Trying to use the Standard VN template and having questions

[Tony Li]

Yes. Use these steps:

• Select one of the subtitle panels.
• Use menu item Window > Animation > Animation to open the Animation window.
• In the Animation window, from the dropdown select the Show Color animation.
• Click the little oval to the right of "Portrait Image : Color" and select Remove Properties.

  

  removeDarkening.png (20.95 KiB) Viewed 450 times

• From the dropdown, select Focus Color.
• Click the little oval to the right of "Portrait Image : Color" and select Remove Properties.

Try this out to make sure it works the way you want.

If so, the next step is to make duplicate copies of these animations. Otherwise, if you update the Dialogue System, then update will overwrite your changes.

• Click on the Portrait Animator folder and press Ctrl+D to duplicate it. Move your duplicate copy of the folder out of the Plugins/Pixel Crushers folder into a folder you've made for yourself.
• Double-click the Portrait Animator Controller asset to open it in the Animator window.
• Navigate around the Animator window until you see the the Show, Focus, and Unfocus nodes. You can move the Animator window's canvas around by holding down the middle mouse button and dragging.
• Click on the Show node. From your duplicate folder in the Project view, drag the Show Color animation into the Inspector's Motion field.
• Click on the Focus node. From your duplicate folder in the Project view, drag the Focus Color animation into the Inspector's Motion field.
• Click on the Unfocus node. From your duplicate folder in the Project view, drag the Focus Color animation into the Inspector's Motion field. (The Unfocus node just plays the focus animation in reverse, which is why you're assigning the same animation here.)

[simplepleasuresdxy]

Okay, so the no more greying out portraits when not talking works now. I might have accidentally done it for all the portraits but that's fine for now.

I'm trying to implement a picture to the scene, but for whatever reason, it's not taking.



To confirm, yes, I do have pictures in the sprites

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Additionally - Set Panel and Hide panel doesn't seem to activate until after the dialogue finishes while set portrait does? I'm confused. Am I doing something wrong? Am I also not supposed to have two different lines for "Setting Profile and sequences?

[Tony Li]

For background images, you might want to take a different approach instead of creating a Background actor and subtitle panel.

Instead, create a new Canvas with a lower Sort Order than the Dialogue Manager's regular Canvas. In the screenshot below, I created a BackgroundCanvas that's also a child of the Dialogue Manager, and I set its Sort Order to -1 so it will be "beneath" the regular Canvas. Then I added some fullscreen Image GameObjects (SchoolBackground, BedroomBackground, etc.) with unique GameObject names. They all start inactive:

backgrounds.png (17.66 KiB) Viewed 436 times

In conversation nodes' Sequence fields, you can use SetActive() sequencer commands to activate or deactivate backgrounds. For example, if the player goes from their bedroom to the kitchen, you could use this sequence:

Code: Select all

{{default}};
SetActive(BedroomBackground, false);
SetActive(KitchenBackground, true);

[simplepleasuresdxy]

So okay. Is there a way to create another canvas that can show on top of the portraits but below the text box? Do i need to add anything to background canvas for it to be pulled by the sequencer reference?


What is that "default" bit you have there?i saw it a lot but dont know what it does

[Tony Li]

Hi,

You could put it between the dialogue UI's "Subtitle Panels" and "Text Panel":

onTopOfPortraits.png (64.82 KiB) Viewed 432 times

What is that "default" bit you have there?i saw it a lot but dont know what it does

The {{default}} keyword tells the sequence to play the Dialogue Manager GameObject's Display Settings > Camera & Cutscene Settings > Default Sequence. Otherwise it will only play the commands that are in the Sequence field -- and, since the SetActive() commands finish right away, this means the subtitle would appear and then immediately advance the conversation. The Dialogue Manager's Default Sequence is initially set to "Delay({{end}})", which delays for a duration based on text length. You can learn more about sequences here: Cutscene Sequence Tutorials.

[simplepleasuresdxy]

Okay ... okay. So i can do the background canvas bit and pit it inbetween there like that then. Nice.

How do i call for that "inbetween" canvas like you did with the background one? Do i have to add something to the game object? How do i add the child images into the canvas?

[Tony Li]

Similarly to the previous setup, add Images as children and set them inactive:

onTopOfPortraitsWithImages.png (19.93 KiB) Viewed 426 times

Give them unique names. Then use SetActive() sequencer commands to activate or deactivate them as needed.

[simplepleasuresdxy]

Hi, the canvas still isn't showing up.

I get the feeling that I'm still missing something in the actual canvas.

[simplepleasuresdxy]

For background images, you might want to take a different approach instead of creating a Background actor and subtitle panel.

Instead, create a new Canvas with a lower Sort Order than the Dialogue Manager's regular Canvas. In the screenshot below, I created a BackgroundCanvas that's also a child of the Dialogue Manager, and I set its Sort Order to -1 so it will be "beneath" the regular Canvas. Then I added some fullscreen Image GameObjects (SchoolBackground, BedroomBackground, etc.) with unique GameObject names. They all start inactive:


backgrounds.png


In conversation nodes' Sequence fields, you can use SetActive() sequencer commands to activate or deactivate backgrounds. For example, if the player goes from their bedroom to the kitchen, you could use this sequence:

Code: Select all

{{default}};
SetActive(BedroomBackground, false);
SetActive(KitchenBackground, true);

Also, where do I set the sort order? it's not saying anything like that. There's something missing, I know it

[Tony Li]

Hi,

Inspect the Canvas component. It has a Sort Order field.