[RELEASED] Dialogue System for Unity - easy conversations, quests, and more!

Hi Tony.

I have run into some weird stupid problem that I have no idea how I caused it. I was just testing the tool for the first time, doing different tests, when suddenly I noticed the UI for the usable/selector components suddenly stoped showing, and I couldnt trigger conversations with the On use option. I tried to do a new scene doign the quick start tutorial step by step with no success(The On start trigger works fine)

I created another project and downloaded the Dialogue System again, and replicated the quick start tutorial and everything seems fine. Looking at both projects side by side I have no clue what is wrong.

This is in Unity version 2020.3.14f1

Do you have any idea what could be happening?

 

Hi @Alexeyov - It sounds like the Selector isn't detecting the Usable. Please see: How To: Fix Selector Issues

If your project is 2D, the most common issue is that the Welcome Window's USE_PHYSICS2D checkbox isn't ticked. If your project is 3D, the most common issue is something related to layers, such as the Selector's Layer Mask not including the Usable's layer.

 

Dwerve - Ars Technica's Best Games We Played at PAX East

Congratulations to Half Human Games! They've been getting well-deserved praise for Dwerve, made with the Dialogue System for Unity and recently shown on the Pax Rising curated floor at PAX East. Ars Technica just put it first in their list of Best Games We Played at PAX East.

 

Peglin - Launch Success Analysis

Indie game marketing guru Chris Zukowski published a great analysis of the recent Early Access release success of Red Nexus Games' Peglin, made with the Dialogue System:

How Peglin Made $1,049,413 In 1 Week

Peglin was made by a small team of 4, with only 1 full-time person and 3 part-time. If the idea of a pachinko roguelike sounds fun to you, check it out on Steam!

 

More Peglin News, Voodoo Detective Coming May 24

Congratulations to Red Nexus Games! Peglin, made with the Dialogue System for Unity, just won the IGA 2022 award for Best Design. The IGA's From Game Jam to winning Best Design: The story behind Peglin article interviews Peglin designer Dylan Gedig:

If you like noir detective point-and-click adventures, put Voodoo Detective on your calendar. It's made with the Dialogue System for Unity by Short Sleeve Studio and features amazing voice talent. It releases on Steam and EGS on May 24:

Want to use Quest Machine and Love/Hate with the Dialogue System? They all offer integration with each other. This 3-part video series will show you how to integrate them in your project:

 

User Showcase: Frog's Daddy Dash

Check out Frog Daddy's Dash, a comedic, dialogue-heavy platformer made in 72 hours by PixelPax for Mini Jam 106: Frogs^2:



This was their first time using the Dialogue System for Unity. Over just the weekend, they picked up the Dialogue System, set up the Corgi Engine integration, and wrote dialogue that uses overhead speech bubbles, screen-space UIs, and conditional logic that ties into their own C# code. And that's in addition to the art, level design, and writing. Great job!

 

Voodoo Detective Released for PC & Mobile

Short Sleeve Studio's Voodoo Detective, made with the Dialogue System for Unity, just released! It features a fantastic cast of voice actors and a live-recorded soundtrack. If you like point-and-click adventures, check it out to see what you can a small indie team and accomplish with the Dialogue System.

-- AppUnwrapper

 

Hi Tony!

Sorry for hijacking this thread for an unrelated question, but it just so happens that you were the person give a solution regarding animation events from a blend tree and footstep sounds in this thread - https://forum.unity.com/threads/foot-steps-and-blend-trees.371396/

Is there a place I could discuss this with you if you're willing? I'm having trouble understanding how to setup an animation curve for when to play a footstep sound. Sorry for the off-topic, let me know if you want me to delete the post.

Thank you

 

Hi! Would you mind starting a new thread for that? You can PM me the link to the thread.

 

New Releases: Dwerve, Tomorrow for Mar, plus Voodoo Detective, Peglin

Some great new games made with the Dialogue System for Unity released today on Steam:

Dwerve

Tomorrow for Mar



Voodoo Detective, released last week, continues to get great reviews. There are early calls for it to adventure game of the year.

And Peglin continue to rack up the Steam reviews -- over 2600 currently! -- as more players enjoy the pachinko roguelike made with the Dialogue System.

