LDC (Localized Dialogs & Cutscenes) - Powerful and intuitive Dialog System with tons of features!

You're welcome!

- Mel

 

Mel, I'm doing a NPC Character to give Quests ... he ask if the player wants the quest , if i accept ... how can i AddComponent (Script) to the player ??

 

Hi SamuZen,

There are several ways to do this. An easy way is to use LDC's SendMessage action to trigger a function in the player to create the quest...

So lets assume your player gameObject is called "Player", and have a script on your player object called "PlayerQuests.js". Inside this script there is a function that looks like this:

Code (csharp):

1.  
2. function AddNewQuest( nameOfQuest : String ){
3.  
4.    if( nameOfQuest == "MY_FIRST_QUEST" ){
5.       // Do what you need to do here ( AddComponent, internal setup, etc)
6.    }
7.  
8.    else if( nameOfQuest == "MY_SECOND_QUEST" ){
9.       // Do what you need to do here ( AddComponent, internal setup, etc)
10.    }
11.  
12.    // Add more ...
13.  
14. }
15.  

So in LDC, *AFTER* the user accepts the quest, you can create the action like this:



That should trigger the "AddNewQuest" function.

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

Thanks Mel ... another question , about the CreateObject ... how can i create one GameObject Child of another Gameobject , not just on the position ...

 

Hi SamuZen,

You would need to do this in script. So in the Start function of the object you are creating, you can do something like this:

Code (csharp):

1.  
2. Start(){
3.  
4.    // Make sure the parent object exists...
5.    if( GameObject.Find("My Parent Object") != null ){
6.  
7.       // cache the transform of that object...
8.       var newParent : Transform = GameObject.Find("My Parent Object").transform;
9.  
10.       // Set it as the parent of this object
11.       transform.parent = newParent;
12.  
13.       // Set the position too
14.       transform.position = newParent.position;
15.  
16.    }
17.  
18. }
19.  

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

Hi,

How to save de token PlayersName , that is, $PlayerName to payerprefers to load this var at the begining of the app?

Thank's in advance

 

Hi emo55,

if I understand you correctly, I think you need Global Tokens (Tokens that are shared between different scenes).

To do this, turn on global tokens in the Dialog UI object. Options > Use Global Tokens.

Under Dialog UI's File Management, you can also setup when you want to load / save these tokens automatically. By default, it loads them on Awake, and saves them OnDestroy (the end of the level). You can also make it save on Application Pause which is sometimes useful for mobile apps.

Or, you can choose to save tokens manually using the LDC Token Actions tab in a standard LDC dialog. Under Token File Management, just select "Save To PlayerPrefs".

None of the above require any programming, but you can also do this from the LDC API too.

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

Hi Mel,
My first scene in LDC is Hello $name a variable suppose saved in Playerprefs, but never display de name of the player, it always show Hello $name
In the scene i ask for the players name i have this:


I test a first scene whit logic dialog but i think i'm not understanding the concept to "get" the tokens saved.

 

Hi emo55,

Make sure automatic File Management is enabled in Dialog UI > File Management > Enable.

The first time the screen will show it will still be "Hello $name" because it is unassigned until the first time it is saved. But after setting it, it should work fine.

- Mel

 

Ok thank's, now is working

 

No problem!

 

Hi Mel

Having some problem changing the GUI skin. When I start a new project is the GUI skin used the DialogEnglish one shown in the package? Basically any amendment made to this has no effect. But it may be that I should be changing the values in anither DialogGui skin. I'm trying to set the panel and button sizes for multiple buttons. If you could direct me as to what GUI skin I should be changing the values of it would be much appreciated.

 

Hi sicga123,

NOTE: LDC can have a different skin for every language as well as a High definition and low definition version of it ( Great for scaling between mobile / desktop as well as different localisations ). This can all be configured in DialogUI > Skins. Language support can be checked on / off in DialogLocalization ( if English is the only language selected, that is the only localisation that will be used by the system regardless of the system language).

Assuming you have the default settings, "Use HiDef Skins" would be checked and English would be selected in DialogLocalization. This means the skin you should be working on would be located at: "Assets/Plugins/Black Zombie/Localized Dialogs/Resources/UIHD/DialogSkinHD - English".

You can also setup different paths for each skin in DialogUI > Skins > Localized Skins [OR] DialogUI > Skins > Localized Skins HD.

Also, make sure you are working on the correct styles of the skin (most of them are custom styles) and a list of what they do and some tips can be found in the DOCUMENTATION.pdf on page 37, "Designing New UI Skins".

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

Hi Mel

That does help, thanks.

