Pixel Crushers Forum

if (tooltip != null) tooltip.text = Field.LookupValue(response.destinationEntry.fields, "Description");

if (tooltip != null) tooltip.text = FormattedText.Parse(Field.LookupValue(response.destinationEntry.fields, "Hint")).text;

• Conditions: (random(20) + Variable["Convince_Skill"]) >= 11

Tony Li wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2023 8:17 pm Hi,

Thanks for using the Dialogue System! And good choice with Adventure Creator, too. It's a great asset.

This is unfortunately something that will require a bit of coding -- but perhaps not as much as you'd think. It should only require a small change to one line of the hover text script.

1. Add a field named "Hint" to your dialogue entry template, and tick the Main checkbox:


convince1.png


2. In your player choice dialogue entries, set the Hint field to the text that will show when you hover the mouse over the answer. In the screenshot below, I used the [lua(code)] markup tag to include a Lua expression in the text. This Lua expression uses the Conditional() Lua function to return text only if a condition is true. In this example, it checks if the DS variable "Called_Idiot" is true. If so, it returns the text "-5 you called this guy a big idiot":


convince2.png


Use the hover text example code from the package on the Extras page. Show the Hint field's text -- but run the text through the FormattedText.Parse() method to parse those [lua(code)] tags and any other tags your Hint might use, such as [em#] tags. So replace this:

Code: Select all

if (tooltip != null) tooltip.text = Field.LookupValue(response.destinationEntry.fields, "Description");

with this:

Code: Select all

if (tooltip != null) tooltip.text = FormattedText.Parse(Field.LookupValue(response.destinationEntry.fields, "Hint")).text;

The Lua expression to actually check the skill may be a little complex to read, but you don't need to do any extra C# coding if you don't want to. Say the player's Convince skill is in a DS variable named "Convince_Skill". The dialogue entry requires a skill roll of 11 or higher on a 20-sided die. Normally you could check it by setting the Conditions to:

• Conditions: (random(20) + Variable["Convince_Skill"]) >= 11

But if you want to factor in Variable["Called_Idiot"], the Lua expression will be a bit longer. It will make use of Lua syntax in this form:

condition and true-value or false-value

The above form evaluates to true-value if condition is true. Otherwise it evaluates to false-value.

So, specifically for this example:

Variable["Called_Idiot"] and -5 or 0

If "Called_Idiot" is true, the value is -5. Otherwise the value is zero.

So the Conditions need to be:


convince3.png

Tony Li wrote: ↑Fri Jun 09, 2023 12:15 pm Hi,

Oops, you are indeed correct to use math.random.

Tony Li wrote: ↑Thu Jun 15, 2023 4:49 pm What would be your ideal workflow?

You can add custom fields to dialogue entries. For example, you could add a Skill Check field that's a custom field type -- maybe a dropdown with values of None, Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma -- and a Required Skill Roll value. So maybe to bend the prison bars you'd set Skill Check to Strength and Required Skill Roll to 15. You could add another field to list other variables that would affect the roll.

Then you could use an OnConversationLine() method to check those fields in code and handle it.

If that sounds like a good idea, I could put together a simple example scene. Or, if you have other ideas about what would work better for your needs, feel free to bounce them off me.

NedSanders wrote: ↑Sat Jun 17, 2023 5:27 am1. Would this OnConversationLine() method be able to factor in modifiers? Ideally, multiple modifiers can stack so that checks can be affected by multiple.

NedSanders wrote: ↑Sat Jun 17, 2023 5:27 am2. Would the logic be different in passive checks to active checks? Currently, passive checks are set to passthrough if not met, whilst active block off the high priority success if not met and force the player down the failure route.

Tony Li wrote: ↑Sun Jun 18, 2023 12:25 pm Hi,

I changed the approach to something that may be simpler. Here's an example:

DS_AdvancedSkillCheckExample_2023-06-18.unitypackage

There are multiple moving parts.

First, there's a Skill ScriptableObject asset that defines a single skill such as Strength or Perception.

Skill

Code: Select all

using UnityEngine;

/// <summary>
/// Defines a single skill such as Strength, Perception, etc.
/// </summary>
[CreateAssetMenu]
public class Skill : ScriptableObject
{
    public int value;
}

Then there's a SkillCheck ScriptableObject asset, which should be in a folder named Resources so the code can easily access it at runtime. It defines a single skill check, such as trying to pry open the bars of a specific gate.

SkillCheck

Code: Select all

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using PixelCrushers.DialogueSystem;

/// <summary>
/// Defines a skill check such as picking the lock of a particular door.
/// </summary>
[CreateAssetMenu]
public class SkillCheck : ScriptableObject
{
    [Tooltip("The skill that's being checked.")]
    public Skill skill;

    [Tooltip("The required value that must be met by the skill's value + a d20 roll + all applicable modifiers.")]
    public int requiredValue;

    [Tooltip("Modifiers that affect the check.")]
    public List<SkillCheckModifier> modifiers;

