Hi everyone,
I’m working on a Red Ball 4 style game, but fully in 3D using Unreal Engine 5.4.
My player character is mostly done (rotation and controls could be improved, but it’s functional). Now I’m focusing on the enemy cube AI.
Here’s what I want to achieve:
- The cube starts by dropping from about 3 units high, with physics simulation enabled so it rolls naturally and reacts to collisions.
- When it doesn’t see the player, it freely patrols the map by rolling forward at about 150 units speed, rotating naturally with collisions (rolling in the forward direction).
- Upon reaching a random patrol point, it waits for a bit (pause), then picks another random point and moves again.
- When the player is detected anywhere on the map, the cube switches to chase mode and moves toward the player at a speed of 300 units.
- If the cube fails to catch the player, it returns to the free patrol behavior.
The problem:
Everything works fine at first, but after a few attempts, the cube starts behaving oddly — it flies, flips upside down, sometimes hovers in the air, losing natural movement and grounding. It looks like a physics or collision issue.
Important note: this behavior only occurs when physics simulation is enabled on the cube.
When physics is disabled and I use standard movement logic, everything works correctly —
but it looks very unrealistic and not like a heavy cube rolling around.
Here is a video showing the problem in action:
Here is a short video of the same logic working without physics simulation:
The cube moves and rotates correctly, everything works predictably —
it rolls and turns perfectly, but when it stops on the edge of a platform,
it just gets stuck there, instead of naturally falling or tipping over like a heavy object would.
I’d appreciate any advice or help on how to keep the cube’s physics and movement stable and predictable during gameplay.
Below I’m attaching some of the cube’s blueprint and code snippets.
If you have any suggestions on how to improve the player character’s controls (the rolling ball), I’d be happy to hear them as well!
Thanks in advance!
Mati