Archived on 2026-10-24. The Godot rewrite is cancelled. Migration decisions and work checklists below are withdrawn. Original claims, code examples, file paths, and completion statements have not all been revalidated. Use the current documentation and issue register for maintenance decisions.

Audit correction (2026-10-24): fullscreen startup and in-run spawn suppression remain separate unproven candidates. The text below must not be read as confirmation of fullscreen timing, a display cause, or disappearance in another engine.

Unity Freeze Bug Investigation Notes

Purpose

Expand the known one-minute startup stuck analysis with concrete Unity-side probes. This document does not propose a new implementation; it defines what to observe in the current Unity project.

Working Definition To Confirm

Current clarification: the reported issue happens when the Unity game opens in fullscreen mode. It is likely a Unity startup/window/display/settings issue and may disappear in Godot. Do not use this issue to drive Godot gameplay architecture unless it reproduces in Godot.

Primary startup symptom to confirm:

Symptom Variant	What It Would Look Like
Fullscreen startup stuck	Game opens into fullscreen and appears stuck/unresponsive for roughly 1 minute before continuing.
Display-mode stall	Startup waits during resolution/fullscreen/monitor switching.
Save/settings startup stall	Startup waits while loading settings, save data, config, or platform identity.
Platform startup stall	Startup waits around Steam/platform initialization.

Older gameplay-stall variants are secondary audit notes only:

Symptom Variant	What It Would Look Like
Spawn stall	Player can move/attack, but creep waves stop for roughly 60 seconds.
Time-scale pause	UI/gameplay appears paused; Time.timeScale == 0.
Reward soft-lock	Reward UI is open or expected, but card select/reroll/input does not progress.
Frame freeze	Application stops rendering/responding because the main thread is blocked.
Boss/miniboss transition wait	Camera/UI/music changes, enemies flee, but next state does not start.

Highest-Value Probes

Startup probes should be checked first:

Probe	Variables To Log	Related Scripts / Systems	Why
Fullscreen boot timing	app start time, first scene loaded time, first rendered frame time, fullscreen mode, resolution, monitor id	Unity player settings, AppInitiator.cs, SplashUIController.cs, GameSettings.cs	Confirms whether the one-minute delay is before gameplay systems run.
Settings/config load	config path, file exists, read start/end, selected fullscreen/window mode, selected resolution	GameSettings.cs, config .json path	Detects slow or invalid settings load.
Save startup load	save path, .dat read start/end, migration/check start/end, error/fallback path	SaveManager.cs, SaveService.cs	Detects synchronous save work during boot.
Steam/platform startup	Steam init start/end/error, nickname/user id fetch timing	SteamManager, SteamScript, save identity code	Detects platform initialization blocking startup.

Gameplay probes are secondary:

Probe	Variables To Log	Related Scripts	Why
Spawn state heartbeat	run time, battle state, isMiniBossSpawn, minibossFightTimer, active special event name/id, number of active enemies	SpawnerEventManager.cs	Miniboss logic intentionally suppresses creep spawns for up to 60 seconds.
Special death matching	enemy killId, special spawn event enemy killId, event isActive, event isSpawning	SpawnerEventManager.cs, Enemy.cs	A missed id match can leave miniboss/special suppression until timer expiry.
Pause/time-scale state	GameManager.isPaused, GameState.IsPaused, IsRewarding, IsGameOver, Time.timeScale, RewardRoller.CurrentPhase	GameManager.cs, GameStateService.cs, RewardRoller.cs, UpgradeSelection.cs	Reward selection and reroll have contradictory-looking pause gates.
Pool instantiate spikes	prefab name, pool active count, inactive count, total instantiates this run, frame time	PoolManager.cs	Cold pools and projectile/effect bursts can cause stalls or GC spikes.
Item coroutine pressure	enabled item count, merge coroutine starts, item merger spawns per minute	Items.cs, ItemsMerger.cs	Each enabled item starts MergeChecking with while(true).
Hot search cost	duration and result count for FindGameObjectsWithTag, FindObjectsByType<Items>	Player.cs, Enemy.cs, SpawnerEventManager.cs, GameManager.cs, PlayerCollectItem.cs	Scene-wide searches can spike with large enemy/item counts.
Reward queue state	queue length, current reward type, current phase, reroll amount, card count	RewardRoller.cs, UpgradeSelection.cs	Soft-lock may be reward flow, not spawn flow.
Save/network at game over	save start/end time, leaderboard request start/end/error	SaveService.cs, SaveManager.cs, LeaderboardManager.cs, GameManager.cs	Less likely during active combat, but can block/stall at game over/menu.

