Two basic symbols are:
The body structure is built like a tree: new sticks are joined with ends of the previous ones.
Inside parenthesis, the full angle is divided into as many parts as there are commas+2, and each stick in such a 'junction' has as much freedom.
Modifiers (special characters) can be placed before X's and ('s. They affect the following X and, usually less and less, further following X's. Modifiers modify stick position and its features. Big and small letters can be used; big letters increase the given property while small ones decrease it.
Modifiers: Rr, Qq, Cc, Ll, Ww, Ff, Aa, Ss, Mm, Ii, Ee.
| Sticks' joints properties |
| R | rotation (by 45 degrees) – this modifier DOES NOT affect further sticks |
| Q | twist |
| C | curvedness |
| Physical properties |
| L | length |
| W | weight (in water environment light sticks swim on the surface) |
| F | friction (sticks will slide on the ground or stick to it) |
| Biological properties (mutually exclusive) |
| A | assimilation = photosynthesis (a vertical stick can assimilate twice as much as a horizontal one) |
| S | stamina (increases chance of survival during fights, see also simulator parameters – destructive collisions) |
| M | muscle strength, a.k.a. muscle speed (strong muscles act with bigger force, gain higher speed, can resist bigger stress, and use more energy) |
| I | ingestion (ability to gain energy from food: energy balls or dead corpses) |
| Other |
| E | energy (experimental).Creature's starting energy can be higher or lower when 'E' or 'e' is used. You should use it only when the "energetic efficiency mode" is enabled (see simulator parameters). Otherwise, disable 'eE' modifiers in genetic parameters! |
| XXX(XX,X) |
|
| X(X,RRX(X,X)) |
|
| XlCXlCXlCX |
|

Neurons are placed in [], after X's. The following information can be supplied inside square brackets:
The syntax is:
Neuron inputs can be taken from different signal sources: other neurons' outputs or receptors. A neuron input can also have a constant value. If a neuron is a muscle, it can control its stick's bend or rotation.
The alternative (old, deprecated) syntax lets you describe two neurons
(a muscle and 'N') in one:
[ N, PropertyAndInputList ] [ MuscleType, -1:1 ] In the old genotypes, you could find names of 'N' properties noted as symbols !=/. They are deprecated, and equivalent to:
|
Enter these genotypes into Framsticks to see the corresponding neural networks.
X[|*:1,G:2]
is a stick with one neuron controlling its bend, having two
inputs: one constantly equal to 1 and the other connected to a
gyroscope (placed on the stick) weighted 2.
One stick can have many neurons – X[.....][.....][.....]
Example:
X X[|0:1] X[@-1:1.2,1:2.3][G:1]