Unity State Machines

State machines in Unity provide structured game logic management by transitioning between discrete states like idle, running, and jumping. This approach replaces nested if-else structures with organized, testable patterns for AI behaviors and UI flows.

ScriptableObject-based state machines allow you to design AI behaviors by creating states as ScriptableObjects. This enables designers to iterate and customize AI logic without modifying C# code, providing a flexible and designer-friendly workflow.

Custom C# state machines use interfaces and classes to implement flexible, testable state management for player controllers. You define specific states and transitions in code to handle logic like movement between idle, running, and jumping.

Unity's built-in Animator can be leveraged for visual state management, creating Animator-based finite state machines. This approach is ideal for managing character animations and simple AI behaviors through a visual interface.

Game state management controls the overall flow of a game using a centralized manager. This pattern transitions between high-level states such as MainMenu, Playing, Paused, and GameOver to maintain structured UI and gameplay flow.

Hierarchical state machines organize complex game logic by nesting states within parent states. This pattern is useful when your AI behaviors or game systems require structured, layered state management to prevent logic duplication and maintain testability.