Congratulations to all of the devs who released Dialogue System-powered games recently!

 

Eternights Reveal - Sony State of Play 2022

Check out Studio Sai's Eternights, just revealed at Sony's State of Play 2022 event and made with the Dialogue System for Unity:

 

Dialogue System 2.2.28 Released

Version 2.2.28 is now live on the Asset Store. Highlights of this release include Unity Localization Package integration, abilty to import Celtx Gem 3 content, and general improvements, fixes, and updates to integrations.

Release Notes:

Core:

• Added: Unity Localization package integration.
• Changed: Sequencer ->Message(x) syntax now sends message only to current sequencer, not all active sequencers.
• Changed: Audio/AudioWait() sequencer commands by default no longer print warning if audio clip not found; set Sequencer.reportMissingAudioFiles to enable warnings.
• Improved: Dialogue System Trigger > Conditions can now check quest entry conditions.
• Improved: Dialogue System Trigger can now set two quest entry states.
• Improved: Dialogue System Trigger Run Lua Code action sets "Actor" and "ActorIndex" variables before running code.
• Improved: Added Prevent Restart On Same Frame Ended checkbox to Dialogue System Trigger > Start Conversation action.
• Improved: Added Use Range Colors checkbox to Standard UI Selector Elements.
• Improved: If StandardUISubtitlePanel Accumulate Text is ticked, can now set Max Lines after which older lines will be culled.
• Improved: ExtraDatabases methods are now virtual.
• Improved: StringAsset text area now expands to accommodate large text passages.
• Improved: Added SaveSystem.framesToWaitBeforeSaveDataAppliedEvent; added SpawnedObjectList asset type.
• Improved: PositionSaver can now specify a target GameObject instead of saving its own GameObject's position.
• Improved: SpawnedObjectManager now accepts SpawnedObjectList assets for easier organization of spawned object prefabs.
• Improved: DontDestroyGameObject workaround for Unity issue with hidden objects.
• Fixed: Dialogue System Trigger > Stop on trigger exit / too far now works with simultaneous conversations.
• Fixed: If game paused on same frame that sequencer command sent message that another command was listening for, listener wouldn't receive message.
• Fixed: Conversation actors configured to show subtitles in bark UIs that wait for sequence to end now correctly wait for sequence.
• Fixed: If partipant had DialogueActor component, CharacterInfo.nameInDatabase was incorrectly set to display name.
• Fixed: DialogueSystemTrigger.RunLuaCode no longer sets ActorIndex incorrectly for actors with DialogueActor components on a child GameObject.
• Fixed: DialogueManager.ConversationHasValidEntry bug when evaluating mix of group nodes whose children's Conditions are all false and non-group nodes.
• Fixed: listenerportrait sequencer keyword.
• Fixed: [LuaConditionsWizard] & [LuaScriptWizard] now properly handle component reset.
• Fixed: If a GameObject assigned to SequencerShortcuts is destroyed, SequencerShortcuts no longer returns it as a reference for an actor.
• Fixed: SaveSystem.saveDataApplied was called before QuestJournal's restored quests were listening for messages.
• Fixed: Positioning issue in KeepRectTransformOnscreen component.
• Fixed: In some scenarios, response button focus wouldn't raise Select event.
• Fixed: If Dialogue Actor overrides actor name/display name, subtitles with Visibility set to Always From Start will show overridden name on open.
• Fixed: If starting second conversation while first is active and second fails to start because it has no valid entries, currentActor/Conversant properties are no longer set to second conversation's.
• Fixed: Potential NullReferenceException error when exiting play mode with StandardUIInputField.
• SMSDialogueUI: Supports multiple subtitle templates; DialogueActor text color overrides; now handles actors without GameObjects better.
• Textline: Now uses SMSDialogueUI, with improvements to resuming conversations.

