Future of GDScript in the community

Question

Hi,

I'm still really new to GoDot but it is one of the best projects in recent years and seems to have a lot of momentum. To be the one thing that can set GoDot apart from other engines such as Unity is the use of a simple scripting language. Unity on the other had has decided to go another way. Unity used to have support for Boo, a simpler language but it never had a lot of usage so it ended being dropped.

My concern is over GDNative C++ API. That over time the community might stop using GDScript so that when people what to learn something all the examples will be in C++ because that is an established language.

Speaking personally C++ is so far out of what I'm able to understand.

Answer 1

The reason higher-level scripting languages like Python, etc. exist is that they trade developer time for CPU time. A Python application might run the same task slower than C++, but it probably took a fraction of the time to write. I don't think you're going to see the majority of the community using C++ exclusively because it would dramatically increase the complexity of getting started.

I don't think it's wise to compare Godot to Unity in this respect. As a commercial entity, Unity has very different priorities.

Speaking personally C++ is so far out of what I'm able to understand.

This is going to be true for the majority of users as well to some extent or another. For most use cases, even if you know C++, it's overkill. Often, I just want to make a game - it doesn't matter how it's written because players don't see the code.

Comments

GDScript is lightning fast for implementing new features, even before thinking if they are good or not, is a critical part when developing games.

C++ API via Native scripts make refactor faster where performance is a problem.

Answer 2

GDScript support will continue along with GDNative.

GDNative answers to a specific need, which is accessing external libraries directly in a script without developing a module and thus recompile Godot. Using GDNative is interesting when performance is a real problem for certain tasks of a game.

GDScript is a house-made scripting language created to be simple and respond to most needs. There is no reason to drop it until a long time.

Comments

I hope so as there are so many engines that use more complex languages but when it comes to more simplistic languages there seem to be few options. There is Pygame but the development seems slow but GoDot is a new way forward. I think if the community started to embrace C++ over GDScript the the bar of understand would just complicate thing's instead of people actually developing games.

Answer 3

I wouldn't worry about it. I have used C++ since the 1990s and can say I hate using it, primarily because it takes too long to compile and you need to own the computers you want it to run on, so others will encounter the same issues.

I am more concerned with visual scripting taking over, as I find it unreadable, yet a lot of people seem to like it. Visual scripting was one of the main reasons I quit Unreal.

Comments

Hi,

Really grate comment but what is "visual scripting". C++ is grate for creation thing and I have tried a bit of C, but I have no interest in C++. Id rather use Pygame, even if its implementation is older than learn C++.

When you say visual scripting, do you mean nodes? Personally I can't see this being more that an an advanced template/structure creator.

Yes I don't know a programming language yet but I have learning difficulties and when I talk to others seems know a fear bit. Just never applied it.

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At Unreal they call it Blueprints. Google it to see pictures.

When a program is very simple it is tolerable, but if the program becomes in any way complex, it is like trying to read a pile of spaghetti.

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I don't like visual scripting (of any kind) and I think it will never replace coding but is another tool that may have advantages on teams now that roles are becoming more and more specialized.

Think of a programmer coding VS nodes with basic logic for a AI designer to use when making behaviours or a mechanic designer creating states.

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I think it is a really good option for dialog trees and as you say for simple AI. Unfortunately it was the only scripting they offered for their current engine for a long time, so the people over there use it for things it should not be used for and it took over their asset store.