How do I add a delay in a switch statement?

Question

    float distance = Vector3.Distance(transform.position, player.position);
    var State = distance > 10 ? AIState.TowardsPlayer : AIState.Right;
    Debug.Log(distance);

    switch (State)
    {
        case AIState.TowardsPlayer:
            transform.LookAt(player.transform);
            transform.position += transform.forward * approaching * Time.deltaTime;
            break;
        case AIState.Right:
            transform.position += transform.right * 1f * Time.deltaTime;
            Invoke("AIState.TowardsPlayer", 2f);
            break;

I want it to have a slight delay after AIState.Right finishes its execution before moving onto AIState.TowardsPlayer. I put Invoke but it didn't work.

Answer 1

You're trying to add a delay like this:

Invoke("AIState.TowardsPlayer", 2f);

This does not work because AIState.TowardsPlayer is an enum value. Invoke() is used to call functions.

You probably want to use a coroutine, something like this:

private IEnumerator UpdateState() {
    while (true) {
        float distance = Vector3.Distance(transform.position, player.position);
        var state = distance > 10 ? AIState.TowardsPlayer : AIState.Right;

        switch (state) {
            case AIState.TowardsPlayer:
                transform.LookAt(player.transform);
                transform.position += transform.forward * approaching * Time.deltaTime;
                break;
            case AIState.Right:
                transform.position += transform.right * 1f * Time.deltaTime;
                yield return new WaitForSeconds(2f);
                break;
        }

        //wait one frame before next loop iteration, so we never hang the application 
        //in an infinite loop
        yield return null; 
    }
}

void OnEnable() {
    StartCoroutine(UpdateState());
}

Here we have a yield return new WaitForSeconds(2f); statement to pause for two seconds after the AIState.Right condition occurs.

If you're not familiar with Coroutines, make sure to read up on them, as they can make your life a lot easier.