Question About Conversation Clips in Unity Timeline

[Luseya]

Hi Tony!

I actually have one more question related to this.

During my cutscene, I have a Player Response Menu, and I read this part of the manual: "You can use [the Continue Conversation clips] to control the pace of conversations that don't involve player response menus. (You can't control the pace of conversations with player response menus because you can't know ahead of time how long the player will take to choose a response.)"

The context of the cutscene is, the Player overhears a conversation and can then choose whether or not to investigate what's going on. If they select to investigate, the Timeline automatically controls the Player to bring them to the front door of the house, and the conversation continues with the Player knocking on the door and talking to the people inside.

Previously I had set up multiple timelines so that when the Player chooses to investigate what's going on, the first timeline ends and the second one begins, and the second timeline would have the action of going to the front door. But I would like to consolidate all this to a single timeline if possible, so I now have the animation track sandwiched between the Continue Conversation clips. However, no matter how I position the Continue Conversation clips, it doesn't work as intended. It either goes straight to the "Knock knock" dialogue node, then plays the animation, which is incorrect, or it plays the animation before the Player even makes the choice to investigate or not. It's supposed to be:

1. Player chooses to investigate
2. Animation plays
3. "Knock knock" dialogue node plays.
4. Conversation proceeds as normal.

Given what is written in the dialogue manual, maybe what I'm trying to do is not possible, but i was wondering if there could be any workarounds for this, like maybe with a modification to the script?

Please let me know if you'd like me to send an update reproduction project.

Thank you!

[Tony Li]

Hi,

Are all 4 of these steps supposed to happen in a single timeline?

1. Player chooses to investigate
2. Animation plays
3. "Knock knock" dialogue node plays.
4. Conversation proceeds as normal.

How does the player choose to investigate? Through a conversation, selecting a response menu button?

What does "conversation proceeds as normal" mean? Through the timeline? Or does the timeline end and the Dialogue System runs the conversation as normal outside of timeline control?

[Luseya]

Hello!

Are all 4 of these steps supposed to happen in a single timeline?

• Yes, all 4 of those steps are supposed to happen in a single timeline.

How does the player choose to investigate? Through a conversation, selecting a response menu button?

• Yes, the Player chooses to investigate through a conversation by selecting a response menu button.

What does "conversation proceeds as normal" mean? Through the timeline? Or does the timeline end and the Dialogue System runs the conversation as normal outside of timeline control?

• This means that, after the Player chooses to investigate, the rest of the conversation plays, so right now, I have the whole dialogue for this scene set up in one conversation in the Dialogue Database. This entire conversation is meant to be controlled by the Timeline using the Continue Conversation clips

Thank you!

[Tony Li]

Hi,

Try this example:

DS_TimelineWithResponsesExample_2025-05-15.unitypackage

(For simplicity, the example uses the Basic Standard Dialogue UI, but you'll want to use a dialogue UI that doesn't have a visible continue button.)

Examine the sequences on the dialogue entries in the conversation.

[Luseya]

Once again, you've come to the rescue! Thank you so much

[Tony Li]

Happy to help!