Procedurally move a character

[amrita]

Hi. What I'm trying to do is move a character "from code". To accomplish this I created an empty scene, with just a terrain and 2 character: one of them is the "standard" Nolan, the other one is the one I need to move, let's call it Joe. So I attached a script to Joe that just "copy" Nolan. The "copy" is done in the FixedUpdate method, through the DeterministicObjectManager:

void FixedUpdate()
{
    DeterministicObjectManager.SetCharacterMovementInput(
        mJoe.DeterministicObjectIndex,
        mNolanAnimatorMonitor.HorizontalMovement,
        mNolanAnimatorMonitor.ForwardMovement);
    DeterministicObjectManager.SetCharacterDeltaYawRotation(
        mJoe.DeterministicObjectIndex,
        mNolan.DeltaYawRotation);

}

To check whether Joe drift or not I added a debug line in LateUpdate() where I print Joe's actual position and expected position (X and Z).
With just this code, as I was expecting, Joe drift.
So to get rid of the drift I added

void LateUpdate()
{
DeterministicObjectManager.SetCharacterPosition(
mJoe.DeterministicObjectIndex,
Nolan.transform.position + mPositionOffset);

DeterministicObjectManager.SetCharacterRotation(
mJoe.DeterministicObjectIndex,
Nolan.transform.rotation);
}

to the LateUpdate method. This way the drift disappear and Joe is positioned exactly where I want.
The problem is that setting the position causes small glitches to Joe's animation...

So the question is: how should I do? Am I on the right way or is there a better alternative to achieve what I am trying to do (I guess using the AnimatorMonitor)?

(couldn't format the second code, because the editor didn't let me)

 

[Justin]

SetCharacterMovementInput and SetCharacteDeltaYawRotation should be done within Update otherwise you'll have timing issues. Anytime that you want to explicitly set the position you should create a new ability that will set the move direction, similar to what the NavMeshMovement ability does. The controller requires a pretty precise execution order in order to have the smooth results and by positioning the character within an ability you'll ensure things are in the correct order.

 

[amrita]

Hi, after some try I'm back here. I created a new PlayerInput, a new ILookSource and a new MovemetType, but I can't make them work. The horizontal/forward movements work fine, the problems start when I add the rotation stuff...

Just a brief explanation on what I'm trying to accomplish:
I want to "mirror" a character, so I created an data source object where the mirrored character push its position/rotation/status (aiming/crouching/abilities..). Every n milliseconds the "clone" retrieve these informations from the data source object and "go" to the retrieved position/rotation and start the required abilities.

What I did so far is create the "clone" as a AI character (without the NavMeshAgent) and add the UltimateCharacterControllerHandler script. I also added the MirrorLookSource and the MirrorInput and setted the MirrorMovementType on the UltimateCharacterController.

public class MirrorInput : PlayerInput
{
    private InputBase m_Input;

    protected override void Awake()
    {
        base.Awake();

        m_Input = Demo.GetInputDataSource(this.gameObject.GetComponent<CharacterIdObject>());
        m_Input.Initialize(this);
    }

    protected override bool GetButtonInternal(string name)
    {
        return m_Input.GetButton(name, InputBase.ButtonAction.GetButton);
    }

    protected override bool GetButtonDownInternal(string name)
    {
        return m_Input.GetButton(name, InputBase.ButtonAction.GetButtonDown);
    }

    protected override bool GetButtonUpInternal(string name)
    {
        return m_Input.GetButton(name, InputBase.ButtonAction.GetButtonUp);
    }

    protected override float GetAxisInternal(string name)
    {
        return m_Input.GetAxis(name);
    }

    protected override float GetAxisRawInternal(string name)
    {
        return m_Input.GetAxis(name);
    }
}

public class MirrorLookSource : MonoBehaviour, ILookSource
{
    private void Awake()
    {
        m_GameObject = gameObject;
        m_Transform = transform;

        m_Input = Demo.GetInputDataSource(this.gameObject.GetComponent<CharacterIdObject>());
    }

    private void OnEnable()
    {
        if (m_Started)
        {
            EventHandler.ExecuteEvent<ILookSource>(m_GameObject, "OnCharacterAttachLookSource", this);
        }
    }

    private void Start()
    {
        m_Started = true;
        EventHandler.ExecuteEvent<ILookSource>(m_GameObject, "OnCharacterAttachLookSource", this);
    }

    private void OnDisable()
    {
        EventHandler.ExecuteEvent<ILookSource>(m_GameObject, "OnCharacterAttachLookSource", null);
    }

    public Vector3 LookDirection(bool characterLookDirection)
    {
        if (m_InputSource != null && m_InputSource.HasData())
        {
            return (m_InputSource.GetActualPosition() - m_Transform.position).normalized;
        }
        return m_Transform.forward;
    }

    public Vector3 LookDirection(Vector3 lookPosition, bool characterLookDirection, int layerMask, bool useRecoil)
    {
        if (m_InputSource != null && m_InputSource.HasData())
        {
            return (m_InputSource.GetActualPosition() - lookPosition).normalized;
        }
        return m_Transform.forward;
    }

    public Vector3 LookPosition()
    {
        return m_Transform.position;
    }
}

public class MirrorMovement : Adventure
{
    public override float GetDeltaYawRotation(float characterHorizontalMovement, float characterForwardMovement, float cameraHorizontalMovement, float cameraVerticalMovement)
    {
        if (characterHorizontalMovement != 0 || characterForwardMovement != 0)
        {
            var lookRotation = Quaternion.LookRotation(m_Transform.rotation * m_LookSource.LookDirection(false));
            return MathUtility.ClampInnerAngle(MathUtility.InverseTransformQuaternion(m_Transform.rotation, lookRotation).eulerAngles.y);
        }
        return 0;
    }
}

The problem is that the clone start running in circles, even when the mirrored character stand still... So the question is: what am I missing?