godot-genre-platformer

NEVER Do (Expert Anti-Patterns)

Physics & Movement Feel

• NEVER multiply velocity by delta before moveandslide(); the method internalizes the timestep.
• NEVER skip Coyote Time (approx 0.1s); without this grace period, jumps will feel unresponsive when walking off ledges.
• NEVER ignore Jump Buffering (approx 0.15s); players expect to jump the instant they touch the ground if they pressed the button early.
• NEVER use a fixed jump height; strictly implement Variable Jump Height (cut velocity on release) for player expression.
• NEVER forget to scale gravity by delta before adding to velocity; gravity is an acceleration and must be frame-rate independent.
• NEVER rely on discrete collision for high-speed movement; strictly use CCDMODECAST_RAY to prevent tunneling through geometry.
• NEVER use moveandcollide() for standard traversal; it lacks the slope/stair handling of moveandslide().
• NEVER check coyote or buffer timers using exact equality (== 0.0); strictly use isequalapprox() or >= 0.0.

Polish & Level Design

• NEVER use linear camera snapping; strictly use Camera Smoothing or lerp() to prevent motion sickness.
• NEVER skip Squash and Stretch on jump/land; movement feels weightless without these subtle visual "juice" cues.
• NEVER create Blind Jumps; strictly use camera look-ahead or zoom triggers to reveal landing zones.
• NEVER use individual Sprite2D nodes for level geometry; strictly use TileMapLayer for optimized collision and rendering.
• NEVER use complex/concave CollisionShape2D for the player; strictly favor primitive shapes (Capsule/Rectangle) for stability.

Architecture & Performance

• NEVER use CharacterBody2D for simple moving platforms; strictly use AnimatableBody2D and enable synctophysics.
• NEVER ignore platformonleave for descending platforms; use PLATFORMONLEAVEADDUPWARD_VELOCITY to preserve jump impulse.
• NEVER disable recoveryascollision on the player character; it is required for correct floor snapping reports.
• NEVER use the ! (NOT) operator in AnimationTree expressions; strictly use is_walking == false.
• NEVER use standard Strings for high-frequency state checks; strictly use StringName (e.g., &"jumping").
• NEVER load heavy level chunks synchronously; strictly use ResourceLoader.loadthreadedrequest() to prevent frame stutters.

Available Scripts

MANDATORY: For movement feel, read the controller + modules — do not re-implement coyote/buffer/variable-jump inline.

Controllers (golden path)

• [advancedplatformercontroller.gd](scripts/advancedplatformercontroller.gd) — MANDATORY before any precision jump/run controller.
• [platformercontroller2d.gd](scripts/platformercontroller2d.gd) — Leaner CharacterBody2D baseline when the advanced stack is overkill.
• [playergroundcontroller.gd](scripts/playergroundcontroller.gd) — Floor constant speed + slope snap refinements.

Movement modules

• [coyotetimer.gd](scripts/coyotetimer.gd) — MANDATORY with jump feel work (or use the integrated advanced controller).
• [jumpbuffer.gd](scripts/jumpbuffer.gd) — MANDATORY with coyote for landing responsiveness.
• [variablejump.gd](scripts/variablejump.gd) — MANDATORY for release-cutoff height expression.
• [wallslidesensor.gd](scripts/wallslidesensor.gd) — Nodeless wall detection.
• [ledgegrabsensor.gd](scripts/ledgegrabsensor.gd) — Shape-query ledge grabs.
• [onewaydrophandler.gd](scripts/onewaydrophandler.gd) — MANDATORY before drop-through / one-way platform input.
• [customcollisionslider.gd](scripts/customcollisionslider.gd) — High-speed inter-frame slide response.

World / camera / polish

• [synchronizedplatform.gd](scripts/synchronizedplatform.gd) — AnimatableBody2D synctophysics platforms.
• [fastprojectileccd.gd](scripts/fastprojectileccd.gd) — CCD to stop tunneling.
• [platformeranimationsync.gd](scripts/platformeranimationsync.gd) — Boolean-safe AnimationTree sync.
• [platformercamera.gd](scripts/platformercamera.gd) — Look-ahead / smoothing (pair with godot-camera-systems).
• [gamefeelhelper.gd](scripts/gamefeelhelper.gd) — Tween squash/stretch on visual node (pivot at feet).
• [speedtrail.gd](scripts/speedtrail.gd) — GPUParticles trail toggle for dash/run juice.
• [checkpoint.gd](scripts/checkpoint.gd) — Area2D checkpoint id + SaveManager position hook.

Core Loop

Jump → Navigate Obstacles → Reach Goal → Next Level

Skill Chain

godot-project-foundations, godot-characterbody-2d, godot-input-handling, godot-2d-animation, godot-audio-systems, godot-tilemap-mastery, godot-camera-systems, godot-monte-carlo-balancer

Movement Feel — Decision Knobs (not tutorials)

MANDATORY read: [advancedplatformercontroller.gd](scripts/advancedplatformercontroller.gd) plus [coyotetimer.gd](scripts/coyotetimer.gd) / [jumpbuffer.gd](scripts/jumpbuffer.gd) / [variablejump.gd](scripts/variablejump.gd). Copy those modules; do not paste coyote/buffer recipes here.

