the Glossary

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since 5/1/97

the Glossary,
your guide through 3d gaming jargon

A....................................................

addon::

software that adds on new weapons, levels, models etc. the inherently modifiable quake-engine allows users to create their own addons, through the use of DLLs and various editing programs. also spelled add-on. the term addon usually refers to a single player mod, as people generally do not say "server addons," but "server mods."

see history of addons, list of QI addons, Q2 addons

alias::

advanced quake console command. allows players to perform complex actions such as rocket jumping with a keypress

AOL::

online service that spawns newbies. probably NOT a good idea if you want to be a devout quaker due to lag. finger: ronsolo for specimen samples

Assassin 3d::

specialized game controller from fpgaming.com, designed for 3d games. read loonyboi's review. see also spaceorb 360, mouser

beta::

B.................................................... type of software that is nearing completion, but still must undergo bug testing. sometimes wrongly used to describe unfinished half-baked software that is released incrementally and annoyingly. see sinistar's "all about beta"

BFG::

quake II's "big f* gun" (fill in your favorite f-word), originally found in doom. DuvalMagic's Weapon FAQ and the BFG FAQ describe how the new QII BFG works. see history of the BFG

blue's news::

one of the most popular quake web pages that features recent, revelant, and well-written 3d gaming news. run by superhero blue: bluesnews.com. more qnews info at the Guide...

bot::

a (ro)bot is an addon that allows players to play against simulated deathmatch opponent(s). there are several early betas of QII bots available, such as the eraser bot or the CR bot.

try the bot shop. see 'client side bots are not evil' editorial, history of bots, more bot info at the Guide...

brutality::

formerly known as quakemania, brutality featured up-to-date news, files and a host of hosted gaming sites.

bsp::

level editor by Yahn Bernier. BSP supports Quake I/II and Hexen II. go to BSP hq. more mapping info at the Guide...

to 'bsp' a file also refers to the entire process of using qbsp, light, vis. as maps increase in size, system requirements and time for bsp-ing also increase, making home-brew mappers less common.

byoc::

stands for "bring your own computer". most lan parties require this, as computer rentals are rather expensive

camera::

C.................................................... used in quake movie making or demo recording, cameras are programmed to do various tasks such as teleport to the area of most action, track a certain player, or move in a predetermined way

camper::

type of deathmatch player whose strategy is to grab a weapon such as the rocket launcher and sit in a dark place in wait. other variations include players who guard a certain area full of goodies. certain maps tend to breed campers, as designers sometimes group powerful weapons/power-ups nearby. camping is usually frowned upon except in capture the flag where it is considered as a viable defense tactic.

the creation of so called anti-camper mods try Quake Camper's page or clan of the camper: campsite

cin::

a .cin is a quake II cinematic. to run a .cin type "map foo.cin" in the console

clan::

organized quake playing team. clans play matches with each other, sometimes results are tabulated for clan leagues. there are virtually hundreds of clans: ClanRing, list of clans. association with a clan is usually denoted by a prefix or a suffix, such as [RL]Bob or Entropy9 where Bob is a member of clan Rocket Launcher (fictional) and Entropy belongs to clan impulse9.

the transition to QII has convinced some quakers to espouse other terms such as "squad" or "platoon," but these terms are not used widely. see a history of clanring. more clan info at the Guide...

client::

a multiplayer quake-engine game is a client/server game. the client asks the server, 'hey que pasa mufasa?'. the server says 'bill fragged bob'. even in one player, quake simulates this client/server situation. in internet games, you are probably the client, and the computer that handles all the player connections is the server

console::

pressing '~' in quake pulls down the console where players can type in commands, such as "crosshair 1". a list of Quake II console commands is available at Fahrenheit 176. more console info at the Guide...

coop::

alternatively co-op, the cooperative multiplayer mode where players strive to coop-erate and finish single player levels

crack dot com::

see 3d gaming companies

ctf::

capture the flag. see QII addons

daikatana::

D.................................................... see 3d games

deathmatch::

a ffa (free for all) where the players get the biggest gun they can find and try to kill everybody else. modifications are teamplay, and other addons

demo::

an in-game recording. read the history of demos. more demo info at the Guide...

