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Quick Start

Get a basic NPC conversation running in under 10 minutes.

Overview

By the end of this guide you will have:

  1. A dialogue tree data asset with branching responses
  2. An NPC Blueprint with UFWDialogueComponent attached
  3. A working conversation that the player can navigate

Step 1 -- Create a Dialogue Tree

  1. In the Content Browser, right-click and select Miscellaneous > Data Asset.
  2. Choose FWDialogueTree as the class.
  3. Name it DA_Dialogue_Blacksmith.

Open the asset and add dialogue nodes:

Node 0 -- Greeting

Field Value
NodeId 0
SpeakerName Grunthor the Blacksmith
DialogueText Welcome, traveler. My forge is the finest in the valley. What brings you here?
EntryActions (none)

Add two responses:

Response ResponseText NextNodeId
0 I need a weapon repaired. 1
1 Just browsing. Farewell. -1

End-of-Dialogue Convention

A NextNodeId of -1 signals the end of the conversation. When a response with NextNodeId = -1 is selected, the component calls EndDialogue automatically.

Node 1 -- Repair Branch

Field Value
NodeId 1
SpeakerName Grunthor the Blacksmith
DialogueText Aye, I can fix that up for you. It will cost 50 gold. What say you?

Add two responses:

Response ResponseText NextNodeId
0 Here is the gold. Fix it up. 2
1 That is too expensive. Never mind. -1

Node 2 -- Completion

Field Value
NodeId 2
SpeakerName Grunthor the Blacksmith
DialogueText Done. Good as new. Come back if you need anything else.

Add one response:

Response ResponseText NextNodeId
0 Thanks, Grunthor. -1

Step 2 -- Create the NPC Blueprint

  1. Create a new Actor Blueprint (e.g., BP_NPC_Blacksmith).
  2. Add a Skeletal Mesh Component or Static Mesh Component for the NPC's visual.
  3. Click Add Component and search for FWDialogue.
  4. Select FW Dialogue Component.

The dialogue component needs no configuration in the Details panel -- dialogue trees are passed at runtime when the conversation starts.

Step 3 -- Start the Dialogue

When the player interacts with the NPC (via overlap, interaction key, etc.), start the dialogue:

On Interact (Player)
    |
    +-- Get Dialogue Component
    |
    +-- Load DA_Dialogue_Blacksmith (Soft Object Reference)
    |
    +-- Start Dialogue
            Tree: DA_Dialogue_Blacksmith
            Interactor: Player Character

void ANPC_Blacksmith::OnInteract(AActor* Interactor)
{
    UFWDialogueTree* Tree = LoadObject<UFWDialogueTree>(
        nullptr, TEXT("/Game/Data/Dialogues/DA_Dialogue_Blacksmith"));

    DialogueComp->StartDialogue(Tree, Interactor);
}

Step 4 -- Display the Dialogue UI

Bind to the component's events to drive your UI:

Bind Event to On Node Changed
    |
    Event: ()
        |
        +-- CurrentNode = Get Current Node
        |
        +-- Set Speaker Name Text = CurrentNode.SpeakerName
        |
        +-- Set Dialogue Text = CurrentNode.DialogueText
        |
        +-- Responses = Get Available Responses
        |
        +-- For Each Response:
                +-- Create Response Button
                +-- Set Button Text = Response.ResponseText

When the player clicks a response button:

On Response Button Clicked (Index)
    |
    +-- Get Dialogue Component
    |
    +-- Select Response (Index)

The component advances to the next node and fires OnNodeChanged again, updating the UI.

Step 5 -- Handle Dialogue End

Bind Event to On Dialogue Ended
    |
    Event: ()
        |
        +-- Hide Dialogue UI
        |
        +-- Re-enable Player Input

Result

You now have:

  • An NPC that speaks with branching dialogue
  • A data-driven conversation defined entirely in a Data Asset
  • UI events that update whenever the dialogue state changes

Next Steps