event-systems

Event Systems

Events decouple systems. The publisher doesn't know who's listening. The subscriber doesn't know who's publishing.

When to Use Each Type

| Type | Coupling | Config | Allocation | Best For | |------|----------|--------|------------|----------| | C# events / Action | Code-only | None | Zero with struct | Internal class communication | | UnityEvent | Inspector-wired | Designer | Some | Button clicks, animation events, designer-configurable | | SO Event Channel | Asset-based | Designer | Minimal | Cross-system communication | | Static EventBus | Global | None | Depends | Truly global events (rare) |

C# Events (Preferred for Code)

public sealed class HealthSystem : MonoBehaviour
{
    // Declare event
    public event System.Action<float, float> OnHealthChanged; // current, max
    public event System.Action OnDied;

    [SerializeField] private float _maxHealth = 100f;
    private float _currentHealth;

    public void TakeDamage(float amount)
    {
        _currentHealth = Mathf.Max(0f, _currentHealth - amount);
        OnHealthChanged?.Invoke(_currentHealth, _maxHealth);

        if (_currentHealth <= 0f)
        {
            OnDied?.Invoke();
        }
    }
}

// Subscriber
public sealed class HealthBar : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private HealthSystem _health;

    private void OnEnable()
    {
        _health.OnHealthChanged += UpdateBar;
        _health.OnDied += HandleDeath;
    }

    private void OnDisable()
    {
        _health.OnHealthChanged -= UpdateBar;
        _health.OnDied -= HandleDeath;
    }

    private void UpdateBar(float current, float max)
    {
        // Update UI
    }

    private void HandleDeath()
    {
        // Show death screen
    }
}

CRITICAL: Always Unsubscribe

Subscribe in OnEnable, unsubscribe in OnDisable. This handles:

• Object deactivated (SetActive(false) → OnDisable)
• Object destroyed (OnDisable → OnDestroy)
• Scene unloaded

// GOOD — symmetric subscribe/unsubscribe
private void OnEnable() => _source.OnEvent += HandleEvent;
private void OnDisable() => _source.OnEvent -= HandleEvent;

// BAD — memory leak if object is destroyed or deactivated
private void Start() => _source.OnEvent += HandleEvent;
// No unsubscribe → delegate holds reference → object can't be GC'd

SO Event Channels (Cross-System)

See the scriptable-objects skill for the full pattern. Quick reference:

// Create event asset: Assets/Events/OnPlayerDied.asset
// Wire same asset to publisher AND subscriber via [SerializeField]

// Publisher
[SerializeField] private VoidEventChannel _onPlayerDied;
_onPlayerDied.Raise();

// Subscriber (completely decoupled — doesn't know about publisher)
[SerializeField] private VoidEventChannel _onPlayerDied;
private void OnEnable() => _onPlayerDied.Subscribe(HandlePlayerDied);
private void OnDisable() => _onPlayerDied.Unsubscribe(HandlePlayerDied);

UnityEvent (Designer-Configurable)

public sealed class InteractableObject : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private UnityEvent _onInteract;

    public void Interact()
    {
        _onInteract?.Invoke(); // Designers wire responses in Inspector
    }
}

Use when designers need to configure responses without code:

• Button clicks
• Animation events
• Trigger zones
• Cutscene triggers

Caution: UnityEvents are slower than C# events and harder to debug. Use C# events for code-to-code communication.

Static EventBus (Global, Use Sparingly)

public static class GameEvents
{
    public static event System.Action OnGamePaused;
    public static event System.Action OnGameResumed;
    public static event System.Action<int> OnScoreChanged;

    public static void RaisePaused() => OnGamePaused?.Invoke();
    public static void RaiseResumed() => OnGameResumed?.Invoke();
    public static void RaiseScoreChanged(int score) => OnScoreChanged?.Invoke(score);
}

Warning: Static events are never garbage collected. Subscribers MUST unsubscribe. Use only for truly global events that every system needs.

Zero-Allocation Pattern (Hot Path)

For events fired every frame (rare but exists):

// Use ref struct to avoid heap allocation
public readonly ref struct DamageEvent
{
    public readonly float Amount;
    public readonly Vector3 Position;
    public readonly GameObject Source;

    public DamageEvent(float amount, Vector3 position, GameObject source)
    {
        Amount = amount;
        Position = position;
        Source = source;
    }
}

// Note: ref structs can't be stored in Action<T> delegates
// Use a custom delegate or direct method call for zero-alloc

Common Mistakes

1. Subscribing without unsubscribing → memory leak, events fire on destroyed objects
2. Subscribing in Awake, unsubscribing in OnDestroy → events fire when object is disabled
3. Using events for synchronous, same-frame logic → direct method call is simpler
4. Too many event channels → if publisher and subscriber always exist together, use direct reference