Formatting Your Script Content for Compatibility with the Dialogue System for Unity

This article refers to Game and VR projects on celtx.com. For help with Celtx Gem, please, see here.

 

Pixel Crushers' Dialogue System for Unity is a popular and easy to use tool for building interactive dialogue exchanges in the Unity engine. As of version 2.2.20, the Dialogue System for Unity supports the importing and automated adaptation of Celtx Game & VR script content.

If you plan to export your script to the Dialogue System, you can use these basic formatting techniques to ensure that the content is adapted properly.

  • Avoid using the Game & VR Interactive Dialogue node. For the time being, the Dialogue System for Unity does not parse content written in this node.
  • Instead, when you are planning to write an interactive dialogue exchange, you can build it directly in the Story Map in the following fashion:
    • Begin an interactive dialogue exchange with a single sequence node, with no incoming transitions. In the script content for this node, populate two character names, with no following dialogue. This will indicate to the Dialogue System importer that a conversation is beginning and identify the characters involved.
      chrome_DMA3y3WQGc.png
      The first character object entered will represent the 'conversation actor' in the Dialogue System conversation generated from your sequence map. The second character object indicates that the character with this name will be the 'conversation conversant' in the Dialogue System conversation.

    • Transition to a new sequence and write the initial dialogue.
      chrome_HbULmjWOLd.png

    • Create a branch to indicate a dialogue choice. In the subsequent sequence(s), write the optional dialogue lines.
      chrome_cydaDXdgik.png

    • Continue in this pattern until the conversation is concluded. Use a jump node to transition out of the interactive dialogue.
  • You can create multiple conversations in this fashion throughout your script. Upon being imported into the Dialogue System, it will recognize them and organize them appropriately.
  • In addition to this basic formatting, 'Dialogue System for Unity' supports a variety of advanced instruction tags that can be included in your Game & VR script content to specify actors and conversants within a conversation, add cutscene sequencer commands, and more. A complete guide to using this functionality can be found here.

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