CharacterController
Realot Studio CharacterController component reference: fields, script API, behavior and examples.
#What it does
High-level movement modes: Character Controller, Platformer, Top-Down, Car, Follow, Patrol and Free.
#How to add and use CharacterController
Editor path: Select the target entity in the Hierarchy (left side) → look at the Inspector (right side) → click Add Component at the bottom of the Inspector → search for CharacterController → click the component row. The Add Component picker is a centered modal with a search box; it only lists components not already attached.
For components with a dedicated editor tool, the tool is opened or activated from the location described below. Do not assume that adding the component alone activates its editor; some systems require a separate window, panel, or viewport tool.
#Component setup & editor tools
- Select entity → Inspector → Add Component → Movement Type (CharacterController). Choose the controller type first; the Inspector then exposes the relevant movement fields. Platformer/Car/Follow/Patrol fields are not interchangeable—configure only the group belonging to the selected controller type.
#What you should see after adding it
The component appears as its own section in the Inspector. Its serialized settings are listed in the Component data table below. If a field is conditional, it appears only when the relevant mode/type is selected. If a field is a runtime state field (for example grounded or resolved velocity), treat it as read-only diagnostic state unless the API reference explicitly documents it as writable.
#How to read the settings
For every setting below, the documentation distinguishes type, default, meaning, and tuning direction where behavior is known. When a value represents a direction, use the engine's coordinate convention documented in Coordinate system; do not substitute Unity/Godot conventions.
#Component data
| Field | Type | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
controllerType | ControllerType enum: Character Controller | Platformer | Top-Down | Car | Follow | Patrol | Free | Character Controller | Platformer | Top-Down | Car | Follow | Patrol | Free. | Character Controller |
moveSpeed | number | Movement (Character / Platformer / Top-Down) px/s | 200 |
acceleration | number | how fast velocity approaches target (higher = snappier) | 20 |
airControl | number | 0-1 multiplier on acceleration while airborne (Platformer only) | 0.5 |
canJump | boolean | Jump (Character Controller + Platformer) | true |
jumpForce | number | px/s upward velocity applied on jump | 420 |
maxJumps | number | 1 = no double jump, 2 = double jump, etc. | 1 |
useGravity | boolean | Gravity (Character Controller can toggle it off for e.g. | true |
gravityScale | number | Multiplier on gravity's strength for Character Controller/Platformer (same name/semantics as Rigidbody2D.gravityScale on a Dynamic body — 1 = normal, 2 = falls twice as fast, 0.5 = floaty/moon-gravity, 0 = no downward pull at all while still respecting useGravity's on/off switch). | 1 |
useDefaultInput | boolean | Input. For Character/Platformer/Top-Down and Car, this controls the built-in keyboard while script APIs can contribute in the same frame. | true |
maxSpeed | number | Car-specific (Car controller only) top forward speed in px/s | 350 |
carAcceleration | number | how fast the car speeds up (px/s^2) | 200 |
brakeForce | number | how fast it brakes / goes into reverse (px/s^2) | 400 |
turnSpeed | number | max turn rate in deg/s (at full speed; scales down at lower speeds) | 150 |
driftFactor | number | 0-1: how much lateral velocity is retained (higher = more slide) | 0.92 |
driveTowardArriveDistance | number | px from the target that counts as "arrived" for | 12 |
targetName | string | Follow-specific (Follow controller only) name of the entity to pursue | |
followSpeed | number | pursuit speed in px/s | 150 |
followDistance | number | stop when within this many pixels of the target | 5 |
patrolDistance | number | Patrol-specific (Patrol controller only). | 150 |
patrolMode | PatrolMode enum: Platformer | Top-Down | Patrol's own movement scheme — see PatrolMode above. | Platformer |
patrolAxis | PatrolAxis enum: Horizontal | Vertical | Which axis a TopDown-mode Patrol walks along — see PatrolAxis above. | Horizontal |
