How can I implement and manage screen rotation and orientation changes in my Android game app using Godot?

Implementing and Managing Screen Rotation and Orientation in Godot

Introduction

Screen rotation and managing orientation changes are critical aspects of developing mobile games, particularly for Android platforms. Godot provides robust features to handle these scenarios efficiently.

Detecting Orientation Changes

In Godot, you can detect orientation changes by connecting to the main_loop/id signal. This signal is emitted whenever the global orientation changes. Here’s how you can implement it:

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extends Node

func _ready():
    OS.connect("screen_orientation_changed", self, "_on_screen_orientation_changed")

func _on_screen_orientation_changed(new_orientation):
    match new_orientation:
        OS.SCREEN_LANDSCAPE:
            print("Landscape")
        OS.SCREEN_PORTRAIT:
            print("Portrait")

Locking Screen Orientation

To lock the game to a specific orientation (e.g., landscape or portrait) in Godot, you can set the desired orientation in the project settings. Navigate to Project -> Project Settings -> Display -> Window and set the Orientation to your desired setting.

Best Practices

UI Adjustments: Always ensure that UI elements are responsive and adapt to orientation changes to maintain a consistent user experience.
Performance Considerations: Consider using signals to handle orientation changes efficiently without consuming unnecessary resources.
Testing: Regularly test on different devices to handle variations in screen sizes and aspect ratios effectively.

Code Snippet for Orientation Adjustment

Below is an example of how you can scale UI elements based on the current orientation:

extends Control

func _ready():
    _adjust_ui_for_orientation(OS.screen_orientation)

func _adjust_ui_for_orientation(orientation):
    match orientation:
        OS.SCREEN_LANDSCAPE:
            # Adjust settings for landscape
            $VBoxContainer.rect_min_size = Vector2(1280, 720)
        OS.SCREEN_PORTRAIT:
            # Adjust settings for portrait
            $VBoxContainer.rect_min_size = Vector2(720, 1280)