The Dodge ability will allow the character to quickly dodge left, right, forward or back in order to avoid an attack.
Dodge chooses one of four local directions when it starts, then plays a short committed movement. It is best treated as a combat action with explicit start requirements rather than as a replacement for ordinary directional locomotion.
Target requirement
If Require Target is true the Aim Assist component needs to exist on the look source.
Key settings
Double Movement Start
Should the ability start when the movement input is pressed, released, and then pressed again?
Double Movement Timeout
The double movement history will timeout after the specified number of seconds.
Require Aim
Does the character need to be aiming in order to dodge?
Require Target
Does the character need to have a target in order to dodge? The Aim Assist component is required if this value is true.
No Velocity Direction
The direction that the ability should dodge if the character isn’t moving.
- Left: The character should dodge left.
- Right: The character should dodge right.
- Forward: The character should dodge forwards.
- Backward: The character should dodge backwards.
- None: The character should not dodge when there is no velocity.
Resolve the dodge direction
When the character is moving, the ability derives the dodge from the movement direction. No Velocity Direction handles a stationary start. Set it to None when a neutral dodge should be rejected instead of choosing a default that may surprise the player.
Double Movement Start provides a tap-release-tap gesture. Double Movement Timeout should be long enough to recognize an intentional second press but short enough that two unrelated direction changes do not trigger a dodge. Test the gesture at the lowest and highest input frame rates supported by the project.
Require Aim restricts the ability to the character’s aiming state. Require Target is stricter: the current look source must have Aim Assist and a valid target. Use the latter for target-relative combat systems; otherwise a lost target can make an apparently valid dodge input fail.
Tune the action
Test every direction against a wall, at a ledge, and immediately after changing targets. The animation and any applied motion should cover comparable gameplay distances so one direction is not unintentionally stronger. If a dodge starts in the wrong direction, inspect the movement vector and target state at the start frame rather than adjusting the animation.
If double movement causes accidental dodges, shorten Double Movement Timeout or use an explicit button. If targeted dodges never start, verify Aim Assist is on the active look source and currently owns a target before inspecting the ability itself.