Docs User guide

FAQ and troubleshooting

Answers to common questions and fixes for common problems.

#Getting started

#Do I need to install Godot?

No. Voxel Game Maker is a desktop app. Download it and run it. Games you export don't need anything installed either.

#Where do I start?

Use Help ▸ Guided Tour for a 2-minute walkthrough, or open a sample world from the welcome window. In a new empty project, the Make your first game guide walks you through each step. See Getting started.

#The welcome window opens every time. Can I turn it off?

Yes. Untick Show this window when the editor starts. You can bring it back with Help ▸ Welcome.

#Can I change the sample worlds?

Yes. Clicking a sample opens your own copy, so you can change anything. The next time you click it, you get that same copy back.

#Building

#I clicked in the world, but nothing was placed.

The Place tool only places while the bottom panel shows Models or Prefabs, or is folded away. If another tab is up, such as Items or Behaviors, the editor says Pick a model in the Models tab to place it and switches to Select. Click Models at the bottom, pick a model, and try again.

#I can't select the object I want. Something else is in the way.

Click the same spot again to select the next object there. The status bar shows how many objects are under the mouse.

Click the right mouse button and let go. Holding it looks around.

#How big can a model or a world be?

A model can be up to 64 × 64 × 64 voxels; 16 voxels make one tile. A world can be up to 1024 × 1024 tiles and 128 height levels.

#How do I see inside a cave I built?

Use View ▸ Cut Away Above Level (Alt+9) to hide everything above the level you're editing, and PageUp / PageDown to change level.

#How do I make every copy of an object do the same thing?

When you add a behavior to an object whose model is placed more than once, the editor asks whether to add it to Just this one or to all copies. To copy settings later, use Apply to all on the behavior's page in Properties. See Behaviors and items.

#Undo and history

#I made a mistake. How do I go back?

Press Ctrl+Z to undo and Ctrl+Y to redo. The History tab on the right lists every change; click one to go back to it. It keeps 100 steps by default, which you can change in Edit ▸ Settings.

#Is anything not undoable?

Most things are. Renaming a level or a world is a plain edit rather than an undo step. Importing a .vox file isn't undoable.

#I lost work. Can I get it back?

Probably. The editor autosaves backups while you have unsaved changes. File ▸ Restore Backup lists them by time and opens the one you pick as a new project next to the original. Your project is never overwritten.

#Playing

#Play won't start, or says something is wrong.

Before playing or exporting, the editor checks for common problems: nothing to stand on at the Player Start, a missing start world, a deleted player model, or objects whose model or script is gone. Use the one-click fix it offers, or Play anyway.

#My player falls through the world when the game starts.

Make sure there's ground under the Player Start. The pre-play check offers Add a floor to the start world. You can move the start with the Player start tool (6).

#Pressing E does things in the wrong order.

An object's messages, door and E-triggers run from top to bottom. Reorder them with ▲▼ in the object's Properties.

#A script isn't working.

Check the Output tab. Script errors show there as [script] error in …, and the game keeps running. See Debugging.

#My big world feels slow.

Press F3 while playing to see the FPS. Try a smaller Draw distance under Game Settings ▸ Graphics, and keep Combine still objects turned on. See Game settings.

#Will testing overwrite my real saves?

No. Games started from the editor save to their own test folder.

#Exporting

#What do I send to other people?

For Windows, send the whole export folder, at least the .exe and the .pck with the same name. The game needs both. See Exporting.

#A platform is greyed out in the export dialog.

That platform's runtime is missing from your copy of the app.

#Mac players say the app won't open.

The Mac app isn't code-signed. Players should right-click it and choose Open the first time. The README in the zip covers what to do if macOS says it's damaged.

#My Web export doesn't run when I double-click it.

Browsers won't run it from a file on your computer. Upload the zip to a site such as itch.io as an HTML game.

#Can players cheat by editing their save files?

Saves are encrypted and checked, so editing one in a text editor won't work. A changed or damaged save is refused, and the game offers to load the backup or start a new game. This stops casual editing, not someone determined to take the game apart.

#Other questions

#Can I make my game in more than one language?

Yes. Use the Translate editor (F10) to add languages and type translations. Players pick the language in Options.

#Do I have to write code?

No. Behaviors, Triggers, Dialogue and visual script nodes cover a lot without any code. If you want to write code, see the scripting guide and Scripting without code.

#Where are all the keyboard shortcuts?

Help ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts (Ctrl+/) lists them all, with a filter box.