Controlling a Platformer Entity

Introduction

This tutorial covers how to read input to move a platformer entity. We will also be creating a level to test out our platformer entity. To create a level and collision, we will be using a Tiled level. For more information on working with Tiled, see the Tiled documentation.

Note - if you created your Platformer project using the wizard, feel free to skip this tutorial. This tutorial is only needed if you are manually creating your game.

Adding a Collision Relationship

The previous tutorial created a GameScreen which contains two TileShapeCollections:

• SolidCollision

• CloudCollision

By default, each is associated with a standard tile from the tileset included in our Level1Map.tmx. However, these collisions do not have any effect on our player since we haven't told the player to collide with them.

To set up collision between our PlayerList and SolidCollision:

1. Expand GameScreen Objects

2. Drag+drop the PlayerList onto the SolidCollision to create a relationship

Creating a Player vs SolidCollision CollisionRelationship

Since our Player is marked as a Platformer entity, the FlatRedBall editor assumes that the PlayerVsSolidCollision relationship should use platformer physics. You can verify that this is the case by selecting the PlayerVsSolidCollision object and clicking on the Collision tab.

Now the player will collide with the level.

PlayerVsSolidCollision using Platformer Solid Collision

Controlling the Entity with Input

By default, the platformer entity already supports a default set of controls. To see this, select the Player entity, then select the Entity Input Movement tab.

Player uses Gamepad with Keyboard Fallback by default

By default, the platformer will be controllable with a plugged-in Xbox Gamepad. If no Gamepad is detected, then the entity can be controlled with WASD and Space.

Player moving with the gamepad or keyboard

Note - the animation above shows a game that is using the CameraControllingEntity to position the camera in the center of the map. If you are not using the CameraControllingEntity, then you can manually position the camera in your GameScreen by changing the Camera.Main.X and Camera.Main.Y variables in CustomInitialize. Also, note that the Player is inside of the map. You can modify the player's starting X and Y values either in code or by selecting the Player1 object in GameScreen and changing its X and Y values.

If you want to override which input is used to move the player, you can change the controls in code. For example, to change the character to jump with the Enter key and to move with the arrow keys:

1. Go to GameScreen.cs

2. Modify the CustomInitialize function to contain the following input assignment code:

void CustomInitialize()
{

    Player1.JumpInput = InputManager.Keyboard.GetKey(Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input.Keys.Enter);

    Player1.HorizontalInput = InputManager.Keyboard.Get1DInput(
        Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input.Keys.Left, Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input.Keys.Right);
}

The code above added keyboard controls so that the Player can be moved horizontally with the Left and Right arrow keys and jumps using the Enter button.

Conclusion

Now our platformer character reacts to input and collides with the environment. We can change the environment by opening Level1Map at any time and painting new tiles. The next tutorial takes a deeper look at the control values.