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- Game
Names
AC: Asheron's Call
AC2: Asheron's Call 2
AO: Anarchy Online
ATitD: A tale in the Desert
CoH: City of Heroes
D2: Diablo 2
EQ: Everquest (at one time the most popular MMP game in the United
States)
EQ2: Everquest2
DAoC: Dark Age of Camelot
DnD: Dungeons & Dragons
ENB, E&B: Earth and Beyond
Lineage: Lineage is the most popular MMP game in Korea, and has more
players than EQ
MEO: Middle Earth Online
NWN: Neverwinter Nights
PotBS: Pirates of the Burning Sea
PS: Planetside
RoE: Rubies of Eventide
RoT: Realms of Torment
RO: Ragnarok Online
SB: Shadowbane
SWG: Star Wars Galaxies
TSO: The Sims Onine
UO: Ultima Online
UXO: Ultima X: Odyssey
WoW: World of Warcraft
WW2O: World War II Online -
MP Game Business Lingo-
- alpha:
a period of testing of a game that precedes beta.
alphaware: software that is either in alpha testing, or which performs
as if it is in alpha (crashing, buggy, incomplete, etc.)
avatar, player avatar: the 3D model of the player's character
beta, beta test: a period of testing a game that involves a limited
number of players actively playing the game and reporting bugs.
betaware: software that is either in beta testing, or which performs
as if it is in beta (crashing, buggy, incomplete, etc.)
bug: (OK, everyone should know this by now, but....) A bug is a mistake
in either the computer programming or in the game design that causes undesired
results in a game.
client: the software on the player's machine that talks to the server.
CSR: customer service representative. CSRs may appear in game to
speak directly with players.
downtime (servers): when the game servers are not running, usually
for the sake of maintenance, hotfixes, or updates.
dynamic zones: See "instanced".
expansion, expansion pack: An expansion is a new addendum to an existing
game, usually adding new features, new virtual terrain to explore, and so
on. Expansions often are sold on store shelves, in contrast to free downloadable
updates.
feature: (noun) A feature is a clearly defined, useful or beneficial
characteristic of a game. The ability of a player to choose his character's
face is a feature. The ability to talk privately with other players is a feature.
Anything positive or useful can be called a feature. ("It's a bug, not
a feature" or the opposite "it's a feature, not a bug" is an
oft-used phrase of rebuttal.)
fps, frames: frames per second: a measure of game performance. Lower-end
machines tend to have low fps in areas of the game world where there are many
objects, buildings, and PCs (player characters).
FPS: First Person Shooter: Games that involve seeing the world through
the PC's eyes and which generally involve fast reflexes and shooting other
PCs.
go gold/gone gold: When the final "ship" version of a piece
of software has been sent off to be burned onto CDs or applicable media.
griefer, grief player: A player who, due to psychological issues
or unresolved frustrations, tries to disrupt the gameplay of other players,
such as through interfering with play, racial slurs, or other such destructive
behavior. According to industry sources, grief players are usually about 3%
of the player population. Sometimes, grief players' energies can be rerouted
into positive directions through the game companies' outreach efforts.
hotfix: An emergency prop to correct a very bad, unexpected problem.
housing: The most common term for this frequently-requested feature
- allowing players to claim houses or other structures for their own personal
(or group) use.
instanced: A zone that is created by the server specifically
for a single player or group of players, or for a limited number of players.
This prevents or reduces kill-stealing or mob camping by unrelated individuals,
but has been known to make some players feel lonely. Also known as dynamic
zone.
MMP: Massively Multi-Player. Internet games that have thousands playing
in the same world(s), usually at the same time.
MMORPG: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.
MUD: Multi-User Dungeon. Text-only multiplayer internet games; MUDs
came in many varieties ranging from adventure-oriented MUDs like LPMUDs, to
cooperative building environments, or even chat room MUDs. MUDs predate today's
glitzy 3D MMORPGs by many years, and still exist today.
patch, prop: An update to a game. Sometimes involves the player having
to download updates to the game software. "Prop" comes from the
word "propagation."
PSW: Persistent State World. You know how elistist science fiction snobs insist
on calling Earth "Terra?" PSW is the equivalent term for an MMP.
Used primarily by CEOs, "money," and developers who assert that
their product is not just some silly game, but is a sophisticated sociological
experiment you leveling treadmill peons couldn't possibly understand. [Text
by Stormwaltz]
release, at the time of release: "release" refers to the
publication of a game, when it becomes available to the general public.
rollback: To revert game servers to an earlier state, which means
that character data and world data is set back to that state. Hence, players
will lose whatever experience and equipment they've earned since that time.
Rollbacks are bad news.
RPG: Role-Playing Game. Where your character's skills are built up
and theoretically have more impact on your success than your reflexes and
hand-eye coordination. Also implies a certain amount of role-playing/acting
in character.
