08 Repeating Event: Automated Loops

🔈 Hover for sound

📋 Overview

Normally, creating a repeating pulse (like radar scans or poison damage) requires writing timer loops with InvokeRepeating or coroutines in C#. The GameEvent System moves this logic into the Event Asset itself—no code loops needed. Configure once in the Editor, then Raise() automatically handles the repetition.

💡 What You'll Learn

• How to configure repeat intervals and counts in the Behavior Window
• The difference between finite loops (N times) and infinite loops (forever)
• How to cancel infinite loops with .Cancel()
• When to use repeating events vs manual triggers

---

🎬 Demo Scene

Assets/TinyGiants/GameEventSystem/Demo/08_RepeatingEvent/08_RepeatingEvent.unity

Scene Composition

Visual Elements:

• 📡 SonarBeacon - Central tower beacon

  • Black cylindrical tower with grey base
  • RotatingCore - Spinning element at the top (rotation speed indicates active mode)
  • Emits expanding cyan shockwave rings when pulsing

• 🎯 ScanTargets - Four floating green cubes scattered around the beacon

  • Display "?" text by default
  • Change to red material and show "DETECTED" when hit by shockwave
  • Reset to green after brief highlight

• 🔵 Cyan Ring - Large circular boundary line

  • Indicates maximum scan range (40 units radius)
  • Visual guide for pulse expansion area

UI Layer (Canvas):

• 🎮 Three Buttons - Bottom of the screen
  • "Activate Beacon" (White) → Triggers RepeatingEventRaiser.ActivateBeacon()
  • "Toggle Mode (Finite[5])" → Triggers RepeatingEventRaiser.ToggleMode()
    • Switches between Finite and Infinite modes
    • Text updates to show current mode
  • "StopSignal" (White) → Triggers RepeatingEventRaiser.StopSignal()

Game Logic Layer (Demo Scripts):

• 📤 RepeatingEventRaiser - GameObject with the raiser script

  • Manages two events: onFinitePulseEvent and onInfinitePulseEvent
  • Switches between modes and controls beacon rotation speed
  • Calls .Raise() once—system handles repetition automatically

• 📥 RepeatingEventReceiver - GameObject with the receiver script

  • Listens to pulse events
  • Spawns shockwave VFX and sonar audio
  • Runs physics-based scan routine to detect targets

Audio-Visual Feedback:

• 💫 ShockwaveVFX - Expanding cyan particle ring
• 🔊 Sonar Ping - Audio pulse on each scan
• 🎵 Toggle/Stop Sounds - UI feedback

---

🎮 How to Interact

The Two Loop Modes

This demo showcases two distinct looping patterns:

Finite Mode (5 Pulses):

• Interval: 1.5 seconds
• Count: 5 repetitions
• Behavior: Fires 5 times automatically, then stops

Infinite Mode (Continuous):

• Interval: 1.0 second
• Count: -1 (Infinite Loop)
• Behavior: Fires forever until manually canceled

---

Step 1: Enter Play Mode

Press the Play button in Unity. The beacon's core rotates slowly (idle state).

UI State:

• Mode button shows: "Toggle Mode (Finite[5])"
• Beacon rotation: ~20°/sec (idle speed)

---

Step 2: Test Finite Loop Mode

Current Mode Check: Ensure the button displays "Toggle Mode (Finite[5])" (default mode).

Click "Activate Beacon":

What Happens:

1. 🎯 Beacon core rotation speeds up to 150°/sec

2. 📡 First pulse fires immediately

   • Cyan shockwave ring spawns and expands outward
   • Sonar ping sound plays
   • Green cubes turn red briefly when ring reaches them
   • Console: [Raiser] Beacon Activated. Mode: Finite (5x)
   • Console: [Receiver] Pulse #1 emitted.

3. ⏱️ 1.5 seconds later - Second pulse

   • Console: [Receiver] Pulse #2 emitted.
   • Another shockwave expands
   • Targets flash red again

4. ⏱️ Pulses 3, 4, 5 continue at 1.5s intervals

   • Console counts up to [Receiver] Pulse #5 emitted.

