Stop rebuilding the same attack just to compare two timing changes.

It started as the wrong tool.

The first idea was a director desk for action notes. That would have been another place to write down animation names and frame numbers. It would not tell you whether a six-tick startup feels better than a ten-tick startup.

The real problem appears after an attack already works. You change two numbers in a script, restart the game, perform the move again, and compare it with what you remember. If the new version is worse, you try to reconstruct the old one. Camera shake, sound, movement, hitboxes, and cancel timing may live in different files, so one small combat change turns into a code search.

Action Director keeps those timing decisions in one visible action file. It does not replace your game. It gives you a faster place to compare the versions before you wire the chosen timing into production systems.

What changes when you use it.

Use it when the move works but tuning it is slow.

Action Director is useful after you have animation or placeholder motion and before the action timing is settled. It supports 2D sprites and 3D models, but each action file stays in one dimension.

Runtime boundary: hitboxes receive paired open and close signals. Cancel windows receive paired state changes. Hurtboxes and other windows currently fire a generic start event, so the game must schedule any matching close behavior it needs.

Download the Windows app or inspect the source.

These Alpha packages were rebuilt on August 13, 2026. The Godot 4.7 suite passes 31 of 31 tests, including packaged resource loading for both demos.

SHA-256 checksums · Browse the public source repository. The application itself is offline. This website uses the site's normal analytics and privacy policy; the downloaded app does not send telemetry.

Decide whether the tool helps you in ten minutes.

1. Run the included 2D demo.

   Open 2D Sprite Demo and press Space. Both takes use the same eight-frame sword animation, but they reach contact at different times.

2. Pause at tick 18.

   Take B has opened its hitbox while Take A is still preparing. Press , or . to inspect the change one tick at a time.

3. Jump to the first difference.

   Use Go to difference, then select the highlighted timeline event. The Inspector shows the exact tick range and payload.

4. Duplicate a take.

   Change one decision in the copy, such as startup or hitbox timing. Keep everything else unchanged so the comparison answers one question.

5. Try the 3D path.

   Open 3D FBX Demo. The included CC0 character has a real skeleton, mesh, and animation clips, so this is the same model-loading route used for Mixamo FBX.

6. Export the result.

   Save the workspace as .adproject, then export .action.json. The JSON is the file you commit and hand to the Godot addon.

If that comparison does not save you time, the tool is probably not useful for your current project. If it does, open Tutorial > Full guide for the searchable offline manual.

Using a Mixamo character or motion.

Godot 4.7 includes a UFBX import path, so Action Director can read Mixamo FBX files directly. Blender is not required for this import step.

Move the same action into a Godot game.

1. Extract the addon package into your Godot 4.7 project so the path is res://addons/action_director_runtime/.
2. Enable Action Director Runtime under Project Settings → Plugins.
3. Keep the exported .action.json as source of truth. Import it as an ActionSpec or generate a local .tres cache.
4. Add ActionDirectorPlayer and the correct 2D or 3D actor adapter. Connect the requests your game actually handles.

player.play(action_spec, "Take A", {"grounded": true})
player.report_outcome(event_id, "hit")
player.request_cancel("special")

player.event_fired.connect(_on_action_event)
player.hitbox_opened.connect(_open_attack_shape)
player.hitbox_closed.connect(_close_attack_shape)
player.motion_requested.connect(_apply_requested_motion)

The player emits requests. Your existing combat code decides whether a hit connects, how much damage it deals, whether the character may change state, and how production assets are spawned.

How it fits into real development work.

Update log

Every Action Director program change must update the source CHANGELOG.md in the same work unit. The public log below summarizes the current package and work already completed for the next package.

What comes next, and what stays outside the tool.

Action Director is useful only if it shortens a real iteration loop. Try the Windows Alpha or inspect the source on GitHub, then tell us where the process still gets in your way.