RTS: Real Time Strategy (type of strategy game)
server: the program running on the game company's machine that sends out information
about the world and so on. Generally, servers handles the information about
monsters, combats, character statistics, and so on. "Server" frequently
refers to a particular game world or shard; however, technically speaking,
each game world may be made up of multiple different game server programs
running on multiple machines.
shard: One of multiple parallel game worlds, each with the same content
but with different players and PCs (player-characters). Players usually cannot
transfer their PCs from one shard to another. ("Shard" itself is
based on the term that Ultima Online uses for its worlds.)
ship: (verb) shipment: To publish a game and get it to the store
shelves.
ship: (noun) The time of ship. "I've been playing this game
since ship."
subscription: Most MMPs (at least in the US) require a monthly fee to be paid.
Pre-1995 (roughly), most commercial online games charged hourly.
TOS: Terms of Service: the contract by which players agree to not
do things like harass other players or use cheats and so forth.
UI: User Interface. The means by which players navigate, interact,
and manipulate the world. This includes the screen layout, graphical user
interface (GUI), and the format and form of various windows, text entry boxes,
and so on.
world: this often is used as another term for shard.
-
- Hacker/d00d
Words Common in MMPs
(Microsoft explains L33tspeak here on this page.)
-
- arpee:
RP (roleplay)
cyber, cyb0r: Online chat sex ("cybersex"). Both a noun
and a verb ("He was cyb0ring" "He was into cyber").
d00d, dood: "dude" ... many EQ players are called "d00ds"
because they use hax0r words and care more about powergaming than anything
else.
hacker, hax0r, h4xx0r, etc: (noun) Script kiddie, or young computer
"hacker"
hack, hax0r, h4xx0r, etc: (verb) To modify a program (e.g., modify
a game client to show information not usually available), or use a program
to affect another program (e.g., run a helper application that gives away
information not normally displayed), or otherwise use computer cracker/hacker
methods of cheating in a game.
joo, j00: you
leet, l33t, 1337, 31337, 133+, etc: "elite"
lewt: (see "loot")
l00t: loot (see "loot")
n00b, n3wb, noob, etc: see "newbie"
own, 0wnz0r, 0wn: term for being completely and utterly superior
to, or having completely beaten up, someone or something. ("I owned that
mob!" or "He totally owned me! I was embarrassed!")
peekay: PK (Player Killing)
ph4t, phat, fat: great, plenty, superior ("ph4t l00t")
ph34r, phear: fear (be in awe of)
pron, pr0n: pornography
pwn: see own, above
r0xx0r, r0x0r, roxor, etc: "rocks" (as in, great, or wonderful,
or superior)
suxx0r: hax0r term for "sucks"
teh: the (see "teh suq")
ueber, uber, ub3r: hax0r term for "superior" (based on
German word "ueber").
w00t, woot, woo, wewt: exclamation of happiness/joy etc.
General MMP Words, with DAoC focus
- 2h,
2-h: two-handed. A weapon that requires both hands to wield.
af, autofollow: This is a feature that lets a PC automatically follow
around another PC (or NPC), without the player having to maneouver the PC.
alignment: (Originally from Dungeons & Dragons ?) Alignment is
very similar to faction, and usually is used to refer to particular groupings
based on supposed character philosophy or religion (e.g., "evil alignment"
"good alignment"). People of opposing alignments may well be hostile
to each other.
allegiance: The Asheron's Call 1 version of a guild, this is a hierarchical
layout of loyalties between player characters.
alliance: On DAoC, an alliance is a grouping of guilds who share
a common chat channel (the alliance channel).
alt: (alternate, or alternative) A secondary character. For example,
a person who has a high level character of one class (the "main")
may decide to start another character of a different class. The second character
would be the alt.
avatar: the animated character that a game player controls.
bio, biobreak: Means to be leaving the computer to go to the bathroom/lavatory
(for biological demands).
bot, bott: (from "robot" presumably) A secondary character
a player creates in order to facilitate his own gameplay. Some bots in some
games act as vendors and service-providers. In other games, bots simply exist
to provide buffs to the primary character. In one game, bots are automated
ways of claiming rare monsters, so as to get rare loot.
BSOD: Blue Screen of Death. The worst kind of software bug, this
locks up your computer on the legendary Windows "error" screen,
virtually unchanged in form or color since the earliest days of the OS. [Text
by Stormwaltz]
buff: To cast spells on oneself or someone else to increase their
stats and abilities. (See also "debuff")
carebear: (based on the toy/TV franchise name) The game worlds in
which the players are perceived to be less into hardcore, aggressive, nasty
fighting and tactics. [Stormwaltz adds: Also used to describe the players
who will only make characters on such worlds. Carebear is sometimes shorthanded
using the emoticon o.O, which is said to be the "Carebear Stare"
(another reference to the toy/TV franchise).]