Third Party Support:

• Adventure Creator: Added Lua functions to get/set values of Variables component on specified GameObject.
• Arcweave: Fixed import of variables whose names contained reserved keywords; <START> node's Sequence is now None(); can now import Guids as fields.
• articy:draft: Added option to create conversations for flow fragments that aren't inside dialogues; option to skip import of documents; open to import custom DisplayName field.
• Bolt/Visual Scripting: Now supports disabled domain reloading.
• Celtx Gem 3: Added support.
• Celtx GVR 2: Added Sort on Import option; sync from any sync databases first.
• Corgi Engine: Added PixelCrushersMMLoadingSceneManager to tie save system to Corgi scene loader.
• Ink: Fixed issue with Player Dialogue Text Follows Response Text checkbox.
• i2 Localization:
  • Fixed: When using multiple text tables, now shows checkboxes for all text tables' fields; Update Primary Fields no longer overwrites Text Table key value
  • Added option to use specified field value for dialogue entry terms.
• Opsive Character Controllers: UCCSaver can now save mouse sensitivity settings.
• ORK Framework: Updated for ORK 3.3.
• PlayMaker: Jump To Entry action now allows you to specify conversation.
• TopDown Engine: Added PixelCrushersMMLoadingSceneManager to tie save system to TDE scene loader; No longer logs error if player has no CharacterMovement or if CharacterMovement has no Walk Particles.

 

I was wondering, is it possible to grey out some options if the conditions are not met?

I want the player to be able to learn some spells from the NPC and the conditions would be a mix of multiple things (state of the town and available $$$).
Making it grayed out would allow me to inform that the player can buy those spells and what are the conditions.
Thanks you!

 

Hi! Yes, tick the Dialogue Manager's Input Settings > Include Invalid Entries. This will include options with unmet conditions in the response menu, but their buttons will be non-interactable. You can optionally set [em#] Tag for Invalid Responses to style their texts differently (e.g., gray italic). Set the [em#] appearance in the Dialogue Editor's Database section.

 

Amazing, thank you!

 

Happy to help!

 

SoulLink Spawner - Dialogue System & Quest Machine Integration

Magique recently released SoulLink Spawner, a procedural spawner asset for Unity. It includes Dialogue System and Quest Machine integration, including save system integration as demonstrated in their video below:

 

Dialogue System Games in Steam Next Fest, Wholesome Direct

Steam's Next Fest is going on this week, and lots of Dialogue System-powered games are in it. You can see what's possible with the Dialogue System, play the demos, and wishlist games including:

The Spirit and The Mouse

Rising Spire

GRUNND

Many games using the Dialogue System were also recently featured in Wholesome Direct 2022, including:

Ova Magica

A Walk With Yiayia

And the aforementioned The Spirit and The Mouse!

 

The Game Kitchen (the devs behind Blasphemous) are also re-releasing the Dialogue System-powered indie cult classic The Last Door in a deluxe physical edition.



If you're a fan of low res pixel art and classic horror writing, check it out.

 

Hello Tony

there is possible to modify a variable when initiate any conversation?

i dont want to do for each one

Thanks

 

Hi @claudius_I - Yes. You can add a script with an OnConversationStart(Transform) method to the Dialogue Manager. Example:

Code (csharp):

1. public void OnConversationStart(Transform actor)
2. {
3.     DialogueLua.SetVariable("Some Variable", someValue);
4. }

Or you can add a Dialogue System Trigger set to OnConversationStart to the Dialogue Manager, and select Add Action > Run Lua Code. Then use the "..." dropdowns to specify how to modify the variable.

 

Thank Tony. You always help me .

I have another question. sorry

There is posible to call a method (from OnSelectUsable) and get "Usable" Atribute reference" from "Proximity Selector". I need the reference for get atributes from "NPC with dialogue Trigger"

Thanks Again

 

Yes. Use the Dynamic version:



Point it to a script method like this:

Code (csharp):

1. using UnityEngine;
2. using PixelCrushers.DialogueSystem;
3.  
4. public class ExampleScript : MonoBehaviour
5. {
6.     public void SelectedTarget(Usable usable)
7.     {
8.         ...
9.     }
10. }

 

Asset Store Minimum Version 2019.4 Starting July 20

On July 20, Unity will require all Asset Store assets' minimum versions to be Unity 2019.4. This is just a heads-up for any Dialogue System for Unity users still on older versions of Unity.

