Build a Better Cover System: Raycasting, Animation, and Fluid Gameplay

Posted by Gemma Ellison

July 8, 2025

Let’s face it, third-person shooters without a functional cover system are relics of a bygone era. But slapping one together without a solid foundation? You’re setting yourself up for animation glitches, frustrating player experiences, and a whole lot of debugging. This isn’t just about sticking to a wall; it’s about fluid, responsive, and believable interaction with the environment. This article provides a practical guide, built around raycasting and animation, to build a cover system that will actually enhance your game.

The Raycasting Foundation: Seeing the World

Raycasting is the unsung hero of countless game mechanics, and our cover system is no exception. Forget complex collision meshes for simple cover detection. Raycasts are precise and efficient. We’ll use them to “see” potential cover points.

First, define a “coverable” layer in your project.

Then, use the following code snippet (Unity example) to shoot rays from the character’s position:

RaycastHit hit;
Vector3 rayDirection = transform.forward; // Or slightly angled outwards

if (Physics.Raycast(transform.position, rayDirection, out hit, coverDistance, coverLayer))
{
    // We hit something coverable!
    Debug.Log("Found cover at: " + hit.point);
    // Store hit information for later use.
    potentialCoverPoint = hit.point;
}

Pitfall: Don’t rely solely on transform.forward. Consider casting multiple rays, slightly angled left and right, to detect cover at wider angles and avoid situations where the player is almost aligned with a wall but the ray misses.

Actionable Insight: Visualize your raycasts using Debug.DrawRay during development. This helps you fine-tune the ray’s origin, direction, and length to achieve optimal cover detection. Experiment with different coverDistance values.

Animating the Transition: Fluidity is Key

A jarring teleport to the cover point breaks immersion. Animation is key for a smooth, believable transition. We’re not just moving the character; we’re orchestrating a performance.

Use an animation blend tree to handle the movement to cover. The animator should have states for:

Idle (standing or crouching)
Moving to Cover
In Cover (various stances)
Exiting Cover

The Moving to Cover animation is crucial. It should smoothly transition the character from their current position to a position hugging the cover object. Use root motion in your animation to drive the character’s actual movement, ensuring a natural feel.

Challenge: Animation blending can introduce artifacts if the animations aren’t properly synced.

Solution: Carefully adjust animation timings and blending parameters. Consider using animation events to trigger specific actions (like attaching the character to the cover object) at precise moments in the animation.

Actionable Insight: Instead of directly setting the character’s position to the cover point, lerp towards it over a short duration, controlled by the animation. This softens the transition and makes it look more natural.

The Art of the Peek: Risk and Reward

Peeking from cover is where the gameplay gets interesting. It’s about balancing risk and reward, giving the player options without making them invincible.

Implement peeking using additive animations. Create animations for leaning left and right, and then apply them on top of the base cover animation. This allows you to easily control the amount of lean and return the character to the cover position seamlessly.

Example (simplified):

animator.SetFloat("PeekLeftRight", peekAmount); // PeekAmount controls the blend between left and right peeking animations

Common Mistake: Allowing the player to shoot while fully extended during a peek.

Solution: Limit the firing angle or accuracy while peeking, forcing the player to commit to fully exposing themselves to gain a clear shot. Think about implementing a “blind fire” mechanic with a high degree of inaccuracy for added realism and tactical depth.

Actionable Insight: Use inverse kinematics (IK) to subtly adjust the character’s aiming direction while peeking. This makes the aiming feel more natural and responsive, especially when the character is leaning around a corner.

Input Handling: The Brains of the Operation

A responsive cover system hinges on intuitive input. We need to handle:

Entering cover (context-sensitive based on raycast hits)
Exiting cover (directional input away from the cover)
Peeking (dedicated buttons or analog stick input)

The input system should be decoupled from the character’s movement logic. Use an input manager or a third-party asset like Rewired to provide a layer of abstraction.

Challenge: “Sticky” cover - the player unintentionally entering cover when they want to move past it.

Solution: Implement a short cooldown after exiting cover before the player can re-enter. This prevents accidental cover entry and gives the player more control over their movement. Increase the required angle deviation to initiate the cover action.

Actionable Insight: Provide visual feedback to the player when they are near a potential cover point. This can be as simple as highlighting the cover object or displaying a small icon near the crosshair.

Beyond the Basics: Polish and Refinement

A truly great cover system goes beyond the core mechanics. Consider these enhancements:

Dynamic Cover: Allow the player to move along the cover object (e.g., sliding along a wall).
Destructible Cover: Implement a system where cover objects can be damaged or destroyed, forcing the player to adapt their strategy.
Vaulting: Allow the player to vault over low cover objects.
Contextual Actions: Add actions like blind firing or melee attacks from cover.

Building a functional and satisfying cover system is an iterative process. Prototype, test, and refine. Don’t be afraid to experiment and break things. The goal is to create a system that feels natural, responsive, and, most importantly, fun. By focusing on a solid raycasting foundation, smooth animations, and intuitive input, you can create a cover system that truly elevates your game. And please, ditch the generic teleport-to-cover implementations. The difference between a good game and a great one is in the details.