Hello all.
I am currently working on a game where the player can walk around a small town and talk (in depth) with the people he meets along the way. He can do quests, earn minor upgrades etc. This is just a proof for what might be a larger game.
Anyway, I have the player script which tells the object (character) they are selected, and then the conversation is handled with the chat script each character will have. Each with different dialogue. In order for me to get this system working correctly, I had to use 3 variables. One to record the answer chosen, this is a simple 1,2,3,4 (ABCD). Depending on which question the player chose. The next is a ConversationDepth variable that records how far through the conversation the player is, just adding one for each reply given.The last is a reply depth (really direction) that records which path has been taken through the conversation.
This is all working, but for some reason the game gets sluggish when I enter the case 1: for my convodepth switch. It’s not sluggish before, and not sluggish when it enters cases after that.
Here is the script (some of it anyway) I left out case 3, as it’s just the same as the others, but, as you can imagine exponentially longer!
This leads me to my second worry (two birds one stone, right?). I’m worried that the code will become vastly too large if I wish to incorporate all of the dialogue. Would I be better of leaving some initial dialogue within this script, but then perhaps have other scripts store further dialogue I can call to if a player get’s really chatty.?
Also, if this system is a complete mess, and you know of a better way of achieving this, please let me know 
private GameObject player;
private int conversationDepth; // This will store the number of replies from the player, so we can move through the conversation.
public GUIText gTextReply;
public bool isSelected = false; // This lets us know if we have been selected by the player.
private string askMe_A;
private string askMe_B;
private string askMe_C;
private string askMe_D; // This will most likely remain a goodbye/exit conversation option.
private int actionTaken; // stores the number of the action chosen by the character. (interaction Window)// NOT IN USE YET!
private int replyGiven; // Determines which reply was given 1,2,3,4
private int replyDepth; // Determines the directions the chat goes as we move through the conversation.
public string charatcerID = ("Soldier"); // This is the name of the character. This can be chnaged at anytime. In or out of code.
public string GetCharacterID(){return charatcerID;} // Send the player our name when requested.
public GUIText gTextA;
public GUIText gTextB;
public GUIText gTextC;
public GUIText gTextD;
void Start () {player = GameObject.Find("Player");}
void OnGUI(){ // Temp butons to collect player input.
if(isSelected){
if (GUI.Button(new Rect(20,640,20,20),"")){
replyGiven = 1;
conversationDepth = conversationDepth +1;}
ChatLog();
if (GUI.Button(new Rect(20,660,20,20),"")){
replyGiven = 2;
conversationDepth = conversationDepth +1;}
ChatLog();
if (GUI.Button(new Rect(20,680,20,20),"")){
replyGiven = 3;
conversationDepth = conversationDepth +1;}
ChatLog();
if (GUI.Button(new Rect(20,700,20,20),"")){
replyGiven = 4;
conversationDepth = conversationDepth +1;}
ChatLog();}}
void Update () {
//TextController playerText = player.transform.gameObject.GetComponent();
if(!isSelected){
askMe_A = ("");
askMe_B = ("");
askMe_C = ("");
askMe_D = ("");}
//playerText.canSelect = true;} // Will be used once chat is refined.
if(isSelected){ // Display the questions.
gTextA.text = askMe_A;
gTextB.text = askMe_B;
gTextC.text = askMe_C;
gTextD.text = askMe_D;}}
void ChatLog(){
switch (conversationDepth){
case 0:{ // convodepth 0
gTextReply.text = ("How can I help, young man?");
askMe_A = ("What happened here?");
askMe_B = ("I'm looking for a place to stay");
askMe_C = ("Do you know where I might find some work?");
askMe_D = ("I'm fine, thanks.");}break;
case 1:{//convo depth 1
switch (replyGiven){
case 1:{
gTextReply.text = ("The same thing that happens everytime there's an increase in magic usage");
askMe_A = ("Words. Picked A, depth 1");
askMe_B = ("Words. Picked A, depth 1 PICK ME!"); // 1 // Got here fine //should return replygiven 2 and RD 1 conDepth 2
askMe_C = ("Words. Picked A, depth 1");
askMe_D = ("Words. Picked A, depth 1");
replyDepth = 1;
print ("this is the replyDepth" + replyDepth);} break;
case 2:{
gTextReply.text = ("Response");
askMe_A = ("Words. Picked B, depth 1");
askMe_B = ("Words. Picked B, depth 1");
askMe_C = ("Words. Picked B, depth 1");
askMe_D = ("Words. Picked B, depth 1");
replyDepth = 2;}break;
case 3:{
gTextReply.text = ("Response");
askMe_A = ("Words. Picked C, depth 1");
askMe_B = ("Words. Picked C, depth 1");
askMe_C = ("Words. Picked C, depth 1");
askMe_D = ("Words. Picked C, depth 1");
replyDepth = 3;}break;
case 4:{
gTextReply.text = ("Very well.");
isSelected = false;
}break;
}
}break;
case 2:{// convo depth 2
if(replyDepth == 1){
switch (replyGiven){
case 1:{
gTextReply.text = ("Response");
askMe_A = ("Words. Picked A, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_B = ("Words. Picked A, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_C = ("Words. Picked A, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_D = ("Words. Picked A, depth 2, RD1");
replyDepth = 1;}break;
case 2:{
gTextReply.text = ("Response to PICKME!");
askMe_A = ("Words. Picked B, depth 2, RD1 PickME!"); //0 //
askMe_B = ("Words. Picked B, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_C = ("Words. Picked B, depth 2, RD1 PICK me next");
askMe_D = ("Words. Picked B, depth 2, RD1");
print ("I was here, but must have fallen through.");
replyDepth = 2;}break;
case 3:{
gTextReply.text = ("Response");
askMe_A = ("Words. Picked C, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_B = ("Words. Picked C, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_C = ("Words. Picked C, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_D = ("Words. Picked C, depth 2, RD1");
replyDepth = 3;}break;
case 4:{
gTextReply.text = ("Response");
askMe_A = ("Words. Picked D, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_B = ("Words. Picked D, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_C = ("Words. Picked D, depth 2, RD1");
askMe_D = ("Words. Picked D, depth 2, RD1");
replyDepth = 4;}break;
}
}
}break;`