BazNavAgentMovement
Pathfinding AI movement for GameObjects. Powered by Godot’s built-in NavigationAgent2D so enemies route around walls instead of pushing into them. Six behaviors, one node, no manual state code.
DOWNLOAD:
baz_nav_agent_movement.gd (68.4 KB)
What it does
Pathfinds your enemy to a target using NavigationAgent2D.
- Patrol — move between waypoints in Loop or Ping-Pong order
- Chase — pathfind toward an Object, Group, or named node
- Flee — pathfind away from a threat using probe directions
- Random Walk — wander within a radius around the start position
- Set Direction — move at a constant angle, routing around obstacles
- Move To Point — one-shot trip to a coordinate, object, group, or named node
Behaviors switch mid-game with one call from any visual script state. Speed, acceleration, and deceleration are read from the entity’s existing MoveAndJumpSettings.
Setting up GameObject navigation nodes
-
Open your enemy’s GameObject (or Area2DGameObject) scene. Add a child Node2D and attach
baz_nav_agent_movement.gdto it. -
Add a NavigationAgent2D as a sibling of BazNavAgentMovement under the enemy root. Default settings are fine to start.
-
Select the BazNavAgentMovement node and pick a Behavior Mode from the inspector dropdown. The inspector shows only the fields relevant to the selected mode. Hover any field for a tooltip.
| Behavior Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Patrol | Cycles a waypoint list in Loop or Ping-Pong order |
| Chase | Pathfinds toward the nearest valid target |
| Flee | Pathfinds away from the nearest threat |
| Random Walk | Picks random destinations within a radius of the start position |
| Set Direction | Moves at a constant angle, navigating around obstacles |
| Move To Point | One-shot trip to a coordinate, node, or group member |
Using BazNavAgentMovement in your Visual Script
In the enemy’s visual script, pick your AI state and add an InvokeScript Action:
- Target Node: BazNavAgentMovement
- Target Method:
apply_movement - Invoke Timing: OnStateUpdate
That’s the whole runtime wiring. apply_movement() auto-initializes on first call and runs the selected behavior every physics tick.
Setting up GameScene NavigationRegion2D and NavigationPolygon
-
Open the game scene where the enemy will live. Add a NavigationRegion2D, assign it a NavigationPolygon resource, and draw the walkable area.
-
Put any TileMapLayer’s or StaticBody2D’s that you want to count as collisions as children of the NavigationRegion2D and press Bake NavigationPolygon in the editor toolbar. Without a baked navmesh the enemy will not move.
- If you need to make the path with more radius around corners, you can adjust the Radius property in the NavigationPolygon resource. You will have to rebake it!
Actions
| Method | When to call |
|---|---|
apply_movement() |
Every physics tick on the active AI state (OnStateUpdate). Required for basic use. |
reset_movement() |
Stops movement and reinitializes on the next apply_movement() call. Only needed for an explicit reset since movement stops on its own when apply_movement() is no longer called. |
switch_to_patrol() |
OnStateEnter of a patrol state. Restarts the waypoint cycle from waypoint 0. |
switch_to_chase() |
OnStateEnter of a chase state. Acquires the nearest valid target. |
switch_to_flee() |
OnStateEnter of a flee state. Acquires the nearest threat. |
switch_to_random_walk() |
OnStateEnter of a wander state. |
switch_to_set_direction() |
OnStateEnter of a fixed-direction state. |
switch_to_move_to_point() |
OnStateEnter of a one-shot move state. Freezes the destination from the configured source. |
return_to_start() |
Pathfinds back to the spawn position. |
return_to_nearest_patrol() |
Pathfinds to the nearest waypoint and resumes patrol from there. |
Conditions
For use in visual script transition condition slots (ScriptConditionEvaluator):
| Method | True when |
|---|---|
is_at_destination() |
Entity has reached its current target |
is_moving() |
Entity has non-zero velocity |
has_completed_patrol() |
A full Loop or Ping-Pong cycle has finished |
is_at_start() |
Entity is back at its spawn position (within 8 px) |
is_returning() |
A return_to_start or return_to_nearest_patrol trip is in progress |
is_patrol_paused() |
Patrol is active and entity is dwelling at a waypoint |
is_patrol_at_last_waypoint() |
Patrol is active and entity is at or heading to the final waypoint |
is_chase_has_target() |
Chase is active and a valid target is locked |
Tips
- Bake the navmesh first. A missing or unbaked NavigationRegion2D is the most common reason nothing moves. Use Debug > Visible Navigation in the editor to confirm the mesh is where you think it is.
- Speed comes from MoveAndJumpSettings. It will even follow if acceleration is selected.
- Debug Enabled prints init, target updates, mode switches, and arrival events to Output. Turn it off for release.
- Switching modes mid-game doesn’t reset speed. The accel/decel ramp carries over between switches. Call
reset_movement()first if you want a hard stop. - Set Direction uses carrot-on-a-stick pathfinding. It projects a target 128 px ahead and pathfinds to it, so an enemy moving right will still route around walls without permanently deviating.
- One node per entity. Two BazNavAgentMovement nodes on the same entity will fight over velocity every frame.
