“A Peek Under the Hood: Technical Learnings from Halls of Torment”
Paul Lawitzki;
Talk (long)
The development of Halls of Torment has taught us many lessons about making commercial games in Godot. In this talk we will take a deep dive into the games' code and share our learnings about project structure, programming patterns, performance profiling, and many other technical topics.
“Art Direction Crash Course (for non-artists)”
Simone Mändl;
Talk (short)
A talk aimed at non-artists that covers "how to art direct". I want to cover basics like composition, lighting, colors and shape language. But also teach how to stylize, what the difference between a moodboard and a reference board is and just general art knowledge that could be helpful for programmers, gamedesigners and leveldesigners.
“Beyond the Loop: A Primer on Interactive Music in Godot”
Paul Bittmann;
Talk (short)
Unlock the secrets of interactive music in Godot and learn how to bridge the gap between game developers and audio creators. In this session you will discover how to use adaptive scores to transform your gameplay, boost the immersion, replayability, and emotional impact of your project through adaptive audio. Covering all the basic terms and techniques you will be equipped with a practical toolkit for implementing dynamic music in Godot, from layering to crafting transitions and driving the music through game states with signals and gameplay based parameters.
Beyond a technical overview, you will walk away with a collaborative roadmap of clear strategies for communicating your vision to composers, effective use of reference materials and workflows that facilitates both creative freedom and project constraints. Whether you have never implemented a sound effect or you are thinking of prototyping your first adaptive music system, this talk will equip you with a starting point to understand audio terminology and empower you to elevate your game through music.
“Building Robust Godot Games with GdUnit4 & GdUnit4Net”
Mike Schulze;
Workshop (short)
Speaker Information
Name: Mike Schulze
Title: Creator of GdUnit4 & GdUnit4Net
Contact: mikeschulze.lpz@gmail.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/rdq36JwuaJ
GitHub:
- https://github.com/MikeSchulze/gdUnit4
- https://github.com/MikeSchulze/gdUnit4Net
Talk Title
Professional Testing in Godot: GdUnit4 & GdUnit4Net for Better Game Development
Theme Overview
Maintaining code quality in growing Godot projects is challenging. This presentation introduces GdUnit4 and GdUnit4Net, comprehensive testing frameworks that bring professional testing capabilities to Godot development.
I'll demonstrate practical examples of testing both GDScript and C# code, showing how to test game logic, scenes, and user interactions. Key highlights include:
- GdUnit4: Embedded testing in the Godot editor with fluent syntax and scene testing
- GdUnit4Net: v5.0 architecture with 10x performance improvements and full VSTest compatibility
- Real-world examples: Testing game mechanics and UI systems
- CI/CD integration: Automated testing workflows
Whether building indie games or enterprise applications, these frameworks provide the foundation for maintainable, bug-free code. Attendees will gain practical knowledge to immediately implement robust testing practices, reducing debugging time and improving code confidence.
Session Format
Format: 45-minute presentation with live coding demonstrations
Target Audience
- Primary: Godot developers (beginner to advanced) interested in improving code quality
- Secondary: Professional game developers seeking robust testing solutions
- Tertiary: Anyone interested in Test-Driven Development practices in game development
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Implement TDD workflows in Godot using GdUnit4 and GdUnit4Net
- Write comprehensive tests for game logic, scenes, and user interactions
- Leverage advanced features like mocking, scene runners, and parameterized tests
- Integrate automated testing into their CI/CD pipelines
- Debug and maintain large Godot projects with confidence
Detailed Session Outline
Introduction (5 minutes)
- Personal introduction
- Why testing matters in game development
- Overview of GdUnit4 ecosystem
GdUnit4 for GDScript (15 minutes)
- Live Demo: Quick setup and first test
- Key Features: Fluent syntax, scene testing, embedded inspector
- Practical Example: Testing a game mechanic
GdUnit4Net for C# (15 minutes)
- Performance Breakthrough: 10x faster execution with smart runtime
- VSTest Integration: Professional testing with Visual Studio/Rider
- Live Demo: C# testing with selective Godot runtime usage
Real-World Application (5 minutes)
- Best Practices: Effective test structure
- CI/CD Integration: Automated testing workflows
Q&A (5+ minute)
- Quick questions and resources
Technical Requirements
- Hardware: Projector/large screen for live coding demonstrations
Why This Talk Matters for GodotFest25
Community Impact
- Addresses Real Needs: Testing is often overlooked in game development
- Immediate Value: Attendees gain practical, applicable skills
- Ecosystem Growth: Promotes best practices for the Godot community
Technical Innovation
- Cutting-Edge: GdUnit4Net v5.0 breakthrough in testing performance
- Professional Standards: Enterprise-grade testing for all developers
- Cross-Platform: Solutions for both GDScript and C# ecosystems
Speaker Expertise
As creator and maintainer of both frameworks, I bring:
- 4+ years developing and refining these testing solutions
- Active community of 200+ developers on Discord
- Production usage in commercial games and projects
- Continuous innovation with recent major version releases
Conclusion
This presentation offers attendees practical knowledge to immediately improve their Godot development practices. By learning professional testing techniques, developers can build more robust, maintainable games while reducing debugging time and increasing code confidence.