Reproduction Checkpoints

Checkpoint	What To Record
App launch	build target, fullscreen/window mode, resolution, monitor setup, whether Steam is running, config path, save path.
First visible frame	wall-clock time from launch, scene name, whether splash/menu/gameplay is visible.
Startup delay observed	whether screen renders, whether input works, whether Windows marks the app unresponsive, CPU/GPU usage, latest startup log line.
Run start	Stage, difficulty, player count, selected character ids, selected modifiers, initial ability list.
Every 10 seconds	Run timer, battle state, active enemy count, active item count, pool instantiate counts since last sample.
On every special spawn	SpawnEvent asset/name, enemy prefab name, enemy type, enemy kill id, isSpawning, isActive, isMiniBossSpawn, minibossFightTimer.
On every enemy death/despawn	Enemy name, enemy type, kill id, whether death event fired, whether pooled by border/despawn/death.
On reward start	Reward type, queue length, selected player, reward phase, Time.timeScale, isPaused, IsRewarding.
On reward card select/reroll	phase before/after, reroll amount, isPaused, selected upgrade id/name.
On boss transition	current stage map id, boss active flag, camera lock state, active enemy count, healthbar state, timer state.
On freeze/stuck observed	exact wall-clock time, run timer, frame rate, Time.timeScale, battle state, reward phase, active enemy/item/projectile counts, latest special event.

Likely One-Minute Cases

Case	Evidence	Confidence	What Would Confirm It
Unity fullscreen/display startup stall	User clarification says the issue happens when opening the Unity game in fullscreen mode.	Medium/High	Delay occurs before active gameplay; changing fullscreen/window mode or resolution changes the symptom.
Settings/save/platform startup stall	Unity boot flow loads settings/save/platform identity near startup.	Medium	Logs show long wall-clock gap during config, .dat save, or Steam/platform init.
Miniboss suppression is working as coded but feels like a stall	SpawnerEventManager sets isMiniBossSpawn = true and minibossFightTimer = 60f; creep spawning is blocked while true.	High	During the stuck minute, player still moves, Time.timeScale == 1, isMiniBossSpawn == true, timer counts down.
Miniboss clear event is missed	MiniBossDeath clears only if death id matches active special spawn enemy kill id.	Medium	Enemy dies/despawns but isMiniBossSpawn remains true and active special id does not clear.
Reward pause/phase mismatch	UpgradeSelection expects pause/selecting state, while RewardRoller.RerollUpgrade returns when manager.isPaused.	Medium	Freeze occurs with reward UI or reward queue active and inconsistent isPaused/IsRewarding/CurrentPhase.
Pool/GC spike during dense wave	PoolManager instantiates on empty pool; many modifiers multiply projectiles/effects.	Medium	Profiler shows main thread spike in Instantiate, GC allocation, or object activation during the event.
Time-scale zero with scaled waits	Many coroutines use scaled WaitForSeconds; GameStateService sets Time.timeScale to 0 when paused/rewarding/game over.	Medium	During stuck state, Time.timeScale == 0 and the waiting coroutine uses scaled wait.
Item merger coroutine buildup	Items.MergeChecking uses while(true) for every item and periodically spawns merger objects.	Medium	Active item count/coroutine count grows before stall; pool instantiate spikes include item merger objects.
Leaderboard/save blocking	Save and leaderboard happen mainly around game over/menu.	Low for active combat	Freeze occurs after game over or leaderboard action; log shows file/network request duration.

Profiling Targets

Profiler Area	Specific Targets
CPU Timeline	SpawnerEventManager.Update, SpawnEnemy, SpawnBoss, Enemy.TakeDamage, PlayerWeapon.FireWeapon, PlayerAttack.OnTriggerEnter2D, PoolManager.GetFromPool, Instantiate, GC.Collect.
Memory	Allocations from projectiles, damage popups, reward cards, item mergers, target lists/sorts.
Physics 2D	Trigger/collision count during dense waves and area abilities.
Rendering	Damage popup/UI/effect overdraw only if frame freeze, not spawn stall.
Scripts	Scene-wide searches and per-frame sorting in target acquisition.

Concrete Logging Suggestions

Add temporary logs only in a debug build or behind a runtime toggle. Suggested minimal points:

Location	Log When
SpawnerEventManager.SpecialSpawnSystem	A special event starts, becomes active, or sets isMiniBossSpawn.
SpawnerEventManager.MiniBossDeath	Called with id and whether it matched the active special event.
SpawnerEventManager.MinibossFightTimer	Timer starts, reaches zero, or clears state.
GameStateService.SetState	Any state changes and resulting Time.timeScale.
RewardRoller	Phase transitions, reward queue changes, reroll attempts.
PoolManager.SpawnNewObject	New instantiation with prefab key and total count.
Items.OnEnable / OnDisable	Merge coroutine starts/stops and item merger spawn count.

Open Questions

• Which fullscreen mode, monitor setup, resolution, and build target reproduce the Unity startup issue?
• Does startup reach splash/menu/gameplay before the delay, or does the delay happen before the first rendered frame?
• Does changing fullscreen to windowed/borderless avoid the issue?
• Does the issue correlate with config .json, save .dat, or Steam/platform initialization?
• Are spawner assets intentionally saved with isSpawning or isActive set to 1?