RPG

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Choose Third Person RPG for a follow-behind camera where character movement normally leads the view, while held inputs can temporarily orbit the camera or align the character with it. Pair the View Type with the Third Person RPG Movement Type so recentering, free camera movement, turning, and auto move use the same control scheme.

Use Adventure when the player should retain an independent orbit without follow-behind recentering, or Combat when the character should continuously face the camera’s gameplay look direction.

Set up the RPG pair

Select the camera with the Camera Controller component and expand View Types.
Use the add control and select Third Person RPG.
Select the RPG row to show its inherited and RPG settings, then select its radio button in the Active column. When both perspectives are installed, choose RPG in Third Person View Type.
Select the character and expand Ultimate Character Locomotion > Movement Types.
Add Third Person RPG, select its radio button in the Active column, and choose RPG in Third Person Movement Type when both perspectives are available.
Configure all referenced button and axis names through Input.
Enter Play Mode and test ordinary follow-behind movement before enabling free movement, forced rotation, auto move, zoom, or procedural camera motion.

The RPG View Type also accepts Four Legged as a recommended Movement Type, but RPG-specific character alignment calls into the RPG Movement Type. Use the complete RPG pair when the control scheme below is required.

Configure follow-behind recentering

During ordinary movement, RPG derives camera yaw from the character rotation plus any stored free-movement offset. When free movement is released and the character moves, that offset returns to zero so the camera settles behind the character.

Yaw Snap Damping controls the recenter duration. Lower values produce a quicker return; higher values produce a slower return.
Recenter begins only while the character is moving. Releasing free movement while stationary leaves the current offset in place until movement resumes.
Normal horizontal and vertical look input does not orbit the camera unless free movement, forced rotation, or the RPG Movement Type’s rotate mode is active.

Test recentering from both sides and from a nearly rear-facing angle. Tune damping while walking and running, because the return is tied to the moving state rather than elapsed time after button release alone.

Configure the RPG camera inputs

The RPG View Type adds four visible choices:

Choice	What it does	Observable result
Allow Free Movement	Enables the View Type’s free-camera and forced-rotation inputs.	With it disabled, both input names below are ignored.
Camera Free Movement Input Name	While held, horizontal input changes the stored camera yaw offset and vertical input changes pitch.	The camera orbits independently; after release, it recenters when the character moves.
Character Forced Rotation Input Name	While held, asks the RPG Movement Type to turn the character with the look source and enables free camera rotation.	The camera resets its yaw offset immediately, then character facing and camera rotation operate together.
Yaw Snap Damping	Smooths the stored yaw offset back to zero during movement.	The camera returns behind the character at the selected pace.

The matching RPG Movement Type adds its own controls:

Rotate Input Name enters a mode where the character turns with the look source and the View Type accepts camera yaw and pitch.
Turn Input Name selects the axis that turns the character, and Turn Multiplier scales that value.
Auto Move Input Name toggles forward input while RPG is the active Movement Type.

Keep these mappings distinct while testing so a single button does not accidentally request two rotation modes.

Frame and protect the follow camera

RPG inherits its framing controls from Third Person:

Choice	Use it when	What to verify
Camera Controller Anchor and Anchor Offset	The follow camera needs a stable origin on the character.	Animate, crouch, and change stance; the camera should not inherit unwanted bone motion.
Look Offset	The character should sit left or right of center, above the anchor, or at another follow distance.	Move, turn, orbit, and recenter; framing should remain intentional throughout the cycle.
Look Offset Smoothing	State-driven offset changes should ease instead of snap.	Enter and leave camera states without masking the separate yaw recenter behavior.
Horizontal Pivot Freedom	The character may move across part of the frame before the camera follows.	Strafe and turn in both directions; distinguish screen-space freedom from slow recentering.
Collision Radius and Collision Anchor Offset	Walls or corners can block the desired follow position.	Move and recenter near tight geometry; the camera should move inward without losing the character.

Set the anchor first, then tune Look Offset one axis at a time. A large shoulder offset can make the camera’s return behind the character appear incomplete even when yaw offset has reached zero.

Tune rotation, pitch, zoom, and springs

Pitch Limit sets the minimum and maximum vertical look angle used when an RPG camera mode accepts vertical input.
Rotation Speed controls how closely the visible camera follows its calculated rotation. Higher values reduce lag; lower values add smoothing.
Secondary Rotation Speed controls rotational overrides and alignment to the character’s gravity direction. Test it with custom gravity and moving platforms when the project uses them.
Forward Axis applies a final orientation adjustment. Keep the default unless the project intentionally uses another camera-forward convention.
Look Direction Distance controls how far gameplay look raycasts search ahead; it does not change camera follow distance.

Use Field Of View and Field Of View Damping for the normal lens. Camera Controller Can Zoom and Zoom State can activate a configured state, but RPG does not add a default Zoom state preset of its own. Confirm that the RPG View Type has the state the project expects before relying on state-based zoom.

The inherited Step Zoom foldout adjusts camera distance separately. Set Step Zoom Input Name, use a Step Zoom Sensitivity greater than 0 to enable its axis event, and clamp the added distance with Step Zoom Limit.

Tune Primary Spring and Secondary Spring only after following and recentering are stable. Follow Springs when adding regular response, recoil, or a brief camera force.

