# Position & Travel Type

The Position & Travel type configuration is where you define where the ability object (which includes the graphic/colliders etc) will start from and how it will travel in game.&#x20;

Depending on the position & travel type selected additional settings will appear below allowing you to modify the behaviour of the travel or the position the GameObject spawns at.&#x20;

{% hint style="warning" %}
Melee type abilities do not have a travel type and will always attach to the object relating to the starting position set, like attached to the end of a weapon which has been tagged when using 'On Self Tag' as the starting position&#x20;
{% endhint %}

![](https://1755795481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MhJfX9-yykdmh_ePph_%2F-Mi7PNlkJ_fJkW0bm-4-%2F-Miq6WdAtZUQ535xe_th%2FPositionTravel.PNG?alt=media\&token=ed27bba8-2637-448e-b1ca-35cc09e46bef)

## Starting Position

The dropdown at the top right defines the starting point for the ability. For projectiles & raycasts this is where the object will appear in game before travelling to it's destination. For melee attacks the selection determines where the object will attach too. &#x20;

When setting the starting position you also have the option to offset from the starting position. For example increasing the Y value will move the ability up x amount from the starting position.&#x20;

{% hint style="warning" %}
If 'Target Travel' is not ticked then the ability will immediately appear at the target location (depending on travel type)
{% endhint %}

The following starting positions can be selected:&#x20;

| Starting Position  | Information                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Self**           | Ability will spawn at the origin point of the entity that activated the ability                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| **Target**         | <p>Ability will spawn at the current target of the entity. If no target is selected and “Auxiliary SoftTarget” is ticked then the graphic will as a backup appear at the current soft target of the entity. </p><p></p><p>If no target/soft target is selected then the graphic will appear at the entity as if ‘Self’ was selected</p> |
| **On Object**      | Ability will spawn at the Object defined in additional setting ‘Select Object’. Any object in the scene can be dragged or selected                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| **On World**       | Ability will spawn at the current world target position that has been selected by the player                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| **Camera Center**  | Ability will spawn at the current camera position.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| **On Tag**         | Ability will spawn on the first tag found in the scene which matches the tag selected in the dropdown                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **On Self Tag**    | <p>Ability will spawn on the first tag found on the entity activating the ability which matches the tag selected in the dropdown. </p><p></p><p>Current equipped weapons are prioritised in this search allowing you to tag each weapon the same but have the Ability always appear on the weapon currently equipped.</p>               |

{% hint style="info" %}
It is recommend to use 'On Self Tag' where possible as this will save time in future when creating abilities as it's easier to change GameObject tags then it is to reconfigure all abilities created.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

## Travel Type&#x20;

The travel type dropdown determines how the ability will travel and behave in game after it has been initiated. Depending on the travel type selected additional settings will appear to further customise the behaviour of the travel.&#x20;

{% hint style="warning" %}
Raycast abilities will travel towards the direction of the target from the starting position set. Any Objects hit in the raycast will have the ability effects applied.
{% endhint %}

The following travel types can be selected:

| Travel Type          | Information                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Selected Target**  | Ability will travel to the target currently selected by the player                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **Self**             | Ability will travel towards the entity that activated the ability.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **To World**         | Ability will travel towards the current world position selected by the player                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| **Mouse Target**     | Ability will travel towards the current mouse position                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| **Crosshair**        | <p>If <a href="../../general-settings/settings#ability-types">ability type</a> is “Raycast” then when activated a cast will travel towards the crosshair center activating effects on entities hit. <br><br>If ability is set to “Particle Effect” then before the ability initiates a raycast will be sent towards the crosshair center recording the first object point hit. This point will then act as the destination for the ability to travel towards, If no objects are hit then it will travel to a set distance down the cast line.</p> |
| **Nearest Tag**      | Ability will travel towards a random object with a specific ABC/Unity tag. Entities are checked for a matching tag within a defined range of the ability starting position                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| **No Travel**        | Ability will not travel and will remain at its starting position.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| **Forward**          | Ability will travel forward in a straight line from the starting position in the same direction that the entity is currently facing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **Mouse Forward**    | The entity activating the ability will be rotated to face the mouse position at which point the ability will travel forward in a straight line from the starting position.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| **Mouse2D**          | The ability will travel from its starting position towards the mouse position recorded when the ability initiates. The Z-Index will not be recorded as this setup should be used for 2D games                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| **Custom Script**    | <p>A travel script can be set which will be added to the ability when it initiates. This is used instead of the normal travel system integrated into the ABC system. <br><br>Normal travel functionality will be lost as the travel now depends on the custom script that has been defined.<br></p><p>Once selected a “Custom Script” setting will show, a script then needs to be dragged and dropped into the box. This script will then be added and enabled when the ability initiates.</p>                                                   |

