SkinCollector

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-08

Overview

SkinCollector is a UI widget that provides the visual and interactive interface for the Skin Collector character in Don't Starve Together. It manages animated character models (using UIAnim), speech bubble rendering (using Text and UIAnim), and controlled dialogue flow for trading interactions. The component is typically instantiated during the skin trading mini-game screen and handles entry/exit animations, speech state transitions, and idle speech scheduling.

Usage example

local SkinCollector = require "widgets/skincollector"
local mini_game = GetMiniGame() -- hypothetical mini-game reference
local widget = SkinCollector(5, mini_game, STRINGS.UI.TRADESCREEN.SKIN_COLLECTOR_SPEECH.START, false)
widget:Appear()
widget:Say("Hello, traveler!", nil, "Beefalo Wool", "5")

Dependencies & tags

Components used: UIAnim, Text, Image, Widget, TEMPLATES.InvisibleButton
Tags: None identified.

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
innkeeper	UIAnim	nil	The animated character model for the Skin Collector.
speech_bubble	UIAnim	nil	The animated speech bubble container.
text	Text	nil	The text widget displaying speech content.
hand	Widget (InvisibleButton)	nil	Interactive button area to trigger "Hand" speech.
mini_game	table / nil	nil	Reference to the associated mini-game context.
start_text	string / table	nil	Initial speech text to use on appearance.
num_items	number	0	Number of items to display in context (e.g., for START_EMPTY vs START).
intro_done	boolean	false	Whether the appearance animation has completed.
talking	boolean	false	Whether the character is currently speaking.
sleeped	boolean	false	Whether the character is in a sleeping state (pausing updates).
exit_callback	function	nil	Callback to invoke on exit completion.
last_speech_time	number	0	Static time (seconds) of the last speech event.
text_string	string	nil	Current speech text to display.
display_text_time	number	0	Remaining time (seconds) to show the speech text.
sound_started	boolean	nil	Whether the talk loop sound has been started.

Main functions

Appear()

• Description: Initiates the Skin Collector's entry animation sequence and begins update loop for speech/idle logic.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

Disappear(callbackfn)

• Description: Starts the exit animation and schedules a callback for after the animation finishes.
• Parameters: callbackfn (function) — function to call once disappear animation completes.
• Returns: Nothing.

Snap()

• Description: Plays a quick "snap" animation (e.g., for interaction feedback) and returns to idle state.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

QuitTalking()

• Description: Immediately ends current speech, closes bubble, and kills associated sound.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

Say(text, rarity, name, number)

• Description: Triggers a speech sequence: queues animations, displays formatted text, and plays talk loop sound.
• Parameters:
  text (string or table) — speech content; if table, a random item is selected.
  rarity (string, optional) — placeholder for <rarity> substitution.
  name (string, optional) — placeholder for <item> substitution.
  number (string, optional) — placeholder for <number> substitution.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Asserts text is non-nil; raises error with message "Bad text string for SkinCollector speech" if missing.

ClearSpeech()

• Description: Ends speech cleanly—closes bubble, resets text, and plays post-dialogue animation.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: No-op if not currently talking (i.e., dialog animations not active).

Sleep()

• Description: Pauses all speech and update logic by setting internal sleep flag.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

Wake()

• Description: Resumes update logic by clearing the sleep flag.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

OnUpdate(dt)

• Description: Main update loop for managing speech, idle behavior, and animation state transitions.
• Parameters: dt (number) — delta time in seconds since last frame.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Early returns if sleeped is true or during exit animations.

Events & listeners

• Listens to: None (does not register events).
• Pushes: None (does not fire events).