character-controller

Character Controller Patterns

Comprehensive reference for building responsive, game-feel-polished character controllers in Unity. Covers both 2D platformer and 3D action game patterns.

2D Character Controller

Ground Detection

Use an overlap circle at the character's feet rather than relying on collision callbacks. This gives frame-accurate ground state.

[Header("Ground Check")]
[SerializeField] private Transform groundCheckPoint;
[SerializeField] private float groundCheckRadius = 0.15f;
[SerializeField] private LayerMask groundLayer;

private bool _isGrounded;

private void CheckGround()
{
    _isGrounded = Physics2D.OverlapCircle(
        groundCheckPoint.position,
        groundCheckRadius,
        groundLayer
    );
}

Place groundCheckPoint as a child transform at the bottom of the character sprite. Keep the radius small to avoid false positives on walls.

Coyote Time

Allow the player to jump for a brief window after walking off a ledge. This forgives slight mistiming and makes platforming feel generous rather than punishing.

[Header("Coyote Time")]
[SerializeField] private float coyoteTimeDuration = 0.1f;

private float _coyoteTimeCounter;

private void Update()
{
    if (_isGrounded)
    {
        _coyoteTimeCounter = coyoteTimeDuration;
    }
    else
    {
        _coyoteTimeCounter -= Time.deltaTime;
    }

    if (_jumpPressed && _coyoteTimeCounter > 0f)
    {
        ExecuteJump();
        _coyoteTimeCounter = 0f; // Consume coyote time
    }
}

A typical value is 0.08 to 0.15 seconds. Higher feels more forgiving; lower feels tighter. Playtest to find the sweet spot for your game's pace.

Input Buffering

Queue a jump input so it fires the moment the player lands, even if they pressed the button a few frames early. Combined with coyote time, this eliminates most "I pressed jump but nothing happened" complaints.

[Header("Input Buffering")]
[SerializeField] private float jumpBufferDuration = 0.12f;

private float _jumpBufferCounter;

private void Update()
{
    // Buffer the input
    if (_jumpPressedThisFrame)
    {
        _jumpBufferCounter = jumpBufferDuration;
    }
    else
    {
        _jumpBufferCounter -= Time.deltaTime;
    }

    // Consume buffer when grounded (or in coyote time)
    if (_jumpBufferCounter > 0f && _coyoteTimeCounter > 0f)
    {
        ExecuteJump();
        _jumpBufferCounter = 0f;
        _coyoteTimeCounter = 0f;
    }
}