FolioTier 3
advance-time
Move the Time clock forward by N periods (rolls the day on overflow).
Parameters
| Parameter | Kind | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| periods | expression | yes | — | Bounded expression evaluated to a finite integer. The clock advances by that many periods; when the period count overflows the declared periods list, the day rolls forward. Non-integer / negative results coerce to zero (the runtime never rewinds the clock via advance-time). |
Canonical example
Folio
advance-time periods=1
advance-time periods=4
advance-time periods=stats.energy / 2Ren'Py
init python:
def advance_period():
global period_index, day_index
period_index = (period_index + 1) % 4
if period_index == 0:
day_index += 1
$ advance_period()advance-time moves the Time clock forward. With the default
four-period enum (morning, noon, evening, night),
advance-time periods=1 shifts one slot; reaching past night wraps
to morning on the next day. Day overflow wraps from sunday back
to monday.
Notes
- The canonical "go to bed" call is
advance-time periods=4— skip the rest of the day, wake up on the next morning. This is the most common shape in sandbox VNs. - Negative or non-integer periods coerce to zero. The runtime
never rewinds the clock through this verb; use
set timefor explicit jumps. - Stat-driven advances.
periods=stats.energy / 2is valid — the expression is evaluated each call. Useful for fatigue mechanics where high-energy days fly by and low-energy days drag. - No-clock-state projects silently drop this verb at runtime.
Eternum is the canonical case: it ships
initialPeriod/initialDayasnullbecause the source doesn't actually maintain a clock. Period strings inside Eternum's prose are textual narration, not runtime state. - Day rollover is automatic. When
periodslifts past the last period in the declared list, the day advances by one slot in the declared days list. Multi-period overflows roll both axes proportionally —advance-time periods=8fromMonday morninglands onTuesday noon(with the default four-period enum).