Could someone provide a general overview as to how an AI parkour navigation system would work at a high level?

Hello,

I am new to the AI Controller/Behavior Tree/Navmesh system.

I see getting an AI to move to different points in the Navmesh is relatively simple.

I see there are also navigation links for allowing AI to jump or fall between navmeshes.

However, I am wondering, at a high level, how you would implement custom parkour for the AI using navmeshes.

E.g, say you want the AI to be able to vault over objects or hang onto a ledge, then shimmy/move across the ledge horizontally-and have all of this be apart of its normal navigation path finding - how would you implement this logic?

Is there some way to have a navmesh trigger some custom logic where you manually animate the AI from point A to point B, then resume the normal navmesh navigation? I assume it would involve using a navigation link, however, instead of making the AI jump or fall, you would have some custom logic to play your anim montage?

Could anyone add any color, thoughts, or experience to this?

Thank you!

I don’t have an answer (at least not yet), as I am working on a similar setup. So far, the NPCs jump when they want to (when they reach the custom Nav Links,) and the hanging animation is off. Plus, when they see the player, they will chase in whatever animation it is in (like stuck in the hanging anim.) And they will air slide towards the Player, if they are in mid-climb. I built the climbing system off of Ryan Laley’s tutorials and it MOSTLY works for the player.