Dialog Coding Shorthand

[Guest jastey*]

What berelinde said.

++ is shortcut for "IF ~~ THEN REPLY".

So, no, if you just want a state transition it would be "IF ~~ + state", as mentioned before.

If you still don't trust us just try it out in the game and let us know if we are wrong.

[Rabain]

Right thats what I meant, there would be a reply with no text rather than just having to click Continue at the bottom of the screen.

 

This bit I dont' get:

The game doesn't care what's between the ~~ there. It would treat

 

++ ~~ + State2

 

and

 

++ ~I need coffee!~ + State2

 

I understand now that ++ ~~ + State2 will result in a floating 1 with no text to read as the reply but surely ++ ~I need coffee!~ + State2 would be valid as a reply to read and click to bring you to State2? Though that would be bad in a modding sense as it gives the player no other options.

[Kulyok]

I understand now that ++ ~~ + State2 will result in a floating 1 with no text to read as the reply but surely ++ ~I need coffee!~ + State2 would be valid as a reply to read and click to bring you to State2? Though that would be bad in a modding sense as it gives the player no other options.

 

Yes, it would be a valid reply, and yes, two or three different replies are better than one.

[berelinde]

Sorry. The text was a true statement.

 

The player would see

 

1 I need coffee!

 

My point was that seeing

 

1

 

might just look like a bug to a player.

[Rabain]

Understood.

 

Thanks all!

[Gort]

use CHAIN! CHAIN and EXTERN rule! Woohoooo!)

[Kulyok]

use CHAIN! CHAIN and EXTERN rule! Woohoooo!)

 

From my experience, typing CHAIN IF ~~ THEN and EXTERN still takes more time, though I coded all four Xan's quests and a quest mod this way. I think it's CHAIN for more than one participant/many NPC interjections(quests), and SAY, if it's only one person talking(romance). Largely a matter of preference, though.

[Rabain]

I've noticed some of the bioware dialogs use Extern to go from one internal state to another.

 

So you are in joe.dlg and state1 has a reply that Externs to State2 further down in the same joe.dlg file.

 

Any issues with this? As far as I've seen it works fine.

[Kulyok]

It works fine, yes - it is not necessary to use these within the same dialogue for the same character.