 

Hi there,

This will sound daft but how do I add a walking animation to a MoveTo command in the sequencer? I want a character to walk to a certain point with a perfectly timed walking animation that stops once they've reached their destination. I'd also like to do something similar with a LookTo command and a turning animation. How can I achieve this? Thank you.

 

Hi! You could use AnimatorPlay(), or write your own custom sequencer command that combines animation and movement, or using an interactive sequencer such as Timeline or SLATE. Sequencer commands are handy because you can just add them to the Sequence field without having to fiddle with Timeline, etc. They're fast to add and don't interrupt your flow of writing text. A Sequence might look something like:

AnimatorPlay(Walk);
MoveTo(Door, , 3);
AnimatorPlay(Idle)@3​

Or, if you want to incorporate cross-fades between walking and idling:

AnimatorPlay(Walk, , 0.1); // Crossfade into Walk over 0.1 sec
MoveTo(Door, , 3);
AnimatorPlay(Idle, , 0.1)@2.9; // Crossfade info Idle over 0.1 sec​

 

Thank you for the speedy response! I've tried the first method you've suggested, with the timings and it's working well for me. Thanks again!

 

Glad to help!

 

I've been implementing more movement animations into my game and it's going well, but when I click through dialogue quickly sometimes the animations get stuck in a loop. At the moment the animations use trigger conditions. What can I do to prevent looping?

 

I may need to get details on the sequences, but it will probably come down to using the required keyword. This keyword tells the sequencer to play a command even if the player skips ahead before the command is actually due to run. Take this sequence for example:

AnimatorPlay(Walk);
MoveTo(Door, , 3);
AnimatorPlay(Idle)@3​

It will work fine as long as the player lets the sequence get to the 3-second mark. If the player skips ahead before the 3-second mark, the AnimatorPlay(Idle) command won't run. However, if you add required it will:

AnimatorPlay(Walk);
MoveTo(Door, , 3);
required AnimatorPlay(Idle)@3​

 

Tons of Games Made With Dialogue System in Steam Summer Sale

A huge number of games made with the Dialogue System for Unity are in Steam's Summer Sale. If you'd like to see what the Dialogue System is capable of, check them out. Just a short list of the many Dialogue System-powered games in the sale:

• Disco Elysium
• Peglin
• Voodoo Detective
• Suzerain
• Lake
• Jenny LeClue - Detectivu
• Witch Hunt
• Crossing Souls
• Stars Die
• The Last Door
• and many more!

 

Hi，I have a basic question about Key name at SaveSystem Saver.
I notice you writen “Save data under this key.If blank，use GameObject name”
For example，i have a lot of GameObject named “BasicDoor”.If i dont name them unique.Will it cause problems？
Maybe i should do a little test...

 

Here i did a little test；
I have two GameObject named “BasicDoor”in the scene.
I add DestructibleSaver component on them and dont name the Key.
I destroyed one of them and save the scene.
Then i load the scene i found there still have two GameObject.
So，the result is each GameObject if had a Saver should have a unique Key name.
Make sure each one is unique

 

Yes, that's correct. Think of the saved game data like a dictionary, where each saver files its data under a key. If two savers try to write their data into the same key, one saver will overwrite the other saver's data. If you don't want to assign unique keys yourself, you can select menu item Tools > Pixel Crushers > Common > Save System > Assign Unique Keys to automatically assign unique keys to all savers in the currently-open scene.

Note: An exception is the player. Unlike other GameObjects, with the player you'll usually want to save the player GameObject's current info (e.g., health or inventory) in the outgoing scene so you can apply it to the player GameObject in the next scene. In this case, use the same key.

 

New Dialogue UI Setup Videos

Fresh new video tutorials on setting up dialogue UIs:

 

Soulink Procedural AI Spawner in Mega Sale

Magique's Soulink Procedural AI Spawner is in the Asset Store's Mega Sale, running now. Soulink has integration with the Dialogue System for Unity and Quest Machine. In fact, the very first game featured in its promo video uses them!

If your game needs spawning, now's a great time to pick up Soulink and other assets in the Mega Sale bundle for cheap.

