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 Create dynamic enemies 

In this tutorial, you’ll create dynamic enemies that move through the level and also detect the player, making the gameplay more challenging.

In this tutorial, you’ll enhance your haunted house level by introducing a new type of dynamic enemy: the 

. Unlike the static Gargoyle, the Ghost will move through the environment. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a roaming enemy that actively patrols the hallways, making the player character’s escape more challenging and immersive.

Overview

The first step in setting up your moving enemy is to create a prefab using the 

 model. This will allow you to reuse and edit the Ghost enemy consistently across your scene. Since you’ve already worked with prefabs in previous steps, this process should feel familiar.

We’ve provided two different types of ghosts for you to choose from: an 

1.  Create an empty container for your Ghost character:

) dropdown in the upper-left corner) and select 

. This will create a new empty GameObject in your scene.

Tool. Don’t worry, you’ll position it more accurately later on.

 GameObject to life with animations. Let’s make this creepy creature move!

Set the Ghost prefab

 prefab is in place, it’s time to bring it to life with animation. The Ghost will have a simple looping walk animation using an Animator Controller,  just like you did with the Gargoyle. This will make the enemy look like it’s actively patrolling the haunted house.

If you're not in prefab editing mode, double-click the 

Name the new Animator Controller “Ghost_Controller”.

 window, use the foldout (triangle) to expand the 

We’ve provided two different walking animations for your ghost; feel free to choose the one you like best.

Inside each, locate the animation clips named 

To preview the animations, select each one. In the 

 You’ll notice that each animation plays with a different character model. But don’t worry, both Ghost characters share the same skeleton (that does sound a little weird), which basically means they have the same body structure underneath. So the animations are fully compatible and will work perfectly on both models.

Once you’ve chosen your favorite walking animation, click and drag the 

 button to enter Play mode and check out your animated 

Your Ghost enemy is now animated and ready to haunt the hallways. In the next step, you’ll add a 

can physically interact with the player character.

Animate the Ghost

Just like the player character and the Gargoyles, Ghosts also need a physical presence in the scene to interact properly with other GameObjects. This means they require a collider.

component, but it must be set up carefully: colliding with the 

Confirm that you are still in prefab editing mode for the 

prefab’s shape; the recommended values are as follows:

component won’t react to forces like collisions, but it will still be able to detect them.

enemy now has boundaries and the ability to interact with other GameObjects in the scene. In the next step, you’ll add the 

Add physics to the Ghost

 prefab looks really cute, but it currently lacks the capacity to detect the 

 that handles detection. Instead of building it from scratch again, let’s reuse that same prefab and attach it to the 

Adjust the PointOfView for the Ghost prefab’s height and orientation:

GameObject that stands on a podium and needs to look slightly downwards.

Exit prefab editing mode to go back to the normal 

 script component and click and drag the 

GameObject's field of vision to see the console message showing it detected the 

 Remember to exit Play mode when you’re done testing.

GameObject. In the next step, you’ll add movement functionality so that the 

GameObject can dynamically move along a determined path.

Make the Ghost an observer

 GameObject so it can move through your game environment. You’ll create a script that manages how the 

This script uses a simple graph-based approach: you provide a set of points for the 

 to visit, and the script calculates the shortest path between each point in order. It’s a straightforward way to achieve the behavior we want.

However, another common method for dynamic enemy movement in Unity is using Unity’s 

 package. If you’d like to try that approach instead, head to 

Also, if you're curious to understand how the script works, check out 

, where we explain the key parts in more detail. If you already have some experience, you’re welcome to write your own version of the 

Rename the script “WaypointPatrol” and press 

 prefab to open it in prefab editing mode.

This will open the script in the code editor or IDE you've set up (such as Visual Studio).

Once the script is open, delete any pre-filled content.

Copy and paste the following lines of code into the script, then save it:

Create the WaypointPatrol script

Now you’re ready to bring your haunted environment to life by populating it with moving enemies. In this step, you’ll duplicate the 

 GameObject and place enemies throughout the level. Each 

 GameObject should be positioned in a way that creates unique challenges for the player, such as patrolling corridors, guarding important areas, or restricting movement near exits. These 

GameObjects will form the foundation for your enemy patrol behavior.

