Signals in Godot are a way to implement the Observer pattern, which is useful for decoupling code and implementing a publish/subscribe notification system within your game.
Here are some scenarios where you might want to use signals:
When an Event Occurs: If something happens in your game that other nodes or scripts may be interested in, like a player collecting a power-up or an enemy being defeated, you can emit a signal.
For UI Elements: Buttons, sliders, and other UI elements emit signals to indicate interaction. For example, when a button is pressed, it emits a
Game State Changes: Signals can notify parts of your game when the state changes, such as transitioning from one level to another or when the game is paused.
Asynchronous Operations: If you're performing a task that takes time, such as loading a resource or making a web request, you can emit a signal once the operation is complete.
Custom Notifications: When you want to create a custom notification system, such as informing AI agents to change their behavior, use signals to broadcast this information.
Here's an example of how to define and emit a signal in a Godot script:
And here's how to connect to a signal from another script or node:
In summary, signals in Godot are essential for creating reactive, modular, and maintainable code, allowing different parts of your game to communicate effectively without tightly coupling them together.