πΈ Visual Novel Maker v1.3.0: Character Dialogue Boxes and Session Backlog
v1.3.0 adds a persistent dialogue box for each staged character, a searchable session backlog, separate Story targets for the GM and players, and player stage control locks. It also adds a Stylish Relationship Tracker progress action with direct Live Mode Manager access, replaces the flat settings list with a tabbed Settings Center, and fixes six targeting and presentation issues.
π Dialogue Boxes for Each Character
The new dialogue mode is off by default. When enabled, an optional connected dialogue bar gives every staged character their own persistent dialogue box and highlights the current speaker. Narration and off-stage speakers continue to use the shared dialogue box.
The Per-Character Dialogue Panels settings cover font, size, weight, color, alignment, text insets, and panel artwork for custom themes.
A local three-character preview shows panel changes without broadcasting them to connected players.
π Dialogue Backlog
The current VN session now keeps dialogue, narration, and choices in a theme-aware history with speaker portraits and timestamps.
Search speaker names or dialogue text, then move between highlighted matches.
Export the session as plain TXT or a self-contained HTML file with embedded speaker portraits.
The translucent backdrop continues beneath Foundry's sidebar, while the log itself stays clear of the sidebar controls.
π― Live Director Story Targets
The Story tab target list now includes the GM alongside active players. A prepared Story can run for everyone, selected players, the GM only, or players only without opening the scene on the GM screen.
An empty player selection now means no remote player recipients. It no longer falls back to every player.
π·οΈ Hidden Character Dock Names
Character names below portraits in the top dock can be hidden through a global setting or per-character Live Director controls.
Individual names can be switched from the Cast tab or the character right-click menu.
Add mode can hide a name before the character enters. The portrait and dialogue speaker name remain visible.
π Player Stage Control Lock
A world setting and a Cast tab toggle can lock player stage controls. While locked, players cannot move, scale, reset, flip, hide, change the expression, effect, or emotion, or remove their staged characters.
Expression, visual effect, and emotion controls are also locked.
Players can still select an owned staged character as their chat speaker. GM controls are unchanged.
π¬ Prepared-Choice Mode
The Live Director choice builder can hide the player-written choice field before choices are presented. Players then choose only from the options prepared by the GM. The field remains enabled by default, so existing scenes keep their previous behavior.
π Relationship Progress and Manager Access
A new Story action changes Stylish Relationship Tracker progress for the interacting Actor's relationship with a target, or for an exact Relationship owned by a selected Actor.
Positive and negative values preserve rank overflow, automatic unlocks, and shared Relationship updates.
Player-owned Actors and synchronized Relationships use the Tracker's safe integration API. This action does not run Rank Macro triggers.
Relationship writes require a Story hosted by an active GM. Player-hosted Stories, player-only interactions, and editor previews do not change Relationship data.
The editors require an active Stylish Relationship Tracker v1.1.2 or newer before the action can be added, changed, duplicated, or edited.
In Live Mode, right-click a staged character or their top Character Dock portrait and choose Manage Relationships to open the Tracker Manager with that Actor selected. The shortcut appears only when a compatible Tracker version is active and the current user can edit that Actor's Relationships.
βοΈ Settings Center
Module settings now open in a dedicated window with General, Dialogue, Live Mode, Personal, and Tools tabs.
Search, setting scope labels, conditional voting controls, audio file browsing, an unsaved-change indicator, and changed-only saves are included.
Players see personal settings and safe tool links without GM-only administration controls.
πΌοΈ Portrait Thumbnail Reuse
Generated portrait thumbnails are reused by the live expression popup, character dock, Live Director Cast list, scene preset character list, and expression pickers in both editors.
The VN stage, full-size previews, and crop tools still load original images. Thumbnail views fall back to the original if no cached thumbnail exists.
ποΈ Theme Location Plates
Indigo Fantasy and Elegant Gold now display location plates styled to match their themes. Fantasy keeps its existing location plate.
Bug Fixes
Interaction Editor Preview Privacy: Preview and Preview from selected node now run only on the GM client instead of broadcasting test scenes to connected players.
Region Party View: Region interactions now stay with the player who entered the Region when Party View is disabled and use the normal shared mode when it is enabled.
GM Select Request Validation: Requests now verify ownership of the interacting Actor. The approval dialog identifies the socket sender and interacting Actor, and displayed names are safely escaped.
Player-Only Story Return to Live Mode: Player-only Stories started during Live mode now return player clients to the Live overlay after the scripted scene ends.
Long Speaker Names: Default-theme nameplates and character panel labels expand within the available space instead of clipping longer names early.
Location Labels Without Assets: Themes without a location plate now use the normal text layout instead of collapsing the label into a zero-size box.
Requires GlitchSmith Library v0.6.0 or newer. The Relationship Progress action requires Stylish Relationship Tracker v1.1.2 or newer. Foundry VTT v13 and v14 are supported.
Links
Module Wiki: Visual Novel Maker Documentation
Install Guide: How to Install Premium Modules