Game Development GODOT Flashcards

24 sample cards from the GODOT deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. In 3D game development, what node replaced 'Spatial' as the base 3D transform node in Godot 4?

   Node3D (renamed from Spatial in Godot 4). It is the base class for all 3D objects that have a Transform3D.

2. What camera nodes are used in 2D versus 3D, and what does the current property do?

   Camera2D for 2D and Camera3D for 3D. Setting a camera as current (or calling make_current()) makes it the active viewpoint rendered to the screen.

3. What are the main light node types available in Godot 3D?

   DirectionalLight3D (parallel rays like the sun), OmniLight3D (point light radiating in all directions), and SpotLight3D (cone-shaped light). Environments also use ambient and sky lighting.

4. What node provides an environment/world background and post-processing in 3D, and what resource does it hold?

   WorldEnvironment holds an Environment resource that controls the sky/background, ambient light, tonemapping, glow, fog, and other post-processing effects for the whole scene.

5. What is a MeshInstance3D, and what does it require to be visible?

   MeshInstance3D displays a 3D mesh in the scene. It requires a Mesh resource assigned and typically a Material to define its surface appearance.

6. In Godot, what two node types play audio, and how do they differ?

   AudioStreamPlayer plays non-positional audio (music, UI sounds). AudioStreamPlayer2D and AudioStreamPlayer3D play positional/spatialized audio that attenuates with distance from the listener.

7. What is the Audio Bus system in Godot used for?

   Audio buses route and process sound. You can group players onto buses (e.g. Master, Music, SFX), apply effects (reverb, EQ, compressor) per bus, and control volume/muting independently.

8. The Godot audio mixer displays volume in decibels. What is the decibel formula relating a linear amplitude ratio to dB?

   $\text{dB} = 20 \cdot \log_{10}\left(\frac{A}{A_0}\right)$, where $A/A_0$ is the linear amplitude ratio. Godot provides linear_to_db() and db_to_linear() helper functions.

9. What is the purpose of coroutines with await in advanced GDScript?

   await pauses a function until a signal is emitted or a coroutine completes, then resumes execution. It enables asynchronous sequences (e.g. await get_tree().create_timer(1.0).timeout) without blocking the main thread.

10. In advanced GDScript, what is the difference between preload() and load()?

    preload() loads a resource at compile/parse time (path must be a constant string), embedding it when the script loads. load() loads at runtime, allowing dynamic paths but incurring a runtime cost.

11. What is duck typing in GDScript, and how does it relate to has_method()?

    Duck typing means code works with any object that has the needed method/property regardless of its class. has_method("take_damage") checks at runtime whether an object supports an operation before calling it, enabling flexible polymorphism.

12. What is a Resource in Godot, and why are custom Resources useful in advanced projects?

    A Resource is a reference-counted data container (like textures, scripts, or custom data) that can be saved to disk (.tres/.res) and shared between nodes. Custom Resources (via extends Resource with @export vars) create reusable, editable data objects such as item or stat definitions.

13. What are the two main performance metrics to watch when optimizing, and what causes bottlenecks in each?

    Frame time is split between CPU (scripts, physics, node processing) and GPU (rendering, shaders, fill rate). Profiling identifies whether a bottleneck is CPU-bound or GPU-bound so you optimize the correct one.

14. How is target frame time computed from a target FPS, and what is the budget for 60 FPS?

    $t_{\text{frame}} = \frac{1000\ \text{ms}}{\text{FPS}}$. For 60 FPS the budget is $\frac{1000}{60} \approx 16.67$ ms per frame; exceeding it causes dropped frames.

15. What is occlusion culling, and how does it improve rendering performance?

    Occlusion culling skips rendering objects hidden behind other opaque objects (occluders). This reduces GPU draw calls and overdraw by not processing geometry the camera cannot see.

16. What are two common draw-call reduction techniques in Godot?

    MultiMesh/MultiMeshInstance for rendering many identical objects in one call, and using shared materials/texture atlases so batches are not broken. Reducing unique materials and using static batching also lowers draw calls.

17. In Godot's high-level networking, what is the difference between an RPC that is 'reliable' versus 'unreliable', and when is each used?

    Reliable RPCs guarantee ordered delivery (used for important, infrequent events like spawning). Unreliable RPCs may drop or reorder packets but are faster (used for frequent updates like position). Set via rpc annotations/config.

18. What node manages the multiplayer peer connection in Godot 4, and what class creates a server/client?

    The SceneTree's MultiplayerAPI (accessed via multiplayer) manages peers. ENetMultiplayerPeer is commonly used, calling create_server(port) or create_client(address, port).

19. What is the MultiplayerSpawner and MultiplayerSynchronizer used for in Godot 4 networking?

    MultiplayerSpawner automatically replicates the creation/deletion of nodes across peers, and MultiplayerSynchronizer automatically replicates selected node properties (like position) from the authority to other peers.

20. What does 'network authority' mean in Godot multiplayer?

    Network authority is the peer that has control over a given node (decides its state). By default the server (peer ID 1) is the authority, but authority can be assigned per node with set_multiplayer_authority() so a client owns its own player.

21. When exporting a Godot game, what are 'export templates' and why are they required?

    Export templates are precompiled engine binaries for each target platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web). They must be downloaded/installed matching the editor version so the exporter can package your game for that platform.

22. What technology does Godot use to export games to run in a web browser, and one key limitation?

    Godot exports to the web using WebAssembly (WASM) plus HTML5/WebGL (or WebGPU). A key limitation is that browsers require cross-origin isolation headers for threads, and some features (like certain networking) are restricted in the browser sandbox.

23. In game monetization, how is ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) calculated, and how does it differ from ARPPU?

    $\text{ARPU} = \frac{\text{Total Revenue}}{\text{Total Users}}$, while ARPPU (per paying user) is $\frac{\text{Total Revenue}}{\text{Paying Users}}$. ARPPU is higher since it excludes non-paying (free) players from the denominator.

24. In game marketing, what are the freemium and premium monetization models, and how do they differ from a pay-to-win concern?

    Premium charges an upfront price for the full game. Freemium is free to play with revenue from in-app purchases/ads/cosmetics. 'Pay-to-win' is a criticized freemium variant where paying grants gameplay advantages rather than only cosmetic or convenience items.

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