See the live website here: Github Pages
This visual novel is built using the jenny library from Flame. Jenny is a toolset that adds dialogue into a game in .yarn files. Flame is a Flutter game engine that makes game creation easier. It has powerful functions such as sprites, images, and collision detection.
Using the jenny library, the visual novel displays the text from the .yarn file on the screen. To create a set of choices for the user to select from, the syntax in the .yarn file is to create arrows. After the user selects a choice, the .yarn file jumps to the new text file.
-> Let's grab a coffee at the cafe before heading to the museum!
Aoi: Oh, I'm getting thirsty. I was just thinking of going!
Yuto: Cool. How about Mademoiselle Collete?
Aoi: Ok. Let's go!
<<jump Cafe>>
-> Hope to see you again
Aoi: Maybe we'll meet again?
Yuto: Yeah, maybe.
<<jump Apartment>>
Back in the project_view_component.dart file, the code runs the onChoiceStart method from the jenny library. Inside the method, it runs a for loop to display the choices and get the user's input.
FutureOr<int?> onChoiceStart(DialogueChoice choice) async {}
The asset packet from this project uses a series of layers so that facial expressions and clothing can be changed. Using Gimp, I created various versions of my character. In the project_view_component.dart file, the sprite is changed in the onNodeStart method.
FutureOr<void> onNodeStart(Node node) {
switch (node.title) {
case 'Cafe':
background.sprite = gameRef.cafeBackgroundSprite;
girl.sprite = gameRef.girlSmileSprite;
boy.sprite = gameRef.boySmileSprite;
break;
...
}}Completer is an object that completes Flutter objects at later times. It is used when there are complex async codes and to have control over the Future.
In this project, the Completer is defined in the project_view_component.dart file.
Completer<void> _forwardCompleter = Completer();
Completer<int> _choiceCompleter = Completer<int>();Later, in the _getChoice method the _forwardCompleter is returned to get the value of the choice the user selected.
Future<void> _getChoice(DialogueChoice choice) async {
return _forwardCompleter.future;
}