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Variations
A Spoken Line doesn't contain one text but a list of Variations: versions of its text. When the Line runs, the game displays the Variation that fits the situation: the current language, who is speaking and to whom, or a random pick. This page explains how Variations are created and written in Candy Dialogue Creator. How the game chooses one is explained in the Candy Dialogue Engine documentation, under Speech > Variations. Variation Names A Variation's name states when it's displayed. It consists of parts joined by underscores, always in this order:
PartDescription
LanguageAlways first. Default is the original language of your Dialogues, whatever language that is. Translations are named after their language, such as French.
Custom tagsConditions, in alphabetical order. A tag can have a value, such as P=F, or none, such as Shout.
Random tag#1, #2...: a numbered alternative, picked at random.
TTSAlways last. The text that text-to-speech reads instead of the displayed text.
For example: Default, Default_P=F, French_P=F_S=M_#2, Default_#1_TTS. These names are never typed: the languages and tags are declared once, and Candy Dialogue Creator builds every name they combine into. Language and Tag Setup Open Edit > Settings..., then Dialogue > Languages & Tags. Languages Type a language's name, pick its text direction, and press Add language. Default always exists, and is listed first.
  • The direction (Left to right or Right to left) is the one new Variations in that language start with. It can be changed on the language's row.
  • Hide leaves a language out of the Dialogue Editor without removing it. Translators can hide the languages they don't work on.
Custom Tags Type a tag and press Add tag.
  • A tag with a value is written with =: S=F and S=M are two values of the tag S. A Variation never contains two values of the same tag.
  • A tag without =, such as Shout, is on or off.
What a tag means is decided in your game: see the Candy Dialogue Engine documentation. Random Tags Type a random tag, such as #1, and press Add random tag. Add as many as the largest number of alternatives a Line will need. Naming Rules Languages and tags can't contain spaces, underscores (_) or #, nor characters a file name can't contain: these names become part of voice file names. See Languages and Tags. Disabled Combinations With several tags, the number of combinations grows quickly, and most games don't use them all. Dialogue > Variations lists every combination: switch off the ones you don't write. A combination that is off is no longer displayed in the Dialogue Editor. See Variations settings. Picking a Variation In the Dialogue Editor, the Variation Selector lists the Variations, language by language. Click one: the text box, the voice player and the counters now display that Variation.
  • The Variations the Line already has text for are displayed normally. The others are dimmed.
  • Click the button in front of a language to fold or unfold its Variations.
The same Variation stays picked from one Line to the next, so a whole scene can be written in one language. See Variation Selector. Writing a Variation Pick the Variation, then type in the text box. A Variation is created the moment you type in it: there is nothing to add first. To remove a Variation, empty its text: a Variation with no text is left out of the exported Dialogue, and is displayed dimmed in the Variation Selector again. Each Variation also has properties of its own, displayed under the text in the default layout:
PropertyDescription
DirectionThe direction the text is written in. It starts as its language's direction.
WeightThe Variation's chance of being picked when Variations are picked at random, relative to the others.
To write several Variations at once, see Translating and Random and TTS Variations. Voice Files A Spoken Line has one Voice field for all its Variations: each Variation has its own file of that name. The Voice Preview plays the file of the Variation that is picked. See Voice Preview. Broken Variation Names A Dialogue written by hand, or edited outside Candy Dialogue Creator, can contain Variation names that don't follow the rules. Candy Dialogue Creator checks every name when it loads a save, imports a Dialogue or loads Presets, and opens a report when it detects some. Names it can fix Spaces, empty parts, dots at the end of a part, : instead of = in a tag, capitals that differ from a known spelling, repeated parts, and parts in the wrong order. These are fixed as the file loads, and the report lists them. The file itself is only corrected the next time you save or export. Names it can't fix An empty name, a name that doesn't start with a language, a part that contains a character languages and tags can't contain, two values of the same tag, two random tags, or two Variations of a Line with the same name. The file isn't loaded at all: correct these names in the file, with a text editor, then load it again. The report lists every one of them, with its Conversation, Block and Line. Copy copies the report as plain text. When a Dialogue loads, the languages and tags it uses that your profile lacks are added to the profile.