Glossary

I consider PlanetPhillip newbie friendly. I try to write in clear, simple English and often add definitions of words or phrasal verbs for non-native speakers. However there must be times when a new visitor or player finds words or phrases unknown to them. A quick search on the Internet for a computer gaming glossary produced no sensible results so I decide to start one myself.

I found some quite technical ones but nothing that explained the simplest terms. I’m sure I would have found it useful if I was just starting to play computer games. Therefore, I have decided to create a small glossary here on PlanetPhillip that attempts to explain in plain, clear English words and phrases used in computer gaming

I don’t claim that this glossary is complete and I will add new words or phrases as I find them. I will probably just copy the good definitions form other sources. I’ll credit the source if possible!

Please feel free to comment on which words or phrases you want added. Also don’t be afraid to correct any mistakes you think I have made. I am open to criticism, as long as it’s polite!

I plan to improve the layout soon.

One last thing - the glossary should not be considered a definitive guide. I will NOT be adding the finer details of mapping etc. It’s just about playing games and some PlanetPhillip Specifics.

Crosshair

The little image in the centre of the screen that indicates where you weapon will fire, these images can normally can be changed to different types from within the game. Half-Life 2 extended the functionality of this by adding ammo information to it, which I thought was very clever!

FPS - First Person Shooter

A game played where the view is as if you were the character. Normally the view contains a gun of some other type of weapon. Not all games that have first person views are shooter but the majority are. This type of game is different from what is called Arcade because the player can move within the environment, whereas an Arcade game only the aim can be moved.

FPS - Frames Per Second

Just like a TV screen, the image on a computer is created from still images. The faster the images change the smoother the movement seems. Each image is called a frame and the more frames per second the better the quality. Current movies have 24 fps but computer games can reach over 100. Once the fps drops below about 30 then the game can stutter. Some games allow you to see the number of frames per second by editing a setting somewhere within the game.

Levels (Also known as Missions and Maps)

These are areas with a game or mod that you play. Most games have many maps and the transition between them is normally defined by some obvious loading sequence. Often players release single maps that range in size from a couple of rooms to huge areas. There are generally technical limitations of the size of each map. This map or level would not make any changes to the gameplay, just create anew environment to play in.

Maps (Also known as Missions and Levels)

These are areas with a game or mod that you play. Most games have many maps and the transition between them is normally defined by some obvious loading sequence. Often players release single maps that range in size from a couple of rooms to huge areas. There are generally technical limitations of the size of each map. This map or level would not make any changes to the gameplay, just create anew environment to play in.