Gaminode Documentation

What is Gaminode

Gaminode is a game engine for Windows and Linux. It ships as three parts:

• Gaminode Hub — a lightweight launcher that installs, updates and opens the engine and adds export platforms.
• Gaminode Engine — the editor, with five extra tools built into the Project menu.
• Gaminode AI — an optional assistant that runs on your own computer and can build simple games from one sentence (early preview — we are working on it).

Instead of downloading an editor and hunting for matching export templates yourself, Gaminode puts it all in one place: one launcher, one place to install the editor, one place to add export platforms as you need them.

Who this is for

Gaminode is aimed at solo developers and small teams who want a straightforward path from a fresh install to a shipped build, without assembling toolchains by hand. You can use it for both hobby and commercial projects — see License terms below.

What's new in 4.8.dev3

Engine 4.8.dev3 · Hub 1.2 · Gaminode AI 1.1

System requirements

Gaminode runs on modest hardware, including laptops without a dedicated GPU.

Install the Hub (Windows)

Gaminode Hub is distributed as a Windows installer built with Inno Setup. It installs the launcher, creates Start Menu and optional desktop shortcuts, and registers an uninstaller.

Install the Hub (Linux)

On Linux, Gaminode Hub comes as a small archive with an install script. It installs into your home folder — no root or sudo needed.

tar -xzf GaminodeHub_linux_x86_64.tar.gz
cd GaminodeHub
sh install.sh

Creating an account

The first time you open Gaminode Hub, you'll be asked to create an account before you can use the rest of the app.

How it works

Accounts in Gaminode are local to your device — there is no server, no email verification, and nothing is sent over the network. Your username and a hashed version of your password are stored in a small file on your own computer.

Signing in later

On future launches, you'll see a sign-in screen instead, pre-populated with the option to use your existing account.

License terms

You'll be asked to accept the Gaminode license the first time you try to install the engine (not before — browsing the Hub itself doesn't require it).

Summary

The full text is shown in-app on the License tab and during installation. This summary is provided for convenience and doesn't replace the full agreement.

Installing the engine

The Engine tab (labeled Install in the Hub sidebar) is where the actual Gaminode editor gets downloaded and set up.

The engine is downloaded as a compressed archive and unpacked into a per-version folder, so installing a new version later doesn't overwrite or affect the previous one until you choose to update.

Updating the engine

When a newer engine version is available, the Install tab shows "Update available" along with the version currently installed.

Clicking Update downloads and installs the new version into its own folder, leaving your current version untouched until the new one finishes installing. Open Current lets you keep working in the existing version while the update downloads in the background.

Opening the editor

Once installed, click Open on the Install tab to launch the Gaminode editor as its own window, separate from the Hub. You can close the Hub after launching the editor — the two are independent processes.

On Linux the editor is installed as ~/.local/share/gaminode/engine/<version>/GaminodeEngine.x86_64 and opens the same way from the Hub.

Export platforms overview

The Modules tab lists every export target Gaminode supports. Each platform installs independently — you only download the export templates for the platforms you're actually shipping to.

Installing a platform

Android

After installing the Android export templates from the Modules tab, the editor's built-in export dialog (Project → Export) can produce a debug or release APK for testing or distribution. Signing a release build for the Play Store requires your own keystore, set in the Android export preset (Keystore section). Health Check warns you if it isn't configured.

Windows

Windows exports produce a standalone 64-bit executable that runs without the engine or Hub installed on the target machine — you can distribute it directly to players.

Web (HTML5)

The Web export template targets browsers without requiring SharedArrayBuffer/threading support, which keeps hosting simple — it works on most static file hosts without special server headers.

Linux

Linux exports produce a 64-bit binary. You can export for Linux from either Windows or Linux — no additional configuration is needed.

Gaminode AI — AI Game Builder

Gaminode AI is an optional app that runs a small AI model on your own computer. You describe a game in plain words, and it builds a playable version inside your open Gaminode project. Then you keep chatting to change it. It can also answer questions and write GDScript for your project.

Everything runs locally: no internet connection after setup, no account, no API keys, and your project files and chats never leave your device.

Installing Gaminode AI

The AI needs a reasonably capable computer because the model runs on your own hardware. The Hub's Modules tab checks this for you with Scan My System:

Windows

Linux

tar -xzf GaminodeAI_linux_x86_64.tar.gz
cd GaminodeAI
sh install.sh

Build a game from one sentence

make a game where the player moves left and right and dodges falling rocks, survive 45 seconds to win

make a platformer where the player collects coins, one enemy walks back and forth, 3 lives, win at 10 coins

space shooter: enemies come from the top and shoot at me, a boss at the end, win by beating the boss

What it can build today

Change a game by chat

After a game is built, keep talking to the AI in the same chat. It changes only what you asked for and keeps the rest of the game as it was.

make the enemies faster
add more enemies
give the player 5 lives
win at 20 coins instead
change the theme to night

You can also ask ordinary questions ("how do I make the camera follow the player?") and get GDScript you can copy into your project. The + button next to the chat box has a Find Assets mode that recommends well-known asset libraries for sprites, models and sounds.

What it can't do yet

We are working on all of these:

• Graphics are simple colored shapes — no generated sprites or 3D models yet.
• Games are single-scene 2D games; no menus, levels or saving yet.
• It can misunderstand long or unusual requests — short, clear sentences work best.
• Touch controls for mobile builds of AI-made games aren't added automatically yet.

Editor Tools

Gaminode adds five tools directly to the editor's Project → Tools menu — no plugin marketplace, no separate install.

Project → Tools →
  Gaminode: Health Check
  Gaminode: Optimizer
  Gaminode: Auto Lightmap Setup
  Gaminode: Stylized Render Setup
  Gaminode: Cinematic Post-Processing

Hub tab reference

File & folder locations

Everything Gaminode stores locally lives in one data folder, separate from wherever you installed the Hub itself: %APPDATA%\Gaminode\ on Windows and ~/.local/share/gaminode/ on Linux.

Troubleshooting

"Windows protected your PC" on install

This is the SmartScreen warning described in Install the Hub. Click "More info" then "Run anyway." It appears because the installer isn't yet signed with a paid certificate — it doesn't indicate the file is unsafe.

Install failed / stuck downloading

Check your internet connection, then use the "Retry Install" button that appears after a failed attempt. If it keeps failing, the GitHub release hosting the engine files may be temporarily unreachable — try again in a few minutes.

Gaminode AI says the editor isn't running

Open the engine from the Hub and open your project before asking the AI to build a game. Make sure the engine is version 4.8.dev3 or later — older versions can't receive AI commands. If the Hub shows Update available, update first.

The AI built something different from what I asked

Ask for the change in a short follow-up message ("make the enemies slower", "3 lives"). Short, specific sentences work best. The AI Game Builder is an early preview — we are working on making it understand more.

Linux: the Hub can't download or unpack the engine

Install the helper tools, then retry: sudo apt install curl unzip (Ubuntu/Debian/Mint), sudo dnf install curl unzip (Fedora) or sudo pacman -S curl unzip (Arch).

Forgot my account password

Delete %APPDATA%\Gaminode\account.dat (Linux: ~/.local/share/gaminode/account.dat) and relaunch the Hub to create a new account. See Creating an account.

A platform shows "Not installed" after I installed it before

Check that the export template files still exist at the path listed in File & folder locations. If they were removed or moved, the Hub will offer to reinstall just that platform.

Frequently asked questions