Pixel Crushers Forum

Hey tony!

I'm looking to create a new game using a dialogue system. I always find it super useful and I've been getting great tips from forums. Thanks a lot!

Anyway, the game I'm working on this time has a ton of text, like seriously loads! It's text-based, and not only is there a lot of text, but there are also plenty of branching points where players have to make choices. But, here's the thing, if I go about it the way I used to in my previous games...

I'd open up the dialogue manager, create a new conversation, pick which character is speaking, type in the text, connect it with a nod, then create another node for the following text... i just followed tutorial. But doing it this way seems like it'll take forever just to write down the text.

Could you recommend a more efficient approach? The game I'm making is a visual novel, but it's like an RPG where characters move around. When they go to a specific place at a certain time, they meet other characters there, have conversations, and make choices that lead to branching points.

It's all in 2D, and I don't need complex reactions or features. I just want players to choose at branching points through a dialogue box, and depending on certain variables, determine whether it goes to conversation2 or conversation3, and there are countless conversations like that... I hope I've explained it well. I'm not deeply familiar with dialogue systems yet, so I'm seeking some guidance. Thanks a bunch!

Hi,

Branching is what makes this complicated. If there weren't branching, you could write your lines of dialogue in Excel or JLC format. (See Import & Export.) Here are some suggestions for branching:

• Use the Dialogue Editor's keyboard shortcuts and conversation templates. This will give you access to all Dialogue System features.
• Use an external editor such as articy:draft or Backlight (Celtx) Gem. They have node-based branching structures like the Dialogue Editor, but you can also write linear dialogue in screenplay format. So you can write long blocks of linear dialogue in screenplay format and connect them with branches.
• Use Yarn or Ink. They're fully text-based formats. Yarn requires a little more setup, but the Dialogue System can import it natively into a dialogue database. Ink works differently, so you'll want to read the integration instructions to help you decide if you want to use it.