Movement and input

Units move by intent: something calls MoveTo(destination), the unit asks a path provider for waypoints, follows them, and writes its position through a movement executor. Nothing else in the package touches transform.position.

See it running: the 01 · Hello Unit demo scene. See Demos to import the scenes.

Every field, its default and every member you can call: Movement and input reference.

flowchart LR
    In[Right-click input] -->|MoveTo| M[VtTopDownClickToMove]
    AI[Chase / roam / abilities] -->|MoveTo| M
    M -->|RequestPath| P["IVtPathProvider<br/>(yours, optional)"]
    M -->|Move| E["IVtMovementExecutor<br/>local or client-auth"]

Setup

Add these to the unit prefab:

Monsters use the same mover and provider; roaming and chasing go through them, see AI roaming. To command many units instead of one hero, see Orders and control groups.

VtTopDownClickInput needs the click raycast layers set and a Ground Layer for the fallback move surface. Turn on Spawn Move Marker for a click marker.

Speed comes from the unit definition’s Move Speed, scaled by the move-speed stat, so slows and hastes are ordinary buffs.

Runtime

var move = unit.GetComponent<VtTopDownClickToMove>();
move.MoveTo(point, onArrived: () => Interact());
move.MoveTo(point, acceptPartialPath: true);
move.Stop();
move.Teleport(point);

move.IsMoving;
move.CurrentPath;
move.OnArrived += () => { };

A new move order interrupts a cast in progress.

Pathfinding

Add Vantage → Movement → VtNavMeshPathProvider next to VtTopDownClickToMove and bake a NavMesh with Unity’s AI Navigation package: put a NavMeshSurface component on your level and press Bake. That is the whole setup. The provider snaps the start and the destination onto the mesh and follows the corners.

A goal that really cannot be reached still ends at the closest point: the provider notices the next search gets no closer and stops there.

Without any provider, units walk in a straight line, which is fine for prototypes and flat arenas.

Other backends plug in through the IVtPathProvider interface: one method that calls back exactly once with the waypoints, or with null when there is no path. Put the component next to VtTopDownClickToMove and it is picked up automatically. If your backend also gives up on long searches, VtPathStitcher.Stitch joins its partial results the same way.

Executors

The mover writes position through one IVtMovementExecutor on the unit. Three ship:

With the predicted executor, VtTopDownClickInput sends every walk, attack and stop order to the server as a command, and the server runs the same path following on its copy. Your transport feeds the server’s position into ApplyAuthoritativePose on each client; the co-op sample’s movement sync does this from a network variable. See Multiplayer.

var executor = unit.GetComponent<VtPredictedMovementExecutor>();
executor.ApplyAuthoritativePose(serverPosition, serverRotation);
executor.OnReconciled += error => { };

A* Pathfinding Project (needs a Seeker on the unit):

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Pathfinding;
using UnityEngine;

[RequireComponent(typeof(Seeker))]
public sealed class AstarPathProvider : MonoBehaviour, IVtPathProvider
{
    private Seeker seeker;
    private void Awake() => seeker = GetComponent<Seeker>();

    public void RequestPath(Vector3 from, Vector3 to, Action<List<Vector3>> onComplete)
    {
        seeker.StartPath(from, to, p => onComplete(p == null || p.error ? null : p.vectorPath));
    }
}

Casting from keys

Add Vantage → Movement → VtAbilityHotkeys to the player prefab and drop abilities into the slots. Slot 1 casts on the Ability 1 action, key 1 or the gamepad West button, slot 2 on Ability 2, and so on up to 10; drag an action into a slot’s Action field to use another, see Input. A press casts at once, at whatever the ability’s targeting mode implies:

var hotkeys = player.GetComponent<VtAbilityHotkeys>();
hotkeys.Assign(0, fireball);
hotkeys.Bind(0, myActionReference);
hotkeys.GetAction(0);                                // for the key label
hotkeys.Press(0);                                    // UI button
hotkeys.OnCastFailed += (ability, reason) => Toast(reason);
hotkeys.Slots;                                       // for drawing a hotbar

Cooldowns for the hotbar come from VtUnitAbilities.GetCooldownFraction. Replace CursorRay for a gamepad cursor.

Aiming ground abilities

Set Ground Targeting on VtAbilityHotkeys to choose how ground-point abilities cast:

Add Vantage → Visuals → VtGroundTargetIndicator next to the hotkeys to draw a ring while aiming. The ring has the ability’s area radius, or Reticle Radius for an ability without an area, and changes colour when the point is out of range. While aiming, command clicks do not walk.

hotkeys.GroundTargeting = VtGroundTargeting.AimAndConfirm;
hotkeys.IsAiming;
hotkeys.AimPoint;
hotkeys.AimRadius;
hotkeys.IsAimInRange;
hotkeys.ConfirmAim();
hotkeys.CancelAim();
hotkeys.OnAimStarted += ability => { };
hotkeys.OnAimEnded += (ability, wasCast) => { };

For a different preview, such as a decal, write a component that reads these properties instead of the indicator.

Movement feel

Acceleration, turn rate, waypoint reach distance, stuck recovery and gravity are global values on the tuning asset.

Executors

VtLocalMovementExecutor moves the CharacterController directly and is what single-player uses. VtClientAuthMovementExecutor does the same but only when this instance owns the unit, which is what a co-op host build needs. Swap the component on the prefab; nothing that calls MoveTo changes. See Multiplayer.

Targeting and chasing

VtCombatEngagement holds the current target, chases into range and faces it. Abilities and the auto-attack use it, and your AI can too:

var engagement = unit.GetComponent<VtCombatEngagement>();
engagement.SetTarget(enemy);
engagement.HasLiveTarget;
engagement.IsInRange(5f);
engagement.ClearTarget();
engagement.OnTargetChanged += target => { };

Interacting with the world

Right-clicking anything that implements IVtPickable walks the unit over and calls it. World items, quest givers and crafting stations implement it. Implement it yourself for levers, doors and shops.