Conversation with more than two participants

[rosvitacousland]

First of all: Forgive me in case, that this problem had been handled before. I have been looking for it, but I didn't find it. Probably I didn't find the fitting searching expressions.

 

Now to my question: I want to make a conversation with more than two persons.

 

- I read the tutorial about conversation in the Toolset Wiki. It says, that it would be possible to have more participants than two, but that this wouldn't be part of the basic tutorial.

- I know some conversations in game with more than two participants.

-- Unfortunately, I only can see the player version, but not the builder version of such files.

 

So it has to be possible.

 

Do you know, how to do? Or is there any tutorial for conversations with more than two participants?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

rosvita

[LadyHonor]

I am no cutscene/dialog wiz by any means but the only way I have been able to accomplish that is with a stage and converting each npc line to a cutscene. If you don't convert it to a cutscene the NPCs keep changing positions.

[rosvitacousland]

Thank you for your kind hint!

 

I am already familiar with converting lines to cutscenes, which means that I have already done this before. So far so good.

 

However, I don't know, what I shall do especially with the stage. I saw, that there is an option for the stage on the tab: cinematics. Do I have to edit it for the root or for the single line, if possible, or both, if possible?

 

When I understood you correctely, I should associate the single lines (being converted to cutscenes) of a kind of super dialogue with some under dialogues. Actually, I had this idea before. The problem is, that I want to make a dialogue for Alistair (as one of several participants). What shall I do, when I don't want to change his main dialogue? I guess, in this case I can't associate him as a creature with my own little new dialoge. To be exact, I could do so, but I don't want to do that.

[LadyHonor]

you'd probably be better off creating your own stage and assigning stage positions under the cinematics tab in the conversation editor. As for not changing his main dialog file, you will have to have an event or something like maybe a trigger or an object to call that particular dialog. For that approach you would need to create a script with this command:

UT_Talk(oSpeaker, oListener, rDialog);

Or if this conversation isn't with characters already assigned a dialog, you can set it in the npc's creature file as their main dialog. If Alistair is supposed to speak first, change the first line from owner to Alistair.

[rosvitacousland]

Thank you for your further information!

 

Until now, I am not familiar with scripting, at all. However, I hope I can use your hint later on. Many thanks!

 

Actually, I am using an object, a placeable, which is triggering my dialogue. In the current version I have only got one single dialogue, (which shall become a kind of super dialogue later on), between the placeable, it's a little bit like a teller, and my warden, which has got three options. Until now, the first and the second option are triggering two different cutscenes (the third option is leading back to the research mod), and not the planned two different (sub-)dialogues with Alistair, which shall lead to the cutscenes later on.

[LadyHonor]

Well when you get ready to script, pm me and let me know exactly what you want it to do and I'll write a script for you. :)

[rosvitacousland]

Thank you so much for your kind offer! I will pm you later on, when I am ready with the second cutscene, (the first one is already finished).

[Qwinn]

For the record, I don't think it's necessary to convert every line to a cutscene (though it's certainly a valid solution, just might be more work than necessary). You very probably do need a stage though. A good example of a conversation with a TON of speakers is the last dialogue branch in orz340cr_steward.dlg. This is the scene where the Assembly is arguing about who to be king. Only the first couple of lines are cutscenes, the rest just inherit the stage. I think the main thing is to just set the Speaker and Listener tags in the dialogue correctly.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Qwinn

[LadyHonor]

If the stage is in the area, not a dynamic one like when you ask Alistair for a quick kiss, you don't have to run every line as a cutscene. If it is a dynamic stage (like where you request your smooch), you only have to run a line as a cutscene *if* another party member speaks other than the conversation owner. the but-insky line would need to be converted to a cutscene, but not the rest of them.

[rosvitacousland]

@Qwinn:

 

Thank you for your kind help! Actually, I am not sure, whether I understand you correctely. You wrote "record". Anyhow, I don't plan to make some new records, I only want to use some old ones. But maybe, you only mean some voiced parts in general, do you?

 

I had a look at the stewart.dlg. Thank you for the hint! Unfortunately, I cannot see, which lines are cutscenes inside of this conversation. Furthermore, I don't know, nor how to add some comments, (which seem to be only explaining something, similar to the green lines into some scripts), nor how to add the lines with the text "CONTINUE".

 

Since you reminded about the tags, I checked my tags and I noticed, that I had got some wrong listener tags - as far as I can see it. You know, the three "participants" of my conversation are:

 

- the bottle (placeabele = genip_jar_3)

- Alistair (= gen00fl_alistair) (But in contrast to the steward, I cannot associate my dialogue to him.)

- the player

 

I guess, I had got the correct speaker tags for them. However, until now I had got the wrong listener tags. I guess, with exception of the highest level, where the player is "talking" to the bottle, (so I took genip_jar_3 as the listener tag for that line), the listener tag for all the player's sayings should be gen00fl_alistair and not genip_jar_3, right? Vice versa, I guess, all the speaklines of Alistair should have got the player as the listener tag, right?

 

In addition, I don't know, what to do with the stage. To be exact, I would know, that there was a field left at the top on the tab cinematics, and I am able to choose a stage there in general. But I am not sure, whether I shall create a new own stage, and in case how to do that. Maybe just duplicate something, which means another already existing stage?

Edited March 5, 2017 by rosvitacousland