What's the best way to make cutscenes?

[Alekssandher]

Godot Version

4.2

Question

Hello, I would like to know what’s the best way to make cutscenes for my 3d game, I don’t know if I make it using blender or Godot.

[Locher]

There are two ways depending on whether you only want a “movie” cutscene or a sequence cutscene with dialogue and interaction.
The common way to do it is to have an AnimationPlayer that controls the scene and the camera. It goes from start to finish and gives control back to the player once the “movie” ends.

If you need interaction, then you will also need to disable the process of the player while the animation is played. The AnimationPlayer can also Call Methods during the animation to trigger code sections (to alter parameters, or call signals, or allow player interaction or open up a dialogue box).

For example, QuickTime Events are also a kind of cutscenes. Being pursued by a rolling Indiana Jones boulder is also a kind of cutscene (because the camera is placed in a certain kind of way).

Besides AnimationPlayer you can also make use of code, which is most likely the case with 2d tilebased cutscenes. You make the units follow a path2d, or make them go 2tiles up, 1 tiles right, open dialogue, afterwards trigger combat.