First Person Character Controller Tutorial

Introduction

• Topic: Making a complete first-person character controller from scratch.
• Features: Includes head bob, inertia, and movement FOV change.

Setting Up the Scene

• New Scene: Create a 3D scene called world.
• Ground: Use CSGBox node for the ground.
• Character: Use CharacterBody3D node with a bean shape mesh and a simplified convex collision shape.
• Optimize Performance: Turn off mesh visibility for better performance.

Script Setup

• Default Template: Add a script to the character body with default movement and jumps.
• Environment Setup: Add WorldEnvironment and DirectionalLight to the scene tree for lighting.
• Camera Setup: Add a camera as a child of a Node3D (pivot) to avoid janky rotations.

Basic Movement and Jumping

• Define constants: speed, jump_velocity, and gravity.
• Handle jumping: Set vertical velocity when space is pressed; adjust it every tick.
• Use move_and_slide function to update character position based on velocity & collisions.
• Convert input directions to Vector3 and multiply by character facing direction for movement.
• Add friction for realistic slowing down (note: fix friction to avoid a sudden stop).

Input Mapping and Cursor Control

• Custom Input Map: Define custom actions in Project Settings and bind them.
• Hide Cursor: Capture the mouse cursor in the _ready function.
• Node References: Save references to head and camera in onready variables.
• Camera Rotation: Use unhandled_input to update camera rotation based on mouse movement.
  • Rotate head on y-axis for mouse X-movement.
  • Rotate camera on x-axis for mouse Y-movement.
• Use the clamp function to limit camera rotation for a better experience._

Enhancing Game Feel (Game Juice)

Basic Adjustments

• Adjust movement direction to be based on where the head is facing.
• Better visual presentation: Add more CSGBox nodes with different colors for a map.

Head Bob Effect

• Purpose: Simulate character's footsteps by moving the camera up and down.
• Mathematics: Use sine wave for vertical head bob; optionally add horizontal bob with cosine wave.
• Variables Needed:* bob_frequency, bob_amplitude, and a variable to track progress along the sine wave.
• Implementation: In each physics tick, update head bob based on speed and ground collision.

Sprinting

• Speed Variables: Define walk_speed and sprint_speed constants.
• Switch Speed: Adjust speed variable based on whether the shift key is pressed.

Inertia

• Problem: Instant stop in midair when movement keys are released.
• Solution: Use lerp function to interpolate velocity, providing smoother transitions.

FOV Change

• Variables Needed: base_fov, fov_change.
• Implementation: Adjust FOV based on clamped velocity to avoid extreme changes when falling.
• Smooth Transition: Again, use lerp function to smoothly change FOV every physics tick.

Conclusion

• Project Link: The GitHub project link is available for further exploration.
• Next Steps: Open to adding specific features if there's enough interest.
• Feedback: Like the video and leave comments for further suggestions.