Cutscenes and Slate

The Escapists 2 uses Slate by ParadoxNotion as its cutscene editor and runtime. This is a full timeline-based cinematic system baked directly into Unity's hierarchy. Below is a comprehensive reference of every class in the decompiled Slate namespace and the game-side extensions.

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Core Framework (Slate namespace)

Cutscene (Slate.Cutscene)

The root MonoBehaviour for every cutscene. Implements IDirector.

• State machine: Play(), Stop(), Pause(), Resume(), Rewind(), SkipAll(), SkipCurrentSection()
• Wrap modes: Once, Loop, PingPong; Stop modes: Skip, Rewind, Hold; Playing directions: Forwards, Backwards
• Update modes: Normal, AnimatePhysics, UnscaledTime
• Maintains a list of CutsceneGroup objects under a __GroupsRoot__ transform
• Uses TimeInPointer/TimeOutPointer for ordered activation of all directables
• Sends global messages (SendGlobalMessage) to affected actors every frame
• Static methods: Cutscene.Play(name), Cutscene.Find(name), Cutscene.FindFromResources(name) — supports loading from Resources folder
• Can render cutscene to textures via RenderCutscene(width, height, frameRate, callback)
• Events: OnCutsceneStarted, OnCutsceneStopped, OnSectionReached, OnGlobalMessageSend

CutsceneGroup (Slate.CutsceneGroup)

Abstract base class for groups that hold tracks and reference an actor GameObject.

• Contains List<CutsceneTrack> tracks and List<Section> sections
• ActorReferenceMode: UseOriginal / UseInstanceHideOriginal (instantiates actor copy and hides original)
• ActorInitialTransformation: UseOriginal / UseLocal
• Handles transform/object snapshots and restoration for undo
• OnSectionReached event fires when playback crosses a section boundary

CutsceneTrack (Slate.CutsceneTrack)

Abstract base for all track types. Contains List<ActionClip> actions.

• Has blendIn/blendOut, startTime/endTime, color, info
• Virtual lifecycle: OnInitialize, OnEnter, OnUpdate, OnExit, OnReverse, OnReverseEnter
• GetTrackWeight(time) returns blend weight

CutsceneSequencePlayer (Slate.CutsceneSequencePlayer)

Plays a list of Cutscenes sequentially. On finish, invokes onFinish UnityEvent.

ActionClip (Slate.ActionClip)

Abstract base for all clip types placed on tracks. Implements IDirectable, IKeyable.

• Properties: startTime, endTime, length, blendIn, blendOut, info, isValid
• Has AnimationDataCollection for animatable parameters (marked with [AnimatableParameter])
• Clip weight calculation via GetClipWeight(time, blendIn, blendOut)
• Lifecycle: OnInitialize, OnEnter, OnUpdate, OnExit, OnReverse, OnReverseEnter
• Snapshot/restore of animated parameters ensures clean undo

ActionTrack (Slate.ActionTrack)

Abstract generic-purpose track. Once a clip is placed, the track locks to accept only clips of the same category.

ActorGroup (Slate.ActorGroup)

The concrete CutsceneGroup for a specific actor GameObject. Stores _actor, _referenceMode, _initialCoordinates, _initialLocalPosition, _initialLocalRotation.

DirectorGroup (Slate.DirectorGroup)

The master group of every cutscene — always present, cannot be removed. Its actor is the DirectorCamera.current.gameObject.

DirectorActionClip (Slate.DirectorActionClip)

Abstract base for clips on DirectorActionTrack. Marker class only.

DirectorActionTrack (Slate.DirectorActionTrack)

Action track that lives under the DirectorGroup. Holds director-level clips (fades, lighting, audio, etc).

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Camera System

DirectorCamera (Slate.DirectorCamera)

Singleton camera root used by all cutscenes. Implements IDirectableCamera.

