Vectors and 2D coordinate systems

Note: This section is a very brief overview of 2D coordinate systems and does not delve very deeply into vector math. It is intended as a high-level overview of how such topics apply to game development in Godot. Vector math is an essential tool in game development, so if you need a broader understanding of the topic, see Khan Academy's Linear Algebra series (https://www.khanacademy.org/math/linear-algebra).

When working in 2D, you'll be using Cartesian coordinates to identify locations in space. A particular position in 2D space is written as a pair of values, such as (4,3), representing the position along the x and y axes, respectively. Any position in the 2D plane can be described in this way.

In 2D space, Godot follows the common computer graphics practice of orienting the x axis to the right, and the y axis down:

If you're new to computer graphics or game development, it might seem odd that the positive y axis points downwards instead of upwards, as you likely learned in math class. However, this orientation is very common in computer graphics applications.