Freeze game using Time.timeScale = 0, wait 3 secs and resume play automatically. Is it possible?

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I'd like to use time.timescale = 0 to freeze the game, show an image, wait 3 seconds based on a timer, and then resume automatically using time.timescale = 1; I think 'yield return new WaitForSeconds(3F);' doesn't work when time.timescale == 0. Am I wrong? :)

Is there some other way, if I'm right with the above?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Best Answer

Answer by duck · Jan 08, 2010 at 10:45 AM

You're right, if you set the timescale to zero, the WaitForSeconds command won't work. For example, in the following code, the "WaitForSeconds" actually ends up taking 10 times as long as whatever duration is provided (as the variable 'p') to complete because of the timescale:

private IEnumerator Pause(int p)
{
    Time.timeScale = 0.1f;
    yield return new WaitForSeconds(p);
    Time.timeScale = 1;
}

And with a timescale of 0.0, the WaitForSeconds never completes. The way around this is to time the duration yourself using the Time.realtimeSinceStartup property, which works independently of the timeScale. See the following example:

private IEnumerator Pause(int p)
{
    Time.timeScale = 0.1f;
    float pauseEndTime = Time.realtimeSinceStartup + 1;
    while (Time.realtimeSinceStartup < pauseEndTime)
    {
        yield return 0;
    }
    Time.timeScale = 1;
}

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Demigiant · Dec 06, 2011 at 12:26 PM 0

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Thanks for the great trick Duck. I was getting crazy finding a way to have a Timer who wasn't influenced by timeScale (also considering the the C# Timer class doesn't work correctly with Unity).

Rayan Adam · Nov 12, 2012 at 12:58 PM 0

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Can you please provide the full script of waiting 3 seconds then resume, because i didn't understand the how it works completely. thanks in advance.

http://answers.unity3d.com/questions/346970/wait-3-seconds-then-resume-c.html

noobme · May 14, 2013 at 10:01 AM 0

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I have seen a few codes by different people and do I have to call StartCoroutine before using IEnumerator

Chubzdoomer · Oct 26, 2015 at 03:31 AM 0

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Why do you list "int p" as an argument/parameter in your second example, yet use it nowhere in the code that follows? That makes no sense to me.

PshychoRZR · Mar 24, 2016 at 08:16 PM 0

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Hey can you tell how to use this snippet!

Soraphis PshychoRZR · Apr 23, 2016 at 08:26 PM 0

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this is from 2010! and the answer is outdated, check this: http://blogs.unity3d.com/2015/12/01/custom-coroutines/

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Answer 2

Best Answer

Answer by Eric5h5 · Jan 15, 2010 at 11:43 AM

A simpler but effective way is just to use a really small value for timeScale. Unless you intend on waiting literally for thousands of years, it's just as good as 0.

function PauseWaitResume (pauseDelay : float) {
    Time.timeScale = .0000001;
    yield WaitForSeconds(pauseDelay * Time.timeScale);
    Time.timeScale = 1.0;
}

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b_ill · Sep 11, 2012 at 03:14 AM 0

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Thanks, this was exactly the solution I needed in order to call a Delay function from Update to wait a few seconds before transitioning to my GameOver scene.

luniac · Feb 13, 2015 at 10:04 PM 0

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didn't work for me, i set Time.timeScale elsewhere to .0000001 This only seems to work if you change timescale within the coroutine itself

 function Start () {
         OrientationCheck();
 }
 
 function OrientationCheck(){
     while(true){
         Debug.Log("CHEC$$anonymous$$");
         yield WaitForSeconds(1.0f * Time.timeScale);
     }    
 }

Chubzdoomer · Oct 26, 2015 at 03:29 AM 0

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Doesn't work.

dillon_yeti · Apr 23, 2016 at 08:12 PM 0

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I think you need to divide by the timescale rather than multiply:

 yield WaitForSeconds(pauseDelay / Time.timeScale);

Soraphis dillon_yeti · Apr 23, 2016 at 08:25 PM 0

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this is from 2010! and even your answer was to a comment from Oct 2015. and all this answers are outdated, check this: http://blogs.unity3d.com/2015/12/01/custom-coroutines/

Answer 3

Answer by LeoGurung · Aug 18, 2016 at 01:13 PM

In my opinion the simplest way to do this is by using WaitForEndOfFrame() function in Coroutine and Time.unscaledDeltaTime for timer.

 void PauseAndResume()
 {
          Time.timeScale = 0;

          //Display Image here

          StartCoroutine(ResumeAfterNSeconds(3.0f));
 }
 
 float timer = 0;
 IEnumerator ResumeAfterNSeconds(float timePeriod)
 {
          yield return new WaitForEndOfFrame();
          timer += Time.unscaledDeltaTime;
          if(timer < timePeriod)
                     StartCoroutine(ResumeAfterNSeconds(3.0f));
          else
          {
                     Time.timeScale = 1;                //Resume
                     timer = 0;
          }
 }

I hope it helps, Cheers.

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Answer 4

Answer by theagemaway · Sep 25, 2017 at 04:48 PM

This function probably didn't exist at the time of the OP, but there is a WaitForSecondsRealTime now.

https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/WaitForSecondsRealtime.html

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Answer 5

Answer by Harinezumi · Feb 19, 2018 at 02:43 PM

The answers accepted at the time of writing this reply are from 2010. The Unity API has changed a lot since then, and now Time.unscaledDeltaTime is also available, which makes doing this a lot easier:

 private IEnumerator PauseForSeconds (float pauseDuration) {
     float originalTimeScale = Time.timeScale; // store original time scale in case it was not 1
     Time.timeScale = 0; // pause
     float t = 0;
     while (t < pauseDuration) {
         yield return null; // don't use WaitForSeconds() if Time.timeScale is 0!
         t += Time.unscaledDeltaTime; // returns deltaTime without being multiplied by Time.timeScale
     }
     Time.timeScale = originalTimeScale; // restore time scale from before pause
 }

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Freeze game using Time.timeScale = 0, wait 3 secs and resume play automatically. Is it possible?

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