Is Fallout / Skyrim / Dishonored style dialogue possible?

[SuperSal]

Hello there!

My name is Salman. I'm currently working my VR - Museum project (its not a game project), the museum is for Norse and Egyptian Gods and Creatures. So the idea is when you approach one of these Gods, you initiate a Fallout/ Skyrim or Dishonored style dialogue system. Since its a design project, I'm going to set a series of 3 questions for each for character. I was wondering is it possible with this Dialogue System to show animation and play audio clip when you choose one of the questions and show subtitles?

Also since its a VR project I was wondering if I can initiate dialogue by getting close to the character and bow before them to initiate the dialogue?

[Tony Li]

Hi Salman,

Yes, that's all possible.

To play animation and audio (including lipsync), you'll use the Dialogue System's cutscene system, which can also tie into other cutscene systems such as Unity Timeline, SLATE, or Cinema Director if you prefer.

The Dialogue System was originally designed for a Fallout / Skyrim / Dishonored style project, so it's easy to set up a similar type of dialogue UI -- although you can also set up very different UIs, too, such as audio-only, or icon-based, or text input, etc.

The Dialogue System provides many ways to start a conversation, such as entering a trigger area, or using an interaction component, or even manually. It doesn't have one specifically for bowing, but you can just start the conversation manually once you recognize that the player has bowed.

[SuperSal]

Is there a visual guide that can help me accomplish this?

[Tony Li]

There's the manual: Dialogue System for Unity Manual

It has a Tutorials section. These are the relevant tutorials:

• Quick Start
• Interaction (how to start conversations)
• Dialogue UIs

The tutorials have links to video versions, too. And you'll eventually want to familiarize yourself with Cutscene Sequences so you can play audio and animation.

If you don't already have a license for the Dialogue System, please feel free to test all this out with the free evaluation version.

[SuperSal]

I was hoping for a visual guide, but no worries..I'll read it through..One last question, all of those will be sitting (in idle position) but when you will approach them they will stand up. How will control this? Will I use animation controller or is it possible with Dialogue System? If so, then how?

At times, there will be some player who will try to leave the conversation when the character is talking..so if they will leave the trigger area, that will stop the character talking and go back to idle position, right?

[Tony Li]

The tutorials have links to video guides.

You'll always need to use some kind of animation system, such as a Mecanim animator controller. The Dialogue System simply helps you use it. As a first pass, I would recommend setting up your NPC (god) like this:

• Add an animator controller with Sit and Stand states. (If you're not familiar with animators, see Animation.)
• Add a trigger collider. (If you're not familiar with trigger colliders in Unity, see Colliders as Triggers.)
• Add a Dialogue System Trigger set to OnTriggerEnter. Configure its action to play a sequence, with the NPC as the actor/speaker. Play the sequence:

  Code: Select all

  AnimatorPlay(Stand)

• Add a Dialogue System Trigger set to OnTriggerExit. Configure its action to play a sequence, with the NPC as the actor/speaker. Play the sequence:

  Code: Select all

  AnimatorPlay(Sit)

• Add a Dialogue System Trigger set to OnTriggerEnter. Configure its action to start your conversation.

The last Dialogue System Trigger (the one that starts the conversation) is just temporary. Use it to get everything up and running. Later, you can remove it and start the conversation when your project detects that the player has bowed.

If you want to play audio while the NPC stands and sits, put an audio clip inside a Resources folder. Then drag the audio clip into the Sequence field. This will add an AudioWait command, so the Sequence field may look like:

Code: Select all

AnimatorPlay(Stand);
AudioWait(stone_grinding)

[SuperSal]

Is it possible if I can animate and voice my NPC in Maya and import it in Unity as FBX and use that FBX to answer the questions with UDS?

[Tony Li]

Sure! When you bring the animation into Unity, it will be an animation clip. Just add it to your NPC's animator controller, and use the AnimatorPlayWait() sequencer command to play it. To play voice at the same time, use AudioWait(). For example:

Code: Select all

AnimatorPlayWait(helloAnimation);
AudioWait(helloAudioClip)

[SuperSal]

Just to confirm and to remove my doubts..I won't have to use any of Cutscene system, right?

[Tony Li]

Everything I've described so far has used the Dialogue System's cutscene sequencer, which is a fairly integral part of the Dialogue System. You won't need to use any third party tools such as Unity Timeline or SLATE, if that's what you're asking.