(chat) channel: A channel is like a chat room in which only subscribers
to that channel can speak or listen. In WoW, a chat channel is a named chat
that can be instantly created simply by subscribing to it, and to which a
player re-subscribes every time he logs back into the game. (Note: very similar
in some respects to the Zephyr instant messaging system.)
chant, song: a spell that remains active ("up") indefinitely.
clan: Essentially a guild.
class, character class: The "profession" a player's character
is. For example, thief, mage, priest, fighter, etc.
con [1]: constitution. This is a commonly used characteristic of
a PC that determines total HP.
crack: recently in DAoC, this term refers to a helpful spell that
helps boost a PC's efficiency so much that many people are willing to beg
for it.
crafting: in most games, PCs can learn trade skills and create items that
can be bought or sold for in-game currency.
CTD: Crash to Desktop. The second worst form of software bug, this
causes the game client to close suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving you back
at the Windows OS desktop. [Text by Stormwaltz]
cyber, cybersex: Simulating sexual activity via chat text and emotes.
"Want to cyber?" is a form of sexual proposition.
debuff: To cast spells on a monster or another player to decrease
their stats and abilities. "Don't charge in - give me a chance to debuff
the Revenant." Thi term is also used to refer to the spells themselves;
"That mob just hit me with an armor debuff!" [text by Stormwaltz]
Dereth: I just had to put this in. "Dereth" is the name
of the main land in AC1, and derives from archaic words for "dark"
and "forest" ... I know, because I made it up. That's all I wanted
to say kk bye.
ding: To reach the next level by having earned enough experience
points. Often announced to the rest of one's group. "Ding! 44" means
"My character just reached level 44!" In DAoC, there are half-way
dings above level 40, so people will often say "mini ding" or "mini."
dt, downtime (player): time spent waiting for mana/stam/health/etc.
to regenerate instead of actual play. [text by Stormwaltz]
easymode: This term is taken from single-player games where the player
could choose from different levels of difficulty. "Easymode" now
is a term often used in online forums, where players can accuse other players
of being on "easymode" for playing certain types of characters.
(E.g. "If you play a hunter, you're on easymode.")
emote: to make the avatar on the screen perform a certain action,
either through an animation, or through just text.
exp, xp, XP, experience, learning: experience points. These are reward
points given for killing a monster, and serve to eventually increase one's
skills, hp, stats, and other such vital things. Experience is the most coveted,
time-consuming aspect of most MMPs.
dmg: damage
dps: damage-per-second. Indicator of how a weapon's damage factors
in with its striking speed and such.
drop: (noun) Refers to the treasure (loot) that a monster leaves
behind when it dies.
faction: Usually, this refers to a measurement of a character's status
with a type of monster. Good faction indicates monsters will not attack unprovoked;
bad faction implies the monsters will attack on sight. Oftentimes, faction
can be "improved" or made worse by killing a particular type of
monster. For example, killing faeries will probably do bad things to one's
Faerie Faction, while killing the faeries' nemesis (say, Werewolves) will
improve one's Faerie Faction.
fanboi (fanboy): A derogatory term used to describe players who are
overly devoted to gaming. Sometimes refers to players who are too supportive
of a particular game.
fellowship: The Asheron's Call 1 term for a group.
ffa, FFA: free-for-all: In games where loot is given out randomly
by the game system to group members and groups, to have declared "ffa"
means that whoever got the item gets to keep it without dispute. Otherwise,
lottery or need-before-greed rules apply.
FotM, Flavor of the Month: A character class (e.g. shaman, hunter) that is
very popular because it is easy to play or relatively more powerful than other
classes.
fom, fop: Full of mana, full of power. "fom" means a person
that uses power (healer or caster) has plenty of power and can cast spells
effectively.
ftw, 4tw: for the win: Refers to a in-game ability or item known
to be powerful enough to be a decisive factor in conflicts. E.g.: "AE
mezz ftw."
gank: To be slaughtered horribly and unsuspectingly by another player
or players, usually when you were doing something else (like hunting monsters).
gimp: A character that is abnormally weak or useless, either due
to poor choices made by the player, or because the game company has screwed
up the game balance balance.
gimpy: To be like a gimp.
gimped: to have become a gimp, or to have been rendered abnormally
weak or useless through poor decisions or game company balancing decisions.
grats, gratz, congrats: congratulations. Used most frequently to
express congratulations to someone who has just dinged.
group: The usual transient social group of MMPs. Most groups are
made up of about 8 people or less. Groups tend to travel together and kill
monsters, and the experience rewards are set up to reward players for grouping
(i.e., if 8 people were not grouped and killed a monster, each person would
get far less XP than if formally grouped).
