CROUCH AND RUN UE

Start with the warm up

Worth 3 Points

What are you learning?

Unreal Engine - Movement

Why is it important?

Unreal Engine comes with standard movement but you have the ability to improve your game by modifying the movement

How do you show that you understand? What is the assignment?

Open up first person template 

Check out the First Person Character Blueprint (in your blueprints folder in your content drawer)

Select event graph and review

Mouse

Movement

Jump

Gun

Now we are going to set up a way to test our speed and jumps

In your components on the top left, select Character Movement

This is where your movement logic is located

If you look to the details panel on the right, you can modify the movement of your character.

Explore these settings (check out walking, jumping)

Make sure and hit compile then play

Start your game and pick up the gun by colliding with the gun

Open Up the blueprint for the rifle and review it

Now let's overwrite the max walk and jump speed with our own variable by opening the Event Graph on the First Person Blueprint (BP_FirstPersonCharacter)

We are going to replace the variables that are in the character movement component

To do this, drag the Character Movement Component on your event graph

This will allow us to set or get variables from the component.

Drag out from the character movement and add SetMaxWalkSpeed node

Now we will add the jump by adding the jump node

This will give you the ability to override your settings in the blueprint

Connect the output of your exec Max Walk Node to the input exec on your Jump Z Velocity

So at this point, jump velocity will be overridden after the Max Walk has been overridden

Both are set to 0.0 (remember, variables with a decimal are a float)

Click compile

Now we will create variables

In your blueprint on the left, add a variable and call it FP_MaxWalkSpeed

On the right side in the details panel, change the variable type to a float (decimals)

Click Compile

After you have compiled your blueprint, you have the ability to add a value to the default walk speed. 

Set it to 500

Now we are going to create a variable with a different method.

Right click on the input of your Jump Z Velocity and select promote variable

You will now see a float variable created

Change the name to FP_MaxJumpHeight

Notice there is a new node connected

Click compile and add a max jump height of 500 to the default value

Drag your  MaxWalkSpeed Variable on to your event graph and select Get Walk Speed

Connect the Variable output MaxWalkSpeed to the input on the Set Node 

This overrides the max walk speed and jump velocity with the variables we created

We want this start as soon as the game is played so we need to add an event that activates these nodes when the game starts. We have used it before.... EventBeginPlay

Right Click on your event graph and add EventBeginPlay

Connect the Event BeginPlay output to the set input so that the nodes activate when the game begins and overrides the Max Walk Speed and Jump Velocity

Now let's leave a note so we can remember what we were working on in case we get busy.

Select everything we have been working on and press C to leave a comment

This is where you can leave notes for yourself or other members of the dev team

Explore this comment tool

Compile and save

In your variables, you need to click on the closed eye to make them public and editable

Click Compile

Changing variables during the game

 In the character event graph, add mouse wheel up node and mouse wheel down node

Pressed means scrolling and released means not scrolling

Drag in your character movement

Add two Set Max Walk Speed Nodes

Connect the character movement node to the blue target

Connect output Pressed to input set on Mouse wheel up and mouse wheel down

From the character movement node pull out and search up Get Max Walk Speed

Now we need to put in the + when you scroll up and - when you scroll down

To do this, pull out a node from thee Max Walk Speed Node and put + in the search then select Add

Do the same but this time create a subtract node

Clean up the nodes so they are easy to see then change the float nodes (+&-) to 100 

Then connect the outputs to their respective Max Walk Speed Inputs

What we are doing here is changing the speed up by 100 when we scroll up and down by 100 when we scroll down

Compile and play

When you play the game and scroll, your speed to increase or decrease

So once you have found the speed that you like for your game, how do you know what it is?

For this, we will use the print string like we did with the lights

Add a print screen node and connect the Execs along with the green to white

Now we can see the speed when we play the game

Do the same with thew mouse wheel down

Create a comment and make a note about what you worked on

Run Sprint Go

Click on settings at the top left

Click on project settings

Click on Input

Open up Action Mappings

Click the + to add a new action

Name the action Sprint

Click to the right of the keyboard icon and choose left shift

You can now add the action event Sprint to the Event Graph

What we are going to do is have the player increase the speed when the left shift is pressed and slow down when it is released

Add the InputAction Node Sprint

Pull the CharacterMovement node to the event graph 

From the Character Movement Node, pull out TWO add a Set Max Walk Speed Nodes

Connect Pressed Exec to the input exec of the set max walk speed exec

Connect Released Exec to the input exec of the other set max walk speed exec

New let's create a duplicate MaxWalkSpeed Variable by right clicking & selecting duplicate

Change the name of the new variable to FP_MaxSprintSpeed

Click Compile and change the default  value to 800

Drag both MaxWalkSpeed and MaxSprintSpeed Variables into the Event Graph

Choose GET

Connect the Max Sprint Speed node into the set node for pressed

Connect the Max Walk Speed node into the set node for Released

After you compile and play, you should be able to sprint by clicking shift

Create a new boolean variable called isSprinting and compile

Leave the isSprinting Variable as not public (eyes closed)

Add two instances of the isSprinting Variable and select SET isSprinting

Connect the outputs of the Set Max Walk Speed to the input of the iSSprinting

Mark the box isSprinting as true by clicking the box

Select all the sprinting nodes and create a comment

Crouching 

We are going to make the character crouch with a speed so it takes some time to make the character crouch rather than immediately drop making it more life like.

