I’m developing a 2D game in Unity and I’ve implemented a custom pathfinding solution for my AI agents. The pathfinding works great overall. My AI agents move from point to point and dodge obstacles as they should. But I’ve run into a weird issue with the z-position of the agents.
For some reason, the z-position of my AI agents keeps changing even though it should stay at 0. The agents start at z=0 and their target is also at z=0. However, as they move along their path, their z-position bounces around between -9 and -1. This happens even though the path itself seems to have a z-position of 0 at every point.
I’ve double-checked my setup and made sure the AI agent prefab has a transform position of (0,0,0). The spawn point and destination objects are also set correctly with z=0.
I’m pretty stumped about what could be causing this. Has anyone encountered something similar or have any ideas what might be going on? I’d really appreciate any suggestions on how to keep my AI agents on the correct z-plane in my 2D game.
I ran into a similar issue when working on a 2D platformer. What fixed it for me was diving deep into my movement code. Turns out, I was using Vector3.MoveTowards() without realizing it was affecting the z-axis. Switching to Vector2 for all my movement calculations and then converting back to Vector3 only when setting the final position solved it.
Also, check if you’re using any Quaternion rotations. Even in 2D, these can sometimes introduce unexpected z-axis changes. If you are, try using Quaternion.Euler(0, 0, yourAngle) to ensure you’re only rotating on the correct axis.
Lastly, if all else fails, you might want to look into using a custom camera that ignores z-axis positioning altogether. It’s a bit of a nuclear option, but it can be a lifesaver when dealing with stubborn z-axis issues in 2D games.
I faced a similar issue in my 2D project. One often overlooked cause is Unity’s sprite renderer. Check if your sprites have different sorting layers or order in layer values. This can sometimes cause Unity to adjust the z-position to maintain proper rendering order.
Another potential culprit is physics interactions. If you’re using 2D physics, ensure all colliders are set to 2D and that you’re not accidentally applying any 3D forces.
You might also want to review any coroutines or invoke methods in your AI script. Sometimes, these can introduce unexpected behavior, especially if they’re modifying transform positions directly.
As a last resort, you could add a simple script to your AI agents that clamps the z-position to zero in LateUpdate(). This ensures the z-position is corrected after all other updates have occurred.
yo, had this prob too. check ur update() method - might be some dodgy vector maths messing with z. add a debug.log to track z each frame. if needed, force transform.position=new Vector3(x,y,0) at the end to fix it.
I encountered a similar issue in my 2D project. After some investigation, I found that the problem was related to the way I was calculating movement vectors. Make sure you’re explicitly setting the z-component to zero when updating positions. Something like:
Also, double-check any lerping or smoothing functions you might be using for movement. They can sometimes introduce small z-axis deviations that accumulate over time. If you’re using NavMesh for pathfinding, ensure it’s properly configured for 2D.
Lastly, consider adding a small script that forcibly resets the z-position to zero every frame as a temporary fix while you track down the root cause. It’s not ideal for performance, but it can help isolate the issue.
hey there! i’ve seen this issue before. check ur AI script for any unintended z-axis modifications. sometimes unity’s built-in functions can mess with z values. also, try adding a constraint to the rigidbody2D component to freeze rotation on the z-axis. that might help keep em in place. good luck!
I’ve dealt with similar z-axis issues in 2D Unity projects. One often overlooked cause is the camera setup. Check if you’re using a perspective camera instead of an orthographic one. Perspective cameras can sometimes cause depth-related oddities in 2D games.
Another potential culprit could be your custom pathfinding algorithm. Ensure it’s not inadvertently introducing z-axis variations during path calculations. You might want to add a debug step to log the exact z-values at each pathfinding node.
If the issue persists, consider implementing a coroutine that periodically checks and corrects the z-position of your agents. This won’t solve the root cause but can mitigate the problem while you investigate further.
Lastly, review any external plugins or assets you’re using. Sometimes, third-party tools can interfere with object positioning in unexpected ways.