Can’t Switch Idle/Walk Sprite Animations After Playing Custom Animation (Sprites Unity Mode)

elmaxo

Hi Chris and AC Community,

I'm working on a 2D point-and-click game using Adventure Creator 1.83 in Sprites Unity mode, and I’ve hit a wall trying to swap the player’s Idle and Walk animations after a one-time custom animation plays (like changing clothes).

My Setup:

• Player uses Sprites Unity mode
• All animations (Idle, Walk, Custom) are sprite-based clips, assigned to a child GameObject inside the Player GameObject.
• I use AC’s ActionList system for cutscenes and logic (no Mecanim).
• Walk and Idle animations are initially set to "TommyWalk_R" and "TommyIdle_R" and work fine with AC controls.
• “Flip left” is managed by AC, so I only provide right-facing animations.

The Problem:

I play a custom animation (“TommyPickUp”) using "Character: Animate → Play Custom" and then immediately try to update the player’s idle and walk animations using "Character: Animate → Set Standard: Idle/Walk"

What happens:

• The custom animation plays.
• But after it ends, AC gets stuck on the last frame of the custom animation.
• The character does not return to Idle, nor do the new walk/idle clips take effect.
• Even when checking “Wait until finish” and “Return to idle,” it doesn’t behave correctly.

If I remove the Change Idle/Walk step, the custom animation ends and returns to idle properly.
But the moment I try to change the Idle/Walk animation through AC actions — it breaks.

What I’ve Tried:

• Verified that the new clips work if set as defaults in the Player component.
• Tried delaying the change via Engine: Wait.
• Tried stopping the custom animation before changing.
• Confirmed animation clip names are correct and match what's expected.

• Also attempted the same logic via script using:

  character.idleAnimSprite = "TommyIdle_Clothes";
  character.walkAnimSprite = "TommyWalk_Clothes";

but same result: gets stuck on custom animation frame.

I simply want to:

1. Play a one-time animation (TommyDressUp)
2. Then switch Idle and Walk animations to their new “with clothes” versions

This is a one-time upgrade to the player’s visual state, and I want the player to keep using the new Idle and Walk animations from that moment on.

Questions:

1. Is there a reliable way (in Sprites Unity mode) to transition from a custom animation to new Idle/Walk states?
2. Is there a way to force-reset the character’s state to Idle and have AC recognize the new animation paths?
3. Should I be doing this via script instead of AC Actions?

Thanks in advance for any help. I’ve been through the manual and forum but couldn’t find a reliable solution to this specific behavior.

Best regards,
Max

ChrisIceBox

Welcome to the community, @elmaxo.

Is there a reliable way (in Sprites Unity mode) to transition from a custom animation to new Idle/Walk states?

The approach you've described sounds like the right one. Can you share screenshots of the exact Actions you're running - as well as the Animator Controller?

Is there a way to force-reset the character’s state to Idle and have AC recognize the new animation paths?

The Character: Animate Action has a dedicated Reset To Idle method that should force a reset, but it shouldn't be necessary here from what you've described.

Should I be doing this via script instead of AC Actions?

Actions should be enough for this.

A couple of things to try / look out for:

• What is the effect of bypassing the custom animation entirely, instead going straight to the Set Standard commands?
• Do other Actions after these run, or is it getting "stuck" on any Action? If you keep the ActionList Editor open at the time, it should highlight the currently-running Action.
• Check your Console window for related warnings/messages, too. AC will report an error if it's attempting to play an animation that cannot be found.

elmaxo

Hi Chris,

Thanks so much for your reply, and apologies for the delayed response!

In the end, I decided to switch to Sprites Unity Complex, and I’m happy to report that everything is now working smoothly. I made the switch primarily because I needed more control over the animation state not just for the main character, but also for NPCs, especially as the number of interactive animations increases.

That said, I’ve kept a copy of the original setup using Sprites Unity and will revisit your suggestion there, just to better understand what the issue was and learn more about how AC handles it internally.

Really appreciate your support, I’ll keep you posted with any findings!

Best,
Max