Pixel Crushers Dialogue System

With only just over two months to complete my FMP project I knew that creating a dialogue system that would meet my requirements and expectations from scratch would be impossible. I don't have the skill or time to approach such a complex system. So, I had made the decision from the very beginning to purchase a dialogue system asset from the Unity Asset Store.

The asset I ended up settling on was a dialogue system by Pixel Crushers, and I was not disappointed. Conversations using this system are constructed using an interface similar to the Unity animator, this interface is so incredibly easy to use and makes it simple to follow the flow of a conversation through all of its branches. Several dialogue UI templates are also included in the asset that can be changed and redesigned as much as you need.

The system also has its own in-built variables and quests which can be set and updated on specific lines of dialogue using Lua code, the system also has a Lua wizard which constructs the Lua functions to call for you, using a series of drop downs and input fields. You could use this asset without using any scripting which is incredible.

The asset also has several components to use that allow very easy triggering and handling of quests, variables, and conversations. The modularity makes it easy to apply to any situation.

The dialogue system trigger can be triggered by almost anything you want, on enable, on disable, trigger enter or exit, on use (using the assets selector component on the player) and so much more.

It has conditions you can set up and it can trigger any number of things. It can trigger conversations, it can trigger Lua code, it can enable or disable components and game objects and it can trigger unity events like those discussed in my post on Unity Events.

This asset has been a completely justified investment in my mind and it is something that has no doubt elevated the quality of my project and also allowed me to focus on the more core aspect of my game rather than wasting time on what would have no doubt been a flawed and poorly made dialogue system if I had attempted it myself.

This asset also has great scope for me to use in future projects as it also supports conversation camera sequences and cut scenes. Having the opportunity to use a dialogue system that no doubt resembles those used professionally in industry has been a valuable experience. In general, as a designer, being able to learn and use tools made for you effectively is a key skill, especially in the Quest Design field I want to get in to.