The Road to RPG in a Box 2.0 (Godot 4 Devlog)

Over the past several days I've been focusing on getting up to speed on the UI and theming system in Godot 4. As part of this process and becoming familiar with the new theme editor, I recreated the control gallery example and made a theme based on "Obsidian" (RPG in a Box's current default editor theme).

Beyond the editor, UI and themes are also very important to RPG in a Box's widget system. Everything learned in regards to what's new or improved in Godot 4 can be carried over to the widget system. I'd like to take advantage of everything that Godot has to offer and allow for even more flexibility and options around interfaces and UI mechanics for the games that you make with RPG in a Box!

Next step: a brand new, more unique theme for RPG in a Box 2.0!

I'm so excited to present Murasaki Dreams, the new default theme for RPG in a Box 2.0! While this is still a WIP and subject to change, I've reached a point where I'm happy with how everything looks overall. I wanted to create a theme that's more fun and vibrant - something that better represents what RPG in a Box is all about! For anyone who'd prefer to use a plainer theme, an updated Obsidian and Godot theme will also be available. Next step: diving in and starting work on the new and improved editor interface for RPG in a Box 2.0!

Over the past few days I've mostly been getting up to speed on everything that's new to GDScript in Godot 4. For those unfamiliar with it, GDScript is Godot's programming language (thus what RPG in a Box is written in). I want to be sure to take advantage of everything that's available, follow best practices, and generally write the most performant and efficient code that I can this time around!

The migration to Godot 4 is going to help bring so many new things to RPG in a Box, both large and small! Beyond the major, flashier features, there should be many quality of life improvements. One cool change I've already come across is the built-in ability to navigate dropdowns via key presses. As shown in the GIF below, you can move up and down using the arrow keys, or even jump to a specific item by typing a name! On top of this, long lists now also display a scrollbar that can be dragged as an alternative to scrolling the mouse wheel.

Keep an eye on this thread for more exciting news as I continue to gain momentum towards 2.0!

I updated my Beyond 1.0 roadmap graphic to reflect the major new features planned for RPG in a Box 2.0! My goal is to integrate all of these into the design of 2.0 as I build everything from the ground up, rather than trying to fit them in later on. As you can see, there's a reason why I'm calling it RPG in a Box 2.0!

I'm excited to present a first look at the new Game Manager! I'm quite happy with how it's turned out so far!

As shown in the GIF below, it will come with a few new features. Besides the ability to navigate and search the list via the keyboard (see two posts back in this thread), I've added the ability to filter the list of games by name and sort the list alphabetically. The default order is by "last opened", as it is currently in the Game Manager. The Game Manager window can now be resized as well!

Is there any functionality you'd like to see come to the Game Manager in RPG in a Box 2.0? Post a suggestion here and let me know what you'd like to see and how it could be helpful!

Next I'll be starting to set up the brand new Game Explorer! I have lots of new things planned for it as well.

I'm currently working on the Game Explorer as mentioned in my previous post, however I took a small detour to start setting up the input dialog that's used to prompt for text values (e.g. the name for a new model). This dialog is used in many places throughout the editor, so I thought it would be useful to go ahead and get it set up now. In the next few days I should have some details to share about the new Game Explorer!

Here's a first look at the new Game Explorer! As demonstrated in the GIF, this will come with some quality-of-life improvements. Firstly, you'll be able to create subfolders directly within RPG in a Box! Secondly, the Game Explorer will now automatically refresh when leaving and returning to the editor (no more needing to hit the refresh button on the toolbar). In addition to the automatic refresh, it will also remember which resource was selected and which folders were expanded.

Want to have more control over the editor layout in RPG in a Box? In 2.0, you will! One of the new options coming is the ability to rearrange tabs in the side containers, either by dragging them or using a popup menu to select a tab's location. Stay tuned for another exciting new feature related to editor layout that I'll be sharing about soon!

I'm excited to show another new feature coming to RPG in a Box 2.0 that's related to the editor interface: floating windows! You'll be able to pop out tabs into separate windows that can be dragged outside of the main application window and even onto other monitors.

I don't have much more to show quite yet, however I have done some preliminary work to prepare for Steam Workshop support in RPG in a Box 2.0! So far I've done some learning and initial experimentation to ensure that I properly understand how everything works. Kudos to Gramps Garcia for the awesome GodotSteam module! I'm really excited for the potential of allowing models and other assets to be shared and downloaded by the community!

Worlds are colliding in RPG in a Box 2.0.

I'm super excited to announce that fun, simple music making will be coming to RPG in a Box 2.0 in the form of Bosca Ceoil, which you may be familiar with! So much appreciation and thanks to Yuri Sizov for his work in porting Bosca Ceoil to Godot, and of course to Terry Cavanagh for creating Bosca Ceoil and making a fun music tool available to everyone!

A quote from Yuri's release announcement on GitHub:

Bosca Ceoil: The Blue Album is a port and rework of the classic music making app by Terry Cavanagh. It has a playful nature and is very easy to use, especially if you are not musically inclined!

More details to come as I move forward and begin to integrate it into RPG in a Box 2.0!

Worlds are colliding (part 2). More details to come.

The Asset Library will also be leveling up in RPG in a Box 2.0! In addition to importing built-in assets, it will allow you to import models, widgets, items, and other assets directly from your other game projects and from Steam Workshop if you're running through Steam! The existing file system import functionality will be moved here, also, which will include the ability to import directly from external formats like MagicaVoxel, Blockbench, OBJ, and others.

Steam Workshop is one of the many game changers in RPG in a Box 2.0! The Steam Workshop tab in the new assets dialog will display any workshop items that you've subscribed to. You'll then be able to select and import any of the assets directly into your current project! Shown in the screenshot below are actual live workshop items being tested, with the preview image, title, and description text grabbed and displayed from Steam Workshop.

In the Model Maker for RPG in a Box 2.0, you'll be able to mix and match styles all within one model! Voxels, sprites, meshes, and even decals, can be combined together using the new layering system to create the model that YOU want!

Stay tuned for more details as I break down the latest teaser video over the coming week.

Have something blocky that you want to add to your model, or just simply enjoy drawing with voxels? Add a voxel layer to your model! In the teaser video, the grass surface and stones are made of voxels. Similar to RPG in a Box 1.0, a voxel layer will be converted into a textured mesh for in-game purposes.

Creating a 2D or 2.5D game, or just want to add details to your 3D model as billboard sprites? Add a sprite layer to your model! In the teaser video, the grass sprouts are made of sprites. Additionally, you'll even be able to import sprite sheet animations into the Model Maker, a commonly requested feature that will be extremely useful for 2D and 2.5D games!