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A New Era Of Entertainment October 2000 • Vol.8 Issue 10 Page(s) 28-31 in print issue |
Chat Attack A Guide To Gaming Lingo | ||
 The gaming community is a hard one to break into. Which games are popular is constantly in flux, and the community uses a language that sounds strange to the uninitiated. To understand this language and begin your journey into this fascinating and exciting community, you need to start by learning some basic vocabulary. Popular Types Of Games. Just as the music industry sorts music into types, such as rock, oldies, country, classical, rap, and so on, the gaming industry categorizes games. We will begin our gaming orientation by covering the main classifications of games. Just as "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley might be considered both rock and an oldie, many games can comfortably fit into more than one broad category. adventure game—A game where characters and the storyline are emphasized more than eye-hand coordination. Often, the player will have to solve puzzles and will spend hours or days following a single storyline. arcade game—A game that has fast action where good eye-hand coordination are the key to winning. CTF (capture the flag)—A multiplayer, multiteam game where each team must protect its flag (or base) while capturing the flags of other teams. co-op (cooperative)—A multiplayer game where players work together to complete the levels. FPS (first-person shooter)—A game where you see the game through the shooter's eyes. Wolfenstein 3D was the first FPS game. massively multiplayer—A game with hundreds or even thousands of players. MUD (multi-user dungeon)—A multiplayer, online, role-playing game usually played using Telnet. online—A game of any category played over the Internet. RPG (role-playing game)—An adventure game where the players select which character they will be. Many games let the players select some of the attributes of their characters and some let them assemble more than one type of player into a team. simulation—A game based on a system of rules that try to emulate what would happen in reality, given the same set of inputs. Flight and driving simulations are best known. RTS (real-time strategy)—A game where the player must control many things and where time in the game progresses at about the same rate as time in the real world while the game is running. turn-based strategy—A multiplayer game where time stops while a player makes a decision. Time progresses once the decision is made. Breakthrough Games. You can best understand the present games by understanding their history. What follows is a brief discussion of some of the more popular, innovative, or well-known games. Civilization—A strategy game where the player must guide his civilization through 3,000 years of history to conquer the world. Doom—One of the most popular FPS titles. It came after Wolfenstein 3D but took FPS games to a new level. There have been four versions of Doom, and its success has inspired numerous FPS games. Elite—Released in 1984, this was the first true 3-D game. It went on to be a bestseller and to have two follow-up titles. In this game, the player is free to explore a galaxy without having to follow a specific plot. EverQuest—A large online, multiplayer RPG. The game takes place in a fantasy world called Norrath. Flight Simulator—It broke the arcade shooter mode to create an accurate flight simulation for a small aircraft. As early as 1983, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) would count hours using Flight Simulator toward some requirements. Myst—A difficult game to summarize, as it does not fall into any existing categories. It is an exercise in wandering around a beautiful setting with some mental gymnastics thrown in. Pong—First successful home-video game. It involved using two moving paddles to bounce a ball around the screen. Quake—A leading FPS game and the successor to Doom. SimCity—A simulation game where you are the mayor of a city. You must build resources while keeping the voters happy. Tetris—A game from a Soviet computer scientist named Alexey Pajitnov that has the user manipulating falling game pieces to line up colors. Ultima Online—A large online, multiplayer RPG. Origin Systems released Ultima in 1979 and Ultima Online in 1997. You choose your own identity and immerse yourself into the mystical and medieval world of Britannia, a world that changes even when you are offline. This is a brilliant genre-breaking title that was never properly credited in the annals of important games. Warcraft—One of the first successful RTS games. It pitted humans against Orcs. Wolfenstein 3D—The first successful FPS game by id Software. It is set in Nazi Germany. id's follow-up title was Doom, which made the FPS genre widely popular. Zork—An early, 8-bit text-based series of games. Players typed in simple sentences to direct the actions, and the game answered by describing the repercussions. For example, you might type "step right" and the game would reply, "You fell into a pit." Technical Terms. Although not specifically gaming terms, the following are computer terms that are important to the gaming community. abandonware—Software that has been abandoned by its publisher and is no longer being sold. This is often sited as an excuse for pirating the software. aliasing—A degrading of quality when a complex image is displayed using limited resolution. A common symptom is jagged lines. anti-aliasing—A process to reduce the jagged lines that result from aliasing. aspect ratio—The ratio of an image's width to its height. client—Any computer that connects to a server. In gaming, that would be the game player's computer. console—A prompt where you can type in text while you are playing the game. device driver—Software that links hardware, such as a joystick, with the operating system. Direct3D—A specification that lets Windows 9x programs use 3-D graphics. It is part of Microsoft's DirectX specifications. DirectX—Specifications for Win9x programs that use special drivers and can speed up programs designed to use DirectX specifications. freeware—A program you can use indefinitely for free without any obligation to pay a registration fee or make a purchase. ping (Packet Internet Groper)—The time it takes for information to flow between a server and a client. This is usually a function of connection speed. A low ping is better. release point—An upgrade to a software designed to fix common problems. The term comes from numbering software, such as DOS 3.0, 3.1, and so on. A release point is an upgrade significant enough to change the number. server—A computer that hosts many client computers. shareware—The user can download and use the software for free. If she likes it, she is expected to register by sending money to the developer. shelfware—Software sold off the shelves of regular retail channels. slipstream upgrade—A minor software upgrade that is made without changing the release number. General Terms. This is a discussion of the terms commonly used in the gaming community. Understanding these terms will go a long way toward helping you understand game instructions and online gaming discussions. 