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- :allow_comments: False
- .. meta::
- :keywords: FAQ
- .. _doc_faq:
- Frequently asked questions
- ==========================
- What can I do with Godot? How much does it cost? What are the license terms?
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Godot is `Free and open source Software <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open_source_software>`_
- available under the `OSI-approved <https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>`_ MIT license. This means it is
- free as in "free speech" as well as in "free beer."
- In short:
- * You are free to download and use Godot for any purpose: personal, non-profit, commercial, or otherwise.
- * You are free to modify, distribute, redistribute, and remix Godot to your heart's content, for any reason,
- both non-commercially and commercially.
- All the contents of this accompanying documentation are published under the permissive Creative Commons
- Attribution 3.0 (`CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/>`_) license, with attribution
- to "Juan Linietsky, Ariel Manzur and the Godot Engine community."
- Logos and icons are generally under the same Creative Commons license. Note
- that some third-party libraries included with Godot's source code may have
- different licenses.
- For full details, look at the `COPYRIGHT.txt <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/master/COPYRIGHT.txt>`_
- as well as the `LICENSE.txt <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/master/LICENSE.txt>`_
- and `LOGO_LICENSE.txt <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/master/LOGO_LICENSE.txt>`_ files
- in the Godot repository.
- Also, see `the license page on the Godot website <https://godotengine.org/license>`_.
- Which platforms are supported by Godot?
- ---------------------------------------
- **For the editor:**
- * Windows
- * macOS
- * Linux, \*BSD
- * Android (experimental)
- * `Web <https://editor.godotengine.org/>`__ (experimental)
- **For exporting your games:**
- * Windows
- * macOS
- * Linux, \*BSD
- * Android
- * iOS
- * Web
- Both 32- and 64-bit binaries are supported where it makes sense, with 64
- being the default. Official macOS builds support Apple Silicon natively as well as x86_64.
- Some users also report building and using Godot successfully on ARM-based
- systems with Linux, like the Raspberry Pi.
- The Godot team can't provide an open source console export due to the licensing
- terms imposed by console manufacturers. Regardless of the engine you use,
- though, releasing games on consoles is always a lot of work. You can read more
- about :ref:`doc_consoles`.
- For more on this, see the sections on :ref:`exporting <toc-learn-workflow-export>`
- and :ref:`compiling Godot yourself <toc-devel-compiling>`.
- .. note::
- Godot 3 also had support for Universal Windows Platform (UWP). This platform
- port was removed in Godot 4 due to lack of maintenance, and it being
- deprecated by Microsoft. It is still available in the current stable release
- of Godot 3 for interested users.
- Which programming languages are supported in Godot?
- ---------------------------------------------------
- The officially supported languages for Godot are GDScript, C#, and C++.
- See the subcategories for each language in the :ref:`scripting <toc-learn-scripting>` section.
- If you are just starting out with either Godot or game development in general,
- GDScript is the recommended language to learn and use since it is native to Godot.
- While scripting languages tend to be less performant than lower-level languages in
- the long run, for prototyping, developing Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and
- focusing on Time-To-Market (TTM), GDScript will provide a fast, friendly, and capable
- way of developing your games.
- Note that C# support is still relatively new, and as such, you may encounter
- some issues along the way. C# support is also currently missing on the web
- platform. Our friendly and hard-working development community is always
- ready to tackle new problems as they arise, but since this is an open source
- project, we recommend that you first do some due diligence yourself. Searching
- through discussions on
- `open issues <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3Atopic%3Adotnet>`__
- is a great way to start your troubleshooting.
- As for new languages, support is possible via third parties with GDExtensions. (See the question
- about plugins below). Work is currently underway, for example, on unofficial bindings for Godot
- to `Python <https://github.com/touilleMan/godot-python>`_ and `Nim <https://github.com/pragmagic/godot-nim>`_.
- .. _doc_faq_what_is_gdscript:
- What is GDScript and why should I use it?
- -----------------------------------------
- GDScript is Godot's integrated scripting language. It was built from the ground
- up to maximize Godot's potential in the least amount of code, affording both novice
- and expert developers alike to capitalize on Godot's strengths as fast as possible.
- If you've ever written anything in a language like Python before, then you'll feel
- right at home. For examples and a complete overview of the power GDScript offers
- you, check out the :ref:`GDScript scripting guide <doc_gdscript>`.
- There are several reasons to use GDScript, but the most salient reason is the overall
- **reduction of complexity**.
