Getting started
Griff runs on 64-bit Windows.
Get the editor
Section titled “Get the editor”Griff is pre-alpha: expect rough edges, and projects made with one version may need changes in a later one.
Download the installer from the Releases page (the newest pre-release is at the top) and run it. It installs Griff for you, with no administrator needed and the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime if it’s missing, puts it in the Start menu and on the desktop, and keeps it up to date: a little after Griff starts it looks for a newer version, downloads it and asks whether to restart into it now or the next time it starts (Help → Check for Updates looks right away; Help → Check for Updates Automatically turns the check after starting off). The installer isn’t code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may warn that it’s from an unknown publisher: pick More info, then Run anyway. Remove Griff from Windows’ Installed apps; your projects and settings stay.
The portable zip on the same page runs from wherever you unzip it (somewhere you can write to: run Griff.Editor.exe) and doesn’t update itself; it needs the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime. Or build the editor from source: it takes the .NET 10 SDK and a minute.
git clone https://github.com/srakowski/griff.gitcd griffdotnet run --project src/Griff.EditorSee Building Griff for the tests and the rest.
Make a project
Section titled “Make a project”- File → New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N).
- Give it a name and a folder, and pick a template: the Platformer is a good first one. Each template is a small game that plays from the first second.
- Create. The project opens on its start scene.
Play it
Section titled “Play it”Press F5 to play in the Game tab, F6 to pause, F10 to step a frame and Shift+F5 to stop. While it plays you can select things in the Hierarchy and change them in the Inspector; Stop puts everything back, and Keep Play Changes (Ctrl+K) keeps what you changed on the selected entity.
While playing, Griff keeps the last 20 seconds: pause and drag the Rewind bar back to see what happened.
Change it
Section titled “Change it”- Select an entity in the Hierarchy or the Scene view, and change its components in the Inspector. Every change is one undo step (Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y).
- The Entity menu makes ready-made things, sorted into categories (a platformer player under Characters, a tilemap under Level, a button under UI…); Entity → Add Entity… (Ctrl+Shift+A) finds one as you type. Entity → New Script makes a C# script, attaches it to the selected entity and opens it. Save it, and the running game picks it up at once.
- Select a tilemap to paint it in the Scene view: B brush, R rectangle, G fill, Shift to erase.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New project (pick a template) | Ctrl+Shift+N |
| Open project | Ctrl+O |
| Save scene | Ctrl+S |
| Undo / redo | Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y |
| Add Entity (find something to make by typing) | Ctrl+Shift+A |
| Create empty entity | Ctrl+Alt+N |
| Rename, duplicate, delete | F2, Ctrl+D, Delete |
| Play / pause / step / stop | F5 / F6 / F10 / Shift+F5 |
| Play with 2 players (a window for player 2) | Ctrl+F5 |
| Cut / copy / paste entities | Ctrl+X / Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V |
| Build game / small game | Ctrl+B / Ctrl+Shift+B |
Ship it
Section titled “Ship it”Build → Build Game (Ctrl+B) makes a single .exe that carries everything, .NET included: zip it and upload it to your jam’s page. Build Small Game makes a 4 MB .exe for players who have the .NET Desktop Runtime, and Build for Web makes a game anyone can play in a browser, with a zip to upload to itch.io (see exporting).
Prefer to follow along? The tutorials build a platformer, a top-down adventure, a puzzle, a game made by an agent and a balanced one, step by step.
Next: the editor goes through everything it can do, and scenes and components what a game is made of.