direct3d::

microsoft's 3d API (programmer tools) that allows programmers to code a graphics engine without being concerned with hardware details: compatibility, speed, etc. quake-engine games do not use direct3d, but use its competitor OpenGl. many game developers, including John Carmack, joined forces to send a letter to microsoft requesting more support for opengl

DLL::

a dynamically linked library. id software and other companies using the quake engine are switching from quake-c to DLLs. Using DLLs offers more flexibility in addons, but sacrifices security. DLL programming is harder than quake-c, and DLLs would have to be recompiled for different operating systems.

in an effort to resolve DLL security problems, openquake.org has started a service that verifies that a mod has no malicious code. see more info at the Guide

doom::

classic pre-quake id game. see 3d games

dopefish::

originally one of Tom Hall's creations for Commander Keen, the dopefish appears in Quake's E2M3 and in part of Quake II. The second dumbest creature in the universe, a dopefish is a fat green fish with buckteeth. go to the official Dopefish home page

druken lag::

variation of ice skating. instead of gliding in one direction, drunken lag occurs when direction control of the user is rendered in a "drunken" state. i.e. you try to move forward, but instead turn left and fall into lava

elite::: if you don't know what elite means or you say that you are elite, you are obviously NOT 3l33t. compare llama

FAQ::

F.................................................... frequently asked questions. although the rise of the web has made faqs less up-to-date and all-knowing, faqs are still useful and commonplace. see the quake II faq, gl quake dojo faq, quakeworld faq, hexen II faq, half-life faq. more info at the Guide

finger::

unix command that queries a .plan file for information and tells last login and other misc data. many game designers offer current information about what they are doing in their (finger) '.plan'.

the best finger resource is quakefinger by dweomer and hank. more finger info at the Guide...

foxed::

as a noun, (20th century) fox refers to a media company which has earned the ire of many quakers. as a verb, being "foxed" refers to being shut down by fox (or perhaps another large corporation). when a conversion is foxed, the creators are forced to stop work and must tell the public to delete any and all references to the foxed conversion.

In mainstream usage, according to wired, "foxed" is used to describe a web site "threatened with legal action for copyright infringement... coined after [Fox] sent cease-and-decease letters to unofficial X-files and Simpsons Web sites." see FIST, a site about mainstream foxing of fox-fan websites (simpsons, x-files etc), history of foxing

as of yet, no quake II TCs have been foxed

fps::

fps = frames per second. higher fps means more screen redrawings per second, and therefore smoother play. pull down the console and type "timerefresh". at least 20 fps is required for smooth play. to improve fps, get a faster computer or a better video card

frag::

to frag someone means to kill them. the term originally meant to kill a fellow soldier with a fragmentation device. frag, as a noun, is the point awarded when a player kills. usually in deathmatch, the one with the most frags is considered the winner

gamespy::

G.................................................... popular server query utility that is compatible with many 3d action games. gamespy enables players to see who is on what server, and automagically pings the server to gauge lag. available at gamespy.com. (formerly known as quakespy) more server finder at the Guide...

gib::

to gib someone means to blow them into tiny kibbles + bits (meow meow meow meow!). gib is pronounced "jib", not "gib" with a hard g.

according to id's adrian carmack, who coined the word, "Gib is short for gibblet. Gibblets are guts of a chicken. I first heard a friend of mine use the term. Once I started working at id, I would call the guts I drew 'gibs'." see also gibbage, jib

gibbage::

the residue left behind after being gibbed.

golgotha::

future crack.com game. see 3d games

guild::

a hexen (II) clan

Half-life::: quake engine game from Valve software. see 3d games
hexenworld::: hexenworld.com, planetquake's sister site, features hexen II news/info, hosted sites, and plenty of catapultable sheep
high ping::: someone who has a high ping is lagged, and moves like quake on a 486. a high ping is greater than about 300 milliseconds. modemers (people who use modems) usually have fairly high pings because modems are relatively slow. a high ping can also be caused by a slow internet connection or quake server. a person with a high ping can be called a high ping bastard, or hpb, although the term is not derogatory and is simply a counterpoint to a lpb. compare low ping bastard
hipnotic::: now known as ritual entertainment
hud::: heads up display.

