Priority Screen (SCI)

The SCI Priority Screen
Author: Phil Fortier

The priority screen defines depth layers to your background. As characters move around in your game, they are assigned a priority value (ranging from 0 to 15) by the game engine. Their priority depends on their current y coordinate (generally at their feet). If a character’s priority is equal to or greater than the background pixel behind it, it will appear in front of the background. Otherwise, it will be obscured.

On the left, the box (pri 9, blue) is obscured by the waterfall and rock (pri 10, lime). On the right, the box has moved lower and changed priority. It is now pri 11, and appears in front of the waterfall and rock.

Choosing a priority value to draw with.