What alternatives are there to the launch character node?
More specifically, I’m trying to create a dodge for a character. I began with the launch character node, which has been causing problems because it sets the character state to falling in the process. I played around with some ray tracing, which worked better but still was not ideal without a lot more scripting that I want to avoid. There was also some efforts made with move to, calculating velocity, and some other failed attempts.
My goal is to have a character move quickly, along the ground, in the same direction as the current input for a set distance; as I’m learning more about UE4, I’m getting better at finding solutions to problems, but in this particular instance I just don’t know what other tools are available to me or would be suited for the job.
A final phrasing: what nodes would be best suited to pulling off a classic action game ‘dodge’, as in Ocarina of Time or God of War, because launch character isn’t going to cut it.
I hope this wasn’t too vague for an answer; if you need to ask any clarifying questions please do. I want to help you help me
Hey, I wanted to update this a little bit in case anyone stumbles across the same problem I had and manages to find this question. While the video link was a great help in other things, Newton’s dodge mechanic still relied on the LaunchCharacter node, which doesn’t play well with ledges, ramps, and other non cubic geometry. At least, not for a dodge.
The solution I came up with, which was of course far simpler than I thought it would be, was to just use LocalOffset in such a way that it updated a small amount each tick for a desired time. The end result looks like this:
The Dodge_Timeline is 0.1 seconds long, and since the character is always facing the direction they’re moving more or less, I have the offset delta along the X axis. By changing the dodge time, delta location, and delay before resetting the dodge cooldown, there is total control over how far the character moves in a given direction and how long before they can dodge again.
Best of all, this can be performed down a flight of stairs, off a balcony, and several other situations without the dodge performing abnormally
Anyway, thanks for the help Pimney. Hope all this helps someone else out.
You missed the part where the OP had issue with the Launch Character node because it sets the player to falling which can cause problems if they’re on the ground.
My recommendation for dash moves is to use a root motion animation inside of your AnimBP, but make sure you set the blend value on the transition back to your idle/walk/run to 0 instead of the default 0.2. If you leave it on the default value, there’s a hiccup when transitioning back and you lose momentum of movement if the player is still running after doing the dash. It’s what I used in my current game project and it works beautifully. You can also steer the dash for some nice curved movement if you set the “Allow Physics rotation During Anim Root Motion” on your character movement to true. This way instead of just dashing in a straight line, you can Dash and move the mouse to steer the path.