• Lazy-initialized via DirectorCamera.current — creates "★ Director Camera Root" if none exists
• Manages GameCamera swap: disables the game camera when cutscene is active
• Enable()/Disable() toggles the render camera, caches DepthOfField component
• Update(source, target, interpolation, weight, damping) interpolates position, rotation, FOV, focal point, focal range between shot cameras
• Events: OnCut, OnActivate, OnDeactivate

ShotCamera (Slate.ShotCamera)

Placeable camera prefab component ([RequireComponent(typeof(Camera))]). Implements IDirectableCamera.

• Stores focalPoint, focalRange for depth of field
• GetRenderTexture(width, height) renders shot to a RenderTexture for cross-dissolve effects
• Camera component is disabled in Awake (the director camera controls rendering)

GameCamera (Slate.GameCamera)

Wraps the actual Main Camera. Implements IDirectableCamera. Provides position/rotation/FOV/focal values to the director camera for blending.

CameraTrack (Slate.CameraTrack)

Unique track on the DirectorGroup. Manages camera blending across shots.

• Finds firstShot and lastShot from action clips
• Activates DirectorCamera.Enable() on enter
• Applies letterbox (cinebox) via DirectorGUI.UpdateLetterbox()
• Supports exitCameraOverride — swaps back to a different game camera after cutscene
• OnUpdate blends between shots using DirectorCamera.Update()

CameraShot (Slate.DirectorActionClip)

A clip on the CameraTrack representing one camera shot. References a ShotCamera target.

• BlendInEffectType: None, FadeIn, CrossDissolve, EaseIn
• BlendOutEffectType: None, FadeOut
• ShotAnimationMode: UseInternal, UseExternalAnimationClip
• Animatable parameters: position, rotation, fieldOfView, focalPoint, focalRange
• steadyCamEffect simulates handheld camera shake via SmoothDamp randomization
• Cross-dissolve rendering uses previousShot.targetShot.GetRenderTexture() and DirectorGUI.UpdateDissolve()

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Animation System

AnimatorTrack (Slate.AnimatorTrack)

Unique track on ActorGroup. Plays animation clips directly on an Animator without requiring a Controller.

• Uses AnimationMixerPlayable for blending between PlayAnimatorClip clips
• Optionally bakes root motion before playback via BakeRootMotion() (30 FPS sampling)
• Supports baseAnimationClip for idle poses between clips
• Restores original RuntimeAnimatorController, applyRootMotion, cullingMode on exit

AnimatedParameter (Slate.AnimatedParameter)

Serializable class that drives curve-based animation of properties/fields on components.

• Supported types: bool, int, float, Vector2, Vector3, Color
• Uses AnimationCurve[] internally (1–4 curves depending on type)
• Resolves target via transformHierarchyPath for nested transforms
• SetSnapshot() / RestoreSnapshot() for undo
• SetEvaluatedValues() evaluates curves at time and applies via delegate or reflection
• TryAutoKey() for editor-time keyframe recording

PropertiesTrack (Slate.PropertiesTrack)

Unique track on any group. Uses an AnimationDataCollection to animate arbitrary components on the actor directly from the track (no clips needed).

AnimatableParameterAttribute (AnimatableParameterAttribute)

Marks a field/property on an ActionClip as animatable. Can specify min/max range.

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Audio System

AudioTrack (Slate.AudioTrack)

Abstract base for audio tracks. Manages a pooled AudioSource via AudioSampler.

• Properties: mixer (AudioMixerGroup), masterVolume, stereoPan, spatialBlend
• Optionally uses actor's own AudioSource via useAudioSourceOnActor
• Moves audio source position to track actor position during update

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GUI & Overlay System

DirectorGUI (Slate.DirectorGUI)

Singleton MonoBehaviour on the Director Camera. Handles all on-screen cinematic effects via OnGUI.

• Letterbox: cinematic black bars, animated via UpdateLetterbox(completion)
• Fade: full-screen color fade via UpdateFade(color)
• Subtitles: bottom-center text with black background via UpdateSubtitles(text, color)
• Overlay text: positionable rich text via UpdateOverlayText()
• Overlay texture: positionable/scalable texture via UpdateOverlayTexture()
• Dissolve: cross-dissolve transition via UpdateDissolve(renderTexture, completion)
• All methods have event-based delegates (OnSubtitlesGUI, OnScreenFadeGUI, etc.) for custom rendering

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Easing

Easing (Slate.Easing)

Static class with 31 easing functions stored in EaseFunctions[]: Linear, Quadratic, Cubic, Quartic, Quintic, Sinusoidal, Exponential, Circular, Elastic, Bounce, Back — each with In/Out/InOut variants.