/gu: The command /gu is used to denote a message that is sent to
all of one's guild members who are currently logged into the game. This is
true for both EQ and DAoC, for example.
guild: The usual permanent social group of MMPs. Guilds are generally
comprised of a number of members, from a handful to hundreds, with a few members
having ultimate control over membership.
guild leader, guild master, GM, GL: A guild master is the highest
ranked member of a guild, who usually has the ability to invite new members,
change guild settings, ban people from the guild, etc. There may be multiple
GMs. Note that "GM" in general gaming parlance also can mean "game
master." Note also that "GL" may stand for "group leader."
heal pot: Something that restores health gradually over time (e.g.,
10 hp gained per 5 seconds). Usually refers to spells or potions with this
effect.
HP, hp, hits: hit points or health points, a measure of a PC's health.
hybrid: A character class that combines abilities of two or more
classes. For example, a fighter-cleric, or a mage-fighter.
keel: kill (from EQ)
kt: kill task: A kill task involves giving an NPC a specific item
that drops from a specific monster or type of monster, in return for a special
reward (such as experience points).
lag: This very commonly-used term refers to an unusually large time lapse
between the player trying to do something, and the reaction in the game world.
For example, if one says hello to a friend and the text appears two seconds
later than it normally would, that means there is a two second lag. Usually
lag is caused by network (internet) problems, but the term may also be applied
to any slow down caused by graphics performance problems or other such issues.
lag beast: Mostly an AC term. People jokingly say they were "killed
by the lag beast" when lag contributes to their PC's death.
ld, LD: link-dead. A player has lost connection to the game, and
his or her character stops moving and eventually disappears. This is a dreaded
but frequent occurrence.
lfg, LFG: looking for (a) group (to join). People may say or shout
this in crowds of people, in the hopes of getting an invite (invitation).
"24 sb lfg" means "I'm a level 24 shadowblade looking for a
group."
lfs, LFS: looking for a squad to join (e.g., in Planetside - "gal
pilot lfs" means "galaxy pilot looking for squad")
lft, LFT: looking for a team to join (e.g., in City of Heroes)
lm: loot master: a trusted person who is given all the nice loot
so that it can be given out in a lottery later.
logger: A PK player who avoids unfavorable PvP odds by logging their
character out of the world. [text by Stormwaltz]
loot: (noun) the treasure that a monster drops (or which is found
in chests guarded by monsters).
lop, lom: low on power; low on mana. "lop - don't do anything
stupid" indicates the healer is out of power and can't heal for a while.
los, LoS: Line of sight. Whether or not a person or monster can actually
see its target (never mind what the camera says).
lottery: A player-run, randomized way of giving out treasure that
multiple people want to have. This may involve rolling dice, picking random
numbers, or other means of randomly picking the person who gets the item.
love, luv: Refers to the game developers bestowing some attention,
new powers, bonuses, or other strengthening changes to a character class.
"This patch, casters get some love."
lvl: level
macro: Within a game, a macro is a means of making a quick way of
doing something that normally takes a lot of typing. Works like the UNIX "alias"
command. "Macro" may also mean to use a cheating program to allow
one to do boring things repeatededly in a game without actually having to
sit at the computer.
main: A player's primary character, usually highest level out of
all his characters. All other characters would be considered "alts."
med: (meditate, originally an EQ term) To rest so as to regain power
or other depleted stat.
mithril: A precious metal usually set to be worth more than gold
(sometimes greater than or sometimes less than platinum). (From J. R. R. Tolkien's
Middle Earth universe.)
mule: An alt character created by a player specifically for extra pack space
or to train support skills (usually craft skills). Diminutive of "pack
mule." (Text by Stormwaltz)
mt, mistell, MT: to intend to say something to a person or group
of people, and to accidentally say it to the wrong person or group of people.
This occurs easily with chat channels, where the wrong mouse click or typing
can send embarrassing text to the wrong people.
need before greed: A system of players giving each other loot based
on who needs it, rather than who first picked up the items.
nerf: when the game maker reduces the relative power of a given character
class (e.g., clerics, or wizards, or paladins) or a given attack, weapon,
spell, etc. Most nerfs are done to correct imbalances in the game. Some nerfs
are indirect: By allowing everyone to run faster, the game maker is theoretically
"nerfing" the people who had special spells to allow themselves
to run fast.
newbie, newb, noob: Either a game player who is not used to MMPs
(or the specific game), or a very low level character.
Norrath: Name for EQ's world.
NPC: a non-player-character (a game creature or game person that
is controlled by the game via AI)
officer: an officer is usually a high-ranking member of a guild who
has special privileges, such as being able to invite new members, or being
able to speak on a guild officer chat.
omw: on my way
ooc: out of character (i.e., speaking of a real life subject, not
in-game)
ooe: out of endurance. This means a PC has temporarily used up all
his or her end (endurance) and can no longer do anything that requires it,
such as powerful attacks, sprinting, etc.
oom: out of mana. This means a PC has temporarily used up all his
or her mana (power) and can no longer cast spells.
oop: out of power (mana)
oops: oops, I did something wrong; we might die
otw: on the way ("Thor is otw to meet you.")
out of con, out of conc: a DAoC term meaning a healer-type has used
up all available concentration buffs (which last indefinitely - until death
or port - but of which a healer-type only has a limited number).
