Dictionary Help (dialogue, items, etc)

Help and Feedback Scripting Support
#1

I’m creating a small dialogue system from scratch, something simple, no options just little help from the NPCS, or whatever they are. I have two scripts, one is a local script (A) in the player that handles everything dialogue GUI. This is for a short horror game, for me and some friends.

A proximity prompt sents an event to the local script (A) which is this… (i put some helpful tips of my personal solutions to problems that may seem unconvential)

local players = game:GetService("Players")
local player = players.LocalPlayer

local rs = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")
local ts = game:GetService("TweenService")

local gui_fire_event = rs:WaitForChild("Events"):WaitForChild("GUI")
local continue_event = rs:WaitForChild("Events"):WaitForChild("Continue")
local dialogue = require(rs:WaitForChild("Modules"):WaitForChild("dialogue")) -- finds the module script


-- text gui find

local textgui = player:WaitForChild("PlayerGui"):WaitForChild("Text")
local frame = textgui:WaitForChild("Frame")
local name_box = frame:WaitForChild("NameBox")
local text_box = frame:WaitForChild("TextBox")

-- tween positions

local pos_1_s = {Position = UDim2.new(0.125,0,0.721,0)} -- position of the gui up
local pos_1_e = {Position = UDim2.new(0.125,0,1.1,0)} - position of the gui downThis text will be hidden

-- stuff

local nextline = 0

gui_on = false
script_on = false

local function tween_p(tween) -- plays the tweening info
	tween:Play()
	tween.Completed:Wait()
	return
end


local function gui_show()
	if script_on == false then -- debounce
		script_on = true 
		local gui_info = TweenInfo.new(1, Enum.EasingStyle.Exponential, Enum.EasingDirection.In, 0, false)
		print("here")
		
		if gui_on == false then -- puts the gui up
			
			local temp_tween =  ts:Create(textgui.Frame, gui_info, pos_1_s)
			tween_p(temp_tween)
			
			
			gui_on = true
			print("done1")
		
		elseif gui_on == true then -- puts it down
			
			local temp_tween =  ts:Create(textgui.Frame, gui_info, pos_1_e)
			tween_p(temp_tween)
			
			
			gui_on = false
			print("done!2")
		end
		
		task.wait(0.5)	-- wait to prevent it going up and down
		
		script_on = false
	end
end

local function typewrite(text) -- simple typewriter script
	for i = 1, #text, 1 do
		text_box.Text = string.sub(text, 1, i)
		wait(0.05)
	end
end

--
-- continuation scripts
--

local db = false
local gui_up = false

local function onContinue(name, target) 
	
-- these three check if its theres a target, name, or if its down, ik its clunky.

	if target and target ~= "" then -- 
		target.Enabled = false
	end
	
	if name and name ~= "" then
		name_box.Text = name
	end
	
	if gui_up == false then
		gui_show()
		gui_up = true
	end
	
	local char = name_box.Text -- character name achieved from the event fire
	
	if db == false then
		db = true
		nextline += 1 -- changes the line of the dialogue
		local text = dialogue.Statue[tostring(char)][nextline] -- finds the dialogue
		if text ~= "benasss" then -- checks if it isnt the last code, as benasss is used to end  it
			print(text)
			typewrite(text)
		elseif text == "benasss" then -- detects the last line, and ends the script
			
			name_box.Text = " " -- scrapes the label clean for next time
			text_box.Text = " "
			
			nextline = 0 -- resets the line

			
			gui_show() -- puts down the gui
			gui_up = false 
			
		end	
		db = false
	end
end



continue_event.Event:Connect(onContinue) -- fire when the script is clicked/pressed E on the dialogue box
gui_fire_event.OnClientEvent:Connect(onContinue) -- fire when proximity prompt

Heres the short script that handles the proximity prompt:

local gui_event = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage"):WaitForChild("Events"):WaitForChild("GUI")
local target = script.Parent -- the proximity prompt

local name = "Steve" -- this is just the name of the char, so the dialogue module script knows where it is. 

target.Triggered:Connect(function(plr)
	gui_event:FireClient(plr, name, target)
end)

And here’s the final script, the module script that houses all the dialogue:

local dialogue = {}

dialogue.Statue = {
	["Steve"] = { -- name of the target, which is created by the proximity prompt
		[1] = "Steve is so cool and majestic",
		[2] = "Steve is so cool and majestic and cooler!",
		[3] = "I love cake",
		[4] = "benasss"
	},
	
	["Paul"] = {
		[1] = "I lose my hofner bass guitar in this very scary cave...",
		[2] = "I know, I know, it will be dark... so have this... "
		[3] = "This handy dandy flashlight.. straight from Liverpool..." -- main question 1
	}
}

return dialogue

Quick Look of the Dialogue:

image
image1217×660 42.8 KB

Quick Look at my “Explorer”:

image

I’m fairly new to module scripts, and in general receiving data from them, creating dialogue systems, and also in general sort of scripting, thats why I’m providing the entire script system.

So the main questions:

  1. Is how would I change the dictionary to have it so that in “Paul [3]” it would give a flashlight to the user

  2. How could I better optimise the system so that it doesnt break, crash, etc…

  3. If theres any unnecessary code, or simplier ways to implement them

  4. How would I make it so that, I don’t have to use the keyword, “benasss” to stop the dialogue from progressing, as right now, I use it to tell the main localscript to stop the code and put the gui down.

I would appreciate any sort of help. :heart: :heart: :heart:

(sorry for any typos/spelling)

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