- The original intent of creating a tightly integrated, custom scripting language for
- Godot was two-fold: first, it reduces the amount of time necessary to get up and running
- with Godot, giving developers a rapid way of exposing themselves to the engine with a
- focus on productivity; second, it reduces the overall burden of maintenance, attenuates
- the dimensionality of issues, and allows the developers of the engine to focus on squashing
- bugs and improving features related to the engine core, rather than spending a lot of time
- trying to get a small set of incremental features working across a large set of languages.
- Since Godot is an open source project, it was imperative from the start to prioritize a
- more integrated and seamless experience over attracting additional users by supporting
- more familiar programming languages, especially when supporting those more familiar
- languages would result in a worse experience. We understand if you would rather use
- another language in Godot (see the list of supported options above). That being said, if
- you haven't given GDScript a try, try it for **three days**. Just like Godot,
- once you see how powerful it is and how rapid your development becomes, we think GDScript
- will grow on you.
- More information about getting comfortable with GDScript or dynamically typed
- languages can be found in the :ref:`doc_gdscript_more_efficiently` tutorial.
- What were the motivations behind creating GDScript?
- ---------------------------------------------------
- In the early days, the engine used the `Lua <https://www.lua.org>`__ scripting
- language. Lua can be fast thanks to LuaJIT, but creating bindings to an object-oriented
- system (by using fallbacks) was complex and slow and took an enormous
- amount of code. After some experiments with `Python <https://www.python.org>`__,
- that also proved difficult to embed.
- The main reasons for creating a custom scripting language for Godot were:
- 1. Poor threading support in most script VMs, and Godot uses threads
- (Lua, Python, Squirrel, JavaScript, ActionScript, etc.).
- 2. Poor class-extending support in most script VMs, and adapting to
- the way Godot works is highly inefficient (Lua, Python, JavaScript).
- 3. Many existing languages have horrible interfaces for binding to C++, resulting in a
- large amount of code, bugs, bottlenecks, and general inefficiency (Lua, Python,
- Squirrel, JavaScript, etc.). We wanted to focus on a great engine, not a great number
- of integrations.
- 4. No native vector types (Vector3, Transform3D, etc.), resulting in highly
- reduced performance when using custom types (Lua, Python, Squirrel,
- JavaScript, ActionScript, etc.).
- 5. Garbage collector results in stalls or unnecessarily large memory
- usage (Lua, Python, JavaScript, ActionScript, etc.).
- 6. Difficulty integrating with the code editor for providing code
- completion, live editing, etc. (all of them).
- GDScript was designed to curtail the issues above, and more.
- .. _doc_faq_which_programming_language_is_fastest:
- Which programming language is fastest?
- --------------------------------------
- In most games, the *scripting language* itself is not the cause of performance
- problems. Instead, performance is slowed by inefficient algorithms (which are
- slow in all languages), by GPU performance, or by the common C++ engine code
- like physics or navigation. All languages supported by Godot are fast enough for
- general-purpose scripting. You should choose a language based on other factors,
- like ease-of-use, familiarity, platform support, or language features.
- In general, the performance of C# and GDScript is within the same order of
- magnitude, and C++ is faster than both.
- Comparing GDScript performance to C# is tricky, since C# can be faster in some
- specific cases. The C# *language* itself tends to be faster than GDScript, which
- means that C# can be faster in situations with few calls to Godot engine code.
- However, C# can be slower than GDScript when making many Godot API calls, due
- to the cost of *marshalling*. C#'s performance can also be brought down by garbage
- collection which occurs at random and unpredictable moments. This can result in
- stuttering issues in complex projects, and is not exclusive to Godot.
- C++, using :ref:`GDExtension <doc_what_is_gdextension>`, will almost always be
- faster than either C# or GDScript. However, C++ is less easy to use than C# or
- GDScript, and is slower to develop with.
- You can also use multiple languages within a single project, with
- :ref:`cross-language scripting <doc_cross_language_scripting>`, or by using
- GDExtension and scripting languages together. Be aware that doing so comes with
- its own complications.
- What 3D model formats does Godot support?
- -----------------------------------------
- You can find detailed information on supported formats, how to export them from
- your 3D modeling software, and how to import them for Godot in the
- :ref:`doc_importing_3d_scenes` documentation.
- Will [insert closed SDK such as FMOD, GameWorks, etc.] be supported in Godot?
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- The aim of Godot is to create a free and open source MIT-licensed engine that
- is modular and extendable. There are no plans for the core engine development
- community to support any third-party, closed-source/proprietary SDKs, as integrating
- with these would go against Godot's ethos.
