Are You Team Godot or Team Raylib?

When comparing the game development utilities Godot and Raylib, Godot shines as a premier choice both for its user-friendly, scene-driven design and its extensive scripting language support, which includes C# and GDScript. Ideal for developers at all experience levels, it may falter for complex 3D game creation. Raylib, with its focus on embedded systems and education, stands out for its OpenGL support and flexibility across over 50 programming languages.

Key Differences Between Godot and Raylib

• Godot features an intuitive, scene-driven design allowing for modular game creation, while Raylib is designed with an emphasis on simplicity and directness, excelling in prototyping and tooling.
• Godot and Raylib differ in their primary supported languages: Godot integrates tightly with GDScript and C#, while Raylib is written in C and supports over 50 language bindings.
• Raylib provides advanced graphical capabilities with its unique OpenGL abstraction layer and full 3D support. Godot also supports 3D but is not ideal for complex 3D game development.
• Godot’s open-source model, with its MIT license, is beneficial for free and open development, unlike Raylib which doesn’t carry such licensing benefits.

What Is Godot and Who’s It For?

Godot is a robust open-source game engine allowing developers to craft their gaming projects from simple, modifiable building blocks known as nodes. With its intuitive, scene-driven design, developers create complex games by combining the different scenes into full-featured components. Godot’s built-in scripting language, GDscript, and optional static typing support are among the offerings that promote streamlined game logic creation. The platform is a popular choice for developers globally due to its adaptability to high and low-end devices, the ability to import directly from Blender files, and especially its specialized 2D workflow designed for games and apps. Godot provides a no-contract, no licensing fee, open-source platform for developers to create fully user-owned games. It’s suitable for beginners as well as experienced game developers, but it isn’t ideal for complex 3D game development.

Pros of Godot

• Open-source and free under MIT license
• Intuitive scene-driven design
• Supports GDScript, C++, C#, with community support for additional languages
• Built-in visual editor for coding
• Compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux

Cons of Godot

• Not suitable for complex 3D game development
• .NET only available for desktop platforms in Godot 4
• Requires learning curve for beginners to get accustomed to node-based system

What Is raylib and Who’s It For?

First released in November 2013, raylib is a graphics library created by Ramon Santamaria and contributors. Written in C cross-platform language, it supports Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Android, Raspberry Pi, and HTML5. Designed to target prototyping, tooling, graphical applications, and education, raylib stems from the inspiration of the Borland BGI graphics library and the XNA framework. It includes an OpenGL accelerated, unique abstraction layer called rlgl for powerful texture format support, 3D shape, model, and billboard support, and a robust audio loading system. Over the course of time, raylib received accolades from both Google and Epic Games, and is presently used worldwide for teaching videogame programming. Despite its complex capabilities, raylib remains an approachable tool for beginners due to its easy shader loading functionality.

Pros of raylib

• No external dependencies, all libraries included
• Potent math module for Vector, Matrix, and Quaternion operations
• Diverse texture format support
• Versatile shader support

Cons of raylib

• Some features, like 3D shape support, can be challenging for newcomers
• Limited industry recognition compared to other libraries
• Learning curve for the C language, which could be challenging for beginners

Godot vs Raylib: Pricing

Both Godot and Raylib offer cost-friendly propositions for developers, being free and open-source.

Godot

Godot scores brownie points for its open-source and free-to-use model. Crafted under the MIT license, it allows developers to modify its codebase and churn out user-owned games without burning a hole in their pocket. There are no hidden costs, licensing fees, or binding contracts to deal with, making it the go-to choice for developers looking to maximize cost-effectiveness.

Raylib

Raylib mirrors Godot in the pricing game, standing tall as a free, open-source technology. Developed by Ramon Santamaria, it has no external dependencies and is inclusive of all required libraries. From prototyping to educational use, it serves multiple purposes without a price tag, putting the budget worries of developers at bay.

Code Examples for Godot & Raylib

Godot

The following Godot example demonstrates how to create a simple 2D sprite and utilize user inputs to move it around the game’s canvas. It’s tailored for beginners and requires Godot Engine 3.2 or newer for optimal performance.

    extends Sprite
    
    var speed = 200
    
    func _physics_process(delta):
        var velocity = Vector2()
        if Input.is_action_pressed('ui_right'):
            velocity.x += 1
        if Input.is_action_pressed('ui_left'):
            velocity.x -= 1
        if Input.is_action_pressed('ui_down'):
            velocity.y += 1
        if Input.is_action_pressed('ui_up'):
            velocity.y -= 1
        velocity = velocity.normalized() * speed
        position += velocity * delta

Raylib

This Raylib code is designed to offer you a taste of developing a basic 3D game world featuring a moving camera. You’re required to have Raylib 3.0.0 installed and a compiler that supports C99.

    #include "raylib.h"
    
    int main(void)
    {
        const int screenWidth = 800;
        const int screenHeight = 450;

        InitWindow(screenWidth, screenHeight, "raylib example");

        Camera3D camera = {{ 10.0f, 10.0f, 10.0f }, { 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f }, { 0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f }, 45.0f, CAMERA_PERSPECTIVE};

        SetCameraMode(camera, CAMERA_FIRST_PERSON); // set first person mode

        SetTargetFPS(60);   // Set target frames-per-second

        // Main game loop
        while (!WindowShouldClose())
        {
            UpdateCamera(&camera); // update camera

            BeginDrawing();

            ClearBackground(RAYWHITE);

            BeginMode3D(camera);

            DrawGrid(10, 1.0f); // Draw a grid

            EndMode3D();

            EndDrawing();
        }

        CloseWindow();
        return 0;
    }

Godot vs. Raylib: Decision Point

The age-old technical conundrum – Godot or Raylib? Your choice hangs on a nuanced balance of project requirements and personal proficiencies. Let’s get to the point:

Newbies to Game Development

Godot steps up, offering intuitive scene-driven design and a built-in scripting language. It’s ideal for you if you seek a genial learning curve and broad capability. Simplicity, community, ubiquity – make Godot your steppingstone.

Hardened C Aptitude

Got your battle scars in C? Raylib is your turf. Written in C99, and applauded for its OpenGL abstraction layer rlgl and its shader use, it bares its fangs to the tech-savvy. Lean on Raylib; let your C-based wizardry shine.

2D Games Enthusiasts

Godot reigns here with its specialized 2D workflow, enabling one to create engaging experiences. Its Nodes system offers a streamlined approach to game logic. 2D-game creator? Invest in Godot; open the 2D realm.

Education-driven Developers

Raylib, developed for education, tooling, prototyping, is a perennial favorite among educators. Easy shader use and an immediate mode GUI module are cherries on top. If pedagogy is the goal, let Raylib direct your course.

Short and Sweet: Starting a gaming journey or have an appetite for 2D brilliance? Choose Godot. Possess prowess in C, or foresee education-focused development? Raylib is the better choice.