[!NOTE] You do not need to understand everything at once. This roadmap is meant to be revisited multiple times as you learn.

If something doesn’t click yet, that’s expected. Skip it and come back later .

it's important that you realize the existence of these resources while doing the tutorials so you know where you should search .

Roadmap v1.4

Welcome to Defold

[!TIP] If you're new to programming and game development, I recommend starting with the official Defold tutorials only after at least finishing reading the four core concepts of Defold. These tutorials will give you a sense of self-development and help you get started with the basics, at least that's what I felt.

Here's a roadmap for learning Defold, made for beginners:

[!IMPORTANT] While following this roadmap, your goal is not to write perfect code. Your goal is to understand why things work and why they break.

Phase 1: Foundations

• Install Defold: Download and install the Defold editor from the official website here.
• Editor Basics:
  • Familiarize yourself with the editor interface: project view, scene editor, properties panel, console, it's very minimal and easy to understand.
• Learn the four core concepts of Defold:

For now, focus on what exists in Defold, don't try to master just yet.

• Learn about the building blocks of Defold, game objects, components and collections.

• Learn about Addressing, Code that controls a running game must be able to reach every object and component to manipulate what the player sees and hears, and Defold’s addressing mechanism makes this possible.

• Learn about message passing, message passing is a mechanism for Defold game objects to communicate with each other.

• Learn about application lifecycle.

• Explore the Defold Manual:

  • skim over the Defold manuals to get a better understanding of the engine and its features.
  • While reading, focus on recognizing names and ideas, not memorizing details.

You can move on from Phase 1 when:

• You know what game objects, components, and collections are
• You understand that objects communicate using messages
• You don’t fully understand everything — and that’s okay 😉

Phase 2: Scripting and Game Logic

• Lua Scripting Basics:

  • Learn enough Lua to read and slightly modify Defold scripts (not to master Lua): variables, data types, operators, control flow (if statements, loops), functions, there you will be given all the resources you will ever need to learn Lua.

  Beginner habit:

  • Use print() often to see what your code is doing
  • Errors are normal and expected
  • Reading error messages is part of learning

  • Understand how to attach scripts to game objects and use the init(), update(), and on_message() functions.

• Basic Game Mechanics (input → logic → result):

  • Implement movement using keyboard or mouse input.
  • Create simple collision detection between game objects.

• Example Projects: Start with very simple game ideas:

  • "Hello World" with interactive elements (e.g., a button that changes color when clicked).
  • A simple "dodge the falling objects" game or just do a tutorial like snake.

  When following a tutorial:

  • Pause and predict what the code will do before running it
  • Change small things (values, names, speeds) to see what breaks
  • If something breaks, that’s progress

Common Beginner Traps (Read when you feel stuck)

• “I must understand everything before moving on”

  • You don’t. Recognition comes before understanding.

• “My code is messy, so I’m doing it wrong”

  • Messy code is normal at this stage. Clarity comes later.

• “This tutorial makes sense, but I can’t do it alone”

  • That’s expected. Tutorials teach exposure, not mastery.

• “I should restart from zero”

  • Only restart if you know why. Otherwise, continue.

• “Everyone else gets this faster than me”

  • You’re only seeing results, not confusion.

If you’re stuck for more than 30–60 minutes:

• Take a short break
• Ask a specific question
• Or move on and come back later

Phase 3: Intermediate Concepts

• Collections and Factories:

  • Learn how to use collections to organize your game objects.
  • Understand how to use factories to create instances of game objects at runtime.

• Animation:

  • Learn how to create and use sprite animations.
  • Implement animation based on game events (e.g., walking animation when moving).

• User Interface (UI):

  • Learn how to create and manage UI elements (buttons, text, images).
  • Implement basic UI interactions.

  Tip: UI (GUI scripts) should usually not control gameplay directly.

• Sound and Music:

  • Learn how to add sound effects and background music to your game.

• More Complex Projects:

  • A simple platformer with basic movement, jumping, and collision, there is an example game already made if you need.
  • A top-down shooter with basic enemy AI.

Phase 4: Advanced Topics and Polish (Ongoing)

You do not need this phase to make and publish simple games.

• Physics: Dive deeper into the physics engine for more realistic movement and interactions.
• Advanced Scripting: Learn more advanced Lua techniques, such as object-oriented programming.
• Shaders: Explore shaders to create visual effects.
• Networking: If you're interested in multiplayer games, learn about networking concepts and Defold's networking capabilities.
• Optimization: Learn how to optimize your game for performance.
• Publishing: Learn how to build and publish your game to different platforms, it's all in the manual.
• Community and Resources:
  • Engage with the Defold community on the forum and Discord.
  • Explore community-created extensions and libraries.
  • Continue learning through tutorials, documentation, and example projects.

Tips:

• Start small: Don't try to create a complex game right away. Start with small, manageable projects and gradually increase the complexity.
• Focus on understanding the fundamentals: Make sure you have a solid understanding of the basic concepts before moving on to more advanced topics.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help: The community forum is very helpful and welcoming to beginners, also check the discord server.
• Official examples: Work through the examples, These are a great starting point and cover the basics effectively.

[!NOTE] This roadmap is not a checklist. It’s a map you return to as your understanding grows.

You are learning correctly if:

• You feel confused but curious
• You often say “oh, that’s why”
• You break things by experimenting
• You don’t remember everything, but recognize it later

It's okay to use AI for explaining concepts

This Roadmap is being cooked on calm fire, by me and ChatGPT in a controlled, gradual way. I will keep improving weak points every now and then, every line here is been discussed with psychological effect in mind.

A Roadmap is important for the confused newcomers like myself, I aim to :

• Reduce pressure on the learning journey
• Clarify when to move on
• Normalize confusion
• Add enough direction

This is possible thanks to the defold manual and ChatGPT, I'm myself, also a confused newcomer who haven’t found a roadmap, that's why I decided to make it myself with the help of the internet🙂.