5. ✅ After 5th pulse - Auto-stop

   • Beacon core rotation slows down to 20°/sec (idle)
   • No more pulses fire
   • System automatically stopped—no manual intervention

Timeline:

🖼️ T+0.0s | Initial
⚡ Pulse #1 (First Trigger)
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Loop)
▼
🖼️ T+1.5s | Repeat 1
⚡ Pulse #2
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Loop)
▼
🖼️ T+3.0s | Repeat 2
⚡ Pulse #3
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Loop)
▼
🖼️ T+4.5s | Repeat 3
⚡ Pulse #4
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Loop)
▼
🖼️ T+6.0s | Repeat 4
⚡ Pulse #5 (Final)
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Gap)
▼
🛑 T+7.5s | Lifecycle End
🏁 [ Auto-stopped: No Pulse #6 ]

Result: ✅ Event repeated exactly 5 times, then terminated automatically.

---

Step 3: Test Infinite Loop Mode

Click "Toggle Mode":

• Button text changes to: "Toggle Mode (Infinite)"
• Toggle sound plays
• If beacon was active, it stops first
• Console: Mode switched

Click "Activate Beacon":

What Happens:

1. 🎯 Beacon core rotation speeds up to 300°/sec (faster than finite mode!)

2. 📡 Continuous pulses begin

   • First pulse fires immediately
   • Console: [Raiser] Beacon Activated. Mode: Infinite
   • Console: [Receiver] Pulse #1 emitted.

3. ⏱️ Every 1.0 second - New pulse

   • Faster interval than finite mode (1.0s vs 1.5s)
   • Pulses keep coming: #2, #3, #4, #5...
   • Counter increments indefinitely

4. ⚠️ Never stops automatically

   • Pulse #10, #20, #100...
   • Will continue until manually canceled
   • Beacon spins rapidly throughout

Observation Period: Let it run for ~10 seconds to see it won't auto-stop. Console shows pulse counts increasing without limit.

---

Step 4: Manual Cancellation

While Infinite Mode is Running:

Click "StopSignal":

What Happens:

1. 🛑 Pulses cease immediately

   • Current pulse finishes, but no new pulse is scheduled
   • Beacon core rotation slows to idle (20°/sec)
   • Console: [Raiser] Signal Interrupted manually.

2. 🔄 System state resets

   • Pulse counter resets to 0
   • Power down sound plays
   • Beacon returns to standby mode

Result: ✅ Infinite loop successfully canceled via .Cancel() API.

🔑 Key Difference

• Finite Mode: Stops automatically after N repetitions
• Infinite Mode: Requires manual .Cancel() to stop

---

🏗️ Scene Architecture

The Repeating Event System

Unlike delayed events (wait once, execute once), repeating events use a timer loop:

🚀 Initiation: Raise()
│
▼ ❮─── Loop Cycle ───┐
⚡ [ Execute Action ]  │
│                    │
⏳ [ Wait Interval ]  │ (Δ Delta Time)
│                    │
🔄 [ Repeat Check ] ──┘ (If Remaining > 0)
│
🛑 [ Stop Condition ] ➔ 🏁 Lifecycle Finalized

Stop Conditions:

1. Repeat Count Reached: Finite mode auto-stops after N executions
2. Manual Cancel: .Cancel() terminates infinite loops immediately
3. Scene Unload: All pending events are cleaned up

Internal Scheduling:

• GameEventManager maintains a scheduler queue
• Each repeating event has an internal timer
• Timer resets after each execution to maintain precise intervals

---

Event Definitions

Event Name	Type	Repeat Interval	Repeat Count
onFinitePulseEvent	GameEvent (void)	1.5 seconds	5
onInfinitePulseEvent	GameEvent (void)	1.0 second	-1 (Infinite)

Same Receiver Method: Both events are bound to RepeatingEventReceiver.OnPulseReceived(). The receiver doesn't know or care which event triggered it—it just responds to each pulse.

