Multiple dialogue managers/UIs

[jjpixelc]

Hi

I wonder what the best way is to implement multiple dialogue UIs in my game is?

I want to have two different systems, one based on speech bubbles (like a cartoon) and another with portraits (classic 2D game where the conversation UI covers the whole screen).

I want to be able to change between the two from conversation to conversation. I don't need to be able to switch during a conversation, though.

What is the best way to implement this?
Two dialogue managers or two UIs that load/unload in a single manager?
Or something completely different?

[Tony Li]

Hi,

Use one Dialogue Manager GameObject.

Will the same characters use classic whole-screen UIs sometimes and speech bubbles at other times? Or will they be separate? This will help me suggest an approach. Can you summarize the different possible combinations/scenarios?

As an overview of different features available:

You'll probably want to add Dialogue Actor components and speech bubbles to the characters, and point the Dialogue Actor's Dialogue UI Settings > Subtitle Panel Number to Custom, point to the speech bubble.

You can also add Override Dialogue UI components to participants to tell them to use one UI or the other.

And you can assign different dialogue UIs to the Dialogue Manager at runtime to switch which dialogue UI it uses by default (if none of the participants have Override Dialogue UI components or Dialogue Actors pointing to speech bubbles).

[jjpixelc]

Will the same characters use classic whole-screen UIs sometimes and speech bubbles at other times?

Same characters will alternate between UIs.

Can you summarize the different possible combinations/scenarios?

I have 2 kinds of conversations - simple and advanced. Simple conversations are just an exchange of words while advanced are sort of battles where lot's of things happen. I want the simple stuff to take place cartoon-like with speech bubbles and the complicated stuff to take place in a full-screen conversation setup with portraits.

I have set up the speech bubble system already and it works and looks great. It's set up like you describe with Actor components on characters and the settings you prescribed.

Now I want to be able to override this default bubble-system and use a full-screen portrait-based system for certain conversations.

Switching out UIs sounds great - but does that mean that I will have to use the same Dialogue Manager settings for both? Fx. that I will be forced to use the same bark setting for both UIs.

[Tony Li]

Are you using barks in conversations, or just custom subtitle panels that are in overhead bubbles?

[jjpixelc]

I use a re-worked version of the standard letterbox UI.
All NPC replies use subtitle panels in speech bubbles while the protagonist uses the "fold-up-from-bottom" panel for his dialogue choices.

I use barks too. These are shown for all characters, sometimes as think-bubbles and sometimes as speech-bubbles, depending on a setting in the custom, LUA-registered function I use to fire them during conversations.

[Tony Li]

Hi,

This seems like it would be a good candidate for a "how to" article, so I posted it here:

How To: Use Multiple Dialogue UIs for Same Participants

[jjpixelc]

Brilliant - thanks a bunch!
Should work fine for me.

[Tony Li]

Glad to help!