Saving and loading games with Godot

[@ThrillerHeartStudios]

You really need a team of more people, this is without a doubt the best Godot tutorial channel on the platform. You do it like nobody else can, these tutorials are able to cover a broad range of things with just a one hour video and tackle many of the problems a developer might face while trying a daunting task all while explaining it in a way that anybody can understand. Keep up the good work it will pay off!

[@godotneers]

Thanks a lot, I'm really glad the videos are useful! They are lot of work to make, so its about one video per month give or take (I have a full-time job and a few other obligations, so I can only do this in my spare time). Right now this channel makes about enough money per month to pay for the internet bill (which is great, I don't complain), but given that, I don't see me hiring any external help anytime soon.

[@cakemonitor842]

@@godotneers Have you considered creating a Patreon?

[@chicco_stat]

@@cakemonitor842 great suggestion, I would definitely subscribe.

[@MRxRadex]

Or youtube sponsorship, if you can do so. Really great content and I would like to support its creation.

[@godotneers]

Really appreciate it, thanks a lot! I'm a bit reluctant on doing anything "monthly" like a Patreon or KZbin members. This is really a hobby project I do in my spare time. I have a full time job and other obligations, so time is the limiting factor here. Getting some financial help would allow me to shift priorities more towards the channel but this is something that takes time to implement and I don't want people to be disappointed when they do a monthly thing and I still only put out videos at the same pace as before. That being said, if you'd like to support me financially, I have a Ko-Fi (ko-fi.com/derkork) and I just have enabled the "Super Thanks" feature here. It also helps to spread the word :-). Thanks again!

[@GreedFeed]

For whoever is in charge of this channel I hope you know in all my years of programming (there are many) this has to be one of the absolutely clearest teaching documents I’ve ever seen in my life. Thank you.

[@BattleDrumz]

I love that you show the logical steps through implementations. It really helps to see WHY certain techniques will paint you into a corner.

[@ferdinand3und4zig]

Yeah. Which really is how all learning resources should be. So much (not just for Godot, but everything) is just what's available and step by step instructions, when what's important is the "Why" and how it works. The architecture and internal process on a bigger scale, even the Godot Documentation rarely shows that.

[@merthyr1831]

Most people writing tutorials for topics like this would do a single solution and call it a day. Even for other programming/gamedev products. But you're always so careful to explain the cost and benefit of different solutions so we can use what works for our project and preferences. It's a sign of a true teacher!

[@LuisCassih]

For compatibility on new changes to the save game structure, a nice approach used by databases is to have a migration table. When you create a save data file, you also store a version numer of the current Save Data structure. So each time you need to change the structure, you increment the version and create a migration function who convert the previous version to the newer one. That way, for example, if the user had a very old save data, the system will read what version is, and will loop for each migration function executing their converter until the save data is upgraded to the newest version. But yeah, it's a long topic to talk about ^^

[@speggeri90]

Excellent notice and suggestion!

[@ThinkWithGames]

It's a good day when there is a new Godotneers video :-)

[@amosf.2780]

it is so true!

[@DanielRothery]

Really enjoying your video's. One of the things I HATE about most of the Tutorial/Course content out there is they teach you the simplest way to achieve the result depicted in their description/thumbnail and call it a day, scoop up the ad revenue and they are happy. What I'm enjoying about your content so far is that you do the above, show how to achieve something... Then explain why it's not the right way to do it and expand on it, and show the "proper" way. I don't want to learn quick hacks, I want to be taught the right way to do stuff. Keep at it :)

[@georg_wacker]

For the ResourceSaver you can change the file type from "tres" to "res" to save it in binary format.

[@Armilar255]

You see 1 hour long video about saves and first thing comes to mind is "maaan this is gonna be 90% filler content, saves can't be that hard, right?" Turns out it's a fairly deep topic, the video is packed to the brim with useful info, easy to digest and very entertainment, congratulations!

[@tayete]

The best Godot channel around hands down!