ice skating::: ice skating occurs when a player has bad lag, and therefore glides around haphazardly like a drunken ice skater who drank too much coffee mixed with shots of red rum. see also drunken lag
id software::: created quake. see 3d gaming companies
ion storm::: see 3d gaming companies

jib::: apparently a smaller version of gib

keyboarder::

K.................................................... a sometimes derogatory term for players who solely use the keyboard. although in doom, keyboarders died mercilessly, in quake (with adjustable keyboard sensitivity) keyboarders fare a bit better.

joystick users are generally frowned upon, but probably will not suck as much in future games as joysticks and game controls become more configurable. compare mouser

lag::

L.................................................... lag is the general term for the slowness of a quake net game. lag is caused by a slow connection (ie modem), or poor settings. it is usually measured by ping. see also Lag City, high ping, low ping bastard. more lag info at the Guide...

lan::

Local Area Network. many players play on these because it is faster than internet play. a lan is a group of computers connected through wires, usually found in colleges and companies. a lan can be created if each computer has a network card and cabling.

lan party::

ranging from tiny get togethers to massive 500+ conventions like quakecon, a lan party is simply an event where gamers bring (or rent) computers to one location to play network multiplayer games. most lan parties stipulate: byoc. check out blue's lan party list

latency::

latency is the time required for a data packet to go from one place to another. see also ping, lag

level::

the file containing the 3d geometry and monster/item placement that make up the worlds of quake. also known as a map, levels are created using level editors. many user-made levels are available. try matt's spq level heaven and crash's page for fine spq (single player quake) levels, or alternatively ramshackle for deathmatch levels

level editor::

software designed to create and edit 3d levels. aka map editor. while id software (and other companies using the quake engine) use the in-house QE4 (QuakeEd4) editor, many quality editors have been developed and released by the quake community. QI map editors of note include the popular worldcraft editor, the powerful BSP editor, and the discontinued but successful quest.

BSP, qoole, and Radiant (an enhanced QE4) offer limited Quake II map editing support. read history of level editors, more level editing info at the Guide...

light::

see QRAD

linux::

free unix clone for x86 machines (and others), popular with hackers (not crackers). full source code is included. try linux.org for info. quake and quake II have been ported to linux (and other unix systems) by Zoid

llama::

strange animal; favorite among quakers for "various" actvities. also synonymous with lamer. finger: Candy the Llama

according to mynx of dear mynx, the term llama has its roots in the derogative term 'lame'. apparently, the word was coined in 1994 by Warp2 in the irc channel #doom

log parser::

utility software that parses (interprets) server data, and outputs nifty info such as frag tables etc. also called a "log output analyzer." try gibstats

low ping (bastard)::

player who has an extremely low ping, and is therefore able to run around high ping players easily. some consider playing as a LPB against high pingers "cheesy", so leagues such as the old HPCL have been formed. LPBs usually have an ISDN (superfast connection) line from their telephone company, or use a college's net.connection.

a LPB has a ping of less than 100 milliseconds, while a 28.8k modemer has lag of about 200 to 300 ms. Clans usually have separate low ping and high ping divisions. see also lag, high ping, latency

manbeating::

M.................................................... as in "you need a manbeating?". refers to fragging opponent senselessly in deathmatch. variant forms: skullcracking.

map::

a ".map" file is a text file that contains quake level information. it is unusable until it is bsp-ed and rad-ed. vis optionally speeds up the final bsp level in quake. although it is possible to create a .map file by hand, most people use a level editor.

