Run Turn-Based Status Effects

Goal

Use Manual time when an Effect should advance through simulated turns instead of Unity frames. Create a three-turn regeneration Effect and advance it by one simulated second per turn.

Prerequisites

• Import the Flow Core examples.
• Have a turn-resolution action that can run a Flow Instruction or call a runtime method.
• Use a project-owned tutorial folder for the temporary scene and Effect asset.

The supplied 7. Stats scene contains a Scaled Regeneration Effect and no Manual-tick control. Use a duplicated scene and a new tutorial Effect asset for this walkthrough.

What You Will Build

Starting Health after Damage 10: 50 / 100
Turn 1: 51 / 100
Turn 2: 52 / 100
Turn 3: 53 / 100, Effect expires

Steps

1. Create the Manual Effect

1. Save a copy of 7. Stats in a project-owned tutorial folder.
2. Create Flow Core > Stats > Status Effect and name it Turn Regeneration.
3. In Main, configure these fields:

Field	Value
Duration Mode	Timed
Duration	3
Time Mode	Manual
Mode	Aggregate
Maximum Stacks	1
Tick Phase	After Interval
Persist	On

Keep the generated Stable ID unique. Do not duplicate another Effect and leave both assets with the same Stable ID. Persist makes the active Effect eligible for Snapshot capture; it does not change Manual ticking.

2. Add one periodic operation

Open Contributions and add one entry under Periodic Operations:

Field	Value
Target Resource	Health
Operation	Add
Value	1
Interval Seconds	1
Contribution Mode	Per Stack

With one active stack, each completed one-second interval restores exactly one Health. After Interval prevents an immediate heal when the Effect is applied.

3. Apply the tutorial Effect

1. Select Standalone Stats Demo in the duplicated scene.
2. On FlowStatsExampleController, replace its Regeneration reference with Turn Regeneration.
3. Confirm the assigned Profile uses Effect Filter Mode: None. For a Whitelist, add the Effect under Allowed Effects; for a Blacklist, keep it out of Blocked Effects.
4. Enter Play Mode, select Damage 10 once, then select Regeneration +1 once.

Health now reads 50 / 100, and one Manual Effect is active. Waiting in real time does not advance its native duration or periodic interval.

4. Advance one turn

At the point where one actor finishes a turn, use Stats Tick Manual Effects:

Field	Value
Stats	The actor with Flow Stats
Step	1

The equivalent runtime call is:

actorStats.TickManualEffects(1f);

Invoke the tick once per resolved turn. Use Stats Tick All Manual Effects only when every active, enabled, and initialized Stats owner shares the same global turn boundary.

Verify the Result

1. Wait for several real-time seconds and confirm Health remains 50.
2. Resolve one Manual step and confirm Health becomes 51.
3. Resolve a second step and confirm Health becomes 52.
4. Resolve a third step and confirm Health becomes 53 and the Effect exits.

Common Mistakes

Symptom	Check
The Effect advances every frame	Confirm Time Mode is Manual, not Scaled or Unscaled.
Applying the Effect heals immediately	Use Tick Phase: After Interval; On Apply intentionally performs the first periodic operation immediately.
A turn produces no change	Step must resolve to a finite value greater than zero, and the Effect must already be active.
More than one Health is restored	Confirm one active stack and Value: 1; Per Stack scales by the active stack count.
A copied Effect behaves like the original	Give every Status Effect a unique Stable ID and apply the intended asset.
Other waits still advance	Manual controls native Effect timing only; Flow waits, coroutines, and ordinary Update logic keep their own clocks.

What You Built

You authored an Effect whose duration, periodic work, continuous work, and expiry advance only through explicit simulated-time steps.

Related Capabilities

• Building a Status Effect
• React to Flow Stats Events
• Capture and Restore Flow Stats
• Troubleshoot Flow Stats