[@Rivologia]

Yeah, huh. This video plus the accompanying article must be the best piece of game development teaching material I've ever seen. You have introduced crucial topics that I never came across when I was doing research for a save/load systems in Unity games I worked on in my whole career, and explained them with just the correct amount of detail: enough to not leave any holes, not too much to ramble on and just bloat the video length. Furthermore, you have taught about problems I've been aware of but never had the time nor organically came across to figure out full solutions to before. I started watching this video, very new to Godot but curiously looking into getting fluent there, and I've found the language and phrasing used very easily understandable from my transferrable knowledge in Unity. Even better, I was exhilarated watching this with all the care and best-practices put into making the video: you have delineated chapters! You introduce what you're talking about, in which order, before you go into it. As I was watching it, some questions popped up in my mind, and you answered every one of them before the end of the video, fully understanding what is needed and what all the common problems and blind spots are! I was exhilarated about this, and this is the most excited I've been about learning anything in probably four or five years if not my entire career.

[@winstonyallow]

Another option besides json or custom resources is to store it as a ConfigFile. It's human readable, supports Godot data types, and comes without the overhead of custom resource classes.

[@yomerrallo1]

There are lots of Godot tutorials out there. Also many very good Godot ones. Haven't seen, though, any as elegant, entertaining, detailed and well structured as yours

[@kadenfrfx]

the fact that you made that add on is amazing you are such an amazing teacher and person

[@StrawberryRaccoonNixie]

This is by far the best video on the subject that I've seen. I'm immensely glad to have come across this video

[@khairulhamdan762]

Out of all the tutorials about saving/loading this one is the best and it isn't even a competition. You helped me actually understand what the heck I was doing with saving and loading

[@HeraldOD]

I absolutely love your videos and how in-depth they get, please keep making these!!

[@RagingPanic]

I'm floored, this is easily the BEST tutorial I've ever seen for Godot, maybe even any tutorial ever. I come away from this video with a confidence of knowledge that I simply did not have an hour ago. I learned exactly why certain methods are used and the direct consequences of every step of the most basic implementation to the more robust ones. Pardon the language but great fucking job wow.

[@romanrioter5503]

Man, how many ways have we seen this content tackled over the years by other Godot content creators? Thanks @Godotneers for breaking down the big ones, as well as covering benefits and drawbacks of each. Certain to use this video as a reference again in tandem with your written documentation and plugin. Thank you!

[@DUHRIZEO]

The mic audio improvement is heaven man. These tutorials are so incredible it makes long listening so much more enjoyable. Thank you!

[@MakDemonik]

Amazing video. I think this is actually one one the most important Godot videos I have watched in my journey to learn godot. Saving was always a huge problem and you not only show what methods exist, why some are inferior (and in what situations it would still be OK to use them) and give a optimized generic solution for making saving easier. Thank you!

[@natefoldan]

Your videos on Godot are easily and by far the best there are. I'm awed by how well explained everything is. I've already made a full game and I still watch these to gain a deeper understanding of everything. And they're just simply enjoyable to watch.

[@pixelhoopoe]

This is by far the best tutorial on saving and loading in Godot that I have seen. You not only showed the solution, but you actually explained it. You're great.

[@cryptoinvader3161]

The best tutorials for Godot. I was having really hard time with GUI and only after your tutorial on that subject everything was clear finally, the best part is that I watched that tutorial 3 month ago and everything is still clear. Same goes for all other tutorials here! You have a really great talent for lecturing and thank you for making all of this.

[@viruschris3160]

Just saw this in my recommendations today and I’ve been looking at tutorials to learn Godot. Aside from GDQuest this is another awesome channel showcasing how Godot. I’ll have to come back later to learn. But this will help a lot when setting up a save system. And one explaining in every detail to help newcomers and such. I wish more tutorials were like this. They just jump right into doing it without explaining and showing the steps properly that I just copy and not learn how to do things.

[@archentity]

I was literally looking at downloading the Godot Safe Resource Loader plugin before I watched this video! You the man!

