Combat

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Choose the first-person Combat View Type for a conventional first-person camera where look input turns the camera and the character faces the same direction. Pair it with the First Person Combat Movement Type so forward, backward, and strafe input remain relative to the camera.

Combat is appropriate for first-person shooters, melee games, and interactions where the visible reticle, character facing, and item-use direction should agree. Use Free Look instead when the camera must look independently of the character or weapon.

Set up the camera and character

  1. Select the camera with the Camera Controller component and expand View Types.
  2. Use the add control and select First Person Combat.
  3. Select its radio button in the Active column. When the camera also has third-person View Types, select Combat in First Person View Type.
  4. Select the character and open Ultimate Character Locomotion > Movement Types.
  5. Add First Person Combat if it is not already present, select its radio button in the Active column, and choose it in First Person Movement Type when both perspectives are available.
  6. Configure horizontal and vertical look mappings through Input.
  7. Enter Play Mode and compare look, facing, strafing, aiming, and item use before tuning inherited camera motion.

The First Person Combat Movement Type leaves the input vector unchanged: forward moves forward, left and right strafe, and backward moves backward. Its rotation follows the Camera Controller’s gameplay look direction.

Choose settings by gameplay scenario

Combat does not add its own serialized Inspector fields. Configure the settings inherited from the First Person family:

Scenario Focus on Expected result
Fast mouse-look or controller-look combat Input sensitivity and smoothing, Pitch Limit, and the character’s rotation speed The camera responds quickly while the character remains aligned with its horizontal look direction.
A reticle or weapon should indicate the true gameplay direction Look Direction Distance, camera anchor and offsets, and item aim setup The reticle, character facing, and item use point toward the same intended target.
Weapons and hands must remain visible near walls Object Overlay Render Type, culling masks, and first-person field-of-view settings First-person objects remain visible without being cut by nearby scene geometry.
Crouching, height changes, or animated head motion Smooth Head Offset Steps, Look Down Offset, Position Lower Vertical Limit, and Collision Radius The view follows the character without entering the head or body mesh.
Recoil, landing, and movement should affect the view Primary and Secondary Springs, Bob, Shake, fall-impact, and strafe-roll settings Motion reacts to gameplay and returns toward rest without obscuring aim.
Zoom changes the combat framing Can Zoom and Zoom State on Camera Controller plus inherited field-of-view settings Zoom starts and stops without changing the character’s facing or leaving mismatched first-person object framing.

Tune from a stable baseline. Minimize spring, bob, shake, and head-rotation contributions first; establish look and aim behavior; then restore each motion source one at a time.

How Combat behaves in Play Mode

  • Horizontal look input changes camera yaw, and the matching Movement Type rotates the character toward the Camera Controller’s look direction.
  • Forward and backward movement do not require the character to turn away from the view; left and right input strafe.
  • Pitch changes the vertical camera angle without changing the character’s horizontal forward direction.
  • When root-motion rotation controls the character, Combat follows that character rotation instead of competing with it.
  • While the Move Towards ability positions and rotates the character for an interaction, Combat follows the character so the camera does not apply a conflicting yaw.

Compare with sibling options

Option Camera and character relationship Choose it when
Combat Camera yaw and character facing remain coordinated. Reticle, movement, aim, and item use should feel like a conventional first-person game.
Free Look Camera yaw can move within limits independently of character and item facing. Looking around should not automatically turn the character or redirect the weapon.

For a camera driven by a Transform during a special state, such as a death view, choose First Person Transform Look from the broader catalog rather than replacing the normal Combat camera.

Verify in Play Mode

  1. Move the look input through the full pitch range and a complete horizontal turn. Camera yaw should remain aligned with character forward while pitch stays camera-only.
  2. Hold forward, backward, left, and right in turn. The character should move relative to the camera, with left and right producing strafing rather than a turn toward the travel direction.
  3. Aim and use each relevant item at close and distant targets. Reticle, projectile or hit direction, and character facing should communicate the same target.
  4. Trigger an interaction that uses Move Towards. The character may rotate into position, and the camera should follow without a yaw snap or input fight.
  5. Test an animation or ability that uses root-motion rotation. Camera orientation should follow the character until normal look control resumes.
  6. Start and stop zoom, jump and land, crouch and stand, and approach a wall. Framing, first-person object rendering, and inherited camera motion should remain controlled.
  7. If the game supports both perspectives, switch away and back. Combat and First Person Combat should return as the active first-person View Type and Movement Type.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Check Fix
The camera turns but the character does not face with it. First Person Combat may not be the active Movement Type. Add and select First Person Combat under Movement Types, then set First Person Movement Type.
Left or right input turns toward the travel direction instead of strafing. The character may be using a non-Combat Movement Type. Activate the matching First Person Combat Movement Type and retest all four movement directions.
The reticle and item-use direction disagree. The active camera, character look source, item aim setup, or paired Movement Type may not match. Confirm Combat is active on both camera and character, then verify the item without procedural recoil before restoring effects.
The camera snaps when an interaction starts or ends. A custom positioning ability may rotate the character differently from Move Towards. Compare the behavior with the built-in Move Towards path and ensure the custom ability and camera do not both force conflicting yaw.
Look input does not rotate the camera. Player Input mappings, cursor state, or the active View Type may be incorrect. Verify Input and confirm Combat is selected in the Active column.
Arms, items, or the body clip into the view. The inherited overlay, head tracking, offsets, or collision settings may not fit the character. Follow the rendering and head-tracking checks on First Person.

Developer details

Combat is a serializable FirstPerson View Type with a recommended First Person Combat Movement Type and the default Zoom state. It adds no serialized settings of its own.

During normal look input, Rotate accumulates horizontal yaw before applying the inherited First Person rotation. If Ultimate Character Locomotion is using root-motion rotation, Combat bases the view on the character rotation instead. It also listens for OnCharacterAbilityActive; while the built-in MoveTowards ability is active, it clears local yaw and follows the character’s rotation until that positioning step ends.