OTD: One time drop: a nice piece of equipment that can be acquired
the FIRST time someone kills a monster, but never again for that person.
pathfinding: Pathfinding is the ability of a monster to navigate
around corners, obstacles, up and down stairs, and other such obstacles, in
order to reach a target.
PC, pc: player-character (a game avatar controlled by a human being game player).
Also, "personal computer."
peeps, ppl: people
pet: (noun) an NPC creature that a PC can command to attack other
monsters, follow him around, etc.
pet: (verb) to attack a monster with a pet. Can even be used as a
form of CC.
PK, PvP: (adjective) PCs can attack and kill almost any other PC.
PK: (verb) For a PC to kill another PC.
plat: platinum. Games have their own versions of platinum items and
currency.
port: teleportation. In DAoC, "port" means teleportation to an enemy
realm.
portal logger: Unique to AC, this is a PK who avoids unfavorable PvP odds
by executing a position recall spell to a teleportation portal. [text by Stormwaltz]
PoV: Point-of-view. Usually refers to camera setting: is the camera
1st person or 3rd person, etc.
powergaming: to concentrate on gaining levels, skills, items, etc.,
as quickly and efficiently as possible, even if it means pissing off other
players, using multiple accounts, possibly even cheating, etc.
PL, powerlevel, plevel, pl: To have a higher level character help
a lower level character earn experience faster. "PL me" or "plevel
me" is not something to say to someone who does not know you well.
PST, pst: please send tell: When a request for an item or information
is sent out to many people at once, the requestor may add "PST"
to imply anyone who responds should send a private message (a "tell").
PvE: PCs don't fight other PCs; they only fight AI NPCs.
raid: A raid is a massive gathering of people to go take enemy territory
or to fight tough monsters in rapid succession to gain experience and loot.
WoW has formalized raids.
retire: To retire a character is to cease playing that character
indefinitely.
RvR: (Realm vs. Realm, DAoC): PCs cannot fight PCs from their home
realm, but can kill PCs from other realms.
ROG: random object generator: something that creates items whose
characteristics are randomized.
recall: An AC term for using a spell to go back to/teleporting to
a specific location.
roll, roll up [a character]: To make a new character, going through the process
of assigning initial statistics, etc. The term "roll up" is probably
based on the original D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) philosophy that all
character statistics should be determined by dice rolls.
rp, RP [1]: role-play. To rp means to act and speak appropriately
for a character (e.g., an elf talks about trees, a troll speaks with short
words) and to never mention the real world. Talking about football in a medieval
game setting is not rp.
rp [2]: In DAoC, rp also means realm points, which are earned for
killing enemy player-characters.
sandwich combat: A combat or style of combat that lets the player
click a button, start fighting a monster with his character, and head out
of the room to make a sandwich while the character goes on killing the monster.
secure trade: An in-game, UI-based means of allowing people to make
sure that when they are trading an item for other items or money, that one
person cannot cheat by defaulting on the trade and yet still acquire the item.
Since many MMP games have large communities where (1) not everyone can trust
each other and (2) even if someone steals an item there is no recourse, secure
trade is necessary to ensure that economies are not destroyed by rampant cheating.
skill, skilling: To create items in a tradeskill system for the sake
of gaining levels in that skill. For example, a person might creat a lot of
useless swords just to gain skill as a blacksmith.
sow, SoW: In EQ, a very commonly used acronym for Spirit of the Wolf,
a much-requested buff that lets people run faster.
stam, stamina: A PC's attributes that allows the PC to (depending
on the game) do full-power attacks, sprint, or other such exertive endeavors.
stats: A PC's attributes that determine such things as how much damage
he or she does, or how much damage he or she can take before dying.
sticky, stick: This generally describes when a PC or NPC is "stuck"
to another PC or NPC during combat, preventing the latter from escaping the
attacks of the former.
the suck, the suq, teh suq: This phrase refers to things that are known to
be hurtful or otherwise unwanted. "Getting mezzed is the suq."
tell, /tell: A private message seen only by the sender and recipient.