- That said, because Godot is open source and modular, nothing prevents you or
- anyone else interested in adding those libraries as a module and shipping your
- game with them, as either open- or closed-source.
- To see how support for your SDK of choice could still be provided, look at the
- Plugins question below.
- If you know of a third-party SDK that is not supported by Godot but that offers
- free and open source integration, consider starting the integration work yourself.
- Godot is not owned by one person; it belongs to the community, and it grows along
- with ambitious community contributors like you.
- How can I extend Godot?
- -----------------------
- For extending Godot, like creating Godot Editor plugins or adding support
- for additional languages, take a look at :ref:`EditorPlugins <doc_making_plugins>`
- and tool scripts.
- Also, see the official blog post on GDExtension, a way to develop native extensions for Godot:
- * `Introducing GDNative's successor, GDExtension <https://godotengine.org/article/introducing-gd-extensions>`_
- You can also take a look at the GDScript implementation, the Godot modules,
- as well as the `Jolt physics engine integration <https://github.com/godot-jolt/godot-jolt>`__
- for Godot. This would be a good starting point to see how another
- third-party library integrates with Godot.
- How do I install the Godot editor on my system (for desktop integration)?
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Since you don't need to actually install Godot on your system to run it,
- this means desktop integration is not performed automatically.
- There are two ways to overcome this. You can install Godot from
- `Steam <https://store.steampowered.com/app/404790/Godot_Engine/>`__ (all platforms),
- `Scoop <https://scoop.sh/>`__ (Windows), `Homebrew <https://brew.sh/>`__ (macOS)
- or `Flathub <https://flathub.org/apps/details/org.godotengine.Godot>`__ (Linux).
- This will automatically perform the required steps for desktop integration.
- Alternatively, you can manually perform the steps that an installer would do for you:
- Windows
- ^^^^^^^
- - Move the Godot executable to a stable location (i.e. outside of your Downloads folder),
- so you don't accidentally move it and break the shortcut in the future.
- - Right-click the Godot executable and choose **Create Shortcut**.
- - Move the created shortcut to ``%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs``.
- This is the user-wide location for shortcuts that will appear in the Start menu.
- You can also pin Godot in the task bar by right-clicking the executable and choosing
- **Pin to Task Bar**.
- macOS
- ^^^^^
- Drag the extracted Godot application to ``/Applications/Godot.app``, then drag it
- to the Dock if desired. Spotlight will be able to find Godot as long as it's in
- ``/Applications`` or ``~/Applications``.
- Linux
- ^^^^^
- - Move the Godot binary to a stable location (i.e. outside of your Downloads folder),
- so you don't accidentally move it and break the shortcut in the future.
- - Rename and move the Godot binary to a location present in your ``PATH`` environment variable.
- This is typically ``/usr/local/bin/godot`` or ``/usr/bin/godot``.
- Doing this requires administrator privileges,
- but this also allows you to
- :ref:`run the Godot editor from a terminal <doc_command_line_tutorial>` by entering ``godot``.
- - If you cannot move the Godot editor binary to a protected location, you can
- keep the binary somewhere in your home directory, and modify the ``Path=``
- line in the ``.desktop`` file linked below to contain the full *absolute* path
- to the Godot binary.
- - Save `this .desktop file <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/godotengine/godot/master/misc/dist/linux/org.godotengine.Godot.desktop>`__
- to ``$HOME/.local/share/applications/``. If you have administrator privileges,
- you can also save the ``.desktop`` file to ``/usr/local/share/applications``
- to make the shortcut available for all users.
- Is the Godot editor a portable application?
- -------------------------------------------
- In its default configuration, Godot is *semi-portable*. Its executable can run
- from any location (including non-writable locations) and never requires
- administrator privileges.
- However, configuration files will be written to the user-wide configuration or
- data directory. This is usually a good approach, but this means configuration files
- will not carry across machines if you copy the folder containing the Godot executable.
- See :ref:`doc_data_paths` for more information.
- If *true* portable operation is desired (e.g. for use on a USB stick),
- follow the steps in :ref:`doc_data_paths_self_contained_mode`.
- Why does Godot prioritize Vulkan and OpenGL over Direct3D?
- ----------------------------------------------------------
- Godot aims for cross-platform compatibility and open standards first and
- foremost. OpenGL and Vulkan are the technologies that are both open and
- available on (nearly) all platforms. Thanks to this design decision, a project
- developed with Godot on Windows will run out of the box on Linux, macOS, and
- more.
