Unity Dialogue System

A designer-friendly dialogue system for Unity that uses ScriptableObjects for easy content creation and a typewriter effect for immersive text display.

Features

• ScriptableObject-based architecture - Create and manage dialogue content directly in the Unity Editor
• Typewriter effect - Character-by-character text reveal with configurable speed
• Skip functionality - Press Space to instantly reveal text or advance to the next line
• Singleton pattern - Easy global access to the dialogue manager
• Click-to-interact - Simple mouse-based interaction system
• Modular design - Plug-and-play components that work together seamlessly

System Architecture

The system is built on four core scripts:

DialogueContainer

A ScriptableObject that holds an array of dialogue lines, allowing you to create complete conversations as reusable assets.

DialogueLine

Individual dialogue entries containing speaker name and dialogue text. These can be mixed and matched across different containers.

DialogueManager

Singleton manager that handles:

• Displaying dialogue UI
• Typewriter text animation
• Input handling (Space to advance/skip)
• Dialogue flow control

Interactable

Component that triggers dialogue when 2D objects are clicked, connecting game objects to dialogue content.

Setup Instructions

1. Create Dialogue Content

Create Individual Dialogue Lines

1. Right-click in the Project window
2. Navigate to Create → Scriptable Objects → Dialogue
3. Name your dialogue line (e.g., "Hero_Line1")
4. In the Inspector, fill in:
   • Speaker Name: Character's name (e.g., "Hero")
   • Dialogue Line: The text they say (e.g., "I need to find the ancient artifact!")

Create a Dialogue Container

1. Right-click in the Project window
2. Navigate to Create → Scriptable Objects → DialogueContainer
3. Name your container (e.g., "QuestGiver_Conversation")
4. In the Inspector, set the Dialogue Set array size
5. Drag your DialogueLine assets into the array slots in order

Example Container Structure:

DialogueContainer: "QuestGiver_Conversation"
├── DialogueLine 0: "QuestGiver_Greeting"
├── DialogueLine 1: "QuestGiver_Request"
└── DialogueLine 2: "QuestGiver_Farewell"

2. Setup Dialogue UI

1. Create a Canvas in your scene (UI → Canvas)
2. Add a Panel as a child of Canvas for the dialogue box background
3. Inside the Panel, add two TextMeshProUGUI elements:
   • One for the speaker name (e.g., "SpeakerText")
   • One for the dialogue content (e.g., "DialogueText")
4. Position and style your UI elements as desired

3. Setup Dialogue Manager

1. Create an empty GameObject in your scene (name it "DialogueManager")
2. Add the DialogueManager script to it
3. In the Inspector, assign:
   • Dialogue Panel: Your Panel GameObject
   • Speaker Text: Your speaker TextMeshProUGUI
   • Dialogue Text: Your dialogue TextMeshProUGUI
   • Type Speed: Animation speed (default: 0.05, lower = faster)
4. Disable the Dialogue Panel by default (uncheck it in the hierarchy)

4. Make Objects Interactable

1. Select the 2D GameObject you want to make interactable (e.g., an NPC sprite, quest item, sign)
2. Ensure it has a Collider2D component (Box Collider 2D, Circle Collider 2D, Polygon Collider 2D, etc.)
3. Add the Interactable script to the GameObject
4. In the Inspector, assign your DialogueContainer to the script
5. Click the object in Play mode to trigger dialogue

Note: The object must have a Collider2D for mouse detection to work properly.

How to Use

Basic Player Interaction

1. Enter Play mode
2. Click on any object with an Interactable component
3. Dialogue will appear with typewriter effect
4. Press Space to:
   • Complete the current line instantly (if still typing)
   • Advance to the next line (if typing is complete)
5. Dialogue automatically closes after the last line

Triggering Dialogue from Code

// From any script, trigger dialogue programmatically
public DialogueContainer myDialogue;

void TriggerConversation()
{
    DialogueManager.Instance.StartDialogue(myDialogue);
}

Workflow Example

Creating a Quest Giver NPC:

1. Create 3 DialogueLine assets:

   • "QuestGiver_Line1": Speaker = "Elder", Text = "Greetings, traveler."
   • "QuestGiver_Line2": Speaker = "Elder", Text = "A great evil threatens our village."
   • "QuestGiver_Line3": Speaker = "Elder", Text = "Will you help us?"

2. Create DialogueContainer "QuestGiver_Intro"

   • Add the 3 lines in order

3. Add Interactable script to your NPC GameObject

   • Assign "QuestGiver_Intro" container
   • Ensure NPC has a collider

4. Click the NPC in-game to see the conversation!

Technical Highlights

• Coroutine management - Proper cleanup prevents text display bugs when skipping
• State tracking - isTyping flag enables intelligent skip-to-complete behavior
• Null safety - Checks prevent errors when coroutines are interrupted
• Designer-friendly workflow - No coding required to create dialogue content
• Reusable assets - DialogueLines can be shared across multiple containers

Customization Options

Adjusting Type Speed

• Lower values = faster typing (0.01 = very fast)
• Higher values = slower typing (0.1 = slow and dramatic)
• Default: 0.05

Changing Skip Input

Modify the Update() method in DialogueManager to change from Space to another key:

if (dialoguePanel.activeSelf && Input.GetKeyDown(KeyCode.E)) // Changed to E key

Future Enhancements

• Character portraits/avatars
• Dialogue choices and branching paths
• Audio integration for text sounds
• Triggered events at dialogue end
• Animation triggers
• Localization support
• Save/load dialogue state

Requirements

• Unity 2020.3 or higher
• TextMeshPro package (included in Unity 2020+)

Troubleshooting

Dialogue won't trigger:

• Ensure object has a Collider2D component (Box Collider 2D, Circle Collider 2D, etc.)
• Check that DialogueContainer is assigned in Interactable script
• Verify DialogueManager exists in scene and is properly configured
• Make sure the Camera has a Physics2D Raycaster if using UI overlay mode

Text appears instantly:

• Check Type Speed value in DialogueManager (shouldn't be 0)
• Ensure typingCoroutine is starting properly

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Built to demonstrate technical implementation skills while maintaining designer accessibility and workflow efficiency.