 

Hello. I'm using quite well your system you made. But I have trouble with yours. The thing is...under unity3D tool, when I did convert Dialogue to assetbundle, loading is no problem now. but under Android, quite problem loading assetbundle. Crashes occurred often. Dialogue assetbunlde didn't operate at all. Please tell me how to fix this problem. thanks
In addition, I'm working on Unity3D version 4.3.4 while under Android, 4.1.2.

-Rok

 

Hi thanatoz,

that's quite strange.

Firstly, what errors are you getting in the console (or logcat)? That should tell us exactly what the problem is and which script / line it is referring to. It may have nothing to do with LDC at all, but rather something you are doing with the Asset Bundles themselves.

I haven't worked with LDC using Asset Bundles in my own tests, but I often use Resources.Load which I imagine will operate in a similar way in terms of introducing new dialogs to the scene dynamically, and it hasn't ever crashed.

Some thoughts that might help:

- The DialogUI and all the core LDC objects should be in the scene at start, only dialogs themselves should be loaded dynamically.

- Make sure that the dialogs themselves are not referencing assets that are not already loaded. For example, displaying an image or audio clip from another asset bundle.

- Consider using Resources.Load if possible, as I have found that to always work fine and is generally easier to work with.

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

Thank you for advice.
Proceeded as your advice, but still not good.
Accurate logs for debugging difficult because it does. So If you have time you ever sent an email to ask for a test to my test project.

Sent to support@unitygamesdevelopment.co.uk

Thank you

 

Hi thanatoz,

I took a look at your project and the console says the error is coming from the plugin you are using called "BundleManager".

The script that is causing the error is "TestDownloadManager.cs" at line 49.

As you are using their plugin to handle streaming of your assets, they are the guys you need to request support from I'm afraid. On their asset store page it looks like some of their users were experiencing issues on the "download" side too.

Hope that helps!

- Mel

 

LDC v3.9!

During the transition to LDC 4, I've decided to finalise the LDC 3.x cycle. LDC 3.9 is now available on my website (Asset Store to follow) and includes some new advanced API additions!

New API FEATURES!


SYSTEM.ACTION CALLBACKS

in addition to the standard Function array callbacks (that were previously only accessible in JS), LDC v3.9 introduces callbackAtStart and callbackAtEnd using System.Action. they can call a single function each but works as an equal citizen across JS, C# and boo.

NOTE: To update older API scripts, simply add 2 null arguments in each DialogAdd function.


DYNAMIC DATA ENTRY DIALOGS

It is now possible to create Data Entry dialogs via the API! See docs for how it works! ( Dynamic Dialogs demo has also been updated to showcase the new features of LDC 3.9 ).


GET THE INDEX OF A TOKEN

The API now exposes a function to retrieve the index of a token, using API_GetTokenIndex( nameOfToken : String ).


BUGFIXES

Multiple Button screens created prior to version 3.8 are automatically fixed by the editor to work with the new version. It works by Selecting a dialog that has a Multiple Screen in the editor. If you see a “FIX” message in the console this will indicate that the editor has fixed any problems. If you are using a dialog saved as a prefab, make sure you click “Apply” to save the changes!


The new version of LDC is already live at my website, the Asset store link will be posted again when it is approved by the Unity team. As usual, please backup your projects before upgrading!

IMPORTANT: Backup your project before updating!

LDC Direct Website Link
http://www.mel-georgiou.co.uk

Hope you guys find this useful!

All the best,

- Mel

 

Unfortunately it's in Javascript. Will you be porting it to C# anytime?

 

Hi sonicviz,

Very unlikely. In any case, It should work fine inside your C# project anyway, even when using the API!

Is there any specific reason why you'd need the source in C#?

- Mel

 

I work in C#.

Experience has taught me not to mix the two, for a number of reasons. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you always should;-)

Seriously? If you are developing a professional add on product you should be doing it in C#. period.

 

Dude, there is no reason to be hostile. If the javascript is under the plugins folder all works fine. I'm in C# as well but mixing javascript and C# is trivial and has never been an issue for my team including a game we have in the App Store.

Name one.

 

I'm not being hostile. It's a fact. Sure, Javascript "works" but compared to C# is loose.
Mixing the two poses unnecessary friction on the development pipeline, especially if you need to dig into the package beyond the API and documentation.

So there's one.

Bugs, is another, related to friction.

I've converted my fair share of 3rd party products from JS to C# so I'm pretty familiar with the differences and pain points between the two.

Good for you if you feel like working with multiple languages.

I don't, I'm stating a preference and just saying it's a deal breaker for me in terms of product evaluation.
Especially for products over the $30 mark.

I'm not the only one that feels like this, I'm pretty sure.
Quite a few Asset Store developers support both JS and C# versions, and some actually move fully over to C#
(like https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/#/content/14914 recently did )

 

Hi sonicviz,


I feel your comment about all professional tools being judged by the language it is written in is somewhat misinformed. Especially when it comes to Unity where all scripts end up as bytecode anyway. LDC's consistent 5 star rating over the last few years should be a testament to that (thank you everyone! ).


