Make object follow mouse: 2D game

Hi there,

I'd like to make a top down game that the sprite follows the mouse in a very nicely animated manner, i'm just wondering if there is a way to do so. At the moment i'm thinking about systematically making the only directions being to move horizontally and vertically, it will be a topdown shooter that you move with your right click of the mouse, but im mostly worried about making the sprite follow the mouses position when you right click. Please help me, is there any way of doing this/ doing this easily?

-Much appreciated in advance, Jackson

 

I only need to know about the sprite moving, really cause it doesn't work i've made it move

 

Here's some code I wrote for you. Just attach it to any object you want to follow the mouse when right-click is down. I hope it helps!

Code (csharp):

1.  
2. using UnityEngine;
3. using System.Collections;
4.  
5. public class MouseMove2D : MonoBehaviour {
6.  
7.     private Vector3 mousePosition;
8.     public float moveSpeed = 0.1f;
9.  
10.     // Use this for initialization
11.     void Start () {
12.    
13.     }
14.    
15.     // Update is called once per frame
16.     void Update () {
17.         if (Input.GetMouseButton(1)) {
18.             mousePosition = Input.mousePosition;
19.             mousePosition = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(mousePosition);
20.             transform.position = Vector2.Lerp(transform.position, mousePosition, moveSpeed);
21.         }
22.  
23.     }
24. }
25.  
26.  

 

Thanks this help me, i am now using this to control a crosshair for my top down orthographic tank game.

I had to change line 19. to Vector3.Lerp so i could make the crosshair stay above the floor plane by using.



transform.position = Vector3.Lerp( new Vector3 (transform.position.x , transform.position.y, -5), mousePosition, moveSpeed);


where the -5 is the z distance.

i put this up because it took me a while to find out this information.

 

I know this thread is really old, but anyways:

Couldn't you do

Code (csharp):

1. mousePosition=Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(Input.mousePosition);

So it's only one line?

 

Yep, just tested it and it works.

 

I came across this thread in 2017

 

Is there a way of moving the object in a constant speed rather than moving faster the further away the mouse is?

 

you can try to change lerp speed depended on distance between mouse and gameobject

Code (CSharp):

1. void Update () {
2.         if (Input.GetMouseButton(1)) {
3.             mousePosition=Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(Input.mousePosition);
4.             Vector2 tmpDir = mousePosition - transform.position;
5.             transform.position = Vector2.Lerp(transform.position, mousePosition, moveSpeed * 1f / tmpDir.magnitude * Time.deltaTime);
6.         }
7.  
8.     }

or use moving to mouse with normalized moving vector

Code (CSharp):

1. void Update () {
2.         if (Input.GetMouseButton(1)) {
3.             mousePosition=Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(Input.mousePosition);
4.             Vector2 tmpDir = mousePosition - transform.position;
5.             //this line should disable moving near the end or the object will "jitter"
6.             //disable if-line to see what I mean
7.             if (tmpDir.sqrMagnitude > 0.1f)
8.             transform.Translate (tmpDir.normalized * moveSpeed * Time.deltaTime);
9.         }
10.  
11.     }

 

Use MoveTowards:

Code (CSharp):

1. private void Update()
2. {
3.     if(Input.GetMouseButton(1))
4.     {
5.         mousePosition = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(Input.mousePosition);
6.         mousePosition.z = transform.position.z;
7.         transform.position = Vector3.MoveTowards(transform.position, mousePosition, moveSpeed * Time.deltaTime);
8.     }
9. }

 

how can we do with point and click? when i click an empty location then object go to there.

 

store somewhere the clicked position and move to it.

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2. private void Update()
3. {
4.     if(Input.GetMouseButtonDown(0))
5.     {
6.         mousePosition = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(Input.mousePosition);
7.         mousePosition.z = transform.position.z;
8.         //transform.position = Vector3.MoveTowards(transform.position, mousePosition, moveSpeed * Time.deltaTime);
9.     }
10. transform.position = Vector3.MoveTowards(transform.position, mousePosition, moveSpeed * Time.deltaTime);
11. }

 

this code does not work. when click to object, then it does work

 

maybe the moveSpeed was zero, check the value in inspector (and the script is for left-click, change Input.GetMouseButtonDown(0) to 1, if right-click is needed ).

