Player Choice Node

Figure 1. Player Choice Node

You can use the Player Choice Node to present choices to players. The game can then branch based on the players’ choices. A Player Choice Node includes the following common parameters:

  • Type: You can select different types of Player Choice Nodes by choosing options from the dropdown bar. Each type will have different parameters for choices, which can be added using the ‘Add Another Choice‘ button. The types includes:
    • Simple Choice: The simplest type of Player Choice Node only provides basic functionalities.
    • Object Choice: Beyond simple choice functionalities, you can set objects in the current scene as buttons for players to choose from.
    • Advance Choice: The advanced type of Player Choice that contains all the functionalities mentioned above.
    • Open Response: You can set open ended questions by using this type of Player Choice node.
  • Has Prompt: You can set a prompt to inform how players should choose from different selections. If the “Has Prompt” checkbox is selected, the “Speaker” drop down bar, the “Speaking” checkbox, and the “Enter text…” input bar will appear for you to customize the prompt.
    • Speaker: The speaker of the prompt. The speaker of the prompt can be selected from all objects in the current scene using the dropdown bar. Choosing the ‘None’ option allows you to create a narration without a speaker.
    • Speaking: You can choose from two types of dialog boxes by clicking the checkbox beside “Speaking”. If “Speaking” is not selected, the dialog boxes indicate that the speaker is thinking; otherwise, they show that the speaker is speaking aloud.
    • Enter text…: You can set the content of the prompt by changing the texts in the input bar.
  • Timer: You can set a countdown timer for players to choose the answer in a limited time. If the “Timer” checkbox is selected,  the “Enter Choice Time” input bar will appear for you to enter the time limit. If players run out of time while choosing, the game will default to the second choice.
    • Enter Choice Time: You can set the time limit by changing the texts in this input bar. Only Float numbers are allowed.
  • Add another Choice: You can add new choices to the nodes for players to select from. The added choices will have different parameters based on the node type.

Player Choice - Choices

Figure 2. Advanced Choices.

The choices in the Player Choice Node consists of following parameters:

  • Number: The number order of the choice.
  • : The button to delete the choice.
  • Button Text: The choice text.
  • On Object (Defaults to button): This parameter is only available in the “Object Choice” or “Advance Choice” type. By selecting objects in the current scene, you can set the button trigger on the object instead of using the generated button. The button text will appear at the center of the selected object, and the object will be highlighted during the game to indicate to players that it is interactable.
  • Shown if: This parameter is only available in the “Advance Choice” type. You can use Boolean variables to control whether the choice is available for players to select.
  • only pickable once: The choice can be selected by players only once if the “only pickable once” checkbox is selected. It will not be shown if the node is called a second time or more. As shown in Figure 3, by connecting the Choice 2 branch back to the Player Choice node, you can create a loop. When players select Choice 2, the game will continuously prompt them to choose between Choice 1 and Choice 2. If the ‘only pickable once’ checkbox is selected, players will not be able to select Choice 2 again if they selected it previously. Instead, they will have only one option, Choice 1, which will force them to progress in the game.

Figure 3. An example of looping player choice.

Player Choice - Open Response

Figure 4. Open Response Type of Player Choice Node.

By using the Open Response type, you can allow the player to input their own answers to the questions in an input bar. The Open Response type consists of following parameters:

  • Variable saved to: You can save the user input into a scripting or research variable. The user input must match the variable type (see “Value Type” in “Scripting Variables” and “Research Variables”).
  • Multi-line Input: If this checkbox is selected, players can use Enter to create a new line; otherwise, pressing Enter will directly submit the answer.
  • Custom text input object: You can choose Text or Button objects in the scene as the custom text input objects. Choosing other objects will have the same effect as selecting the default option, which creates a new input bar at the bottom of the scene for players to input their answers.
  • Custom click-to-submit button: You can choose any object in the scene as the click-to-submit button for players to submit their answers. The object will be highlighted during the game to indicate that it is interactable. The default option will generate a button at the bottom right of the scene for players to submit their answers.