Variable Types

Variables are used to store data for the duration of the game. They come in various types and can be utilized in different ways:

  • Integers: Store whole numbers, such as 1 , 2 , -5 , etc.

  • Floats: Store decimal numbers, such as 3.14 , 2.5 , -0.75 , etc.

  • Strings: Store text, such as "hello" , "game" , "number one" , etc.

  • Booleans: Represent true/false values, such as true or false .

  • Arrays: Structures that store multiple values, e.g., [1, 3.5, "hi", true] .

  • Associative Arrays: Structures that store values in an ordered list by means of a key. Internally, the key is converted into a numerical index to access the corresponding element, e.g., Groups["Admin"] , Groups["Moderator"] .

  • Vectors: Data structures representing an ordered sequence of elements of the same type, arranged in a single dimension. They are used to represent directional magnitudes or quantities with magnitude and direction, e.g., (0, 0, 1) .

  • Structs: Data structures that allow fields of different types to be grouped under the same name, e.g., sentry.health .

  • Entities: Refers to objects within the game environment, such as players and dynamic objects, e.g., player.health . While their syntax is similar to structures, entities encompass not only multiple attributes but also behaviors.

Variable Declaration

To declare a variable, simply type the name of the variable followed by an = sign to assign the desired value.

num = 1; // int

num_2 = 0.5; // float

msg = "hello"; // string

game_start = true; // bool

data = [num, num_2, msg]; // array

Groups["Admin"] = [player1, player2, player3]; // associative array

direction = (0, 0, 1000); // vector

explosion = spawnStruct(); // struct
explosion.fx = loadfx("explosions/tanker_explosion");
explosion.origin = (0, 0, 0);
explosion.sound = "cobra_helicopter_crash";

entity = spawnEnt((0, 0, 0), "com_plasticcase_friendly", (0, 0, 0)); // entity
entity.health = 999;

When a variable is declared but no value is assigned, its default value is undefined , indicating the absence of an assigned value. It can also be explicitly declared as undefined .

explosion.health // is undefined; not previously declared

my_var = undefined; // explicitly declared as undefined

Localized String

The & operator is used to interpret a string as a localized string. This is especially useful when you want to reference a localization key and display its associated translation.

print(&"WEAPON_TROPHY");

Output: Trophy System

Variable Scopes

Local Variable: Variable accessible only within the function where it was declared.

exampleFunction()
{
    num = 0; // local variable
}

Global Variable: Variable accessible from any function and from any gsc file.

level.num = 0; // global variable

Struct Field: Variable associated with a specific object and accessible only from that object.

self.num = 0; // struct field

Persistent Variable

Variables that do not change with each script initialization you will have to access data structure assigned in the following way self.pers['key'] & game['key']

self.pers["num"] = 0; // local entity
game["num"] = 0; // global