- While Vulkan and OpenGL remain our primary focus for their open standard and
- cross-platform benefits, Godot 4.3 introduced experimental support for Direct3D 12.
- This addition aims to enhance performance and compatibility on platforms where
- Direct3D 12 is prevalent, such as Windows and Xbox. However, Vulkan and OpenGL
- will continue as the default rendering backends on all platforms, including Windows.
- Why does Godot aim to keep its core feature set small?
- ------------------------------------------------------
- Godot intentionally does not include features that can be implemented by add-ons
- unless they are used very often. One example of something not used often is
- advanced artificial intelligence functionality.
- There are several reasons for this:
- - **Code maintenance and surface for bugs.** Every time we accept new code in
- the Godot repository, existing contributors often take the responsibility of
- maintaining it. Some contributors don't always stick around after getting
- their code merged, which can make it difficult for us to maintain the code in
- question. This can lead to poorly maintained features with bugs that are never
- fixed. On top of that, the "API surface" that needs to be tested and checked
- for regressions keeps increasing over time.
- - **Ease of contribution.** By keeping the codebase small and tidy, it can remain
- fast and easy to compile from source. This makes it easier for new
- contributors to get started with Godot, without requiring them to purchase
- high-end hardware.
- - **Keeping the binary size small for the editor.** Not everyone has a fast Internet
- connection. Ensuring that everyone can download the Godot editor, extract it
- and run it in less than 5 minutes makes Godot more accessible to developers in
- all countries.
- - **Keeping the binary size small for export templates.** This directly impacts the
- size of projects exported with Godot. On mobile and web platforms, keeping
- file sizes low is important to ensure fast installation and loading on
- underpowered devices. Again, there are many countries where high-speed
- Internet is not readily available. To add to this, strict data usage caps are
- often in effect in those countries.
- For all the reasons above, we have to be selective of what we can accept as core
- functionality in Godot. This is why we are aiming to move some core
- functionality to officially supported add-ons in future versions of Godot.
- In terms of binary size, this also has the advantage of making you pay only for
- what you actually use in your project. (In the meantime, you can
- :ref:`compile custom export templates with unused features disabled <doc_optimizing_for_size>`
- to optimize the distribution size of your project.)
- How should assets be created to handle multiple resolutions and aspect ratios?
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- This question pops up often and it's probably thanks to the misunderstanding
- created by Apple when they originally doubled the resolution of their devices.
- It made people think that having the same assets in different resolutions was a
- good idea, so many continued towards that path. That originally worked to a
- point and only for Apple devices, but then several Android and Apple devices
- with different resolutions and aspect ratios were created, with a very wide
- range of sizes and DPIs.
- The most common and proper way to achieve this is to, instead, use a single base
- resolution for the game and only handle different screen aspect ratios. This is
- mostly needed for 2D, as in 3D, it's just a matter of camera vertical or
- horizontal FOV.
- 1. Choose a single base resolution for your game. Even if there are
- devices that go up to 1440p and devices that go down to 400p, regular
- hardware scaling in your device will take care of this at little or
- no performance cost. The most common choices are either near 1080p
- (1920x1080) or 720p (1280x720). Keep in mind the higher the
- resolution, the larger your assets, the more memory they will take
- and the longer the time it will take for loading.
- 2. Use the stretch options in Godot; canvas items stretching while keeping
- aspect ratios works best. Check the :ref:`doc_multiple_resolutions` tutorial
- on how to achieve this.
- 3. Determine a minimum resolution and then decide if you want your game
- to stretch vertically or horizontally for different aspect ratios, or
- if there is one aspect ratio and you want black bars to appear
- instead. This is also explained in :ref:`doc_multiple_resolutions`.
- 4. For user interfaces, use the :ref:`anchoring <doc_size_and_anchors>`
- to determine where controls should stay and move. If UIs are more
- complex, consider learning about Containers.
- And that's it! Your game should work in multiple resolutions.
- When is the next release of Godot out?
- --------------------------------------
- When it's ready! See :ref:`doc_release_policy_when_is_next_release_out` for more
- information.
- Which Godot version should I use for a new project?
- ---------------------------------------------------
- We recommend using Godot 4.x for new projects, but depending on the feature set
- you need, it may be better to use 3.x instead. See
- :ref:`doc_release_policy_which_version_should_i_use` for more information.
- Should I upgrade my project to use new Godot versions?