Often requires appending "/tell " in front of the message.
toon: A character that a player creates in a game world. Avatar.
trade skill, tradeskill: An ability that lets a person create or
craft items.
train: (noun) A line of multiple monsters aggroed on one player,
trailing behind them as they flee. [text by Stormwaltz]
train: (verb) To create a line of monsters chasing oneself; or, to
bring trained monsters to one or more unsuspecting people and somehow get
the monsters to attack them instead. ("We all died because he trained
the boss monster on us.")
twink: (verb) to outfit a low level character with superior and expensive
items far before most characters of the same level could afford to get those
same items. "My level 5 is twinked" is sort of a shameful thing
to admit.
twink: (noun) someone who has been twinked. "You twink"
is a mild, humorous insult.
vendor: Most MMPs' primary non-monster NPC is the vendor, who generally stands
in one place and buys/sells items from players.
wahmbulance: (wah+ambulance) A gaming forum term denoting contempt
for whining. "Call the wahmbulance" may be posted in response to
a forum thread where players are complaining about their characters' classes
being gimpy.
white dot/red dot: These are AC terms for non-player killers and
player-killers, respectively. Based on the color that is used to represent
the PC in the AC "radar" screen.
/who : A command used to find specific names in an MMP. For example,
/who Rockie would find all characters with "rockie" within their
names: Rockie, Frockie, Drockiet, etc. /who also usually works with locations
and guild names. (/who Haunted might list everyone in Haunted Forest, and
/who Phalanx would list everyone in the guild named "Phalanx.")
Windows key: the key on many keyboards that, when accidentally hit,
often causes games to crash and the character to go LD.
WRU: Where are you?
wtb or WTB: want to buy: Used to indicate wanting to buy an item.
"wtb 2-h asterite greataxe"
wts or WTS: want to sell: Used to indicate one has an item for sale.
wtt or WTT: want to trade (i.e. swap one item for another). [text
by Stormwaltz] Note: in DAoC, it is common for people to want to trade money
in one realm/server for money on a different realm/server.
zone: A limited area of geography that usually is bounded by either
impassable walls or other zones. Oftentimes there is a brief loading time
associated with moving from one zone to another. AC is one of the few games
that did not have surface world zones per se.
zoning: To be incapacitated and unable to view or enter chat text
because one is loading a new area. In DAoC, this occurs when going between
realms or between dungeon and outside world.
-
Monsters
add: (noun) a monster that joins another monster in attacking, even
if otherwise unprovoked. "We were just fine until the add came and killed
us all."
aggro [1]: (verb) to get a monster's aggression; to be attacked by
a monster. "I was aggroed by the wolf" implies you were going through
wolf territory and a wolf attacked you.
aggro [2]: (adjective) monster aggression : the monster is aggressive
to you and will attack if you go too near it. "That cat is aggro"
means you have looked at the cat and determined it will attack you if it notices
you. (Some monsters are neutral or even friendly, and won't attacked unless
attacked first.)
aggro [3]: (noun) monster aggression. If you have aggro, the monster
has currently chosen to target you for its attacks. Getting aggro can be a
good thing if you're trying to make it stop attacking someone else. This can
be a bad thing if you got aggro because you're a healer trying to save your
friends from dying. "Lose aggro" is to stop being the monster's
current target.
aggro [4]: (noun) amount of monster aggression. If you accumulate
aggro, you are likely to get attacked. A healer tries to reduce aggro; a tank
tries to increase aggro on himself to save the healer.
baf: bring a friend. Refers to monsters who, when pulled, will bring
along one or more other monsters. Can be dangerous for a group.
boss, boss monster: The biggest, most powerful monster in a given
area. (I think this derives from old console RPGs, in which every region or
dungeon had one final powerful monster that had to be defeated to move on
to the next part of the game.)
camp: to stay in one spot and keep killing the same monsters over and over
(verb), or a place where players are camping or like to camp (noun). "Let's
camp at this great camp." Note: camp can also mean to logout. ("I'm
camping for the night.")
camped: a place that already has a group in it killing the local monsters;
it's generally considered rude to start pulling those monsters.
con [2]: (from "consider," an EQ term): a measure of a
monster's relative power and difficulty of killing, compared to oneself. In
many games, grey con means a monster is so relatively weak that killing it
will yield no experience. A purple con monster is one that is so powerful
that to attack it by yourself is almost always suicidal. The standard spectrum
goes from gray, to green, to blue, to yellow, to orange, to red, to purple.
farm: to safely collect experience or other bonuses from monsters or other
characters (by killing them)
gtg: Good to go: ready to move, ready for pull.
hate: See "aggro" [4]
inc: (based on "incoming") This term is an alert words
used to mean that monsters are coming toward a group, with intent to kill.
kos, KOS, KoS, kill on sight: "Kill on sight" means that
NPCs (or sometimes PCs) will automatically attack the moment they detect a
particular PC or NPC. Often, this has to do with bad factions or alignments.
ks, KS, killsteal: to attack a monster someone else is already fighting,
usually with intention of getting easy experience or unfairly getting the
privilege of taking the monster's treasure.
mob: another word for "monster" (based on something like
"Mobile Object Program"). Lee Sheldon notes that it is a MUD word
that was invented by Richard A. Bartle.