EaseType (Slate.EaseType)

Enum with 35 values covering all In/Out/InOut combinations plus Linear.

Section (Slate.Section)

Serializable marker on a CutsceneGroup. Has UID, name, time, color, colorizeBackground. Named "Intro" at time 0 is special-cased.

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Built-in Trigger Components

• PlayCutsceneOnStart — Plays a Cutscene in Start(), with onFinish UnityEvent callback
• PlayCutsceneOnClick — Plays on OnMouseDown(), auto-adds BoxCollider
• PlayCutsceneOnTrigger — Plays on OnTriggerEnter(), optional tag filter and one-shot mode

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Game-Side Cutscene Integration

CutsceneManagerBase (CutsceneManagerBase)

Abstract singleton managing all cutscene playback in-game. Networked via T17NetView.

• States: Unassigned, WaitingForStart, Playing, SkippingCurrent, Idle
• Holds references to generic cutscenes: m_Intro, m_GenericEscapeCutscene, m_TimeServedCutscene, m_EscapeSinglePlayerFirst, m_EscapeMultiplayerFirst, m_TimesUpCutscene
• ConsiderPlayingIntroCutscene() — plays intro once per session (cooperative/singleplayer only)
• PlayCutsceneSetupRPC() — phases: fade HUD transparent → wait → play → fade back
• Skip support: SkipLocally() with deadtime and button reset timers
• All cutscenes registered via AddLevelSpecificScenesToList() (abstract)
• Snapshots controller input states before cutscene (PlayerMapsSnapshot)
• PrepareForCutsceneEvent / CutsceneFinishedEvent for UI listeners

CutsceneCanvas (CutsceneCanvas)

Canvas MonoBehaviour for skip-label display and global effect controller. Manages m_SkipLabel text visibility with a timer.

CutsceneHUDManager (CutsceneHUDManager)

Singleton that fades per-player HUD elements (canvas alpha) during cutscene transitions. Manages per-player letterbox effects via AnimatedEffectPingPong.

CutsceneUIFadingListener (CutsceneUIFadingListener)

Listens to PrepareForCutsceneEvent / CutsceneFinishedEvent to fade a specific CanvasAlphaChanger.

CutsceneSpeechBubbleHandler (CutsceneSpeechBubbleHandler)

Extends CharacterSpeechBubbleHandler with role-specific presets: Guard, Inmate, Medic, Dog, JobOfficer, MaintenanceMan, Visitor. Each preset has background + tail sprites.

CutsceneSpeechBubbleResponder (CutsceneSpeechBubbleResponder)

Implements ICutsceneStartEndResponder. On cutscene start, enables the speech bubble handler. On end, clears the speech buffer.

CutsceneCameraTrackableObject (CutsceneCameraTrackableObject)

Extends CutsceneFlooredMonobehaviour. Holds m_CameraView and m_NearClippingFloorOffset for the cutscene camera.

CutsceneFlooredMonobehaviour (CutsceneFlooredMonobehaviour)

T17MonoBehaviour that automatically snaps its Z-position to the floor index in LateUpdate. Used by the camera trackable and visible-floor clip.

CutsceneControlledUpdater (CutsceneControlledUpdater)

Finds all IControlledUpdate children and calls ControlledUpdate()/ControlledFixedUpdate() on them. Used for cutscene-specific update control.

CutsceneAnimEventListener (CutsceneAnimEventListener)

Extends AnimEventListener. Routes animation events (via SoundEvent(int)) to Wwise audio events from CharacterAudioEvents.

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Slate.ActionClips (78 general-purpose clips)

The Slate.ActionClips namespace provides ready-made clips used in the cutscene editor: