# How to create a simple arcade space ship movement system?

**URL:** <https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/how-to-create-a-simple-arcade-space-ship-movement-system/2492161>\
**Category:** Programming & Scripting\
**Tags:** unreal-engine, question, Blueprint\
**Created:** [May 5, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/how-to-create-a-simple-arcade-space-ship-movement-system/2492161 "2025-05-05T20:25:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RedGrimnir](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/redgrimnir/32/1054683_2.png) [@RedGrimnir](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/RedGrimnir)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/how-to-create-a-simple-arcade-space-ship-movement-system/2492161/4 "2025-05-05T21:18:47Z")

</div>

Allright, no worries.

It really depends on the game feel and it’s taste always comes from the cook, which is you. So you will find it gradually playing with it.

Couple of things.

- Using physics simulation is not the best way already, since its harder to control.
- When we do movement its generally kinematics simulation, meaning physics engine itself is a simulation of different physics variables, like gravity. In end its physics.
- Using the current unreal’s movement component would solve a lot of problems, it can be extended always. Sometimes like in a spaceship movement can be super complex and have to adapt environments. When you are in deep space vs when you are close to rigid body, when you are close to a rigid body with atmosphere , what about aerodynamics 😃 etc.

For learning, its a good start.  
I will just put a demo controller modification below from blueprints and the rest is basically experimenting with it.

I just changed character movement component to flying that is already existing and modified this value

 ![image](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/8/0/5/805304e8ff3ea83217e246d1e158501d2253e85e.png)

added couple of blueprint nodes to simulate a space environment.

 ![image](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/8/5/2/852114a19928a88b1404f85f6eb9255ecebc75a0.png)

No gravity, leans on strafe a bit, and on forward movement adds a bit impulse to accelerate , decelarate.

On up and down applies a little bit force of stafe.

Result is a linear arcade movement like below.

![111](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/7/a/b/7ab8d6b6bde74fa30392db174128d023f9f144cf.gif)

This is just to concept things out. There is many details to it and movement is a core aspect of a game, it is not easy as it sounds and it gets complicated in no time. However there is a very extensive codebase already created with it for you to use. Rest is expanding it.

If you need something really custom like a space ship, moving close to ground and you want to do tricks with the controls, react to terrain etc. you need to code since blueprints will be very painfull after a certain stage.

EDIT :

I input mouse look to pawns rotation and input move X vectors to pitch to give my pawn additional roll ability as seen below. So right now as a simple move, can pitch, yaw, accalerate forward, backward, strafe up and down.

 ![image](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/5/a/a/5aaaa8593a33dc83aac5c3436dd6a9c40219f00b.png)

Result  
 ![222](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/f/8/e/f8eb973889de098fa26bee29411622b92b5e6389.gif)

Roll can be on mouse, of shift A-D to roll depends on how you feel about them and overall experience.

Please do not hesitate to ask. Hope it helps you to keep going.

---

_[View the full topic](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/how-to-create-a-simple-arcade-space-ship-movement-system/2492161)._