You will find that LDC works fine in any project because it was designed that way from the start. It is all about implementation. This is also coming from ten years of industry experience!


In saying that, I totally respect that it is your decision when it comes to merging different scripts in your project, so before this turns into an unnecessary JS vs C# war I'll end it there! Lol


All the best,


- Mel

 

That wasn't the point was making at all. It doesn't matter one iota what the eventual form is. it's how you work at the coding interface is the issue.

As you point out yourself it's an integration issue and developer preference.
Honestly that should be left to the developer, not the tools provider.
As noted previously, that is why a large number of asset store developers either provide both JS and C# or default to C#.

It's not a war. It's about freedom of choice.

 

This certainly comes off as hostile:

If handled properly, as Mel pointed out, there is no need for friction. This is not a reason, it is simply your lack of comfort with Javascript. That's fine if you decide not to use a package because you want comfort with the language it uses (I'm really not a fan of Unity's JS either) but demanding that of Mel in such an aggressive manner is hostile and in no way a requirement for professional asset developers (though many provide C# or both languages as you point out).

 

Sure, it's not a requirement, but as you point out that I point out "though many provide C# or both languages"

and no, it's not due to "it is simply your lack of comfort with Javascript".
As mentioned I've converted quite a few from JS to C# , so I'm more than comfortable in JS.

It's a programming practice choice. There's a difference.

Best of luck, moving on to evaluate other products in this space. ty!

 

If this becomes a popular request I'll definitely put some more thought into it although I doubt most users will notice any benefit. From the feedback I have received, LDC is used mostly through the custom inspectors without writing a single line of code (as it has been designed to do) which makes the language it is written in pretty much irrelevant. Even the users who are working with the API for more custom and advanced implementations can easily use all of the API functions equally in JS, C# and boo.

I also don't see why there would be bugs by having LDC written in JS when other scripts in your project are written in C# or boo or both. SonicViz has lost me a little there. I work in multi-language projects all the time and this has never been a problem for me.

In fact, the definite downside in creating a C# version of LDC is that it will decrease the speed of updates and features as I'd have to build 2 versions of it. As others have often praised LDC due to the frequency of feature updates, the benefit of a native C# version may not be that attractive when looked at objectively.

That's pretty much my 2 cents unless I'm missing something? Always happy to listen to constructive criticism though! lol

All the best,

- Mel

 

LDC v3.9 IS LIVE ON THE ASSET STORE!

v3.9 is now live!

IMPORTANT: As always, please backup your project before updating!


ASSET STORE LINK:
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/#/content/5020


All the best,

- Mel


PS: If you are using the API to create dialogs, you need to add 2 null arguments to the end of your "DialogAdd" functions in order to be compatible with this version (These arguments are for the extra System.Action callbacks).

To Fix - add this to the end of your functions and you are set!

... , null, null );

 

Hey Mel,

Firstly, your LDC is just wonderful to work with and the demo scenes are nothing short of awesome. So thanks for all your hard work!

I am having issues using it in conjunction with another popular asset store item, UFPS. I am using your FPS demo scene and copying a test actor, the DialogueUI and the Intro prefabs. So I place those in my scene, and the intro text runs through, but something is off with the proximity for interacting with the test actor. I can only seem to get it to work with a proximity of 5 or more, so I have to stand back quite far before I can interact with him. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If I disable the intro, it works better.

Any help you could provide with getting this play nice with UFPS would be great. I am also using the UFPS mobile addon and developing for Android devices. I know that UFPS uses a free version of NGUI for it's UI, so it shouldn't be conflicting with your product, but I'm not really a programmer so what do I know.

Thanks Mel!

-ss

 

Apparently, something is happening where I need to jump up in order to trigger the speech bubble. I guess it might be the UFPS player controller or the dynamic capsule collider on the player that is generated from code at the start... very weird. Other than that, jumping works consistently to give me the dialogue so problem kinda solved

 

Hi Sean,

Thanks for your kind comments!

That does sounds quite weird. I'm not too familiar with UFPS, but something does sound a little off with your setup!

If you using the DemoNPC_AndObjectInteration script from the FPS demo, the dialog will be triggered when the following conditions are met:

- The NPC is facing the player.
- The Player is within proximity
- You click the mouse

For Your Player GameObject:

- Make sure the player GameObject is actually called "Player". This is the transform that will be used when judging the above distances and angles!

As for the UFPS scripts, I'm not sure I can be of much help there! lol hopefully the above info will help you figure out what's going on!

All the best,

- Mel

 

Thanks Mel for the quick response!

