Stage 2 · Lesson 2 of 7
Nodes, scenes and the scene tree
In Godot everything is a , a small building block with one job, such as a or a collision shape. Nodes form a tree, and a saved branch of nodes is a scene. A player, a bullet, a HUD and a whole level can each be a scene, and scenes can sit inside other scenes.
Godot's has three main . _ready runs when a node and its children enter the scene tree. _process runs every frame, and _physics_process runs at the fixed physics rate.
Design games as small scenes with one job each, then place copies () of them inside bigger ones. This is Godot's answer to both prefabs and components.
Common trapreaching across the tree with long paths such as get_node("../../UI/Health"), which break the moment you rearrange nodes; use exported references, unique names or signals instead.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 2 cheat sheet entries come with the full roadmap. Unlock
Resources for this stage
Start with· follow one of these
- CourseFreeLearn GDScript From Zero
GDQuest · Beginner
A free browser app that teaches GDScript from zero with checked exercises
- CourseFreeGodot Docs: Your First 2D Game
Godot Engine · Beginner
The official complete first game: scenes, signals, input, spawning and a HUD
Practise
Keep handy
Also worth your time
The official guide to connecting, declaring and emitting signals
- Game Programming PatternsGo deeper
Free book on the state, observer, component and other patterns games rely on