Change position of a SKSpriteNode that has a physicsBody

Question

I can\'t change the position of a SKSpriteNode by changing

self.position = newPosition;

It doesn\'t work anymore if it has a physicsBody.

Answer 1

Yes you can, but it has its price.

I think you have to make a decision: Either let the position being calculated by the PhysicsEngine OR set the position on your behalf.

Look, for an object in a physics world, there is no magical movement from 'outside', there is only forces, collisions, drifts, ... and that will lead to any position. You can not manipulate the position without putting forces on some related nodes.

And in the moment you try BOTH, having a physicsBody (e.g. on your player), but also try to move them around by setting position manually or running actions for moving, YOU LEAVE the world of physics. Your player will be MOVED through walls and so on, against all physics rules.

So, to want an object being manipulated by the physics engine on the one hand and also to want "positioning" by code is kind a contradiction.

There are - of course ways - to combine both ways (e.g. the mentioned 'workaround' by temporarily removing the physicsBody), but this has also its price and has to be sequentially. You can not have both ways at the very same time.