 

Hi Tony, i have a question about Dialogue Ui.
in my project have a Visual Novel UI style , but i want to add also a cell phone conversations (like whatsapp). there is possible to use 2 Uis? one for each type of conversations

Thanks
Claudio

 

Hi @claudius_I - Yes. Assign your visual novel UI to the Dialogue Manager's Dialogue UI field. Conversations will use this UI by default.

Then add an Override Dialogue UI component to a conversant GameObject and assign the SMS Dialogue UI prefab (or a customized version) to it. When this GameObject is used as the conversation actor or conversation conversant, it will use the SMS dialogue UI. If you want to override all of the display settings, and not just the dialogue UI, add an Override Display Settings component instead.

If you prefer to change UIs in code, use DialogueManager.UseDialogueUI().

 

Dialogue System 2.2.29 Released

Version 2.2.29 is now available on the Asset Store!

If you're looking to outsource localization, we're partnering with localization companies to make it easier to hire them and get their translations into the Dialogue System. Our first partner is Alocai. You can request a quote in the Dialogue Editor's Database section > Export/Import Localization foldout > Localization Services dropdown.

You can, of course, continue to do your own localization using the Dialogue System's built-in localization, spreadsheet exports, or i2 Localization integration, or the Unity Localization package.


Release Notes
Core:

• Added: Dialogue Editor > Conversations > Show > Descriptions option to show Description field below each node.
• Added: ChangeActorName() Lua function.
• Improved: SetContinueMode() sequencer command can now set any valid continue mode.
• Improved: Added Require Continue On Last Line checkbox to Dialogue Manager's Subtitle Settings section.
• Improved: Added DialogueManager.onStartTriggerWaitForSaveDataApplied property.
• Improved: Added DialogueManager.lastConversationEnded.
• Improved: [LuaConditionsWizard] attribute now supports multi-line text area.
• Improved: Made StandardUISelectorElements.ConnectDelegates() public to make it easier to change default use message at runtime.
• Improved: UILocalizationManager can now reference more than one text table asset.
• Improved: DialogueManager.GetLocalizedText() (used for non-dialogue database localization) can now use multiple text tables.
• Fixed: If non-primary character was speaker of conversation's first node and character and primary both had animated portraits and panel's Visibility was Always From Start, animation wouldn't play.
• Fixed: Applying template to items & quests now applies proper template instead of both templates.
• Fixed: Dialogue Editor > Quests/Items > Sort > By Group no longer reports error if a quest doesn't have a group.
• Fixed: AudioWait() sequencer command edge case timing issue.
• Fixed: Edge case issue with Extra warmup mode.
• Fixed: Closing one Unity project with Dialogue Editor open then opening second Unity project with Dialogue Editor open would set second project's database template to same as first.
• Changed: Basic Dialogue UI: Set scrollbar Visibility to Auto Hide.

Third Party Support:

• Alocai: Added support for Alocai localization services.
• articy: Added support for conversation override properties; updated ArticyLuaFunctions for disabled domain reloading.
• Devion Item & Inventory System: Updated to better handle currency conversion when removing currency; fixed dgGetItemCount().
• Localization Package: Dialogue System Localization Package Bridge now supports a list of LocalizedStringTable assets and DS To Loc window supports a list of dialogue databases.
• PlayMaker: Added Get Last Conversation Started/Ended actions; added Exclusive & Replace checkboxes to Start Conversation action.

 

Out Of Office - July 7, 2022

All day on July 7, 2022, the Pixel Crushers office will be closed. I'll do my best to promptly reply to any support questions on July 8.

 

Sometimes a built game doesn't properly show the dialogue text the first time it's loaded, I've seen the text either look extremely deteriorated or just not visible. The other UI text is fine, it just seems to be any dialogue text. It seems to usually fix itself when I close the application and open it again but something seems to go wrong with that first open.

The dialogue text is TextMeshPro rather than the default text, I've seen this happen with an Android build and a WebGL build. I'm on the dialogue system package version v2.2.25.1 and there seems to be some updates available, but I don't want to risk upgrading and potentially breaking other stuff if the problem doesn't lie there. Is this a common problem with an easy fix or should I just see if an update fixes it?

