LDC (Localized Dialogs & Cutscenes) - Powerful and intuitive Dialog System with tons of features!

Good to know. Won't be an issue anyway as I'm doing a PC game, it was just a case of asking on the off chance. I'm starting to learn the system and watch the videos. I assume it is relatively easy to put image on buttons and alter button size etc?

 

Hi Mel,
This is what I figured out yesterday and you are correct it works. I am still requesting the "one use button" feature because I don't feel using playerprefs scales well with a lot of dialog.

Thanks!

 

One more question, are tokens supposed to work for button text? If not, are there any plans to add this? Thanks!

 

@sicga123

Yep, LDC uses Unity's built-in GUISkins to manage UI customisation. You can even setup different skins for different languages and even hi-res and low-res versions for desktop and mobile!

Here's a little more info on GUISkins if you are not familiar with them.

http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/Components/class-GUISkin.html

You can also find more info about skinning the GUI in the LDC docs!

@loadexfa

Hmm, I'm not sure what you mean by it doesn't scale well? There should be no limitation doing it that way (or with LDC Tokens).

If you mean you'd rather have a more streamlined solution, I'll add it to the wishlist!

... And yep, Tokens should work exactly the same way as PlayerPrefs in conditions (except they're easier to use as you can't make typos or get the format wrong! lol).

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

For scaling, I meant managing all the data (game designer's perspective). I appreciate you adding this to the wish list.

The first version of my post about the button wasn't clear (you probably didn't see the edited version). I want to use a token for part of the button's text, not for the logic. This isn't working but the token does work when I put it in the dialog text. Could using the token for a button's text be added to the wish list as well?

 

oh, I see what you mean!

Yes you're right about the button tokens, that's a good point!

I'll try and implement token integration into buttons in the next update!

- Mel

 

Sweet, thanks!

BTW, I have tried a few other similar systems (tried building it myself, Adventure Creator, and Dialog System for Unity) and it looks like yours is finally the one which will work for me.

I felt Adventure Creator is very powerful and easy to use. The amount of functionality he provides is amazing, especially for that price. This was also that package's downfall for me. I didn't like how 60% of the functionality worked. This is fine, I don't mind going in and adding my own tweaks but this became more and more of a hassle. I also don't want to change the author's source or it turns into a merge mess every time he posts an update. I also felt it suffers from major scaling issues related to entering data, pathfinding, and managing the flow of the game.

It's worth noting, I also had to get usequencer and RAIN in addition to a separate dialog system to replace Adventure Creator.

Dialog System seems very powerful but I had a hard time getting into it for entering data. I also didn't like scripting using Lua. I just want to send a message to my own scripts, not learn a new scripting language.

I think your system is the perfect mix of easy to use while giving me enough control to manage the overall game the way I want. You made a great asset.

 

Hi loadexfa,

I've always tried to do everything in LDC the "Unity" way, and make it as productive as possible. I'm glad that LDC finally became the tool that worked for you, it's always great to hear LDC is being used and appreciated!

The good news is I use LDC in my commercial work everyday and I have every intention to keep developing it and adding features. It's only going to get better!

- Mel

 

QuickFix for getting tokens to work in buttons:

This will be part of the next update, but in the meantime you can open the DialogUI.js script, and update the SetupDialogTextEffects() function with this:

Code (csharp):

1.  
2.  
3. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
4. //    SETUP DIALOG TEXT EFFECTS
5. //    We use this to start the typewriter effect, and later on for tokens, etc.
6. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
7.  
8.  
9. function SetupDialogTextEffects() {
10.    
11.     // Setup Tokens
12.     DialogUI.dialogText = ApplyTokens(DialogUI.dialogText);
13.     DialogUI.actorName = ApplyTokens(DialogUI.actorName);
14.  
15.  
16.     // Setup Button Tokens
17.     DialogUI.customButton1 = ApplyTokens(DialogUI.customButton1);
18.     DialogUI.customButton2 = ApplyTokens(DialogUI.customButton2);
19.    
20.     // Setup Multiple Button tokens
21.     if(DialogUI.multipleButtons != null  DialogUI.multipleButtons.length > 0){
22.         for( var s : String in DialogUI.multipleButtons){
23.             s = ApplyTokens(s);
24.         }
25.     }
26.        
27.     // If the dialogText isn't empty and we've enabled typewriter effect
28.     if( DialogUI.dialogText != ""  DialogUI.dui.options.useTypeWriterEffectForText ){
29.         DialogUI.currentDialogText = "";
30.        
31.         StopCoroutine("TypeWriterEffect");
32.         yield StartCoroutine( "TypeWriterEffect" );
33.            
34.     } else {
35.         DialogUI.currentDialogText = DialogUI.dialogText;
36.     }
37.        
38. }
39.  
40.  

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

Wow, that was fast. It worked perfectly, thanks!

 

You're welcome!

