Frame Timings#

Every frame of gameplay, the engine runs its own systems and each type of script in a fixed order. This order matters whenever one script reads a value that the engine (or another script) writes during the same frame, and it is what Waitdraw() and WaitTo() let you position a script around.

The list below is the order for a normal frame of gameplay. Screen scrolling, warping, and frozen scripts each use their own loop. The SCR_TIMING_ name on each step is the ScriptTiming value that a passively-running generic script can wait for with WaitTo(); a passive generic script gets a chance to run at every one of these points.

  1. SCR_TIMING_START_FRAME: Script draws queued last frame are cleared.

  2. SCR_TIMING_POST_COMBO_ANIM: Combos animate.

  3. SCR_TIMING_POST_POLL_INPUT: Controller and keyboard input is read.

  4. SCR_TIMING_POST_FFCS: FFCs update. This first runs the Screen script for each screen in the region, then the script of every FFC (in FFC ID order), then moves the FFCs.

  5. SCR_TIMING_POST_GLOBAL_ACTIVE: The Global Active script runs, up to its Waitdraw().

  6. SCR_TIMING_POST_PLAYER_ACTIVE: The Hero Active script runs, up to its Waitdraw().

  7. SCR_TIMING_POST_DMAPDATA_ACTIVE: The DMap Active script runs, up to its Waitdraw().

  8. SCR_TIMING_POST_DMAPDATA_PASSIVESUBSCREEN: The DMap Scripted Passive Subscreen script runs, up to its Waitdraw().

  9. SCR_TIMING_POST_COMBOSCRIPT: Combo scripts run, layer by layer, position by position.

  10. SCR_TIMING_POST_PUSHBLOCK: Moving push blocks update.

  11. SCR_TIMING_POST_ITEMSPRITE_SCRIPT: Itemsprite scripts run.

  12. SCR_TIMING_POST_ITEMSPRITE_ANIMATE: Items animate (including conveyors moving them).

  13. SCR_TIMING_POST_NPC_ANIMATE: Enemies animate. Each enemy’s npc script runs as part of that enemy’s update.

  14. SCR_TIMING_POST_EWPN_ANIMATE: EWeapons animate.

  15. SCR_TIMING_POST_EWPN_SCRIPT: EWeapon scripts run.

  16. SCR_TIMING_POST_OLD_ITEMDATA_SCRIPT: HitBy[] arrays are cleared for the frame. If the compatibility Quest Rule qr_OLD_ITEMDATA_SCRIPT_TIMING is on, itemdata scripts run here instead of later.

  17. SCR_TIMING_POST_PLAYER_ANIMATE: The Hero animates: movement, collision with enemies and weapons, picking up items (which runs Pickup scripts), and anything triggered by that such as warps, scrolling, or opening the subscreen.

  18. SCR_TIMING_POST_NEW_ITEMDATA_SCRIPT: Itemdata (Action / Passive) scripts run.

  19. SCR_TIMING_POST_CASTING: Magic casting animations update.

  20. SCR_TIMING_POST_LWPN_ANIMATE: LWeapons animate. Each lweapon’s script runs as part of that weapon’s update.

  21. SCR_TIMING_POST_DECOPARTICLE_ANIMATE: Decorations and particles animate.

  22. SCR_TIMING_POST_COLLISIONS_PALETTECYCLE: The hookshot updates, collisions are checked, whistle-dried water refills, and the palette cycles.

  23. SCR_TIMING_WAITDRAW: The Waitdraw point.

    Every script that called Waitdraw() this frame now resumes, in this order, with a timing after each group:

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_GLOBAL_WAITDRAW: Global Active

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_PLAYER_WAITDRAW: Hero Active

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_DMAPDATA_ACTIVE_WAITDRAW: DMap Active

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_DMAPDATA_PASSIVESUBSCREEN_WAITDRAW: DMap Scripted Passive Subscreen

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_SCREEN_WAITDRAW: Screen scripts

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_FFC_WAITDRAW: FFC scripts

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_COMBO_WAITDRAW: Combo scripts

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_ITEM_WAITDRAW: Itemdata scripts

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_NPC_WAITDRAW: NPC scripts

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_EWPN_WAITDRAW: EWeapon scripts

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_LWPN_WAITDRAW: LWeapon scripts

    • SCR_TIMING_POST_ITEMSPRITE_WAITDRAW: Itemsprite scripts

  24. SCR_TIMING_PRE_DRAW, SCR_TIMING_POST_DRAW: The screen is drawn, with the first timing running just before and the second just after. All script draws queued during the frame are rendered here.

  25. SCR_TIMING_POST_STRINGS: Message strings advance.

  26. SCR_TIMING_END_FRAME: End of frame.

Note

Steps 10 through 22 (push blocks through collisions) are skipped while the screen is frozen: while a message string is displayed with the Quest Rule Messages Freeze All Action on, or while a Screen Freeze combo is on the screen. (During a message freeze, enemies flagged to ignore it still animate, and the item and npc animate timings still fire.)

Individual systems can also be paused from script with Game->Suspend[].

Tip

Because the Global Active script runs before enemies, weapons, and the Hero update, values such as the Hero’s position and direction read there are from the previous frame’s update. Read them after Waitdraw() to see this frame’s final values before they are drawn.

Game start#

When a game is launched, the start-up scripts run before the first frame of gameplay (Global Script ~Init, Hero Script Init, Global Script onSaveLoad, Global Script onLaunch, Global Script onContGame). See Script Types for when each of these runs.

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