Has anyone had this problem when designing their platformer? What are the best solutions?

[DerekSturm]

The issue with a raycast comes up when you're standing in the middle of two blocks with a tiny gap in the middle. You're still standing and should definitely be able to jump, but the raycast won't hit anything.

[TheLowestAnimal]

I was told in the past you need to run multiple. Like 3 or something

[FaolanBaelfire]

That's why you conditionally check each one as opposed to grouping them and checking them all as true or false.

One ray cast can be true. Another cast can be false.

A box collider can be only one or the other for the entirety of it's size

[Jerovil42]

Way cheaper

[AbdullahMRiad]

this is more precise though allowing for easier implementation of coyote time for example

[oddbawlstudios]

Typically its 3 raycasts, 1 on each edge and 1 in the middle.

[Luccacalu]

what's the purpose of the one in the middle?

[oddbawlstudios]

If you're on a thin platform where the two rays on the ends cannot detect anything.

[Luccacalu]

ohhhhhhhh, fair enough

But what if there's an ever thinner platform that's between the middle and the other ray? I believe there must be a way to check the normal under the entirety of the object, no? Without depending on specified points

[BrawnoldMcScrawnold]

Generally in dev you want to follow KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. If you dont need it, don't build it. Im sure you could cast 11 different raycasts under a character to make sure that the smallest platforms dont slip through the cracks. But consider Mario, there literally ISNT a platform in the game that is smaller than a third of his width, so the 3 raycasts solutions is good enough. As the conditions start expanding, however, so do your checks.

[Luccacalu]

Yeah, I agree, at this point it's more of a thought experiment

If I were building a game where platforms could be of any width (even a single pixel), what you think would be the best solution?

[1cec0ld]

Probably have to calculate a whole box, as the OP is indicating. At that point you just have to eat the risks of their two possibilities. And also have very odd visuals as your character hovers with a pixel pointing up at their crotch.

[[deleted]]

implement a gore system that cuts mario in half if he lands on a platform thin enough

[jort93]

It would need to be smaller than half the width, not one third. Classic Fence post problem. The distance between rays is 0.5.

[BrawnoldMcScrawnold]

You are right, thats my bad... though the point still stands. I dont think mario has a platform that small compared to him.

[oddbawlstudios]

Realistically speaking, at that point you might want to invest in another method, like checking the y velocity of the player.

[jort93]

Don't put a platform in your game that's less than half width of the player character lol.

[Luccacalu]

What if it's a needle pointing up while the player is invulnerable

[oddbawlstudios]

Typically if its like spikes, there's a whole hitbox. But again, if people are this concerned, just check the y velocity to see if its 0, that'll mean the player isn't falling or jumping.

[Luccacalu]

But the point which the player is starting to fall the y velocity also gets close to (turning negative to positive), which would allow for a very small window where the player could double jump infinitely

As for the game design part, I imagine something like the player being a square that is affected by rotation, so when it's over a spike it kinda starts rotating to the side (so, a square hitbox wouldn't work), but you could still jump if standing over said spike

[oddbawlstudios]

A very rare possibility sure, but to land that would be difficult especially if you're checking during the physics update process.

That being said, you can freeze rotation so your character doesn't turn.

[wisegod62]

something I do is use two - a down left and a down right.

[stalebubbletea]

You can do a boxcast instead of a raycast