Navigation & Pathfinding

NavigationServer-powered pathfinding with avoidance and dynamic obstacles define robust AI movement.

Available Scripts

dynamic_nav_manager.gd

Expert runtime navigation mesh updates for moving platforms.

NEVER Do in Navigation & Pathfinding

• NEVER set target_position before awaiting physics frame — NavigationServer not ready in _ready()? Path fails silently. MUST call_deferred() then await get_tree().physics_frame.
• NEVER use NavigationRegion2D.bake_navigation_polygon() at runtime — Synchronous baking freezes game for 100+ ms. Use NavigationServer2D for dynamic updates OR pre-bake.
• NEVER forget to check is_navigation_finished() — Calling get_next_path_position() after reaching target = stale path, AI walks to old position.
• NEVER use avoidance_enabled without setting radius — Default radius = 0, agent passes through others. Set nav_agent.radius = collision_shape.radius for proper avoidance.
• NEVER poll target_position every frame for chase AI — Setting target 60x/sec = path recalculation spam. Use timer (0.2s intervals) or distance threshold for updates.
• NEVER assume path exists — Target unreachable (blocked by walls)? get_next_path_position() returns invalid. Check is_target_reachable() or validate path length.

2D Navigation

# Scene structure:
# Node2D (Level)
#   ├─ NavigationRegion2D
#   │    └─ Polygon2D (draw walkable area)
#   └─ CharacterBody2D (Enemy)
#        └─ NavigationAgent2D

Setup NavigationRegion2D:

1. Add NavigationRegion2D node
2. Create New NavigationPolygon
3. Click "Edit" → Draw walkable area
4. Bake navigation mesh

Basic AI Movement

extends CharacterBody2D

@onready var nav_agent := $NavigationAgent2D
@export var speed := 200.0

var target_position: Vector2

func _ready() -> void:
    # Wait for navigation to be ready
    call_deferred("setup_navigation")

func setup_navigation() -> void:
    await get_tree().physics_frame
    nav_agent.target_position = target_position

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    if nav_agent.is_navigation_finished():
        return
    
    var next_position := nav_agent.get_next_path_position()
    var direction := (next_position - global_position).normalized()
    
    velocity = direction * speed
    move_and_slide()

func set_target(pos: Vector2) -> void:
    target_position = pos
    nav_agent.target_position = pos

NavigationAgent Properties

# Path recalculation
nav_agent.path_desired_distance = 10.0
nav_agent.target_desired_distance = 10.0

# Avoidance
nav_agent.radius = 20.0
nav_agent.avoidance_enabled = true

# Performance
nav_agent.path_max_distance = 500.0

Advanced Patterns

Chase Player

extends CharacterBody2D

@onready var nav_agent := $NavigationAgent2D
@export var speed := 150.0
@export var chase_range := 300.0

var player: Node2D

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    if not player:
        return
    
    var distance := global_position.distance_to(player.global_position)
    
    if distance <= chase_range:
        nav_agent.target_position = player.global_position
        
        if not nav_agent.is_navigation_finished():
            var next_pos := nav_agent.get_next_path_position()
            var direction := (next_pos - global_position).normalized()
            velocity = direction * speed
            move_and_slide()

Patrol Points

extends CharacterBody2D

@onready var nav_agent := $NavigationAgent2D
@export var patrol_points: Array[Vector2] = []
@export var speed := 100.0

var current_point_index := 0

func _ready() -> void:
    if patrol_points.size() > 0:
        nav_agent.target_position = patrol_points[0]

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    if nav_agent.is_navigation_finished():
        _go_to_next_patrol_point()
        return
    
    var next_pos := nav_agent.get_next_path_position()
    var direction := (next_pos - global_position).normalized()
    velocity = direction * speed
    move_and_slide()

func _go_to_next_patrol_point() -> void:
    current_point_index = (current_point_index + 1) % patrol_points.size()
    nav_agent.target_position = patrol_points[current_point_index]

3D Navigation

extends CharacterBody3D

@onready var nav_agent := $NavigationAgent3D
@export var speed := 5.0

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    if nav_agent.is_navigation_finished():
        return
    
    var next_position := nav_agent.get_next_path_position()
    var direction := (next_position - global_position).normalized()
    
    velocity = direction * speed
    move_and_slide()

Dynamic Obstacles

# Add NavigationObstacle2D to moving objects
# Scene:
# CharacterBody2D (MovingPlatform)
#   └─ NavigationObstacle2D

# Navigation automatically updates around it

Signals

func _ready() -> void:
    nav_agent.velocity_computed.connect(_on_velocity_computed)
    nav_agent.navigation_finished.connect(_on_navigation_finished)

func _on_velocity_computed(safe_velocity: Vector2) -> void:
    velocity = safe_velocity
    move_and_slide()

func _on_navigation_finished() -> void:
    print("Reached destination")

Best Practices

1. Defer Navigation Setup

# ✅ Good - wait for navigation to initialize
func _ready() -> void:
    call_deferred("setup_nav")

func setup_nav() -> void:
    await get_tree().physics_frame
    nav_agent.target_position = target

2. Check if Path Exists

if not nav_agent.is_target_reachable():
    print("Target unreachable!")

3. Use Avoidance for Crowds

nav_agent.avoidance_enabled = true
nav_agent.radius = 20.0
nav_agent.max_neighbors = 10

Reference

• Godot Docs: Navigation

Related

• Master Skill: godot-master