branch-talk

# Branch Talk

Conversations are graphs. Lines, choices, conditions, variables. Walk every branch.

Inspired by gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills dialogue-systems (Apache-2.0). Original Grok remake. Engine-neutral. Not a Godot tutor and not juice polish. Complements room-flow (space) and juice-pass (feel).

Read `references/graph-rules.md` before you author. Fill the three templates.

## When to use
- Branching dialogue, conversation tree, NPC talk, choice menus
- Narrative flags / relationship values that gate later lines
- Choosing Ink vs Yarn vs a small custom JSON runner at a high level

## When NOT to use
- Pure UI chrome for text boxes (out of scope; stay on graph design)
- Full visual-novel ship with art pipeline as the main ask
- Level blockout (use room-flow) or hit juice (use juice-pass)
- Cracked dialogue plugins or stolen script dumps from commercial games

## Inputs
- Scene goal (what the player can learn / change)
- Cast and tone
- Authoring preference if any (Ink-like, Yarn-like, custom graph)
- Variables that already exist in the game

## Procedure
1. State the scene job in one sentence (info, gate, relationship shift, comedy beat).
2. Choose authoring approach at a high level: prose-first (Ink-like), node+commands (Yarn-like), or custom JSON graph for small trees. Do not paste vendor docs.
3. Define node contract: line (speaker + line id), choices, command/set, end/jump.
4. Keep variables in a store separate from UI. Gate choices with conditions. Apply `set` on transitions so revisits do not double-charge.
5. Use line IDs for display text from day one (localization-ready). Put readable draft text beside IDs in templates for authors.
6. Sketch the graph in `templates/node-graph.md`. Fill `templates/variable-sheet.md` and `templates/playtest-walk.md`.
7. Verify: every node ends, branches, or jumps; no orphan nodes; conditions referenced exist; sticky vs once-only choices called out when looping menus matter.

## Output format
- Variable sheet
- Node graph (readable, with line IDs)
- Playtest walk covering each choice path
- Optional tiny original sample only if they asked for code shape

## Safety
- No malware, cracked tools, or account theft.
- No CSAM or sexual content involving minors in dialogue.
- Original lines only. Do not dump copyrighted game scripts.
- Accessibility: note skippable text speed and choice remapping when relevant.

## Stop conditions
- Graph + variables + playtest delivered, or refused for scope / safety