Case file 003 · Unity editor tool

EASY DIALOGUE

Visual dialogue authoring without the heavyweight setup

A graph-based Unity dialogue workflow built for teams that need flexibility without a large framework. The visual editor and runtime share one source of truth, so the tool stays understandable from authoring through playback.

Open sourceTool designEditor & runtime

the graph is the data—not a copy of it

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My roleTool Designer

ScopeEditor & Runtime

EngineUnity

StatusOpen Source

01 · The problem

Dialogue tools should help writers think in conversations.

Many dialogue systems either carry more framework than a small project needs or expose workflows that make simple conversations feel administrative. I wanted a visual tool with clear connections and validation, paired with a runtime small enough to understand at a glance.

The key constraint was avoiding two versions of the truth: one in the graph and another in serialized runtime data.

The graph is not a view of the dialogue. The graph is the dialogue.

02 · My contribution

One tool, from authoring to playback.

Graph EditorWindow

Built draggable, connectable dialogue nodes with a visual workflow designed around the shape of a conversation.

Asset-backed nodes

Stored nodes as ScriptableObject assets on disk so the editor manipulates the same data that the runtime reads.

Small runtime

Kept playback to a dependency-free MonoBehaviour that reads nodes, evaluates flag conditions, and fires events.

03 · The work

A deliberately narrow architecture.

One representation

There is no export step or shadow data model to synchronize. Editing a connection changes the assets the runtime will use.

Visible validation

The authoring surface provides feedback where dialogue is assembled, so broken or incomplete structures are caught before play mode.

No required package stack

The runtime stays independent of third-party frameworks, making it easier to drop into a project and adapt without inheriting unrelated systems.

04 · Tool views

Author, connect, run.

Visual graph

Node authoring

Runtime playback

05 · Result

A tool whose boundaries stay clear.

Easy Dialogue gives a team a visual editing experience without turning dialogue into a separate ecosystem. Its editor owns authoring, its assets own the data, and its small runtime owns playback.

C#Unity Editor APIEditorWindowCustom InspectorScriptableObjects

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