Chalkling Glyph Questions

[IlstrawberrySeed]

On the Coppermind, 

"[A] number below a glyph can be added to determine duration of a Go command or the angle of a Turn command."

I'm not sure if it's mentioned in the book (curently waiting on the library for a reread), but how does the Wait glyph work? Do you give it a number like for Move & Turn or does it work some other way?

Also, I remember the book or a WoB mentioning loops, but that isn't on the Coppermind either. Do we have a description of the standard glyphs for those?

Edit: If a chalkling command is destroyed before it disapears or the chalkling starts executing it, will the chalkling remember that instruction?

Edited May 16, 2025 by IlstrawberrySeed

[Treamayne]

3 hours ago, IlstrawberrySeed said:

On the Coppermind, 

"[A] number below a glyph can be added to determine duration of a Go command or the angle of a Turn command."

I'm not sure if it's mentioned in the book (curently waiting on the library for a reread), but how does the Wait glyph work? Do you give it a number like for Move & Turn or does it work some other way?

Also, I remember the book or a WoB mentioning loops, but that isn't on the Coppermind either. Do we have a description of the standard glyphs for those?

It's described on the interior art:

Spoiler

So, the example in the image would be executed as:

Quote

• Forward (4 heartbeats), 
• Right turn 45 deg,
• Forward 3 heartbeats, 
• Left turn 45 deg
• Forward 1 heartbeat
• Left turn 45 deg
• Forward until obstacle
• Attack

Hope that helps

[IlstrawberrySeed]

3 hours ago, Treamayne said:

Hope that helps

Yes in general. For my question, not really.

Thanks though.

[Treamayne]

6 hours ago, IlstrawberrySeed said:

Yes in general. For my question, not really.

Thanks though.

13 hours ago, IlstrawberrySeed said:

Also, I remember the book or a WoB mentioning loops, but that isn't on the Coppermind either. Do we have a description of the standard glyphs for those?

Sorry I did not notice the second question - but it was also answered on the interior artwork page, because the looping glyph is sketched with the Lily's scene:

Spoiler

Hope that also helps

Edited May 16, 2025 by Treamayne

[IlstrawberrySeed]

7 hours ago, Treamayne said:

interior artwork page

The page you provided has the LoS, I'm refering to loops in chalkling commands. I thought I remembered something about it, but could be missremembering.

[Treamayne]

9 minutes ago, IlstrawberrySeed said:

The page you provided has the LoS, I'm refering to loops in chalkling commands. I thought I remembered something about it, but could be missremembering.

Copy all, sorry. 

I don't see anything searching the text for "loop" (or repeat) except references to the LoS, and one reference to the Springwork Rail "loop" it used to circumnavigate the junction. 

[IlstrawberrySeed]

Thanks, no worries. I'll either find it on my rearead or finish without finding it & discover that I'm missrembering.

[IlstrawberrySeed]

I just reread the book, and can confirm that there isn't a mention of programtic loops in chalkling commands or about giving a number for how long to wait.

[Lindy Moon she/they/he]

I would assume the wait command would work like the others, with a number attached to indicate how long to wait. Once you need it to wait longer than a few seconds, you might as well wait to draw it.

I got nothing for looping instructions though. You may not be able to, since you're usually drawing quite a few chalklings. For example, if you want to breach a double circle defense, a looped program could let you send a chalkling to attack, then keep moving forward to attack the inner circle; you'd loop the 'move forward, attack'. However, since you'd have several chalklings attacking at once, you probably wouldn't need/even be able to do that; you would just tell them to move forward until they hit chalk, so the ones behind would just move through the gap.

And all of that might not matter, as the chalkling may just remember the last one or two commands anyway. On the binding chalklings page, it implies they remember instructions in the bit on using too long a line to connect them to the circle, saying they can get distracted. So once they're through the first circle, or defeat an enemy chalkling, they may just go looking for more to attack.

As for your last question, I think it wouldn't work. Intent is huge with rithmatics, so unless the drawer intends for the chalkling to begin, I think nothing would happen. You'd have to start over.

Edited December 15, 2025 by Lindy Moon