## Ability Before Target&#x20;

If ticked then the ability will wait for a target to be selected before activating. A target selection is required even if the entity already has a target although there is nothing stopping the user from selecting the same object the entity is already targeting.

![](https://1755795481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MhJfX9-yykdmh_ePph_%2F-Mir5e7ZmgFGZg7k5829%2F-Mir6Yrl-pmCo_6NsktJ%2FAbilityBeofreTarget.PNG?alt=media\&token=dc0e2842-714e-43a4-afd9-7c280111938d)

The process for this means that the ability trigger will be pushed first, then a target will need to be selected before the ability starts activating.

When ticked, depending on the travel type, additional settings will appear which allows you to set graphic indicators which will show when it's time for the player to pick a target/world location before the ability activates.&#x20;

![](https://1755795481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MhJfX9-yykdmh_ePph_%2F-Mir5e7ZmgFGZg7k5829%2F-MirGtxM_JhHLSopFjhS%2FIndicator1.PNG?alt=media\&token=04a99b92-b300-43bf-8483-349725f37737)

![](https://1755795481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MhJfX9-yykdmh_ePph_%2F-Mir5e7ZmgFGZg7k5829%2F-MirH1Um98wqRJ3GZuV8%2FIndicator2.PNG?alt=media\&token=b6b1e938-33de-49f1-8387-77dc087ba7f4)

If loop till target found is unticked then the ability will be cancelled if the correct target was not selected the first time round. If ticked then the ability will wait till the right target has been selected.&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}
Ability before target works very well for abilities where you want to select a world position to unleash an aoe type spell etc&#x20;
{% endhint %}

## Notable Settings

Depending on the travel type selected then different settings will show to further modify the behaviour

|              **Setting**                    | **Description**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| :-----------------------------------------: | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|             **Always Activate**             | If ticked then a selected target is not required to activate.  in the situation that no target/soft target is available the ability will fire in a straight line. If not ticked then the ability will only activate when a target is selected.                                                                                                      |
|           **Auxiliary SoftTarget**          | If enabled and the entity currently has no selected target then the ability will as a backup treat the entities current Soft Target as the selected target.                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| **Projectile Continuously Turn To Target**  | <p>If ticked then the ability will continuously travel to the targets current position even if the target moves, like a homing missile. <br><br>If disabled then the projectile will start travelling towards the targets current position but will always keep going in that direction no matter if the target moves.</p>                          |
|           **Affect Target Only**            | If enabled then the ability will only collide and apply effects to the selected target, ignoring all other entities on the way.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|            **Rotate To Target**             | If ticked then the entity will rotate to the target before activating the ability                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|        **No Target Rotate Behaviour**       | <p>Determines the rotate behaviour of the entity casting the ability in the situation where no target exists (and Always Activate is ticked) or entity is not set to rotate to the target. </p><p></p><p>The following options can be selected: Current Direction, Camera Center (rotate to face the way the camera is facing or Mouse Target) </p> |
|            **Restrict Targets**             | If ticked then ABC/Unity tags can be entered. Once setup the ability will only activate if the target matches one of the tags entered.                                                                                                                                                                                                              |

{% hint style="warning" %}
It is highly recommended to read the tooltips in the blue boxes for a full description on what each setting does&#x20;
{% endhint %}
