Is it possible to create an "empty" Topic Info?

[Koda]

Question is basically as the title says.

 

I'm trying to create a placeholder dialogue topic info that only runs its start/end scripts. My problem is that if there is no response data, it gets skipped / doesn't activate. If I add, say, a space, the dialogue triggers Fus Ro Doh and the NPC lipsyncs nothing for a second or two. I can skip the player input with "Invisible Continue," so that's not an issue.

 

Thanks for any insight!

[Guest]

Can you explain what are you trying to do?

 

Topic infos are for dialogues.

They need at least the answer from the NPC. (The question for the player can be avoided if the Topic is used from a ForceGreet package.)

 

In case it is the "length" of the answer that is bothering you, then you can try some tricks using a silent voice with a super-short sound file that will last for a fraction of a second. (It is a little bit tricky but it is possible.)

[Koda]

Can you explain what are you trying to do?

 

Sure. The short answer is I am trying to place Message boxes between dialogues within a conversation. (A lengthier explanation is [here], although I have changed my methodology somewhat.)

 

Currently, the Dialogue View is like this:

1. Normal topic (player option and NPC response); branches to #2 with Invisible Continue
2. "Empty" topic with Start script displaying the Message box. Player option is skipped because of Invisible Continue, NPC response is currently just a space (" ").
3. Next Normal topic(s), with variable player options variable based on which Message box button was selected

I realize the "Empty" topic is not strictly necessary for this to work (I can attach the Message box script to the End of the previous topic, for instance), but I like it for two reasons. First, it's more organized in the CK for when I have conditional or more complex Message functionality. Second, there is an ugly visual hiccup in the conversation menu if there's no "buffer" between the Message box and the shift in player options.

 

Anyway -- as you say, it's really the length of the silence / lipsync that bothers me (it's basically an alternative ugly visual hiccup). My ideal solution would be an input that does not trigger Fus Ro Doh or a way to suppress the lipsync, but I hadn't considered an super-short audio file. Could you elaborate on why it's tricky?

[Guest]

Hi.

If you are already familiar about how to crate a sound file, assign it to a VoiceType, tempoarly substitute the voicetype for your NPC (that probably can be done right away because all other dialogues will have no voice.), and lastly how to generate the LIP file, then it is a breeze.

It may become more complex if you need to learn any of the previous items.

 

 

So:

* Create a voicetype like mymodcodeSilentVoiceType.

* As soon as you can, inside your scripts (maybe at the first dialogue, or if you start the dialogue with a scene or with a ForceGreet, directly in these items with a scene fragment or a package fragment. Inside the script, save somewhere the voicetype of the actor that will say the topic, and replace its voice type with the "silent one" you created before.

* Generate (record" a short voice file (does not matter how you will do it), edit it (I advice to use Audacity) and make it completely silent and really shot (less than half a second but NOT shorter that one tenth of a second or it may NOT work)

* Place the file in the correct voice folder, with the correct name (that is related to the topic info ID), and generate the LIF file from the WAV file

* Convert the wav file to a XWM file and get rid of the WAV file.

* When the dialogue ends (in all possible cases) don't forget to restore the voicetype to the actorbase. And re-evaluate packages for the actor or it may remain silent.

* don't forget to check "has lip file" in the topic info.

 

 

If the voice file is there, and the lip file is there, then the actual "speaking" will last exactly how long your voice file will last. Remember: not zero. In my experience the minimum to avoid problems is 0.1 seconds.

 

 

PM me if you wish further assistance.

(I did this trick many times.)

 

 

(There is also a possibility to avoid to replace the voicetype to the actor, but in this case you need to create a shared topic info and a "generic actor" with the silent voice. A little bit more complex but more elegant.)