221ad21d-a180-4c24-9af4-f2e2146dab3a:hZGUzJc5TfSRjIpWBB87Rh

Create PlayerController and plan your code

Basic movement from user input

Constrain the Player’s movement

Code Cleanup and Export Backup

Lesson Recap

Lab 3 - Player Control

Control the execution of code with common logic structures 

Level 1 Application Scripting

Joy Horvath

Instructional Designer

CWC_Lab3.S1_U6.mp4

CWC_Lab3.S2_U6.mp4

CWC_Lab3.S4_U6.mp4

CWC_Lab3.S3_U6.mp4

In this lesson, you program the player’s basic movement, including the code that limits that movement. Since there are a lot of different ways a player can move, depending on the type of project you’re working on, you will not be given step-by-step instructions on how to do it. In order to do this, you will need to do research, reference other code, and problem-solve when things go wrong.

The player will be able to move around based on user input, but not be able to move where they shouldn’t. 

By the end of this lab, you will be able to:

Program the type of player movement you want based on user input

Restrict player movement in the manner that is appropriate, depending on the needs of the project

Troubleshoot issues and find workarounds related to player movement

Given a particular feature description (e.g. an object spawner, a difficulty select menu, a loading screen, etc.), recommend an appropriate high-level system for its implementation (e.g. what data types would be required, what would be the logic flow, etc.)

Evaluate the efficacy of a finished prototype based on its design criteria

Prototype new concepts

Unit 3 - Sound and Effects

Unit 3 - Sound and Effects (Unity EdLab Edition)

Regardless of what type of movement your player has, it’ll definitely need a PlayerController script

Select your Player and add a Rigidbody component (with or without gravity enabled)

In your Assets folder, create a new “Scripts” folder

Inside the new “Scripts” folder, create a new “PlayerController” script 

Determine what type of programming will be required for your Player

By the end of this step, you should have a new Script open and a solid plan for what will go in it.

The first thing we’ll program is the player’s very basic movement based on user input

Declare a new private float speed variable

If using physics, declare a new Rigidbody playerRb variable for it and initialize it in Start()

If using arrow keys, declare new verticalInput and/or horizontalInput variables 

If basing your movement off a key press, create the if-statement to test for the KeyCode

Use either the Translate method or AddForce method (if using physics) to move your character

By the end of this step, the player should be able to move the way that you want based on user input.

No matter what kind of movement your player has, it needs to be limited for gameplay

If your player is colliding with objects they shouldn’t (including the ground), check the “Is trigger” box in the Collider component

If your player’s position or rotation should be constrained, expand the constraints in the Rigidbody component and constrain certain axes

If your Player can go off the screen, write an if-statement checking and resetting the position

If the Player can double-jump or fly off-screen, create a boolean variable that limits the user’s ability to do so

If your player should be constrained by physical barriers along the outside of the play area, create more primitive Planes or Cubes and scale them to form walls 

By the end of this step, the player’s movement should be constrained in such a way that makes your game playable. 

Now that we have the basic functionality working, let’s clean up our code and make a backup.

Create new Empty game objects and nest objects inside them to organize your hierarchy

Clean up your Update methods by moving the blocks of code into new void functions (e.g. “MovePlayer()” or “ConstrainPlayerPosition()”)

Add comments to make your code more readable

Test to make sure everything still works, then save your scene

Right-click on your Assets folder > Export Package then save a new version in your Backups folder

By the end of this step, your code should be commented, organized, and backed up.

Lab 3 - Player Control

Overview Video

1. Create PlayerController and plan your code

2. Basic movement from user input

3. Constrain the Player’s movement

4. Code Cleanup and Export Backup

5. Lesson Recap

Complete this tutorial