"on me": A phrase that indicates a monster (or other) is attacking
a person who can't do his job while being attacked. "I can't heal - on
me!"
peel: When a bunch of monsters attacks a group, peeling is to attack
one of them so that it doesn't attack someone you don't want it to attack.
"Who will peel the add off the healer?"
pop: When a monster or monsters are generated in the game - usually
used as a term of alert.
pull: to get a monster to come to your group so you can kill it,
usually in a safer place away from other monsters. Often this involves getting
aggro, such as by sticking an arrow into the monster. "Pulling"
means someone is getting a monster. See also "inc"
rage: In WoW, "rage" is a player stat that increases the more damage
that is taken or given out. When rage is high enough, some combat abilities
become available.
respawn interval: The time it takes for local monsters to spawn again.
rfp: ready for pull
rdy, ready: ready for pull
rtm: An EQ term that stands for "red to me"; this indicates
a monster cons red to a particular player-character. (Red in EQ indicates
the monster is far more powerful than the observing person.)
social: refers to monsters that tend to attack in groups of two or
more.
spawn: Refers to monsters being generated in the game.
spawn point: the location where a monster appears.
threat: See "aggro" [4] -
During Combat
AE, aoe, ae: area-of-effect. A spell that affects all valid targets
within a wide area, as opposed to a spell that only affects a single target.
Can refer to ae mezz as well.
bash: Usually refers to a shield attack (which may stun the opponent).
Probably originated in EQ.
bt, bladeturn: Bladeturn is a protective spell that absorbs the damage
from a blow or strike. However, the bladeturn is then broken, and the next
blow will do full damage. This is why pbt is so powerful.
CC, cc: crowd control: Using mezz (mesmerize), stun, or other means
of making sure that most attacking monsters are kept harmless so the group
only has to fight one at a time. "Who's handling CC?" may be asked
when there are multiple mezzers and rooters in a group; this is important
to know because two people doing CC at once risk breaking each others' mezzes
or roots or reducing the duration of such.
detaunt: A means of encouraging an attacking monster to aggro someone
else. Usually done through a specific style of melee attack.
dot, DoT: Damage over Time: a spell or effect (e.g., poison) that
causes damage once every few seconds.
GT, ground target: To aim an attack not by selecting a specific opponent,
but by selecting a specific section of the ground.
gtae, gtaeo, GTAoE, etc.: Ground-target area-of-effect. Usually a
big explosive spell or attack that is aimed at a section of ground, not a
specific person or monster.
kite: a particular combat technique, frequently used by casters, of DoTting
a monster, possibly stunning it, and running away, repeat until it's dead.
meat shield: A melee character who can take lots of damage. Thus,
they are usually used to physically block the path of monsters and absorb
their attacks while mages and archers behind them do their work. [text by
Stormwaltz and rei]
mezz: (mesmerize) to render a monster (or PC) temporarily unable
to do anything, including move, fight, or cast - until the monster is struck
and damaged (depends on what hits it). A lot like a traditional sleep spell.
Breaking mezz is considered a very bad thing if done before your group is
ready to fight the mezzed monster. Mezz wears off in a given quantity of time.
AE mezz is considered very useful.
nuke: (verb) To do magical damage, usually at a distance.
nuke: (noun) Magical damage, usually done at a distance.
PA, perf: Perforate Artery. A very commonly used attack in DAoC.
Used by assassins. So commonly used that I list it here.
pbae, pbaoe, PBAE, etc: person-based area of effect. An area-of-effect
spell that is centered on the caster.
pbt: pulsing bladeturn: this is a spell or chant that brings up a
new bladeturn on a regular basis (such as one every 8 seconds).
proc: (based on "procedure") a special effect (usually
spell) that occurs under certain conditions. A sword may have a fire proc
- a fireball spell that occurs randomly. Armor may have a reactive proc -
a spell that has a chance of being cast when that piece of armor is struck
by an enemy.
rezz, res, ress: resurrection. A dead person can be resurrected by
someone who has the right resurrection spells. Some games do not have rezz.
roll: To totally overrun an enemy, or to be overrun. ("We rolled
the enemy.")
root: to render a monster (or PC) temporarily unable to travel for a specific
time period. In DAoC, roots are usually broken when a monster takes damage.
stun: to render a monster (or PC) temporarily unable to do anything, including
move, fight, or cast - even if the monster is being attacked.