“Building Starfinder: Professional Godot at Scale”
Maria, Ricard Pillosu, Felix Rios;
Talk (long)
As Godot gains traction in game development, a critical question remains: can it handle professional, large-scale production? This talk presents a case study from Epictellers, where 30 developers are building Starfinder - a full-scale RPG. We examine the practical realities of pushing Godot beyond its traditional indie roots, sharing both the unexpected wins and the genuine challenges encountered when scaling the engine for commercial AA development.
“Don't ship the wrong game!”
René Habermann;
Talk (long)
Shipping a good game that no one desires is a sad affair. It's also easy to accidentally make a production too large. I'll share how we avoid this by building many prototypes, evaluating them against real people and then go into an appropriately scoped production, staying happy devs in rough times. Maybe most importantly, i'll share how we validate prototypes to find the games with potential among the crowd, as it's simply not something predictable or plannable.
“From Theora to AV1: Transforming Video Workflows in Godot 4”
Nils Zweiling;
Talk (short)
Godot’s video playback remains constrained by the outdated Ogg/Theora codec, limiting quality and integration. My talk introduces “Video Toolkit for Godot” (VTG), an open source extension proposing modern AV1 software decoding with cross-platform support. I’ll discuss VTG’s approach to future hardware acceleration, key design choices, and practical challenges. Attendees will see early results, with an open discussion welcomed to gather thoughts and suggestions.
“Godot Foundation Q&A”
Emilio;
Talk (long)
Do you have any questions about Godot you would like to ask the people at the Godot Foundation?
After a short update about the projects we are working on, feel free to ask anything!
“Gyms, Zoos, and Museums: Your documentation should be in-game”
Robin-Yann Storm;
Talk (short)
(I am guessing this is for the public website if it gets accepted?)
Everyone always mentions that people do not read documentation. This is also the case for us as game developers. So what can we do about that? First, it is important not to force everyone to read pages and pages of documentation. Usually, only programmers and other technical folks go through all the effort of reading up on functionality. So what about artists, and designers? Thankfully, solutions already exist: Gyms, Zoos, and Museums. Let's look at examples, see how they work, how they can be built, and how they improve the development of your games.
“Keeper to Keepers: Adding Multiplayer to Dome Keeper”
Chris Ridenour;
Talk (long)
The age-old wisdom for adding multiplayer to a complex single player game is: Don't.
This talk will cover how we added mixed local and online multiplayer to an existing codebase of tens of thousands of lines of GDScript and how you can think about systems in your game to do the same.
“Less is More: Modern Approaches to Low-Fi Visuals”
Antti Tiihonen;
Talk (long)
Many indie developers choose to use retro or low-fi graphics in their games for style, ease of development and nostalgia. Join me in this talk to learn how I have combined low-resolution dithered 3D graphics with modern rendering techniques to come up with colorful, crispy visuals for Reconfigure, an upcoming sci-fi FPS-puzzle-adventure.