3-D (three-dimensional)—A visual classification indicating that an object has or appears to have depth of field. In computers, 3-D video and audio devices do not necessarily offer three dimensions, but they usually have greater depth and richer output. adaptive learning—An artificial intelligence system that has the ability to learn and adapt based on its environment and the actions of humans playing the game. alias—The name a player uses in a multiplayer game. This also is a sequence of commands that can be performed using a single keystroke. AI (artificial intelligence)—The computer tries to mimic the intelligence of humans by learning and adapting. Commonly used for characters in adventure games. attributes—In role-playing and adventure games, these are the various powers, weaknesses, and other aspects of a character. boss—The big villain in an adventure game. The boss is usually not encountered until near the end of the game and is usually hard to kill. It is also called boss enemy. camper—A person playing a multiperson FPS game who acts like a sniper and waits to ambush opponents. This is a derogatory term. cheat code—A sequence of characters entered through the keyboard that gives the player an advantage. Possible advantages include unlimited ammunition, unlimited life, or the ability to walk through walls. cinematics—An animated sequence at the start of a game. clan—Groups of players who join teams to play against other clans. Players will often add a prefix or suffix to their names to indicate their clan affiliation. clone—A game made to look or play like another game. Command Line Parameter—Old DOS games sometimes let you specify options by adding a few words or letters after the file name of the game. continue—Another chance to continue playing after losing all your lives. deathmatch—In multiplayer games, such as Doom, the players compete to see who can kill each other as many times as possible. Easter egg—A treat or secret part in a game that has nothing to do with playing the game. For example, many games have a special keystroke to see pictures of the developers. energy—A scale showing the health of a player. Energy goes down in battles and over time, and a player can usually increase his energy by finding food, magic, or other items. engine—A computer application that runs all aspects of the game. Engines are like programming languages that use game-specific terms. They let new games be developed more easily than using a general-purpose programming language. Also known as a game engine. episode—One storyline in a shareware game series. The first episode is intended to build interest; the rest are to encourage registration of the software. expansion pack—An addition to a game that adds characters, enemies, weapons, levels, and missions. It may also fix bugs. These are also called mission packs. experience points—In RPGs, players receive these as they solve puzzles or survive aspects of the game. The more experience points a player accumulates, the more skills and powers their characters possess. game engine—See engine gameplay—Meaningful interactions with game characters while playing the game. Genesis3D—An open source, 3-D game engine. It has received a lot of support. genre—The type or class of game you are playing. Read the common ones earlier in this article. handle—The name a player uses in a multiplayer game. level—One continuous section of a game. Usually, something specific must be accomplished to move to the next level. Games start at easier levels, and the difficulty increases with each level. multiplayer—Games designed for players to compete against each other rather than against the computer. nurnies—Small external spaceship ornaments, such as pipes, that make the spaceship look lifelike. partial conversion—A patch that significantly changes how a game plays but keeps most of the game's original features in place. persistent—An RPG game where the game continues without a concluding win. However, there may be smaller victories and losses throughout the game. plot—The overall storyline behind a game. The plot is designed to bring a player into the game and keep that person playing. Plots can be linear or allow for branching, depending on game events. nag screen—A screen that reminds (nags) players of unregistered shareware to register the game. The term also is used for screens that nag players to buy other products. registered—The version of a shareware game you receive after paying the registration fee. It often has more levels and other features and fewer or no nag screens. Sometimes, registration simply brings a code for turning the shareware version of the game into a registered version. rule—Guides for behavior in games. score—The number of points a player has received. scoreboard—A graphical report of the present score, along with other pieces of important data such as energy remaining and ammunition counts. segue—A transitional device for moving between disjoint parts of the game. These are usually used for moving between levels, and they will often involve some storyline development. single-player game—A game designed to be played alone, against the computer. sniper—A player who uses a weapon like a rifle to make kills at long distances. It is not a derogatory term. It can be hard to tell campers and snipers apart. storyline—The plot and setting for the game. This will include such things as the characters, the characters' backgrounds and motivations, and the location of the game. total conversion—A patch that changes so much of a game that it looks and plays like a new game but it continues to use the original game engine. trilogy—A game marketing method. The first third of the game (or episode) is released as shareware, and the gamer must purchase the other two episodes from the manufacturer. Abbreviations & Game Talk. Like any tight-knit group, gaming has developed its own set of terms as well as abbreviations for many common terms and phrases. Learn these, and you will be on your way to sounding like an experienced gamer. 