---

Behavior Configuration Comparison

Finite Loop Configuration

Click the (void) icon for onFinitePulseEvent to open the Behavior Window:

Schedule Configuration:

• ⏱️ Action Delay: 0 (no initial delay)
• 🔄 Repeat Interval: 1.5 seconds
  • Time between each pulse execution
• 🔢 Repeat Count: 5
  • Total number of pulses
  • Stops automatically after 5th execution

Behavior:

🖼️ T+0.0s | Initial Raise
🚀 Raise() ➔ ⚡ Execute #1
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Interval)
▼
🖼️ T+1.5s | Repeat 1/4
⚡ Execute #2
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Interval)
▼
🖼️ T+3.0s | Repeat 2/4
⚡ Execute #3
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Interval)
▼
🖼️ T+4.5s | Repeat 3/4
⚡ Execute #4
│
┆  (Δ 1.5s Interval)
▼
🖼️ T+6.0s | Repeat 4/4
⚡ Execute #5 ➔ [Final Execution]
│
🏁 T+7.5s | Lifecycle End
🛑 [ Sequence Terminated: Counter at 0 ]

---

Infinite Loop Configuration

Click the (void) icon for onInfinitePulseEvent to open the Behavior Window:

Schedule Configuration:

• ⏱️ Action Delay: 0
• 🔄 Repeat Interval: 1 second (faster than finite mode)
• 🔢 Repeat Count: Infinite Loop ♾️
  • Special value: -1 means unlimited
  • Will never auto-stop

Behavior:

🚀 Initiation: Raise()
│
▼ ❮━━━━━━━━━  Perpetual Loop  ━━━━━━━━━┓
⚡ Execute #1 (Initial)                ┃
│                                      ┃
⏳ (Wait 1.0s)                         ┃
│                                      ┃
⚡ Execute #2 (Repeat)                 ┃
│                                      ┃
⏳ (Wait 1.0s)                         ┃
│                                      ┃
⚡ Execute #N... (Repeat)              ┛
│
│   [ External Intervention Required ]
└─► 🛠️ Call: .Cancel() 
    └─► 🛑 Loop Terminated ➔ 🏁 Cleanup

⚙️ Configuring Infinite Loops

To set infinite repetition, click the Infinite Loop toggle button (♾️ icon) next to Repeat Count. This automatically sets the value to -1.

---

Sender Setup (RepeatingEventRaiser)

Select the RepeatingEventRaiser GameObject:

Event Channels:

• Finite Pulse Event: onFinitePulseEvent
  • Tooltip: "Interval = 1.0s, Count = 5"
• Infinite Pulse Event: onInfinitePulseEvent
  • Tooltip: "Interval = 0.5s, Count = -1 (Infinite)"

References:

• Repeating Event Receiver: RepeatingEventReceiver (for coordination)

Visual References:

• Rotating Core: RotatingCore (Transform) - visual indicator of active state
• Mode Text: Text (TMP) (TextMeshProUGUI) - displays current mode

---

Receiver Setup (RepeatingEventReceiver)

Select the RepeatingEventReceiver GameObject:

Configuration:

• Beacon Origin: SonarBeacon (Transform) - pulse spawn point

Visual Resources:

• Shockwave Prefab: ShockwaveVFX (Particle System) - expanding ring effect
• Scanned Material: Prototype_Guide_Red - target highlight material
• Default Material: Prototype_Guide_Default - target normal material

Audio:

• Sonar Ping Clip: SonarPingSFX - pulse sound
• Power Down Clip: PowerDownSFX - stop sound

---

💻 Code Breakdown

📤 RepeatingEventRaiser.cs (Sender)

using UnityEngine;
using TinyGiants.GameEventSystem.Runtime;
using TMPro;

public class RepeatingEventRaiser : MonoBehaviour
{
    [Header("Event Channels")]
    [Tooltip("Configured in Editor: Interval = 1.5s, Count = 5.")]
    [GameEventDropdown] public GameEvent finitePulseEvent;

    [Tooltip("Configured in Editor: Interval = 1.0s, Count = -1 (Infinite).")]
    [GameEventDropdown] public GameEvent infinitePulseEvent;