Quake II's map format is similar to Quake I's, but they are incompatible. more mapping info at the Guide...

meddle::

popular quake software to edit 3d models. available at meddle.telefragged.com

milkmatch::

1 on 1 deathmatch duel where the loser is forced to drink from a big juggernaught jug of (possibly rancid) milk

mission pack::

a MP is an id approved set of levels and gameplay enhancements. examples are SOA, DOE, and the reckoning

mod::

(quake) modification. as in, "what kind of server mods is server foo running?" the alternative term "hack" is not common, and is a throwback to when doom modifications often required .exe hacks. crossreference addon.

model::

quake-engine construction of polygons. aka MDL. the player, monsters, and weapons are all models. 3d modeling software such as meddle is used to create custom models. to texture the models, a custom skin is drawn and placed on the model.

note: the correct term for making models is "modeling" not "modelling". Paul Steed says "modeling", so I'd accept that as canon. see also, Supermodels, Bubbah's monster page, Kray-Zee's modeling guide, or the free models page.

mouser::

quake player who uses the mouse to aim left and right, as well as mlook (mouselook) to look up and down. mousers use the keyboard to strafe and do other misc stuff.

virtually all good quake players use the mouse because they can 'mouseflick': quickly move the mouse to face any angle instantly. the two most popular brands are probably microsoft and logitech. trackballs are also sometimes used. see the truth about mice. compare keyboarder

movie::

in-game demos with voice and action. check out demoland, or read the history of demos

OpenGL::

O.................................................... Quake II uses the OpenGL API in GL mode. this means quake tells the OpenGL driver+card, 'hey draw a polygon at x.y.z, then show it'. Carmack decided to use OpenGL instead of MS direct3d because of ease of use

OpenGL drivers are only available for certain 3d video cards, most notably 3dfx chips used in Voodoo cards. Read Zanshin's GL dojo for more info

pak::

P.................................................... like a doom .wad file, ".pak"s contain skins, models, custom programming etc.

to use a pak in Quake I, put it in a subdirectory of quake such as "ctf", and type "quake -game ctf". paks are usually distributed with TCs/PCs. utilities are available to view Quake I paks @ ftp.cdrom.com, or try qped

patch::

same as an addon; changes game elements.

PC::

Partial Conversion. addon that partially changes game elements such as weapons or monsters. PCs retain some original id stuff such as textures or weapons. see also TC. more PC info at the Guide...

pineapple::

yumyumdoodledum yellow fruit that blows up after several (2.5) seconds. aka grenade. see also gib, pork riblets

ping::

unix tool to measure lag/ latency. to use in win95, type ping x.y.z.q where x.y.z.q is the quake server ip address. high ping= slow, low ping=fast. ping is measured in milliseconds. utilities such as gamespy automagically ping servers. remember LOW PING=GOOD PING! a ping bot has been created that artificially inflates a user's ping, making a lpb seem like a modemer. see also lag, latency, highping, lpb

.plan::

see finger

point release::

the upcoming quake II upgrade that will add CTF and more deathmatch functionality

pork riblet::

favorite food of quakers, often eaten with quaker oats. pork riblets are a sumptuous feast of a quake dinner offered by banquet, and reported increase the eater's gibbing ability. see the NVT article, or the Pork riblets page by Radpipe

planetquake::

@www.planetquake.com. PQ (planetquake) hosts many fine quake sites and offers original content such as quality articles, reviews, reports and news. see the PQ staff, webmasters. more host info at the Guide...

prey::

future (1998?) 3drealms game. see 3d games

pr0n::

slang neologism from quake argot that refers to salacious visuals

pushlatency::

old QuakeWorld command to increase playability in net play. highpingers using modems will use pushlatency to make the game appear to run smoother. to use, pull down the console in QW, and type pushlatency -X where X is a negative value between 0 and your ping... see also lag, latency

qbsp::: .map editing utility released by id software to convert text '.map' files to quake usable '.bsp' files. try ftp.cdrom.com
quake::: true 3d multiplayer gaming masterpiece by egos at id software. see 3d games
quake II::: sequel to quake. see 3d games
quake-c::: quake I's programming language, replaced by DLLs. read history of..
quakecast::: weekly realaudio broadcast (Thursday 9:00pm EST), hosted by blue, loonyboi, and joost schuur. quakecast is broadcast from pseudo.com in NYC. people can call in live, or listen at quakecast.pseudo.com. see also stormfront. more qcast info at the Guide...
quakefinger::: the ultimate finger resource page that lists recently updated plans from ".plan"s (simple text files stored on a server) that game designers frequently update. quakefinger was created by dweomer and hank. located at finger.planetquake.com
quake killer::: refers to a 3d game that, when released, would theoretically "kill quake" when released. oft-delayed (vaporware?) games such as unreal and prey have often been described as "quake killers". quake-engine games such as daikatana are usually not referred to in this manner except in mainstream gaming print. in use since before quake was even released, this term has lost its effect as almost two years of quake-engine dominance have virtually relegated this term to usage: silly
quakelab::: brand name (tm) quake fast-frag-food chain of great editing sites. branches of quakelab include: the original QuakeLab and the newly opened QuakeLab2 by Steve Fukuda
quantum axcess::: see 3d gaming companies

