Dialog scripting¶

Bitsy dialog is a small programming language, not just displayed text. citsy evaluates DLG and END source at runtime (src/dialog/script.cpp) against the engine's variables and inventory.

This is a compatibility subset of the Bitsy 7+ script language. Visual effects ({wvy}, {shk}, {clr3}, {printItem}, …) parse and run as no-ops until fonts land in Phase 3.

Pages¶

Source	Result
`"Hello!"` then `"Bye."` on the next line	Two pages
`{p}` / `{pg}`	New page
`{br}`	Newline on the current page
Blank line inside a list item or `"""` block	New page

Unquoted text (common in lists) is one page unless a blank line or {p} splits it.

Values¶

Variables and expressions are numbers or strings. Missing variables read as 0. true / false are 1 / 0.

VAR score
0

VAR name
ada

Inspect at runtime with Engine::variable_value("score").

Functions¶

Tag	Effect
`{print expr}` / `{say expr}`	Write the value into the current page
`{name = expr}`	Assign a variable (`+ - * /` and string `+`)
`{item "id-or-name"}`	Item count (id or `NAME`)
`{item "id-or-name" n}`	Set item count to `n`
`{end}`	Stop the game after this dialog closes
`{exit "room" x y}`	Warp after this dialog closes

{item "key" {{item "key"} - 1}} decrements. Walking onto a room item increments inventory immediately, then plays the item dialog, then removes it from the room.

Comparisons: == != < > <= >=.

Lists¶

{sequence
  - first visit
  - later visits (sticks on last)
}

{cycle
  - a
  - b
}

{shuffle
  - one
  - two
}

{
  - {item "key"} > 0 ?
    "You have the key."
  - else ?
    "The door is locked."
}

sequence — next arm each time the dialog runs; stays on the last
cycle — wraps around
shuffle — random order, no repeats until every arm has played
branch (bare {) — first arm whose condition is true; else always matches

Lists nest. A blank line inside an arm is a page break.

Endings¶

Room sub-key END <id> x,y is a trigger tile. Stepping on it plays the matching top-level END text, then is_running() becomes false.

{end} inside a sprite or item dialog does the same after the box closes, without showing a named ending.

Engine inspectors¶

engine.item_count("key");        // by id or NAME
engine.variable_value("score");  // current value as text
engine.is_running();             // false after an ending