[@brandonchang386]

Thank you so much for not only this video, but all your work getting into the nitty-gritty details of Godot. I don't think i'm exaggerating when I say your content is a huge boon to Godot and it's adoption for people who want to use Godot seriously for making games. Keep up the great work!

[@paul-songer]

You are a real one. I can tell that you actually use Godot instead of just reading the docs and cobbling together a quick tutorial. If you have time, I would love some more info on interactable objects with a PhysicsObject2D (pushing boxes and such). All the tutorials on them are kinda short sighted on solving a simple issue, instead of fully understanding the problem.

[@wukerplank]

Love how you explain the naive approaches and showcase the downsides. Easily one of the most valuable Godot education channels ✨

[@OOF-sb3rk]

didn'f finish this video yet but omfg that's so much better than most other tutorials, you actually go slowly enough and get into stuff instead of glossing over it and assuming we're 100% used to coding terminology, so my brain can process stuff you're saying. i even feel like watching all of your other videos just to see if i've missed some other stuff about Godot

[@xXYourShadowDaniXx]

After watching I think I'm glad I stuck with the JSON approach, its portable between languages, you can encrypt it if you want only the determined players to cheat, and if its a multiplayer game you can keep the valuable data server side. You may have to massage typed data, but everything has tradeoffs. Currently I'm using a single JSON file to manage my players Options menu settings, no one cares if these are edited so I haven't played with encrypting yet.

[@godotneers]

Yes, if you want to interact with other systems not written in Godot going with JSON is definitely easier as it has widespread support across many languages. As you said, everything is a tradeoff in the end. That's why I tried to show the most common solutions I have come across and then everyone can decide what fits their use case best.

[@davidrop]

I'm at the 25th minute and you already amazed me. I thought the tutorial would stop at JSON, which, by the way, is more than enough for many games... I'll keep watching. Congratulations on the depth of your tutorials

[@UsedNacho]

I like that you explain why we do things rather than just giving us the solution because that is so helpful!

[@veto_5762]

I've been using Godot from time to time for quite a while, yet I managed to learn few tricks I wasn't aware before You're a natural teacher I might add, is hard to make videos like this and avoid sounding monotonous and yet you nailed it pretty well

[@psielemental]

Actually going through ALL the possible options instead of just one, and actually going through all the pros and cons, very nice. Very nice indeed!

[@kaunghtut4574]

Mate, you are a national treasure! The explanation was spectacularly done, excellent pacing and detailed information. Thank you for your hard work.

[@Donahue9389]

The article on save game compatibility is exceptional. Fantastic work!

[@jackiewatkins1830]

This is a must watch video if you are trying to pick up skills in Godot... Logically presented and informative about the considerations to be made about the process of saving games. Great work on this...

[@BernhardHofmann]

There are not enough thumbs up for me to show you how much I appreciate you sharing your knowledge so openly and in a way that makes sense, covers all aspects, and is entertaining as well! Absolutely amazing video, thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@Stoniye]

This tutorial is absolutely fantastic! I love it! In my past few projects, I always worked with dictionaries and faced the same problems you mentioned. However, the new system with resources was so easy to set up. I LOVE IT!

[@twirlincurtis]

I would just like to thank you for being so thorough in your explanations of Godot! I really REALLY appreciate that you go into the reason behind all your decisions in these videos. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@mikecurtin0109]

This is excellent! As others have said, I appreciate the way you walk the viewer through successively more complex solutions. I was able to follow along using my in-progress project to get my load/save system off the ground. Really good stuff - thank you!

[@DelahayeChristophe]

This is the best tutorial I've ever watched period. It's very clear and I managed to learn a lot ! Thanks a lot for all the work you put in !

[@therearetoomanytomatoes]

Very comprehensive yet perfectly paced and structured. Tip top!🤟

[@godotneers]

Glad this has been useful! Thank yu you very much for your support!

