Argode

A powerful and flexible visual novel framework for Godot Engine, designed to make creating interactive narratives simple and enjoyable.

🌟 Features

📖 Visual Novel Framework

• RGD Script Language: Easy-to-learn custom scripting language for visual novels
• Character System: Define characters with multiple sprites, expressions, and voice sets
• Scene Management: Seamless transitions between backgrounds, characters, and UI elements
• Text Animation: Beautiful typewriter effects and text animations
• Audio Integration: Background music, sound effects, and voice acting support

💾 Advanced Save System

• Screenshot Thumbnails: Automatic Base64-encoded screenshot thumbnails for save slots
• Temporary Screenshots: Capture UI-free game scenes for clean save thumbnails
• Auto-Save: Automatic saves at key story points (slot 0)
• Manual Save: Player-controlled saves in slots 1 and above
• Encrypted Data: AES encryption for save data security

🎨 Customizable UI

• AdvScreen: Advanced screen management system
• Custom Themes: Fully customizable visual themes
• Responsive Design: Adaptive UI that works on different screen sizes
• Menu Integration: Built-in game menus and settings screens

🔧 Developer-Friendly

• Custom Commands: Extend functionality with GDScript integration
• Asset Management: Efficient resource loading and management
• Debug Tools: Built-in debugging and testing utilities
• Documentation: Comprehensive bilingual documentation

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/AheadGameStudio/Argode.git
   cd Argode

2. Open in Godot:

   • Launch Godot Engine (4.x required)
   • Click "Import" and select the project.godot file
   • Wait for the project to import and compile

3. Run the demo:

   • Press F5 or click the play button
   • Select the main scene when prompted (or create a new scene for your game)

Basic Usage

1. Create your first scenario:

   # scenarios/my_story.rgd
   character yuko "Yuko" color:#4A90E2
   
   label start:
   
       scene bg common/bg_room.png
       
       yuko happy "Hello! Welcome to Argode!"
       yuko normal "This is your first visual novel scene."
       
       menu:
           "Continue the story":
               yuko excited "Great! Let's explore more features..."
               jump next_scene
           "Save the game":
               save 1
               yuko normal "Game saved! You can load it anytime."
               jump next_scene
   
   label next_scene:
   
       yuko normal "Thanks for trying Argode!"
       return
   

2. Load the scenario:

   # Call this in your Main scene.
   
   # Specify the message window that inherits from ArgodeScreen and was added to the scene
   @onready var argode_gui: ArgodeScreen = %ArgodeGui
   
   func _ready() -> void:
       # Wait for the message window to be ready
       await argode_gui.screen_ready
   
       # Ensure both ArgodeSystem and UIManager exist to avoid errors
       if ArgodeSystem and ArgodeSystem.UIManager:
           # Jump to the 'start' label to begin
           argode_gui.jump_to("start")
       else:
           print("❌ ArgodeSystem or UIManager not found")

📚 Documentation

• English: Full Documentation
• 日本語: 完全なドキュメント

Key Topics

Visit our online documentation for detailed guides:

• Getting Started
• RGD Script Reference
• Save & Load System
• Custom Commands
• API Reference

🎮 Core Commands

Basic Commands

• character - Defines a character with sprites and properties
• scene - Sets the background image and scene
• audio - Plays audio data
• menu - Creates interactive choices

Save System Commands

• save [slot] - Saves the game to a specified slot (1 or higher)
• load [slot] - Loads the game from a specified slot (0 or higher)
• capture - Takes a temporary screenshot for the save thumbnail

Advanced Commands

• fade - Screen transitions and effects
• wait - Pauses execution for timing control
• set - Creates variables, arrays, and dictionaries

🛠️ Development

Requirements

• Godot Engine 4.x
• Basic knowledge of GDScript (for custom commands)

Development Tools

VS Code RGD Syntax Highlighter

For the best development experience, install our official VS Code extension:

Argode RGD Syntax Highlighter

✨ Features:

• Syntax Highlighting: Full support for RGD script syntax with beautiful color themes
• Smart Indentation: Automatic indentation for labels, menus, and choices
• Code Folding: Collapsible label blocks for better organization

📦 Installation:

1. Download the .vsix file from the releases page
2. Open VS Code → Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Click "..." → "Install from VSIX"
4. Select the downloaded file

Project Structure

If you create definition files with a .rgd extension inside the definitions directory, ArgodeSystem will automatically load them first. Similarly, .gd files in custom/commands that inherit from BaseCustomCommand are also automatically loaded as user-defined custom commands.

addons/argode/          # Core framework files
├── core/               # Main system components
├── builtin/            # Built-in commands
├── commands/           # Command handling system
└── managers/           # Game state managers

custom/                 # Your custom commands (optional)
└── commands/          # Custom command implementations

definitions/            # Asset and character definitions (optional)
├── assets.rgd          # Image, audio, and UI definitions
├── characters.rgd      # Character definitions
└── variables.rgd       # Global variable definitions

scenarios/              # Story scripts (.rgd files)
└── main.rgd            # Scenario file

Root files:
├── project.godot       # Godot project file
└── README.md           # This file

Documentation: Full documentation is available online at https://aheadgamestudio.github.io/Argode/

Note: Development files (test/, tools/, assets/, scenes/, docs/, etc.) are excluded from distribution to keep the framework clean and focused.

Creating Custom Commands

# custom/commands/MyCommand.gd
extends BaseCustomCommand

func _init():
    command_name = "mycommand"
    description = "My custom command"

func execute(args: Array, context: Dictionary) -> Dictionary:
    # Your custom logic here
    return {"success": true}

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please read our Contributing Guidelines before submitting pull requests.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🔗 Links

• Documentation: https://aheadgamestudio.github.io/Argode/
• VS Code Extension: https://github.com/AheadGameStudio/Argode-rgd-syntax-highlighter
• Issues: https://github.com/AheadGameStudio/Argode/issues
• Discussions: https://github.com/AheadGameStudio/Argode/discussions

🙏 Acknowledgements

Thank you to all contributors who help make Argode better for the visual novel development community.

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Made with ❤️ for visual novel creators using Godot Engine