Short answer: The speaker spotlight is automatic stage focus: while a character speaks, their sprite eases slightly forward and brightens, and every other sprite on stage recedes and dims. There are no events to author - it reads the dialogue and follows the conversation on its own. Two switches in the Sprites dock settings control how Forge decides which sprite belongs to the speaker. Ren'Py imports start with the spotlight off to preserve the original look; projects made in Vizno start with it on.
What it does
In a two-character scene, attention bounces with the dialogue: whoever is talking steps subtly toward the reader and picks up light, and the listener settles back. It is a gentle, continuous effect - closer to good stage direction than to an animation you place - and because it is automatic, every scene you write gets it for free.
How Forge knows whose sprite it is
Two matching methods, each with its own switch in the Sprites dock settings cog:
- Linked to the character - the sprite carries a Character link in the Sprite Manager. When that cast member speaks, their linked sprite gets the light. This is the reliable method: it works no matter what the sprite is named.
- Named like the character - no link needed; a sprite whose name matches the speaker gets the light.
Nothing else claims a sprite - naming a frame or an image file after a character does not count. If the spotlight is lighting the wrong sprite (or none), check the sprite's Character link first.
Turning it on or off
The master switch lives on the project's settings page; the two switches in the Sprites dock refine which matching methods are active. Because the spotlight is computed live rather than written into scenes, flipping a switch changes the whole project immediately - there are no events to update.
Importing from Ren'Py
Imported projects start with both spotlight switches off. The dimming half of the effect touches everything standing on stage - including full-screen images an original game treats as scenery - so imports stay looking exactly like the original until you opt in. Projects created in Vizno start with the spotlight on. Turn it on for an import from the Sprites dock settings cog whenever you're ready.