Variables & constants

var

Variables are declared with var. Every scalar declaration must include an initializer. The type annotation is optional when the initializer's type is enough to infer it.

var x: i32 = 10        // annotated and initialized
var y = 5              // type inferred as i32
var z: i32             // error: scalar declaration without initializer

There is no such thing as an uninitialized variable. Every read is guaranteed to see a value the script asked for — never a silent zero.

Scope

Variables are scope-bound:

• A var at the top level (or inside a client / server block) lives for the lifetime of the script.
• A var inside a block (function body, event body, loop, if) lives until that block ends.

This distinction matters constantly in event-driven code: state that must survive between frames goes outside the event; scratch values go inside.

var last_x = -1                  // persists across frames

event frame(frame_num: i32) {
    var x = i32(read_u8(0x0086)) // fresh each frame
    if x != last_x {
        last_x = x
    }
}

Shadowing

An inner var may reuse an outer name; it creates a new binding for the inner scope without touching the outer one.

var x = 1
if condition {
    var x = 2      // shadows the outer x
    print(x)       // 2
}
print(x)           // 1

Reassignment

Plain = reassigns an existing binding (no new binding):

var x = 1
x = 2

Top-level vars are not hoisted — they take effect at their textual position. (Functions are hoisted; see Functions.)

const

const is like var but the binding can't be reassigned. An initializer is required.

const PLAYER_X: u32 = 0x0086
const MAX_PLAYERS = 32
const GAME_TITLE = "Super Mario Bros."

The common uses are memory-address constants and named magic numbers at the top of a script.

const freezes the binding, not the contents. A const array can't be re-pointed at a different array, but its elements are still mutable:

const arr: i32[] = [1, 2, 3]
arr[0] = 99      // allowed — element mutation
// arr = [4,5,6] // error — rebinding a const