Request: InfExp-style DLG tree browser

[jcompton]

As discussed elsewhere, please add an InfExp-style full-tree DLG browser to DLTCEP.

[Avenger]

Yeah, this is difficult

[Avenger]

Actually, loading the composed tree is done.

The only problem is how to present the different original dialogues visually.

Is it enough if the window title changes?

[Avenger]

Done in 7.4d

[jcompton]

Thank you.

[Sir_Carnifex]

It'd be neat to have a "browser" like that in which dialogue trees could be made rather than working in notepad. I imagine that's not so easily done either, is it? Although I suppose that wouldn't be something for DLCTEP. The mention of the dialogue tree just reminded me of it.

[Avenger]

I think most people use weidu for dialog writing, so this part of dltcep won't be actively developed.

[Miloch]

Heh, that's great... the "difficult" gets implemented in a day. By that measure, you can do the "impossible" in two days I reckon.

 

While we're on the subject and Compton is here, please implement his TBH-style batch wallgroup editor or whatever it's called (as first posted here but probably has progressed at least somewhat since then). As also discussed elsewhere, this has always been the biggest pain of area editing, that makes drawing backgrounds look easy.

 

As for dialogues, I don't think anyone uses WeiDU for writing them, only for compiling them (which is far from easy in itself). Most use various text editors, but as I commented on beamhaul, linear tools like text editors aren't particularly well-suited to non-linear products like dialogues. It'd be better to have a flowchart-like visualisation of the various branches and whatnot. I suppose that's the "difficult" part, but I could easily see it being the most highly-demanded part, since dialogue-heavy mods such as NPCs have always seemed the most popular ones.

[Avenger]

JC asked for this some time ago. But yep, easy stuff needs no thinking. Difficult needs a single idea that works. And some time. Luckily the idea worked, and I'm on 2 weeks holidays mostly working on BGEE and DLTCEP anyway.

 

I really, really hope, people WILL use this. It took me more time than adding the other checker stuff for BGEE, and i use those.

[jcompton]

Heh, that's great... the "difficult" gets implemented in a day. By that measure, you can do the "impossible" in two days I reckon.

 

Some of the fastest turnarounds in IE tool development have come immediately after the programmer says something along the lines of "This is very hard and I don't want to do it." It's uncanny.

 

beamhaul

 

Oh good, I hope that becomes a thing.

 

I suppose that's the "difficult" part, but I could easily see it being the most highly-demanded part, since dialogue-heavy mods such as NPCs have always seemed the most popular ones.

 

I am told that some of the proper game studios do have visual dialogue design tools which are genuinely useful and powerful, and I know that some people are more able than others to visualize the structure of the dialogue even as they work in a flat Word document with intendations or whatever notation they use to indicate replies and branches and so forth.

 

It's not implausible that someone could take the principles of Proper Game Studio's Advanced Branching Dialogue Visualization System 6.0 and create a tool whose job was to provide such an interface and spit out WeiDU .d BEGINs and CHAINs and so forth. But offhand I don't think we have access to anybody who both has a good visualization system to steal, and who speaks enough .d to be dangerous.

[Avenger]

Heh, that's great... the "difficult" gets implemented in a day. By that measure, you can do the "impossible" in two days I reckon.

 

Some of the fastest turnarounds in IE tool development have come immediately after the programmer says something along the lines of "This is very hard and I don't want to do it." It's uncanny.

 

This is general programming phenomenon, when motivation and difficulty are almost in balance, with just a little more weight on the motivation side.

 

By the way, did you use it yet?

[jcompton]

I promise I'll check it out when I update the beta this weekend.

[Sam.]

Unless I've messed up, the V7.4d version still displays as V7.4c in the program.

[Avenger]

Yeah, hurried development. I already have 7.4e here, i work on it every day.

[Miloch]

I already have 7.4e here, i work on it every day.

That's great, when can we download it?