Decide how many Ghost GameObjects you want:

GameObjects, take a moment to analyze your level and think about how each ghost can enhance gameplay and increase difficulty. Here are a few suggestions:

Place a one to patrol near the player’s starting room

Add one in a long corridor to encourage the player to use side rooms for cover

Use another to circle around a central object, like a dining room table

Have one patrol near the level’s exit to create tension during the final stretch.

Once you have an idea of where ghosts would be most effective, move on to the next steps.

Repeat this process to create as many ghosts as you want in the scene.

Remember, try to place the ghosts where their patrols will naturally block or complicate the player’s movement; this will make for a more interesting challenge!

Organize ghosts inside the Enemies GameObject:

 parent GameObject you created in the last tutorial.

GameObjects you created, and drag them inside the 

 GameObject to set them as child GameObjects.

With all ghosts placed and enemies organized, your level now has enemies that increase tension and gameplay complexity. In the next step, you’ll create and assign waypoints so that each ghost can move around its patrol path.

Place Ghosts in your scene

To guide each ghost along a patrol path, you’ll use empty GameObjects as waypoints. Since you only need their

 positions, there’s no need for visual components. 

In this step, you’ll create and organize all the waypoints first, then assign two or more to each 

GameObject based on where you placed them in the previous step. This modular approach allows each ghost to follow a unique path, increasing variety in enemy behavior.

Create a patrol path for the first ghost:

Before you place any waypoints, take a moment to decide how you want this ghost to patrol.

Will it move between two points, like a short hallway patrol?

Will it follow a more complex route, like circling a room or weaving through multiple spaces?

Rename the empty GameObject “Waypoint_1_Start”.

For better visibility, switch to a top-down view by clicking the

, located  at the top-right corner of the 

 GameObject at the beginning of the first ghost’s patrol path.

) to duplicate and create more waypoints.

After each duplication, rename each waypoint sequentially (

, etc.) and move them to follow your chosen path.

There’s no required number of waypoints, just add enough to define the route you want. Each waypoint represents a step in the ghost’s journey.

Make waypoints visible in the Scene view:

By default, empty GameObjects can be hard to see. To make them easier to spot:

GameObjects you just created in the last step.

window, select the cube icon in the upper-left corner.

Choose a colored icon from the dropdown menu (for example, a red or blue label).

This will help you visualize paths clearly in the 

Assign waypoints to the first Ghost GameObject:

Click and drag the corresponding waypoints (like 

Create more paths for the other ghosts in your scene:

Give each one its own waypoints and path, adjusting the number and layout to fit your level’s design.

Organize waypoints inside a parent GameObject:

and select all the waypoints, then right-click on them and choose

Rename the new parent GameObject “Waypoints”.

Enter Play mode and observe the ghosts in action.

Watch their movement to verify they follow the correct path.

GameObject now has its own patrol path! With that, you've set up all the core gameplay functionality. In the next tutorial, you’ll add a

 to give players visual feedback when they get caught or escape, and you’ll also complete the game-ending loop.

Create and position the ghost waypoints

This step is completely optional, but if you’re curious about how the 

 script works, here are a few parts of the code you might find especially interesting.

Calculates the direction vector from the current position to the target waypoint.

Similarly, when the player character exits the trigger area, it sets the flag back to 

If the GameObject is close enough to the current waypoint, it switches to the next waypoint in the list.

) to loop back to the first waypoint after the last one.

Instantly rotates the GameObject to face the direction of the next waypoint.

Moves the GameObject in the direction of the waypoint at a constant speed, frame-rate independent.

If you’d like to dive deeper into programming, we recommend checking out the 

, where you’ll learn the fundamentals of coding in Unity.

Review the WayPointPatrol script

With these steps completed, you’ve implemented a dynamic enemy that can catch the player character while patrolling an area.

In the next tutorial, you’ll define the game ending conditions, set up a simple UI, and create a basic game loop for the game.

Unity Version 6.0