[@TheDavidCraft0s]

This is truly gold, paused examples, clear situations and solutions. One of the best tutorial I've ever seen for programming videogames since I started with Unity to Godot today. You even wrote an article and an addon.

[@AudleStudios]

I have about 350 variables I need to save and load. so 20:33 to 26:00 helped me a ton. (I'm making an app to help with my job lol). Thank you so much!

[@Snafuey]

Wow great work. Your doing great things for Godot developers!

[@rickycousins4428]

Your videos are my favorite godot tutorial videos I have found and it has resparked my urge to learn Godot. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos. Can't wait to see more!

[@Para_Bot_EpEp]

Finally, Mr. Godotneers has uploaded the most detailed tutorial video one month later. Always enthusiastic and healthy, Mr. Godotneers❤👍

[@user-nc9on4bp2o]

Riveting video, teeming with priceless knowledge and delivered with engaging flair. An exceptional resource for anyone seeking profound understanding. Excellent. Score 10/10.

[@justinallen4903]

This video and your resources video taken together has completely changed the way I use Godot.

[@hafizhasan3668]

I just want to say your channel really saved me, I was struggling to find a good tutorial but yours is just the right length and all the information I need, thank you very much for your hard work

[@MikeHowellhakosoftware]

At first blush I thought "What could possibly take an hour to explain about save/load?!" An hour later, I appreciate your thorough approach.

[@eedoan]

Thank you for these videos, they are very helpful. I love that you show common mistakes/problems and also teach how to look up information in the documentation.

[@jackpaice]

Man, someone should make a statue of you. This was excellent. Thank you so much for all the detail!

[@derpmagician5631]

this was more complicated than i thought it was going to be but it was a very detailed, i loved it

[@5naf_plushies482]

Words can't describe how helpful your tutorials are! Thank you so much! I never understood saving and loading and there weren't many tutorials on the internet so this video was super informative! Definitely gonna stick around to see more!

[@willd2609]

these are the most useful and well put together tutorials I've seen online, for Godot and perhaps for anything else!!

[@GameTourist491]

such a great tutorial, really appreciate it

[@BjornvandeSand]

What an absolutely solid tutorial. Thank you very much!

[@flameshard]

Awesome vid as always, great job with the compatibility doc and the code exec addon

[@Eliasdbr]

Thank you so much for these quality tutorials! You are a great teacher. More tutorials should explain using trial and error, especially simulating the mindset of a beginner. You are really good in what you are doing.

[@MegaAsmodey]

Thanks for the video; your tutorials are some of the best I have ever seen.

[@bencepaul3497]

Another fantastic tutorial! Very easy to follow and I feel like I understand the implications (pros vs cons) of the different save game approaches. Thanks very much for making these! Looking forward to the next one!

[@calebkirschbaum8158]

This is fantastic. Every time I saw something I would want to improve and questions would be about to come up, you were already answering them. The only thing I would have liked in addition was how to handle multiple saves. But that's a minor aspect I'm sure I can get through UI.

[@the_jd6967]

Great to see Godot's rising Btw, your 23th like

[@Hafgandil]

Wow, the best Tutorial on a SaveLoad System ever. I love it!

[@bernardobonanca9787]

These videos are pure gold. So easy to follow. Thanks Godotneers!

[@legendarybanditmb]

I really appreciate your explanation of this topic! In addition to great information about Godot built in resources for saving and loading which I am still learning, I think this is a fantastic video for developing an intuition about the pros and cons for different approaches for our own games. This is so helpful! Looking forward to reading the article you linked as well :)

[@Xero560]

Excellent video. I like that you compared several common ways of handling save data.

[@HDMentor]

It Helps me a lot 🥰 | I was frustrated with my godot | THanks for this wonderful Explanation :)

[@jacksoniac3800]

Thank you! It is so understandable and detailed. Perfect tutorial!

[@Lion4de]

So helpful and valuable. Just made my way through your whole backlog and hope to see more...amazing quality of information and presentation. Thank you!

