GodotBoy Export Template

This is a template for exporting a GB/GBC ROM into an bundled executable for Linux, Windows, or Android. This makes publishing on Steam or Google Play Story as easy as dropping your ROM into the template, pointing the emulator at it, and exporting the project.

Under the hood, I've used RBoy (a Rust based emulator) into a library, and interfaced into Godot. Using a full game engine like Godot under the hood means you can modify controls easily, add/modify touch screen controls (touch screen Android controls are WIP), write custom screen shaders, or even place your game into a 3d environment. And since Godot is lightweight, the download size is still quite reasonable.

Theoretically, your GBStudio/gbdk-2020 game could interface with a larger Godot game through screen reading, link cable communication, or even RAM save data. But that's only something I've theorized about, not actually explored myself. You could even add Steam achievements through a similar method.

As a bonus, it hides the ROM within a compressed asset files. It is possible to even encrypt your ROM to make it harder (but not impossible) to pirate, if you very strictly wanted your game to run on a supported platform. I don't suspect that would be a popular option, but it's possible for anyone who cares to.

https://gitlab.com/greenfox/gbc-exe-template

To try it out yourself, download this repo, download Godot, replace my ROM with yours (be sure to delete my rom), and follow the export tutorials on Godot. Currently, it supports Linux (ARM64 or x86_64), Android (ARM64 & x86_64), and Windows (x86_64). It should be possible to export to Mac/iOS, but I don't own any Apple hardware, so I have no way do any of that (if someone wants to donate some, I might be persuaded to spend some time on it).

If there is enough interest, I would like to publish a Anthology game: a collection of GBStudio or gbdk-2020 games in a single Steam and/or Android. If your game is in a presentable state and you'd like to be part of an anthology, message me or comment that you're interested with contact info.

It is, in it's current state, MIT licensed. I don't *expect* to make any money on this, but if this help your publish your game on one of these stores, consider helping me spend more of my personal time on it. (And back GBStudio on Patreon while you're at it)

Thanks for checking it out!

Edit: oh yeah, and my underlying emulator support GBA too, but without a ripped BIOS file, that might not be viable as publishing option.