I will cover how I iteratively developed a unique visual style that combines modern possibilities with retro restrictions. How I deal with problems and limitations - and how I squeeze every drop of juice out of those limitations. And how I use tools that are precision machined to work within the chosen fidelity to enable rapid development of beautiful looking content.
Come and see how a handful of pixels can be greater than the sum of its parts!
“Making Audio for a Godot Project in FMOD”
Peter Havran;
Talk (long)
As the last of the "big 3" engines still lacking an officially-supported FMOD integration plugin, Godot offers a unique working environment for sound designers and composers utilizing FMOD. In this talk, I would like to explore the advantages and disadvantages this presented when making music and SFX as a one-man audio department for the roguelike deckbuilder on a grid - Fogpiercer.
“Making of Cards in Fogpiercer”
Krystof Klestil;
Talk (long)
We put in a lot of effort to make the cards in Fogpiercer feel and look awesome, the cards need a lot of information that is then also communicated to the player. In the talk I'll show how we went about implementing both 2D and 3D versions of the cards.
“Making of DOGWALK - Blender Studio's game project”
Vivien Lulkowski, Simon Thommes, Julien Kaspar;
Talk (long)
The Blender Studio is presenting the creation process and asset pipeline behind DOGWALK, a short open source game, centered around incorporating Blender & Godot.
Get insight into the planning & game design of our brief 4 month production period, the paper-craft art style that resulted in a distinct low-poly look and our glTF & Blender Asset oriented pipeline, that allowed us to create & iterate directly in Blender for art-assets, animations and entire levels.
“My experience porting Godot games to Nintendo Switch”
Pablo Navarro;
Talk (long)
I'm Pablo Navarro, the guy behind RAWRLAB Games.
The last few years I have been porting serveral Godot games to Nintendo Switch (and one for Xbox!), and somehow I even ended up being the main maintainer of a free "community" port only available to Nintendo Switch developers. I might have some advices to share, being the first one that there is no easy port.
“New Game+: Adding Backend Features to Your Godot Projects”
Patricia Berger;
Talk (long)
Ready to unlock the next level of your Godot development? Just like New Game+ adds exciting features to enhance replay value, adding backend capabilities transforms your games from single-player experiences into connected, community-driven platforms. In this talk, we'll explore how to level up your Godot projects with robust backend features like real-time multiplayer, analytics, and social systems that keep players engaged and coming back for more.
“Oh, that UI looks dope—wish it wasn’t so hard to read tho”
Henni;
Workshop (short)
Did you ever struggle with reading a piece of text in a game? Typography is still a crucial mediator for information in digital media. Be it a text log, an item description or just a menu option. Unfortunately, typography has been ill-supported by game engines for a long time. Along comes Godot, offering the best font support for games in any engine I have ever seen. In this workshop I want to explore interface design from a typographic angle, and how Godot can be used to accomodate for a wide range of gamers’ reading needs.
“One Does Not Simply Ship Web Games with Godot (Yet)”
Luca Leonardi;
Talk (short)
Godot is growing fast, but when it comes to web game development, is it really ready for production? In this talk, I’ll explore the current state of Godot Web, focusing on what works, what breaks, and what’s missing for real-world use.
I’ll walk through the actual release of a game I published on CrazyGames, sharing what it took to make it work (custom build setups, performance struggles, iOS limitations, and memory leak issues). Along the way, I’ll show practical workarounds, gotchas to watch out for, and tooling pain points.
We’ll end by summing up what the Godot Web platform needs to reach its full potential and why, despite everything, I still believe in it, and hope to one day use it at work without crossing my fingers.
“Plants, Polygons and Pixels: Large-Scale Vegetation Rendering in Godot”
Karl Bittner;
Talk (long)
Whether you're working on a stylized open-world game or a realistic landscape visualization, vegetation will be a major part of your application's graphics. But it's also uniquely tough to create and render: diverse habitats, delicate geometry, complex shading, and unique animation require an entire toolbox of tricks to look good. In this presentation, we'll showcase our easy and free workflows for creating 3D assets of realistic foliage and trees, reveal the most important shading tricks to get them looking great, and touch upon the use of impostors for level-of-detail.
