Talker

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

Overview

The Talker component enables an entity to produce spoken dialogue and periodic "chatter" sounds. It handles text display via the FollowText widget, network broadcasting via TheNet:Talker, and state-aware suppression of speech (e.g., when dead or asleep). It integrates closely with the health, revivablecorpse, and sleeper components to respect entity states, and supports client-server replication for multiplayer chatter events. It is typically added to NPCs, bosses, and other speaking characters.

Usage example

local inst = CreateEntity()
inst:AddComponent("talker")
inst.components.talker:SetOffsetFn(function() return Vector3(0, -500, 0) end)
inst.components.talker:Say("Hello, traveler!", 3, false, false)

Dependencies & tags

Components used: health, revivablecorpse, sleeper
Tags: Adds ignoretalking (when ignoring all talk); checks monkey, wonkey, debuffed (via health:IsDead()), isasleep (via sleeper:IsAsleep())

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
inst	Entity	nil	The entity instance to which this component is attached.
task	Task?	nil	Current speech task handle; nil when not speaking.
ignoring	table?	nil	Map of sources to ignore; true keys represent active ignore sources.
mod_str_fn	function?	nil	Optional function to modify message strings before display.
offset	Vector3?	nil	Fixed offset for follow text widget.
offset_fn	function?	nil	Optional function returning dynamic offset (takes inst as argument).
disablefollowtext	boolean?	nil	If true, prevents creation of follow text widget.
resolvechatterfn	function?	nil	Optional custom function to resolve chatter strings (replaces default STRINGS lookup logic).
widget	FollowText?	nil	Active follow text widget instance (client-only).
chatter	table?	nil	Chatter state table with net variables (strtbl, strid, strtime, forcetext, echotochatpriority, task).

Main functions

SetOffsetFn(fn)

• Description: Sets a function to compute the dynamic offset of the follow text widget relative to the entity.
• Parameters: fn (function) — a function taking inst and returning a Vector3.
• Returns: Nothing.

MakeChatter()

• Description: Initializes the chatter system for NPC dialogue. Creates replicated net variables and registers event listeners for chatter updates on non-master clients.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

Chatter(strtbl, strid, time, forcetext, echotochatpriority)

• Description: Triggers a chatter event by setting the chatter state. Automatically calls Say internally after resolving the string. Supports network replication for synchronized client-side speech.
• Parameters:
  • strtbl (string) — String table path (e.g., "STRINGS.CHARACTERS.WOODIE.SPEECH").
  • strid (number) — Index or 0 for direct table entry lookup.
  • time (number) — Optional duration in seconds for speech display.
  • forcetext (boolean) — If true, forces speech to play even during states like sleep.
  • echotochatpriority (number) — Priority level (CHATPRIORITIES.LOW, NOCHAT, etc.); if >0, echoes text to nearby player chat.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: No effect if not master simulation or if chatter is not initialized.

Say(script, time, noanim, force, nobroadcast, colour, text_filter_context, original_author_netid, onfinishedlinesfn, sgparam)

• Description: Plays speech lines. Accepts either a string or an array of Line objects. Displays follow text, broadcasts over network (unless nobroadcast), and fires events. Respects entity states (dead, sleeping) unless force=true.
• Parameters:
  • script (string or table) — A string or an array of Line objects.
  • time (number) — Duration in seconds for single-line speech.
  • noanim (boolean) — If true, disables animation during speech.
  • force (boolean) — If true, bypasses state checks (ignoring, IsDead, IsAsleep).
  • nobroadcast (boolean) — If true, suppresses network broadcast.
  • colour (table) — RGBA color table ({r, g, b, a}).
  • text_filter_context (number) — Context for word filtering (e.g., TEXT_FILTER_CTX_GAME).
  • original_author_netid (number) — Net ID of original author (for filtering and modding).
  • onfinishedlinesfn (function) — Callback called when all lines finish.
  • sgparam (any) — Additional stategraph parameter passed in ontalk event.
• Returns: nil if speech is disabled globally (TheWorld.speechdisabled) or blocked by state.
• Error states: Returns early if entity is dead or asleep (unless force=true) or if TheWorld.speechdisabled is true.

ShutUp()

• Description: Immediately stops all active speech and clears follow text widget. Resets chatter task and clears string table.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

IgnoreAll(source)

• Description: Adds a source to the ignore list. Prevents speech unless force=true in Say. Adds the ignoretalking tag on master simulation.
• Parameters: source (any) — Optional source identifier; defaults to self if nil.
• Returns: Nothing.

StopIgnoringAll(source)

• Description: Removes a source from the ignore list. If ignore list is empty, removes the ignoretalking tag on master simulation.
• Parameters: source (any) — Optional source identifier; defaults to self if nil.
• Returns: Nothing.

OnRemoveFromEntity()

• Description: Cleanup handler called when component is removed. Cancels chatter events and stops any active speech.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

Events & listeners

• Listens to: chatterdirty — triggers OnChatterDirty to process pending chatter and initiate speech.
• Pushes: ontalk — fired at start of each line with { noanim = boolean, duration = number, sgparam = any }.
• Pushes: donetalking — fired when all speech lines complete.