Yeah I edited the NPC script to use my player's name, which in this case is AdvancedPlayerMobile, so the demo guy will turn to face me wherever I am. (BTW the reference to the movie Psycho is just awesome)

So if I bury the NPC halfway in the ground it works perfectly! haha!

I guess I will look into my player's transform and the NPC's transform since that seems to be what would trigger the proximity condition. I appreciate your help! I'll let you know how it works out!

-ss

 

Hi Sean,

No worries! Haha, I've got to throw little gems like that here and there to keep things interesting! Thanks for noticing!

Maybe try adding another GameObject as a child to the Player and call that "PlayerInteractionPoint". Update the NPC script to cache the PlayerInteractionPoint and then you can add a position offset to that game object to get things calculating correctly.

All the best,

- Mel

 

Awesome, I'll try that out and see how it goes


Haha.... Phil Collins...

 

Haha good luck!

 

Awesome, got it working!

I used a custom NPC character and had to reset the transform for everything and that was all... how silly.

I appreciate your help, can't wait to get more in depth with the dialogue system and really see what it can do.

Thanks again!

-ss

 

Glad you got it working!

All the best,

- Mel

 

I have a Multiple Button Screen and after the user selects a button, I want to run a function using Send Message. Can I pass which button was clicked as an argument?

Right now, I have a separate screen for each button, but I was hoping I can eliminate these extra screens.

Thanks!

 

Hi obisaysno,

At the moment there isn't, but it's a good idea! I'll add it to the wishlist

EDIT: This will be implemented in LDC 4.0!

- Mel

 

Hi All,

It's been a looong time since I've made a video for LDC, but I thought the newest feature I've been working on for LDC v4.0 deserves it!

GOOGLE SPREADSHEET SYNC

LDC has always been a great way for solo developers and small teams to create amazing dialogs and more! Now with the ability to import and update dialogs using online Google Spreadsheets, LDC is finally ready to be an essential part of the development pipeline for larger teams and companies.

In many studios, dialogs are split up between the writer who creates the original story, the programmer (or programmers) who build it in Unity, and other writers who deal with localisation (manually translating the dialogs in different languages). In this development model, the Google spreadsheet workflow is ideal for the following reasons:

- Google Spreadsheets and services are free to use.
- Uses Google's secure, fast and reliable back-end servers to store and protect your data.
- It allows you to share your spreadsheets and give permission to others on a file by file basis.
- Your source is KING. By design, LDC never changes anything in your spreadsheets.

Here's an overview of how everything works, this is going to be one of the biggest features in LDC v4.0!

Hope you guys find this useful!

- Mel

 

The spreadsheet support looks great- I can't wait for the update!

 

Hi Masked Developer,

I'm glad you're excited about the new version - I am too!

I'm hoping to release it before June - but as there are quite a lot of internal changes, there needs to be a little extra testing time! As usual, it'll be free to existing LDC users!

- Mel

 

One quick question: "Send Message At End" works for me as long as I exit the dialog with the Next button. It doesn't seem to work at all if I exit using one of my assigned keys, though. In this case, I have both ENTER keys and the spacebar bound for advancing the dialog. Is there anything I can do to make sure all methods fire the message?

 

Hi The Masked Developer,

I've been testing this on my side on LDC v3.9 and it seems to be working fine for me?

I setup a dialog with 2 next screens. On both screens I have it doing a SendMessage On End to another script which prints some text to the console. I also added the space keycode to the option "Select Gui With These Keycodes" so the full list is KeypadEnter, Return and Space. Using the space bar, mouse or the Return / Enter keys work fine.

I would suggest that if you are using dialogs as prefabs, make sure that you "apply" your changes (found on top of the Transform Component in the inspector) as Unity has a tendency of using the previously saved version (and ignore your recent changes) which could be "forgetting" your Create At End actions.

Let me know if this works on your side!

- Mel

 

Just a quick heads up to all!

I'm in the middle of transferring my domain to another provider (who doesn't run at turtle speed - thanks 123-reg! lol). If I do not answer any emails over the next week it may be issues to do with the switch.

If I do not reply within a day, please re-rend the message as a PM here at the Unity forum and I'll be happy to help!

Thanks!

- Mel

 

I'm afraid I get the same results regardless of whether or not the dialog is a prefab. Clicking the "Next" button ends the dialog and sends the message without fail, and hitting enter, return, or space all end the dialog without sending the message, without exception. Under "Skip Dialogs With These Input Keys", I have return, enter, and space in the fields. Unity doesn't indicate that any error has occurred.

 

Hi TMD,

If you don't mind making a small unity project (re-creating the issue), can you send me an example with instructions of how to reproduce?

Please PM / Email me the link with your invoice number and I'll be happy to take a look!

- Mel

 

Hi TMD,

You were using the older LDC v3.0 which appeared to have this issue - I've send instructions over PM that should help!

- Mel