Defold

← Bring content into your game

Defold · Lua · GUI

Start with one visible sentence. This small example reads the real Harbour export directly; it is not a complete dialogue player. Then connect the data to your game UI.

1 · Prepare files and scene

Copy story.json to /story/. Add /story to project → custom_resources in game.project. Create a GUI with a text node dialogue, choose a font resource, and add the GUI to your game object. Assign first_text.gui_script to the GUI and run the project.

story.json · Export files explained

2 · Show the first text

-- first_text.gui_script: attach to a GUI containing a text node named dialogue.
function init(self)
    local raw, error = sys.load_resource("/story/story.json")
    if not raw then
        gui.set_text(gui.get_node("dialogue"), "Cannot load story.json")
        return
    end
    local ok, story = pcall(json.decode, raw)
    if not ok then
        gui.set_text(gui.get_node("dialogue"), "Invalid JSON")
        return
    end
    local locale = "en"
    local id = "fd7b61a3-8233-4ba7-8f77-b88b119a91bf"
    local content = story.content
    local translation = (content.translations[locale] or {})[id]
    local message = translation and translation.message or content.texts[id].sourceMessage
    local parts = {}
    for _, segment in ipairs(message.segments) do
        assert(segment.kind == "text", "Text-only example")
        parts[#parts + 1] = segment.text
    end
    gui.set_text(gui.get_node("dialogue"), table.concat(parts))
end

Expected: “Welcome to the harbour. I am Mira.” With locale = "de" or the language parameter de: “Willkommen im Hafen. Ich bin Mira.” A missing language uses source text. This sample supports text segments; it deliberately does not silently discard placeholders.

3 · From one sentence to a conversation

The fixed text ID above is for the first test. In your game choose flowRef/entryRef from story-index.json, read execution.entries[entryRef].nodeRef, then execution.nodes[nodeRef]. The current dialogue supplies text.textRef and speakerRef. Continuations depend on node kind.

Name/dialogue: gui.set_text. Answers: GUI nodes, input focus and gui.pick_node in on_input; retain the option ID separately. End: disable the common GUI parent with gui.set_enabled(node, false) and release input focus.

1. Continue and End: follow connections, close the text box
2. Choices: answer ID, order and selected continuation
3. Conditions and variables: ten or two gold
4. Language: the same IDs, newly resolved content
5. Command: give an item or open a shop
6. Call/Return: visit a substory and return

-- Inside a function where the decoded story table is available.
local choice = story.execution.nodes["42edfff8-b8fe-46bf-ae0d-9e2347b6e726"]
for _, option_id in ipairs(choice.optionOrder) do
    local option = choice.options[option_id]
    print(option_id, option.text.textRef)
    -- Resolve the text; retain option_id for the corresponding GUI button.
end
local branch = story.execution.nodes["c1c3c372-0a73-4cd0-851d-ede59d5709bb"]
local gold = 10 -- Repeat with 2.
local next_step = branch.whenFalse
if gold >= branch.condition.right.value.value then next_step = branch.whenTrue end
print(next_step.nodeRef)

4 · Map your own images

This supplementary excerpt expects a current dialogue object named node and the UI elements named in its comments. For C++ and MonoGame, speakerRef has already been read as SpeakerId or speakerId. The key is Mira’s actual character ID; the image name and location belong to your game. Insert the lines at the indicated locations.

-- Add mira.png to an atlas and register that atlas as portraits in the GUI Textures.
local portraits = { ["807b2957-7bab-4a28-83a4-1f3d1589bbc2"] = "mira" }
local portrait = gui.get_node("portrait") -- GUI Box node using the portraits texture
local animation = portraits[node.speakerRef]
gui.set_enabled(portrait, animation ~= nil)
if animation then gui.play_flipbook(portrait, hash(animation)) end

Resolve speaker names through content.characters[speakerRef].nameTextRef just like dialogue text. Missing mappings should hide the previous portrait or show a placeholder. Images are not selected by language.

Use image references from the complete export

5 · Ship files with the game

custom_resources includes the raw JSON in the bundle. Lua arrays start at 1: iterate optionOrder with ipairs. Read JSON ID maps with table[id]. Add images to the GUI through atlas resources.

Check your result

1. English and German greetings display correctly; an unavailable language falls back to English.
2. When adding flow: try both answers, gold 10/2, the return from the substory and End.
3. Run the built game outside your project folder. JSON, fonts and portraits must be available there too.

Official documentation

API and setup references for this approach:

• Load JSON data
• System resources
• GUI API