requestJump | boolean | Set (transiently, for one ControllerSystem update) by this.controller.simulateJump() (see scripting/components/ ControllerAPI.js) to trigger a jump from script logic — consumed and reset to false by ControllerSystem.js right after reading it, the same one-shot request pattern Rigidbody2D's pendingForceX/Y uses. | false |
requestMoveX | nullable value | Set (transiently, for one ControllerSystem update) by this.controller.simulateMove(x, y) (see scripting/components/ ControllerAPI.js) as a script/joystick movement contribution. | null |
requestMoveY | nullable value | Inspector field stored on this component. | null |
requestThrottle | nullable value | Set (transiently, for one ControllerSystem update) by this.controller.simulateDrive(throttle, steer) (see scripting/ components/ControllerAPI.js), Car-only. | null |
requestSteer | nullable value | Inspector field stored on this component. | null |
requestJoystickX | nullable value | Set (transiently, for one ControllerSystem update) by this.controller.simulateDriveJoystick(x, y) (see scripting/ components/ControllerAPI.js), Car-only. | null |
requestJoystickY | nullable value | Inspector field stored on this component. | null |
requestDriveTowardX | nullable value | Set (transiently, for one ControllerSystem update) by this.controller.simulateDriveToward(x, y) (see scripting/ components/ControllerAPI.js), Car-only. | null |
requestDriveTowardY | nullable value | Inspector field stored on this component. | null |
requestFlip | boolean | Set (transiently, for one ControllerSystem update) by this.controller.flipDirection() (see scripting/components/ ControllerAPI.js), Patrol-only. | false |
#Tuning behavior
These are the practical direction-of-change rules for the most important controls on this component.
| Setting | What changing it does |
|---|---|
moveSpeed | Higher = faster target movement. |
acceleration | Higher = reaches the requested speed faster; lower = softer/slower ramp. |
airControl | For Platformer, 0 removes horizontal air steering; 1 gives full ground-like acceleration in air. |
jumpForce | Higher = stronger/faster upward launch; lower = shorter jump. |
gravityScale | 1 = normal controller gravity, 0 = no controller gravity; higher magnifies the pull. |
#Script API
| Member | Kind | Description |
|---|---|---|
acceleration | Property (read/write) | Acceleration. |
airControl | Property (read/write) | Air-control factor. |
brakeForce | Property (read/write) | Car brake force. |
canJump | Property (read/write) | Whether jumping is available. |
controllerType | Property (read-only) | Read-only movement type. |
driftFactor | Property (read/write) | Car drift factor. |
driveTowardArriveDistance | Property (read/write) | Exposed by this script module. |
facingDirection | Property (read-only) | Current patrol facing direction. |
flipDirection() | Method | Reverse Patrol direction. |
followDistance | Property (read/write) | Follow distance. |
followSpeed | Property (read/write) | Follow speed. |
gravityScale | Property (read/write) | Gravity scale. |
groundAngle | Property (read-only) | Ground angle. |
isGrounded | Property (read-only) | Ground state. |
isOnCeiling | Property (read-only) | Ceiling contact. |
isOnSlope | Property (read-only) | Slope contact. |
isOnWall | Property (read-only) | Wall contact. |
jumpForce | Property (read/write) | Jump force. |
maxJumps | Property (read/write) | Maximum jumps. |
maxSpeed | Property (read/write) | Car maximum speed. |
moveSpeed | Property (read/write) | Movement speed. |
patrolAxis | Property (read/write) | Horizontal | Vertical. |
patrolDistance | Property (read/write) | Patrol distance. |
patrolMode | Property (read/write) | Platformer | Top-Down. |
simulateDrive(throttle, steer) | Method | Drive a Car controller by script. |
simulateDriveJoystick(x, y) | Method | Drive using joystick-style vector input. |
simulateDriveToward(x, y) | Method | Drive toward a world point. |
simulateJump() | Method | Request a jump. |
simulateMove(x, y) | Method | Drive movement by script. |
targetName | Property (read/write) | Follow target name. |
turnSpeed | Property (read/write) | Car turn speed. |
useDefaultInput | Property (read/write) | Built-in input mapping. |
useGravity | Property (read/write) | Gravity toggle. |
#Notes & behavior
- Car-only fields/actions are meaningful for the Car controller. Patrol has its own patrolMode and patrolAxis. Free is script-driven with no built-in input mapping.
#Examples
this.controller.simulateMove(input.keyDown("ArrowRight") ? 1 : 0, 0);this.controller.simulateJump();