Kinematic Character Controller

KinematicCharacterBody adds character-controller behaviour to a Kinematic physics body. Set Velocity each fixed-update frame and the system slides it along contact surfaces, detects ground/wall/ceiling contacts, and integrates position. It is the right choice for platform characters and top-down actors that need precise, physics-aware movement without full dynamic simulation.

Setup

Register physics with AddPhysics() — the kinematic character systems are included automatically:

C#

services.AddPhysics(opts => { opts.Gravity = new Vector2(0, 980); });

Add both kinematic systems to your scene:

C#

protected override void OnLoadAsync(IEntityWorld world)
{
    world.AddSystem<Box2DPhysicsSystem>();
    world.AddSystem<PrePhysicsKinematicCharacterSystem>();
    world.AddSystem<PostPhysicsKinematicCharacterSystem>();
}

Create a character entity with both PhysicsBodyComponent (Kinematic) and KinematicCharacterBody:

C#

var player = world.CreateEntity("Player");
player.AddComponent<TransformComponent>(t => t.Position = new Vector2(200, 300));
player.AddComponent<PhysicsBodyComponent>(b =>
{
    b.Shape        = new CapsuleShape(new Vector2(0, -12), new Vector2(0, 12), 10);
    b.BodyType     = PhysicsBodyType.Kinematic;
    b.FixedRotation = true;
});
player.AddComponent<KinematicCharacterBody>(c =>
{
    c.SnapDistance = 8f; // Snap to floor on stairs/slopes
});

Moving the Character

Set Velocity each fixed-update frame. The pre-physics step slides the velocity along contact surfaces and integrates it into TransformComponent.Position before Box2D runs.

`MoveAndSlide`

The character moves by Velocity * deltaTime, deflecting off surfaces up to MaxSlides times. Use for standard platform or top-down movement.

C#

protected override void OnFixedUpdate(GameTime fixedTime)
{
    var character = _playerEntity.GetComponent<KinematicCharacterBody>();

    var velocity = Vector2.Zero;

    if (Input.IsKeyDown(Key.A)) velocity.X -= _speed;
    if (Input.IsKeyDown(Key.D)) velocity.X += _speed;

    if (character.IsGrounded && Input.IsKeyPressed(Key.Space))
        velocity.Y = -_jumpForce;
    else
        velocity.Y = character.Velocity.Y + _gravity * (float)fixedTime.DeltaTime;

    character.MoveAndSlide(velocity);
}

MoveAndSlide is a fluent method that sets Velocity and returns this.

`MoveAndCollide`

The character moves exactly by the given vector without sliding. If a solid surface is hit it stops at the contact point and LastMoveAndCollideHit is set. Use for projectile-style movement or step-based tools.

C#

character.MoveAndCollide(new Vector2(0, 8)); // Probe downward 8 px

if (character.LastMoveAndCollideHit.HasValue)
    Logger.LogDebug("Hit at {Point}", character.LastMoveAndCollideHit.Value.Point);

MoveAndCollide is mutually exclusive with MoveAndSlide per tick -- velocity integration is skipped for any tick in which a MoveAndCollide motion is queued.

Ground, Wall, and Ceiling Detection

These are updated each tick by the post-physics step.

C#

if (character.IsGrounded)
{
    Logger.LogDebug("Floor normal: {Normal}", character.FloorNormal);
}

if (character.IsOnWall)
{
    Logger.LogDebug("Wall normal: {Normal}", character.WallNormal);
}

if (character.IsOnCeiling)
{
    Logger.LogDebug("Ceiling normal: {Normal}", character.CeilingNormal);
}

// Touching a wall but not floor or ceiling
if (character.IsOnWallOnly) WallSlide();

Angle Limits

C#

character.FloorAngleLimit   = 0.8f; // Radians (~46 deg) from "up"
character.CeilingAngleLimit = 0.8f; // Radians from "down"
character.WallAngleLimit    = float.PositiveInfinity; // All non-floor/ceiling contacts

Landing and Airborne Events

C#

character.OnLanded   += c => PlayLandSound();
character.OnAirborne += c => StartFallAnimation();

Moving Platforms

KinematicCharacterBody automatically detects and rides moving platforms (both Kinematic and Dynamic bodies). The platform's velocity is carried to the character each tick.

C#

// Read the current platform velocity
var platformVelocity = character.PlatformVelocity;

Snap to Floor

Prevent the character from going airborne on small steps and slopes:

C#

character.SnapDistance = 8f; // Probe this many pixels downward to find the floor

Slope Locking

Prevent sliding down slopes when the character is not actively pushing into them:

C#

character.StopOnSlope = true;

Pushing Dynamic Objects

C#

character.PushForce = 500f; // pixels/s^2 applied to dynamic bodies on contact

Speed Cap

C#

character.MaxSpeed = 600f; // Clamp velocity magnitude before slide integration

Step Climbing

C#

character.StepHeight = 12f; // Auto-step onto ledges up to this many pixels tall

Custom Up Direction

For wall-walking or per-character gravity:

C#

character.UpDirection = new Vector2(0, -1); // Default: derived from world gravity each tick
character.UpDirection = new Vector2(0, 1);  // Ceiling walker

Reading Slide Collisions

GetSlideCollisions() returns all contacts resolved in the last post-physics step. The list is cleared every tick -- do not hold a reference across frames.

C#

foreach (var pair in character.GetSlideCollisions())
{
    Logger.LogDebug("Sliding against {Entity}, normal {Normal}",
        pair.Other?.Entity?.Name, pair.Contact.Normal);
}

`EffectiveVelocity`

The slide-corrected velocity actually applied this tick, after surface deflection. Useful for animation blending:

C#

var speed = character.EffectiveVelocity.Length();
animator.SetFloat("Speed", speed);

Debugging

C#

character.EnableDebugLogging = true; // Emits per-tick trace output -- disable before shipping

Summary

Property	Description
`Velocity`	Desired velocity in pixels/s. Set every fixed-update frame.
`MoveAndSlide(vel)`	Set velocity and slide along surfaces.
`MoveAndCollide(motion)`	Discrete cast -- stops at first hit.
`IsGrounded`	Resting on a floor surface this tick
`IsOnWall`	Touching a wall this tick
`IsOnCeiling`	Touching a ceiling this tick
`FloorNormal`	Averaged floor contact normal
`WallNormal`	Wall contact normal
`CeilingNormal`	Ceiling contact normal
`EffectiveVelocity`	Post-deflection velocity applied this tick
`PlatformVelocity`	Velocity of the moving platform underfoot
`SnapDistance`	Floor-snap probe distance in pixels
`StopOnSlope`	Prevent sliding down passive slopes
`PushForce`	Impulse applied to dynamic bodies on contact
`MaxSpeed`	Velocity magnitude cap before integration
`StepHeight`	Auto step-up height in pixels
`MaxSlides`	Max deflection iterations per pre-step (default 3)
`GetSlideCollisions()`	All contacts resolved last tick
`LastMoveAndCollideHit`	Result of the last `MoveAndCollide` call
`MotionRemainder`	Unused motion remainder from `MoveAndCollide`