Scripting a Monologue

[ub3rman123]

I'm attempting to make a monologue for an NPC. I have the dialogue written. Halfway through the monologue (After 3 'blocks' of text), the NPC speaking it changes, like a doppleganger. The style of it is very similar to Mankar Cameron's speech in Paradise, so I'm basing the scripting off of it. However, the script has proved indecipherable. Somehow it's all spoken from one topic. Can anyone point me in the right direction to timing and scripting it out correctly?

[ub3rman123]

An update: I went the low road and built a set of timers to make it say the next piece after a certain length of time. However, the script I've written isn't working. This is the quest script in its entirety, and the part involving the monologue itself is in bold. To begin the monologue, the player triggers a triggerbox which sets the variable MonologueOn to 1.

scn WSMAinQuestSCRIPT

short DooNce

short shadowdeadcount

short doonce2

short zombiecount

short doonce3

short doonce4

float timer

float timer2

float timersapper

short cavernknowspass

short sullyfollowing

short piratesfollowing

short MyriaMove

float ConvTimer ;This is the master timer for Myria's monologue

short MonologueOn

short monologuestage

begin gamemode

if doonce == 0

setstage wsmainquest 1

set doonce to 1

elseif gamedayspassed >= timer && getstage WSMainQuest == 25

setstage WSMainQuest 30

;beginning of the conversation timing here!

elseif MonologueOn == 1

set ConvTimer to ConvTimer + getsecondspassed

elseif monologuestage == 0 && monologueon == 1

player.message "Hey, I worked!"

WSMyriaRef.say WSMyriaSPeech1

set MonologueStage to 1

elseif Convtimer >= 5 && MonologueStage == 1

WSMyriaRef.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech2

WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.30

set monologuestage to 2

elseif Convtimer >= 10 && MonologueStage == 2

WSMyriaRef.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech3

WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.50

set monologuestage to 3

elseif Convtimer >= 15 && MonologueStage == 3

setstage WSMainQuest 147

WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.80

WSKrantzREF.enable

WSKRantzRef.moveto WSMyriaREF

WSMyriaREF.disable

WSKrantzREF.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech4

set monologuestage to 4

elseif Convtimer >= 20 && MonologueStage == 4

WSKrantzref.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech5

set monologuestage to 5

elseif Convtimer >= 25 && MonologueStage == 5

WSKrantzref.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech6

set monologuestage to 6

elseif Convtimer >= 30 && MonologueStage == 6

;Do the monologue end stuff. Kill Krantz and such.

set monologuestage to 7

set Monologueon to 0

endif

end

As for where it bugs up, I'm not sure. I put in that player.message on the first stage, and I never receive it ingame.

Edited November 25, 2010 by ub3rman123

[WillieSea]

1. Try not to mix your IF/ELSEIF conditions. And some of them can be combined under each other. Remember, when you use 'ELSEIF', the very FIRST TRUE condition is the ONLY one that is executed, all the rest are ignored.

2. Why would you check if 'gameDaysPassed' is greater than 'timer'? It will 'always' be true first time through since 'gameDaysPassed' is a game updated variable and 'timer' would always equal 0. Especially since you never set it to any other value.

begin gamemode


if doonce == 0

	setstage wsmainquest 1

	set doonce to 1

endif


if gamedayspassed >= timer && getstage WSMainQuest == 25

	setstage WSMainQuest 30

endif


;beginning of the conversation timing here!


if MonologueOn == 1

	set ConvTimer to ConvTimer + getsecondspassed


	if monologuestage == 0

		player.message "Hey, I worked!"