rad::

R.................................................... QRAD is id's official .map editing utility that lights the final .bsp file using radiosity lighting. formerly known as 'light' in Quake I

r_speeds::

console command. type r_speeds 1 to see polygon information. used in level development for checking the speed a computer will render a particular part of a level. see this WCU log for more info

rc::

a ".rc" file is a configuration file that quake uses to set up various things. also known as a ".cfg" file. check out the Quake Scripts site

respawn::

to respawn is to come back to life in a randomly chosen deathmatch respawn spot. in most versions of Quake I, the spawn order is fixed, so expert players knew at which respawn spot their prey will pop up next after being fragged. also refers to items that return after being picked up.

ritual::

previously hipnotic. see 3d gaming companies

rocket juggling::

a player can rocket juggle an opponent by first firing a rocket at the opponent's feet. The victim flies upward, then the player repeatedly fires at the victim's future landing spot. the victim is "juggled" since he doesn't touch the ground until he dies. compare rocket jumping

rocket jumping::

a technique to jump higher using the rocket launcher. aim the RL down, jump and immediately fire.. expert quake players such as Honus rocket jump in order to cross large distances or get to high places (and powerups).

it is possible to "grenade jump" with grenades, or combine grenade jumping with rocket jumping.

in quake II, barrel rocket jumping (doing a rocket jump on an explosive barrel) is possible. Quake II also adds the new technique of BFG jumping. to satisfy all your rjumping needs: rocket jumper's guide to quake. compare rocket juggling

rocket launcher::

go to quake I. push 7. if a big gun pops up you have a rocket launcher. the rocket launcher (RL) was considered by many to be the best overall weapon due to its splash damage (damage taken by players near to the impact point), and direct damage. quake II's weapon balance is much better. see also rocket jumping

server::

S.................................................... server refers to the hardware that enables people to play multiplayer quake on the internet. using a server browser such as gspy, players find a server and connect to it. the client (player's computer) sends game info to the server, which then disseminates the info to all the other players.

there are several kinds of quake I servers: dedicated, and listen. dedicated servers (normal quake) do not let a user play at the server machine while listen servers do. the person playing at a listen server has virtually no lag. don't even think about running a net.quake server unless you have a superfast pentium and at least a T1 line (fast net.connection). more server info at the Guide...

server browser::

a server browser is a piece of software that a gamer uses to find game servers. most server browsers go further and allow gamers to ping the server, measuring lag. other goodies include the ability to see players on the server, search for players, and some server browsers even include chat-clients

sex::

some members of the quake community use salacious terms such as wood. since pre-quake days, people said they would spooge when quake was finally released.

there are a number of great female quake players, including killcreek and kornelia. sadly though, female quakers and members of the community are sometimes harrassed, leading to such efforts as the green ribbon campaign

shareware::

type of software where users download a specific version for free. a shareware game for example may only contain a few levels while the full retail game has all the levels and possibly more weapons/monsters. quake shareware available@: [Get QUAKE now!]. quake II is not offered as shareware.