 

There are no known Dialogue System issues with text in builds, so it's most likely something specific to your project. You could try updating to 2.2.29, but it probably won't fix the issue by itself. Dialogue text is just plain old Unity UI Text or TextMesh Pro, nothing special. Are you using a different font for your dialogue text? Maybe there's an issue with that font.

 

have great problems in making
Dialogue System for Unity - Pixel Crushers
work.

i down load the pacakge inside unity using this youtube

but i get this errors about yarn
https://yarnspinner.dev/docs/unity/installing/


also the first window disapaaerd - can i see it aggain?

i tried downloading yarn from their site but i didnt know what to do with files downloaded

i would like some help here - thx

this is some of the errors i get

Dialogue System: Deleted PlayerPrefs key 'Language'.
UnityEngine.Debug:Log (object)
PixelCrushers.DialogueSystem.UpdateLocalizedUITexts:ClearSavedLocalizationSettings () (at Assets/Plugins/Pixel Crushers/Dialogue System/Scripts/UI/Unity UI/Effects/UpdateLocalizedUITexts.cs:78)

Dialogue System: Deleted PlayerPrefs key 'Language'.
UnityEngine.Debug:Log (object)
PixelCrushers.DialogueSystem.UpdateLocalizedUITexts:ClearSavedLocalizationSettings () (at Assets/Plugins/Pixel Crushers/Dialogue System/Scripts/UI/Unity UI/Effects/UpdateLocalizedUITexts.cs:78)


File 'mReconTroop' has animation import warnings. See Import Messages in Animation Import Settings for more details.

Assets\Plugins\Pixel Crushers\Dialogue System\Demo\Scenes\New Input System\DemoInputControls.cs(244,17): error CS0540: 'DemoInputControls.IEnumerable.GetEnumerator()': containing type does not implement interface 'IEnumerable'

 

https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/ai/dialogue-system-for-unity-11672#description

THIS IS the system i am speaking about

 

Hi,

Select menu item Edit > Project Settings. In Player > Other Settings > Scripting Define Symbols, remove the symbol USE_YARN.

Do not try to re-enable the Dialogue System's Yarn import feature unless your project already has Yarn Spinner 1.2.7 in it.

I recommend familiarizing yourself with the basics of the Dialogue System, such as the Quick Start tutorial, before enabling support for external editors or import formats.

Select menu item Edit > Project Settings. In Player > Other Settings > Scripting Define Symbols, remove the symbol USE_NEW_INPUT.

I recommend familiarizing yourself with the basics of the Dialogue System, such as the Quick Start tutorial, before enabling support for the Input System package.

You'll be able to see it once your project can compile again. Then you can select menu item Tools > Pixel Crushers > Dialogue System > Welcome Window. Once you get the Welcome Window open again, do not tick any options unless you're sure that their requirements are met. (For example, do not tick USE_CINEMACHINE unless the Cinemachine package is in your project.)

You can ignore the rest of the messages you reported. For the most part, they seem to be related to things you were doing in your project that should be harmless and have no effect.

 

IT HELPED!

thx/. good to where the contrls are and also i understand now that i thout yarn is somthing connected and crucial - now i understand its not needed for the program to run

 

Hi Tony, im stuck at making quest in Dialogue Database.
I deleted all the quest i'v made in Database but when i open the Quest Log Window they are still exist.
How to clear them?

 

Hi! Please check which dialogue database is assigned to your Dialogue Manager. Maybe an old database that still contains the quests is assigned to the Dialogue Manager's Initial Database field.

If you see the quests after loading a saved game, that's because the quests are in the saved game.

 

Thanks for quick reply.Its pretty late at night in your time.

I clear the Initial Database and creat a new one but the deleted quest still exist. You know im using DialogueSystem Menu Framework UI to restart game. And i checked the player and npc make sure they are using the new Database.I dont know what caused this

 

Are you loading a saved game? Are you using the AutoSaveLoad component? If so, inspect the GameObject that has your SavedGameDataStorer component -- for example, PlayerPrefsSavedGameDataStorer or DiskSavedGameDataStorer. Click Clear Saved Games to remove the old saved games that might contain old quests:



Also check for ExtraDatabases components. These components can load additional databases into memory. If you have any ExtraDatabases components, make sure they don't load your old database.