Okay, so I spent some time trying to get this little scene working, the idea was basically having Link throw a dart, or something like it, at a character I called Chase. Sounded simple, right? Well, not quite how it went down.
Getting Started – The Easy Bit
First off, I dropped Link into the scene. Got a basic model, nothing fancy. Then I needed the target, Chase. Made a simple shape or figure to represent him. The initial goal was just movement. I made Chase slide back and forth across a certain area. That part? Piece of cake. Got that running in maybe 10 minutes. Felt pretty good, thought the rest would be smooth sailing.
Making Link Throw – Where it Got Messy
Alright, now Link needed to actually throw something. I decided on a ‘dart’ – just a small, fast projectile for now. The first step was just making Link launch it. So, I set up a trigger, maybe pressing a button. Link plays a little animation, and poof, a dart shoots out straight ahead.
This is where the trouble started. Straight ahead is fine if the target isn’t moving. But Chase was moving. The dart just flew right past him most of the time. Obvious, I know, but seeing it fail is different.
Trying to Aim at Chase
My next thought was: Link needs to aim at Chase. So, before throwing, Link should figure out where Chase is and aim the dart that way.
- I tried getting Chase’s exact position when the throw started.
- Pointed the dart’s direction vector right at that spot.
- Fired.
Better, but still not great. Because Chase kept moving, by the time the dart got there, Chase was somewhere else! Especially if he was far away. Okay, so aiming where he is isn’t enough. I need to aim where he will be.
The ‘Lead the Target’ Headache
This part… this took ages. I started trying to calculate Chase’s future position. Figured out his speed, his direction, the dart’s speed… tried to do the math to predict the meeting point. Let me tell you, the calculations got really hairy, really fast. Lots of trial and error. Sometimes Link would lead the target too much, sometimes not enough.
And if Chase changed direction? Forget it. My simple prediction math went right out the window. It felt like I was literally just throwing darts blindfolded, hoping one would hit. Spent a whole afternoon just tweaking numbers, testing, seeing the dart miss, tweaking again. Super frustrating.
Simplifying – The Breakthrough (Sort Of)
I almost gave up on the prediction thing. Then I thought, maybe I’m overthinking it. What if Link isn’t a perfect sniper? What if it’s more like a quick, instinctive throw?
So, I simplified.
First: I made Chase’s movement a bit more predictable for testing. Just a steady pace, no sudden stops or turns.
Second: I went back to the simpler aiming logic – aim where Chase is at the moment of the throw – but I also factored in Chase’s current velocity a little bit. Not a full complex prediction, just nudging the aim slightly in the direction Chase was moving. Kind of like giving it a bit of ‘english’, you know?
It wasn’t perfect. Link still missed sometimes, especially if Chase was moving fast or changed direction right after the throw. But it started to look more natural. It looked like Link was trying to hit a moving target, not like a heat-seeking missile locking on. The misses almost made it feel more real.
So, yeah. That’s the story of getting Link to throw a dart at Chase. It wasn’t a clean solution, more of a “good enough” messy compromise. Took way longer than I thought, mostly banging my head against the prediction math. Sometimes, making things a bit simpler and less “perfect” is the way to actually get it done. Ended up being a decent little practice session.
