[HOWTO] How To: Control the Duration of Subtitle Text

[Tony Li]

When the Dialogue System processes a dialogue entry in an active conversation, it displays it as a subtitle. (If your PC entries aren't appearing as subtitles, see this post.)

Each subtitle stays onscreen for the duration of its Sequence. (More info: Cutscene Sequences.) If the dialogue entry's Sequence field is blank, it uses the Dialogue Manager GameObject's Display Settings > Camera & Cutscene Settings > Default Sequence. The initial value of Default Sequence is:

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Delay({{end}})

This delays for the duration specified by the special keyword {{end}}, which is based on the text length, the Dialogue Manager GameObject's Display Settings > Subtitle Settings > Subtitle Chars Per Second, and Min Subtitle Seconds.

You can change an individual dialogue entry's Sequence or the Dialogue Manager's Default Sequence -- or even the Default Sequence in an individual conversation using Menu > Conversation Properties in the Dialogue Editor. For example, to always delay for 2 seconds, set Default Sequence to: Delay(2).

Side tip: If your dialogue UI uses a typewriter effect and you want to do something as soon as the typewriter finishes, listen for the sequencer message "Typed". Example:

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AnimatorPlay(MoveMouth);
required AnimatorPlay(CloseMouth)@Message(Typed)

Note: If you have set the Dialogue Manager's Subtitle Settings > Continue Button mode to a mode that requires a continue button click, the subtitle will also wait for the player to click a continue button, or for a Continue() sequencer command which simulates a continue button click.