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Choose Trigger or Chain for a GES Flow

TinyGiants
TinyGiants
Unity Games & Tools Developer

Start the death sound and particles from the same event. Use a Chain when respawn must wait for the screen fade and scene load. Connecting these patterns to the same source keeps each response tied to its timing requirement.

Connect Trigger and Chain to an event​

Dispatch independent responses with Trigger​

Raise the source once to dispatch each eligible Trigger target. With no delay, GES dispatches them in descending priority order. Each target can start its own work without holding up the other branches.

Trigger Flow

The following calls register three void targets on the same void source. Higher priority makes the input lock dispatch first among these immediate targets.

onPlayerDeath.AddTriggerEvent(onDisableInput, priority: 20);
onPlayerDeath.AddTriggerEvent(onPlayDeathSound, priority: 10);
onPlayerDeath.AddTriggerEvent(onSpawnDeathParticles, priority: 5);

Open the Trigger Event demo to see one source fan out into branches that apply a buff, evaluate a hit, and notify other systems.

Trigger Demo Graph

Order dependent steps with Chain​

Each Chain step can wait before dispatch with Delay and after dispatch with Duration. Wait Completion adds one frame after that duration. To wait for an animation callback, scene load or other asynchronous result, raise a completion event from the callback and attach the next sequence to it.

Chain Flow

Register ordered steps on the same source to share one Chain. Here the fade starts first, and loading starts after the configured fade duration. The scene-loading code raises onRespawnSceneLoaded when its operation completes.

onPlayerDeath.AddChainEvent(onFadeToBlack, duration: 1.0f);
onPlayerDeath.AddChainEvent(onLoadRespawn);

onRespawnSceneLoaded.AddChainEvent(onTeleportPlayer);
onRespawnSceneLoaded.AddChainEvent(onResetPlayerState);
onRespawnSceneLoaded.AddChainEvent(onFadeIn, duration: 1.0f);
onRespawnSceneLoaded.AddChainEvent(onEnableInput);

In the Chain Event demo, the turret runs a safety check before charging and firing. A failed check stops that sequence before the charge step.

Chain Demo Graph

Start both from the same source​

Register the Trigger and Chain calls above on the same onPlayerDeath asset. Sound and particles start on the Trigger branches while the Chain controls the fade and the scene load. The scene-loaded event starts the final steps.

Hybrid Flow

Change a node or adapt its arguments​

If an independent response becomes an ordered step, right-click the node and use Convert to Chain. The reverse operation is Convert to Trigger.

Convert to Chain in the node context menu

When connecting nodes, use the compatibility color to check the event signatures. Green denotes a match, yellow a compatible connection that discards data, orange a type conversion, and red an incompatible signature. Open the node to inspect Pass Argument before connecting a target that should receive default values.

Node Connection

For a custom conversion in code, provide the typed overload's argumentTransformer. For example, a GameEvent<DamageInfo> source can send a float to a GameEvent<float> target by selecting its damage member.

onDamage.AddTriggerEvent(onDamageNumber,
    argumentTransformer: damageInfo => damageInfo.amount);

Decide where a condition applies​

A Flow Gate determines whether the node dispatches its target. A failed Trigger condition skips that branch. A failed Chain condition stops the remaining steps in that sequence.

The Action Condition in Game Event Behavior controls that event's bound Event Action. In GES 2.3, a Game Event Receiver can also enable an independent action condition in its Inspector. Use the Receiver gate to skip a sound when muted while allowing other listeners and the flow to continue.

Reuse the same patterns across a project​

Broadcast a completed action​

When the score, analytics, sound and UI each respond to a defeat, connect them directly to the same source using Trigger. Arrange related nodes with Create Group to keep the branches together on the canvas.

Broadcaster Pattern

Sequence a cutscene​

Use Chain to dispatch the camera move before opening dialogue when the camera duration is fixed. If the choice screen must wait for the player to finish reading, open it from a dialogue-completed event emitted by the dialogue system.

Cinematic Pattern

Start a boss phase​

Use Trigger for the warning sound and camera shake. Use Chain for ordered changes to invulnerability and attack patterns. If an animation must complete before enemies appear, dispatch the spawn sequence from the animation's completion event.

Hybrid Boss Pattern

Check the result in Play Mode​

Raise the source with Game Event Monitor open. Check the recorded order in Recent and follow the connections in Automation. If a target is missing, inspect the Flow Gate and timing. If it was raised but its effect did not run, inspect the target's listener and action conditions.

Open the Trigger Event demo · Open the Chain Event demo

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