Dialog

Dialog is the node you will use most. It gives the story a voice: a speaker, a line of text, and the next place the story should go.

Use Insert > Dialogue & Logic > Say Dialogue when the player should read a line before the route continues.

Properties

Node-specific properties

Field	What it does
Speaker	Character or narrator speaking this line.
Text	The line shown to the player. Supports variable templates such as {playerName}.
Inherit Previous Speaker	Reuses the previous speaker when set.
Speaker Label Override	Shows custom speaker text for this line only.
Append To Previous Text	Adds this line below the current text instead of replacing it.
Wait For Advance Input	When false, the line continues after a timer instead of waiting for player input.
No-Input Delay	Timer used when Wait For Advance Input is false. Falls back to the project no-input delay.
Typewriter Speed	Overrides the project typewriter speed for this line.
Scroll Sound Set	Overrides the typing sound for this line.
Skippable	Controls whether the typewriter text can be skipped.
Portrait Override	Shows a specific portrait for this line.
Emphasize Sprite	Emphasizes a visible sprite while the line is active.
Dialog UI Override	Uses a different dialog preset for this line.
Cues	Triggers audio or effects when specific text appears.

Inherited/common properties

Field	What it does
Name	Optional label used in the editor and Story Map. Leave it empty to use VNC's automatic node name.
Next	Node that runs after this node finishes its own work.

Runtime Behavior

When a Dialog node runs, VNC resolves variable templates, updates the dialog UI, refreshes portrait and scroll sound choices, writes the line into the story log, then waits for input or a timer.

If Append To Previous Text is true, the new line is added under the previous text with a line break. This is useful for NVL-style passages and moments where a character continues a thought.

Cues

Cues watch for exact text as the line scrolls. Each cue can play an audio asset or trigger an effect. If the same trigger text appears more than once, VNC tracks each occurrence separately.

Effect cue options depend on the selected target. Dialog and Screen cues support shake and jump; Sprite cues also support emphasize and deemphasize and can use Target Slot. If you change a cue away from Sprite, sprite-only effects are cleared so the cue stays valid.

Keep cue text small

Use short cue triggers such as a word, punctuation mark, or phrase. Long triggers are harder to notice when you edit the line later.

Example Setups

Goal	Setup
Personalized line	Speaker narrator, Text Then you're the courier, {playerName}. Trust level {score}; badge clearance confirmed., Set Next to the next node in your route.
Continued warning	Leave Speaker empty, set Inherit Previous Speaker true, set Append To Previous Text true, write choose the route you can defend., then set Next to the next node in your route.
Timed interruption	Set Wait For Advance Input false, No-Input Delay 0.75, Typewriter Speed 1.4, and Skippable false so the line advances on its own.
Portrait and voice override	Set Speaker first_noob, Speaker Label Override Archive Voice, Portrait Override noob, Scroll Sound Set default, Emphasize Sprite noob, and Dialog UI Override episode for a line that should temporarily read differently.
Text-timed impact	Add a cue with trigger text Listen!, audio sfx/story/punchLight, effect target screen, effect shake, intensity 4, and duration 0.15.

Common Mistakes

Problem	Fix
The line does not run	Make sure the scene starts at this node or another connected node reaches it.
The story stops after the line	Set Next unless this is intentionally the end of the path.
A portrait does not appear	Check the character default portrait or Portrait Override.
A variable template appears as blank	Check that the variable key exists and has a value before this line runs.

Dialog nodes are the spine of most routes. Once the line reads correctly, the rest of the scene has something solid to connect to.