[@10Dima01]

Your tutorials are so interesting and useful that I can't stop watching till the end

[@RasakBlood]

As a beginner finally at the stage where i need to tackle saving and with a lot of stuff to save this is very good. My brain hurts but its good.

[@chris_newton_dev]

Just wanted to say thank you for being an excellent teacher :) also, you sound almost exactly like Brackeys, which is a compliment by the way! Both of you have great voices and are excellent teachers 😎

[@antivirusjrelax9155]

Thank you so much, it's really too easy explained and with lots of examples, issues and resolves. Your voice is also cool! I hope you'll continue to make tutorials. I would buy your courses if you make them😁

[@happyfarang]

Best Godot tutorials in the universe. Fun to watch, informative and comprehensive. ... I just wish it had more C#. That said, everything will translate well to C# so don't listen to me. Just keep doing what you do :)

[@KyleRassweiler]

You could also save hash values of save files then check against them during load to make sure no external changes were made.

[@godotneers]

Yes indeed. It's not going to stop a determined person (as they could just save a new hash of the modified file) but it will make it harder for the average person to mess with the save files.

[@AJMarraffa]

Excellent video! Thanks so much. Big help for me as a solo indie dev.

[@davidwagner6116]

"Like" right away, "Subscribe" way sooner than I would have thought. Thank you, this is exactly what I'm figuring out.

[@raymondho2]

OMG, compatibility part is really helpful which I just meet that. Thank you!

[@davemurray9977]

Love this channel!!! Thank you so much!

[@WarrenGarabrandt]

I'm very happy that I subscribed to your channel. I'm learning so much about Godot.

[@DrFlorent]

Thanks a lot for your videos, they're always some of the most clear and complete out there, and have helped me a lot with learning how to use Godot! Are you planning on making a video about option menus? So far I've seen a few tutorials on changing resolution/sound/etc, but they often don't explain why they're doing things the way they are, so I don't really know what the "proper" way to handle all of this is.

[@deadslapTV]

Thanks a ton for these videos, they are incredible. Im working through all of them and the one's I've watched have been very helpful.

[@kruth6663]

Yeahhh this is exactly what I need, thank you. This tutorial is SO GOOD!

[@artourprice2435]

You are doing great stuff and you also good at teaching. Your videos always inspires me to learn more, develop more. Thanks for sharing and looking forward more content from you.

[@alexandreancel6423]

Another absolutely awesome video, thank you so much !

[@fredericoc6234]

One of the best videos on the interwebz

[@miaoumixed4268]

Thank you much for this video and all your tutos. This is the one I was looking for.

[@Тимми-м6л]

This is the best video on this topic! THANKS!!!!!!!

[@lukaspaver]

Your tutorials are super helpful. Amazingly explained as well 👍

[@cholasimmons]

magnificently executed tutorial!!! The way you pronounced "panel" was freaking me out though

[@Taimisverycool]

NVM THE JSON WORKS FINALLY!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@mellit6630]

Another great video and then I even learn more in the comments. Thank you for your hard work and knowledge!!!!

[@devon674]

oh dear god, it's over an hour long!? not a dig at the video at akk but without even watching this my heart sank because generally speaking if there's a Godot tutorial explaining how to implement a feature, I've found it generally takes me at MINIMUM ten times that video's run time to actually get it working, and I really, really, really don't want to spend 10+ hours just figuring out something as absolutely fundamental as how to save and load games. BUT, I do get that this video is more of a comprehensive, deep dive on the topic. I just really, really, really hope that this is way more information than I actually need, because otherwise, yiikes, RIP me.

[@nightbat13131]

You are given a usable solution within the first few minutes to get you going, then you can watch the rest for information and you can decide what's worth spending your time on. While saving and loading files is fundamental that does not make it simple or easy.

[@highnoon_fox]

I love this tutorial format. Please be the Unreal Sensei of Godot. (Sorry for the entitlement) Can you make a video on animation

[@amosf.2780]

thanks for your content. This helps a lot!

[@user-rx3xl7zn1u]

This was extremely useful. Thank you