- ------------------------------------------------------
- Some new versions are safer to upgrade to than others. In general, whether you
- should upgrade depends on your project's circumstances. See
- :ref:`doc_release_policy_should_i_upgrade_my_project` for more information.
- Should I use the Forward+, Mobile, or Compatibility renderer?
- -------------------------------------------------------------
- You can find a detailed comparison of the renderers in :ref:`doc_renderers`.
- I would like to contribute! How can I get started?
- --------------------------------------------------
- Awesome! As an open source project, Godot thrives off of the innovation and
- the ambition of developers like you.
- The best way to start contributing to Godot is by using it and reporting
- any `issues <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/issues>`_ that you might experience.
- A good bug report with clear reproduction steps helps your fellow contributors
- fix bugs quickly and efficiently. You can also report issues you find in the
- `online documentation <https://github.com/godotengine/godot-docs/issues>`_.
- If you feel ready to submit your first PR, pick any issue that resonates with you from
- one of the links above and try your hand at fixing it. You will need to learn how to
- compile the engine from sources, or how to build the documentation. You also need to
- get familiar with Git, a version control system that Godot developers use.
- We explain how to work with the engine source, how to edit the documentation, and
- what other ways to contribute are there in our :ref:`documentation for contributors <doc_ways_to_contribute>`.
- I have a great idea for Godot. How can I share it?
- --------------------------------------------------
- We are always looking for suggestions about how to improve the engine. User feedback
- is the main driving force behind our decision-making process, and limitations that
- you might face while working on your project are a great data point for us when considering
- engine enhancements.
- If you experience a usability problem or are missing a feature in the current version of
- Godot, start by discussing it with our `community <https://godotengine.org/community/>`_.
- There may be other, perhaps better, ways to achieve the desired result that community members
- could suggest. And you can learn if other users experience the same issue, and figure out
- a good solution together.
- If you come up with a well-defined idea for the engine, feel free to open a
- `proposal issue <https://github.com/godotengine/godot-proposals/issues>`_.
- Try to be specific and concrete while describing your problem and your proposed
- solution — only actionable proposals can be considered. It is not required, but
- if you want to implement it yourself, that's always appreciated!
- If you only have a general idea without specific details, you can open a
- `proposal discussion <https://github.com/godotengine/godot-proposals/discussions>`_.
- These can be anything you want, and allow for a free-form discussion in search of
- a solution. Once you find one, a proposal issue can be opened.
- Please, read the `readme <https://github.com/godotengine/godot-proposals/blob/master/README.md>`_
- document before creating a proposal to learn more about the process.
- .. _doc_faq_non_game_applications:
- Is it possible to use Godot to create non-game applications?
- ------------------------------------------------------------
- Yes! Godot features an extensive built-in UI system, and its small distribution
- size can make it a suitable alternative to frameworks like Electron or Qt.
- When creating a non-game application, make sure to enable
- :ref:`low-processor mode <class_ProjectSettings_property_application/run/low_processor_mode>`
- in the Project Settings to decrease CPU and GPU usage.
- Check out `Material Maker <https://github.com/RodZill4/material-maker>`__ and
- `Pixelorama <https://github.com/Orama-Interactive/Pixelorama>`__ for examples of
- open source applications made with Godot.
- .. _doc_faq_use_godot_as_library:
- Is it possible to use Godot as a library?
- -----------------------------------------
- Godot is meant to be used with its editor. We recommend you give it a try, as it
- will most likely save you time in the long term. There are no plans to make
- Godot usable as a library, as it would make the rest of the engine more
- convoluted and difficult to use for casual users.
- If you want to use a rendering library, look into using an established rendering
- engine instead. Keep in mind rendering engines usually have smaller communities
- compared to Godot. This will make it more difficult to find answers to your
- questions.
- What user interface toolkit does Godot use?
- -------------------------------------------
- Godot does not use a standard :abbr:`GUI (Graphical User Interface)` toolkit
- like GTK, Qt or wxWidgets. Instead, Godot uses its own user interface toolkit,
- rendered using OpenGL ES or Vulkan. This toolkit is exposed in the form of
- Control nodes, which are used to render the editor (which is written in C++).
- These Control nodes can also be used in projects from any scripting language
- supported by Godot.
- This custom toolkit makes it possible to benefit from hardware acceleration and
- have a consistent appearance across all platforms. On top of that, it doesn't
- have to deal with the LGPL licensing caveats that come with GTK or Qt. Lastly,
- this means Godot is "eating its own dog food" since the editor itself is one of
- the most complex users of Godot's UI system.