“Putting Players First: Human-Centered Game Development towards Accessibility & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”
Chrysa Bika;
Talk (short)
This talk explores the critical role of human-centered research in making game development more accessible and inclusive. In both everyday life and leisure activities, people with impairments, as well as underrepresented groups, often face exclusion—sometimes unintentionally, but with lasting impact. Leading a self-determined life is a fundamental right for everyone, and this is not only a moral imperative but also reflected in legal frameworks demanding equal access and participation.
As game developers, we have the responsibility—and the opportunity—to build experiences that include rather than exclude. Accessibility is not just a feature; it is a foundation for allowing everyone to participate in play and, by extension, in broader social and cultural discourse. Meaningfully addressing complex and context-related challenges faced by underrepresented groups by embedding key themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our games creates space for reflection, motivation, and deeper engagement.
In this session, we advocate for co-designing with players at the center. We will present approaches, methods, and practical guidelines for incorporating accessibility & DEI into game development with Godot from the start. Through case studies, we will show how inclusive design leads to more intuitive, usable, and engaging games for all players.
By putting people first, we can make games not only more accessible but also more meaningful and inclusive.
“Raytracing is simple for 2D games!”
Jaanus Jaggo (Perfoon);
Talk (long)
2D games often struggle to match the visual appeal of 3D games, since they can't use common lighting techniques. However, these effects can be created with quite simple shaders, and they perform much better than the 3D counterparts.
In this talk, I will share the lighting techniques I have implemented for my game, Blastronaut, including the new 2D ray-traced lighting system for the indoor spaceship environment.
“Seeing the forest for the trees: How to think about workflows when designing tools”
Robin-Yann Storm;
Workshop (long)
(I am guessing this is for the public website if it gets accepted?)
When creating plugins, publicly available tools, or in-house one off fixes, it can be easy to shoot for only exactly what the tool is supposed to achieve. However, this can have unforeseen consequences when the tool achieves exactly what it needs on its own, but does not fit within the other workflows that users are working with. The user experience as a whole is important to consider, especially for publicly available tools.
In this workshop, we will go over key things to know about when you are designing the user experience (UX) of workflows, while keeping in mind the user interface (UI) of their tools.
Only previous experience with game development in general will be necessary. Godot itself will not be used for this workshop, so no laptop is necessary. The lessons we will go over are generally applicable for all toolsets and 3D workflows.
“Tilemaps”
Jackie Codes;
Talk (long)
Optimization with open world
-Talk about some issues I’ve run into making my open world game and what I’ve done
Scene Tiles
-Something that needs to be used more
Procedural Generation
-Using resources to make it easy to test
-Messing around with noise
-Multiple noise text
--Water
--Temperature
Power and Powerlessness
-Using it in projects you wouldn’t expect
-Makes some parts easy
-Other parts hard
Serialization (Saving and Loading)
-How it works to just put in a resource and having the whole tilemap load
I’m obsessed with cliffs
-They look so pretty
Terrains
-Other plugins
-3.5
- slow
Future
-Tilemap - tilemap layer
-Maybe each tile type will have its own tileset
--Terrains
--Scene tiles
--Normal tiles
“Unlocking GDExtension Power: Integrating external C++ Libraries”
Patrick Exner;
Workshop (short)
In this workshop attendees will learn about different ways to integrate third-party C++ libraries into the Godot Engine using the GDExtension system. We will explore C/C++ package managers such as Conan and vcpkg for managing the C/C++ library dependencies and how they can be integrated with SCons and other build systems. As a demonstration we will use the open-source simdjson library and integrate it through a GDExtension wrapper. By the end of the session, attendees will have a clear idea how to integrate third-party C/C++ libraries into Godot in a scalable way using the GDExtension system.
“Unlocking Godot’s Superpower: Productivity”
Luca Andre Martinelli;
Talk (long)
While working on Dome Keeper and PVKK over the past year and a half, people often ask me what I love most about Godot. My answer is always the same: productivity.
In this talk I'll discuss why Productivity is even more important for indie game development than many realize and what makes Godot so good at it IF you know how to harness it.
I’ll share practical examples and insights from our work at Bippinbits to show how focusing on productivity not only unlocks faster iterations but generally leads to better games.