Tune only these knobs in project code after reading the scripts:

Ground: instant direction response. Air: slightly reduced accel. Gravity scaled by delta; never velocity *= delta before moveandslide().

Level Design Principles

The "Teaching Trilogy"

1. Introduction — safe learn → 2. Challenge — moderate risk → 3. Twist — combine / time pressure

Flow and Pacing

Easy → Easy → Medium → CHECKPOINT → Medium → Hard → CHECKPOINT → Boss

Camera

Use [platformercamera.gd](scripts/platformercamera.gd) / peer godot-camera-systems for look-ahead — never blind jumps.

Platformer Sub-Genres

• Precision (Celeste / Super Meat Boy) — instant respawn, tight controls, frequent checkpoints
• Collectathon — hub worlds, ability unlocks, backtracking
• Puzzle — slow pacing, environmental physics
• Metroidvania — route to godot-genre-metroidvania

Common Pitfalls

Polish Checklist

• Dust particles on land/run
• Screen shake on heavy landings (godot-camera-systems trauma)
• Squash/stretch on jump/land (visual pivot at feet)
• SFX for jump/land/wall-slide
• Checkpoint visual/audio feedback
• Assist mode / remappable controls

MANDATORY for depth beyond decision trees and script catalog: [platformer-movement-deep.md](references/platformer-movement-deep.md). Do NOT Load on first-pass wiring — use bundled scripts/ first.

Godot-Specific Tips

1. CharacterBody2D vs RigidBody2D: Always use CharacterBody2D for platformer characters - precise control is essential
2. Physics tick rate: Consider 120Hz physics for smoother movement
3. One-way platforms: Use setcollisionmask_value() or dedicated collision layers
4. Wall detection: Use isonwall() and getwallnormal() for wall jumps

Example Games for Reference

• Celeste - Perfect game feel, assist mode accessibility
• Hollow Knight - Combat + platforming integration
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Visual polish and surprises
• Shovel Knight - Retro mechanics with modern feel

Reference

Progressive disclosure: open Official Documentation links only when researching a specific API; load Related Skills when routing to a peer domain — do not preload the whole lattice.

Official Documentation

• Using CharacterBody2D — moveandslide floor/wall/ceiling reports, slope snap, and platformon_leave behavior that platformer feel depends on.
• CharacterBody2D — floorconstantspeed, floorsnaplength, recoveryas_collision, and motion-mode knobs for precision controllers.
• Physics introduction — collision layers/masks for player, one-ways, hazards, and projectiles without accidental overlaps.
• Collision shapes (2D) — why capsule/rectangle player shapes stay stable vs concave geometry.
• 2D movement overview — CharacterBody vs RigidBody tradeoffs and common input→velocity patterns.
• Using TileMaps — TileMapLayer collision for level geometry instead of per-sprite StaticBodies.
• Using TileSets — one-way collision and physics layers authored in the tileset for drop-through platforms.
• AnimatableBody2D — syncto_physics moving platforms that riders must stick to without jitter.
• Camera2D — position smoothing, drag margins, and look-ahead offsets that prevent blind jumps and motion sickness.
• Using AnimationTree — boolean advance conditions for idle/run/air states without unsafe expression negation.
• Ray-casting — nodeless wall-slide and ledge queries via PhysicsDirectSpaceState2D.
• Input examples — action just-pressed/released patterns behind jump buffer and variable jump cutoff.

Related Skills

Prerequisites

• godot-project-foundations — project settings, input map actions, and scene structure before wiring coyote/buffer timers.
• godot-characterbody-2d — moveandslide grounding, slopes, and wall normals that every precision jump builds on.
• godot-input-handling — remappable jump/move actions and unhandled-input buffering for assist-mode accessibility.

Complements

• godot-2d-physics — layers, CCD, Area2D hazards, and AnimatableBody platforms beyond the controller core.
• godot-tilemap-mastery — TileMapLayer/TileSet one-ways and collision painting for teachable level geometry.
• godot-camera-systems — look-ahead, room cameras, and smoothing that reveal landings without blind jumps.
• godot-animation-tree-mastery — AnimationTree conditions synced from isonfloor / velocity for juice-safe state graphs.
• godot-2d-animation — squash/stretch and land/run cycles that sell weight after physics resolves.
• godot-particles — dust trails and land puffs called from jump/land events.
• godot-audio-systems — jump/land/wall-slide SFX timing that reinforces responsive feel.
• godot-monte-carlo-balancer — sample coyote/buffer/gravity/jump knobs and level difficulty curves before shipping assist defaults.

Downstream / consumers

• godot-genre-metroidvania — ability-gated exploration that reuses precision movement and TileMap rooms.
• godot-save-load-systems — checkpoint position persistence across deaths and scene reloads.

Master

• godot-master — library router and mirrored module entry for cross-skill discovery.