Compare RPG, Adventure, and Combat

Option	Camera and character relationship	Movement feel	Choose it when
RPG	Camera normally follows character rotation; held modes permit free orbit or camera-aligned character rotation.	Character turning and optional auto move lead the view, with recenter during movement.	A follow-behind RPG scheme needs temporary camera control rather than permanent free orbit or strafing.
Adventure	Camera yaw can remain independent within its configured range while character facing follows travel.	The character normally turns and moves forward in the requested camera-relative direction.	Exploration should retain the chosen orbit without automatically returning behind.
Combat	The paired Movement Type continuously turns the character toward camera look direction.	Forward, backward, and strafe input preserve camera-facing orientation.	Aiming and action should remain coordinated with an over-the-shoulder camera.

Use the same character, scene route, input device, and Look Offset while comparing. RPG’s behavior is clearest when testing the full sequence: move, hold free movement, orbit, release, remain still, then move again.

Verify in Play Mode

Move and turn without holding an RPG camera input. The camera should follow the character rather than accepting ordinary free orbit.
Enable Allow Free Movement, hold Camera Free Movement Input Name, and test yaw and pitch. The camera should orbit without forcing the character to face with it.
Release free movement while stationary. The offset should remain; begin moving and confirm it returns behind according to Yaw Snap Damping.
Hold Character Forced Rotation Input Name. The camera should reset to the character immediately, then the RPG Movement Type should turn the character with the look source until the input is released.
Test the Movement Type’s Rotate Input Name, Turn Input Name, Turn Multiplier, and Auto Move Input Name separately. Each mapping should produce only its intended rotation or movement result.
Move, orbit, and recenter near walls, corners, doorways, low ceilings, and foreground objects. Collision should move the camera inward without losing the character; use Object Fader for separate fading needs.
Exercise configured state zoom, step zoom, recoil, and other camera forces independently. Each should settle without changing RPG’s follow and recenter relationship.
Trigger every ability that uses Move Towards. The camera should follow the character’s positioning rotation without carrying an old local yaw.
If both perspectives are present, switch away and back. Third Person RPG should return as both the View Type and Movement Type with working input mappings.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Check	Fix
The free-camera or forced-rotation input does nothing.	Allow Free Movement may be disabled, the mapping may be missing, or a different View Type may be active.	Enable the option, verify Input, and confirm Third Person RPG is active.
The camera does not recenter after free movement is released.	The character may be stationary.	Begin moving; RPG recenters the stored yaw offset only while the character is moving.
Recenter is too fast or too slow.	Yaw Snap Damping controls the return duration.	Reduce it for a quicker return or increase it for a slower return, then test walking and running.
Ordinary look input does not change pitch or yaw.	RPG only accepts camera input during free movement, forced rotation, or the Movement Type’s rotate mode.	Hold the intended mapped input instead of changing shared Third Person rotation settings.
Forced rotation resets the camera abruptly.	The mode intentionally clears yaw and positions the camera immediately before aligning the character.	Use Camera Free Movement when independent orbit is intended, or design the project’s transition around the immediate alignment.
Forced rotation moves the camera but not the character.	A non-RPG Movement Type may be active; Four Legged does not receive the RPG-specific `TurnWithLookSource` call.	Activate Third Person RPG when the character must follow this input mode.
Turn or auto move does not respond.	The RPG Movement Type mapping may be missing, or RPG may not be the active Movement Type.	Verify Turn Input Name or Auto Move Input Name and confirm the RPG row is active.
The camera appears off-center after recentering.	Look Offset or Horizontal Pivot Freedom may still place the character away from screen center.	Verify yaw with a neutral offset, then restore intentional framing.
The camera clips or moves inward too early.	Collision Radius, Collision Anchor Offset, or Look Offset may not fit the space.	Tune them in the exact problem location and retest during orbit and recenter.
State-based zoom does nothing.	RPG may not have a matching `Zoom` state preset, or Camera Controller zoom may be disabled.	Configure the required state and verify Can Zoom and Zoom State, or use Step Zoom for distance control.
Step zoom does not respond.	Step Zoom Sensitivity may be `0`, the mapping may be missing, or the limits may have no useful range.	Set a positive sensitivity, verify the axis mapping, and test distinct limits.

Developer details

RPG is a serializable ThirdPerson View Type with recommended Movement Type attributes for Third Person RPG and Four Legged. Unlike Adventure and Combat, it has no AddState("Zoom") attribute. Its current Inspector adds Yaw Snap Damping, Allow Free Movement, Camera Free Movement Input Name, and Character Forced Rotation Input Name to the shared Third Person controls.

Rotate tracks free, forced, and Movement Type rotation flags. It stores free-camera yaw in m_YawOffset, smooths that offset toward zero only while the character is moving, and suppresses vertical input outside those active modes. LookDirection(true) returns character forward, while non-character look queries can use the inherited Third Person raycast.

The paired Movement Type registers rotate, turn-axis, and auto-move inputs; reports independent look behavior; and can be told to turn with the look source by the View Type. Auto move sets both processed and raw forward input while RPG is active. The View Type also follows character rotation and clears yaw while MoveTowards is active.

RPG