- Mel

 

Hi Mel,

one question regarding playmaker. Are the actions downloadable from your page? If yes, where can I find them.

Thanks a lot!

 

Hi red2blue,

The PlayMaker actions are bundled as an additional Unity package file in LDC v3.7 (you also need LDC v3.7 for them to work).

This is already live at my website - if you purchased the plugin from there you can download it now. Alternatively you can wait until the Unity Team approve LDC 3.7 (hopefully at some point this week) and you can update from the Asset store.

If you originally purchased LDC from the Asset Store and want direct access to LDC updates from my website feel free to send me an email with a copy of your unity receipt and I'll set you up with an account!

- Mel

 

hi Mel,

thanks a lot for the offer. Just sended the email to your account. Thanks a lot

Cheers

 

Hi red2blue,

All done. Check your email for info!

- Mel

 

Thanks Mel for implementing so fast the change scene function.
Cheers!

 

Hi ocimpean,

You're welcome!

- Mel

 

Hi All,

Quick question to all LDC users ( and those who are interested in purchasing LDC ).

Are any of you still using Unity 3.5?

Thanks!

- Mel

 

Nope

 

@loadexfa, Thanks for responding!

I am thinking of dropping support for Unity 3.5 soon so if any of you are still using it now is the time to speak up! lol

- Mel

 

Is there an idea size for the actor image ? Sometimes I notice my images are stretched vertically.
Thanks, great asset

 

Hi ShotGlass215,

hmm it's usually pretty consistent. A few things to check:

- If you are using compressed textures on a non-square resolution (i.e., if its not 1024x1024, 512,512, etc) Unity will rescale it which in turn will make it look stretched in LDC.

- If you are using a very narrow Game Preview window LDC is designed to rescale the screen to your current resolution automatically, so some slight stretching will occur there to make sure it will work on any device's screen, mobile to desktop! It's native resolutions are HD 1920x1080 and mobile native is 960x640. So it will scale around those points depending on your settings. By default, it will be set to HD.

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

LDC v3.7 is now live!

IMPORTANT: PLEASE BACK UP YOUR PROJECT BEFORE UPDATING!


Asset Store Link:
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/#/content/5020


LDC Direct Website Link
http://www.mel-georgiou.co.uk

 

Really enjoying this asset. Have you ever considered making a simple inventory system in a similar style? You have all the ground work sorted. Just a nice little interface needs making

Anyway keep up the great work!

 

Hi cl-apps,

Thanks for your positive feedback! Always great to hear that LDC is being well received!

Funny you should mention that request. That is the direction LDC is moving into right now (although not inventory specifically). I'll be posting again with some info about what to expect in LDC 3.8 in a few!

- Mel

 

COMING SOON IN LDC v3.8 ...

This update is a BIG one! I've practically not slept for the last week and I'm sure the coming update will please many of you ( at least I hope so! lol ).

ANIMATED BUTTON ICONS!

LDC 3.8 is now able to add icons and animations directly into your buttons! This allows for some very interesting customisations which could be used to build simple inventories and merchant screens, as well as many other uses such as special effects over buttons, etc.

HOW IT WORKS

First, there is a new section in the DialogLibrary called "DialogButtons". Here you can setup you button graphics and animations in the same way as Actors and Backgrounds:



Once you've setup your Dialog Buttons, they will become available in the Dialog Screen inspector, and you can setup ANY custom dialog style with them, like in the example below:



And this can lead to something that looks like this:



This opens up the way for some very interesting prospects for future updates to LDC.

SOME OTHER UPDATES IN v3.8:

- Tokens can now be applied directly into button text.
- "Sort All Dialogs" now work on any dialog thread (not just prefabs).
- LDC menu shortcuts have been reorganised into a "GameObjects > LDC " submenu.
- General optimisations, updates and bug fixes.

I'm hoping to release this by the weekend, and as usual there will be a delay before the Unity Asset Store approves it. If you guys want direct access from my site, send me an email with your unity receipt and I'll set you up with an account!


Thanks to everyone who have supported LDC. As always, I stay committed to the product and promise it's only going to get better. All you need to do is look at LDC's version history to know I'm serious! Haha

All the best,

- Mel

 

Unbelievable!! - Yes I'll have some of that please!

You must be one of the hottest asset creators out there right now.. Not only do you produce stuff that actually works but it's also a joy to use! Plus you do everything so fast... crazy..

Your stuff takes away so much hard work and lets the creativity shine which at the end of the day is what the player sees!

Thanks for the hard work, i'll certainly be using everything you can muster in my latest 3D Adventure/puzzle game for iOS: STRANDED 2

Chris

 

Hi Chris,

Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm so glad you're finding LDC to be so useful in your work!

Before I became a programmer I actually got a degree in product design. LDC is designed to be a tool that I would want to work with everyday (and I do! lol). I think a lot of asset creators focus on functionality but they don't think much about how it works day to day.

