Switching between Visual Novel text boxes and Sound Novel text boxes.

A quick and dirty guide to enabling a second text box style for on the fly switches between Visual Novel full screen text display and Dating Sim bottom of the screen text display.

Text boxes and you

Have you noticed that TyranoBuilder asks you to select a Game Type when creating a new project? The options are Visual Novel and Sound Novel and whichever one you pick, the program uses as default for any instance of text you put into the scenario as dialogue. Some examples of what they typically look like here.

Here we have an example of Visual Novel style.

And here we have an example of Sound Novel style.

However, what if I told you there was a way to freely change between both styles? That you weren't 100% locked to one Game Type after picking it at the start of your project?

Well, it's true and it's honestly not all that hard to do either! Just follow this nifty guide and we'll have you switching between both options in no time!

Your tools

There are 3 tags you'll need to learn to switch between both styles.

[position]
[layopt]
[current]

As well as two names you'll need to familiarize yourself with, "message0" and "message1".

The [current] tag will allow you to select which text window you want your text to go to at that particular moment and from then on until you change the [current] tag to a different text window.

The [layopt] tag will allow you to set your text windows to invisible or visible, depending on which you want active at the time. You can leave both visible if you want, but as far as I know, [current] makes it so that only one may be active and receptive to text at a time.

The [position] tag will allow you to choose the parameters of your text window, essential for making those big featureless narration boxes.

"message0" is the name of your default text box, depending on what you selected at the beginning of the project's creation.

"message1" will be the name of your secondary text box, which is invisible by default and needs to be messed with with the [position] tag to be made use of.

The gist of the script

What you'll want to do, is create place a TyranoScript component, or use one that happened to already be there, at the beginning of your scene.

There, you'll need to place this script -
[position layer="message1" width=XXX height=XXX top=0 left=0 marginl=XX margint=XX color=black opacity=160]

Now that that's been placed... you're pretty much done. Adjust the XXX values to whatever size you want your narration box to be and it's ready to be used!

Whenever you want to switch to your Sound Novel style, simply put down another TyranoScript component and enter :
[current layer="message1"]
[layopt layer="message0" visible=false]
[layopt layer="message1" visible=true]

And voila, you've now switched up your game type to a sound novel!

Any text entered past this point will be placed inside your sound novel text box and your visual novel text box will have vanished in the meantime...

If you want to switch back, you simply need to reactive message0 and deactive message1 like so :
[current layer="message0"]
[layopt layer="message1" visible=false]
[layopt layer="message0" visible=true]

Annnd that's about it! From then on, your text will now place itself back on your default text box!

Example :

[current layer="message0"]
[layopt layer="message1" visible=false]
[layopt layer="message0" visible=true]
#Yuko
Hey dummy!
[current layer="message1"]
[layopt layer="message0" visible=false]
[layopt layer="message1" visible=true]
That there is my dumb little sister Yuko, we don't talk to her much.

And that's about all there is for this guide, short and sweet! Here's hoping it will help some of you out!

[Anuhiu]

I see this discussion is pretty much dead but I can't seem to make it work properly. The text box is fine but when it reads everything automatically jumps to another scene/text box/whatever you have after it.

Is there a script to make it stop and then click it when you want to move forward?

[lijuta]

@irishattherock I know, this discussion is dead for a loooong time now, but anyone having the same problem. It can be fixed by playing around with the settings of the textbox (top right corner, if the box is selected). Change it to "await click and new line" for example. Then, it should work.

[irishattherock]

I can't get multiple lines of text to show up in my sound novel box, is there a fix for that?

[Nizate]

This seems to disrupt the current chat text area specifications set in TB. So prior to adding this, if you have specific locations set in your UI for your current message box, write them down and set it according to your message 0:

[position layer="message0" width=XXX height=XXX top=0 left=0 marginl=XX margint=XX color=black opacity=160]

[Archarzel]

Wow, I'm going to have to use this, thank you!

[cruz]

Amazing! Thank you very much!

[tell me about that]

For those who see 2 message box - that is because you dont have to use "Show text" effect. That's all. You already "false" it through script and again make it back. This is mistake.

[Panoni]

Same here I got 2 message box instead of one.

[Misaki]

hmmm dunno why but message0 box still shows even if I put visible=false

[8oni]

I try this and it works perfectly fine until for some reason now I got 2 message box show up at the same time instead of one hiding ...