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets the text describing the skill and difficulty.
    /// </summary>
    public string GetText()
    {
        int requiredRoll = requiredValue - skill.value;
        foreach (var modifier in modifiers)
        {
            if (DialogueLua.GetVariable(modifier.variable).asBool)
            {
                requiredRoll -= modifier.modifierValue;
            }
        }
        return $"[{skill.name} {requiredRoll}]";
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Given a d20 roll, does a skill check and returns true if successful.
    /// </summary>
    public bool Check(int roll)
    {
        var modifiedRoll = roll;
        foreach (var modifier in modifiers)
        {
            if (DialogueLua.GetVariable(modifier.variable).asBool)
            {
                modifiedRoll += modifier.modifierValue;
            }
        }
        return (modifiedRoll + skill.value) > requiredValue;
    }
}

[Serializable]
public class SkillCheckModifier
{
    [VariablePopup] public string variable;
    public int modifierValue;
}

In an Editor folder, there's a custom field drawer for SkillChecks. To use this, inspect a dialogue entry node and add a field named "Skill Check". Set the type dropdown the "SkillCheck". Then select the skill check asset from the dropdown.

CustomFieldType_SkillCheck

Code: Select all

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEditor;

namespace PixelCrushers.DialogueSystem
{

    /// <summary>
    /// Shows a field as a dropdown of names of SkillCheck ScriptableObject asset
    /// files in Resources folders.
    /// </summary>
    [CustomFieldTypeService.Name("SkillCheck")]
    public class CustomFieldType_SkillCheck : CustomFieldType
    {

        private static string[] skillCheckNames = null;

        public override string Draw(string currentValue, DialogueDatabase database)
        {
            GetSkillCheckNames();
            var index = EditorGUILayout.Popup(NameToIndex(currentValue), skillCheckNames);
            return IndexToName(index);
        }

        public override string Draw(Rect rect, string currentValue, DialogueDatabase database)
        {
            GetSkillCheckNames();
            var index = EditorGUI.Popup(rect, NameToIndex(currentValue), skillCheckNames);
            return IndexToName(index);
        }

        private void GetSkillCheckNames()
        {
            if (skillCheckNames != null) return;
            var list = Resources.LoadAll<SkillCheck>("");
            skillCheckNames = new string[list.Length];
            for (int i = 0; i < list.Length; i++)
            {
                skillCheckNames[i] = list[i].name;
            }
        }

        private int NameToIndex(string skillCheckName)
        {
            for (int i = 0; i < skillCheckNames.Length; i++)
            {
                if (skillCheckName == skillCheckNames[i]) return i;
            }
            return -1;
        }

        private string IndexToName(int index)
        {
            if (0 <= index && index < skillCheckNames.Length) return skillCheckNames[index];
            return "";
        }

    }
}

Finally, there's a script to add to the Dialogue Manager GameObject. As conversations prepare to show a subtitle or a response menu, this script checks the subtitle or response menu nodes for Skill Check fields. If so, it performs the skill check so the conversation will know where to proceed from there.

AdvancedSkillCheckExample

Code: Select all

using UnityEngine;
using PixelCrushers.DialogueSystem;

public class AdvancedSkillCheckExample : MonoBehaviour
{

    /// <summary>
    /// When showing the response menu, check any response nodes for a field that
    /// has the SkillCheck type. If found:
    /// - Add the skill check info to the response button text.
    /// - Run the skill check and a variable "Success_ID" to true or false, where 
    ///   ID is the response node's ID.
    /// - Assume the response links to a blank node, and the blank node links to
    ///   a success node (first) and a failure node (second). Set the success
    ///   node's Conditions to require that Success_ID is true.
    /// </summary>
    private void OnConversationResponseMenu(Response[] responses)
    {
        foreach (Response response in responses)
        {
            string text;
            HandleSkillCheck(response.destinationEntry, out text);
            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(text))
            { 
                response.formattedText.text = $"{text} {response.formattedText.text}";
            }
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// When showing a subtitle, check for a field that has the SkillCheck type. 
    /// If found:
    /// - Run the skill check and a variable "Success_ID" to true or false, where 
    ///   ID is the response node's ID.
    /// - Assume the node links to a blank node, and the blank node links to
    ///   a success node (first) and, optionally, a failure node (second). 
    ///   Set the success node's Conditions to require that Success_ID is true.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="subtitle"></param>
    private void OnConversationLine(Subtitle subtitle)
    {
        string text;
        HandleSkillCheck(subtitle.dialogueEntry, out text);
    }

    private void HandleSkillCheck(DialogueEntry entry, out string text)
    {
        var skillCheckField = entry.fields.Find(field => field.typeString == "CustomFieldType_SkillCheck");
        if (skillCheckField != null)
        {
            var skillCheck = Resources.Load<SkillCheck>(skillCheckField.value);

            text = skillCheck.GetText();

            var d20 = Random.Range(0, 20);
            var result = skillCheck.Check(d20);
            Lua.Run($"Success_{entry.id} = {result.ToString().ToLower()}");

            var skillCheckEntry = DialogueManager.masterDatabase.GetDialogueEntry(entry.outgoingLinks[0]);
            var successEntry = DialogueManager.masterDatabase.GetDialogueEntry(skillCheckEntry.outgoingLinks[0]);
            successEntry.conditionsString = $"Success_{entry.id}";
        }
        else
        {
            text = string.Empty;
        }
    }
}