In the first person map

Click Settings > Project settings > Engine > input

Click the + to add a new action mapping

Name the new action Crouch

Click on the + symbol on the new action map Couch

Map the first key to C

Map the second key to Left Ctrl

In the player Event Graph, add the crouch action event

From your Sprinting Nodes, select, copy and paste the following

Connect the pressed exec out from the InputAction Crouch to the top exec input on the set

Connect the released exec out from the InputAction Crouch to the bottom exec input on the set

Duplicate the FP_MaxSprintSpeed Variable and name it FP_MaxCrouchSpeed

Compile and set the default value on the right (details panel) to 200

Drag the new Max Crouch Speed Variable to the Event Graph (select get) and connect to Max Walk Speed.

Compile and play

You will see that when you press C, it is just slowing down... trust the process

In the BluePrint, open your viewport 

Notice your camera is at the top of your character

Go back to the event graph

We are now going to add a timeline to make a smooth couch motion

Right click in the Event Graph and search up Add Timeline

Name it T_Crouching

Connect the Crouch Speed exec output to the Pressed exec input on the timeline

Connect the WalkSpeed exec output to the Released exec input on the timeline

So when you press the key, it plays and when you release, it reverses

Double Click on the timeline that you just added to define it

The length number is the amount of time it takes to complete the action (in this case crouching)

Change it to a half second (0.5)

Then click the +Track button and add a float track

Name it Crouch_Alpha

Now we are adding keyframes (similar to blender and premier)

Right Click at the 0 of the timeline and select Add key to CurveFloat_0

Set the time to 0.0 if it is another number

Add a second keyframe at 0.5 but this time add a value of 1.0

Select both keyframes the right click on the second keyframe and choose user

This will make the transition smoother

Click compile

There will be a new option in your Timeline Node called Crouch Alpha

This is going to be used to update the camera (player) position

Grab our first person camera from components and drag it to the Event Graph

Now we set the camera

Pull out a connection from the First Person Camera and add Set Relative Location

Connect the update output exec from your crouching timeline to the input exec in the set relative location

What is happening here is that for half a second, the location of the first person camera will be constantly updated.

We will use a LERP to go from value 1 to value 2 by dragging out the input of the New Location on the SetRelativeLocation Node

Connect the Crouch Alpha (timeline) to the LERP Alpha

Find the location by clicking on the FirstPersonCamera in components (top left side)

Copy the location on the Z Axis in the details panel

Paste the number from the Z Axis in the Z value in LERP A

This will be the starting height

Set the Z value on B to 30

Add the X and Y Values of your First Person Camera Settings into your A&B LERP

After you add the values in an compile, your player should go from your Z height in your A Lerp to the Z Height in your B Lerp

Now that we have created the LERP for the camera, we need to add the crouch functionality to the capsule for collisions as well.

Drag the Capsule Component in your Event Graph 

Add a connection from Capsule Component to Set Capsule Half Height

Connect the output exec from the SetRelativeLocation to the input  of Set Capsule Half Height

Add a LERP from the input of the Set Capsule Half height (green)

Connect the crouch alpha from the timeline node to the Alpha of the new LERP

Select the Capsule Component on the top left side

Copy the number from the Capsule Half Height in the details panel on the right

Add that number to the A LERP Input

Change the B LERP input to 50

Compile and play

Your capsule will now crouch 

Now that crouching is working, we want to remove the the ability to sprint while crouching

In your variables, duplicate your IsSprinting Variable and change the name to isCrouching

Add two instances of the isCrouching variable in the event graph and choose set (not get)

Make the top isCrouching true

Disconnect the links going to the input exec of Crouching Timeline 

Connect the true isCrouching boolean output to the input exec play in the timeline

Connect the false isCrouching boolean output to the input exec reverse in the timeline

Connect the top exec output of the walkspeed variable to the input of the true crouch boolean

Connect the bottom exec output of the walkspeed variable to the input of the false crouch boolean

Right click in the event graph and add Add Custom Event

Name your Custom Event StopCrouching

Connect the exec from the StopCrouching to the input of the false boolean Set

Add a comment box for the crouching

Time to add two branches in your sprinting comment block

Remove the connections from the exec to your InputAction Sprint

Connect the pressed exec to the input of one branch

Connect the Released exec to the input of the other branch

So if the condition iS Crouching is true, we want it to stop crouching when the sprint is pressed

Add the isCrouching (get)Booleanand connect it to the branch with the condition Pressed

From the branch connected to the IsCrouching Boolean, pull out a connection from True and add the node Stop Crouching

Connect the Stop Crouching exec output to the Set Max Walk Speed

If the player is not crouching, the condition isCriuching is false to the player can continue to the variable MaxWalkSpeed

Connect the False Output on the IsCouching exec Branch to the input exec of the variable MaxWalkSpeed

Connect the boolean IsCrouching to the condition of your second branch

Connect the false of the second branch to the exec from set walk speed

So when you are not crouching, the movement speed is updated

Compile and play

When you crouch, you will not sprint

When you stop crouching, while sprinting, it will still update the maximum movement speed

To deal with this, add a branch to the Crouch

Delete the connection from the released exec output from the InputAction Crouch and connect it to the Exec input from in the new branch

Connect the false exec from the branch to the exec input of the Set connected to MaxWalkSpeed