6DOF (six degrees of freedom)—This is a 3-D term that refers to being able to move in all three dimensions (X, Y, and Z) plus being able to rotate around the X, Y, and Z axes. AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)—This is a specialized port for graphics that connects the display system to system memory without using the bus. ammo—Ammunition. bot (robot)—A computer controlled player. BRB—Be right back. compo—Competition. config—Configuration. crack—A patch to a game, usually developed by someone other than the game developer. A crack is usually used to remove nag screens and can otherwise be used to let a game be played in a way that violates its license. D—Defense. Demo mode—Where the game plays itself without human input. DM—Deathmatch. Exit King or Exit Queen—A player in a multiplayer game who irritates other players by continually exiting the current level. FFA (free for all)—Where anyone can fight in a deathmatch. Servers will generally have an upper limit of eight to 10 players. FMV—Full-motion video. FPS (first-person shooter or frames per second)—See above for first-person shooter definition. As frames per second, this is the number of times the monitor is refreshed during play. In multiplayer games, some servers have trouble supporting high refresh rates. frag—A kill. Usually used in FPS deathmatch games. The term comes from the Vietnam War where solders sometimes killed officers. Those kills were called frags or fragging because they were usually accomplished using fragmentation grenades. GG—Good game. gib—The bloody body parts that fly off when a character is shot or blown up. This term also is used to mean to kill in a spectacular way. The term comes from the word giblets, which are chunks of meat that are fed to fish. GL—Good luck. God mode—A mode of play where a player is invulnerable to attack. The player cannot be hurt or killed. In some games, God mode activates other hidden options. This is also called cheat mode. H8—Hate. hack—Any unconventional changing of the data for a game. hardcore—A game player who is familiar with games, gaming terms, and the gaming industry. hit points—The amount of damage a player can sustain before dying. insta-death—To die suddenly and without warning. invincibility—The same as God mode. IP (Internet protocol)—A series of numbers giving the address of a game server. LCR (low-cost retail)—Games sold cheaply through retail channels. HPW (high ping whiners)—Anyone playing using a modem and complaining about it. HUD—Heads-up-display. IMHO—In my humble opinion. IRC (Internet relay chat)—This is a way for gamers, and others, to chat with each other over the Internet. lagware—A game that is too slow to play. lamer—A player who is both ignorant and refuses to learn. A very demeaning term. life—The number of tries a player has before the game is over. It would be more accurate to refer to this as deaths. llama—A player who always complains. The player is also usually a lamer. lo—Hello LOD (level of detail)—Usually used in conjunction with the complexity of 3-D models. log—The history of a game, including frag counts, pings, and so on. ludicrous gibs—Killing someone in a truly spectacular way where lots of body parts and meat are blown into the air. M8—Mate. Mod—Modification; many games have tools that let players change the way a game looks and plays. MMX—Intel's multimedia extensions for the Pentium processor. MUSH (multi-user shared hallucination)—A type of MUD where players can change the environment. nagware—Games that use a lot of nag screens. no-clipping mode—A mode of play where the player can walk through walls and other solid barriers. In some games, no-clipping mode removes your ability to pick up objects. one up—An object that gives the player an extra life or the extra life itself. peacemaker—A player who mediates disputes among team players or a player who does not do a good job of competing. PC—Partial conversion. pineapple—A grenade. registration incentive—Something of value the player receives for registering a shareware game. May include extra levels, weapons, characters, and so on. respawn—To come back to life. rip—To remove a part of a game, such as music or a graphic, so it can be used without the game itself. rig—A slang term for your computer. rocket jump—Having a character jump higher by firing its weapon at the ground while jumping. Rocket launchers yield an especially high rocket jump. sit-in—When a group of dead players refuses to re-enter a game until their demands are met. strafe—To fire a weapon in a wide pattern rather than aiming at a specific target. sysop (system operator)—The person who controls special options in a multiplayer game. These options might include setting the level, assigning players to teams, or kicking misbehaving players out of the game. TA—Appreciation for doing something. TC—Total conversion. telefrag—To kill an opponent by teleporting to where they are standing. teleport—To change the position of a player or an object, like beaming in Star Trek. TF—Team fortress. waking up dead–In a multiplayer game, when a player has such a slow connection that he is killed before he can gain control of his character. warez—Pirated software, especially games and MP3 (Moving Pictures Experts Group, Audio Layer 3) files. This term also refers to an underground network to distribute pirated software. (Pirated software distribution is highly illegal so stay clear.) warp—To move to another level of a game or to be teleported to another section of the same level. whiner—A player who is always complaining. Y—Yes  by Ronny Richardson |
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