaging and enjoyable survivor-style game.

View Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Game Design Workshop'.
Read the chapters on game mechanics, level design, and player experience.
Apply the principles to your survivor-style game project.

Create a Post-Mortem Presentation

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Reflect on the development process and share your learnings with others to solidify your understanding and improve future projects.

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Prepare a presentation summarizing your project's goals, successes, and failures.
Analyze the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
Share your presentation with other students or online communities.

Contribute to a Godot Asset Library Project

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Enhance your skills by contributing to an open-source project related to Godot game development.

Show steps

Find an open-source Godot project on GitHub or GitLab.
Identify a bug or feature you can contribute to.
Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Create a Complete 2D Survivors Style Game in Godot 4 will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Indie Game Developer

An indie game developer works on smaller, independent game projects. They often handle different aspects of game development such as programming, design, and art. This course is valuable for an aspiring indie game developer because it covers the entire process of creating a game. It covers essential aspects of the Godot engine such as handling input, tilemaps, saving and loading, and audio. The course helps those looking to work on a project alone or in a small team. Because this course focuses on delivering a complete game from scratch, those looking to get into indie development will benefit from learning how to successfully finish a project.

See salaries and explore the career path for Indie Game Developer

Game Developer

A game developer brings video games to life by programming game mechanics, implementing assets, and ensuring a smooth and engaging player experience. This course directly aligns with the skills needed for a game developer, as it guides learners through creating a fully functional 2D arena survival game using the Godot engine. The course provides hands-on experience with fundamental engine concepts, from input handling to animation to saving and loading, giving a solid foundation for building all kinds of games. Aspiring game developers will find that this course offers a very practical way to build a game from start to finish.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Developer

Gameplay Programmer

A gameplay programmer is a specialized role focused on coding the interactive elements of a game. This includes things like player movement, enemies, abilities, and core game mechanics. This course suits those entering this role because it directly teaches the creation of these very elements within the Godot engine. The course covers core features of gameplay, such as the creation of abilities, enemy spawning, player upgrades, and experience tracking, which all relate to the role of a gameplay programmer. The course gives hands on experience building these mechanics, providing a good base from which to develop more complex projects.

See salaries and explore the career path for Gameplay Programmer

Game Programmer

A game programmer specializes in writing code that brings the game's systems and mechanics to life. This role requires a strong understanding of programming logic and game engines. This course is particularly beneficial as it provides a hands-on approach to game programming within the Godot engine, focusing on scripting, game mechanics, and level progression. A game programmer would find value in this course as they learn to implement auto-attacking abilities, enemy hordes, experience systems, and roguelike upgrades. This demonstrates the ability to create interactive and engaging gameplay from the ground up.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Programmer

Game Systems Designer

A game systems designer is responsible for creating and balancing the rules of a game that create a cohesive and engaging experience for the player. This course will help a game systems designer as it provides a practical hands-on approach to creating these kinds of systems. Learning to implement features like auto-attacking abilities, experience drops and levelling up, and permanent progression will all be very insightful for a systems designer. A game systems designer will be able to create more robust designs following this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Systems Designer

Game Designer

A game designer is the architect of game systems, rules, and overall player experience. While a game designer may not do any programming, they still need to understand the capabilities of the engine. This course gives a game designer practical experience creating a fully functional game. The course also provides game designers with insight into the technical possibilities and limitations. This allows them to design systems that can be implemented in the real world. A game designer will gain a deeper understanding of development and game mechanics through participation in this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Designer

Technical Artist

A technical artist is a visual artist with a strong understanding of the technical aspects of game development which ensures that the game looks and functions as intended. Although this course is not focused on visual art, it does offer a great insight into implementing animations and UI elements as seen on the syllabus. A technical artist will find value in this course because it teaches how to implement animations, giving them hands-on experience with the full pipeline. Understanding the technical side of game creation, including working with UI systems, will make a technical artist more versatile.

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Tools Programmer

A tools programmer creates software that assists in the creation of games, making production faster and easier for other developers. While this course directly teaches making game mechanics and not necessarily tools, the course teaches many fundamental skills required of a tools programmer. The course does touch on the use of custom resources, which is a key ingredient to building tools. This course also gives a strong understanding of the engine itself. The course will help a tools programmer build an understanding of the needs of game developers improving their ability to create useful tools.

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UI Designer

A user interface designer, or UI designer, is responsible for the look and feel of the game's menus, displays, and interfaces. While not the only focus, this course covers the creation of user interfaces within the Godot Engine, which is valuable for this role. A UI designer will learn how to implement menus, style them using textures and nine-patch, and add animations to create engaging user experience. By participating in this course, a UI designer can grasp the technical requirements of game interfaces as they learn how to create them.

See salaries and explore the career path for UI Designer

Animator

An animator creates movement and visual effects for characters and objects within a game. Although this course is not primarily focused on complex animation design, the course does go over implementing a variety of animations. This hands-on experience will be valuable to an animator. By learning the animation system of the Godot engine, an animator will be able to put their skills straight into a game. This may help an animator better understand the technical aspect of working with game engines.

See salaries and explore the career path for Animator

Game Producer

A game producer oversees the entire game development process. They don't do programming, but they need to have a good understanding of the whole process. A game producer may find this course helpful because it shows the whole development process from start to finish. A game producer who takes this course will have a better insight into each step of development. A game producer who has taken this course will have a more solid understanding of the work and timelines involved.

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Level Designer

A level designer creates the environments that players explore and interact with in a game. They also design how the game progresses and how the player learns. This course may be useful for a level designer because of the way it approaches creating a whole project, but it does not directly teach level design. However, the course does include the creation of tilemaps and the logic of level progression. These elements may help a level designer create their own levels. The course may help a level designer understand technical aspects of game development which will improve their ability to implement a design.

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Sound Designer

A sound designer creates the audio effects and music for games. While this course does not teach how to create sounds, it does teach how to implement audio into a project. As seen on the syllabus, the course covers topics such adding sound effects to gameplay, UI elements, and creating background music and victory jingles. By learning to implement these sounds, a sound designer will have a better understanding of how to integrate their work into a game. This course may be useful to a sound designer.

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Software Engineer

A software engineer designs and develops computer programs. While this role is often not associated with game development, the programming skills learned in this course are applicable to the field of software engineering. The course includes lessons on programming, project design, and structuring code. These skills are valuable for any software engineer. Those who take this course, while not directly applicable, can gain a good understanding of the software design process.

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Project Manager

A project manager oversees the planning and execution of a project. While this course does not directly teach project management, it shows the course learner the whole lifecycle of a development project. The course takes the learner from starting a new project to publishing the finished game. Through this process, a project manager may gain insight into the full timeline of a project of this size. This course may be useful for those looking to manage a project in the gaming industry.

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Create a Complete 2D Survivors Style Game in Godot 4

What's inside

Learning objectives

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Reviews summary

Create complete godot 4 game

Activities

Career center

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