Pre-scripted conversations – cConvScript

14 Pre-scripted conversations – cConvScript

You may wish your NPCs to occasionally have conversations with one

another. For example: Two friends might bump into one another at the

fish mongers, or a group of burglers might meet clandestinely the

night before a burglery to arrange who does what.

The easiest way to create a pre-scripted conversation is to

create an object based off cConvScript.

To create a conversation-script object:

1. Create a <ConvScript> resource the scripts

   out the conversation. You'll be able write lines for the NPCs,

   as well as narration, emotes, and sounds.

   
   
   




2. Create an object, as normal, but base it off

   of cConvScript. For this example, call

   it oConvScriptMeetAtFishMongers.

   
   
   




3. The object should not be contained in anything.

   
   
   




4. Fill in pConvScriptResource with the name

   of the resource you created, such as rConvScritMeetAtFishMongers.
   
   


If you want to generate the conversation on the fly,

write your own ConvScriptResource() method.




5. If your conversation takes place between three or more NPCs, or

   only the NPC, then modify pConvScriptNPCs to indicate

   the number of NPCs involved. (The default value is 2.)

   
   
   




6. When the two NPCs meet at the fish mongers,

   call oConvScriptMeetAtFishMongers.ConvScriptStart(). That's

   it! The two NPCs will meet and talk about the quality

   of the fish, or whatever.

   (Note: I'll got into an easier way of automatically starting

   conversations later.)
   
   

You may also wish to set the following properties and methods:

• 
  
  pConvScriptAbortIfPCConv, which defaults to TRUE, causes

  all NPC conversations to automatically stop if a player talks to one

  of the NPCs.
  
  




• 
  
  pConvScriptAbortIfUnconscious, which defaults to TRUE,

  causes the conversation to automatically stop if any of the NPCs

  is unconscious or killed.
  
  




• 
  
  pConvScriptSecret will cause the NPCs to abruptly stop

  the conversation if someone enters the room. They won't even automatically start

  it unless they're alone.
  
  




• 
  
  ConvScriptCompleted() is called when the conversation

  is completed. The default behaviour does nothing, but you could modify this

  if you want your NPCs to act on the conversation. For example,

  the NPCs might talk about the best choice of fish, and one of the NPCs

  might be given the AI goal of buying that particular fish.
  
  

Conversation scripts also provide a mechanism for making them "automatic" so

that you don't have to constantly check for the right conditions

and call ConvScriptStart(). Instead, conversation scripts can be set up

so they are automatically called whenever a NPC enters/leaves a room,

when a PC enters/leaves a room, or when the NPC is bored.

To have a NPC speak an automatic conversation script, you need to:

1. Add the conversation script object to the

   NPC's pAIConvScripts property.
   
   


If you want all NPCs in a specific faction to use the conversation

script, such as a secret greeting to one another, then

modify the faction's pAIConvScripts property.

Alternatively, if you want conversation scripts associated with

certain classes, such as all cRaceElf characters using a type

of conversation script, modify the AIConvScripts() method

for the class.




2. If the conversation requires more than two NPCs,

   it must have pConvScriptNPCs. It must also have

   a ConvScriptAutoPermutations() written. This method will

   be called with a list of players and NPCs in the room. It must

   return a list of all the "possible" conversations that could result.

   Since there aren't that many possibilities with only two (or one) NPC,

   the method is trivial and automatically handled. However, if you have

   ten NPCs sitting in a room, the number of possible groups of three

   NPCs to sing as a trio is astronomical.

   
   
   




3. You need to specify some constraints that limit what two NPCs will

   join together. For example: While all NPCs might have your fish-monger

   conversation at the ready, they'll only use it when they're in

   the fish market. The following properties and methods help limit

   the possibilities.

   
   
   



pConvScriptAutoFactions will limit the conversation so that

the main NPC (NPC #1) will only use the conversation with NPCs from

the specified faction(s).

pConvScriptAutoNPCs will limit the conversation so that

the main NPC (NPC #1) will only use the conversation with NPCs

listed in pConvScriptAutoNPCs. Example: Applying this to the fish monger

might mean that Betty would only talk about fish to a handful of

her friends.

pConvScriptAutoListenersExclude can be used to NOT play

the conversation if certain NPCs are in the room. This can be used to

ensures that rumors about NPC X aren't spoken while NPC X is in the room.

pConvScriptAutoKnowledge will only have the conversation

spoken if the player character doesn't know the specified

knowledge object. You would use this, for example, to have a pair of NPCs

speak a rumor only once in the precense of a specific

player. pConvScriptAutoKnowledgeFlip inverts the test,

causing the NPCs to speak the script only if the player has the given

knowledge.

pConvScriptAutoFracture will only allow the conversation

script to be spoken when the player is in the given fracture.

This is passed to IsInDifferentFracture() and FracturerQuery().

pConvScriptAutoPriority controls which automatic

conversation script has higher priority.



pConvScriptAutoRelationship lets the conversation script

only happen if a specific relationship exists.



pConvScriptAutoRequiresIntelligent ensures that conversations

only happen between intelligent creatures.

These properties won't be enough, though. You'll need

to write your own ConvScriptAutoValid() method for

many conversation scripts. The method is called whenever a conversation

script is "proposed" by ConvScripts() to see if it

would work in the given situation.




4. You will need to set the liklihood of the conversation happening

   depending upon the circumstances. If you don't set at least one

   of these properties to non-zero then your conversation will never

   be randomly selected.
   
   


pConvScriptProbBored - The probability of the conversation

script being activated when the NPC is sitting around bored (with

the oAIGoalBoredConvScript activated). Example: Use this if the NPC

brings up the "Ever wonder what's up there?" when sitting outside

on a starry night.

pConvScriptProbNPCEnters - The probability of the conversation

script being activated when the NPC enters a room. Example: Use this if the NPC

says, "Hello everyone!" every time it enters the room.

pConvScriptProbNPC2Enters - The probability of the conversation

script being activated when a second NPC enters a room. Example: Use this if the

first NPC says, "Hi %2!" every time a second NPC enters the room.

pConvScriptProbNPC2Leaves - The probability of the conversation

script being activated when a second NPC leaves a room. Example: Use this if the

first NPC says, "That idiot has finally left." every time a second NPC leaves the room.

pConvScriptProbPCEnters - The probability of the conversation

script being activated when a PC enters a room. Example: Use this if the NPC

says, "Hey, it's the town hero!" every time the PC enters the room.

pConvScriptProbPCLeaves - The probability of the conversation

script being activated when a PC leaves a room. Example: Use this if the NPC

says, "Finally got rid of him!" every time the PC leaves the room.

Some more advanced settings that you may wish to modify:

• If your conversation requires that a PC be around, perhaps because the

  NPCs are deriding the PC right in front of their face, then

  set pConvScriptRequiresPC to TRUE. You don't have

  to set this if

  either pConvScriptAutoKnowledge or pConvScriptAutoFracture are

  set.
  
  





• To randomly start your own conversation,

  call ConvScriptAutoStart() at an appropriate time.
  
  




• 
  
  gConvScriptRate controls the default conversation rate. It defaults

  to one act every 3 seconds.

  
  
  

If you want a conversation script to take place as part of an AI's goal,

then use oAIGoalConvScript to start the conversation.