Squash and stretch
The oldest trick in animation: things stretch when they move fast and squash when they land, while keeping their size. It makes even a plain box feel alive.
When you need it
For jumps and landings, bouncing balls, slimes, projectiles, buttons you press, and anything that should feel soft or springy.
Say this to your AI
Use the squash and stretch from Spielerando so my character stretches in the air, squashes on landing and bounces back, with the feet staying on the ground.Or skip this and connect the MCP: your AI then finds all of this by itself.Connect the MCP
Settings
- maxStretch (1.4): The most a fast object stretches. 1.4 means 40 percent longer.
- stretchPerSpeed (0.001): How much stretch each unit of speed gives. Match it to the speeds in your game.
- landingSquash (0.35): How much the hardest landing squashes. 0.35 means 35 percent shorter.
- wobblesPerSecond (3): How fast the wobble after a landing is.
- settleRate (8): How quickly the wobble fades. Higher is stiffer, lower is jellier.
- hardLanding (900): The landing speed that counts as the hardest. Slower landings squash less.
Your AI gets the code
The finished code and math come through the Spielerando connection, so your AI can use them right away. Connect your AI
Common questions
how do i make my character feel bouncy
Stretch it along its movement in the air, squash it on landing, and let it spring back. Keep its area the same while doing that, or it looks like it grows and shrinks.
why does my squash animation look wrong
The usual cause is scaling only one way, so the object changes size. When it gets taller it must get thinner by the same factor. The other cause is the sprite lifting off the ground as it squashes.
how do i make a landing feel heavy
Base the squash on how fast the character hit the ground, so a small hop barely shows and a long fall really flattens it.