Telemetry Settings

The Telemetry Settings asset defines how the Runtime Spawner (and related systems like the Region Controller or Special Encounter Manager) record, visualize, and broadcast runtime diagnostic data. It provides a unified place to configure performance metrics, event logging, and optional on-screen telemetry overlays.

Overview

Telemetry Settings allow designers and developers to:

  • Monitor spawn performance and frequency.

  • Track runtime activity (spawn counts, deferred jobs, region activation).

  • Enable or disable detailed logs without editing code.

  • Optionally display an on-screen Diagnostics HUD for live tuning.

This system is primarily used in development builds and debug sessions, but can also be integrated into in-game analytics or custom telemetry pipelines.

Creating a Telemetry Settings Asset

Create via the Unity menu:

Create → Megacrush → Spawner → Telemetry Settings

Once created, assign it to systems that support telemetry (for example, RuntimeSpawner, SpecialEncounterManager, or RegionPopulationController).

Key Properties

Setting
Description

Enable Telemetry

Master toggle for telemetry collection. When off, no runtime data is captured or logged.

Enable Debug Logs

Prints key runtime events (spawn success, deferrals, hints, pooling, etc.) to the Console. Useful for tracking spawn decisions and performance.

Show Diagnostics HUD

Enables an on-screen overlay during Play Mode displaying live counters (active spawns, deferred queue, pool usage, etc.).

HUD Refresh Rate

Frequency (in seconds) at which the HUD updates. Higher values reduce overhead.

Log Level

Controls verbosity (e.g., Minimal, Standard, Verbose). Verbose logs include full placement reasoning and timings.

Track Regions

If enabled, tracks per-region spawn totals, density curves, and timing for the RegionPopulationController.

Track Special Encounters

Logs when special encounters are triggered, skipped, or completed.

Output File / Channel (Optional)

Optionally direct telemetry to a file, Scriptable event channel, or custom analytics backend.

The available fields may vary slightly depending on the systems installed (e.g., Region, Encounter, or Network modules).

Example Use

  1. Create a Telemetry Settings asset and enable Enable Telemetry and Enable Debug Logs.

  2. Assign it to your RuntimeSpawner and RegionPopulationController.

  3. Enter Play Mode.

    • Watch the in-editor Diagnostics HUD for active spawn counts.

    • Check the Console for entries like:

      [Spawner] Spawned Enemy_Grunt (pool active=12)
[Spawner] Deferred 3x WaveSpawn due to NavMesh not ready
[Region] Active density step: 0.75

  4. Adjust parameters (spawn rates, region curves) and observe telemetry output in real time.

HUD Overlay Example

When Show Diagnostics HUD is enabled, a small overlay appears in the top-left of the Game View showing:

Spawner: Active=24  Deferred=2  Seed=12345
Region:  Step=0.80  ActiveRegions=5
Pool:    Alloc=128  InUse=47

This visualization helps validate density scaling, seeding, and pooling efficiency during gameplay.

Integration Notes

  • The Telemetry asset is non-destructive - disabling it at runtime or removing it from a component restores silent mode.

  • Compatible with all factories (local and networked).

  • Lightweight: telemetry collection runs on a low-frequency update loop to minimize overhead.

  • The onTelemetryEvent channel (if implemented) can be hooked into external systems (custom analytics, in-editor graphs, etc.).

Recommended Setup

  • Use one shared Telemetry Settings asset across your entire scene or project.

  • Keep Debug Logs off for release builds.

  • Use HUD Refresh = 0.25–0.5s for real-time testing.

  • Combine with Deterministic Seed and Spawn Hint Debug Logs for detailed runtime validation.

✅ Summary

Telemetry Settings centralize all debugging and profiling options for the Runtime Spawner ecosystem.

Benefit
Description

Unified control

Enable or disable all spawn/region/encounter telemetry in one place.

Debug insights

Track spawn logic, placement decisions, and deferred jobs.

Live feedback

On-screen HUD and log output for performance validation.

Extensible

Can be extended or redirected to custom analytics systems.

In short: Telemetry Settings give you clear visibility into what your spawners are doing - and when - without cluttering your game code.

PreviousFactory ScriptableObjectsNextRuntime Spawner Settings

Last updated