Need help/advice with 2D Camera follow script.

[JoshMBeyer]

I want to make a script so that the camera will follow the player. I need a variable for X amount. Then, if the player is moving right, it will be -Xamount. Then if the player is moving left, it will be +Xamount. So the player will always be off center of the screen. That way he can see what is in front of him. I also want the damping involved to make a smooth transition. This is what I have but Its not working properly.

using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;

public class SmoothCamV2 : MonoBehaviour
{
    public Transform target;

    public float zDistance = 3.0f;
    public float height = 3.0f;
    public float damping = 5.0f;
    public float xDistance;
    private float dist = 0;

    public bool followBehind = true;
    public bool facingRight = true;
    
    void Awake()
    {
        var t = GameObject.Find("Player2D");
        target = t.gameObject.transform;
    }

    void FixedUpdate()
    {
        float dir = CrossPlatformInput.GetAxis("Horizontal");
        if (dir < 0) { dist = -xDistance; }
        if (dir > 0) { dist = xDistance; }
    }

    void Update()
    {
        Vector3 wantedPosition;

        if (followBehind)

            wantedPosition = target.TransformPoint(dist, height, -zDistance);

        else

            wantedPosition = target.TransformPoint(dist, height, -zDistance);


        transform.position = Vector3.Lerp(transform.position, wantedPosition, Time.deltaTime * damping);
    }
}

[Jeff-Rosenberg]

Try Vector3.MoveTowards.

float cameraMoveSpeed = 5f; // m/s

void Update()
{
    Vector3 desiredCameraPosition = GetDesiredCameraPosition(); // However you want to do that
    transform.position = Vector3.MoveTowards(transform.position, desiredCameraPosition, cameraMoveSpeed * Time.deltaTime;
}

This will move the camera towards your desired position at a fixed speed. You could also use Vector3.Lerp instead if you want the camera to move in a smoother way.