For example. there is WAY more code in LDC's inspector's than the actual runtime part of it. In fact, just the Dialog Screen inspector alone is almost 10,000 lines of code while the runtime part is highly optimised and relatively lightweight.

LDC isn't just about the functionality, I actually spend more time working on "HOW" LDC works rather than "WHAT" it does.

It's always a pleasure when people appreciate the work - it keeps me motivated! lol

I'll definitely look out for your game - you should send me some screenshots when its done as I'll be building up a "Games Made With LDC" page in the near future!

All the best!

- Mel

 

Hi Mel, LDC is brilliant, it's making me a cup of coffee at the moment and then it's getting the kids ready for school. Seems like there's nothing it can't do. Absolutely fantastic asset. The image buttons are just what I need. Great work.

 

Hi sicga123,

Haha, thanks for the positive feedback!

Now if I really could figure out a way for LDC to make coffee that would be something!

All the best,

- Mel

 

Hi All,

Forgot to post a couple of things yesterday!

In 3.8 you will also be able to apply sound clips to the Typewriter effect - Which can also be seen in this new demo for LDC using a pre-release build of v3.8!

This demo includes an all new adventure / fantasy skin to show off how it is possible to re-skin LDC. I'm not sure that was being communicated very well in the old screenshots and demos! lol Also, this shows off some LDC v3.8 specific features such as buttons with icons!

Feel free to try it out here:



LINK: LDC ADVENTURE DEMO

Also, I'd just like to add this was exported with the Unity Flash plugin!

Enjoy!

- Mel

 

Great demo, looks excellent. Sometimes things that should be obvious don't really sink home until they're seen. Definitely the case with the GUI skins. Superb work.

 

Congrats Mel,

this looks extremly good. The demo is awsome. I really appreciate all the work that you are investing to make a very good plugin a perfekt plugin, and to make satisfied customers, super happy customers. I am so happy I bought this even more growing plug in!
Thanks really a lot!

 

Thanks for the positive feedback guys!

Great to hear that you like the new features!

Hoping to release v3.8 at some point tomorrow!

- Mel

 

Looking great!

 

Thanks ocimpean!

- Mel

 

LDC v3.8

Is now live on my website!

Asset Store version still awaiting approval - will post again when its live!

IMPORTANT: Backup your project before updating!

LDC Direct Website Link
http://www.mel-georgiou.co.uk

 

Already picked it up, putting it in now. Thanks for all your efforts in constantly updating and improving the kit. It is much appreciated.

 

Thanks sicga123!

- Mel

 

Can I download direct from your website even though I bought from the Asset Store... I can message you my Asset Store order number, quite excited to get my hands on those new features...

 

Of course!

Email / PM me your unity order number and I'll set you up with an account!

- Mel

 

Oh and a little suggestion for the Titles feature. Could there be an option for alignment, say top/middle/bottom and left/centre/right which was relative rather than a pixel offset? It's already in for curtain or things like input boxes and background images, just not for titles... yet

 

PM'd

 

Hi cl-apps,

Added to the wishlist!

You can actually already set this in the GUISkins!

You can find the settings for this in:

GUISkin > Custom Styles > Titles > Alignment.

and

GUISkin > Custom Styles > Subtitles > Alignment.

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

Missed that one! cheers!

 

No worries!

- Mel

 

LDC v3.8 is now live!

IMPORTANT: PLEASE BACK UP YOUR PROJECT BEFORE UPDATING!


Asset Store Link:
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/#/content/5020


LDC Direct Website Link
http://www.mel-georgiou.co.uk

 

Just a quick query.

I am testing dialog on my iPhone and after the text has appeared in the usual way it disappears really fast. I'm sure that it was fine in the editor and there was plenty of time to read. I am going to check it out later but just wanted to quickly ask if there was a bug or simply a case of adding more time before the dialog fades out...

 

Hi cl-apps.

Hmm. Seems strange. Don't think I've ever seen that before and I'm working on an iOS project myself right now.

One thing to bear in mind, never trust that whatever you see in the editor is exactly what you will see on the device. This is for a variety of technical reasons and not limited to LDC. First thing I would recommend is double checking everything as it could have been a random glitch (iOS 7 pulling an email for example, which caused lag and then the system tried to compensate by speeding up ).

If it is just normally faster, you can play with DialogUI > Options > Fade Duration to find a good balance for the device.

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

OK I think I've narrowed things down. When I run the scene individually the scene is absolutely fine and runs the same as the editor. However when transitioning from scene to scene something changes and the dialog barely has time to finish and fade out.

I am using a loading script which has a progress bar to display the percentage of the next scene has loaded as my scenes are quite large. I try to end the dialog the best I can by deleting the game object at the end of the dialog and then calling the script. Which pops the dialog up fine on the next screen but now I have a timing error...

I am thinking I need an interim piggy back off your load next level which once finished makes a call to my loading script... Or if you could rustle up a loading next scene screen then that'd do the trick too...