    [SerializeField] private Transform rotatingCore;
    [SerializeField] private TextMeshProUGUI modeText;
    
    private bool _isInfiniteMode = false;
    private bool _isActive = false;
    private GameEvent _currentEvent;

    private void Update()
    {
        // Visual feedback: Rotation speed indicates state
        if (rotatingCore != null)
        {
            float speed = _isActive 
                ? (_isInfiniteMode ? 300f : 150f)  // Active: fast or medium
                : 20f;                              // Idle: slow
            rotatingCore.Rotate(Vector3.up, speed * Time.deltaTime);
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Button Action: Starts the repeating event loop.
    /// 
    /// CRITICAL: This calls Raise() only ONCE.
    /// The Event System's scheduler handles all repetition automatically
    /// based on the Repeat Interval and Repeat Count configured in the Editor.
    /// </summary>
    public void ActivateBeacon()
    {
        if (_isActive) return;

        _isActive = true;
        
        // Select which event to use based on current mode
        _currentEvent = _isInfiniteMode ? infinitePulseEvent : finitePulseEvent;

        if (_currentEvent != null)
        {
            // THE MAGIC: Single Raise() call starts entire loop
            // System checks event's Repeat Interval & Repeat Count
            // Automatically schedules all future executions
            _currentEvent.Raise();
            
            Debug.Log($"[Raiser] Beacon Activated. Mode: " +
                     $"{(_isInfiniteMode ? "Infinite" : "Finite (5x)")}");
        }
    }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Button Action: Switches between Finite and Infinite modes.
    /// Stops any active loop before switching.
    /// </summary>
    public void ToggleMode()
    {
        // Must stop before switching modes
        if (_isActive) StopSignal();

        _isInfiniteMode = !_isInfiniteMode;
        UpdateUI();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Button Action: Manually cancels the active loop.
    /// 
    /// Essential for Infinite loops - they never auto-stop.
    /// For Finite loops, this allows early termination.
    /// </summary>
    public void StopSignal()
    {
        if (!_isActive || _currentEvent == null) return;

        // THE CRITICAL API: Cancel removes event from scheduler
        // Stops timer immediately - no more pulses will fire
        _currentEvent.Cancel();
        
        _isActive = false;
        UpdateUI();
        
        Debug.Log("[Raiser] Signal Interrupted manually.");
    }

    private void UpdateUI()
    {
        if (modeText) 
            modeText.text = _isInfiniteMode 
                ? "Toggle Mode\n<b>(Infinite)</b>" 
                : "Toggle Mode\n<b>(Finite[5])</b>";
    }
}

Key Points:

• 🎯 Single Raise() - Only called once to start entire loop
• 🔀 Mode Selection - Switches between two pre-configured events
• 🛑 Cancel API - Stops infinite loops or terminates finite loops early
• 🎨 Visual Feedback - Rotation speed indicates active state and mode

---

📥 RepeatingEventReceiver.cs (Listener)

using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;

public class RepeatingEventReceiver : MonoBehaviour
{
    [Header("Configuration")]
    public Transform beaconOrigin;

    [Header("Visual Resources")]
    public ParticleSystem shockwavePrefab;
    public Material scannedMaterial;
    public Material defaultMaterial;

    [Header("Audio")]
    public AudioClip sonarPingClip;
    
    private AudioSource _audioSource;
    private int _pulseCount = 0;

    /// <summary>
    /// [Event Callback - Repeating Execution]
    /// 
    /// Bound to both 'onFinitePulseEvent' and 'onInfinitePulseEvent'.
    /// 
    /// This method executes:
    /// - Immediately when Raise() is called (first pulse)
    /// - Then repeatedly at each Repeat Interval
    /// - Until Repeat Count reached (finite) or Cancel() called (infinite)
    /// 
    /// The receiver is STATELESS - it doesn't track pulse numbers or loop status.
    /// It simply reacts to each trigger.
    /// </summary>
    public void OnPulseReceived()
    {
        _pulseCount++;
        Debug.Log($"[Receiver] Pulse #{_pulseCount} emitted.");

        Vector3 spawnPos = beaconOrigin != null 
            ? beaconOrigin.position 
            : transform.position;

        // Spawn visual shockwave
        if (shockwavePrefab != null)
        {
            var vfx = Instantiate(shockwavePrefab, spawnPos, Quaternion.identity);
            vfx.Play();
            Destroy(vfx.gameObject, 2.0f);
        }