Code (CSharp):

1. public float moveSpeed = 10;
2.     Vector3 mousePosition;
3.  
4.     void Start()
5.     {
6.         //to prevent that object will move to zero at beginn.
7.         mousePosition = transform.position;
8.     }
9.  
10.     private void Update()
11.     {
12.         if (Input.GetMouseButtonDown(0))
13.         {
14.             mousePosition = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(Input.mousePosition);
15.             mousePosition.z = transform.position.z;
16.         }
17.         transform.position = Vector3.MoveTowards(transform.position, mousePosition, moveSpeed * Time.deltaTime);
18.     }

 

I wrote this one but I cant point and click. its working only mouse drag. Actually the both of them must work as mouse down and mouse drag

Code (CSharp):

1. void OnMouseDrag()
2.     {
3.         moveToPosition = true;
4.         mousePosition = Input.mousePosition;
5.         mousePosition = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(mousePosition);
6.     }
7.  
8.     void Update()
9.     {
10.         if (moveToPosition)
11.         {
12.             increase += Time.deltaTime;
13.             direction = new Vector2(mousePosition.x - transform.position.x, mousePosition.y - transform.position.y);
14.             transform.position = Vector2.Lerp(transform.position, mousePosition, moveSpeed);
15.             if (Vector3.Distance(transform.position, mousePosition) < 100f)
16.             {
17.                 moveToPosition = false;
18.             }
19.             transform.up = direction;
20.         }
21.     }

 

i can see its been 4 years since the last comment but i need the help.

so im tying to use the first code by unitylover but i keep getting this error:

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
point.Update () (at Assets/scripts/point.cs:14)

what can i do?

 

Hey there I just started programming and am wondering how i might be able to do it without needing to press left mousebutton. so i simply hover the screen and my object follows it... any ideas?

 

just try to delete if-check

Code (CSharp):

1. using UnityEngine;
2. using System.Collections;
3. public class MouseMove2D : MonoBehaviour {
4.     private Vector3 mousePosition;
5.     public float moveSpeed = 0.1f;
6.     // Use this for initialization
7.     void Start () {
8.  
9.     }
10.  
11.     // Update is called once per frame
12.     void Update () {
13.             mousePosition = Input.mousePosition;
14.             mousePosition = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(mousePosition);
15.             transform.position = Vector2.Lerp(transform.position, mousePosition, moveSpeed);
16.     }
17. }

 

yes you just wouldn't use the dot lerp function at the end of Vector2 or Vector 3

 

When I try any of them, It'll give errors

 

My character is super slow and i dont know how to fix it.

 

if you are using the above script, try changing the moveSpeed variable (in inspector) to 100 or something high.

 

2021 go brrr

 

2021 go BRRRRRRR also is there a way to make it so the object moves at a constant speed so it will move past the mouse if right click is not held and not just stop when right click is not held

 

I'm pretty new to this, so I'm not quite sure this might work, but maybe one could store the Vector at which the object last moved when following the mouse, then use that Vector to tell it to keep going that direction? ^^
Maybe that'd work!

 

my god, just spent forever trying to "fix" my ingame cursor without realizing this was a thing, lifesaver <3

 

If you want an offset you can do this:

Code (CSharp):

1. private Vector3 mousePosition;
2. public float moveSpeed = 0.1f;
3. public Vector3 offset;
4.  
5. void LateUpdate()
6.     {
7.         Vector3 mousePosition = Input.mousePosition + offset;
8.         Vector3 smoothedPosition =
9.         Vector2.Lerp(transform.position, mousePosition,
10.         moveSpeed);
11.         transform.position = smoothedPosition;
12.     }

 

Little code I made for my angry birds game for flinging:

Code (CSharp):

1. void Update()
2.     {
3.         if (//not important)
4.         {
5.             mv = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(Input.mousePosition);
6.             transform.position = Vector2.Lerp(transform.position,mv,1);
7.             transform.right = transform.position - transform.localPosition;
8.             if(transform.localPosition.x > 1)
9.             {
10.                 transform.localPosition = new Vector2(1, transform.localPosition.y);
11.             }
12.             if (transform.localPosition.x < -1)
13.             {
14.                 transform.localPosition = new Vector2(-1, transform.localPosition.y);
15.             }
16.             if (transform.localPosition.y > 1)
17.             {
18.                 transform.localPosition = new Vector2(transform.localPosition.x, 1);
19.             }
20.             if (transform.localPosition.y < -1)
21.             {
22.                 transform.localPosition = new Vector2(transform.localPosition.x, -1);
23.             }
24.         }

If you want it to move freely, you can remove the if statements. Keep in mind you don't need the:

Code (CSharp):

1. transform.right = transform.position - transform.localPosition;

If you don't want it to turn towards it's parent.

 

hi i'm new to this, and want to know if ther is any way to make it only move in the x mouse position

 

Code (CSharp):

1. mv = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(Input.mousePosition);
2. transform.position = new Vector2(mv.x,transform.position.y);

that should do it for whatever brick-breaker game you want to create.