Randomized NPC Dialogue System

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Hey Devs!

I threw together a quick system for giving NPCs randomized dialogue in my game. It’s perfect for adding some personality to shopkeepers, quest givers, or just random townsfolk without hardcoding every line. Figured I’d share it here—hope it sparks some ideas!

local DialogueService = {}

local NPC_DIALOGUES = {
    Greetings = {"Hey there!", "Well, hello!", "Good to see ya!"},
    Quests = {"I need help with something...", "Got a task for you.", "You look like you can handle this."},
    Farewells = {"See you around!", "Take care now!", "Come back anytime!"}
}

function DialogueService:GetRandomLine(category)
    local lines = NPC_DIALOGUES[category] or {"Uh, something went wrong..."}
    return lines[math.random(1, #lines)]
end

-- Example NPC usage
local NPC = script.Parent -- Assume this is in an NPC model
local ClickDetector = NPC:WaitForChild("ClickDetector")

ClickDetector.MouseClick:Connect(function(player)
    local greeting = DialogueService:GetRandomLine("Greetings")
    local quest = DialogueService:GetRandomLine("Quests")
    local farewell = DialogueService:GetRandomLine("Farewells")
    
    local fullMessage = greeting .. " " .. quest .. " " .. farewell
    print(fullMessage) -- Replace with your chat/UI system
end)

This sets up a table of dialogue categories and picks a random line from each when clicked. Stick it in an NPC with a ClickDetector, and you’re good to go. I just printed the output, but you could tie it to a custom chat bubble or UI.

What do you think? Maybe add weighted probabilities for rare lines or tie it to player stats? Let me know your tweaks!

How to Use

  • Add a ClickDetector to an NPC model in workspace.
  • Attach this script to the NPC.
  • Customize the NPC_DIALOGUES table with your own lines.

Potential Enhancements

  • Add a cooldown so NPCs don’t spam dialogue.
  • Store dialogue in a ModuleScript for reuse across multiple NPCs.
  • Trigger lines based on time of day or player inventory.
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