Stun wears off in a given quantity of time.
style, styles: In DAoC, styles are special melee attacks that do
more damage, have special effects (such as stun), and which tend to use up
endurance.
tank [1]: (verb) To hold a monster's aggro and to suffer through
its attacks.
tank [2]: (noun) A person who is best suited to hold a monster's
aggro and suffer through its attacks: usually someone wearing heavy armor,
having lots of hp, and wielding a big sharp weapon.
taunt: A means of getting aggro. In DAoC, taunting is usually done
through specific types of melee attacks. This is useful to make a monster
attack the guy in full armor, instead of the spellcaster clad in wispy bits
of gauze, even if the latter is doing more damage.
wall humping: An Asheron's Call 1 term for attacking and killing
monsters through a wall, thus gaining free and easy experience.
zerg: (verb) To form up massive numbers of people to overrun the
enemy. (Presumably from the "Starcraft" race of the same name, known
for having units that were fast and cheap to make.)
zerg: (noun) A massive group of people that will or is or has overrun
their enemies. Or, the act of doing so or having done so. (Presumably from
the "Starcraft" race of the same name.) -
Internet Acrononyms and Terms Often Used in MMPs
2: sometimes used instead of "to" or "too" -
especially by those who use "u" as "you." Example: "gl
2u" would be "good luck to you."
4: sometimes used instead of "for." Example: "I have
something 4u" is "I have something for you." "4sale"
is "for sale."
afk, afkas: away from keyboard ("I'm getting food and going
afk.")
AI: artificial intelligence
atm: at the moment
b4: before
brb: be right back
brt: be right there
btw: By the way
chat channel: a means by which people can talk together and/or listen
to a specific person or persons. Only subscribers to a particular channel
can talk or listen.
cuzz: because
cya, cyas: See you (later); goodbye.
doh: Exclamation of dismay, now thoroughly in common usage in the
United States, thanks to the TV cartoon "The Simpsons."
fricking, frigging: nicer term used in place of "f*cking"
as an emphasis.
gj: good job
gl: good luck
hehe: Instead of the usual "hee hee," implying laughter,
most games have it condensed to "hehe."
imo, imho: in my opinion, in my humble opinion
irl: In real life ("In real life, I'm a student")
jfyi: just for your information
k, kk: OK (term of acknowledgment)
l8r: later (see you later)
lol: laughing out loud. The term "lol" is so commonly used
that saying it on a role-playing server doesn't seem strange at all any more).
People commonly say "lol" instead of "haha" or other forms
of laughter.
lmao: laughing my ass off
ne, ne1, ne one: any, anyone ("ne" pronounced "en"
"ee")
nm: never mind, forget it
np: no problem
oic, o i c, ic: "Oh I see" (pronounce the letters phonetically)
okies: OK
omg, omfg: Oh my G-d, oh my f*cking god
omw: On my way
plz: please
pm: private message: to send a message to someone else that only
the recipient sees (unlike speaking in a public chat room).
pos: piece of sh*t
rl, RL: Real Life: Life away from the computer and out among human
beings as experienced through direct contact, not via chat rooms and the like.
rofl: rolling on the floor laughing (used to indicate laughter)
rtfm: read the f*cking manual
sok: it's ok.
spam: to repeat something over and over again rapidly. In gaming
terms, it can refer to anything that affects others, from "spam the attack
style" to "stealth spamming" (stealth and unstealth repeatedly)
to just "spamming" (saying the same thing over and over again rapidly).
Derives from the Montey Python comedy sketch involving the repeating singing
of the word "Spam" (a canned meat-based ham-like product).
stfu: shut the f*ck up
sup: "What's up" corrupted to "whassup" corrupted
to "sup"
tmi, TMI: too much information, oversharing: To speak too openly
or explicitly about one's private affairs, in such a way as to make other
people feel uncomfortable or voyeuristic.
ttfn: ta-ta for now (bye)
ty, thx, tnx: thank you, thanks
u: you
ur: your
yw: you're welcome
wb: welcome back (often used if someone has gone LD and has just
returned)
wtf: what the f*ck
wtg: way to go (term of praise) -
Internet Emoticons-
- Smiley
faces (view from side): :-) :) =) :o) :O) :^) 8-) ) etc
Frowny faces (view from side): :-( :( =( :o( :O( :^( 8-( ( etc
Winking faces (though I think of them as sort of cynical faces):
;-) ;) ;-( ;( etc
Sardonic faces: :-/ :/ =/ etc.
Tongue-sticking out faces: :-P :p =P etc.
Grinning/very happy faces: :D =D :-D
Anime faces: ^_^ @_@ ^.^ _mOm_ (bowing) \(^.^)/ (yay!) etc.
The carebear or weird stare: o.O o_O
Streaming tears: QQ (Western) and T-T or ;-; (anime-style)
-
Common Unintentional and Deliberate Misspellings,
Etc.
dunno means "don't know"
"I'll" written as "ill"
"I'm" written as "im"
its, it's
"hear, hear!" often written as "here here!"
"lose" is very commonly written as "loose"
"their" or "they're" frequently written as "there"
("There going to attack")
"they're" is frequently also written as "their"
("Their going to attack")
"too" is often written as "to"
"you're" is extremely frequently written as "your"
("Your wrong!" "Your going to regret it")
wanna means "want to"
"we're" written as "were" -