I'll be running a beta test period for version 2.0 starting on Monday. If you'd like to participate, please PM me or email tony (at) pixelcrushers.com.
The big changes in version 2.0 are:
Standard Dialogue UI: This simplified dialogue UI system supercedes Unity UI Dialogue UI. It will natively support features like actor-specific subtitle panels, animated portraits, world space/bubble panels, and TextMesh Pro or regular UI Text, rather than the way these features are bolted on after the fact in Unity UI Dialogue UI.
Moved to Plugins: The source code is now is in Plugins instead of a separately-importable unitypackage. This makes it easy to browse code or step through with a debugger. However, the script GUIDs are different. Until you run the included "Version 1.x to 2.x Updater" utility, any scenes or databases you've created in version 1.x will report missing scripts.
Some other changes people might be interested in:
Dialogue Actor: A common point of confusion in 1.x is that if you assign a GameObject to a conversation trigger, the dialogue UI will use that GameObject's name instead of the actor name in the database unless you've added an Override Actor Name component to set it back. Version 2.0 flips this behavior. By default, it will use the actor's name in the database regardless of assigned GameObject. You can use a Dialogue Actor component to specify a different actor or even a custom name not in the database.
Bark UI Prefabs: The Dialogue Actor component lets you assign a bark UI prefab asset that's instantiated at runtime. Your characters' bark UIs no longer need to be part of their prefabs, allowing you to share and change their appearance without having to edit each character's prefab. You can also now assign dialogue UI prefabs to the Dialogue Manager GameObject for the same reason.
Dialogue System Trigger: The disparate Conversation Trigger, Quest Trigger, Set Active On Dialogue Event, etc., trigger components have been combined into Dialogue System Trigger. This makes it simpler to configure activity, and it improves efficiency by combining event checks.
TextTable: LocalizedTextTable is superceded by the Pixel Crushers Common Library Text Table asset. There's a conversion utility.
[ auto ] tag: The opposite of [ f ], this forces a response to auto-play without showing a response menu.
Unity 5.3.6+: The minimum Unity version will be 5.3.6. It will be tested with the latest 2018.1 beta and versions in between, too.
And there will be miscellaneous fixes and improvements such as reorderable lists in the Dialogue Editor window.
New is good, too! People who are just getting started with the Dialogue System are new, too. We want to make sure it's as easy for them as possible. I'll send you the beta download later today when it's released.
Dialogue System for Unity 2.0 Beta Test Rescheduled for Friday
The beta test launch is being rescheduled for Friday. Sorry for the delay. I discovered an issue with TextMesh Pro support in certain versions of Unity that I'd like to resolve for the beta. The voiceover content for the new demo scene may also be ready by then, which will be nice to include.
No new learning curve -- in fact, the opposite. The primary goal of version 2.0 is to streamline and simplify everything. Everything you can do in 1.x you'll still be able to do in 2.x in exactly the same way. But many things will be be simpler and easier. For example, you'll be able to reorder actors and quests more easily in the Dialogue Editor window by dragging them up and down, which is more natural than the current up/down buttons. And the Dialogue System Trigger component will become the primary way to hook up all activity, so you won't have to fiddle with separate Conversation Triggers, Quest Triggers, Alert Triggers, etc. Customizing UIs has become much simpler, too.
That sounds wonderful! If you want, I can help with beta testing whenever it goes live and in turn I'll be able to familiarize myself with how it's going to work in the future.
We want to make sure it's as easy for them as possible. I'll send you the beta download later today when it's released.
