Beginner's Guide: Creating a Bouncing Ball Scene in Godot 4

Prerequisites

  • - Godot Engine 4 installed on your computer
  • (Download Godot)
  • - Basic computer skills
  • - A ball and room background image
  • (these can be simple 2D images)

Introduction

Welcome to this beginner-friendly tutorial on creating your first scene in Godot 4 - a simple room with a bouncing ball. This project is perfect for those who are just starting with game development and want to learn the basics of Godot 4.

What You Will Learn

  • Navigating the Godot 4 interface
  • Setting up a basic 2D scene
  • Working with nodes
  • Implementing basic physics properties

Tutorial

Step 1

-Setting Up Your Project-


  1. Download and install Godot 4 if you haven't already.
  2. (Click the link below)
  3. Getting started with Godot
    1. Launch Godot and select 'New Project'.

      • Choose a location to save your project. It's a good practice to have a dedicated folder for all your Godot projects. For example, create a folder named "GodotProjects" in your Documents.

      • Name your project, something descriptive like "BouncingBallProject".

      • Click on “Create & Edit” to initialize your new project.
Here i have created a folder called "GodotProjects" in my Documents folder to then store my project.
(For our project we will be leaving the Renderer option set to Mobile)
(To read more about the "Renderer" options click here -> Godot Doc's - (Internal Rendering)

Step 2


  1. -Navigating the Godot Interface-


    • Upon opening your new project, you'll see an interface with several panels and menus.
    • You'll start with an empty scene.

    • To create a basic 2D scene, look for a button labeled “2D Scene” in the top left area and click it.

    • This adds a Node2D to your scene, which is a fundamental building block in Godot.


Step 3

-Adding a Background-


  • Right-click on the Node2D in your scene tree (the panel on the left side).

  • Select "Add Child Node" and choose a "Sprite2D" node.
  • Rename this new node to “RoomBackground” to keep things organized.

  • In the Inspector panel (on the right), find the Texture property. Click on "Load" and choose an image file from your computer that will serve as the room's background.


  2. Step 4

  3. -Creating a Platform-


    • To add a platform for the ball to bounce on, right-click on Node2D and select "Add Child Node".
    • Choose a StaticBody2D node.

    • This type of node is perfect for objects that don’t move but interact with other physics objects, like a platform.
    • Rename it to “Platform”.

    • Add a Sprite node as a child of the Platform.

    • Set its texture in the Inspector to an image that looks like the platform you want.

    • Add a CollisionShape2D as a child of the Platform node.

    • Select a shape that matches your platform, like RectangleShape2D, and adjust its size to cover the area of the platform sprite.


Step 5

-Adding the Bouncing Ball-


  • Right-click on Node2D again and add a RigidBody2D node. This node simulates physics.
  • Rename this node to “Ball”.

  • Right-click on the Ball node and add a Sprite node as its child. This will be the visual representation of the ball.

  • Select the ball’s Sprite node and set its texture (the image of the ball) in the Inspector, the same way you did for the room background.

  • Add a CollisionShape2D as a child of the Ball node. This shape defines the physical boundaries of your ball for collision detection.

  • Choose a shape that matches your ball (like CircleShape2D) in the CollisionShape2D properties. Adjust its size to fit the ball sprite.

Move the position of the ball to be above the platform.


Setting Up Collisions

  • Make sure your Ball and Platform have CollisionShape2D nodes properly configured. This is crucial for them to interact physically.
  • The CollisionShape2D for the ball should typically be a circle (CircleShape2D) that matches the size of the ball sprite.
  • The CollisionShape2D for the platform should be a rectangle (RectangleShape2D) that covers the platform sprite.
  • These shapes determine how the ball and platform will collide and interact in the scene.


Step 6


  1. -Configuring Physics Properties-


    • Select the Ball node to access its RigidBody2D properties in the Inspector.

    • Adjust properties such as Gravity Scale (how strongly gravity affects the ball), Bounce (how bouncy the ball is), and Friction (how much it slows down upon contact).

    • To create a bouncing effect, you'll want to increase the Bounce value.

    • Experiment with different settings to see how they change the ball's behavior.


Step 7

Adding a Camera to the Scene


  • In Godot, a camera is crucial for defining the player's viewpoint.

    • To add a camera, right-click on Node2D in your scene tree and select "Add Child Node".

    • Choose a Camera2D node from the list.

    • Rename this new node to “MainCamera”. This helps in identifying the camera within your scene hierarchy.

  • In the Camera2D's properties (Inspector panel), you can set options and adjust its zoom or offset to get the view you want.

  • You can also make the camera follow the ball by making the camera a child of the ball instead of the Node2D.


Step 8


  1. -Testing and Experimenting-


    • To see your scene in action, click the "Play Scene" button. It’s the right arrow icon located at the top right of the interface.

    • Observe how the ball interacts with the room's boundaries and bounces around.

    • Feel free to go back and tweak physics settings or add more elements to your scene to see how they affect the dynamics of the ball.



Conclusion

Congratulations, you've created your first Godot scene! This is just the beginning. Godot's powerful and user-friendly interface opens up a world of possibilities for game development.

Next Steps

  • Experiment with different physics settings.
  • Try adding more balls or obstacles in the room.
  • Explore other node types and see what they do.

Additional Resources

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