Phaser

← Bring content into your game

Phaser 3.90 · JavaScript

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

Create index.html, first-text.js and story/story.json in one web project. Include Phaser 3.90 before first-text.js using script tags. You can use the existing examples/phaser/phaser.min.js file. Open the project through a local web server, not by double-clicking HTML.

story.json · Export files explained

2 · Show the first text

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en"><meta charset="utf-8"><title>First VNLE text</title>
<script src="phaser.min.js"></script>
<script src="first-text.js"></script></html>

Phaser 3.90 · Phaser license

class FirstText extends Phaser.Scene {
  preload() {
    this.load.json('story', 'story/story.json');
    this.load.on('loaderror', file => console.error('Cannot load', file.src));
  }
  create() {
    const story = this.cache.json.get('story');
    if (!story) { this.add.text(24, 24, 'Cannot load story.json'); return; }
    const locale = 'en';
    const id = 'fd7b61a3-8233-4ba7-8f77-b88b119a91bf';
    const record = story.content.texts[id];
    const translation = story.content.translations[locale]?.[id];
    const message = translation ? translation.message : record.sourceMessage;
    const text = message.segments.map(segment => {
      if (segment.kind !== 'text') throw new Error('Text-only example');
      return segment.text;
    }).join('');
    this.add.text(24, 24, text, {fontSize: '24px', wordWrap: {width: 720}});
  }
}
new Phaser.Game({type: Phaser.AUTO, width: 800, height: 300, scene: FirstText});

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: Text.setText(). Answers: Text.setInteractive() and pointerdown, each carrying its option ID. End: hide dialogue objects with setVisible(false) and disable their input; keep the game scene running.

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

// story is already loaded. Keep each optionId on its answer button.
const choice = story.execution.nodes['42edfff8-b8fe-46bf-ae0d-9e2347b6e726'];
for (const optionId of choice.optionOrder) {
  const option = choice.options[optionId];
  console.log(optionId, option.text.textRef); // Resolve text, then create your button.
}
// Inspect the actual purchase check. This particular node is Gold >= 5.
const branch = story.execution.nodes['c1c3c372-0a73-4cd0-851d-ede59d5709bb'];
const gold = 10; // Repeat with 2, using your current game value.
const next = gold >= branch.condition.right.value.value ? branch.whenTrue : branch.whenFalse;
console.log(next.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.

// preload(): the key is a real VNLE character ID; the file is yours.
this.load.image('807b2957-7bab-4a28-83a4-1f3d1589bbc2', 'assets/portraits/mira.png');
// create(): keep one image for the dialogue bar.
this.portrait = this.add.image(100, 180, '807b2957-7bab-4a28-83a4-1f3d1589bbc2').setVisible(false);
// When showing a dialogue; node is your current dialogue object:
const key = node.speakerRef;
this.portrait.setVisible(Boolean(key && this.textures.exists(key)));
if (key && this.textures.exists(key)) this.portrait.setTexture(key);

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

Keep JSON and images in the published web folder. Paths are relative to the HTML page unless a loader path is configured. Use the data in create; preload queues the requests. Check load failures.

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:

• Phaser 3 asset loading
• Loader lifecycle and JSON
• Text objects