        // Play sonar ping with slight pitch variation
        if (sonarPingClip) 
        {
            _audioSource.pitch = Random.Range(0.95f, 1.05f);
            _audioSource.PlayOneShot(sonarPingClip);
        }

        // Start physics-based target scanning
        StartCoroutine(ScanRoutine(spawnPos));
    }

    public void OnPowerDown()
    {
        _pulseCount = 0;  // Reset counter when system powers down
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Expands an invisible sphere from the beacon origin.
    /// Targets within the expanding wavefront get highlighted.
    /// </summary>
    private IEnumerator ScanRoutine(Vector3 center)
    {
        float maxRadius = 40f;      // Match cyan ring size
        float speed = 10f;          // Expansion speed
        float currentRadius = 0f;

        while (currentRadius < maxRadius)
        {
            currentRadius += speed * Time.deltaTime;
            
            // Physics sphere cast to find targets
            Collider[] hits = Physics.OverlapSphere(center, currentRadius);
            
            foreach (var hit in hits)
            {
                if (hit.name.Contains("ScanTarget"))
                {
                    var rend = hit.GetComponent<Renderer>();
                    if (rend && rend.sharedMaterial != scannedMaterial)
                    {
                        float dist = Vector3.Distance(center, hit.transform.position);
                        
                        // Only highlight if at wavefront edge (within 1 unit)
                        if (dist <= currentRadius && dist > currentRadius - 1.0f)
                        {
                            StartCoroutine(HighlightTarget(rend));
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
            
            yield return null;
        }
    }

    private IEnumerator HighlightTarget(Renderer target)
    {
        // Flash red temporarily
        target.material = scannedMaterial;
        
        var tmp = target.GetComponentInChildren<TMPro.TextMeshPro>();
        if(tmp) tmp.text = "DETECTED";

        yield return new WaitForSeconds(0.4f);

        // Reset to default
        target.material = defaultMaterial;
        if(tmp) tmp.text = "?";
    }
}

Key Points:

• 🎯 Stateless Receiver - Doesn't track loop count or timing
• 📡 Physics Scanning - Expanding sphere cast detects targets
• 🎨 Wavefront Detection - Only highlights targets at shockwave edge
• 🔢 Pulse Counter - Tracks total pulses received (cosmetic)

---

🔑 Key Takeaways

Concept	Implementation
🔄 Repeat Interval	Time between each execution (configured in Editor)
🔢 Repeat Count	Number of repetitions (N for finite, -1 for infinite)
🎯 Single Raise()	One call starts entire loop—no manual triggers needed
✅ Auto-Stop	Finite loops terminate automatically after N executions
🛑 Manual Cancel	.Cancel() required to stop infinite loops
🎨 Stateless Receivers	Callbacks don't need to track loop state

🎓 Design Insight

Repeating events are perfect for:

• Periodic abilities - Poison damage, regeneration, area denial
• Environmental effects - Lava bubbles, steam vents, lighthouse beacons
• Spawning systems - Enemy waves, item drops, particle bursts
• Radar/detection - Sonar pulses, security scans, proximity alerts
• Gameplay loops - Turn timers, checkpoint autosaves, periodic events

Use Finite loops when you know exactly how many times something should repeat (e.g., "fire 3 shots"). Use Infinite loops for ongoing effects that should continue until a specific condition is met (e.g., "pulse until player leaves area").

💻 Programmatic API

You can also configure loops purely via code, overriding Inspector settings:

// Override Inspector settings temporarily
myEvent.RaiseRepeating(interval: 0.5f, repeatCount: 10);

// Or use default Inspector settings
myEvent.Raise();

This allows dynamic adjustment based on runtime conditions (e.g., difficulty modifiers, power-ups).

---

🎯 What's Next?

You've mastered repeating events for automated loops. Now let's explore persistent events that survive scene transitions.

Next Chapter: Learn about cross-scene events in 09 Persistent Event

---

📚 Related Documentation

• Game Event Behavior - Complete guide to schedule configuration
• Raising and Scheduling - API reference for .Raise(), .RaiseRepeating(), .Cancel()
• Best Practices - Patterns for periodic gameplay mechanics