Dialogue System
Categories:
The Dialogue System is the runtime engine inside GS_Cinematics that drives all authored narrative experiences. Dialogue is authored visually in the Dialogue Editor — a graph-based tool built on gs_graphcanvas — and executed at runtime by a node-graph sequencer. World-space and screen-space UI display, and an extensible set of polymorphic conditions, effects, and performances connect dialogue to gameplay.
Every piece communicates through EBus interfaces, so any layer can be replaced or extended without modifying the gem itself.
The system is managed by the GS_DialogueManagerComponent, which participates in the standard Game Manager startup sequence.
For usage guides and setup examples, see The Basics: GS_Cinematics.
Contents
Dialogue Editor
The in-engine visual graph editor for authoring dialogue databases, sequences, and node graphs. Built on gs_graphcanvas with a FlowGraph topology.
The editor manages a .dialoguedatabase container file holding all sequences for a dialogue set, along with performer definitions and database-level settings. Each sequence is an independent graph opened as a tab.
Dialogue Manager
GS_DialogueManagerComponent owns the active dialogue database and performer registry. Extends GS_Core::GS_ManagerComponent.
Dialogue Sequencer
DialogueSequencerComponent traverses a node graph at runtime. The DialogueUIBridgeComponent routes dialogue and selection events to whichever UI is registered.
Effects
Polymorphic DialogueEffect types executed synchronously from Effects nodes. Built-in: SetRecords_DialogueEffect, ToggleEntitiesActive_DialogueEffect. Fully extensible.
Performances
Polymorphic DialoguePerformance types executed asynchronously from Performance nodes. Built-in: MoveTo, PathTo, RepositionPerformer. Fully extensible.
Dialogue UI
Screen-space and world-space dialogue display, selection menus, the typewriter text-reveal system, and the babble audio system.
Actors
DialoguePerformerMarkerComponent places named performer anchors in the world, plus the ActorDefinition data model.
See Also
For conceptual overviews and usage guides:
For related references:
- gs_graphcanvas Framework — The visual graph editor framework
- Cinematics Manager – Cinematic lifecycle and stage markers
- GS_Cinematics Overview – Top-level gem reference
- GS_Core Managers – Manager base system
Get GS_Cinematics
GS_Cinematics — Explore this gem on the product page and add it to your project.