Extract Data to Resources

Core Principle

Data belongs in resources, not code. Hardcoded values make iteration slow and error-prone.

What This Skill Does

Finds patterns like:

gdscript

# enemy.gd
const ENEMY_DATA = {
    "goblin": {"health": 50, "speed": 100, "damage": 10},
    "orc": {"health": 100, "speed": 80, "damage": 20},
    "dragon": {"health": 500, "speed": 150, "damage": 50}
}

Transforms to:

gdscript

# enemy_stats.gd
class_name EnemyStats
extends Resource

@export var enemy_name: String
@export var health: int
@export var speed: float
@export var damage: int

Creates resource files:

•resources/enemies/goblin.tres
•resources/enemies/orc.tres
•resources/enemies/dragon.tres

Updates code:

gdscript

# enemy.gd
@export var stats: EnemyStats

func _ready():
    health = stats.health
    speed = stats.speed
    damage = stats.damage

Detection Patterns

Identifies:

•const arrays with data structures
•Dictionaries with game data
•Embedded configuration values
•Hardcoded stats, properties, settings
•Switch statements on type strings

When to Use

You're Building Data-Heavy Games

Games with many items, enemies, levels, or configurations.

You're Iterating on Balance

Want to tweak values quickly without code changes.

You're Working with Designers

Non-programmers need to edit game data.

You're Adding Moddability

External data files enable modding support.

Process

•Scan - Find const arrays, dictionaries with structured data
•Analyze - Identify data schema and relationships
•Define - Create Resource class definitions
•Extract - Generate .tres files with data
•Update - Modify code to load resources
•Validate - Ensure data loads correctly
•Commit - Git commit per resource type

Example Transformation

Before (Hardcoded Data):

gdscript

# item_manager.gd
const ITEMS = [
    {
        "id": "health_potion",
        "name": "Health Potion",
        "description": "Restores 50 HP",
        "heal_amount": 50,
        "icon": "res://icons/potion.png"
    },
    {
        "id": "sword",
        "name": "Iron Sword",
        "description": "A basic sword",
        "damage": 15,
        "icon": "res://icons/sword.png"
    }
]

func get_item(id: String):
    for item in ITEMS:
        if item.id == id:
            return item
    return null

After (Resource-Based):

gdscript

# item_data.gd
class_name ItemData
extends Resource

@export var id: String
@export var item_name: String
@export_multiline var description: String
@export var icon: Texture2D
@export_group("Stats")
@export var heal_amount: int
@export var damage: int

gdscript

# item_manager.gd
@export var items: Array[ItemData]

func get_item(id: String) -> ItemData:
    for item in items:
        if item.id == id:
            return item
    return null

Created Files:

•resources/items/health_potion.tres
•resources/items/iron_sword.tres

Resource Patterns

Simple Resources

Single values (stats, settings, constants).

Composite Resources

Resources referencing other resources (weapon + stats + effects).

Resource Libraries

Arrays of resources for different categories.

Resource Inheritance

Base resource class with specialized variants.

What Gets Created

•Resource class definitions in resources/ or scripts/resources/
•.tres files in organized directory structure
•Updated code using @export var resource: ResourceType
•Documentation of resource schema
•Git commits per resource extraction

Smart Analysis

Identifies data types:

•Configuration - Settings, constants, tuning values
•Content - Items, enemies, levels, abilities
•Behavior - AI patterns, state machines, rules

Organizes by category:

•resources/items/ - Item data
•resources/enemies/ - Enemy stats
•resources/levels/ - Level configurations
•resources/abilities/ - Ability definitions

Integration

Works with:

•godot-extract-to-scenes - Scenes reference resources
•godot-split-scripts - Resources reduce script size
•godot-refactor (orchestrator) - Runs as part of full refactoring

Safety

•Data preserved exactly during extraction
•Validation ensures resources load correctly
•Rollback on validation failure
•Original data preserved in git history

When NOT to Use

Don't extract if:

•Data is truly constant (math constants, engine limits)
•Data changes at runtime (calculated values)
•Data is temporary state (not configuration)
•Extraction makes code more complex

Examples of valid hardcoded data:

•const PI = 3.14159
•const MAX_PLAYERS = 4 (engine limitation)
•Calculated values based on other data

Resource Organization

code

resources/
├── items/
│   ├── consumables/
│   │   ├── health_potion.tres
│   │   └── mana_potion.tres
│   └── weapons/
│       ├── iron_sword.tres
│       └── steel_axe.tres
├── enemies/
│   ├── goblin.tres
│   ├── orc.tres
│   └── dragon.tres
└── levels/
    ├── level_1.tres
    └── level_2.tres

Benefits

•Rapid iteration - Change data without recompiling
•Designer-friendly - Edit values in Godot inspector
•Type safety - @export provides validation and autocomplete
•Moddability - External .tres files can be modified
•Version control - Data changes tracked separately from code
•Hot reload - Godot reloads resource changes automatically

Common Transformations

Before (Hardcoded)	After (Resource)
`const STATS = {...}`	`@export var stats: Stats`
`var data = ITEMS[0]`	`var data = preload("item.tres")`
`if type == "fire":`	`if ability.element == Element.FIRE:`
`const CONFIG = {...}`	`@export var config: GameConfig`

Resource Types

Built-in Resources

•Texture2D, Material, AudioStream
•Animation, Curve, Gradient
•Theme, StyleBox, Font

Custom Resources

•EnemyStats, ItemData, LevelConfig
•AbilityDefinition, QuestData
•Any game-specific data structure

Resource Collections

•Array[ItemData] for item databases
•Dictionary for lookup tables
•Resource library scenes