Alpha 12 - Interactive Dialogues

Discussion in 'FAQ & Feedback' started by Hummel-o-War, Jun 15, 2020.

?

Like the feature? Give a Thumbs Up!

  1. Thumbs up!

    6 vote(s)
    46.2%
  2. Many thumbs up!

    7 vote(s)
    53.8%
  1. Hummel-o-War

    Hummel-o-War Administrator Staff Member Community Manager

    • Developer
    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2015
    Messages:
    5,506
    Likes Received:
    8,502
    DIALOGUE
    • Added: Dynamic, interactive Dialogue system (Examples can be seen in the story missions of the Default Random Singleplayer and the Invader-vs-Defender scenarios)
    • Blocks with the following BlockIDs can be used: Gambling Tables, Station Console, Computer Console, Commanding Officers Human and Alien, Security Guard Human and Alien, Talon, Talon Chief (static), Zirax Commander (static).
    • Added: NPCs will turn towards when approached (F; Can be deactivated in config)
    • Allow to assign a Dialogue Name from the Dialogue.ecf in Creative mode or via Godmode IV (gm iv)
    • Dialogues are usable with PDA (Integration into messages > ‘dlg’ parameter)
    • Customization > Maximum length of a single Execute statement: 150 characters
    • Customization > Maximum of Variables: 30
    • Dialog window: Changed all texts to TextMeshPro! Now all features of the LCD/Projector device blocks can also be used here, e.g. alignment
    • Added function GetInstanceTicket()
    • Added dbglobal_int
    • Added function DeltaTimeToString()
    • Added control element "@d<n>" to set typewriter effect speed for current page, use "@d0" to show remaining text immediately

      >> See top area of Dialogues.ecf for documentation of available parameters!
    NPCDialogue-800x450.jpg
     
    #1
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2020
  2. Hummel-o-War

    Hummel-o-War Administrator Staff Member Community Manager

    • Developer
    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2015
    Messages:
    5,506
    Likes Received:
    8,502
    -tba-
     
    #2
  3. ZaCloud

    ZaCloud Ensign

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2019
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    15
    Well, I only just recently started, but it became HELL trying to manually get through the intro dialogue once I was in my PDA. I had to hit the arrow to open the text progression, select the sub-menu, checkmark the line of dialogue, then the pop-up would tell me I should read the description due to valuable information, I click to proceed anyway. Then click to the NEXT line of dialogue. Have to click another checkmark, get the warning, click past the warning, then click for the NEXT line of dialogue. So every time a character said a sentence, or sighed, or an event happened, I had to go through SO much clicking, over and over!

    And outside of my PDA where the dialogue comes up on the screen, sometimes I'd be getting attacked by creatures and unable to get it off of the screen. And even if I AM in a condition to read it, I either have to wait for the slow printing of the text, or I can right-click to load it all at once... which leaves me either feeling impatient for the first option, or missing what happened for the second option because it goes away on its own way too fast after it's been printed-at-once. :/

    I would rather have either the player be invincible during the dialogue, or a way to pause/minimize it and go back to it later (maybe in the PDA, but able to scroll down the whole exchange until you come to a dialogue option? Then clicking that opens the next sub-menu of dialogue with the whole next block, etc?)... And maybe for in-game view have the dialogue print faster (or just show up) and let the user click or right-click to advance to the next part when they're ready. Everyone has different reading comprehension and speed, so letting the player go at their own pace would be best.
     
    #3
    Ambaire likes this.
  4. Inkognyto

    Inkognyto Ensign

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2020
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    5
    This. Stop feeding me line by line. Stated some of this in the tutorial thing. I skipped the whatever the PDA was saying after I was in it... and I died.

    I slogged through clicking a line by line and I can read easily 80-120 pages an hour. I've been reading for 20 years, I can parse, scan and get what is needed from things. If you don't give me big chunks of dialogue I can skim and read for lore? Nope. I'm not sitting idle for 20 minutes to get a page worth of dialogue. I get you want a banter. But it's being READ to me from a log.

    I do not want history and background and dialogue with a PDA fed to me line by line. If you do that it has to a voice over in the background.

    Edit: Oh and I'm not going to go back to any portion of that for the game. It was so clunky and hard. I pretty much avoid any missions or anything where I need to use that clunky interface.
     
    #4
    Ambaire likes this.
  5. ravien_ff

    ravien_ff Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2017
    Messages:
    6,397
    Likes Received:
    12,004
    You can right click to show text immediately.
     
    #5
  6. Mikiy

    Mikiy Lieutenant

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2015
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    23
    I like the dialogue system, but i think its just a first step there, more improvements to the quest system in general are needed especially the integration between PDA and the new dialogue system.

    1) PDA Log

    All dialogues should be properly logged, i.e. in the pda log.. and while some seem to be there sometimes, its not really everything in there.

    2) The "Description" window in the PDA
    The description window in the PDA needs to be wayyyyyy more descriptive of the tasks.. it should be considered that people may not do a whole chapter in one go and when you continue later it would be rather helpful to have some sort of summary of whats going on and where you need to be for your next objective.

    As example.. im doing solo missions atm (chapter 4 offworld grave, in default random (server, coop)) and when i open the pda i see

    Actions: Find outpost*

    Description:
    Find Outpost
    ===

    Opening the PDA Log shows me absolutely nothing at all.. now if i did the last step like lets say a week ago and wouldn't remember were to go next now or what the story was about exactly. Also story-waypoints seem to go missing when continuing with breaks between, had to activate some other mission and switch back to get a waypoint again.

    3) The "content" window in the PDA

    The "content window" of the pda shows a lot of unnecessary unhelpful information.. i can see this being nice for debugging purpose to see what sub-step of a quest you exactly are on.. but from a player perspective looking at this here seems like a lot of wasted space to me:

    checkmark The Crashed Bird
    checkmark The Crashed Bird
    checkmark The Crashed Bird
    checkmark The Crashed Bird
    checkmark The Crashed Bird
    checkmark Wreckdiver
    checkmark Wreckdiver
    checkmark Wreckdiver
    checkmark Obvious Traces
    checkmark Obvious Traces
    checkmark Obvious Traces
    checkmark Obvious Traces
    ...

    4) (accidental) Teamplay and mission breaking
    Teamplaying should be more taken into account when designing missions. Example: AI routine 34 in chapter 1.. if you have a buddy nearby with his ship that accidentally kills your drones (no matter if one or both, or if you both fired onto it..) your mission gets stuck and you need to manually complete... it shouldn't matter who killed something. If i spawn some drones as part of my mission and the mission requires those to be dead to continue then it should update/continue regardless of who landed the last killing shot on em..and yes i know its called "solo mission for a reason" but still.. teamplay can happen even accidentally and shouldn't break missions.
     
    #6
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2020
    Ambaire likes this.
  7. Thrasonic

    Thrasonic Ensign

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2020
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    I cannot for the life of me figure out how to test the DialogueSystem with custom Dialogue. I've written some Dialogue and I think I even figured out how to assign it to a console but I cannot figure out how to interact with that npc or console at all. I can seem to assign dialog in creative but I can't use it. In the Scenario Invader Vs Defender the default dialogue works but I can't add my custom Dialog. How do you test your own custom Dialogue? I have been searching everywhere for this answer. It sounds like others have tested it from their feedback but I can't find anywhere how to do it.
    please help
     
    #7
  8. ravien_ff

    ravien_ff Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2017
    Messages:
    6,397
    Likes Received:
    12,004
    Test in survival. Use the cm command to change game modes. Use ds reload to reload your changes on the fly.
     
    #8

Share This Page