- This custom UI toolkit :ref:`can't be used as a library <doc_faq_use_godot_as_library>`,
- but you can still
- :ref:`use Godot to create non-game applications by using the editor <doc_faq_non_game_applications>`.
- .. _doc_faq_why_scons:
- Why does Godot use the SCons build system?
- ------------------------------------------
- Godot uses the `SCons <https://www.scons.org/>`__ build system. There are no
- plans to switch to a different build system in the near future. There are many
- reasons why we have chosen SCons over other alternatives. For example:
- - Godot can be compiled for a dozen different platforms: all PC
- platforms, all mobile platforms, many consoles, and WebAssembly.
- - Developers often need to compile for several of the platforms **at
- the same time**, or even different targets of the same platform. They
- can't afford reconfiguring and rebuilding the project each time.
- SCons can do this with no sweat, without breaking the builds.
- - SCons will *never* break a build no matter how many changes,
- configurations, additions, removals etc.
- - Godot's build process is not simple. Several files are generated by
- code (binders), others are parsed (shaders), and others need to offer
- customization (:ref:`modules <doc_custom_modules_in_cpp>`). This requires
- complex logic which is easier to write in an actual programming language (like Python)
- rather than using a mostly macro-based language only meant for building.
- - Godot's build process makes heavy use of cross-compiling tools. Each
- platform has a specific detection process, and all these must be
- handled as specific cases with special code written for each.
- Please try to keep an open mind and get at least a little familiar with SCons if
- you are planning to build Godot yourself.
- .. _doc_faq_why_not_stl:
- Why does Godot not use STL (Standard Template Library)?
- -------------------------------------------------------
- Like many other libraries (Qt as an example), Godot does not make use of STL
- (with a few exceptions such as threading primitives). We believe STL is a great
- general-purpose library, but we had special requirements for Godot.
- * STL templates create very large symbols, which results in huge debug binaries. We use few
- templates with very short names instead.
- * Most of our containers cater to special needs, like Vector, which uses copy on write and we
- use to pass data around, or the RID system, which requires O(1) access time for performance.
- Likewise, our hash map implementations are designed to integrate seamlessly with internal
- engine types.
- * Our containers have memory tracking built-in, which helps better track memory usage.
- * For large arrays, we use pooled memory, which can be mapped to either a preallocated buffer
- or virtual memory.
- * We use our custom String type, as the one provided by STL is too basic and lacks proper
- internationalization support.
- Why does Godot not use exceptions?
- ----------------------------------
- We believe games should not crash, no matter what. If an unexpected
- situation happens, Godot will print an error (which can be traced even to
- script), but then it will try to recover as gracefully as possible and keep
- going.
- Additionally, exceptions significantly increase the binary size for the
- executable and result in increased compile times.
- Does Godot use an ECS (Entity Component System)?
- ------------------------------------------------
- Godot does **not** use an ECS and relies on inheritance instead. While there
- is no universally better approach, we found that using an inheritance-based approach
- resulted in better usability while still being fast enough for most use cases.
- That said, nothing prevents you from making use of composition in your project
- by creating child Nodes with individual scripts. These nodes can then be added and
- removed at runtime to dynamically add and remove behaviors.
- More information about Godot's design choices can be found in
- `this article <https://godotengine.org/article/why-isnt-godot-ecs-based-game-engine>`__.
- Why does Godot not force users to implement DOD (Data-Oriented Design)?
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
- While Godot internally attempts to use cache coherency as much as possible,
- we believe users don't need to be forced to use DOD practices.
- DOD is mostly a cache coherency optimization that can only provide
- significant performance improvements when dealing with dozens of
- thousands of objects which are processed every frame with little
- modification. That is, if you are moving a few hundred sprites or enemies
- per frame, DOD won't result in a meaningful improvement in performance. In
- such a case, you should consider a different approach to optimization.
- The vast majority of games do not need this and Godot provides handy helpers
- to do the job for most cases when you do.
- If a game needs to process such a large amount of objects, our recommendation
- is to use C++ and GDExtensions for performance-heavy tasks and GDScript (or C#)
- for the rest of the game.
- How can I support Godot development or contribute?
- --------------------------------------------------
- See :ref:`doc_ways_to_contribute`.
- Who is working on Godot? How can I contact you?
- -----------------------------------------------
- See the corresponding page on the `Godot website <https://godotengine.org/contact>`_.
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