Npc Talker

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-03

Overview

Npc_talker implements a dialogue queue system for non-player characters (NPCs), allowing multiple lines of speech to be scheduled and played in order. It works in conjunction with the talker component to execute lines sequentially, using Talker:Say or Talker:Chatter internally. It supports both raw string lines and structured CHATTER entries (using strtbl keys), and optionally plays distinct sounds per line. Queuing behavior can be overridden or stompable (new high-priority lines cancel the existing queue).

Usage example

local inst = CreateEntity()
inst:AddComponent("npc_talker")
inst:AddComponent("talker")

-- Queue multiple lines with optional sound
inst.components.npc_talker:Say({"Hello there.", "How are you?"}, false, false, "sfx NPC hello")
inst.components.npc_talker:Chatter("NPC.GREETING", 1, CHATPRIORITIES.LOW, false, false, "sfx npc greet")

-- Start playback (typically called externally, e.g., on an event)
inst:ListenForEvent("start_npc_speak", function() inst.components.npc_talker:donextline() end)

Dependencies & tags

Components used: talker (via self.inst.components.talker) Tags: None identified.

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
queue	table	{}	List of lines to be spoken, each either a string or {strtbl, index, chatpriority}.
soundqueue	table	{}	Parallel list of sound strings (or false) corresponding to each queued line.
default_chatpriority	number	CHATPRIORITIES.NOCHAT	Fallback priority for Chatter calls when none is specified.
stompable	boolean	false	Flag indicating if a stompable line was last added and should be overridden by subsequent stompable lines.

Main functions

Say(lines, override, stompable, sound)

• Description: Adds one or more dialogue lines to the queue. Supports raw strings or tables of strings. A single optional sound can be associated with the first line; subsequent lines default to no sound unless specified in bulk.
• Parameters:
  • lines (string or table of strings) – Line(s) to add to the queue.
  • override (boolean) – If true, clears the current queue before adding new lines.
  • stompable (boolean) – If true and queue is non-empty, ignores the new lines; if lines are added, marks the queue as stompable.
  • sound (string or nil) – Optional sound effect name to play with the first line.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Returns early without adding lines if stompable is true and the queue is non-empty.

Chatter(strtbl, index, chatpriority, override, stompable, sound)

• Description: Adds one or more localized CHATTER entries to the queue by resolving strtbl (e.g., "NPC.GREETING") against STRINGS. If index is omitted and the resolved entry is an array, all entries are queued.
• Parameters:
  • strtbl (string or nil) – Dot-separated key path into STRINGS (e.g., "NPC.GREETING").
  • index (number or nil) – Specific index to use from the resolved string table; if omitted and multiple lines exist, all are queued.
  • chatpriority (number or nil) – Chat priority (e.g., CHATPRIORITIES.LOW); defaults to default_chatpriority.
  • override (boolean) – If true, clears the current queue before adding new lines.
  • stompable (boolean) – If true and queue is non-empty, ignores new lines; if added, marks the queue as stompable.
  • sound (string or nil) – Optional sound effect name for the first line; subsequent queued lines default to no sound.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Returns early without adding lines if strtbl resolves to nil, or if stompable is true and the queue is non-empty.

haslines()

• Description: Checks whether the queue contains any lines waiting to be spoken.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: true if #queue > 0; otherwise false.

resetqueue()

• Description: Empties both the queue and soundqueue.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

donextline()

• Description: Plays the next line in the queue, removing it from the front after execution. Plays associated sound if present, and delegates to talker:Say or talker:Chatter depending on line format.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Silently returns if queue is empty. Does not automatically trigger the next line after completion; external event handling (e.g., "done_npc_talk") is expected to call this method again.

Events & listeners

• Listens to: None (explicit listener for "done_npc_talk" is commented out in source).
• Pushes: None.