Godot Glossary

Core Ideas

Node — The basic building block in Godot. Every object is a node (like Lego pieces).

Scene — A collection of nodes saved together (like a Lego model). You can reuse them.

Scene Tree — How all the nodes are organized (like a family tree).

Parent / Child — A parent node holds children. If the parent moves, the kids move too.

Resource — A file the game uses, like images, sounds, or scripts.

Autoload (Singleton) — A special script that is always running (good for keeping score or health).

Common 2D Nodes

Node2D — A basic 2D object with position/rotation/scale.

Sprite2D — Shows an image in your game.

AnimatedSprite2D — Plays a flipbook of images for animation.

TileMap — Lets you “paint” a level with reusable tiles.

Camera2D — Follows the player around the world.

Timer — Counts down and sends a signal when time is up.

Physics (2D)

CharacterBody2D — The main type for players or moving characters. Handles collisions.

RigidBody2D — An object that follows physics rules (like gravity or bouncing).

StaticBody2D — A solid object that doesn’t move (like walls or ground).

Area2D — Detects when something enters it (good for coins, traps, triggers).

CollisionShape2D — The invisible shape that tells Godot where an object can touch.

Coding (GDScript)

GDScript — Godot’s coding language, looks a lot like Python.

Export Variable — A number or setting you can tweak in the editor (like speed).

Ready Function (_ready) — Runs when the node first appears.

Process (_process) — Runs every frame (good for things that change over time).

Physics Process (_physics_process) — Runs every physics step (good for movement).

Signal — A message one node can send to another (like “player hit coin”).

Emit Signal — Sending the message.

Connect Signal — Listening for the message.

Input (Controls)

Input Map — A list of actions you define (like “jump” = space bar).

Action — The name of the input you check in code (e.g., Input.is_action_pressed("jump")).

Animation & Movement

AnimationPlayer — Plays animations (like moving or fading).

Tween — Smoothly changes a value over time (like sliding or fading).

AnimationTree — For advanced blending of animations (like walking + shooting).

Audio

AudioStreamPlayer2D — Plays sounds in 2D (footsteps, coins).

Music — Longer sound file, loops during gameplay.

Sound Effect (SFX) — Short sounds like jumps or hits.

Audio Bus — A “channel” for sound (e.g., all music goes in one, all effects in another).

UI (User Interface)

Control Node — The base for menus and HUD.

Label — Shows text.

Button — Clickable UI element.

TextureRect — Shows an image in the UI.

Container — Helps organize UI elements neatly.

Game Building Blocks

Level (Scene) — A playable area of the game.

Mechanic — A rule or action (like double jump or health bar).

Prototype — A quick version of your idea to test if it’s fun.

Playtesting — Trying out the game to find bugs or improvements.

Bug — A mistake in the game that makes it act weird.

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