		WSMyriaRef.say WSMyriaSPeech1

		set MonologueStage to 1

	endif

endif


if Convtimer >= 5 && MonologueStage == 1

	WSMyriaRef.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech2

	WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.30

	set monologuestage to 2


elseif Convtimer >= 10 && MonologueStage == 2

	WSMyriaRef.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech3

	WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.50

	set monologuestage to 3


elseif Convtimer >= 15 && MonologueStage == 3

	setstage WSMainQuest 147

	WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.80

	WSKrantzREF.enable

	WSKRantzRef.moveto WSMyriaREF

	WSMyriaREF.disable

	WSKrantzREF.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech4

	set monologuestage to 4


elseif Convtimer >= 20 && MonologueStage == 4

	WSKrantzref.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech5

	set monologuestage to 5


elseif Convtimer >= 25 && MonologueStage == 5

	WSKrantzref.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech6

	set monologuestage to 6


elseif Convtimer >= 30 && MonologueStage == 6

	;Do the monologue end stuff. Kill Krantz and such.

	set monologuestage to 7

	set Monologueon to 0

endif


end[/code]

[ub3rman123]

I did some revising on the script in a conversation with Pronam, and here's what I have. The first part is actually unrelated, but I figured I'd include it in case something was screwing it up, like a Return I had in there earlier.

Currently, this revised script somewhat works. I receive the first message of 'Hey, it worked!', but nothing after that. My best guess is that there's something wrong with the timer.

begin gamemode


	if doonce == 0

		setstage wsmainquest 1

		set doonce to 1

	endif


if gamedayspassed >= timer && getstage WSMainQuest == 25

	setstage WSMainQuest 30

endif


;beginning of the conversation timing here!

if MonologueOn >= 1

        set ConvTimer to ConvTimer + getsecondspassed

        if MonologueOn == 1

                if monologuestage == 0 && monologueon == 1

                        message "Hey, I worked!"

                        WSMyriaRef.sayto player WSMyriaSPeech1

                        set MonologueStage to 1

                        set fQuestdelaytime to 0.1

                endif


        if Convtimer >= 5 && MonologueStage == 1

                WSMyriaRef.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech2

                WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.30

                message "MonologueStage at 2"

                set monologuestage to 2



        elseif Convtimer >= 10 && MonologueStage == 2

                WSMyriaRef.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech3

                WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.50

                message "MonologueStage at 3"

                set monologuestage to 3



        elseif Convtimer >= 15 && MonologueStage == 3

                setstage WSMainQuest 147

                WSHeraldREF.SAA 0.80

                WSKrantzREF.enable

                WSKRantzRef.moveto WSMyriaREF

                WSMyriaREF.disable

                WSKrantzREF.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech4

                message "MonologueStage at 4"

                set monologuestage to 4



        elseif Convtimer >= 20 && MonologueStage == 4

                WSKrantzref.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech5

                message "MonologueStage at 5" 

                set monologuestage to 5



        elseif Convtimer >= 25 && MonologueStage == 5

                WSKrantzref.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech6

                message "MonologueStage at  6"

                set monologuestage to 6



        elseif Convtimer >= 30 && MonologueStage == 6

;Do the monologue end stuff. Kill Krantz and such.

                message "MonologueStage at 7"

                set fQuestdelaytime to 0

                set monologuestage to 7

                set Monologueon to 0

        endif

endif


end

Edit: Thanks for pointing me towards the ElseIfs! Turns out there was one from the beginning of the monologue stages that wasn't running because the If earlier had turned out true! Now I have to figure out how to get the SayTos to function properly, I only get the messages. But that's a lesser concern; I could run the entire thing out of PlaySound and player.Messages from here if I need to.

Edited November 27, 2010 by ub3rman123

[WillieSea]

What is this script attached to?

[ub3rman123]

I've moved it to a container under the impression that containers run GameMode blocks more often. The variable MonologueStage is kept on the quest, though, due to it being a condition on the dialogue sets.

[WillieSea]

Then the variable 'MonologueStage' is being overwritten back to 0 by the quest, even though you are setting that variable in this script on the container.

[ub3rman123]

How is it? I do receive the messages, just not the SayTos.

[WillieSea]

I thought you said you only got the first message. heh, heh.

If the sayto does not work, then your sound objects are probably not setup correctly.

Which means the game cannot play the sounds.

[ub3rman123]

Doesn't it show the subtitles regardless?

[WillieSea]

I dont know anything about the dialoge or quests so I could not say.

Did you try to put a '1' at the end of the 'sayto' command? It forces subtitles no matter how far the player is away from the NPC.

WSKrantzref.sayto player WSMyriaSpeech6 1

[ub3rman123]

Many thanks! It works perfectly now! At long last I can move on to the fun part, the actual battle.