sin::

see 3d games

skin::

graphics file that is applied to a model. each clan usually had their own skin to identify themselves in quakeworld. try the Book of Skins, or the skin factory

skin pack::

a group of skins, usually downloadable in a compressed file

slipgate central::

the yahoo of quake. sg central by Joost Schuur lists virtually all quake sites, organized by category. slip to slipgatecentral.com

sniper::

player who takes high tactical ground with a strong weapon, waiting for unsuspected prey to wander underneath. compare camper

spaceorb 360::

funkyfunk controller device that some quake players use. the majority of (good) quake players use the mouse or trackball (+keyboard), but some deathmatchers (and even clans) prefer this device from Spacetec. read prophet's review, quakelab review, loonyboi's review. compare mouser, keyboarder

speed running::

a speed run is an attempt to run through a level as fast as possible, usually on nightmare difficulty. besides simple rocket jumping and/or grenade jumping, speed runners ride box explosions, grenade jump off of monsters, and employ various level-specific tricks. the most impressive Quake I attempt to date is Quake Done Quick, a nightmare run through all of quake I in 16:35!

spooge::

(verb) an action that only males can do

stormfront::

like quakecast, stormfront is a pseudo.com realaudio net radio show about ion storm. stormfront is broadcast live biweekly at: pseudo.com/netcast/shows/stormfront/

strafe::

while playing quake, refers to moving left or right without turning. good players assign separate left and right strafe keys while using the mouse to turn.

a simple maneuver to learn is to 'circle-strafe': strafe right and turn left (or versa vice), keeping your victim in view all the time. good quake players strafe constantly and unpredictably to avoid fire.

sunny doodle::

strange foodstuff endemic to eastern half of united states. a sunny doodle is a yellowish Drake's Cake filled with white filling. sunny doodles may look like twinkies, but DO NOT BE TRICKED! CAVEAT EMPTOR! .. go to QuakeLab: Multimedia for more info. [Sunny Doodle NOW!]

TC::

T.................................................... a TotalConversion changes all the graphics, levels etc, in quake and replaces them with user-made stuff. although the "textbook" literal definition of TC requires that every id thing is changed, many so-called TCs such as quess change the gameplay significantly enough to warrant the TC title.

the first commercial TC was shrak for quake I. the first Quake II TC was Juggernaut.

commercial TCs are generally unofficial and are published without id's approval. check out Nakedman's TC list. more tc info at the Guide...

texture::

a texture is a 2d graphic file that contains a tile-able tesselated image of a "texture" such as rock or lava. quake II .bsps do not contain textures

unreal::: see 3d games

valve::: see 3d gaming companies
VIS::: vis is used to speed up .bsp files by telling the .bsp what it can't see at a certain point. vis takes a hugehugehuge amount of processing power + memory. large levels may take many hours to vis. in QII, the new cycle-sucker is QRAD

WAD::: collection of textures. in doom, a .wad was a level or group of levels
WAL::: a quake II texture file
war council::: fomerly the NAWC, the war council is a web site that contains up-to-date 3d gaming news, also known for custom map contests. NAWC is run by Embrionic Pete and Hosebag at: warcouncil.mpog.com. nawc gold and nawc unreal have also opened
wood::: psychosexually loaded term referring to the state of a certain quake man's entity. see also quake sex
worldcraft::: popular quake level editor by Ben Morris. Since worldcraft (wc) is flexible, it may be able edit Unreal (or other upcoming game) maps in the future. worldcraft 2 will ship with half-life. available at worldcraft.com. see also worldcraft university, The Forge. more mapping info at the Guide...

2.5d::

#.................................................... doom and duke3d are really 2.5d. notice that both of them do not have "true" room over room. they use a sector based engine where each sector (2d overhead space) is defined by a Z (height) value for the ceiling and floor.

3d::

3d=quake.. THREEDIMENSIONAL: defined by the x, y, and z axes in quake, (unlike sector based doom), maps are built of brushes. a brush is a 3d convex object: pass a line through the solid and there will be only 2 points of intersection. the brush is defined by at least 4 planes (4 planes = triangloid thing, square = 6 planes). since a line is defined by two points, a plane is defined by three points (x,y,z coordinates)

3dnet::

irc (chat) network intended for 3d gaming discussion. it was conceived by disruptor and brian hook, who were tired of problems they encountered on other irc servers. servers: id.3dnet.net:6667, best.3dnet.net:6667, irc.planetquake.com:6667. more irc info at the Guide...

3d realms::

see 3d gaming companies

news, about, Q2 addons/TCs, acronyms, companies, games, jobs, obits, history

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